BY BRENDAN GIUSTI

Eat, drink, and be merry. That used to entail dinner with the
family or scarfing down pizza and wings with buddies.
But lately groups have popped up across the Greater Rochester area with the
sole purpose of sharing a love of food and drink with other people — strangers,
even — on a regular basis. Finding the right group for you depends on your tastes,
and an interest in expanding the horizons of your taste buds. Below is an
introduction to a few of the food groups based here in Rochester.

If you’re not into meat, that’s not a problem for The
Rochester Area Vegetarian Society. The group meets the third Sunday of
every month for a pot-luck vegan dinner at the Brighton Town Park Lodge, and
mixes it up with member-hosted picnics during the summer and occasional gatherings
at local restaurants. The group also hosts guest lecturers and speakers on a
wide range of topics related to vegetarianism. This is a membership-based group
— annual dues cost $20 person, $35 per couple, and $10 for students and
individuals on fixed incomes — but guests are welcome to attend for $3 and should
bring a vegan dish to pass. (Carol Barnett, who has organized the group for the
past 18 years with her husband, Ted, says that if thinking of a vegan dish to
make sounds scary, you can always bring a bag of apples.) Membership gets you a
copy of the group’s quarterly newsletter, which has lifestyle tips, recipes,
and calendar updates. The roughly 150 members span a wide range of demographics,
and include students, the elderly, and families with children. Call 234-8750,
visit rochesterveg.org, or e-mail drveggie@aol.com for more details.

The Restauranteers is essentially
a “girls’ night out” — just one centered around food, of course. As one of the
special interest groups in the Rochester Women’s Network, these women wine and
dine across town, making a special point to hit newly opened eateries. There
are about 15 to 20 people officially in the group, and about four to five attend
each monthly dining event, which occurs on the third Wednesday of every month.
It’s a way to network, but more simply, it serves a social function that happens
to be centered on food. Members write small reviews of the restaurants for the RWN’s website, reporting on the pros and cons of the
atmosphere, service, and food quality, among other criteria. “I love to dine
and try new places,” says Allison Pope, the group’s coordinator. Visit rwn.org
for more details.

Slow Food is more about a lifestyle than any one
particular food. The international group has a local chapter headed by Michael
Warren Thomas that hosts monthly special events like potluck dinners and tastings at local restaurants. Going “slow” is about taking
the time to enjoy food — from picking up the ingredients at a local farmers
market to preparing the meal in your kitchen to sharing a dinner with family
and friends. The group uses food as a reason to get together, not just as the
fuel to keep the members going, Thomas says. Joining the international group
automatically puts you in contact with the local folks here in Rochester.
Visit slowfood.com for more details.

If you ever needed an excuse to try different foods, The
Rochester Brunch Club will give it to you. It’s a group for people who love to eat, and according to Tonya Griffin, the
group’s organizer, “a lot of restaurants serve brunch, and this is an excuse to
try them all.” There’s a core group of people who hit the monthly stops, and a
few who make it out for the occasional extra dining excursion. Griffin
says that, while growing up, social events were always centered on food. For
her, the Brunch Club is a nice way to socialize. “You have something
immediately to talk about,” Griffin
says in reference to the food. Visit brunchclub.meetup.com/182 for details on
the monthly gatherings and dining happenings.

The newly formed Rochester Coffee Club isn’t your
typical group of rowdy drinking buddies. This eclectic group has members that
range from husbands and wives to divorcees to those new to town and looking to
connect with others who love a good cup of Joe. The Brunch Club’s Griffin,
who also organizes this club, started the group — which has members ranging in
age from their 20s to their early 60s — as a way for people to socialize over a
fresh brew. There are members who are serious about their beans, and those who
just like to gather in local coffee shops, Griffin
says. The monthly meet-ups, which draw around 20 people, are held at a
different locale each time, with an occasional second meeting during the warm
summer months. Griffin says the
idea is to meet other people who like going to coffee shops so you don’t have
to go alone. Visit coffee.meetup.com/482 for more details.

Whether you swirl your glass of Merlot under your nose to
smell the aroma, or you only know that wines come in both red and white, The
Rochester Winos may help expand your palate. For the past three years EnzoRaffaele-Addamo and his
girlfriend, Janice D’Ambrosia, have been giving wine tastings and food pairings at local restaurants and
vineyards in the hopes of educating and promoting Finger Lakes Wine to newbies and aficionados alike. Each tasting — they usually take
place on a Wednesday or Thursday in the last week of the month — features three
red wines and three white wines paired with appetizers throughout the night.
You won’t be drinking six glasses of wine, though. According to Raffaele-Addamo, each sample is between one and one and a
half ounces — just enough to get the taste and explore the local flavors.
Experts from local wineries are on hand at the events, and local chefs create
the appetizers to complement the drinks. Visit rochesterwinos.com for more
details and ticket information.

This article appears in May 14-20, 2008.