Charlotte food news roundup: Dads, dark and a festival

whilel you're killing time waiting for the debut of Chik-Fil-A's spicy chicken sandwich this afternoon (I don't know why it's exciting either, but it's all over the blogosphere), here's a few things coming up:

Friday-Sunday is the annual Taste of Charlotte on Tryon Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and 6th Street. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. It's a mix of family entertainment, shopping, live music and food booths featuring Charlotte restaurants. You need festival coins to buy food samples and beverages. Dunkin Donuts will give away free samples of Turbo Coffee. Get the list of restaurants and other details here.

The Vanlandingham Estate is putting on a Father's Day barbecue from noon to 4 p.m. June 20 on the grounds of the very pretty historic house in Plaza-Midwood. You can bring dogs and kids (and dads too, I presume). $10 gets you a plate with barbecue, coleslaw, potato salad, fruit salad, baked beans, banana pudding and tea or lemonade. $5 more gets you a beer. It's Dad -- buy the man a beer. Reservations are required. Call 704-334-8909 or go here.

OK, we promised dark news: Good Eats & Meets, a dining group that gets a bunch of people together for dining adventures, is doing a Dining in the Dark dinner at Andrew Blair's this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. It benefits The Foundation Fighting Blindness, and yes, you eat dinner in the dark. Which is supposed to heighten your senses. Or increase your dry-cleaning bill. It's a three-course meal for $50, and you can get details and meet up with the Good Eats & Meets group here.