March 25-31, 2004

food

Kicking Up a Stink

Personal taste: Peter Breslow's brainchild, Binge tastings series, aims to pair food with drink, and the culinary with the cultural. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Too much of a good thing? According to one local foodie's tasting series, not when it's good in a weird way.

by A.D. Amorosi

With his jovial demeanor, Peter Breslow is more than the perfect host. He’s an instigator and enabler of social lubrication, running luxury food-and-drink theme parties wherein "networking" suddenly doesn’t seem ugly -- though the party topics can get a wee bit messy. In the past five years, Breslow has made the young oenophile group Wine Brats, and now his new sense-sational monthly feast, Binge, the tastiest floating social clubs in town.

Breslow, 38, started the Philly chapter of Wine Brats in 1999, making his group of 3,000-plus members one of the most active branches in the Sonoma Valley, Calif.-based national organization's chain. "I loved the thrill of teaming great wine with the perfect foods," says Breslow of the monthly paired-fare events with names like "Big, Red & Meaty" (an event that featured bold Italian red wine and northern Italian steak).

One of its biggest successes was its most controversial: a rum tasting at Cuba Libre in 2000. For vintners and snobs, tasting rum is akin to Dr. Atkins stopping by a vegetarian potluck with a pound of bacon. Wine Brats' executive committee thought it conflicted with its mission of furthering wine education.

But rather than take his ball of cheese and go home, Breslow, before leaving Wine Brats in November 2003, combed his constituency for someone who could lead that throng onward and found Kelly Price.

Subsequently, Breslow found the social part of his gregarious personality had dried up. Through his day job at Breslow Partners (founded by his mom, Tina, in 1985), where he helps publicize restaurants, he knew Wine Brats to be a perfect vehicle for both himself and clients -- something that delivered bustle to businesses and gave audiences a sense of adventure.

"My people enjoyed discovering not just wines and foods, but the improvisation of having the Grey Goose sales rep pop up with new product, [and the] impromptu dates made on the spot where [participants] left the party and got more drinks, went to dinner or whatever."

Binge was an idea that was under Breslow's nose -- literally and figuratively. After developing a name with edge during one hearty night's bender, Breslow realized he must match generous amounts of food with copious quantities of liquor. He also believes these events should mix the culinary and the cultural. Clients like the Borgata and Susanna Foo and non-clients like Assouline & Ting and area galleries and museums will soon benefit from his Coney Island of the Palate.

Binge furthers the Wine Brat ethos, uniting bizarre combinations of foods with fascinating (or radically off-putting) scents and textures from both sides of the supermarket aisle: luxury and non-luxury foods. This makes Binge attractive to gourmand and non-gourmand alike.

"The discovery component can now be a thrill to even the most threatened. I want people to feel comfortable; whether they're jaded by food or are conscious about spending a lot of money," Breslow explains.

In April, for example, he's planning a caviar event with Joel Assouline at his Vine Street gourmet store. But that doesn't rule out a popcorn and Belgian beer night. Or corn chips and oysters. Binge is about demystifying food.

That's what Breslow and Emilio Mignucci -- co-owner of the DiBruno Brothers emporiums of fancy food specialties -- did for the first Binge in February, with "Funky Wine and Stinky Cheese." Anyone who visits DiBruno's Italian Market shop knows its aromatic ambience. "I was in the Ninth Street store and heard someone commenting on how disgustingly smelly one particular cheese was," remembers Breslow. "But Emilio jumped in and explained the hows and whys of the cheese's smell and soft texture." He realized how much the explanation could become entertainment.

Mignucci joined Breslow for Binge's first night of cheeses at Cedarbrook Hill Apartments in Wyncote, featuring such robust flavors as epoisses and wine known for strong flavors. The event was a success, both in terms of cheeses learned about and paying audiences happy with the combination and the cost -- one Breslow says will stay in the $25-$45 range.

Breslow sees Binge growing from conservative to dynamic, seeking out different combinations (chocolate and red wine; gin and cucumber; chardonnay and dumplings -- the latter based on personal taste) and lesser-known foods like uni, the sea urchin's roe that, though sumptuous, are an acquired taste for some. He wants to gather accessible, outspoken experts in the food biz like Mignucci and Assouline, as well as adventurous audiences who might not mind drinking vodkas while dressed to the nines.

"That's where we hope to bring Binge," said Breslow: "To a place where nothing about food and its interactions is a turnoff. We want to spark creativity and broaden people's tastes and horizons without frightening too many people."

To find out about the next Binge or to book reservations go to www.bingephilly.com or contact Chad Mansfield at Breslow Partners, 215-731-2000, ext. 200.