Weekly Nibble: Mimi Sheraton; Tim LaBant; Cooking Classes; Whole Hog Dinner + More

Monday February 23, Napa and Co is giving you the opportunity to meet with Justin King of organic winery King Wine Estates of Oregon. The night will feature three courses with wine pairings. $50pp (plus tax and gratuity).

Celebrate Johnny Cash’s birthday with Walrus + Carpenter on Thursday February 26. The night will be hosted by BrewGrass and include a whole hog BBQ dinner.

Mimi Sheraton, award-winning author and former restaurant critic for The New York Times, will be at the Westport Public Library on Saturday, February 28 to discuss her new book, 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List. Sheraton's appearance will be a conversation with Matt Storch, chef and owner of Match Restaurant. Details here. 

The Barcelona restaurants have a number of offerings this week:

Tuesday February 24 at 7pm, Barcelona West Hartford presents “Craft Beer and Tapas.” Chef Eric teams up with the area’s best craft breweries to create a savory dinner featuring delicious small plates and specialty items. For reservations, call 860.218.2100. $45 per person.

Meanwhile, Barcelona New Haven invites you to “Dinner and a Movie.” Watch one of Chef Frank’s favorite 80’s flicks while enjoying a home cooked meal. To make a reservation, please call the restaurant at 203.848.3000. $30 per person.

On Saturday February 28, Barcelona Stamford invites you to its famous “Paella 101” cooking class.  Join Chef Scott as he demonstrates the steps to creating a true Spanish paella. To make a reservation, please call the restaurant at 203.348.4800.

The Spotted Horse Tavern will host a Two Roads Beer Dinner on Wednesday February 25 at 7pm. 

The YWCA Darien/Norwalk invites all to shake off the winter blues at its benefit “Travel with Taste” at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 28.  The fundraiser will feature a tasting of the area’s best foods, from empanadas to oysters, and silent and live auctions, including exotic vacations, summer camps, priceless sports paraphernalia, and live music by Tangled Vine. 

The Stamford Museum & Nature Center will host a Winter Farm to Table Supper featuring Owner/Chef Tim LaBant of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale.  This exceptional dining experience will take place on Saturday, February 28 at 6 pm amidst the permanent collections of the Bendel Mansion Museum Galleries.

Also on Saturday, NEAT in Westport continues its coffee classes with “Home Brewing.”  It starts at 9am.  The cost of each of these classes is $20/person but it comes with a discount of 20% on your next purchase of retail coffee. Please email education@NEATcoffee.com to sign up. Class size is limited to 8.

In an effort to preserve the original Swiss Emmentaler cheese, the proprietors of Darien Cheese & Fine Food have launched a campaign to raise awareness that there is just one cheese maker left in the world producing the iconic cheese using the traditional methods.  It is the hopes of Ken Skovron that this grass-roots campaign will help bring attention to the cheesemaker, Bernhard Meier, and give his customers the  opportunity to taste the difference between traditionally made Emmentaler and the mass produced generic versions. The store will host a #SaveTheEmmentaler event on Saturday, February 28, where they will serve dishes focused on utilizing the cheese including Fondue and delicious Grilled Emmentaler & Country Ham sandwiches. In addition, there will be seasonal beverages and special charcuterie tastings as well.

Looking ahead…

On Monday March 2, Tomato and Basil of Fairfield will hold a five-course Rutini wine dinner.  The dinner will dinner feature five selections from Rutini, including the Apartado Gran Malbec Reserva, the jewel of the Rutini collection. This event is costs $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity.  Seating is limited and reservations are required.  Please call 203-333-3600 to reserve your seats.