Spanish Wine Dinner at White Birch
Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18, 7pm
There are no specifics yet on the exact menu for either night of the Spanish Wine Dinner at White Birch, but if you know anything about the restaurant or chef Sam Freund, you’ll know you’re in good hands. The dinners (both nights) find the chef’s bold creativity matched by that of Camino Pardo, a visionary Spanish winemaker from the Ribera del Duero and Rueda regions of northern Spain. As a winemaker Pardo is focused on combining Old World roots with modern sensibility, and given the fall season’s sudden brisk (read: chilly) appearance, we’re guessing the pairings will be as robust as they are polished. Tickets for the dinner are $125 per person and will probably go quickly. White Birch Restaurant, 380 Route 206, Flanders; 973-970-5466
The Mad Batter Beer Dinner
Friday, October 18, 7:30–9:30pm
The Mad Batter is a Cape May institution and Ludlam Island Brewery opened in nearby Ocean View just a few years ago, but on Friday night they’ll be joined in a beer pairing dinner that puts South Jersey’s bold, character-driven food and drink scene on full display. With four courses (and five beers) for just $65 and limited seating, tickets might go quickly. You’ll start the night with a “Welcome Beer,” Ludlam’s Wrestling Moves IPA, moving on to an Oktoberfest Marzen beer paired with vegan bratwurst (because why not) with mustard aioli. The night’s pairings have serious character (you’re finishing the meal with a pumpkin spice latte ale) but the main dish might be the beefiest pairing of them all (so to speak): braised short ribs with Jack Daniels syrup and potato gnocchi paired with a “Postcards from Hell” Smoked Helles Lager. A night to revel in Oktoberfest excess and South Jersey pride. Mad Batter, 19 Jackson Street, Cape May; 609-884-5404
Food & Beer Pairing Dinner at Beachwood at the Dunes
Saturday, October 19. 6pm and 7:30pm
Opened earlier this year, Beachwood at the Dunes is the culinary home away from home for Argentine-born and James Beard-nominated chef Luis Manteca, and if you didn’t get a chance to check it out this summer, this beer pairing dinner is your next best shot. The dinner—which has two seatings and marks their first-ever private dinner—will pair six courses of chef Manteca’s cuisine with six local beers. Ludlam Island Brewery makes another appearance as does Gusto Brewing Co., Slack Tide Brewing Co., and Cape May Brewing Co. As far as the food goes, Manteca’s menu slants toward the seaside-seasonal, with some international and South American influence and local product wherever possible. Tickets are $65 per person before tax and tip and can be reserved online or over the phone. All signs point to a pleasant, buzzy evening—just don’t try to go swimming after. Beachwood at the Dunes, 8600 Landis Avenue, Sea Isle City; 609-263-3627
Valle Dell’Acate Wine Dinner at Sorellina
Thursday, October 24, 7:30–10pm
It’s not often you get a family-style wine pairing dinner, but that’s the format for next Thursday’s dinner at Sorellina in Hoboken. The wine in question comes from Valle Dell’Acate in the Bidini Domaine of Sicily, with winemaker Gaetana Jacono on hand to guide you through each glass. There will be five wines on hand, and while they’re not (yet) specified, expect bold character: the winery has mountain and Mediterranean Sea influences as well as a distinctive “seven soils for seven wines” philosophy that encourages terroir-specific differentiation. Tickets are $95 excluding tax and tip. Sorellina Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, 1036 Washington Street, Hoboken; 201-963-3333