Food File

By Peggy Anders

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 28, 2001

Special events and food tastings

GIOIA ITALIAN DINNER: 7 p.m. Sat., Gioia Italian Deli, 860 49th St. N, St. Petersburg. A multicourse tour of Italian dishes, including ricotta-filled artichokes with baked herbed tomato, conchiglie pasta with clams and marinara, veal rolls milanese, sauteed cippolini and escarole, crepes with pastry cream and more. $35. Beer and wine available. Reservations required. Call (727) 321-1242.

GIRL'S NIGHT OUT: 7 p.m. March 14, Ashley St. Grille, 200 N Ashley Drive (at Radisson Riverwalk Hotel), Tampa. A ladies-only champagne dinner showcasing Veuve Cliquot paired with six menu courses. Vintages include 1989, 1985, 1983 and a rare 1970. Menu features smoked salmon terrine with caviar, chive oil, porcini dusted colossal sea scallop with leek fondue, passionfruit granita, roasted Maine lobster with truffle butter and sherry saffron jus, Chef Sitero's banana creme brulee. $80 plus tax and gratuity. Limited seating. Reserve by calling (813) 226-4400.

Wine and beer tastings and classes

GRAND OPENING TASTING: 6-9 p.m. Thur., Luekens Bigtown, 944 Patricia Ave., Dunedin. Taste more than 100 fine wines and liquors at this grand opening, with foods to accompany wines and $5 coupon. $10. Call (727) 734-3068.

PAIRING FOOD AND WINE: 6-8 p.m. Thur., Wines by Morrell, 2009 N 22nd St., Ybor City. Learn the fundamentals of pairing foods with wine at this novice series class. $30. RSVP. Call (813) 241-8587q.

ITALY'S GREAT REDS: 6:30-8 p.m. Mon., Bern's Fine Wine and Spirits, 1002 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Sample red wines from Italy's Tuscany and Piedmont areas in weekly wine class. $30. Reservations required: (813) 250-9463.

BEYOND PINOT GRIGIO: 6:30 p.m. Wed., J.D. Ford Fine Wines, 1925 S Osprey Ave., Sarasota. Sample Italian chardonnay, orvieto, gravina bianco, others. $20. To reserve, call (941) 362-9463.

PIONEERS OF CALIFORNIA WINEMAKING: 6-8 p.m. March 8, Wines by Morrell, 2009 N 22nd St., Ybor City. Learn about the pioneering spirit that brought winemaking to California at Morrell's "Connoisseur's Series" wine-tasting class. $50. To RSVP, call (813) 241-8587q.

Cooking classes

GLORIOUS GARLIC: 7-8 p.m. today, 10-11 a.m. Thur., Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Vegetarian cooking class features the use of garlic. Free. Call (813) 873-7428.

HAPPY HOUR TAPAS: 6-8 p.m. Fri., Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Class for singles and other free spirits features happy hour tapas and guest "Julia Childless" creating a rum cake. $25. Call (727) 736-6400.

OYSTERCATCHER'S CLASS: noon Sat., Oystercatcher's Restaurant at Hyatt Westshore, 6200 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa. Chef Thomas McKinney prepares three-course menu from preparation to presentation. $50, includes wine and beverage. Limited seating. Call (813) 281-9116 to reserve.

COOKING LITE: 8-9:30 p.m. Tues., Coffee Cottage, 338 Coery Ave., St. Pete Beach. Chef leads hands-on class in creating light, lowfat menu: $35, includes wine. Pre-regisration required, call: (727) 360-8683.

Food talk

HEART SMART SHOPPING: 10 a.m.-noon Tue., Publix, Northeast Shopping Center, 200 37th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Take an aisle-by-aisle grocery tour with registered dietitians to learn to decipher labels and make heart-healthy diet choices. Money-saving coupons and healthful recipes included. $12. Reservations required. Call (727) 329-1615.

Contests

CHOCOLATE PRO-AM: Cooking Light magazine and Hershey's team up to find the best light chocolate recipe, with finalists competing in chocolate cookoff at Hershey's headquarters. First prize in each category is $5,000, and contest is open to home cooks and food professionals. Use Hershey's baking products (baking chocolate, chips, syrups, candy or peanut butter) to create a low-fat, calorie-conscious recipe and send entries to Cooking Light Chocolate ProAm, 2100 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209 or enter online at http://www.cookinglight.com by the March 19 deadline.

Worth sending for

FULL STEAM AHEAD: The "New American Plate" brochure from the American Institute for Cancer Research shows consumers how to use Chinese-style steaming in an American kitchen as part of an anti-cancer, low-fat diet. Call (800) 843-8114, ext. 33, for a free copy.

RED HOT RECIPES: "Recipes from Frank's Place"; brochure offers recipes made with Frank's RedHot sauce, such as Buffalo-style chicken pizza and party wraps, fiesta vegetable dip, plus tips on adding heat to soups, sauces, even eggs. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Franks's RedHot/Recipes From Frank's Place, 411 Park St., Upper Montclair, NJ 07043.

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 report.

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