This year's sold-out Outside Lands is going to be featuring something new in the food realm that will once again up the ante of the festival's already bougie foodie-ness. As announced yesterday, there will be a series of sit-down Forest Feasts available to festival-goers that don't conflict with prime-time headliners' shows, catered by the fine folks at Trestle in North Beach. And these will all take place in a "secluded forest lounge," presumably up the hill from Hellman Hollow.
Like at Trestle, this will be a prix fixe situation from executive chef Jason Halverson, with four courses and two options for each course. Choices include a falafel salad, corn soup, saffron risotto, the restaurant's popular garganelli Bolognese, Ora king salmon, a braised shortrib, peach cobbler, and chocolate mousse. And there will be pairings from Wine Lands curator Peter Eastlake from Wind Gap, Preston Farm and Winery, and Fount.
Also, there will be entertainment at each meal from a live brass band and magician Jon Armstrong.
“We’re thrilled to recreate Trestle for gourmands and festival-goers of Outside Lands this year,” says Ryan Cole, partner of Hi Neighbor Restaurant Group, which owns Trestle, Stones Throw, and the new Corridor. "This is a first of its kind dining experience and we want it to be memorable and unlike anything that’s been done before."
Ari Feingold, curator of the food offerings at Outside Lands, says the team is "continually looking to create new culinary experiences at Outside Lands," and these Forest Feast dinners will only add to what's already an extensive array of food and drink options which this year will also include a shellfish-centric area called Outside Clams.
Things will be a bit more expensive than Trestle's famously inexpensive prix-fixe: The Forest Feast will run you $175 per person including Champagne, dinner, wine pairings, and you can make reservations here. There will be two feasts per day, August 5, 6, and 7, at 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., with a limit of 48 people at each seating. And, yes, you obviously have to be an Outside Lands ticket-holder to attend.
In related news, throughout the rest of July, there's a Summer Pairings series of events curated by Outside Lands that aren't taking place in Golden Gate Park. This weekend, on Sunday July 24, there's a ramen and beer pairing event with Chef Kyle Itani of Hopscotch and Itani Ramen in Oakland, with beers from Fort Point Beer Co. (tickets here). On Monday there's a BBQ and beer pairing event all day at 4505 Burgers and BBQ, with beers from Harmonic Brewing. And on Tuesday and Saturday of next week, respectively, there's a BBQ feast with Anchor Brewing at Southpaw BBQ in the Mission, and a Pinot and pizza party at Mozzeria with Bluxome Street Winery. All events will run you $20 to $48 per person, and will feature live music.
Related: Here's The Food Lineup For Outside Lands 2016, Including 'Outside Clams'