A meal is only as good as the drinks you pair with it. Whether your preferred food and beverage combo is wine and cheese, beer and cheese, whiskey and cheese, or... vegan lobster rolls and kombucha?... there are plenty of ways for you to imbibe this week.
Did you know that approximately 65 percent of humans are lactose intolerant? If you happen to be in that sweet 35 percent (or have some Lactaid pills on hand), head to Murray's Cheese on Tuesday and Friday for two cheesy, boozy events. On Tuesday, learn how to pair six summer brews with picnic basket cheeses, then go to your closest park to practice what you've learned. If that's not hands-on enough for you, there's a mozzarella-making lesson on Friday, where you can learn to make the cheese at home, all while downing unlimited sparkling and red wine. Purchase tickets for Tuesday ($85) and Friday ($100), but hurry—they're going fast.
(Yue S. / Yelp)
Road trips are the ideal way to get a taste of a country (or a region's) culinary landscape, but they require more free time and gas money than most people are willing to expend. Live vicariously through Roadfood's Jane and Michael Stern—the "original culinary road warriors" (sorry, Guy Fieri)—on Thursday. They'll be showing off their favorite NYC eats at Gargulio's, a old-school Italian joint in Coney Island. It's a bit of a trek, but still not quite road-trip status. Purchase tickets ($75) here.
If you prefer to drink your dinner, Thursday night's Whisky Cruise is ideal (don't worry, there's food, too). This has all the necessary components for a good time: all the food you can eat, all the whisky you can drink (good whisky at that; none of that bottom-shelf stuff) and the chance to hang out on a big boat. You can sip on everything from Akashi Eigashima Whisky from Japan to Hyde Irish Whisky to Kelt Cognac. Purchase tickets ($137) here.
On Thursday, Veganizer NYC is hosting a 12-course dinner at Communal Oven & Earth, featuring their take on meals from around the world. The menu includes vegan interpretations of sliders, chicken marsala, tacos, and much more, and each course is paired with beer, wine, or a kombucha cocktail. Best of all, there's nary a kale salad in sight. Purchase tickets ($125) here
