There are several dining events worth checking out in the weeks ahead.
Europa Black Rock Bar and Grille in Ludlow is collaborating with five local breweries to present a Wild Game & Local Beer Dinner on Oct. 26.
The five-course dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. with elk sloppy Joe sliders. That starter will be followed by applewood bacon-wrapped venison tenderloin; dirty rice with camel and duck liver will serve as the third course.
After enjoying stuffed pheasant with arugula salad, those participating in the dinner will move on to a dessert of pumpkin flan with spiced pumpkin seeds.
Participating breweries include Amherst Brewing, Abandoned Building, Iron Duke, Vanished Valley Brewing, and Building 8.
All-inclusive tickets are $58 and can be reserved by calling (413) 547-6443.
The Hops Club at the Munich Haus Restaurant in Chicopee will hold its monthly session on Oct. 18 starting at 6 p.m.
Featured beer is to be Weihenstephaner Festbier, a rich, full-bodied beer with plenty of hops character.
The $15.95 admission to the Hops Club evening includes a stein of the featured beer as well as a buffet styled to complement that brew.
Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling the restaurant at (413) 594-8788.
The Club House Restaurant at the Cold Spring Country Club is offering several special deals this fall.
At breakfast, their “breakfast skillets” are being offered on a “buy one, get the second half off.”
The Club House Restaurant is also promoting a wings, burger, and beer special for $10, and, on Wednesday through Saturday evenings, they’re serving a “Par 3 Menu” dinner package that includes appetizer, entree, and soft drink, beer, or wine for $20.
The Club House Restaurant, which is located at 336 Chauncey Walker Street in Belchertown, answers at (413) 323-4888.
On Oct. 24 Tucker’s Restaurant in Southwick will be hosting a “Caring for Katie” Benefit Concert featuring Allie Maaciadrelli along with Dan Kane & Friends.
The concert is being held in support of Katie Miller, a Westfield teacher who was injured in a car-pedestrian accident early this summer.
Starting at 4:30 p.m. with light refreshments, the concert will conclude at 6:30 p.m. During the intermission, there will be a benefit raffle. All proceeds from the evening will go towards Miller’s medical expenses.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at Tucker’s Restaurant by calling (413) 569-0120.
The 1761 Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster, along with Brickroad Productions of Monson, will be presenting a dinner theater show on Friday, October 20.
“Haunting at the Old Mill” will begin with a buffet dinner at 7 p.m. with the mystery/comedy theatrical to follow. Tickets are $40 per person and can be reserved by calling (978) 874-5941.
In celebration of the establishment’s 20th anniversary, the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland will be hosting “Low Country Living,” an evening of Gullah culture and cuisine.
Planned for Friday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m., the dinner will begin with a selection of butler-passed hors d’oeuvres to include pan-fried oysters, fried chicken livers on grilled bread with hot pepper jelly, and grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches.
Three food stations will offer a variety of Low Country taste experiences. One will feature pan-fried redfish with succotash, fried green tomatoes, and sauteed okra.
A second will be dedicated to fried chicken along with several potato salad variations, biscuits, cornbread, and whipped sorghum butter.
Smoked pork tenderloin with Carolina-style barbecue sauce will be featured at a third station.
A dessert buffet will be stocked with coconut layer cake, benne cookies, pecan pralines, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler.
Tickets are $80 and do not include tax or gratuity. Contact the Blue Heron Restaurant at (413) 665-2102 for more information or reservation.
October’s Publick House Cooks for Community Organizations is planned for Monday, Oct. 16, with a “chicken dinner” menu being served in two open seatings, one at 4:30 and a second at 6:30 p.m.
The bill of fare will include baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, mixed vegetables, and mashed potatoes as well as salad, coffee, and dessert.
No reservations are taken, and the cash donation required is $14 for adults and $5 for children 12 years and under. Four dollars from each meal goes to support local non-profit organizations.
For more details, contact the Publick House Historic Inn at (508) 347-3313.
Harvest on the Harbor, the annual food and drink festival in Portland (ME), will run this year from Tuesday, October 17 to Sunday, Oct. 22.
Sustainable Suppers, two special chef’s table events, will start the Festival off. Other festivities include a Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Competition, a Harvest Happy Hour promoted by members of the Maine Craft Distiller’s Guild, and, as the festival’s finale on October 22, a Harvest Crawl self-guided tour of Portland dining spots.
Information about Harvest on the Harbor can be found at their website, harvestontheharbor.com
On Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m., The Duck in Sturbridge will be presenting “Go Wild! – A Wild Game and Two Roads Beer Dinner.”
A five-course experience curated by The Duck’s head chef, Tony Pitts, the evening will feature beer pairings by Two Roads Brewing Company of Stratford, CT.
Tickets for the dinner, which are $62 not including tax or tip, can be reserved by calling (508) 347-2321.
October has been designated as “Neighborhood Appreciation Month” by Applebee’s locations throughout Massachusetts. As part of that celebration, guests are being offered $1 margaritas – the chain calls them Dollaritas – that are made with tequila, Applebee’s own margarita mix, and served on the rocks.
The $1 margarita is available all day every day during the month of October when dining in at participating Applebee’s restaurants across New England.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has over 40 years of restaurant and educational experience. Please send items of interest to Off the Menu at the Republican, P.O. Box 1329, Springfield, MA 01101; Robert can also be reached at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com