Here are a couple events this weekend across the Triangle:

L'Uva at the American Tobacco Complex is hosting an Aviator Brewing Co. beer brunch at noon Saturday. The three-course meal with beer pairings from the Fuquay-Varina brewery costs $35. A special barrel-aged brew and cigars will finish the meal on the patio. To make a reservation, call 919-688-8181.

Downtown Raleigh's Capital Club 16 is hosting its regular Sunday Supper this Sunday at 7 p.m. Many of the meal's ingredients will come from Commonplace Cooperative Farm, formerly New Grass Gardens. The wine pairings will be chosen by The Raleigh Wine Shop. The menu includes these courses:

• Honeydew and cantaloupe skewers with prosciutto.
• Summer vegetable napoleon with tomato, basil, eggplant, goat cheese and a roasted red pepper sauce.
• Either roasted pheasant or flounder and shrimp pinwheel over assorted greens and mache with yogurt dill dressing, roasted potatoes and grilled spring onions.
• Peach and cardamom turnover with crème anglaise and mint.

A vegetarian option is available upon request. The meal costs $55 per person. To make a reservation, call 919-747-9345.
 

The Cary News had a good story today about the growth at the Fuquay-Varina brewery.

There are lots of fun things to do this weekend. You can go to two different tomato festivals at local farmers markets or drink beer to help the oil spill recovery effort.

Here are the details:

• From 3-9 p.m. Saturday, Aviator Brewing Company is holding a special release party for its Black Belgian IPA at its Fuquay-Varina brewery. Each pint of the new IPA cost $5 and $2 of each beer will go directly to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, which is helping with the clean up efforts of animals affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill. All other beers costs $4 a pint and $1 will be donated to the Florida Aquarium.
• From 8 a.m.-Noon Saturday is the 13th annual tomato day at the Carrboro Farmers' Market. There will be tomato tastings, tomato recipes, live music and face paintings. (If you have never been to the market, this would be a fun family excursion.)The market is located next to Carrboro Town Hall at 301 W. Main St.
• 8 a.m.-Noon Saturday, the Eno River Farmers' Market in downtown Hillsborough is hosting its TomatoFest. The fest features 57 varieties of tomatoes, various tastings, recipes, cooking, canning and storage tips.
• Don't forget the Ridgeway Cantaloupe Festival is10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It's sort of a small town festival with the typical smoked turkey legs and funnel cakes but celebrating Ridgeway's former status as the melon shipping capital of the East Coast. Click HERE for details on the Ridgeway Historical Society website.

This Saturday, Aviator Brewing Company is holding a special release party for its Black Belgian IPA from 3-9 p.m. at its Fuquay-Varina brewery. Each pint of the new IPA cost $5 and $2 of each beer will go directly to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, which is helping with the clean up efforts of animals affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill.

All other beers costs $4 a pint and $1 will be donated to the Florida Aquarium.

Stay tuned, the brewery will have a special release party for the IPA at Busy Bee Cafe in downtown Raleigh in early August. It also will be fundraiser for the Aquarium's oil spill clean up efforts.

For more information, call 567-BEER (2337).