BLUE HERON WINE DINNER: 7 tonight, Blue Heron, 3285 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor. Wine dinner pairs chef Robert Stea's courses with white and red burgundies from Bouchard Aine & Fils; $60 per person. Call (727) 789-5176 to reserve.

COOKING FOR THE KIDS: 6:30 p.m. Thur., Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Area restaurants pair food with wines, plus entertainment and silent auction, to benefit Help a Child charity; $75. Call (727) 864-2684.

TAMPA BAY CULINARY CLUB: 1 p.m. Sat., Belleview Biltmore Resort, 25 Belleview Blvd., Clearwater. Pastry chef Nomeda Baronas creates chocolate desserts at this month's meeting of the Tampa Bay Culinary Club; new members welcome. Cost: $10. Call Jeanne at (727) 789-2605 to RSVP (required).

TASTE OF ARGENTINA: 6 p.m. Sun., SideBerns, 1002 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Wine dinner pairs Argentinian wines with SideBerns courses; $85. Limited seating; call (813) 258-2233 to RSVP.

SEGHESIO AT MYSTIC FISH: 6:30 p.m. Mon., Mystic Fish Seafood Grill & Bar, 3253 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor. Varieties from Sonoma's Seghesio Family vineyards pair with togarashi seared tenderloin, lobster spaetzle and wild mushrooms, and almond strawberry shortcake, $40; 5:30-8 p.m. Tue., try prosecco, Ivan Thomas cabernet, zinfandel and chardonnay at complimentary wine tasting. Call (727) 771-1800

AUTUMN EQUINOX DINNER: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Mon., Viva La Frida Cafe, 5901 N Florida Ave., Tampa. Four-course autumn harvest dinner with calabaza (squash) featured in each course; $30. Canned goods and nonperishable foods accepted for Francis House, aiding those with HIV or AIDS; (813) 231-9199.

TASTE OF CLEARWATER: 5-8 p.m. Tue., Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Sample fare of 50 restaurants, including Grillmarks, Ward's Seafood, Fred Fleming's Famous Bar-B-Que. Single ticket price: $18 advance, $24 at door. Call (727) 461-0011.

TAMPA BAY VEGETARIANS: 7 p.m. Tue., Casa Tina Gourmet Mexican Restaurant, 369 Main St., Dunedin. Monthly Tampa Bay Vegetarians dinner meeting with Mexican menu; $14, plus tip and tax. Joel Chudnow after dinner speaker, limited seating; call (727) 392-0268 by Sat..

ROY'S AND RHONE WINES: 6:30 p.m. Tue., Roy's, 4342 W Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa. Five Hawaiian fusion courses pair with Rhone wines from Louis Bernard winery; $85, plus tax and gratuity; (813) 873-7697.

PROFUSION PERFECTION: 7 p.m. Sept. 25, Profusion, 2223 N West Shore Blvd., Tampa. Four courses, including sesame crusted shrimp and seared tuna, pair with wines from France's Louis Bernard winery; $65, plus tax and tip. Call (813) 353-8400.

CHOICE WINES AT T.C. CHOY'S: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26, T.C. Choy's Asian Bistro, 301 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Asian cuisine-paired wine dinner: dim sum, spicy beef and Peking duck with riesling and sauvignon blanc; vanilla walnut shrimp, lemongrass chicken with basil and Korean short ribs with pinot noir or pouilly fuisse; $50, plus tax and tip. Call (813) 251-1191 to reserve.

GONE WITH THE WINE: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 27, Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., Tampa. Mingle with Rhett Butler, Scarlett and other characters from Gone With the Wind at wine tasting and strolling Southern buffet to benefit the theater. Tickets: $45 and $75 at Tampa Theatre box office (813) 274-8286, www.tampatheatre.org or through Ticketmaster.

TASTE OF THE NFLPA: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 28, Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa. NFL Players Association sponsors tastes from more than 30 restaurants; $15 adults, $5 ages 10 and under; benefits American Stroke Association, Boys & Girls Clubs, among other charities. Call (813) 879-8064.

"LIKE IT HOT" FESTIVAL:10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 28, Honeywell Minnreg Hall, 6340 126th Ave. N, Largo. Sample hot and spicy foods, salsas, barbecue sauces, pepper plants and related items; $2 admission, under 12 free. Call (727) 423-8433 or visit www.ilikeithotfestival.com.

Wine and beer tastings/classes

OYSTERCATCHERS TASTING: 5:30-6:30 p.m. today, Oystercatchers Restaurant at Hyatt Westshore, 6200 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa. St. Supery wines, Bonterra merlot and McDowell syrah; $10. Tasting fee waived with each dinner entree purchased. Call (813) 207-6815.

CHILE AND BOURBONS: Columbia Restaurant, 2217 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City, features wines from Chile's Luis Felipe Edwards paired with tapas, 7 p.m. Thur.; taste an assortment of small batch bourbons, 7 p.m. Mon.; $20 per tasting. Call (813) 248-4961 to reserve.

AWESOME AUTUMN ARRIVALS: 7-9 p.m. Fri., Vintage Wine Cellars, 3629 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. Taste the latest releases for fall, including St. Supery merlot, ZD pinot noir; $10. Call (813) 879-2931.

SPARKLERS: 6-7 p.m. Fri., Bern's Fine Wine and Spirits, 2008 W Morrison Ave., Tampa. Sparkling wines from California, France and Spain; $15. Call for reservations (required): (813) 250-9463.

ROBUST REDS: 6:30 p.m. Fri., Uncorked Fine Wines, 2706 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Cote du rhones,cabernets, other red wines; $10, souvenir tasting glass included. Portion of proceeds benefits St. Petersburg Free Clinic; (727) 892-9463.

ABC TASTING: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, 3535 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Italy, Portugal, California and Washington are home to the wines tasted, along with beers and snacks and wine experts' commentary; $7. Call (727) 894-4875.

ARMANI'S TASTING: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 25, Armani's (atop Hyatt Regency Westshore), 6200 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa. Cakebread Cellars, Mariah, Joseph Phelps; $10. Stay for dinner and tasting fee is waived. To reserve, call (813) 207-6800.

Cooking classes

SHORT ORDER MEXICAN: 7 tonight, 10 a.m. Thur., Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Free vegetarian cooking class on quick Mexican dishes. Call (813) 873-7428.

COOKING WITH CHEF FRED: 7 tonight, Drew Coffee Shop, 1907 Drew St., Clearwater. Cook a complete dinner in this monthly class; $24.99. Call (727) 441-2572.

HEART SMART, QUICK COOKING: La Maison Gourmet, 471 Main St., Dunedin. 2-4:30 p.m. Thur., second in series of heart healthy cooking classes, $45; 2:30-5 p.m. Sat., learn to make quick and easy dinner dishes, $35. Call (727) 736-3070.

CARIBBEAN CUISINE: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thur., Safety Harbor Resort & Spa, 105 N Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor. "Art of Gourmet Cooking" class features Caribbean cuisine; $25, includes buffet dinner. Call (727) 726-1161, ext. 7825 OYSTERCATCHERS MENU FAVORITES: Noon Sat., Oystercatchers Restaurant at Hyatt Westshore, 6200 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa. Chef Thomas McKinney leads class from preparation to presentation of three-course meal with champagne, beverages; $50. Limited seating; call (813) 207-6815.

COOKING WITH AMORE: 6 p.m. Tues., L'Unione Italiana (The Italian Club), 1731 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. Amore Catering and chefs Robert Jorge and Giacomo Guggino show how to choose wines, plan a menu and seating arrangements, make hors d'oeuvres and centerpieces, even fold napkins; wine and menu sampling; $35. Call to reserve (813) 287-2253.

SEAFOOD IN A SNAP: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tue., Margaret Ann's Catering, 5625 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Easy seafood cooking including grilled grouper wraps, snapper Provencale on menu; $40. Call (727) 525-3983 to reserve.

-- 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.

Back to Taste

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Recipes

From the Times Taste section

Banquet in a bowl

A can-do attitude

Tips for safe food storage

dish

The hard-fought battle for your dining dollar

Food File

There's nothing like fresh-baked bread

From the features wire
Paparazzi boo Pamela Anderson at Cannes

Maestro Thomas meets `Godfather of Soul'

No theft charges for Lindsay Lohan

Rapper Ludacris to make `Simpsons' cameo

Manson's failed marriage `destroyed' him