MONDAY January 30

Magnolia Italian spot Mondello hosts a prix-fixe dinner paired with Sozo wines to benefit the Ballard Food Bank. The four-course menu includes house-made tagliarni or papardelle for the primi (pasta) round, and all-natural lamb chops or roasted butternut squash secondi. Dinner starts at 6:30 and costs $65 per person, call 206-352-8700 to reserve your spot.

WEDNESDAY February 1

Founder of California vineyard Bonny Doon Randall Grahm comes to Volunteer Park Cafe for a wine dinner and chat at 7. The $75-per-person menu, by Ericka Burke of VPC, includes a few different meats—seared sea scallops, duck trio, braised beef cheeks—paired with Bonny Doon wines. Make reservations by calling or 206-328-3155 or visiting Volunteer Park Cafe online.

Make this Valentine’s Day a memorable one with a little help from chef and cookbook author Lisa Dupar. The caterer and proprietor of Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond brings recipes from her latest book, Fried Chicken and Champagne, to Book Larder at 6:30 (she’ll also be signing copies). Slated dishes include bourbon braised beef and burnt caramel cheesecake.

FRIDAY February 3

James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award winner and two-time Pulitzer nominee Molly O’Neill talks her newest cookbook, One Big Table, the result of ten years’ research into the variety of food we eat in America. O’Neill shares the demo stage with the makers of Four Sisters Vietnamese Hot Sauce. The event is at 6:30 at Book Larder and costs $10 per person.

SATURDAY February 4

Over 70 Washington-brewed Belgian beers will be on display at the Bell Harbor Conference Center for two sessions on Saturday the 4th. Tripels, dubbles, wits, and more come from all over the state for some serious, beer-focused celebration. The first session runs noon to four and second from 5:30 to 9:30.

MONDAY February 6

This one is easy. Hop on your couch and tune in to the Travel Channel at 9 to catch Andrew Zimmern’s Seattle episode. Watch for Nathan Myrhvold of Modernist Cuisine and geoducks at Taylor Shellfish Farms, which I guess fulfill the bizarre foods label—the geoducks, not Nathan Myrhvold.

TUESDAY February 7

Head to Town Hall for a discussion of Restaurant Design: How Design Affects the Dining Experience with local chef and restaurateur luminaries such as Chad Dale, Ethan Stowell, Deming Maclise and James Weimann , and oh by the way, it’s moderated by Seattle Met’s own Allecia Vermillion. Get your tickets now for the fourth of six panel discussions on how people interact with design every day, presented by Seattle Architecture Foundation.

Twenty-four guests will join James Beard–award winning master sommelier Larry Stone of Evening Land Vineyards at John Howie Steak for an exclusive six-course dinner with menu designed by John Howie and chef Mark Hipkiss. Spots are $150 each and dinner starts at 6:30.

BEYOND

Feb 25 Love cider? The Northwest Cider Association’s second annual cidermaker’s dinner lets you get up close with cidermakers and cidery experts. Chef JoAnn Cruz of Ravishing Radish presents a three-course, cider-paired menu, following an hour of casual open bar and appetizers to kick things off. Buy tickets online now for $85.

Feb 25 The second year of the beer open house sees breweries across the state once more opening their doors to the public. After that, there are no rules. Except maybe two: there will be food, and there will be beer. Last year’s event had over 30 participating breweries and saw limited taps of vintage or award-winning beers. Check the official site for a list of participating breweries.