Edible Events: July 2017

We’re going in a bit of a different direction with our Edible Events roundup this July, and by that, we mean we’re heading outside of the city, too!  Because it’s entirely possible to assuage your summertime wanderlust, without having to leave New York State.  So take a day trip (or engage in a month-long road venture) with pit stops at the following, seasonal food festivals!

French Restaurant Week (7/3-16): Though your journey begins in Manhattan, it might as well be gay Paree; thanks to oodles of Francophilic food fun, courtesy of the annual French Restaurant Week.  “Eat, Drink and Be French” at participating bistros and brasseries, such as Le Rivage, Vaucluse, Maison Harlem and Bar Omar, a Brooklyn offshoot of the famous couscous palace in the Marais.

Taste of Buffalo (7/8-9): Expand your horizons beyond wings, at this celebration honoring the best of Buffalo.  Actually the largest two-day food festival in the United States (generally garnering around 450,000 attendees), the bacchanalia features seven wineries and up to 50 local restaurants, including Fry Café (try the Dutch-Style Fries with Boom Boom sauce), Chiavetta’s (home of the famous BBQ chicken), and Local Kitchen and Beer Bar, which reimagines Buffalo’s signature Beef on Weck as an Asian egg roll.

Finger Lakes Wine Festival (7/14-16): The East Coast’s pre-eminent wine region is on lush display during this largest showcase of New York-produced vino.  Taste cold weather varietals like Gewurtztraminer and Riesling, from 90+ participants like Brotherhood, Fulkerson, Glenora and Hosmer Winery, paired with bites from area vendors, such as Macarollin Food Truck, Lombardo’s Pita Palace and Maple Ridge Bison Inc. (serving hickory smoked roast on a roll).

10th Annual Troy Pig-Out (7/15): The official, governor-sanctioned Empire State competition brings together the top pit-masters in New York, competing for categories like Best Chicken, Best Pork Ribs, Best Beef Brisket, Best Pulled Pork, Grand Champion and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que’s People’s Choice.

Vanderbilt Lobster Fest (7/22): You don’t need to head all the way to Maine in order to gorge on lobster.  Just purchase a ticket to this annual Centerport fundraising event, overlooking Northport Bay and Long Island Sound.  Benefiting the Vanderbilt Museum’s educational programs, $125 passes access a menu of Eastern seaboard favorites, such whole steamed lobsters, roasted sweet corn, and plenty of local wine and beer.

Jamaican Jerk Festival (7/23): Don’t get too bummed about circling back to the city, because a taste of the Caribbean awaits you at the Jamaican Jerk Festival. Competing chefs will go head to head with their spice-rubbed poultry, in pursuit of the coveted Dutch Pot Trophy.  But that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to island eats; look for vendors selling curries, rice n’ peas, fried plantains, ackee and more.