Congratulations, you made it through yet another working week. You might as well give yourself a pat on the back to celebrate — or better yet, a drink or three. Whether you're looking to celebrate the final days of American Craft Beer Week with a bar crawl, celebrate at America's Backyard's second-annual American Beer Fest, or take part in a culinary tour, there's something for you to do in South Florida this weekend.
Friday
Beer Crawl With Laser Wolf
Friday, May 15, Fort Lauderdale's Laser Wolf (901 Progresso Drive, Fort Lauderdale) is hosting its own beer bar crawl in honor of American Craft Beer Week. Starting at 5 p.m., participants will meet at Laser Wolf to enjoy brews from the likes of Cigar City, Due South, Oskar Blues, and Terrapin. Then, head over to Riverside Market at 6:30 p.m. for more beer. Last, finish at Fat Cats for live music and — of course — more beer. The event will feature deals on cans of beer all night at each location.
The Cooper One-Year Anniversary Party
This weekend, May 15-17, the Cooper (4610 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens) will celebrate its one-year anniversary. All weekend long, the restaurant will serve guests a complimentary glass of Champagne to toast the establishment's first year. Of all the weekend proceeds, 10 percent will be gifted to nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
Saturday
Live Filleting at Whole Foods Market (Pompano Beach)
The seafood department at Whole Foods Market (2411 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach) will be live-filleting locally caught yellowtail snapper for customers on the store floor. Customers can not only watch but also take home a piece for a very low price. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16.
Due South Three-Year Anniversary
Due South Brewing Co. (2900 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach) is celebrating its three-year anniversary on Saturday, May 16. The brewery will have special hours for the day of the anniversary, open noon to 8 p.m. Dozens of Due South beers will be tapped on this special day including some very limited special treatment beers and barrel aged beers. Thanks to a few food trucks, the food choices will range from a pig roast to donuts with options in between to accommodate everyone's tastes. There is no cost to attend the event, but all food and drinks must be purchased. IDs will be checked at the door, and attendees must be 21 or older,.
The Brew House Gallery One Year Anniversary Party
Join the Brewhouse Gallery (720 Park Ave., Lake Park) as it celebrates its one-year anniversary of being in business. Starting at noon, the entire day will feature art, live music, craft beer, and food trucks, sponsored by Purehoney Magazine. Live music by local artists will play all day, and there will also be an extremely rare limited-release craft-beer tapping throughout the event, including selections by Funky Buddha Brewery, J Wakefield Brewing, MIA Brewing, Cigar City Brewing, and Civil Society Brewing. The gallery will also highlight a bunch of our local artists with live painting demos. Visit the Facebook event page.
Second-Annual American Beer Fest
This Saturday, America's Backyard (100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale) will host its second-annual American Brew Fest. The festivities begin at 2 p.m. and feature more than 30 brew brands. This year, big-name participating breweries include Abita, Lagunitas, Blue Moon, Angry Orchard, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Samuel Adams. If you don't fill up on suds first, you'll be able to top off the tank with some food as well. The event will feature four local food trucks: Box of Chacos, Da Burger Shack, Mr. PB&J, and Ms. Cheezious. The American Beer Fest will take place Saturday, May 16, from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets cost $25 per person for unlimited beer and can be purchased on Ticketmaster or at the Revolution Live Box Office. Call 954-449-9569, or visit myamericasbackyard.com.
Taste History Culinary Tour (Delray Beach / Boynton Beach
This Saturday, learn some history about Delray Beach and Boynton during a Taste History Culinary Tour. During the course of the three-hour-plus tour attendees will be bombarded with dozens of factoids about Florida, regional history, local businesses and buildings, and the roots of various traditional and modern cuisine. These are the kinds of random bits of knowledge (the Dutch helped introduce cookies to America, a bonafide Margherita pizza must include all three colors of the Italian flag, and so on) that are useful for dinner parties and bar trivia nights. The three-to-four hour tours are conducted mostly via air-conditioned bus, with tour creator Lori Durante narrating on a PA system from start to finish and providing time for questions at the various tour stops. Several blocks of walking are always included and the tour takes place rain or shine, so it's important to dress for the weather and wear comfy walking shoes. Tickets for the Taste Culinary Tour of Historic Palm Beach County are $35 per person. Spots are available for the tour this Saturday, May 16. Call 561-243-2662, or visit tastehistoryculinarytours.blogspot.com.
Summer Shack Pop-Up Grand Opening
This summer, PB Catch (251 Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach) will be offering more than just high-end, sustainable seafood, however. On Saturday, May 16, the main bar will transform from upscale ambiance into a casual new pop-up experience known as the Summer Shack. A coastal-inspired lounge, Summer Shack will emulate the shabby-chic appeal of a beach weathered bungalow and will feature its own easy dockside-style menu complete with a list of summertime cocktails at the restaurant’s re-imagined bar and lounge space. According to PB Catch's primary proprietor Thierry Beaud, the idea for Summer Shack began with his desire to recreate the relaxed, carefree appeal of South Florida's laid-back beach life and tropical coastal setting. So head to PB Catch to grab a drink, a bite to eat, and relax.
Sunday
Brunch at Mellow Mushroom (Delray Beach)
Sunday brunch is a beautiful thing. Sunday brunch at a pizza restaurant is an even more amazing event. Luckily, you can get both now thanks to Mellow Mushroom (25 SE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach). The restaurant's Delray Beach location will be kicking off the start to summer — and celebrating the restaurant's seventh anniversary — with a new brunch menu. Mellow Mushroom Delray Beach will be the first Florida location to offer pizza for breakfast, and is now one of only a few franchise locations nationwide to be offering a brunch menu. Beginning Sunday, May 17, Mellow Mushroom Delray Beach will launch a new brunch menu available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu will feature more than a dozen new, hand-crafted cocktails; more than 25 new craft beer selections; and five new wines. All guests that arrive the first two Sundays (May 17 and May 24) will also receive 50 percent off each new food and drink brunch menu item.
Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.