Foodie Events in the Triangle, April – May 2015

Ok my pretties, it’s time to think about what you want to do this month. Here are a selection of events around the Triangle that are food-focused.

April:

1st-5th: Book Drive for Boys and Girls Club at PDQ. Bring books and get a free 3 piece tenders, a salad or a sandwich.

4th and 6th: Join fans at the Cookery to watch championship games and enjoy food trucks and beer. RSVP here for Saturday’s games to enjoy Ponysaurus brewery beers and American Meltdown food truck. RSVP for Monday the 6th will be Sympathy for the Deli and The Sweeter Side food trucks.

Mid April – June: Strawberry Picking! Check out some of our local farms and berry-picking opportunities at pickyourown.org. Later in the summer the other berries ripen.

16th Museum Afterhours: Cocktails and Cosmonauts at Durham Museum of Life and Science, 6:30 p.m., $20-$25

16th Coon Rock Farm Dinner at Piedmont: Piedmont’s $45 4-course menu benefiting CFSA will feature local foods from many of the CFSA’s members and supporters.  The menu will include heritage breed pastured pork and greens from Coon Rock Farm, early spring vegetables from Four Leaf Farms and Root Down Farm, foraged mushrooms from Woodfruit and Chapel Hill Creamery’s award-winning cheeses; La Farm Bakery will contribute breads made from NC grain and Eastern Carolina Organics will also donate to the dinner. In honor of NC Beer Month, exceptional local beer-pairings from Fullsteam Brewery, Mystery Brewing and Ponysaurus Brewing will be available with each course for an additional $20. CFSA’s leaders, local growers, producers and brewers will join guests at the table for dinner beginning at 6:30pm.

19th Blind Pig Root Down Mystery Dinner in Durham: tickets for this will go fast, $70.

19th Cary Chatham Street Chowdown Food Truck Rally 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

23rd Grand Taste Experience: Twenty of the area’s best chefs, including Chef John Eisensmith of Six Plates and Chef Travis Robinson of G2B, along with Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan of [ONE]and Chef Steven Greene of Herons at The Umstead, will be dishing out samples alongside local producers of beer, soda, confections, coffee and more. The Grand Taste Experience will take place at the Durham Armory for $95.

24th Foggy Ridge Cider Dinner: Foggy Ridge, a New York Times and James Beard Foundation recognized leader in the American craft hard cider movement , is bringing together two talented chefs for a one-of-a-kind dinner. Chef Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint will join Chef Eisensmith in the beautiful Sarah P. Duke Gardens to serve cocktail bites followed by a four-course dinner. $110 at 6:30 p.m.

25th Brewgaloo: Local craft beer festival with food trucks, beer and music.  Free, 5 beer tokens for $25 or $5 sampler for 5 3 oz pours. 2-10 p.m.

25th Full Steam Burger Smashdown: Guests can vote on their favorites from chefs at a few of the best burger joints in the area: Mattie B’s Public House, Tyler’s Taproom, Al’s Burger Shack, Buns and Only Burger. Enjoy live music and bar games like ping pong and darts at Fullsteam Brewery while the whole family decides on their favorite burgers.$50 for adults, $15 for kids at 12:30 p.m., Artisan Cocktail Dinner with five local cocktail experts and two restaurants coming together at the Cookery for $110 at 7:00 p.m.

26th Roots of NC Dinner Chef and Owner Amy Tornquist of Watts Grocery will host an intimate dinner for up to 75 guests at her restaurant for the finale of Taste 2015. Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region, will provide a history of North Carolina cuisine. The dinner will highlight North Carolina’s culinary achievements, from cheese straws to braised pork belly. Wines will be provided by Piedmont Wine Imports. $85 at 6:00 p.m. at Watt’s Grocery

26th Lonerider Beer Dinner at Academy Street Bistro, 5:30 p.m., $53++

25th-26th Coon Rock Farm Tours

May:

3rd – Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo

9th – Flora and Fauna Food Truck Rodeo at Fairview Gardens 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

My buddy @trianglexplorer has a great overview of Spring/Summer music in the Triangle AND a post about the Outdoor music schedule. Here are his top picks for NC Beer Month and the official NC Beer Month site.