On October 22, Amanti Vino in Montclair will host a Cru vs. Brew event at the Woman’s Club, 200 Cooper Avenue, Upper Montclair, to benefit Intensive Therapeutics. Famed wine icon Michael Skurnik of Skurnik Wines will go against Garrett Brown of Firestone Walker Brewery for a no-holds-barred throw down between wine and beer.
A five-course collaborative pairing dinner will showcase the culinary skills of five of New Jersey’s top chefs: Ariane Duarte (Ariane Kitchen & Bar); Shawn Paul Dalziel (Laurel & Sage); Corey Hayer (Bernards Inn); Francesco Palmieri (Orange Squirrel); and James Laird (Restaurant Serenade).
Wine selections will be determined, and all of the beers will be super limited, draft only, with some not even available in New Jersey. Here is a peek at the menu to date:
Reception: Amuse bouche of four delicious nibbles.
Chili-rubbed swordfish with sweet-potato crab meat-scallion, tri-citrus beurre blanc
Chef: Shawn Paul Dalziel (Laurel and Sage)
Paired with Firestone Walker Bretta Weisse vs. TBD
Homemade penne pasta in lamb ragout with goat cheese, kalamata olive, basil pesto
Chef: Ariane Duarte (Ariane Kitchen + Bar)
Paired with Firestone Walker DBA vs. TBD
Roasted chicken breast with house-made smoked cremini mushroom sausage, Magnalitsa bacon, Brussels sprouts, kabocha pumpkin, whole grain mustard
Chef: Corey Heyer (Bernard’s Inn)
Paired with Firestone Walker Agrestic vs. TBD
Meat course TBD
Chef James Laird (Restaurant Serenade)
Paired with Firestone Walker Reginald Brett vs. TBD
Oatmeal stout cake, milk chocolate cream, dark chocolate oat crumble, preserved sweet and sour cherries
Pastry chef John Sauchelli, Maritime Parc (Jersey City) and the soon-to-open BURG (Newark)
Paired with Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin vs. TBD
7 PM; $170. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit this website or call 973-509-9463.
FALL FESTIVAL AT BEACH PLUM FARM, WEST CAPE MAY
OCTOBER 10, 17, 24 & 31
Explore all that is new at Beach Plum Farm this Fall at their Fall Festival which will be held at the 62 acre Beach Plum Farm, 140 Stevens Street, West Cape May (609-884-6542). The event will feature a pig roast, seasonal craft beer from Cape May Brewery, hayrides to the pumpkin field for pumpkin picking, a farm-to-kids educational program and farm fresh produce. Attendees will also be able to see the new hemlock barn which was hand-crafted by an Amish family from Lancaster, PA and built using hundreds of traditional mortise and tenon joints with wooden pegs.
Beach Plum Farm grows more than 100 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers that are harvested and used at local restaurants such as the Ebbitt Room, Blue Pig Tavern and Rusty Nail in Cape May. They also have a farm stand, which is open Saturdays and Sundays, 8 AM to 4 PM. Guided tours are offered on Saturdays at 9:30 AM. The Festival will be held from 11AM to 5PM on October 10, 17, 24 & 31.
OKTOBERFEST
Through October 24, Oktoberfest will be celebrated at Pilsener Haus & Biergarten, 1422 Grand Street, Hoboken and at the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, 527 Lake Avenue, Asbury Park.
OTHER NJ FOOD EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
FAUSTINO FIVE DECADES RIOJA DINNER
A Faustino Five Decades of Rioja Dinner will be held at Mompou Tapas Bar & Restaurant, 77 Ferry Street, Newark. 7 to 9 PM; $100 plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: 973-578-8114.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8
HARVEST MOON FESTIVAL
Food and wine will be featured at the Harvest Moon Festival that will be held at Waterloo Village, 525 Waterloo Road, Stanhope; 6:30 to 9 PM. For tickets call 973-668-3457 or e-mail [email protected].
FARM-TO-TABLE DINNER AT TERRE A TERRE TO BENEFIT SLOW FOOD NORTHERN NJ’S SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY GARDEN PROGRAM
A four-course farm-to-table dinner will be held at Terre a Terre, 312 Hackensack Street, Carlstadt, to benefit the Slow Food Northern NJ School and Community Garden Program. 7 PM; $85; slow food members $80 includes tax and gratuity; BYO. Tickets at Slow Food NNJ’s website.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 9
RHONE DINNER AT THE PLUCKEMIN INN, BEDMINSTER
An educational Rhone dinner with sommelier Brian Hider will be held at the Pluckemin Inn, 359 Route 206 South, Bedminster. 7 PM; $115, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: 908-658-9292.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
BIG BREW FALL FESTIVAL
Two hundred-plus craft beers featuring Pumpkin Brews for fall; food from Morris Tap & Grill, Nicole’s Ten, The Cow & The Curd, Handsome Devil BBQ & more; shuttle service to/from Morristown Train station to Fest; and live music will be featured at the Big Brew Fall Festival that will be held at the Morristown Armory, 430 Western Avenue, Morristown. Noon to 4 PM or 5:30 to 9:30 PM; $65; designated driver $15. Information and tickets at the event website.
AN EVENING WITH WINE EXPERT KAREN MACNEIL.
An Evening with Wine Expert Karen MacNeil who will also be signing her new edition of The Wine Bible, will be held at Crystal Springs Resort, 1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg. This event will start with a champagne reception in the wine cellar at 6 PM, followed by a five-course dinner paired with two wines per course, prepared by Restaurant Latour Executive chef Anthony Bucco. $195 plus tax and tip. Each guest will also receive a copy of The Wine Bible. Reservations: 844-207-3203.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
AMANTI VINO BIRTHDAY BASH
To celebrate their 10th year in business, Amanti Vino, 30 Church Street, Montclair (973-509-9463) will be hosting a 10th Birthday Bash, a family-fun day at the Montclair Art Museum.
CHOCOLATE LOVERS’ FEST
A Chocolate Lovers’ Feast featuring nine plated courses of chocolate desserts, including a chocolate dipping fountain, will be held at The Blue Rose Inn, 653 Washington Street, Cape May; 1 PM; $35. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit their website.
WITHERSPOON GRILL’S ANNUAL HARVEST & MUSIC FEST
The Witherspoon Grill will host a Harvest & Music Festival at Hinds Plaza (next to Princeton Public Library), 57 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K.). There will be music, food, drinks and many family-friendly activities, including a pie-eating contest for children where the grand prize will be a brand new bike donated by Jay’s Cycles. Top sponsors are JM Group (Witherspoon Grill, Blue Point Grill & Nassau Street Seafood), NJM Insurance Group, Callaway Henderson Sotherby’s International Realty & Carl S. DeFazio Private Investigations. 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM. For more informationm visit their website.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
CHATEAU DE CHAMIREY WINERY DINNER
A Chateau de Chamirey Winery dinner will be held at Mediterra Restaurant and Taverna, 29 Hulfish Street, Princeton. 6 PM; $79 excludes tax and gratuity. Reservations: 609-252-9680.
Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].