ON THE PLATE

Supreme A winter menu to warm your frost-nipped cockles: red wine-braised rabbit and polenta ($23), oven-roasted cod with savoy cabbage ($18), and crispy duck with sauerkraut and caraway dumplings ($18). And don’t forget Sunday brunch, with main dishes from $9 to $13. 1404 34th, 322-1974.

Market Street Urban Grill Downtown dining at Ballard prices: Try the grilled venison with a side of cassoulet ($19.95), butternut ravioli with winter veggies in beurre blanc ($15.95), or the seared scallops with squash fritter ($17.95). 1744 N.W. Market, 789-6766.

Pagliacci Spring must be on the way: The portobello pizza is back on the menu at all locations for eat-in or home delivery. 726-1717, Eastside 425-453-1717.

IN THE GLASS

Gloria Ferrer ’91 Royal Cuv饠brut A bubbly so distinctive it’s practically worth the trip—$8.95 by the glass exclusively at Palomino, Palisade, and other Restaurants Unlimited locations. Crisp as apple cider that’s died and gone to heaven, it would make a great ap鲩tif, but save it to accompany a gooey chocolate dessert.

Hale’s Irish Style Nut Brown Ale Mild and satisfying with a distinct malty undertone, Hale’s annual brew is back in pubs and supermarkets through March. About $7.50 a six-pack.

NEW IN TOWN

Melrose Grill After a hundred years as pool hall, soda shop, card room, and bordello, Renton’s newly restored Melrose Building is now a classic steakhouse with cuts ranging from a nine-ounce filet mignon ($20) to the 21-ounce porterhouse ($29). Armondo Pavone’s brainchild isn’t just for steak eaters; you’ll find roast chicken, salmon, and nightly specials on the menu ($15-$26). 819 Houser Way, Renton, 425-254-0759.

India Grill The tandoor oven is the heart of Shah Khan’s new enterprise, with classic ingredients like chicken, lamb chops, and eggplant, along with items less often seen on Indian menus: lamb shanks, grilled fish in masala sauce, and teenday Indian squash served with lamb curry or vegetarian-style. Dinner main dishes $9-$13, luncheon buffet $6.95. 527 108th N.E., Bellevue, 425-454-3806.

THIS WEEK

Feb. 16 Anthony Bourdain, the slim celebrity chef with the big mouth, signs the book based on his TV series A Cook’s Tour at Sur la Table, Pike Place Market, 2-3:30 p.m.

Feb. 16-18 Nine Olympic, Whidbey, and Bainbridge wineries invite you to drop in on their Red Wines & Chocolates Weekend. Check out the route and the participants at www.wineryloop.com or pick up a brochure on the ferry over. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day.

Feb. 23 Sample a hundred wines from round the world, audit seminars, and eye the chocolate and oyster tables at the Northwest Enological society’s 22nd International Wine Fair. $45. Brockey Center, South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th S.W., 1-7 p.m., 323-3553.

COMING UP

April 21 Tickets are on sale for the expanded, relocated 2002 edition of Taste Washington, the biggest Seattle wine-and-food bash of the year. $85. Stadium Exhibition Center. Tickets: at many specialty wine merchants or 292-0888. Information: www.washingtonwine.org.

E-mail the Hot Sheet at food@seattleweekly.com!