10 Pop-Up Dinners, Food Fests, and Must-Eat Culinary Events in June

Cicchetti bar photo provided by SRV / Brian Mercury photo by Dawn Rabinowitz

Cicchetti Night with Brian Mercury

The executive pastry chef at Oak + Rowan is the latest guest chef slinging complimentary cicchetti—Italian bar snacks—alongside the regular bites by co-chefs Kevin O’Donnell and Michael Lombardi. Award-winning pro Brian Mercury has house-made ice creams, sorbets, and other sweets on his menu in Fort Point, and he is also behind Oak + Rowan’s bread and butter. He’s serving up small bites on the house in the standing wine bar at SRV, and reservations are not required.

Wednesday, June 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m., SRV bacaro, 569 Columbus Ave., South End, Boston, 617-536-9500, srvboston.com.

The Colonnade Hotel’s Rooftop Chefs series features (L to R) Brian Poe, Carolyn Johnson, Nick Calias, Meghann Ward, and Bill Brodsky. / Photo by Mike Diskin

Rooftop Chefs

For sunnier days, know that the Colonnade Hotel’s 12-story rooftop pool has reopened for the season—and that means executive chef Nick Calias’ friends are coming over. The Rooftop Chefs series returns this month, and continues through September 11. A different guest chef brings along a featured dish, and Calais pairs it with a complementary bite or drink. Plus: Every cent from the casual party goes to support No Kid Hungry. The fun begins June 12 with Chef Plum, and continues every other Tuesday with Carolyn Johnson of Mooncusser Fish House and 80 Thoreau, Will Gilson of Puritan & Co., Meghann Ward of Tapestry, and more. Find the full schedule on Eventbrite, where you can also grab tickets.

$30, Tuesdays beginning June 12, 5:30 p.m., Roof Top Pool at the Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Ave., Back Bay, Boston, Tickets.

Pizza cooking at Area Four. / Photo by Brian Samuels

Cook with Fire

Besides being great restaurants, another thing Branch Line and Area Four have in common is a love for cooking with fire. The food friends are getting together to celebrate, and taking cues from one another for an exciting menu of flame-kissed fare. Outside, the Area Four mobile pizza oven will be cooking up pizzas inspired by Branch Line’s menu, while inside, the rotisserie grill will be putting out Area Four-inspired dishes. Among the collaborative, a la carte specials will be a house salad with rotisserie shallot vinaigrette; steamed littlenecks with smoked banana peppers and pecorino croutons; rotisserie Buffalo chicken pizza; and more.

Tuesday, June 12, 4-8 p.m., Branch Line, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, 617-420-1900, branchlinearsenal.com, Facebook.

Photo provided by Puritan & Co.

Rosé Rumble

Can’t get enough pink wine? Do not miss this event, which showcases a variety of rosés from around the world to taste, discuss, and learn about. Chef-owner Will Gilson is supplying the snacks, and everything is included in the ticket price.

$75, Thursday, July 14, 6-10 p.m., Puritan & Company, 1166 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge, 617-615-6195, puritancambridge.com, Tickets.

Drink. / Photo by Brian Samuels

More Pink Wine & Pintxos

Barbara Lynch’s cocktail bar is also celebrating summer water this month. This annual event turns Drink into a bustling tapas bar for the afternoon, opening early with classic Spanish snacks, sherry, and chilled rosé.

Sunday, June 17, noon-3 p.m., 348 Congress St., Fort Point, Boston, 617-695-1806, drinkfortpoint.com.

Taste of Somerville Photos provided

Taste of Somerville

Here’s an opportunity to get your fill of the ’Ville all in one place. The Taste of Somerville returns for its 20th year, bringing noms by more than 75 restaurants, bars, artisans, and beverage providers back to Nathan Tufts Park. The lineup includes Juliet, Kirkland Tap & Trotter, Tenoch, Tasting Counter, Aeronaut Brewery, Bantam Cider, and more, plus live music curated by Boston Music Awards.  The event supports the important human services work of the Walnut Center. Check out the full lineup, and purchase tickets, at tasteofsomerville.org.

$50-$75, Wednesday, June 20, 5-8 p.m., Nathan Tufts Park, 850 Broadway, Powderhouse Square, Somerville, tasteofsomerville.org.

Chef Mark “Gooch” Naguchi pops up this month at Ruckus Boston. / Photo provided

Hawaii’s Chef Gooch in Boston

A chef acclaimed for combining traditional Hawaiian cooking techniques with modern flavors and ingredients, chef Mark Noguchi—aka Gooch—is coming to Boston and throwing a bit of a luau with chef Mike Stark in Chinatown. Gooch, who, along with his wife, Amanda, owns a catering and educational company in Honolulu called the Pili Group, is bringing a lineup of Hawaiian-style fare to Ruckus. The a la carte options like a roasted radish and razor clam tostada; short rib crudo with charred peach ponzu and uni; and a “poke bomb” will be paired with special cocktails, beer, and wine for one night only.

Thursday, June 21, 6-11 p.m., Ruckus, 5 Tyler St., Chinatown, Boston, 857-305-3129, ruckusboston.com, Facebook.

Photo provided by Grillo’s Pickles

The Boston Pickle Fair

This next event is kind of a big dill. The Boston Pickle Fair returns for its second year, in celebration of all things briny. More than a dozen local and national vendors will be there, such as Grillo’s Pickles, Mamaleh’s, Maitland Mountain Farm, and more; and there will be samples of pickly products including ice cream, cotton candy, and even a beer: Down the Road, which is hosting a 21+ beer garden during the festival, has teamed up with Grillo’s Pickles on an exclusive spicy dill-pickle sour ale. There will be country fair-style games and more family-friendly activities, too, plus a home-pickling contest. Find the full details, and buy tickets, at bostonpicklefair.com.

Saturday, June 23, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. / 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., the Innovation and Design Building, 23 Drydock Ave., the Seaport, Boston, bostonpicklefair.com, Tickets.

A bánh cuốn with wild mushrooms from an April 2018 Nightshade pop-up. / Photo by Jacqueline Cain

Nightshade Gone Wild

Hearing a lot about the North Shore-based pop-up, Nightshade? Here is a chance to check it out a bit closer to home: Nightshade is popping up in Somerville, with a four-course dinner at Field & Vine and an optional pre-meal foraging walk. Tyler Akabane, aka the Mushroom Dude, supplies dozens of local menus with foraged goodness, and his finds are often featured on Nightshade chef Rachel Miller’s menus. But this time, Miller’s menu is structured around the bounty, and guests can opt to tag along to procure the ingredients. Back at the restaurant, chef Brian Mercury of Oak + Rowan is lending his talents to the Nightshade team, while sommelier Lauren Friel will feature natural wines from Olmstead Wine Co. There are two seatings, and tickets include a welcome beverage, three savory courses, one dessert, and a surprise takeaway. An optional wine pairing is $40 paid onsite, and gratuity is additional.

$66 + $26 optional foraging walk + $40 optional wine pairing, Sunday, June 24, seatings at 4:45 and 7 p.m., Field & Vine, 9 Sanborn Ct., Union Square, Somerville, nightshadens.com, Tickets.

Pop’s Bagels from LA are popping up in Boston this month. / Photo provided

Beat LA, but Eat LA Bagels

Pop’s Bagels is coming to Boston when the Los Angeles bagelmakers’ hometown team is playing at Fenway. The pop-up bagel company started, quite simply, because bagels in LA suck. Now it brings an electrical oven to its events and bakes hand-rolled, boiled bagels on-site for that right-out-of-the-oven chew. Try them in the lobby of Hotel Commonwealth the mornings before the Red Sox-Angels games this month with Pop’s homemade buttermilk cream cheese, cultured butter, nova smoked salmon, and other simple toppings.

$5-$10, Tuesday, June 26 and Thursday, June 28, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Hotel Commonwealth lobby, 500 Commonwealth Ave., Kenmore Square, Boston, 617-933-5000, hotelcommonwealth.com.

This post was updated Tuesday, June 12, to reflect that the Taste of Somerville has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 20, due to inclement weather predicted for the original date of Wednesday, June 12.

This post was updated Friday, June 12, with new dates and times for the Pop’s Bagels pop-up at Hotel Commonwealth.