Seven Pop-Up Dinners (and Other Notable Culinary Events)

A food truck beer garden in Watertown, a doughnut showdown, and a butter and bubbles feast kickoff a savory start to autumn.

Artwork provided

Artwork provided

Foundry on Elm’s End of Summer Tiki Brunch
Foundry on Elm hopes to end the back-to-school blues with a Tiki-themed brunch to celebrate the last days of summer. On September 7, guests can enjoy a whole suckling pig, carved to order, as well as an array of sides served buffet style. Everyone is encouraged to wear Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts, while enjoying Polynesian tunes and $5 beers and specialty cocktails. Drink specials include a Lalani’s Temple (Galliano, pineapple juice, creole bitters, sparkling wine) and a Voodoo Tattoo (Bully Boy Boston Rum, Velvet Falernum, Angostura bitters, hot sauce, lime), Foundry’s version of a Polynesian Bloody Mary.

$25 per person, Sept. 7 at noon, 255 Elm St., Somerville; 617-628-9999 or foundryonelm.com.

Food Truck Festival at The Arsenal in Watertown
Eat Boston is holding Watertown’s first food truck beer garden at The Arsenal on September 13. From noon to 4 p.m., guests can dine at more than 10 area food trucks, enjoy musical entertainment from Red Sox DJ, TJ Connelly, and drink craft beer from Boulevard, Bantam, Slumbrew, Notch, Backlash, and many others. Tickets are limited, but unlike many other food truck events, guests can “pay what they want.” For those without a ride to Watertown, there will be a shuttle from Harvard Square every 20 minutes starting at noon. Participating trucks include Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Stoked Wood Fired Pizza, Mei Mei Street Kitchen, and Munch Mobile Kitchen.

Pay what you want, Sept. 13, noon-4 p.m., 311 Arsenal St., Watertown; etix.com.

Champagne and Butter Dinner at Menton
Perhaps the most indulgent special event of they year will take place at Menton when chef Scott Jones hosts a five-course dinner based around bubbles and small-batch butter. Diane St. Clair’s hand-churned butter and buttermilk—widely considered some of the best in the world—will be the focal point on a menu that includes butter soup with shellfish; caviar and honey; gnudi di ricotta with ham; escargot; and a huckleberry tart. Each course will be complemented by grower Champagne from renowned importer, Terry Theise. You might be asking yourself, “How good can this butter really be?” St. Clair’s butter is only offered at five exclusive restaurants around the world, including Barbara Lynch’s flagship No. 9 Park and Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and Per Se restaurants.

$195 per person, Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m., 354 Congress St., Boston; 617-737-0099 or mentonboston.com.

Dueling Donuts Competition at The Sinclair
Union Square Donuts and The Sinclair’s executive chef Matt Cunningham are facing off in a doughnut competition on Saturday, September 20. The baking bonanza will take place on The Sinclair’s urban patio, with each team creating mini donuts to pair with a boozy coffee cocktail and a classic mimosa. Guests will help judge each round on a variety of elements, including presentation, pairing, and taste, to determine the champion. The Sinclair will be offering their full brunch menu all day to supplement the sweet feast.

$20 per person, Sept. 20, noon-3 p.m., 52 Church St., Cambridge; 617-547-5200 or sinclaircambridge.com.

Legal Sea Foods’ Half-Shell Hedonism
Legal Sea Foods is celebrating its sixth annual Oyster Festival with the Shellfish Shindig event at their Charles Square location on September 21. Guests can enjoy freshly shucked oysters for a dollar each on Legal’s immense outdoor terrace. Slurp bivalves by the bushel than head inside for specials like oyster stew; Oysters Legal (oysters baked with spinach, cheese, and crumbs); fried oysters; bacon wrapped oysters; oysters jambalaya; and oyster po’ boys.

Sept. 21, 2-4 p.m., Legal Sea Foods at Charles Square, 20 University Rd., Cambridge; 617-491-9400 or legalseafoods.com.

Mark Ladner’s Pasta Flyer at Harvard
Del Posto’s Mark Ladner, a James Beard nominated chef, brings his gluten-free, quick-service pasta concept to Harvard in late September. Ladner, a Cambridge native, will return home on his multi-campus Pasta Flyer pop-up tour that offers gourmet Italian pasta bowls ordered via an automated kiosk. Earlier this summer, Ladner launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund his healthy fast food vision. Pasta Flyer will also serve lunch on the Wellesley campus on September 19 and 20. Supposedly, the pop-up at Harvard will be a precursor to an eventual brick and mortar in Boston.

Sept. 22-24, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Harvard Lunch Science Center Overpass, 1 Oxford St., Cambridge; pastaflyer.com.

West Bridge and Stephanie Cmar’s Charitable Carnival 
West Bridge chef Matthew Gaudet and Stephanie Cmar of Party of Two will host their first annual fundraising carnival on behalf of Furnishing Hope of Massachusetts, a Cambridge-based nonprofit that helps Greater Boston families transitioning out of homelessness. Guests can enjoy Cmar’s crowd-pleasing doughnuts and desserts alongside carnival-inspired food form Chef Gaudet. The Kendall Square carnival will have live music, balloon animals, face painting, and a silent auction with a number of exclusive prizes to help raise additional funds for the charity. Guests are encouraged to purchase a VIP ticket for early access to the event and a private cocktail reception. Beer and wine will be available.

$75 per person, Sept. 28, 12:30-4 p.m., 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge; eventbrite.com.