Food File

By PEGGY ANDERS

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 31, 2001

Special events and food tastings

AUSTRALIAN WINE DINNER 7 p.m. Feb. 7, New City Bistro, 3333 S West Shore Blvd., Tampa. Winemaker David Slingsby-Smith offers a selection of wines from Debortoli of Australia. Debortoli's Yarra Valley shiraz and five other wines and ports are paired with a six-course dinner: $55. RSVP required: (813) 805-0250.

GREEK FESTIVAL: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Feb. 9-10, noon-6 p.m. Feb. 11, St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church, 3600 76th St. N (off 38th Ave. N), St. Petersburg. Greek food, pastries and coffee, dance performances and music among festivities, market place and imported gifts: $1 admission, students free. Call: (727) 345-8235.

Wine and beer tastings

PINOT NOIRS: Taste pinot noirs from New Zealand to Oregon, 6:30-8 p.m. Fri.: $15; pinot noirs of Burgundy and those of the New World are explored at weekly wine class, 6:30-8 p.m. Mon.: $30. Bern's Fine Wine and Spirits, 1002 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Reservations required, call: (813) 250-9463.

HARR'S VALENTINE TASTING: 7-10 p.m. Feb. 8, Harr's Surf and Turf Market, 3235 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor. Spend the evening sampling more than 40 wines, plus foods prepared by Harr's chefs, at this pre-Valentine event. Cost: $15 (includes discount on wine order). Call (727) 785-8873.

Cooking classes

KID'S VALENTINE MENU: 10-11:30 a.m. Sat., Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Chef teaches kids ages 4-7 to make edible Valentine cards, raspberry tarts, strawberry shortcake, more: $25. Call: (727) 736-6400.

HEALTHY HEART SMARTS: 11 a.m. Sat., Nature's Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Free cooking class on heart-smart cooking. Call: (727) 443-6703.

FRENCH ROMANTIC: 7-8 p.m. Feb 7, 10-11 a.m. Feb. 8, Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Chef Debby DeGraaff teaches class on romantic French dishes. Call: (813) 873-7428.

Cooking demonstrations

FLORIBBEAN: 7-9 p.m. Thur., Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Watch as chef Bret Mailhot makes key lime honey seared grouper with mango chutney and plantain chips, guava flan and other Florida-inspired dishes: $35. Call: (727) 736-6400.

Food talk

ANTI-AGING FOODS: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7, Nature's Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Learn how to stock your pantry with anti-aging foods to improve health and slow aging process at lecture by Dr. Steven Masley. Free. Call: (727) 443-6703.

UNCORK ROMANCE: Korbel's automated 24-hour hotline offers tips on adding romance to everyday rituals, such as cooking a meal together. Champagne suggestions include how to serve sparkling wine and how to make the perfect toast: (800) 756-7235. Callers receive free Kenny G CD Valentine single.

Food bytes

A TASTE OF LUXURY: If nothing is too good for your valentine, check out eLuxury.com (click on the place setting), where you can pamper a special someone with gourmet treats such as Champagne and Beluga caviar, fresh wild mushroom or baby veggie baskets, truffles and foie gras samplers, Kobe beef and free-range rack of lamb, and a Chocolate Pyramid confection with Belgian chocolate, Grand Marnier and Framboise. Find it at http://www.eLuxury.com.

THE WELL-EQUIPPED KITCHEN: Looking for the same equipment that professional chefs use? Even the hard-to-find and unusual like a traditional English "salt pig" salt keeper and left-handed tools are among the kitchen essentials available from Professional Cutlery Direct online at: http://www.cutlery.com or by calling (800) 695-6433 for a catalog.

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.

Information from Times wires was used in this column.

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