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Food File

Special events and food tastings

By PEGGY ANDERS
Published February 16, 2005

MAKE A SPLASH: Noon on Sat., Splash! An Ocean Grill, 3973 Van Dyke Road, Lutz. Tampa Bay Culinary Club members meet for a demonstration and sampling of the restaurant's seafood and other dishes by chef Griffin Lohrman; $10. RSVP required by today; call (727) 789-2605 to attend.

TAMPA BAY VEGETARIANS: 7 p.m. Tue., Thai Thani, 25778 U.S. 19 N, Clearwater. Enjoy a vegetarian dinner that includes fried tofu, red curry tofu, phad thai, egg fried rice; $12.50, plus $2 for nonmembers, includes tax and tip and after-dinner speaker. RSVP by Fri.; call (727) 461-2636 or (813) 269-4665.

CELEBRITY CHEF TOUR: 6:30 p.m. reception, 7:30 p.m. dinner, Feb. 25, ballroom at Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza, 4200 Jim Walter Blvd., Tampa. Celebrity Chef Tour pairs Luke Palladino, chef-owner of Specchio, Ombra and Risi Bisi restaurants in Atlantic City, with executive chef Fabrizio Schenardi of the Renaissance Tampa Hotel's Pelagia Trattoria, for five-course dinner with champagne and Robert Mondavi reserve wines; $150 per person, inclusive; proceeds benefit the James Beard Foundation. Limited seating; call 813 313-3196 or visit www.celebritycheftour.com

CORK & CANVAS: Florida Orchestra benefit event Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, at A La Carte Event Pavillion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive, Tampa. "Renaissance" seven-course wine dinner, 5 p.m. Feb. 27, with grilled red wine marinated filet mignon, truffled parsnips, mushroom risotto, and "a study in chocolate and orange," $350 per person; or 3-course "Picasso" wine dinner at 6 p.m. Feb. 27, with lobster nori roll, beef tenderloin and sugarcane grilled shrimp, triple chocolate truffle torte, $150 per person. Dinner prices include admission to silent and live auction-wine tasting, 6 p.m. Feb. 28; auction admission without dinners, $45. Call 727 916-0520 to RSVP or visit www.corkandcanvas.org

VICTORIAN TEA: 3:30 p.m. seating Sat., Davis and Daughters Tea Cottage, 530 Alt. U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor. Tea and Etiquette for adults and kids; $11.95 children, $15.95 adults. To RSVP, call (727) 785-7790.

"UNCORK A CURE': 6 p.m. Feb. 24, Dew Cadillac-Hummer, 3333 Gandy Blvd., St. Petersburg. Wine, port and champagne tasting to benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at Uncork a Cure wine tasting and dessert sampling; $50 general admission; $75 VIP admission includes additional wines, champagnes and desserts. Call (813) 249-2111.

FIESTA DAY: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 26, Centennial Park, Eighth Ave. and 19th St., plus events along Seventh Ave., Ybor City. Celebration of Ybor City's Latin heritage with ethnic foods for sale, Flanfest cooking contest from 11 a.m.-4 p.m, fresh market, complimentary Cuban bread, Spanish bean soup and cafe con leche, entertainment, arts and crafts, Parade of Flags; free admission. To enter Flanfest contest, call 813 241-2442 by Feb. 23; for information on other Fiesta Day events, call (813) 248-0721 or visit www.cc-events.org

NEIGHBORHOOD TASTINGS: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits present neighborhood tastings at 5-7 p.m. Thur., 6398 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg, $5, snacks; call (727) 527-1579; or 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at 6943 W Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, $7, with tastes from area restaurants and hors d'oeuvres and $5 coupon toward wine purchase; call (813) 884-3792.

EXTRAORDINARY ALTERNATIVES: 7:30 p.m. Fri., Charlie's Wine Bar, 533 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Sample both red and white alternative wines, including Mosby Cortese, Mosby Traminer, both from Italy, and Contour 4 sangiovese-shiraz blend and Lalla Rookh grenache-shiraz blend from Australia, all paired with Cajun foods; $12 advance, $15 at door. Call 813 250-1967 or visit www.charlieswine.com

NEW WORLD BORDEAUX BLENDS: 6:30 p.m. Fri., Uncorked Fine Wines and Accessories, 2706 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Bordeaux wine blends from the New World; $10. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics of Pinellas County. Call (727) 892-9463.

AUSTRALIAN WEST: 6:30-8:30 Fri., Got Wine, 662 Main St., Dunedin. Western Australian wines, including Goundry cabernet, shiraz and chardonnay, RH Philips Toasted Head merlot, plus Mommessin Beaujolais from France and a stateside variety, Hogue Johannisberg Riesling from Washington state; free, includes hors d'oeuvres. Call (727) 736-4077.

FLORIDA ESTATES WINE FESTIVAL: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat., Florida Estates Winery, 25241 SR 52, 4 miles west of Interstate 75, near Land O' Lakes. Sample the winery's offerings at wine festival while browsing fresh market's produce, sandwiches, sauces and more. Free admission. Call (813) 996-2113.

AUSTRALIAN GEMS: 6 p.m. Sat., A Taste for Wine, 241 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Find out what's in a name in sampling of unusually-named wine finds from Australia; $20. To RSVP, call (727) 895-1623.

VINTAGE SAMPLINGS: Vintage Wine Cellars, 3629 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. President's Day wine tasting, with American labels, including Clos Pegase 2000 merlot, Hahn Estates 2002 meritage, 7-9 p.m. Fri., $10; or Red Carpet Reds tasting with Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1996 Old Vines, Seghesio 2002 Old Vines zinfandel, Laughing Magpie d'Arenberg 2002 shiraz-viognier; 7 p.m. aperitif, 7:30 p.m. tasting, on Feb. 25, $20. Limited seatings; to RSVP, call (813) 879-2931.

TASTES OF SPAIN AND ZINFANDEL: 3-6 p.m. Sun., B-21 Fine Wine & Spirits, 43380 U.S. 19 N, Tarpon Springs. Zinfandels from Spain and other countries, along with other Spanish wines, paired with light hors d'oeuvres; $20 advance if reserved by Fri. Feb. 18, $25 at door if available. Call (727) 937-5049, ext. 210, or visit www.b-21.com to reserve.

NEW WINE STYLES: 5-7 p.m. Feb. 26, Tampa Wine Institute, 2009 N 22nd St., Ybor City. Discover the new styles of winemaking in New World tasting; 6-8 wines served, plus foods to accompany; $30. Seating limited; to RSVP, call (813) 241-8587.

HEART-HEALTHY MEALS: 7-8 p.m. today, 10-11 a.m. Thur., Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Vegetarian class led by Debby DeGraaff makes heart-healthy meals; free. Call (813) 873-7428.

COOKING WITH CHEF FRED: 7 p.m. today, Drew Coffee Shop, 1907 Drew St., Clearwater. Chef Fred demonstrates making vegetables in phyllo dough, roast pork loin with rosemary, apricot pecan wine sauce, honey glazed carrots, cherries jubilee and more in monthly cooking class; guests may bring wine or beverage; $29.99, includes dinner. Call (727) 441-2572 to RSVP.

HEALTHY WINE AND SOY: Morton Plant Cheek-Powell Heart & Vascular Pavillion, 455 Pinellas St., Clearwater. "Wine and the Heart, a Good Match," talk by cardiologist on wine's benefits and its value in preventing heart disease in women, 1 p.m. today; and "Discover the Joy of Soy," in which registered dietitian shows how to create a healthful lunch with soy products, 12:30 p.m. Thur. Both classes free, but pre-registration is required; call (727) 462-7500.

"NEW-TRITION' AND VEGETARIAN COOKING: Whole Foods Market, 1451 First St., Sarasota. "New-trition" talk with practical guidelines on buying and preparing foods for whole body health, 6 p.m. Thur.; or vegetarian cooking class with chef Vikki Chelf showing how to make healthful, interesting meals, 11 a.m. Feb. 23. Classes and talks free, but pre-registration required; call (941) 955-8500.

APRON'S CLASSES: Apron's Cooking School, at Publix Supermarket at Shoppes of Citrus Park, 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa. Weeknight Gourmet class that uses prepared ingredients to make Caribbean-style dishes with flair, 6:30 p.m. Mon., $35; Flash in the Pan class shows how to become a saute expert, with menu that includes Asian Crab burgers, rigatoni with roasted butternut squash, weiner schnitzel, Thai banana dessert, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25, $40. Call (813) 926-4465 to reserve.

TASTY TEX-MEX: 7-8 p.m. Feb. 23, 10-11 a.m. Feb. 24, Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Class led by Debby DeGraaff explores vegetarian Tex-Mex dishes; free. Call (813) 873-7428.

EXTRAVAGANT CAKES: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 27, Let Them Eat Cake, 3805 S West Shore Blvd., Tampa. Let Them Eat Cake's pastry chefs Michael Ostrander, Michael Baugh and Mary Bowyer share their creative secrets in Extravagant Cakes and Cake Decorating class; $110 per person includes lunch and beverages. Minimum class size requirement; call (813) 837-6888 to reserve.

LESSONS AT LA MAISON: La Maison Gourmet, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Chocolate and cabernet hands-on class, with perfect pairings of chocolate banana cream pie, chocolate bread pudding with vanilla rum sauce, double chocolate mousse and chocolate hazelnut torte with raspberry preserves with cabernet sauvignon wine, 6:30-9 p.m. Tue., $45; includes glass of wine. Dairy Free hands-on class, led by Patricia Fine, chef and author of Elegant Dairy-Free Entertaining, helps the lactose-intolerant enjoy foods such as pistachio-encrusted salmon with roasted garlic teriyaki sauce, pumpkin "pleasecake" with gingersnap crust, 6:30-9 p.m. Feb. 23, $49.50; Bistro Cooking class makes French favorites like spinach in puff pastry, rack of lamb persillade, pear claflouti, 6:30-9 p.m. Feb. 24, $45 or two for $85. Call (727) 736-3070 to RSVP.

ISLAND WAY CHEF: Apron's Cooking School at Shoppes of Citrus Park, 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa. Sean Squires, executive chef of Island Way Grill in Clearwater, with favorites from the restaurant's tropical-themed menu, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24; $40. Call (813) 926-4465 to reserve.

CORNBREAD COOKOFF: Enter for a chance to win the $4,000 grand prize in Martha White's annual Cornbread Cookoff contest. Submit a main dish recipe using Lodge cast iron cookware and a box of Martha White cornbread to National Cornbread Cook-Off 2005, 209 Seventh Ave., Nashville, TN 37219, by Feb. 28, or visit www.marthawhite.com to enter online or view contest rules.

Send news of coming events at least two weeks in advance of the publication date to Food File, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

[Last modified February 15, 2005, 11:39:04]