With so many tempting food and drink events in store for the weekend, it gets hard to choose. But, luckily, CL's narrowed it down to five for you. Happy tasting!
Browse local vendors while sipping a latte or brew brew at Black Crow Coffee's Funky Film & Flea, a boho evening market and outdoor movie night. At the St. Pete gathering from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, guests can expect a showing of the 1966 film Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter at dark. Plus, Urban Brew and BBQ will be on-site serving up its signatures and vegetarian options, alongside the coffee shop's doughnuts and muffins. Free, money for goodies. 722 2nd St N, St. Petersburg, 727-580-7200.
On Saturday and Sunday, celebrate one of Tampa's greatest treasures: the Cuban sandwich. The 6th Annual Cuban Sandwich Festival, which has gone international as of the 2016 competition, draws locals to Hillsborough Community College's Ybor campus, where they'll witness the building of the largest Cubano in the world from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. Then, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday (or Smackdown Sunday, as it's known), the crowd watches restaurants near and far battle it out for "Best" titles in various categories. Art exhibits and cultural music and dance performances serve as the two-day fest's non-edible entertainment. Free, money for goodies. 1320 E. Palm Ave., Tampa.
Brew Bus's inaugural Low Country Beer Boil, hosted between noon and 3 p.m. Saturday, allows guests to chow down on a mix of fresh crawfish, clams, mussels, andouille sausage, shrimp, corn on the cob, and craft beer — that's been loaded into the Seminole Heights brewery's two-barrel pilot system. Your first beer is included in the price of admission. Get tickets online. $20. 4101 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-990-7310.
Raise a glass to art starting at 4 p.m. Sunday. The Dali Museum's Los Vinos de Dali, an annual sampling and fundraising event to benefit the downtown St. Pete museum and its educational programs, includes tastings of local restaurants and wine, and now area craft breweries, wineries, distilleries and even a Los Vinos specialty cocktail. Dishes from Castile, Michael's on East, FarmTable Kitchen, Sea Salt and others are planned. Tickets are available online. $75 for members, $90 for non-members. 1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, 727-823-3767.
Mazel tov! Eat up at the new Tampa Bay Jewish Food Festival, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Clearwater's Temple B'nai Israel. A variety of Jewish foods — including Carnegie Deli pastrami sandwiches, bagels, matzo ball soup and knishes — are featured, as well as a kosher wine tasting room, local craft and art vendors, children's activities, and live entertainment. Learn more. Free, money for food. 1685 S. Belcher Road, Clearwater, 727-531-5829.
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 6, 2017.