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Food File

A look at what's happening around the bay area.

By PEGGY ANDERS
Published March 7, 2007

SPECIAL EVENTS

French Wine Dinner: 7 p.m. Thur., Cafe Largo, 12551 Indian Rocks Road, Largo. Enjoy eclectic French wines paired with Chef Dominique's menu that includes venison chop, pistachio genoise; $52.50. Call (727) 596-6282.

Crawfish & Cajun Celebration: 4:30-10 p.m. Fri., noon-10 p.m. Sat., noon-8 p.m. Sun., Vinoy Park, downtown St. Petersburg (Fifth Avenue NE and North Shore Drive). Cajun Zydeco Crawfish Festival with more than 10,000 pounds of crawfish, plus cajun cuisine, zydeco music; $12-$15, or $35 weekend pass. Call (727) 892-5767 or (727) 898-2100 or go to www.cajunconnection.org.

Surreal Brunch: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sun., Salvador Dali Museum, 1000 Third St. S, St. Petersburg. Surreal buffet and Bloody Mary bar, mimosa fountain, gallery tours at Zodiac Group's Surreal Brunch; $30 advance, $25 members, $35 at door, $30 members. RSVP required. Call (727) 823-3767, ext. 3034.

Strawberry Festival: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. today through Thur. , 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, through Sun., Plant City Fairgrounds off U.S. 92. Strawberry shortcake, cobbler; other foods, entertainment, midway, exhibits; $9 ages 13 and up, $5 ages 6-12, 5 and under free with paid adult. Call (813) 752-9194 or go to flstrawberryfestival.com.

Abilities Wine & Food Festival: 6-7 p.m. VIP reception, 7-9 p.m. Grand Tasting Sat., Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg. More than 400 wines, culinary treats, silent auction, live music, to benefit Abilities Foundation. Grand Tasting: $75, $85 at door, VIP reception (includes Grand Tasting admission): $150, $175 at door. Call (727) 538-7370, ext. 349, or go to abilitesfoundation.org.

Cookbook Club: 7 p.m. March 14, Tarpon Springs Library, 138 E Lemon St. Cookbook lovers invited to "From the Cook's Shelf" discussion group on Irish recipes; bring favorite recipes and samples; free. Call (727) 943-4922.

Tapas to Flan: 6:30 p.m. March 15, St. Petersburg Woman's Club, 40 Snell Isle Blvd NE, St. Petersburg. Authentic Spanish dinner from tapas to paella, flan and borrachos (drunken cakes), plus flamenco dancing; $15, benefits restoration of the historic club building. Call (727) 527-3250 to register by Mon.

Folk Fair Flavors: 10 a.m.-10 p.m March 17, noon-6 p.m. March 18, Vinoy Park, downtown St. Petersburg (Fifth Avenue NE and North Shore Drive). Discover ethnic culinary traditions from around the world, new flavors include those from Haiti, Hmong (from Laos), plus music, dancing and costume; $6 advance, $10 at gate, under 12 free. Call Ticketmaster at (727) 898-2100. Call (727) 552-1896 for more information.

Wine tastings/classes

Global Beer & Wines: 6:30-9 p.m. today, Got Wine, 662 Main St., Dunedin. Fifteen beers from Germany, England, Belgium and Bahamas, 15 international wines plus appetizers, entertainment; $10. Call (727) 736-4077.

'Hip, Hip, Syrah!': 6-8 p.m. today, Lincoln Heights Bistro, 603 Elm St., Safety Harbor. Syrah sampling pairs smoked gouda quesadilla with McWilliams, Bridlewood, Huntington varieties; $12. Call (727) 726-4210 for reservations.

California Boutique: 7:30 p.m. Fri., Charlie's Wine Bar, 533 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Taste boutique wines from California paired with sushi; $15 advance, $20 at door. Call (813) 250-1967 or go to charlieswine.com.

Worldwide Wines: 5-8 p.m. Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat., A & L Fine Wines, Palm Harbor Plaza, 35249 U.S. 19 N. Red and white wines from France, Italy, Germany, Australia, California; free. Call (727) 781-4760.

Wine 101: noon-2 p.m. Sat., Village Health Market, 3225 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. Wine sampling class shows how to choose wine, explores basic grape varieties; free. Call (813) 831-6065.

Beers at the Bistro: 6-8 p.m. Tues., NoHo Bistro, 1714 N Armenia, Tampa. Beer and concession food-themed pairing, with brews from Dunedin Brewery, others, menu includes Reuben bites; $25. Registration required, call (813) 514-0691.

French Reds: 6:30-9 p.m. March 14, Vintage Wine Cellars, 3629 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. Wine class demystifies classic red wines from France's growing regions; $25. Call (813) 879-2931.

COOKING CLASSES

Speak, Eat Spanish: Five-week Spanish class begins 6-7:30 p.m. today, Castellano & Pizzo Italian Gourmet Foods, 4200 S Henderson Blvd., Tampa, $220. Includes materials, Spanish dinner. Preregistration required. Call (888) 386-5764 or go to www.Learnalanguage.us.

Tastes of Emerald Isle: noon-1 p.m. Thur., Clearwater Main Library, 100 N Osceola Ave. Chef Bil Mitchell of Apron's Cooking School prepares classic dishes from Ireland; free. Call (727) 562-4970, ext. 5284.

Irish Cuisine: 11 a.m. Sat., Nature's Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Free class shows how to make healthy Irish dishes like soda bread, Irish stew. Call (727) 443-6703.

Street Foods, Southwest: Apron's Cooking School at Publix Supermarket at Shoppes of Citrus Park, 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa, presents:

- Street Foods of the World class makes picadillo empanadas, beef satay, 6:30 p.m. Sat.; $40.

- Taste of the Southwest explores quinoa-stuffed poblanos, 6:30 p.m. March 14; $40.

Call (813) 926-4465 or go to publix.com/aprons/schools.

Brunch, Frittatas: Williams-Sonoma at Westfield Citrus Park, 8066 Citrus Park Towne Center, Tampa, presents:

- Make simple dishes for relaxing brunch, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Sun.; $35.

- Explore frittatas made with farmer's market fresh seasonal produce, 6-8 p.m. Tues.; $35.

Call (813) 920-6939.

CONTESTS

National Beef Cookoff: New categories in contest include Nuevo Latino Beef Recipes, Kids in the Kitchen, Small Plates. Grand prize is $50,000. Find rules at beefcookoff.org. Entry deadline is March 31.

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

[Last modified March 6, 2007, 12:55:45]