Farm to Fork in Collingswood
July 21– July 27
If you haven’t been yet, there are still a couple more days to check out Collingswood’s Farm to Fork restaurant week. As the name suggests, participating restaurants will showcase local produce and products. Considering Collingswood’s restaurant scene, if you can make a reservation at any of the participating restaurants, you’re in for a treat. Some restaurants are doing a special Prix Fixe; for $35 at Nunzio’s, you’ll get dishes like Viereck Farms Beefsteak Tomato Caprese, and Braised Lamb Shank with Local Peas; Tortilla Press will have Flaim Farms Chile Relleno and Fresh Jersey Peaches with Pecan Empanadas and Mascarpone; and the $45 prix fixe at Porch & Proper doesn’t list producers, but the menu looks stacked with local gems. Call any restaurant for reservations. Collingswood, various locations.
Wines of Summer at Steve and Cookie’s
Tuesdays, Summer
Steve and Cookie’s By the Bay in Margate is already a little extra convivial, and their Wines of Summer special gives you another (great) excuse to stop in any Tuesday this season. Not only is there a solid roster of half-price wines by the bottle, but a portion of every Tuesday’s wine special proceeds will go to the Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Awareness fund. The wines, by the way, aren’t your standard summer quaffers—you’ll see everything from a Basque Txakolina (white) to a unique Sonoma County Bedrock “Rosé of Mourvedre,” to a chilled (red) Terre Siciliane Nero D’Avola. The list has over a dozen bottles of distinctive wines, all slashed in price; no better time to explore uncharted territories on the wine list and even have your first surprisingly refreshing, surprisingly delicate sip of chilled red. Steve and Cookie’s, 9700 Amherst Avenue, Margate; 609-823-1163
Sausage Fest at Zeppelin Hall
July 18 – August 4
You might be saving your seasonal sausage consumption for Oktoberfest, but Zeppelin Hall in Jersey City clearly can’t wait until the fall to celebrate the glory of meat-by-the-link. And this isn’t just your basic sausage menu; Zeppelin Hall executive chef Franco Robazetti put together a menu of more than 20 new sausage dishes for the occasion, with varieties of grill-kissed meat and spices cooked up to complement the biergarten’s massive beer list. Expect to find anything from wild boar and rabbit sausages to truffle brat, chorizo on nachos, a half-pound currywurst, and even a veg option—the Beyond Meat vegan sausage, a hot Italian style, served with spicy mustard and sauerkraut. Prices vary depending on the special. Zeppelin Hall, 88 Liberty View Drive, Jersey City; 201-721-8888
Roman Pizza & Pizza Ice Cream Fundraiser in Lambertville
Thursday, July 25, 5–9pm
If the term “pizza ice cream” scares you away, don’t worry, nobody’s forcing you to try it. Though if you do, it’s for a good cause. Just patronize either Liberty Hall Pizza or Owowcow Creamery on Thursday evening in Lambertville (it should be easy, given they’re practically neighbors) and all proceeds from that period of sales will go to the repair of Ely Park. In case you were wondering, “Roman pizza” is a style with a flatter, crisper crust, a style Chris Bryan of Liberty Hall Pizza has been playing with and plans to feature on Thursday with the Rossa, the Bianca, and the Pepperoni Roman pies. Over at Owowcow, where they’re calling the event “Chef Series: Pizza Palooza,” chef Amanda Cox will debut her “Margherita” flavor ice cream, which melds heirloom tomatoes and local strawberries with a swirl of basil—and event a hint of crushed red pepper. All ice cream and pizza proceeds go to the Friends of Ely Park. Owowcow Creamery, 237 North Union Street, Lambertville; 609-397-2234; Liberty Hall Pizza, 243 North Union Street, Lambertville; 609-397-8400