Foodie Things to Do, this Weekend and Beyond

 The popular lobster shack was washed away on October 29, 2012, when Sandy slammed the area.  The Boondock’s Fishery, Molly Pitcher Inn, and The Oyster Point Hotel are all located on the banks on the Navesink River, which was heavily affected.  The Oyster Point has been closed since Sandy hit and only recently reopened operations on February 15, 2013.

Many of the Red Bank Flavour Restaurants will be offering a palatable array of menu samplings, complemented by entertainment from Gary Philips and his Steele Drum Band.

Tickets for the event are$50.00 in advance or $60.00 at the door. Tickets are available by visiting www.allhandsondecknj.eventbrite.com.  For more information, go to www.theoysterpointhotel.com or call The Oyster Point Hotel at 732-530-8200, extension 155.

Sponsorship opportunities are available by calling or emailing Ken Scaggs at 732-610-4587 or rlowenj@comcast.net.  Parties interested in supporting Kelly Ryan of The Boondock’s should visit www.indiegogo.com/boondocks.

Jersey Shore Restaurant Week April 5-14 Spring Breaks at The Jersey Shore. Ten days, great deals, and fabulous meals!

It’s a wonderful opportunity to shake off the winter blues and re-visit your favorite restaurants or try some new ones. Enjoy 3 course dinner menus for $20.13 or $30.13 and special lunch menus at participating restaurants. See their Special Events Page for all the fun details.

April 14th-20th: Atlantic City: Tropicana Seafood Week will debut for the first time April! Celebrate everything under the sea with property-wide seafood specials, drink specials and discounted retail shopping.  Enjoy fresh seafood at FIN, shop nautical fashions and accessories in The Quarter, or even unwind with a sea salt scrub at bluemercury spa.  Tropicana is serving up seafood every which way, and there are plenty of ways to get your fix with various specials throughout the week.

The official Seafood Week Kickoff will take place Monday, April 15^th at 12:30pm in Palm Walk where guests can sample Fin’s famous lobster bisque, share the wonder of the Atlantic City Aquarium’s touch tank, and catch a special “Under the Sea” themed Zumba demo by Tilton Fitness.

For more info, see Seafood Week at the Tropicana online!

April 15th: Taste of Madison 2013

April 18th: Atlantic City: Chef Jose Garces Hosts “THE LATIN ROAD HOME” Multi-Course Meal

At 7:00 p.m., join Chef Jose Garces at his gorgeous tapas bar and restaurant, Amada (609-225-9900) at Revel (500 Boardwalk, 855-348-0500) for a decadent, multi-course meal celebrating the publication of his second cookbook, The Latin Road Home. 

The show-stopping menu will include:  Tiradito de Lubina, black bass ceviche with yuzu (Peru); Pan de Yuca, yuca bread with queso fresco, served with guava-chile butter (Ecuador); Crema de Quinoa de Zuleta, quinoa chowder with sweet corn (Ecuador); Enchilado de Langosta, lobster in spicy tomato sauce (Cuba); Carne Asada a la Tampiqueña con Arroz Rojo y Refritos, grilled marinated skirt steak with red rice and refried beans (Mexico); and Crema Catalana, chocolate custard with vanilla berries (Spain).

For $85 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity, guests will enjoy dishes from each of the book’s five chapters:  Ecuador; Spain; Cuba; Mexico; and Peru.  An optional wine pairing will also be available for $40. Reservations required, please call 609.225.9900 for more information.

April 22nd: West Long Branch: The Red Bank Rotary’s Thirteenth Annual Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting

Come join the Red Bank Rotary on April 22nd from 6-9 Pm to benefit Lunch Break! For many local families who are struggling with poverty, Lunch Break is their only option for a healthy, well-balanced meal and for many other much needed services.

For the past 12 years The Rotary Club has organized The Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting event with proceeds going to local charities. This event is a huge culinary and social success and gives people the opportunity to meet friends and make new ones while sampling delicious food and a great selection of wines and other beverages from leading restaurants in the area.

Tickets for $65.00 each may be purchased by sending a check payable to Red Bank Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 8444, Red Bank, NJ 07701 or through paypal on the Red Bank Rotary website: www.redbankrotary.org

For additional information, please call 732-979-4459.

April 22nd: Red Bank: A Conversation with Bobby Flay. Are you obsessed with barbecue?  Bobby Flay?  Well we have a treat for you!  Bobby Flay will be at Count Basie Theatre to share his approach to food.  Don’t miss hearing tips, stories, and recipes from his new book, Bobby Flay’s Barbeque Addiction.  All tickets include a signed copy of the book (a $35 value), available exlusively at this event before it’s official public release the following day.

Tickets are $49.75, and a limited number of Gold Circle tickets are available at $79.75.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Count Basie Theatre’s website.

 April 23rd: The 13th Annual Taste of Weehawken will be held on Tuesday, April 23 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Food Court at Lincoln Harbor. Proceeds from the event, which has historically been used to support Library programming, will instead be donated by the Library to the Weehawken & You Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

Hundreds of food enthusiasts gather at the Taste for a splendid evening of food, fun and fundraising. The Taste has something for everyone; samplings of signature dishes and unique fare from high profile and emerging local restaurants, caterers, bakers, along with fine wines, and mouthwatering desserts. Giannone Wine will once again be hosting wine tasting stations at the Taste; new this year will be the tastings of specialty beers.

If you are a chef, restaurant owner or other food business proprietor and would like to participate in Taste please call the Library at 201-863-7823, visit our website, like Taste of Weehawken ’13 on Facebook or follow on Twitter @weehawkennj.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School will host a kitchen tour through Interlaken on April 27, 2013 from 11 AM – 3 PM.  Six houses with seven caterers will be showcased.  Caterers include et al fine foods, Cravings, the Caramel Shop, Chef Michael Thompson, Falco Brothers Catering, Joe Leone’s, and Mike’s Deli.

Tickets, $35 prepaid and $40 on the day of the tour, are available at the Allenhurst Cleaners, 530 Main St., Allenhurst or by calling Vicki at 732-531-9609.

Participants must pick up brochures at the Interlaken Boro hall, 100 Main St, Interlaken at 11 am on the day of the tour.

April 29th: New York City: Taste of the Nation NYC

Where can you sample over 65 of New York’s most notable restaurants, over a dozen impossible-to-get-into cocktail bars, rub elbows with your favorite culinary personalities, and bid on priceless experiential auction packages in one evening? Share Our Strength’s 26th annual Taste of the Nation® NYC will bring the city’s finest chefs and mixologists together to donate their time, talent, and passion to end childhood hunger in America.

This year’s event includes support from our chef chairs Marc Murphy and Alex Guarnaschelli and our host committee members, fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff, interior designer Athena Calderone and nightlife maven Simonez Wolf.  The evening will also include book signings from top toques and food personalities as well as exclusive culinary and travel packages offered during the famed live auction.

Where: 82 Mercer Street, NYC

When: April 29th, 6:30-9:30 PM VIP, 7:30-9:30 PM General Admission

Tickets: VIP-$425, General-$225

Buy tickets online here.  100% of ticket sales go toward ending childhood hunger.

May 8th: Atlantic City: The 16th Annual Atlantic City Host Awards will take place on May 8th in the Adrian Phillips Ballroom of Boardwalk Hall. Presented by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority (ACCVA) and the ACCVA Foundation, the program salutes and encourages excellent customer service industry-wide.

In addition to honoring award winners in 26 categories ranging from various food service, bar and hotel personnel to retail, visitor information, spa and casino positions, the prestigious Spirit of Hospitality Award will be presented to the Dougherty family, which has owned and operated some of the city’s most famous restaurants for generations. The Doughertys currently own and operate Dock’s Oyster House, Knife and Fork Inn, and Harry’s Oyster Bar. Dock’s has been in the family’s control since it opened in 1897.

Scholarships for students attending hospitality programs at area colleges will also be presented during the banquet. The scholarships are awarded by the Greater Atlantic City Concierge Association and the ACCVA Foundation.

Tickets for the Host Awards banquet are $65.00 each and are available by calling Jacqui Carole at 609-449-7174.  More information on sponsorship, nominations, and the ACCVA Foundation can be found by visiting their website.

May 18th: Atlantic City: 3^rd Annual Big Teplitzky Challenge

 The Chelsea, Atlantic City’s chic non-gaming hotel on the Boardwalk, will host the 3^rd Annual Big Teplitzky Challenge on Saturday, May 18, 2013. The Atlantic City Fire Department will face off with the Atlantic City Police Department and compete to be the first to clear their plates of the mega 4-pound Big Teplitzky breakfast of pancakes, stuffed French toast, eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, pork roll, hash browns, grilled tomato, toast, a bagel, along with orange juice and coffee to wash it all down! While competing for fun, both departments are partnering for a serious cause-to raise community support and awareness of suicide prevention particularly among first responders.

All proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships will benefit The Andrew Fisher Memorial Scholarship Fund and Cop2Cop. Andrew’s Scholarship Fund is a tribute to Captain James’ son who was a brilliant chemical engineering student at Northeastern University in Boston at the time of his tragic death. Cop2Cop is a New Jersey based phone counseling service for law enforcement. Law enforcement officers, some of who have faced their own struggles with depression or seen colleagues suffer, volunteer their time to staff the service.

Individuals or businesses interested in becoming sponsors of The Big Teplitzky Challenge should contact the Atlantic City Firemen’s Federal Credit Union at (609) 272-1000. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $10 each through ACPD (Jane Tayoun: Janejap@aol.com/ 609-271-2500) or ACFD (Christine Parker: ccparker82@gmail.com/609-576-4084) or purchased at the door.                                                                                                                                                                       

For more information on the Chelsea hotel, please call 1-800-548-5030 or visit www.thechelsea-ac.com.

May 18th-19th: Glassboro: Glassboro Vintage South Jersey Wine Festival

 Come to the 2nd Annual Wine Festival where fifteen southern New Jersey wineries will be on hand for tastings and purchases.  Live musical entertainment and gourmet food selections will also be featured in this two-day event, expected to draw more than 5,000 guests.  Tickets are now available for the event which runs 12:00-5:00 p.m. each day on Rowan Boulevard as part of the Glassboro Marketplace series of large-scale community activities.

Participating wineries include Amalthea Winery, Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery, Bellview Winery, Cedarvale Winery, Chestnut Run Farm, Coda Rossa Winery, DiBella Winery, DiMatteo Vineyards, Heritage Vineyards, Monroeville Winery, Natali Vineyards, Plagido’s Winery, Sharrott Winery, Valenzano Winery and Wagonhouse Winery.

Local restaurants including Landmark Americana, Bomb Bomb BBQ and Sandwich Grille, Think Greek Grill and Yogurt Bar, Little Beef’s, Carolina Blue, Liscio’s and Green Zebra will offer gourmet and pre-packaged food selections.  Glassboro artisans including Second Look Mosaic and the Glassboro Honey Company will join more than two dozen vendors offering specialty items for wine lovers.

The festival will be alive with musical entertainment.  Appearing from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Saturday is Cold Blue Electric, featuring their brand of Jazz fusion.  Enjoy classic rock from Love Alive on Saturday from 2:30-5:00 p.m.  Singer/songwriter Dan Bell kicks off Sunday’s entertainment from 12:00-2:00 p.m., followed by Mike Dugan and the Blues Mission from 2:30-5:00 p.m.

Advance tickets are available at www.glassboromarketplace.com.  Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.  Admission includes a souvenir glass and parking is free.

The Wine Festival will take place rain or shine.  Additional tents will be used in case of inclement weather.