TAKE A TXOTX
This will be a busy weekend for Mattie Beason, who closed his Durham standby Six Plates earlier this year only to reopen the same space as Black Twig Cider House months later. On Saturday, June 11, Beason will lead the first of three tasting tours through the four major regions of the new restaurant’s beverage of choice. The forty-five-minute, twenty-dollar classes include a concluding “txotx”an amusing custom in which an effervescent shot of cider shoots from a barrel. And on Sunday, Beason takes Txakolifest, one of Six Plates’ annual traditions, to the Rickhouse in Durham. The Urban Ministries fundraiser includes a lot of food from the likes of Juju and Pizzeria Toro and, of course, the titular txakoli. Tickets for the four-hour party run $75–$100.
A DOUBLE PLAYIn Pittsboro, Fair Gamethe spirits-and-wine maker that’s quickly become one the region’s most distinctive new producerscelebrates its second birthday with the release of a brilliant new product, its Amber Rum. Sparkling with a mix of spice and sweetness, the barrel-aged rum is a solo dream, where each sip offers a complex dance on the palate. You can try it by itself here, though Tony Cross will also be serving it up in tiki-style cocktails. There will be DJs and food, tours and demos at the free party, which runs from two until six p.m. on Saturday, June 11. www.fairgamebeverage.com
STILL HAPPENING
And don’t forget: Triangle Restaurant Weekyour chance to have full meals at some of the Triangle’s best spots for relative bargainsruns through Sunday, June 12. www.trirestaurantweek.com
