Foodie Things to Do This Weekend and Beyond

Food Events in New Jersey

June 15:  Six Flags Great Adventure hosts their second annual Craft Beer Festival Saturday, June 15 with samplings from local breweries, an all-you-can-eat meal and special comedy show featuring Don Jamieson at 8pm in Showcase Theater! Sample award-winning beers, enjoy live entertainment and participate in the Best of NJ show brewery awards! General Information

  • NO-ONE UNDER 21 PERMITTED INTO FESTIVAL AREA
  • Festival takes place in the Catered Picnic Grove at Six Flags Great Adventure
  • General session:4:30 – 8:00pm
  • Season Passholder Early Entry 4:00 – 4:30pm
  • Theme park admission requires a separate entry ticket – Theme park operating hours are 10:30am- 9:00pm
  • Outside alcohol is not permitted
  • Pets are not permitted (excluding service animals)
  • Six Flags offers picnic table seating for over 1000 guests – blankets, chairs, pop-up tents and large beach umbrellas are not permitted  Click for Tickets and more info

NJ Beer FestNJ Beer & Food Festival takes place at Crystal Springs June 14-15. This weekend-long celebration of craft beers also coincides with Father’s Day June 16 making it the perfect destination with something for everyone: beer lovers, golfers and families, with two top US ranked spas and the Biosphere indoor/outdoor pool complex as well. The two days of beer fest events include the “NJ Chefs & Brews” walk-around reception on Friday 6/14 (8-11pm, $95), with six chefs serving food paired with six New Jersey and New York beers. Participating chefs include Timothy Fischer and pastry chef John Sauchelli of Crystal Springs, Mike Carrino of Pig & Prince Restaurant & Gastrolounge (Montclair), John Halligan of Park Steakhouse (Park Ridge), Carlo Carbonara of Bottagra (Hawthorne) and Eric Levine of Morris Tap & Grill (Randolph). On Saturday 6/15, the ” Beer and BBQ Fest” tasting event gives attendees the opportunity to try 135 beers from 50 breweries including many craft brews from New York and New Jersey paired with delicious barbeque in a picturesque outdoor setting (3pm-7pm, $75 early bird, $85 after June 1st).

Also on Saturday 6/15 starting at 9am golfers will have the chance to participate in the “Brews & Birdies” golf tournament on the resort’s award-winning Wild Turkey and Ballyowen courses. Tastings of craft beers will be available on six holes of the course ($195 for golf and beer tastings). Other activities include a free outdoor grilling class Sat. 6/15 10-11am by Crystal Springs chefs in the resort’s lovely Chef’s Garden and free daily tours of the wine cellar, which is the deepest, most extensive collection in the Northeast US situated in over an acre of underground space and featuring some of the most prized bottles, rare vintages and perfect score 100-point wines.

All weekend, the resort’s two main restaurants, Crystal Tavern and Restaurant Latour, will each be serving special tasting menus paired with craft beers. Crystal Tavern features a three-course “Highlands” menu while Restaurant Latour offers an eight-course tasting menu in addition to a three-course prix-fixe and a five-course vegetarian Garden Menu.

On Sunday 6/16, the beer festival will wrap up with a special Father’s Day Lunch 12-4pm in the Chef’s Garden, a beautiful outdoor restaurant surrounded by a lush garden full of herbs and vegetables used in the resort’s restaurants. Three chefs will each prepare a course that will be paired with a different craft beer ($70 inclusive of food and unlimited beer; lunch menus sans beer will be offered to those under 21).

Reservations for all events can be made at www.njbeerfestival.com or by calling 973-827-5996 x 3.

June 22nd & 23rd: The summer will uncork in grand style when 18 of New Jersey’s finest wineries join together for the “Washington Lake Park Wine Festival” on June 22 – 23 from 12 noon – 5 pm each day. Produced by GPS, Inc. this weekend of great New Jersey wine, local culinary treats, fabulous live music, hand-made artisan crafts and kids activities is the right way to “sip into summer.” Live performances by The Gas House Gorillas on Saturday and The Funktion on Sunday. Tickets for the “Washington Lake Park Wine Festival” can be purchased in advance at a discounted rate of $15 and at the gate for $20. Spectators and those under 21 are free. Paid admission includes wine tasting of more than 300 NJ wines and a souvenir wine glass. Eats and treats are available to purchase and are not included in the paid admission. Washington Lake Park
647 Hurffville Cross Keys Road, Sewell, NJ 08080 609-758-5400 Website

June 23rd: Holmdel:  Italian Food Festival 11am – 7pm, Dearborn Market’s first-ever Italian Food Festival will take place tented outside in the garden center. Enjoy delicious, Italian-American cuisine like homemade sausage, peppers & onions, porchetta, cured meats, cheeses, gelato, cannoli, zeppoles, and samplings from some of our favorite Italian Specialty vendors. Enjoy good food & family fun with live music, face painting and pony rides. More information is available by calling 732.264.0256, or online at www.dearbornmarket.com

June 26th: Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner… Brooklyn all the way!!  Morris Tap & Grill. Menu:  Welcome Beer, Brooklyn Weiss | 1st Course Sheepshead Bay Spicy Clam Strips with Garlic Foam, Bacon and Corn &
Brooklyn Summer Ale | 2nd Course Lundy’s Crab stuffed Shrimp with Sugar Snap Peas, Butter Lobster Meat on Sweet Pea Risotto & Brooklyn Scorcher | 3rd Course Bay Ridge Prosciutto and Burrata Pizza Roll with
Arugula Salad and Fennel, & Brooklyn Sorachi Ale | 4th Course Five Spice Rubbed Pork Loin and Coney Island Waffle Style Chips & Brooklyn Blast | Dessert The Brooklyn Bridge (surprise) with Brooklyn Monster Ale
$65 exc. tax & tip email to jruiz@morristapandgrill.com to register with your credit card information.

June 29 and 30thSangria Sampler Wine Trail There is nothing like a tall, cool glass of Sangria on a hot, sweltering summer day.  Travel the Vintage North Jersey wine trail to experience a wide range of mouth watering sangrias.  From tropical white wine sangrias to deep fruity sangrias, you will learn a wide range of Sangria styles that you can make for your next summer party.  Vintage North Jersey wineries located in Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon and Mercer counties will blend up their best Sangria recipes for you to sample.  They will also offer recipes to help you mix your own at home.  It’s a Sangria sipping adventure along the Vintage North Jersey wine trail.  For more information: http://www.vintagenorthjersey.com/wine-trails/sangria-challenge-wine-trail/

July 12 – 14 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship℠. Free Admission. North Wildwood.The New Jersey State Barbecue Championship℠ is a three-day open-air festival featuring championship barbecue competition; live cooking demonstrations, special displays, and food and beverage vendors to satisfy every taste and appetite. http://www.njbbq.com/

July 20: NJ State Crab Festival Ice House Restaurant, 4415 Park Blvd., Wildwood. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. “Crabby” fun for all ages! Blue Claw crabs! Beer Garden, “must try” crabby bloody mary! Vendors and exciting things for the kids including a crab race at 6 p.m. Live outdoor entertainment all day. 609.522.0033 or http://www.IceHouseWildwood.com

July 25 – 28: Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. Headlining talents include: Robert Irvine, Rocco Dispirito and The Neely’s. Join us this summer at the Atlantic City shore for four days of fabulous foods, winning wines and celebrity chefs at the 2013 Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. View Food & Wine Event Schedule

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