Pork festival today, Virginia’s largest Oktoberfest will be in town, and Restaurant Week gears up

If you love pork, then today will be the greatest day of your year. If you’d like a little beer thrown into the mix, there are pumpkin beers a’ plenty to get us all into the fall spirit, and we have EVERY menu for the upcoming Restaurant Week

October 20, 2011; 10:16 AM • by RVANews staff

Have dinner plans tonight? Love barbecue and adult beverages? You are in luck! Tonight marks the 28th annual ACCA Shrine Central Virginia Pork Festival. For $30 in advance or $40 at the door you can eat, drink, and listen to live music until your heart’s content–or at least from 4pm to 8pm–at the Richmond International Raceway. Around 10,000 people are expected at this event, so don’t be left out! More information here.

This weekend marks the 43rd Annual Oktoberfest from 6pm to 12am on both Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd at the Showplace in Mechanicsville. There will be more than enough music, beer, and traditional German food to make you feel like you’re not in Richmond anymore. Tickets are $8 in advance, and $10 at the door. Kids under 15 get in for FREE.

It’s that time of year when everyone is talking about pumpkin everything, and most importantly pumpkin beers. There are a lot of varieties out there and to try them all would be quite expensive and time-consuming. The Camel has remedied that with a Pumpkin Tap Takeover. From October 22nd through October 31st the majority of the 28 taps behind the Camel’s bar will hold pumpkin and Octoberfest beers. A sneak peek at what will be available:

Dogfish Head Punkin
Sam Adams Octoberfest
Southern Tier Pumking
Hofbrau Oktoberfest
Hardywood Farmhouse Pumpkin
Spaten Oktoberfest
Cottonwood Pumpkin
Heavy Seas Prosit!
Sixpoint Autumnation
Roanoke Railhouse Track 1
Heavy Seas The Great Pumpkin
Wolaver’s Pumpkin

If you are looking for more of an educational food experience this weekend then head over to the Byrd Theatre for the Slow Food RVA’s film feast: Reel Food for Richmond on October 22 between 9am and 6pm. This is a family-oriented festival intended to get the community involved in good, clean, and fair food practices. Check out their site to get a list of film schedules and more information.

Last but not least, don’t forget that Restaurant Week starts this coming Monday the 24th and will run through Sunday the 30th. We have all of the menus listed HERE for your drooling pleasure. $2.11 of every fixed menu meal is donated to FeedMore, so go out to eat for a good cause already!

photo by Lomo-Cam