NEWS
The Care for the Market Luncheon is back for a second year on Thursday, Feb. 2. Learn about the Market Foundation’s funding services for downtown’s low-income and elderly residents, and contribute to their causes, including Pike Market Medical Clinic, Senior Center, Child Care and Preschool, and Downtown Food Bank. Gary Locke will speak, with columnist Hubert Locke as MC. Suggested donation $150/person. 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Westin Hotel, 1900 Fifth Ave., 206-774-5354, www.pikeplacemarket.org.
On Jan. 29, enjoy the second annual “Winters Eve” Dinner and Silent Auction to Benefit Swedish Cancer Institute for Colon Cancer Research. Mr. and Mrs. Carmine Smeraldo and the Green Door Events host this fund-raising event at Il Terrazzo. A silent auction begins at 5 p.m., with dinner, guest speakers, and entertainment following. The special five-course meal, featuring Chilean sea bass and tenderloin, includes wine donated by local Washington wineries J Lohr and Yakima Cellars. $150. 5 p.m. 411 First Ave. S., 425-485-0055.
Food and/or beverage news? E-mail food@seattleweekly.com
Advance registration or reservations are recommended for most of the following events. Prices exclusive of tax and gratuity unless otherwise noted.
ON THE PLATE
Through tuesday, Jan. 31
Pagliacci Pizza offers the Chicken Rosemary Primo, with each slice boasting chicken marinated in special vinaigrette, oven-roasted potatoes, red onions, mozzarella, kasseri cheese, and various other comforting spices and flavors. Available at all Pagliacci locations. Visit www.pagliacci.com for more information.
Thursday, Jan. 26
Ten Mercer hosts its first wine dinner of 2006 with Argyle Winery. The menu includes spicy peanut and bok choy samosas paired with 2003 Argyle Brute Rose, fettuccine carbonara paired with 2001 Argyle Nuthouse Chardonnay, and for dessert, artisanal cheese and fruit with 1995 Extended Tirage Brut. $65. 6:30 p.m. 10 Mercer St., 206-691-3723. DOWNTOWN
This dinner at DeNunzio’s in Pioneer Square kicks off a yearlong series of dinners. Each will feature the cuisine of a different Italian region, starting with the Veneto, with regional specialties like hot-and-sour shrimp, thick risotto with fresh peas, and rich braised pork loin. Each course will be paired with wines from the area, and all guests will be given informational sheets on the food and wine of the region. $50. 102 Cherry St., 206-343-9517. PIONEER SQUARE
Saturday, Jan. 28
Fifteen award-winning chefs from Seattle will combine forces with 30 wineries for the third annual Gifts From the Earth gala at South Seattle Community College. Among the participants: chefs from Andaluca, Ovio Bistro, Salty’s, and Six Seven, and wineries Chateau Ste. Michelle and Goose Ridge Winery. Proceeds will benefit the South Seattle Community College Foundation, which supports college programs and student scholarships. $150. 5 p.m. 6000 16th Ave. S.W., 206-764-5809, www.southseattle.edu. WEST SEATTLE
Make way for Seattle University’s 29th annual International Dinner, where students (from 51 nations) will share their diverse cultures via various traditional dishes from Asia, Europe, America, and the Middle East. There will be entertainment by Mexican, Korean, Brazilian, and Indonesian groups, plus door prizes—including two airline tickets to Europe! $8/students, $10/public, $5/children. 6 p.m. Campion Ballroom, Seattle University Campus, 901 12th Ave., 206-296-6260, www.seattleu.edu. CAPITOL HILL
Thursday, Feb. 9
McCormick & Schmick’s pairs dishes from its menu (which features tons of fresh seasonal seafood), with wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards as part of a series of wine dinners around the region, with the first one at Seattle’s McCormick’s Fish House & Bar. Roasted red and golden beet salad drizzled with port will be accompanied by Griffin Creek Viognier; pan-seared prawns wrapped with serrano ham will be paired with Willamette Valley Vineyards Freedom Hill Pinot Noir; and homemade Almond Joy will accompany Tualatin Estate Frizzante Semi-Sparkling Muscat. Learn about the various wines and receive a cookbook as a gift. $65. 6:30 p.m. 722 Fourth Ave., 206-682-3900. DOWNTOWN
THE GRAPEVINE
Sundays, through Jan. 29
Join the Pink Door for Cinema Vino throughout the month of January. Catch a Fellini flick in the restaurant’s lounge area, along with an antipasto buffet and wine samples, including a few rare ones from Italy. $20. 7 p.m. 1919 Post Alley, 206-443-3241, www.thepinkdoor.net. PIKE PLACE MARKET
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Esquin Wine Merchants sponsors a tasting that features 10 different wines from the Wine Spectator Top 100 list. Phelps Insignia (No. 1), Staglin Cabernet (No. 9), and Leeuwin Chardonnay (No. 28) will be just a few of the selections, and at $40 a person it’s a classy way to get tipsy. 6:30–8:30 p.m. 2700 Fourth Ave. S., 206-682-7374, www.esquin.com. SODO
Thursday, Jan. 26
Join Forgeron Cellars for a tasting at the Wine Alley, with four types of wine on hand. $7. 5–7 p.m. 14276 S.E. 176th St., 425-271-4501. RENTON
The West Seattle and Fremont PCCs host a tasting of exciting new wines from all over the world, especially those suited to the cold winter months. 6:30–8 p.m. Fremont PCC, 600 N. 34th St.; West Seattle PCC, 2749 California Ave. S.W., 206-547-1222 ext. 191. FREMONT/WEST SEATTLE
Tuesday, Feb. 7
What exactly happens when Washington wines age? This question is the focus of a class at Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar that’s all about the dusty bottles cluttering up your wine cellar. Discover what wine is really composed of and learn how aging affects drinkability, with information on DeLille Cellars, Quilceda Creek, Waterbrook, Leonetti Cellars, and Chateau Ste. Michelle. 205 108th Ave. N.E., 425-456-0010, www.seastarrestaurant.com. BELLEVUE
BACK TO SCHOOL
Friday, Jan. 27
It’s all about pies at the Greenlake PCC, as Sue McCown, executive pastry chef from the W Hotel’s Earth & Ocean, shares her secrets for the perfect pie. Learn her special recipes for sweet pastry dough—perfect for pear brown butter tart and deep dish apple pie—and the savory dough she uses for mushroom and broccoli tartlets. $30/members, $35/nonmembers. 6:30–9 p.m. 7504 Aurora Ave. N., 206-525-3586. GREEN LAKE
Saturday, Jan. 28
Join chef Danielle Custer and Sur La Table with a hands-on cooking class that introduces you to the wide variety of local culinary producers and artisans. Learn all about their local products and ways to use them in delicious dishes like St. Jude Albacore tartar, lavender-grilled Albacore St. Jude, and togarashi seared local Albacore, as well as quick and easy “everyday” tuna recipes. The class includes wine pairing and a chance to “meet the producer” of the food and chat. $70. 10 a.m. 84 Pine St., 425-827-1311. PIKE PLACE MARKET
Tuesday, Feb. 7
This Valentine’s Day cooking class for two at Lisa Dupar Catering allows students to sip champagne while learning to prepare a romantic dinner of pheasant monticello—how to stuff the pheasant, prepare veggies for the casserole, make game sauce, and prepare a pastry topping. Also pick up recipes for starters like a Gruyere cheese “éclair” filled with Pacific oyster and creamy caviar remoulade, baby greens with passion-fruit dressing, pecan roquefort crackers, and other treats. $75. 6:30–8:30 p.m. 18005 N.E. 68th St., 425-881-3250. REDMOND
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese hosts an artisan cheese and wine pairing class where students can taste 16 American artisan cheeses along with a variety of Washington wines. Sample the textures, flavors, and aromas of different cheeses, learn about styles, categories, and rinds, and even check out the cheese-making process and its history. $40. 6:30 p.m. 104 Pike St., No. 200, 206-322-1644, ext. 23, www.beechershandmadecheese.com. PIKE PLACE MARKET
