Food File

By PEGGY ANDERS
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 12, 2001

Special events and food tastings

DINE WITH WINE AT FRED'S: 6:30 p.m. Thur., Fred's Restaurant, 1925 S Osprey Ave., Sarasota. Sommelier Graham Thomson of J.D. Ford pairs wines with dishes by chefs Russell Bradshaw of the Longboat Key Club and Darwin Santa Maria of Fred's in six-course wine dinner. $100. Call (941) 364-5811 to reserve.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE BENEFIT: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sat., Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor. American Red Cross' annual fundraiser provides candies, basic trimmings and gingerbread houses ready to decorate and take home. Judging and prizes for best-embellished creation. $35, $25 for ages 12-17. Call toll-free (877) 741-1444.

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING: noon-3 p.m. Sat., Wellness Center, 1327 Ninth St. S, St. Petersburg. Cooking demonstrations, recipes and hints on preparing healthier versions of traditional holiday favorites plus food samples of alternatives to try. Presented by the African People's Education and Defense Fund. Free. Call (727) 821-2437.

HOLIDAY HISTORY TOURS: 6:30 p.m. Sun.-Tues. through Dec. 30 (excluding Dec. 24 and 25), Renaissance Vinoy Resort, 501 Fifth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg. Stroll the decorated promenade lobby and grounds in guided tour, followed by three-course holiday dinner (7:30 p.m.). Menu includes caramelized Vidalia onion soup, flounder Meuniere or braised lamb shanks, banana-custard rum sponge cake. $40. Lunch tours, $20, also offered 10:30 a.m. Wed.-Sat. Call (727) 894-1000, ext. 501 to reserve.

Wine and beer tastings, classes

ARMANI TASTINGS: Armani's (atop Hyatt Regency Westshore), 6200 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa, holds two holiday tastings: Champagne sampling includes Dom Perignon, Perrier-Jouet "Floral," Laurent Perrier Rose, Veuve Cliquot "Yellow Label," 5-6 p.m. today , $10. Robert Mondavi tasting samples the label's reserve chardonnay, reserve cabernet sauvignon, Luce and Opus One, $10. Fees waived for those making later dinner reservations. Call (813) 207-6800 to reserve.

WINES OF THE WORLD: 4-7 p.m. Thur., Publix Supermarket, 3400 East Lake Road, East Lake Woodlands Plaza, Oldsmar. More than 40 wines from around the world paired with food prepared by four local chefs. Free. Call (727) 785-7473.

CHAMPAGNE AND DESSERT WINES: 6-8 p.m. Thur., Westchase Golf Club, 11602 Westchase Golf Drive, Tampa. The Grapevine at Westchase presents an array of Champagnes, sparkling and sweeter dessert wines for tasting. $30, includes discount on wine purchase. Call (813) 818-9463.

HOLIDAY SPARKLERS: 6-8 p.m. Fri., Uncorked Fine Wines and Accessories, 2706 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. "Champagne Celebration" sampling of sparkling wines and Champagnes. $10. Call (727) 892-9463.

MAZZARO'S TASTING: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., Mazzaro's Italian Market, 2909 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Sample selection of inexpensive wines ($7-$20) from Italy, France, Spain and California at free tasting. (727) 321-2400.

Cooking classes

DUCK, PIZZAS, MEXICAN CUISINE: Aprons Cooking School at Publix Supermarket Shoppes of Citrus Park, 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa. This week's classes include preparations of duck and goose, salads, appetizers and entrees, 6:30 p.m. Sat.. $30. "Pizzas with Pizzazz" hands-on class learns to master the art of pizzamaking using bakery or homemade dough and unusual toppings, 6:30 p.m. Tues.. $25. Or explore classical regional Mexican cuisine, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 19. $30. Call (813) 926-4465 to register.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sat., La Maison Gourmet, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Kids 8-14 make holiday food gifts in hands-on class: cranberry spice biscotti with white chocolate, chocolate chip meringue kisses, apricot almond bars. $30. Call (727) 736-3070.

CHRISTMAS DINNER: 6:30-9 p.m. Tues., La Maison Gourmet, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Christmas dinner menu: nut-crusted goat cheese with cranberry port relish, pear and chestnut salad with orange balsamic vinaigrette, filet of beef with artichoke hearts, roasted garlic potato puffs, chocolate truffles. $39.50. Call (727) 736-3070.

FESTIVE APPETIZERS: 7-8 p.m. today, 10-11 a.m. Thur., Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Free cooking class makes vegetarian appetizers for holiday parties. Call (813) 873-7428.

SWEET TREATS: Holiday cookies, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mon., $5; or holiday candy, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tues., $10 plus supplies. Register for either class at Michael's Crafts, 2010 34th St. N, St. Petersburg. Call (727) 323-4333.

CUMIN GRILLED DUCK: 6:15-7 p.m. Tues., Outdoor Kitchen Store, 3925 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. Chef Bret Mailhot shows how to make cumin grilled duck with tropical salsa over jasmine rice cake, whiskey marinated grilled pork chop. $30. Call (813) 875-3447.

Worth sending for

ALCOHOL-FREE PARTY DRINKS: Brochure with festive non-alcoholic drink recipes includes stylish mixed drinks like Champagne cobbler with fresh orange and pineapple, ginger-spice cooler, virgin royal Hawaiian, all made with Sutter Home's Fre alcohol-free wines. For a free copy, call toll-free 1-800-662-5240 or find recipes at www.frewines.com.

BOBBY FLAY'S ENTERTAINING TIPS: Make dinner parties less work and more fun with ideas from the Food Network's Bobby Flay. Get a free copy of "A Bold New Way to Entertain" with tips on interactive entertaining by writing to Dansk Interactive Entertaining, 220 E 42nd St., 12th floor, New York, NY 10017.

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