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:

Savory Smoke Thursday BBQ Pop-ups @ Sandwedge Deli in Norwalk

Ryan Cuber of Savory Smoke Catering has been working non-stop on his BBQ game. Over the past few years, he’s spent countless nights stoking the pit, finding the right cooking times and temps, and working on his technique. And, now, it’s finally paying off big time with a BBQ pop-up at Sandwedge Deli @ 607 Main Avenue in Norwalk.

How Do They Do the Voodoo that They Do? A Review of Hoodoo Brown Barbeque in Ridgefield

We know, we know, the “professionals” say that you’re NEVER supposed to go to a restaurant during the first few weeks of opening, let alone the first day! And we totally understand why, but what you gotta understand is, after Dan RAAAAAAAVED about his preview of Hoodoo Brown Barbeque a few weeks ago (when Kristien was at a 6.5 hour hair appoint–yeah, WTF?), saying it was some of the best BBQ he’s ever had, Kristien HAD to get in ASAP to confirm his declarations. Apparently we weren’t the only ones excited because even way before their opening at 5:30 on May 23, there was a line that stretched down the parking lot with people ready to get down and dirty with Nestor Laracuente’s Texas outlaw BBQ. Pretty awesome for a first night in business, huh?

Real Deal Texas BBQ @ Hoodoo Brown BBQ in Ridgefield w/ Pitmaster Nestor Laracuente

Update: Hoodoo Brown BBQ is now open! Click here for our review.

Call us jaded, but when we heard about a new bbq joint opening up here in CT we were a little skeptical. See, despite our undying hope, we’ve only found one spot (Bear’s in Hartford) that has both really good meats and really good sides. The rest of BBQ joints we’ve tried here in CT have had maybe one or two really good meats or sides, but never the whole package, ya know? Well, not to get ahead of ourselves, but we suspect things ’bout to change ’round these parts with the opening of Hoodoo Brown BBQ in Ridgefield on May 22 at 5:30 pm. We can say pretty confidently, based Dan’s recent tasting at an exclusive preview, that Hoodoo Brown BBQ has the potential to be the best in the state, if not the surrounding states. Wooooh, demm fighting words! Okay, let us explain:

The Restaurant

As you get out of your car, savory smoke fills the air and you get that pain in your gut that blurts out, “FEED ME NOOOOOWWWW!” As you enter, the first thing you see is a giant glass window in back of the main dining room that gives you a nice view of the smoker in action. Oh, and that smoker? She’s a 108 inch Lang smoker that owners Cody Sperry and Nestor Laracuente (also Pitmaster) brought up from Georgia. They keep it on all day long at a nice and toasty 225º. Nestor is very proud of that view, saying that it helped bring a transparency to the bbq and experience at Hoodoo Brown. “We’re not taking any shortcuts here. It’s always low, it’s always slow. We’re only using wood here to smoke . . . no gas to speed things up like many places do.”

Saucy n’ Sauced Up: BBQ and Beer Bashes in Danbury, Stamford + Ridgefield Coming Soon

The three bbq sauces at Bar Q B.B.Q.

Dis is how we judge and stuff

Beer and BBQ: don’t get much more ‘Murrican than that! That’s why you’re gonna need to check out these three events that are happening soon. First up there’s Ridgefield Gone Country on May 2-3, then there’s there’s Beer and BBQ on May 16, and rounding it all up is the Harbor Point Green Day and BBQ if you’re looking for a different kind of experience. Either way, check out these great events that are on the horizon: 

2^nd Annual Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Fest

Saturday, May 2, 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Sunday, May 3, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

10 “Q” Commandments with Notorious P.I.G. @ Walrus + Carpenter, Black Rock

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Ah’ight, so we admit we’ve been sittin’ on this post about Walrus + Carpenter for a while now (bad bloggers), but our experience, with Fairfield friends Rob and Lisa, chowing down on their Notorious P.I.G. platter (the mother of all BBQ platters that feeds four) was so EPIC we had to make sure we shared it. Since then Walrus + Carpenter picked up a talented new chef, Chef Jon Vaast from The Dressing Room which means we’re gotta get back there stat to see how things have gotten even better. The good news is, their creative menu has only gotten better including an amp’d up Notorious P.I.G., so we’re gonna break it down piece by piece for ya, starting with the “10 Q Commandments” in honor of the platter’s namesake (and one of our favorite rappers of course).

“The 10 Q Commandments”

We been eatin’ BBQ for years, it’s almost laughable

There’s rules to eatin’ it, we wrote you a manual

A step by step booklet so you can get

your grub on stat, make your bellies fat

Come with a Bear-like Appetite to Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ – Hartford, CT

Near the end of an epic Saturday with our buddies Alicia and Renato, we stopped by the newly opened Bear’s Smokehouse in Hartford. Perhaps by some divine work of Bacchus, god of gluttony, we saw a parking spot right outside the restaurant and snagged it. You know, we figured the closer the better, so we could roll ourselves out the car after we devoured ribs, pulled pork, Paw Paw’s poutine, and a ton of sides.

The cool thing here about Bear’s Smokehouse is they serve up super high-end tasting BBQ in a super low-key atmosphere—cafeteria style, in fact. You just line up, think about all the food that you can handle, order, then bring it back to a table either downstairs, upstairs, or in the summer out on the rooftop BBQ garden owner and Pit Master Jamie “The Bear” McDonald plans to open. Yeah, the same Bear who won the 21st Wing Bowl by annihilating 287 wings in just 30 minutes. To find out more about his competitive eating gastronomic victories, check out his site. And, if you feel daring, you could challenge him to an eating contest on the spot or even try to down the Bearwich for a shot at $500. 

Conquer the Bearwich and Win $500 – Bear’s Smokehouse, Windsor and Hartford

The Bearwich, in all its glory (from their Instagram)

Think you could eat that Bearwich from Bear’s Smokehouse in Windsor or Hartford? This shot of their new bbq-infused food challenge makes it seem not that bad, not bad at all. After all, if you finish this bad boy in 45 minutes (by yourself of course), you’ll get $500! Well . . . we’re sorry to say that appearances can be deceiving! 

This is what you’ll need to shovel down:

Fairway’s Firefighters Food Face-Off, Free BBQ, Games, Music, Samples, + Customer Appreciation Day!

Make sure you come down to Fairway Stamford’s free event on Saturday!

Normally firefighters are putting out blazes, but on 7/19 from 12-3 in the Fairway Stamford parking lot, smoke and fire is good.  That’s because the Cos Cob Fire Department, Norton Heights Fire Department, Westport Firefighters, and Belltown Fire Department are battling it out to see who the Fourth Annual Fairway’s Firefighters Food Face-Off winners will be.  The winners not only get to relish in the spotlight, but they’ll also get a $500 Fairway gift card and their own shopping night that puts 25% of sales into the hands of their favorite charity.  

Pork in the Park Chef Demos and Event Schedule Released

Cute butts ready to race!

The Kansas City Barbecue Society Competition is back!

Stuart and Kris from That’s Our Que at last year’s Pork in the Park

Jason Maur “Power” Foodie at last year’s chef demos

Umm, Pork

Somehow we’re almost upon the weekend when Mill River Park in Stamford will transform into a swine-lovers paradise with the launch of the 2nd Annual Pork in the Park festival.  Whether you go on Saturday, Sunday, or even head out both days, there are plenty of things planned to not only whet your whistle, but to also satisfy those BBQ and food cravings.  So, let’s dig a little deeper and see all the great things planned for this event.  But first, here are the deets:  entry is $10, $5 for kids, and free for kids 5 and under.  The hours for 7/12 are 11 am – 9 pm and 7/13 from 12-5.

OmNomCT Cooking Demos on Saturday, 7/12

Chef Carlos Baez of The Spread, Norwalk – 1:45

Chef Baez is Executive Chef of award-winning and boisterous The Spread in Norwalk, CT.  He is known for putting his own touch on classic dishes and putting his own stamp on SoNo and CT dining with adventurous and flavorful dishes.