Save a little room for these fabulous festivals

Can't decide what to eat?

The good news is that you don't have to. You can have it all — everything from baklava to brats and beer — at area food festivals this fall.

The season kicks off next weekend with the 22nd annual Edible Extravaganza. More than 1,800 people attended last year, enjoying samples from area restaurants, wineries, bakeries, drink distributors and more.

We're talking substantial nibbles here, from more than 60 restaurants in the Modesto area, and live music on three stages throughout the evening.

Money raised will go to the Center for Human Services, a Modesto-area nonprofit agency that provides counseling, intervention and prevention programs to children, teens and families. Among its programs: Hutton House, Friday Night Live, Parent Connection and Youth Court.

• Details: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 4, Modesto Centre Plaza, 1000 K St. Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 at the door. They can be purchased at Valley First Credit Union locations, the Modesto Visitors Bureau, Steves Chevrolet/Buick in Oakdale or the Center for Human Services. Or call 526-1476. You also can buy tickets online at www.centerforhumanservices.org/edible .

If you're in the mood for Greek, head to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church next month for the congregation's annual Greek Food Festival. Members of the church will serve Greek salad (think feta cheese and kalamata olives), baked herb chicken, Greek-style vegetables and rice pilaf. There also will be Greek ring bread, along with handmade Greek pastry for dessert. Takeout meals are available.

If you're still hungry, visit the outdoor coffeehouse, where congregation members serve up steaming cups of rich Greek coffee and made-on-the-spot doughnut holes. There's also a bakery shop with baklava and other treats, as well as a marketplace — or agora — where jewelry, clothes, crafts and deli items will be for sale.

Tours of the church are available, and there will be Greek dancers dressed in handmade costumes.

• Details: Noon to 9 p.m. Sept. 20 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at the church, 313 Tokay Ave., Modesto. Advance tickets are $12 for adults (which includes entertainment and the meal). Tickets at the door are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children younger than 12. Call 522-7694.

Shish kebab, chicken kebab, shawerma, pastries and more will be featured at the Assyrian Chaldean Festival on Sept. 20. Also featured will be Assyrian Chaldean folkloric dances, entertainment and games for the children.

• Details: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at St. Matthew Church in Ceres. Admission is $2. Call 988-5661.

Anyone up for dinner and a movie? Check out the Reel Food Film Festival at the State Theatre. It kicks off with select short films on food and eating, followed by the main event — "Big Night," the story of two brothers (Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci) who emigrate from Italy to open a restaurant.

Of course, there will be food, including complimentary desserts, locally grown products, and wine and beer for sale. Several nearby restaurants, including Tresetti's World Caffe, Clayton's and Concetta, are offering early dinner specials.

• Details: 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the State Theatre. Reception begins at 6:30 p.m., film shorts begin at 7:30 and "Big Night" begins at 8:45. Tickets are $15 ($12 for members of the Modesto Film Society and Modesto Art Museum).

It wouldn't be fall without the Modesto Chamber of Commerce's annual Oktoberfest. There will be more than 40 varieties of beer, as well as all-you-can-eat Johnsonville brats.

• Details: 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at John Thurman Field, Modesto. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the gate. Must be 21 or older.

Don't forget the Riverbank Cheese & Wine Exposition. There will be a wine-tasting garden (instead of the tent erected in the past), cooking shows and an eatery row, among other things.

• Details: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 11-12, Riverbank. Entry fee is $2, kids 12 and younger get in free. Wine glasses are $8, and tasting tickets are $1. Call 863-9600.

Bee staff writer Kerry McCray can be reached at 578-2358 or at kmccray@modbee.com.