Step Out for Stepping Stones with Wine, Brews, and Bites

Update:  unfortunately, Step Out has been postponed.  We’ll give you more info when we get a new date.

Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk is a fun place to be, especially if you’re a kid…or a kid at heart.  They have an amazing amount of exhibits for children all the way from birth to 7 and up, they provide educational classes, they are always up to something new like Dinosaur Revolution, they have tons of events, and they are a favorite stop for schools.  Fun like this isn’t easy to provide, so that’s why Stepping Stones is holding their 8th Annual Step Out Wine & Food Tasting fundraiser.  This vital (and tasty) event is being held in partnership with our friends over at the Young Professionals Network of the Business Council of Fairfield County.  Here are all the details for you:

Half off Wine Tasting Class at Black Bear Spirits in Westport

From Groupon site…

Sure, wine tastes good, but there’s more to the good stuff than just “red” or “white.”  Where were the grapes grown?  What was the climate like there?  What was the micro-climate there?  What variety of grapes were used?  When was the wine bottled?  How was the wine fermented?  How was the wine stored?

These are all questions that make wine…well…wine.  Specifically, you’ll learn to distinguish wines by grape, vintage, and region as you take a 90 minute class at Black Bear Wines & Spirits in Westport.  The classes are held Saturdays from 1 to 2:30 and normally cost $50 each, but there’s a special Groupon going on now.  You’ll pay just $25 for a wine tasting and class for one or $49 for two people.

Black Bear Wines & Spirits is a great community supporter (they’re pouring at Taste of Westport), has an excellent selection, and is a great destination for all your wine needs.

4th Annual Hops & Grapes Toasts & Tastes Event to Raise Funds for LLS

Last year we checked out Hops & Grapes Toasts & Tastes and had such a great time.  There was great food galore from restaurants across Fairfield County with plenty of beer and wine to try.  This year on 4/12 from 7:30-10:30 we can expect the fourth annual Hops & Grapes Toasts & Tastes to be even better as it moves into its new location:  the Stamford Innovation Center in the heart of downtown.  There will be plenty of room to mingle at this classic landmark building…and plenty of room to get your tastebuds tingling, too.  In addition to the restaurants, caterers, cheesemongers, and bakeries, there will also be drinks and representation from breweries.  When you’re in between drinks and courses, be sure to check out the great silent auctions that will be available (follow them on FB for early previews of what will be up for auction).  Finally, if you stick around towards the end, you can take part in the live auction with amazing trips, gifts, and packages.  We are also very proud and excited to be one of the media sponsors for this amazing event that raises vital money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that fights leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

Tickets are $75 each or are $125 for a pair.  Also, you may order VIP tickets for $100 each or $175 for a pair which includes a VIP gift bag, a raffle ticket, and a LLS wristband.  You can also donate if you can’t make it or even purchase an ad to be played during the slideshow.  As of now, these are the hops, grapes, and tastes that you can toast to:

CT Microbrews, Wine, Local Food, Music, + Art @ Taste of Black Rock

•••

Harry’s Wine & Liquor Market is helping sponsor the 2nd Annual Taste of Black Rock.  We’ve talked about this neighborhood before, how we lived there, and how the community is so amazing.  Well, you’ll definitely want to check out what Taste of Black Rock has to offer this year.

The event will be held at The Burroughs Community Center on March 2 from 7:30-10 pm with tickets costing just $25.  The proceeds from this event will help The Burroughs Community Center to keep being a community sanctuary and blessing.  If you haven’t heard of The Burroughs Community Center, it’s their mission to, “Provide the residents of Bridgeport with program opportunities and facility resources for the purpose of promoting individual growth and community cohesiveness.  We fulfill this through our direct services and by collaborating with community and facility partners. We also do this by connecting people requesting information, programs or forms of aid with agencies in the Greater Bridgeport  community.”

Your ticket will get you tastings of some great Connecticut microbrews that Renzo (beerologist extraordinaire) from Harry’s is super excited about:

Take a Bite Outta the 20th Annual Taste of Stamford (2013)

Coal Oven Roasted Chicken Wings at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Darien Connecticut

Huckleberry Lemonade and Allagash White at Bar Q B.B.Q. in Stamford, Connecticut

Scallops at Olio

Mac + cheese at Hudson Grille

Dino Poutine is killer, unique to Dinosaur Stamford

Sunday Gravy at Rizzuto’s

Has it been 20 years already?  Awww, Taste of Stamford is almost old enough to drink…well, legally at least.  But, even if Taste of Stamford isn’t quite of age yet, they’ll still be serving up some great drinks (alcoholic and non) to go with all the awesome food that will be provided.  You’ll want to get to the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa on 2/28 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm to be part of the action.  If you register now you’ll only pay $50 or if you buy your tix at the door you’ll pay $60.  Your entry gets you tastes and pours of all this:

• Angela Mia (Great pastries in Norwalk)
• Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza (Darien)
• Bar Q (Stamford)
• Cafe Oo La La (Stamford)
• The Capital Grille (Stamford)
• Coffee Distributing Corp.
• Cotto Wine Bar (Stamford)
• Crab Shell (Stamford)
• David’s Soundview Catering (Stamford)
• Dichello Distributors
• DiMare Pastry Shop (Stamford and Greenwich)
• Dinosaur Bar-b-que (Stamford)
• Fairway Market (Stamford)
• Fiesta Atlantic Restaurant (Stamford)
• Gofer Ice Cream (You can always go for Gofer) (Stamford and beyond)
• Italian Center of Stamford
• Marriott Stamford Hotel & Spa
• Mitchell’s Fish Market (Stamford)
• Hudson Grille (Stamford)
• Acqua Panna
• S. Pellegrino
• Myrna’s Kitchen (Stamford)
• ShopRite Super Grade A
• Olio (Stamford)
• Perrier
• Poland Spring
• Rizzuto’s (Stamford and beyond)
• Robek’s (Stamford and beyond)
• Spice Affaire (Stamford)
• The Sushi Village Caterers
• Stamfordwine.com
• Tabouli Grill (Stamford and Southport)

North Stamford Exchange Club Hosts Food + Wine Tasting at Italian Center to Benefit Local Charities

Been having an incredibly long two weeks and need to just let loose and finally relax?  Sure, we’ve all been on edge, but nothing quite makes things better than some food and wine!  Now, it just so happens that there is a food and wine event going on this Friday, 11/9 from 7-10 at the Italian Center of Stamford.  Really, what are the odds that we began to write this and this event popped up?  Yes, it’s truly amazing.  The 3rd Annual Wine Tasting is brought together by the North Stamford Exchange Club, Giovana’s Wine & Spirits, and local restaurants.  Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased at Giovana’s Wine & Spirits at 1492 High Ridge Road in Stamford or at the door.  With all the food and wine here at this shindig, you won’t have to go out for a dinner, wait around for your food, and drop down more than a $100 in food and drinks.

Instead, you’ll sample wine from across the world and you’ll taste some of the best food from ’round these here parts.  There will also be a 50/50 drawing, a basket raffle, and a silent auction of sports memorabilia, other products, and gifts.   The proceeds from this event help the North Stamford Exchange Club invest in so many great things:

• Youth sports programs
• Student of the year scholarships
• Female student athlete scholarships
• Female volleyball and softball city champions
• Programs for the elderly, hospices, ARI, Stamford Youth Foundation, Turn of River Fire Department, and Belltown Fire Department
• The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse (Parenting Skills Center in Stamford)

As for the food, wow…what a great list of restaurants:

“Drinking Beer Sonata” at Opening of New Franklin Street Works Exhibit

Happy birthday to Franklin Street Works.  They’ve been around for a glorious year, funkifying, electrfying, and artifying up Stamford and Fairfield County.  If you’ve never been to their space, it’s a must visit.  They have continually shifting exhibits up on display and they also have a little cafe downstairs when you enter if you feel like chilling and soaking up all the creativity.

So, Kristien and Dan, when can we check out their latest exhibit?  You guys ask the best questions EVER!  It just so happens that on this Saturday, 10/27, from 5-8 pm, they are having a reception for Working Alternatives:  Breaking Bread, Art Broadcasting and Collective Action.  According to Franklin Street Works, “The exhibition looks at three threads of alternative art space histories and examines how engaged, inclusive strategies are still being used to break down perceived barriers between contemporary art and its audiences. The themes covered in Working Alternatives are conviviality and food, artists who use media (newspapers, television, and radio) as platforms for artworks, and artist collectives in the US, explored through an open archive gathered specifically for this exhibition.”  Breaking down the barriers of what you might be used to in terms of art and ways to express art is a performance of the hopworthy “Drinking Beer Sonata with 13 Players.”  The brains behind this beautiful music piece is San Francisco Artist, Tom Marioni.  The bottle players will be following Marioni’s instructions to recreate the “Drinking Beer Sonata.”  Check here to see a group of four try this out for themselves.

Stroll (and Taste) the Tarry Market to Benefit the Greenwich Library – Port Chester, NY

Books and food…ah, the things that fuel Danny’s life.  Part English teacher, part food blogger, part drinker, and part bad-joke-maker.  Sure, that’s lots of different parts, but Danny’s a pretty complex person.

So, taking all these things in to account, you could imagine how happy we both were when Jasmine Posey, training librarian at the Greenwich Library, told us about a special fundraising event at Tarry Market.  Stop by (after you get your tickets of course) October 19 at 7 for a Market Stroll through Mario Batali and Joe Bastaniach’s joint.  You’ll have great wine courtesy of Tarry Wines along with classes from a wine expert, teaching you all about what you’re sipping on.  Now, it wouldn’t be an amazing event without something to pair that wine with.  Don’t worry, there will be charcuterie, cheeses, and crostini along with many great wines.

Stew Leonard’s Celebrates Harvest Season with Food, Wine, and Beer to Benefit The Norwalk Exchange Club – Norwalk, CT

Fall is one of our favorite seasons.  Yeah, we know, there’s only four to choose from, but it’s in the top four most definitely.  You’ve got perfect weather, nature’s colors explode, there is always so much to do, and it’s harvest time.  Yes, this is the time when all your favorite pumpkin beers come out, when you drink cider again (hard or regular), and when you crave that slice of pumpkin pie.  Well, we’ve got another great way for you to enjoy fall:  a harvest season party with food, wine, and beer at Stew Leonard’s Wines and Spirits of Norwalk to raise money for The Exchange Club.

There will be over 65 different wines and beers available for tasting that you can try along with some great seasonal food.  Tickets are just $40 and, as mentioned, go to help The Exchange Club that will use the money to benefit local community organizations and Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities.  Just come by on Thursday, 10/18 from 6 pm to 8 pm and celebrate.

For starters, check out some of the food:

Celebrity Chefs, Food, and Wine Galore @ 2012 Greenwich Food + Wine Festival

Doesn’t it annoy you when you hear about the NYC Food and Wine Festival, year after year?  You look up the details, it seems great, and you tell yourself that someday, maybe someday, you’ll finally attend.  You look into the classes or sessions but they are sold out within the first few hours.  Well, boo on that.  Boo on that because Westchester and Fairfield County people have their own three days of awesomeness to look forward to.  Last year was the inaugural year of the Greenwich Food + Wine Festival, hosted by Serendipity magazine.  This year it’s back and, we dare say, it looks even more amazing.  Tickets might be a bit on the high end of the scale, but all of the proceeds are going to The Hole in the Wall Gang.  Here’s a little clip from their website, describing what they are all about:

“Founded in 1988 by Paul Newman, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is a community dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing” to children and their families coping with cancer, sickle cell anemia and other serious illnesses. Through summer sessions and family weekend programs at the Camp in Ashford, Connecticut, and year-round outreach to hospitals and clinics throughout the Northeast, the Camp serves more than 20,000 children and family members annually.”

Well, onto the fun!  We’ll take you on a day by day breakdown of the festivities: