Craft beer once again dominates this week's top food and drink events, with two beer dinners (one is vegan!) and a homebrewers competition at Deep Ellum Brewing.
You cannot escape craft beer; just begin growing out your beard now and grabbing T-shirts from breweries across the country. But if beer paired with quality music is your jam, Bedford is hosting its annual Blues & BBQ Fest.
Wednesday, August 28
The Oceanic Dinners at Nonna
Nonna introduces a three-day Oceanic Dinner Menu designed to create dialogue and understanding of where seafood comes from. From August 28 to 30, the menu is inspired by meals that chef Julian Barsotti has eaten from the Abruzzo Coast, Venice, Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Dishes include salt-baked eel with Colli Estruschi extra virgin olive oil and lemon, as well as black sea bass and littleneck clam chowder.
Dogfish Head Ancient Ales Dinner at the Libertine
The Libertine teams up with Dogfish Head for an Ancient Ales beer dinner. Based on ancient beer recipes from around the world, the Ancient Ales series includes some popular Dogfish brews, including the Midas Touch and Etrusca. The five-course meal includes smoked trout and sweet cucumber salad with parsley yogurt dressing paired with Sah’tea, and a vegetable-stuffed pork tenderloin with glazed pig ears and sweet potato smash paired with Chateau Jiahu. Tickets are $60 per person and can be made at 214-824-7900. Dinner begins at 7 pm.
Friday, August 30
Four Corners Vegan Beer Dinner at Whole Foods Park Lane
Whole Foods Park Lane hosts a local vegan beer dinner with Four Corners Brewery beginning at 6:30 pm. The Latin American menu includes fruteria-style jicama and watermelon salad paired with Red’s Roja, and Salvadorian-style rice with vegetable chick peas paired with La Bajada. Tickets are $30 and can be ordered online.
Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
The city of Bedford hosts its annual labor day Blues & BBQ Festival August 30 through September 1. Enjoy blues music from such legends as Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy while 90 teams compete in a barbecue cookoff. There’s even a Journey tribute band. General admission tickets are $5 with increased pricing for party tent seats and reserved seating for the concerts.
Sunday, September 1
Labor of Love II at Deep Ellum Brewing Company
Deep Ellum Brewing Company hosts the second annual Labor of Love, a homebrew competition for North Texas beer nerds to test their small batch beers against one another. More than 40 local homebrewers show off theirs beer to the public. You can vote on your favorite while munching on food truck fare from Easy Slider Truck and Pompeii DFW and listening to live music from Grant Jones & The Pistol Grip Lassos and the O’s. The first 100 tickets are $10; after that they jump to $15. The event runs from 5 to 10 pm.
Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival runs August 30-September 1.
