Photo: Josep Ma. Rosell/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Nantucket Wine Festival
Featuring over 165 wineries, the Nantucket Wine Festival is coming up next week, May 18 – 22. The festival, held at the Nantucket Yacht Club, will also host culinary notables and events like vineyard-centric tastings and a harbor gala. Check out a list of highlights, and purchase tickets.

New It-Girl
Lower rents and cheaper liquor licenses are bringing more restaurants to Cambridge, according to Devra First of the Boston Globe. Cambridge has a “spirit of innovation and experimentation,” First claims, that inspires and appeals to many chefs. From coffee and ice cream to high-end eats, Cambridge might be ‘It.’ (To wit, see “James Beard” after the jump!)

The British are Coming
‘Ello Govnah, er, Consulate-General! EatBoston’s Will Gilson and Aaron Cohen are hosting a clever pop-up at the British Consulate-General in Kendall Square featuring signature British bites, May 20, 21. Among the dishes on the five-course menu are fish and chips, seared fois gras and crumpets, and sticky toffee pudding. Purchase your $70 ticket on EatBoston’s website.

One Fish, Two Fish
Did you know bluefish can be caught in Boston’s outer harbor? This fish is a sustainable, affordable choice, but many still avoid it. The key is to buy it really fresh and cook it right away. Read this bluefish primer from Jay Falstad of the Washington Post for great information and a recipe.

NATIONAL TREATS

James Beard
The winners of the James Beard Awards have been announced. The honors include the award for Best Chef, NorthEast going to Cambridge’s Tony Maws of Craigie on Main!! Also noteworthy, an anonymous, hilarious person claimed the Broadcast Media award in humor for the Twitter account RuthBourdain. This extremely entertaining page combines the tweets of Ruth Reichl with the attitudes of Anthony Bourdain.

Food Writing Retreat
This might be the right time to visit D.C. Food bloggers and writers will be coming together in the capitol city May 20 -22 for Eat, Write, Retreat! EWR is a conference billed to include writing and food photography workshops, a lesson in PR and more. Participants can sign-up for package deal include the conference and hotel, or for a la carte options.

Adios, El Bulli
We’ve been reading about this for months and each time it doesn’t get any easier to hear: El Bulli is closing. Read more from New York Times Magazine, this time about the famed restaurant’s final days.

Move Over, Goat
First it was goat, now yak? The Globe and Mail’s Shawna Wagman reported that yak might be the next trend in meat. Wagman said it is praised for the “sweet, delicate beef-like” flavor. Although the story centers on a yak farm in Ottawa, there is no need to run to Canada (or Tibet) to try this. Northampton’s Lhasa Café lists ten different yak preparations on its menu.