Mason Dixon Smokehouse: Drawing a New Line for BBQ – Stamford, CT

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Update: We have a few things to report on right now:

1. Nestor left Mason Dixon in early January. He does have future plans and things in the works.
2. Mason Dixon was closed yesterday for mechanical issues, but they are up and running and are open for lunch right now.
3. The new Pitmaster, Ryan Cuber, has been working with Nestor since opening and had a BBQ catering company of his own, Savory Smoke Catering.
4. Ryan left and, soon after, they closed for good.

Once upon a time, Mason Dixon was a line that clearly divided the North and South, but now–in Stamford–Mason Dixon is a Smokehouse that clearly divides killer BBQ from, um, well, pretty much all the rest. Yup, as we shared back on October 1, Pitmaster Nestor Laracuente was on a mission to open up a new BBQ joint, a joint that would clearly draw a new line for BBQ in Fairfield County. When we discovered the Brooklyn Pit Rat chose to open that joint in our very own Stamford, we were thankful AF we were on the right side of the line.

So while we were eager to get in there as soon as it opened, we like to give a restaurant a few weeks to work the kinks out before we review. As you can imagine, the suspense was killing us, even more so because we follow their hot, meaty, BBQ porn laden Instagram account . . . ooooh yeaaaahhh . . . ok, we digress. So yes, we finally dropped in with our friend Nicole and her friend Justin and took down pretty much EVERYTHING from cocktails, to sides, to apps, and of course to the MEATS. So, let’s break it on down:

2016 Greenwich Wine + Food Festival Tickets Giveaway Game Plan

We had lots of entries (thank you!) and we’ve picked our random winner. Well, without further adieu, meet our winner: Michael Drazin from Instagram!

The 2016 Greenwich Wine + Food Festival is just around the corner . . . and we’ve got some exciting news for you. We’re working with the good people at Serendipity Magazine and GW+FF to give away two General Admission tickets for Saturday, September 24. Those two tix will get you full day entry from 12-10 and includes the Grand Tasting Tent, celebrity chef demos, interviews, and book signings, sandwiches, cocktails, bbq, burgers, tacos, beer, wine, and a stunning finish with Old Crow Medicine Show and Ziggy Marley!

Contest Alert: Sumoslam w/ Endless Beer @ No Worries Brewing ft. Spud Stud

We have two tickets set aside for a very lucky winner . . . 

UPDATE: The winner of the contest is @hippousmc1 on Instagram! Thanks to everyone for entering. :)

If you’ve got a sumo sized thirst for one of CT’s newest breweries, No Worries, we’ve got an event for you: Sumoslam. This first ever event is hitting Hamden right at No Worries Brewing from 1-5 on July 10. Tickets cost $30 and that gets you unlimited pours of all No Worries beer (you can drink more than $30 of beer, right?), a commemorative t-shirt, and free entry (if you want) into the Intergender Inflatable Sumo Wrestling Tournament. Registration begins right at 1, so you’ll wanna sign up ASAP to get your shot on the competition bracket. Your hosts for the event are Ken Tuccio of the Welcome to Connecticut Podcast (who organized this) and everybody’s favorite chef: Chef Plum! And, tying it all together will be the Spud Stud food truck who will be on site selling some bites of goodness. 

Two Roads Road Jam Fest 2016: Two Tix up for Grabs!

Summertime, and the beer fest tix are freebies . . .

Yes, it’s true, we’re giving away two tickets to Two Roads amazing Road Jam Fest thanks to our beer-buds at Two Roads and Beerfests.com. This awesome annual event takes place on 6/25 from 2-9 and will feature Road Jam Raspberry Wheat and other awesome Two Roads brews, a Cluster Truck food hub, and two stages of music from the likes of Alpaca Gnomes, Turkuaz, Moon Hooch, and Deep Banana Blackout. Tickets are normally $30 (includes your first pint) or $22 for DD, but when you roll with us, there are benefits. Well, not like friends with benefits benefits, but you get us.

Walrus Fest ft. Beer’d Brewing, Walrus + Carpenter, Games, Music + More

Hobbit Juice DIPA, one of the legendary beers from Beer’d Brewing that people go crazy for.

Hold tight onto those tusks, Walrus Fest is hitting Black Rock for the first time ever on June 26! This new festival brings together a restaurant, a brewery, vendors, charities, community groups, musicians, and more to celebrate not only the Black Rock Community but also the 3 year anniversary of Walrus + Carpenter. Just stop by the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Jetland Street in Black Rock from 1-6 and get your nom . . . and groove . . . on.

Here are some of the emerging details for Walrus Fest:

Win 2 Tix 2 Craft 260 Cask Festival ft. 40+ Casks!

Over 40 casks . . . and we’ve got your shot at free tickets to attend this year’s event!

Thanks for all the great entries for this contest! We are excited to say that Melissa Dowers was randomly selected as the winner! Thank you all for entering . . . and we hope that you can still stop by!

The 2016 Craft 260 Cask Festival is taking place at the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield from 1-5 on June 12 . . . and there are a whole cask full of reasons to go. Well, actually, more than 40 casks full of options. That’s because 20+ local breweries from CT and the Northeast will be on hand with two casks each. Both casks that each brewery brings will have the same exact base beer, but there will be two different recipes to create two different beers. Also, it wouldn’t be much of a beer fest if there wasn’t food involved . . . and lucky for you that Craft 260 which we gave a 3.75 Nom rating to, will be catering the event! There will also be live music playing all day including Hide & Seek and CT’s own The Alpaca Gnomes. Plus, it’s damn nice to say that they will be offering up a portion of proceeds directly to the Connecticut Fallen Heroes Foundation.

4 Food + Drink Packed Days @ 2016 Westchester Wine + Food Festival

Westchester  Magazine has a ton of great events planned for you June 8-12 this year with the Westchester Wine & Food Festival! Whether you’re all into desserts, fashion, burgers, beer, wine, or just want to stuff your face with some of Westchester, Hudson, and Fairfield County’s best food, there’s an event going on that you’ll love. Get more info here and your tix here and read on for the meaty details:

Wednesday, 6/8: Fashion Food & Wine

Stop by the Bloomingdale’s in White Plains from 6-8 for a fashion show and a hand-picked food and wine pairing from wine expert Kevin Zraly and Sonora chef Rafael Palomino. Tickets are just $25 and that includes a $25 Bloomingdale’s Gift Card and Gift Bag. Plus, there are some great incentives for people who get some shopping done during the day! Other participating restaurants include The Dessertist, KEE Oyster House, Samosa Shack, The Wooden Spoon, and Wild Ginger.

Thursday, 6/9: Burger & Beer Blast

Stop by Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla from 6-10 and get your burger, food truck, dessert, beer, and drink fill! Tickets are $75 and include unlimited beer/wine/spirits and food items. And, you know it’s gonna be some great food with Schweid & Sons providing the best, top-notch beef! Some of the participants include 5 Napkin Burger, Bareburger, Campagna, Coals Pizza, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Fortina, Little B’s Burger Bar, Madison Kitchen, Peekskill Brewery, Piper’s Kilt, Pow! Burger, Prime 16, Rye House, X20 Xaviars on the Hudson, DoughNation, Souvlaki Truck, Walter’s Hot Dog Truck, Artuso’s Pastry Shop, and Beascake’s Bakery & Breads.

Friday, 6/10: An Evening with Westchester’s Tastemakers

Get ready for some amazing food from some of the most celebrated chefs in Westchester and the Hudson Valley! This event is happening from 6:30-10 at The Ritz Carlton in White Plains and costs $125 or $175 for VIP which includes a 5:30 early entrance. In addition to each chef’s signature dishes, there will be plenty of excellent wines that have been selected to complement each dish. We’re talking about chefs from Polpettina, Harvest on Hudson, The Cookery, L’inizio, Restaurant North, The Ritz-Carlton, An American Bistro, Purdys Farmer & the Fish, X20 Xaviars on the Hudson, Moderne Barn, RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen, Crabtree’s Kittle House, Tarry Lodge, The Inn at Pound Ridge, Sonora, Fortina, MP Taverna, BLT Steak, Campagna, Saltaire Oyster Bar, and dessert from Blue Tulip Chocolate, Coffee Labs Roasters, Lulu’s Cake Boutique, and Penny Lick Ice Cream Company.

Saturday, 6/11: Grand Tasting Village

From 12-5 you’ll be checking out some of the most amazing samples of food right at Kensico Dam Plaza. Entrance is $75 or $125 if you’d also like access to the Connoisseur Tent that has high-end food and wine. In addition to restaurants providing samples, there will be chef demos that include Michael Psilakis, Donatella Arpaia, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Joy Bauer. Some of the restaurants include Amore Cucina & Bar, Bar Sugo, Blue Moon Mexican, Chutney Masala, Clock Tower Grill, Elia Taverna, Kishuya Ramen, NoMa Social, Rosemary and Vine, Rye House, Serafina, The Taco Project, WUJI, Zuppa, and more.

Saturday and Sunday, 6/11-12

There will also be two cooking classes for kids if you want to instill that love of food with your offspring. The two options include Jr. Chefs Academy and Kids: Use Your Noodle.

The Beer Garden @ Shippan Landing to Open for 2016 Memorial Day Weekend

The unofficial start to summer is just two weeks away . . . and it’s going down at The Beer Garden @ Shippan Landing! Here are the opening dates and times so you can plan your weekend drinking and eating:

5/26-27 open at 3 pm

5/28-29 open at 2 pm

When you get down there by the water (they are located at 290 Harbor Dr. in Stamford), have some drink and beer specials, relax, play some cornhole or beer pong, nom away at the nice selection of food trucks (yes, Hapa will return), and just chill all damn day. 

When we get more details, we’ll let you know, but that should be all you really need right now. ;) 

Here are the details:

Thursday- HAPA Food Truck and Dough Girls

Friday- HAPA, Melt and Dough Girls

Saturday- HAPA, Firehouse Grill

Sunday- HAPA 

Regular hours will be:

Wednesday 4pm-11pm 

Thursday 4pm-11pm

Friday 3pm-close

Saturday 2pm-close

Sunday 2pm-9pm

Drink the Scene w/ CT Beer Tours: Coming Soon

Beer tour? Sign us up!

9 out of 10 times that we hit up a new city in our travels we book a beer tour. And, to be honest, they have always been a major highlight of our trips! We’ve done a walking beer tour, a biking beer tour, and a shuttled beer tour and each one rocked in its own special way. The thing is this: you’re guided by someone who knows the beer, brewery, brewmaster, and owners very well. And, oftentimes, you get special tastings, tours, and info that you won’t normally get if you visit a brewery.

That’s why we’re so excited that CT Beer Tours is pretty close to launching!  People ready to check out CT beer or for those who just want to try out new breweries in their home state can take a nice variety of tours that will expand out throughout the state. 

Tom Price from Brooklyn Brewery Hired as Headbrewer @ Half Full in Stamford

 

Hmmm . . . Buffalo Trace barrels, a dark beer, a wanton, aloof look whilst smoking a pipe. Yeah, something’s going down! Picture of Tom Price from Half Full.

Although Jen Muckerman has been with Half Full Brewery in Stamford since the start of it all, she left mid-year in 2015. We talked with some of the crew at Half Full during their Halloween party and were told that they were in serious talks with a new headbrewer who’s had a ton of experience and comes from Brooklyn Brewery. We were excited at that notion and what it could mean for Half Full . . . especially for how people see their beer and brand.