The First Taste Culinary Crawl kicks off Restaurant Week on Sept. 20 at River Prairie Center

First Taste Culinary Crawl

Thursday, Sept. 20 • 6pm-8:30pm • $35 advance tickets • River Prairie Park & Center, Altoona • ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com

Hosted inside and out at the new River Prairie Center in Altoona, the First Taste Culinary Crawl is the exclusive kickoff event for Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week, and a portion of every ticket raises money for The Community Table. Taste a full meal’s worth of savory and sweet samples from a select list of 12 local restaurants and swig from a cash bar of featured drinks and wines. The event is a way to experience the Valley’s culinary scene like you never have before, as the evening offers more than two hours of live jazz, open air socializing, and most importantly, sampling. This year’s ticket will include beer samples to wash down the tasty tidbits you can enjoy on the gorgeous outdoor plaza beside River Prairie’s babbling brooks. The two cash bars – one outside, one indoor-outdoor – will also offer three signature cocktails. Vote for your favorite to be entered to win tickets to see Lee Brice at Party in the Prairie the following Saturday. To enjoy all that and support a local food charity at the same time, well you just can’t go wrong.

Autumn Valley Vino Tour

Saturday, Sept. 22 • Tour leaves from The Local Store 3:30pm - 7:30pm • $35 advance, limited to just 14 seats • ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com

Hop on the Autumn Valley Vino Tour for a gorgeous afternoon touring local wineries among the fall countryside. The tour leaves from the Local Store at 205 N. Dewey St. at 3:30pm, and that’s the only address you need to know because the Bus Bros. Tour Co. will take the wheel from there. The first stop is River Bend Winery, where visitors may sample a variety of wines and enjoy a full-size glass included with your ticket. River Bend’s featured drink for Restaurant Week is the Lavender Collins. From there, the tour moves on to Autumn Harvest, which will offer samples of all 12 of their menu wines and one full-size glass as well. Their Restaurant Week featured drink is Autumn Apple Pie Slush. Infinity Beverages, which is offering Summer Heat as its Restaurant Week special, is next on the agenda, where attendees can enjoy one last round of wine and spirit tasting. Bus Bros. will provide transportation, water, and snacks between each stop. The tour returns to the Local Store at about 7:15pm, leaving enough time to grab dinner and a passport stamp at a participating Restaurant Week location! For tickets visit VolumeOneTickets.org.

Local Restaurant Trivia Night

Wednesday, Sept. 26 • The Plus, 208 S. Barstow St. • 8pm • FREE

Clear Water Comedy presents a special local restaurant themed trivia night at The Plus starting at 8pm. The event is free, so gather your team of foodies and arrive on time. Restaurant Week is giving away $200 in gift certificates from a bunch of different eateries to the teams with unsurpassed knowledge of local restaurants past and present. Think you have what it takes?

Bikes, Bridges & Brews

Thursday, Sept. 27 • Rides leave from SHIFT Cyclery + Coffee Bar • 5:30pm

This Bike Chippewa Valley event takes riders through central Eau Claire over wide, smooth trails, through sunlit woods and over the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers on 11 bridges. The tour leaves from SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar at 5:30 pm and moves at a leisurely pace through downtown. Stop at Modicum for a delicious, dollar-off beer. Then hit the pedals again to cruise to Brewing Projekt, where the Biker Happy Hour will offer a dollar off tap beers. All three tour locations are part of the Chippewa Valley Restaurant Week, meaning you can get three passport stamps during one evening of fun.

Fall Foliage Farm & Food Tour

Saturday, Sept. 29 • 9am-3pm • Leaves from The Local Store • $40 • ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com

Check out three local farms firsthand and get exclusive tours from the owners during this Fall Foliage Farm & Food Tour. Pastoral views of rural Wisconsin ablaze in autumn hues will liven up the journey to Square Roots, Sacred Blossom, and Together Farms, where you will learn what makes each destination unique and how they get their products from their farm to markets, restaurants, grocery stores, and most importantly, your plate. The tour leaves from the Local Store at 205 N. Dewey St. at 9am. Spend the crisp fall morning walking through greenhouses and fields at Square Roots Farm, sample teas at Sacred Blossom, and feast on burgers and fries after a wagon ride at Together Farms. Registration is required for this event and is limited to the first 48 attendees. For tickets, visit VolumeOneTickets.org.

Square Roots Farms • Fall Creek – Square Roots Farm is a diversified vegetable farm resting on 40 acres just south of Eau Claire in Fall Creek. They produce vegetables without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or insecticides. This farm has been providing nutritious greens to Chippewa Valley restaurants since 2014.

Sacred Blossom • Mondovi – This local farm grows a number of flowers, trees, and fruits, which are used to create all-natural tea blends. Sacred Blossom uses mixed polycultures (where multiple plants are grown in the same space in a supportive ecosystem) and hand-picks ingredients to dry and process. Products are available at numerous local eateries and retailers.

Together Farms • Mondovi – Livestock at Together Farms are raised with attention to animal care and environmental impact. Animals are given lots of room to roam among hazelnut and oak trees, and tended to using Intensive Rotational Grazing, which helps sustain them and the land they feed off of.

For tickets visit VolumeOneTickets.org

Leinenkugel’s Beer Dinner

Tuesday, Oct. 2 • Leinie Lodge, 124 E Elm St, Chippewa Falls • 6-8pm • Space limited to 50 people • $55 • ChippewaValleyRestaurantWeek.com

After you’ve had your fill of meals and deals during Restaurant Week, make your way to the Leinie Lodge for a fantastic private beer dinner with Dick and John Leinenkugel. Spend your Tuesday evening enjoying a delicious five-course meal paired to perfection with a variety of classic Leinenkugel’s beers. Dick and John will spend the evening educating and delighting you with in depth knowledge of the 150-year history of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company and beer pairing. Registration is required for this event and is limited to 50 people. For tickets, visit VolumeOneTickets.org.