Martin City Brewing Company comes to Mission Farms, the KC Nanobrew Festival, and more: KC’s food and drink events for May 21-27

Monday, May 21

Sonoma wines are the star at tonight’s Forth Vineyards wine dinner at Tannin Wine Bar (1526 Walnut Street). Forth Vineyards’ Jann Forth has been a frequent guest at Tannin and is a restaurant favorite. Among tonight’s courses: duck served in an orange pepper gastrique with napa cabbage and smoked beans, and lamb served with jalapeno cornbread, brown rice, and fried chickpeas. The meal is $75 a person ($63.75 for wine club members), excluding tax and gratuity. Email barryt@tanninwinebar.com for reservations. 

Tuesday, May 22

Up in Liberty, you can learn to barbecue from professionals Frank Werth and Brent Colley at Feldmans Farm and Home (1332 W. Kansas St) from 5:30-9 p.m. A demonstration will cover how to cook salmon, reverse-seared tri-tips, and ribs. Samples will be available. Tickets are $50 and available via Eventbrite. 

Thursday May 24

At Charisse downtown (1006 Walnut Street), Youngberg Hill wines will be featured in a four-course meal. Coffee and blackberry-rubbed buffalo with braised squash and shiitake mushrooms, as well as poached shrimp with charred tomato served with an olive-chicken tapenade and avocado puree, are on the menu. The meal is $80 a person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Call 816-474-0000 or email charisserestaurant@gmail.com for your seats. 

Learn how to make your own bitters, amaris, and coridals at tonight’s ‘Herbal Making’ class at the Laya Center (601 Walnut Street). Registration is $30 in advance ($40 at the door), and includes instruction as well as a finished bitter to take home. Cordials will also be available for purchase. Get your tickets via the Laya Center’s website. 

The Overland Park Arboretum (8909 West 179th Street) is hosting a wine tasting on the terrace today from 6–8 p.m. Sample appetizers and wines from NightHawk Winery out of Paola, Kansas. Tickets are $35 for non-members and include admission to the arboretum. Registration is required; do so via the arboretum’s website. 

Saturday, May 26

South Kansas Citians and Martin City residents have long had easy access to Martin City Brewing Company’s enviable restaurants and brewery. As of today, people slightly more northward and westward can also get in on that, when Martin City Brewing Company’s Pizza and Taproom at Mission Farms (4000 Indian Creek Parkway, in the former Pizza Bella space) holds its grand opening.  Beer tents, pizza by the slice, live music, and yard games will be available from 12-9 p.m. Martin City Brewing Company’s owner, Matt Moore, has indicated that this is just the beginning of his brewery’s expansion.

The ninth annual KC Nanobrew Festival is today from 2-6 p.m. at Berkley Riverfront Park (1298 East Riverfront Drive). The festival, which celebrates local home brewing, has served as a launching pad for several local breweries. About 250 unique beers will be available at this year’s event; food trucks and live music will also be on-site. Tickets are $35 and available via Eventbrite or at the event.

Sunday, May 27

McCoy’s and Kelly’s Westport Inn are hosting the 7th annual Memorial Day weekend Westport Block Party today at the intersection of Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. Outdoor bars, live music, and food trucks are features of the event. Entry is $10, and includes a ticket for one beer and a koozie. 

Lifted Spirits Distillery (1734 Cherry Street) is hosting a summertime cocktail course today from 4-5 p.m. Learn how to use fresh, seasonal ingredients to make drinks like those that will be available in Lifted Spirits’ soon-to-come taproom. The class is free and includes a tour of the distillery. No registration is required.