The Black Horse Tavern in Hampden will be holding its Autumnfest Beer Dinner on Tuesday, October 5.
The five-course menu, which features the beers of Long Trail Brewing Company of Bridgewater Corners, VT, is to begin with lobster and pumpkin risotto before moving on to a salad of autumn baby greens.
Grilled marinated lamb chop with wild mushroom orzo will follow; the main course is to be an individual petite beef Wellington. Warm bread pudding paired with Long Trail Coffee Stout will serve as the dinner's finale.
Tickets for this dinner, which is $49.95 per person, must be purchased in advance.
Contact the Black Horse Tavern at (413) 566-0046 for more details; the beer dinner menu is on-line at www.theblackhorsetavern.net
Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3, are this year's dates for the annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival.
Held at Foresters Farm on Chestnut Hill Road in Orange, the festival is billed as "two days of peace, love, and garlic."
Several area chefs will be conducting cooking demonstrations at the festival, including Paul Hathaway of Chez Albert (Amherst), Sam Kochan (the Gill Tavern), and Hilton Ditton of Ristorante DiPaolo in Turners Falls.
The festival features an array of food booths, many of which offer garlic-flavored delights. These include garlic-brined turkey legs, spinach-garlic burritos, and even garlic ice cream.
Art and entertainment also fills both days of the festival's run.
Admission is $5; kids twelve and younger attend for free.
For more information, visit www.garlicandarts.org.
Uno Chicago Grill, which operates several locations in the Springfield area, recently announced an extensive menu revamp. Designed to provide guests with additional options and more control over their dining experience, the new bill of fare goes a lot deeper than deep-dish pizza.
The menu's been given a visual makeover, with icons used to designate signature favorites, quickly prepared dishes, and "mindful" choices for those who want a healthful dining experience.
Freshness and enhanced ingredient quality were also considerations in putting the new menu together.
New salads include one made with faro, an heirloom grain; a chopped "power" salad; and a Hong Kong sesame-lime chicken salad.
Bold flavors distinguish new entree choices like chicken tikka masala, a dish that incorporates traditional South Asian ingredients and tastes.
Uno Chicago Grill has also developed a new five-grain pizza crust as well gluten-free pizza available with three different topping combinations.
Locally, there are Uno Chicago Grill locations at 1722 Boston Road (Haymarket Square), 820 West Columbus Avenue next to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.
On Monday, September 27, from 10 a.m. until 12 noon, area chefs, restaurant managers, and food business owners are invited to participate in a tour of Red Fire Farm in Granby.
Participants will learn about farming and sourcing local foods from the people who grow fresh, high-quality ingredients.
Sponsored in part by Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, the walk-around is billed as an opportunity for participants to network with CISA staff, farmers, and member businesses already using locally grown.
Red Fire Farm, which is located at 7 Carver Street, is a certified organic farm producing a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, fruit and plants.
For more information about the farm tour, contact CISA at (413) 665-7100.
Though it's not yet available at the Big E, fried beer debuted this month at the Texas State Fair. Created by fair concessionaire Mark Zable, the beer is placed, ravioli-style, inside salted pretzel dough before being deep-fried.
What results is said to be an experience akin to biting into a hot pretzel, then taking a sip of beer.
Zable, who also created chocolate covered strawberry waffle balls and sweet jalapeno corn dog shrimp, is currently "frying" Guinness stout, but plans to introduce a pale ale variation.
More information about fried beer is available at Zable's website, www.friedbeer.net
Morton's of Chicago, Inc., the upscale steakhouse chain, and the second, third and fourth generations of the famed Mondavi wine family have joined forces to promote a live nationwide wine dinner and charity auction on October 7.
Originating at the Charles Krug Winery Carriage House in Napa Valley, the dinner and auction will be simulcast to the private dining rooms of 54 Morton's locations across the U.S.
Participants at individual steakhouses will enjoy the same four-course meal as that served at the Krug Winery. The menu features a number of new Morton's menu items; Mondavi wines will be paired with elements of the dinner.
Tickets are $175 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The downtown Hartford (CT) Morton's location will be participating in this event.
More information can be found at www.mortons.com/primeevents
The Mick at the Delaney House in Holyoke has reworked their Wednesday Night "Popover for Primetime" event.
Starting at 5 p.m. every "hump day," the Mick offers soups, salad, slow-roasted prime rib, baked potato, and an ice cream sundae for dessert.
This dinner package is priced at $20. Contact the Delaney House at (413) 532-1800 for more information.