Photo: timomcd/Flickr
LOCAL BITES
Ain’t it Pretty
Maybe, maybe not. But the beer will be great! Join Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project this Sunday, June 17, 5pm, for their 4th Annual (they think) St. Botolph’s Day Pub Crawl. The games begin at Meadhall, Cambridge.
Love Dad
Remember that saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?” Well, our friends at how2heroes have, and they’ve hit the nail on the head for Father’s Day this Sunday. Skip the new tie or garden tool, they say, and give the gift of “a well thought-out dinner with the family.” Their trove of recipes and how-to videos will help you prepare the likes of Grilled Red Snapper, Tequila Marinated Skirt Steak and Gooey Butter Cake. Bingo!
By Land and By Sea
Another fabulous food-related gift for dad: take him to Island Creek Oyster Bar’s newest Merroir/Terroir tasting happening this Sunday, 2-3pm. Led by an experienced sommelier and professional oyster farmer, these tastings allow you (and him) to explore various wines and oysters, and the flavor characteristics present as a result of regional origin. Call ICOB for more details — they’re offering a Father’s Day brunch, too.
A Haven for Lovers of Food and Drink
Join Edible Boston and Brooklyn Brewery at The Haven in Jamaica Plain on June 19, 6 – 8pm, for a meet-up of beer lovers, local food producers and Edible readers. Space is extremely limited; RSVP to events@edibleboston.net!
Reminders
Somerville Special
Swirl and Spice, a new, outdoor specialty foods market, opened TONIGHT at Union Square Plaza in Somerville. It continue through the summer as a weekly celebration held each Thursday evening, featuring Massachusetts wines, cheeses, breads, cured meats, jams, pickles and other specialty foods. Get the details.
Call Out: 6-9 Year Olds!
Monday, June 18, 3:30-4:30 pm, kids will have the chance to work spoon to spoon with celebrity chef Rebecca Newell of The Beehive at the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE), making ham & cheeses and their own French crêpes. This is the BCAE’s Bean City Kids program. $45 Members/Non-Members, $15 Materials. You must register!
NATIONAL TREATS
Hiring a Bartender
In this week’s Dining section of the NY Times devoted to summer cocktails, an article below the fold really stood out: the writer’s personal experience in hiring a bartender for her home party. Short and sweet, it was full of anecdotes and helpful tips on how to go about finding and choosing the right barman/barwoman right for you for the evening.
The Value of a Restaurant Critic
Also from the Times Dining section, this newsworthy item was nestled inside the section below the fold, but even that humble spot couldn’t mask the significance of the story: award-winning food writer and restaurant critic Brett Anderson of the New Orleans Times Picayune was laid off earlier this week, along with approximately 200 other of his colleagues at the paper. If you really want to contemplate the importance of food to a city’s well being, read this piece — and check back in to your Twitter feed.
Food Stamp Transparency
Some may feel it’s too ‘Big-Brother-ish,’ but others feel that knowing what foods and drinks consumers buy with their food stamps (SNAP benefits) is essential to evaluating how best to fund and administer this hugely important — and controversial — segment of the pending Farm Bill. NPR’s The Salt reports.
Feel Good All Over
Ever left the money you owe in a box at an unmanned farm stand? How’d that make you feel? Researchers are willing to bet you felt good, and they say they know why. The old fashioned ‘honor system’ way of doing things is apparently a win-win for all parties involved. (Don’t miss the closing quote from egg/produce farmer Barb Clerici.) Again from The Salt.