September Food And Drink Events Around The Country
Just because summer is coming to an end doesn't mean the good living has to stop any time soon — au contraire, friends. The warm sun and cool air of September provide an ideal setting for culinary and booze celebrations, so here's a list of some particularly yummy and educational events across the country. Add some of these fine happenings to your calendar, and keep those post-Labor Day blues at bay.
Feast Portland (September 18-21) will feature a series of events highlighting the city's best restaurants, renowned visiting and local chefs and regional wines. We're jealous of anyone attending the "Negroni O'Clock" tasting with Raven & Rose's Douglas Derrick (try their fish and chips!), as well as the Ari Taylor-Sara Pliner dinner at Aviary.
NYC will be abuzz during the annual city-wide Honey Fest (September 8-14), hosted by the urban farm Brooklyn Grange. Grab tickets to participate in a packed week featuring classes and tastings focused on honey based cooking and cocktails, apiary visits, an "Intro to Bee-Keeping" course and about a thousand other activities related to the production and consumption of some of nature's loveliest stuff.
Bushwick Beats, Booze & Bites (September 5) is a full-scale Brooklyn foodie / music party hosted by Joios, an app-based company that offers themed tastings where you can provide feedback on everything you eat and drink. Chef Sung Kim, known for her innovative nouveau Korean cuisine, will be showing off her noodle skills — perfected while making pasta at Maialino —accompanied by cocktails and local brews. Grab a ticket, download the Joios app and kick back to the live saxophone with a nice bowl of noodles while using the app to share how you are liking the food and drinks.
The Fit Foodie 5K Race hosted by Cooking Light and Health magazines is coming through Austin (September 12-14) and, as you may have discerned, it involves running. Couch potatoes: feel free to skip ahead. Those of you with a sporty bent will enjoy not only the 5K run itself but a lineup of dinners hosted by local and visiting chefs, plus beer and wine tastings, fitness bootcamp, yoga lessons and other ways to achieve a balance between calories ingested and expended.
Greenwich, CT will be teeming with flavor during the Greenwich Wine & Food Festival (September 25-27), featuring a BBQ Pit Masters memo, tastings and demonstrations by favorite chefs, plus a local restaurant burger battle and a Friday night grand tasting. We like the sound of all of it.
Get ready, Denver, for the 10th annual Denver Food & Wine festival (September 3-6). Take a Riedel glass seminar (wine nerd alert!), attend a Tiki cocktail competition and enjoy delicious dinners emphasizing local farm products with expertly chosen wine pairings.
Don't miss the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (September 16-21) where you can learn all about the historical aspects of the South's barrel-aged finest corn whiskey, including barrel-making and a historical district walking tour. Come and learn about Southern culture through bourbon-goggles!
Drink up at San Francisco's Craft Spirits Carnival (September 20-21) and try artisanal spirits of all makes, like mezcal, grappa and absinthe. Unlimited tastings are included with the price of admission and bottles will be for sale, so you can take home your favorites. There will also be a section devoted to craft beer from the Bay Area and beyond.