Eight Pop-Up Dinners (And Other Notable Culinary Events)

Backbar is hosting a Ghostbusters-themed cocktail dinner on Sept. 21. Artwork provided by Offsite

1. Aeronaut’s Septemberfest
The brewers at Somerville’s Aeronaut are bidding the summer a warm “adieu!” with a big Autumn bash one day before the official Oktoberfest celebration kicks off in Munich. Live music will be curated by the The New England Americana Festival with folk musicians such as Hoot and Holler, Cold Chocolate, Patrick Coman, and Dan Blakeslee. Aeronaut will also be offering three different versions of a special barrel-aged saison for the event.

Sept. 19, 5- 11 p.m., 14 Tyler St., Somerville; aeronautbrewing.com or eventbrite.com.

2. Burgers, Doughnuts, and Pork Belly Sliders, Oh My!
Sam Monsour, one-half of the Super Burger Bros., has moved onto the sunnier pastures of Los Angeles, but that hasn’t slowed down Richard Chudy’s gourmet burger crusade. On September 20, Chudy will team up with Party of Two‘s Stephanie Cmar and Justin Burke Samson at Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions in Waltham. From 2 to 6 p.m., guests will be able to purchase savory bacon tarts, Cmar’s version of a dessert burger (a glazed doughnut with chocolate, basil, and strawberry icing), Josh Smith’s pork belly sliders, and Chudy’s charcuterie burger with caraway mustard, crispy chicken skins, a rye bun, and a patty made from a special charcuterie meat blend. Each dish will be available to order a la carte. Supplies will be limited, so show up early.

Sept. 20, 2-6 p.m., 468 Moody St., Waltham; 781-216-8732 or moodyswaltham.com.

3. Ghostbusters Cocktail Dinner at Backbar
Silvertone bartender Nick Korn and Backbar’s Sam Treadway, the minds behind Space Nerds Cocktail Week, are joining forces again to share their love of Ivan Reitman’s 1984 film, Ghostbusters. The three-course cocktail menu, with drinks like a Bols melon liqueur-spiked Ecto-Cooler, will be paired with a special 30th anniversary screening of Ghostbusters. Expect intricate costumes, proton packs, intense movie-quoting, and house-made takes on classic movie theater fare such as Angel’s Envy-soaked Raisinetes and oversized Twinkies.

$40 per person, Sept. 21, 10 p.m.- midnight, 7 Sanborn Ct., Somerville; 617-718-0249 or eventbrite.com.

4. Battery Wharf Oyster Festival
Join five of Boston’s most talented seafood specialists: chefs Michael Serpa from Neptune Oyster, Will Gilson from Puritan & Company, Graham Lockwood from Aragosta Bar & Bistro, Jeremy Sewall from Row 34 and Island Creek Oyster Bar, and Louis DiBiccari from Tavern Road, at the first ever Battery Wharf Oyster Festival. Benefiting the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association and the Island Creek Oyster Foundation, the event will be held at Fairmont Battery Wharf, where the waterfront will be alive with music, bivalve-inspired small plates, and a wide array of freshly shucked oysters from Massachusetts-based growers.

$65 per person, Sept. 21, 2-5 p.m., 3 Battery Wharf, Boston; eventbrite.com.

5. New Orleans Burlesque Show at Beat Hôtel
The Beat Hôtel in Harvard Square will host its first ever “New Orleans Burlesque: Fleur de Tease” on September 23. Live music from The Brian Thomas New Orleans Band will accompany a spicy New Orleans-themed burlesque show featuring three of New York’s top burlesque performers, including the famous Calamity Chang. While enjoying the show, guests can indulge in food and drink specials from chef Ignacio Lopez such as Mahi Mahi fish tacos, a barbecue spare rib dinner, and seared duck breast with risotto and port wine sauce.

Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m.- midnight, 13 Brattle St., Cambridge; 617-499-0001 or beathotel.com.

6. Kitchen Kibitz Rosh Hashanah Pop-Up with Geoff Lukas
Jeff Gabel’s Kitchen Kibitz pop-up series rolls on with another up-and-coming Boston chef preparing their version of modern Jewish cuisine. This time fermentation guru and Sofra Bakery chef Geoff Lukas joins Gabel at Met Back Bay, in its private dining space “Townhouse,” for a special Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) dinner called “Land of Milk & Honey.” The event will be a prix fixe dinner exploring some of the mystical Mizrachi Jewish cuisine, including Yemenite soup, braised lamb shoulder with pomegranate molasses, “schmaltzy” potatoes with pickled lime, and a date and apple halva. The festivities will also include live music and belly dancing performances.

$80 per person, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., 279 Dartmouth St., Boston; 617-267-0451 or eventbrite.com.

7. Beat Bobby Flay Watch Party at Bronwyn
Bronwyn is hosting a special screening of chef Tim Wiechmann competing on an episode of the Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay! on September 25. Friends and neighbors are encouraged to turn out and cheer on the hometown chef as he competes against one of the network’s biggest stars. Regular dinner service will end at 9 p.m. after which, the TVs will be turned on and the kitchen will serve a selection of complimentary snacks including schnitzel with paprika mayonnaise and pickled cucumber; housemade Leberwurst on rye; smoked kielbasa on bauernbrot with sauerkraut and spicy mustard; and house-made bacon with pickled egg remoulade and chips.

Sept. 25, 9-10 p.m., 255 Washington St., Somerville; 617-776-9900 or bronwynrestaurant.com.

8. New England Chefs Collaborative
West Bridge chef Matthew Gaudet is hosting the second annual Chefs Collaborative where six local chefs come together to showcase the diversity of cultures and cuisines within New England. The non-formal dinner will feature dishes by Gaudet, Even Hennessey from Stages (Dover, New Hampshire), Matt Louis from Moxy (Portsmouth), James Mark from North (Providence, RI), Josh Smith (Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions, and Cara Stadler from Tao Yuan (Brunswick, Maine).

$65 per person, Oct. 5, 4-9 p.m., 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge; 617-945-0221, westbridgerestaurant.com or eventbrite.com.