Best of the Week: Our Picks for October 5-9, 2015
Welcome to Best of the Week, our recommendations for what to check out around town this week. If you’re wondering what to do in Boston this week, check out these events.
Two Roads Roadsmary’s Baby / Photo by Shaula Clark
BEER
Monday, October 5
Two Roads Release Party
Yes, the days are getting shorter, the air is getting crisper, and pint glass rims are getting increasingly encrusted with sugar-spice rims to go with the pumpkin beers that are taking over tap handles. Some beer geeks scoff at this proliferation of pumpkin quaffs, but there are plenty of fine exemplars of the form—including the Beer Advocate-approved gourdly brews from Two Roads, one of our favorite New England breweries. Tonight, you can get a first taste of their 9 percent ABV rum-barrel-aged pumpkin beer, Roadsmary’s Other Baby (aged for two months longer than the original, Roadsmary’s Baby), as Pintley hosts the beer’s first Massachusetts keg tapping in Somerville. They’ll also be pouring Two Roads’ Road 2 Ruin IPA and No Limits Hefeweizen. This event is free to attend; pay as you drink.
Free, October 5, 7-10 p.m., PJ Ryan’s, 239 Holland St., Somerville, 617-625-8200, pjryans.com. RSVP at Eventbrite.
Smartphone photo via Shutterstock
CLASSES
Tuesday, October 6
Pop-Up Classroom at DTX: iPhone Photography
Not getting enough love on Instagram? Well, we hate to break it to you, but no one’s handing out likes for feeds flooded with blurry, dimly lit, off-kilter shots of last night’s dinner—and let’s not even speak of those sad, sad Blood Moon pics, which managed transform a spectacular celestial event into something that looks like an unsightly cosmic pimple. Thing is, your iPhone is a magnificent tool—we’ve reached the point where films shot on the iPhone 6 are winning awards at Sundance. So how can you capture a little of that magic on your own mobile device? This week, if you’ve got five bucks and 15 minutes to spare, Boston Center for Adult Education photography instructor Christopher Padgett will help you learn how to unlock the secret to #igersboston-worthy masterpieces. Not a bad way to spend a lunch break.
$5, October 6, 11:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1 p.m., 1 Summer St., Boston. For more details, go to bcae.org.
Legal Oysteria’s Lobster Spinach Oyster / Courtesy photo
DINING
Wednesday, October 7
“Oysteria, Mamma Mia”
Alas, Legal Sea Foods’ sixth annual Oyster Festival is coming to a close. But not before one last hurrah: Over at Legal Oysteria in Charlestown they’re hosting “Oysteria, Mamma Mia,” a five-course wine-paired dinner devoted to those beloved bivalves. Join co-host Eric Kaiser, president of seafood importer/marketer Aquanor, in devouring a spread that includes Wianno oysters prepared three ways, pancetta-wrapped Sandy Neck oysters, oyster risotto, and lamb-and-Wianno-oyster stufato.
$75 per person, October 7, 6:30 p.m., Legal Oysteria, 10 City Square, Charlestown, 617.530.9392, legalseafoods.com.
Meow Meow / Courtesy photo by Kevin Berne
CABARET
Thursday, October 8
An Audience with Meow Meow
Don’t tell Meow Meow—the unhinged burlesque sex kitten character created by Australian-born performer Melissa Madden Gray—to break a leg before a performance; she might actually take you up on that. Her always-teetering-on-the-brink style of cabaret has been known to lose a few backup dancers mid-performance due to accidental (we hope) groin kicks and other random acts of slapstick. This month at ArtsEmerson, see this chanteuse unraveling onstage before your very eyes, in what the San Jose Mercury News dubs “musical theater as an act of subversion in fishnets and heels.” This “post-post-modern diva” counts among her admirers David Bowie and Amanda Palmer—and who are we to argue with that?
October 8-24, Emerson/Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston, 617-824-8000, artsemerson.org.
James Beard Taste Boston features talent from (clockwise from top) Oleana, Craigie on Main, O Ya, Sarma, and Townsman. See credits below.
DINING
Friday, October 9
James Beard Foundation’s Taste Boston
This weekend, the James Beard Foundation’s “Taste America” Tour comes to Boston for two days of gastronautical excess with top local chefs (many past James Beard winners). On Friday night, there’s a chance to get up close and personal with such culinary luminaries as Oleana’s Ana Sortun, Craigie on Main’s Tony Maws, O Ya’s Tim Cushman, Sarma’s Cassie Piuma, and Townsman’s Matt Jennings. For those of you who find that idea mouth-watering, but the ticket prices eye-watering, don’t worry—they’re also hosting free cooking demos at Sur La Table the next day. Kitchen space is limited for chef demonstrations, so RSVP to tasteboston@wiseupevents.com to claim your spot.
Dinner: $125-$3,250, October 9, 6 p.m. cocktail reception, 7:30 p.m. dinner, The Langham, 250 Franklin St., Boston. Demos and tastings: Free, October 10, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Sur La Table, Copley Place, 100 Huntington Ave., Boston. For tickets and more information, go to jbftasteamerica.org.
Photo credits: Oleana photo by Fawn Deviney; Craigie on Main photo by Keller + Keller; O Ya photo provided; Sarma photo by Anthony Tieuli; Townsman photo by Adam Detour.
