Daily Loaf

Go alternative at the ThanksVegan Feast

Wednesday, November 25: Vino 100
Thanksgiving Tasting. If you’re anything like me, you’ve put off holiday preparations until the last minute. There’s still cleaning to be done and meals to plan, but at least you’ll know which wine will grace your holiday table after attending this tasting that pairs perfect seasonal wines with a selection of Thanksgiving favorites, so you can choose your ideal combo. Free. 5-8 p.m., 5056 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg (727-522-8466)

Wednesday, November 25: Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Happy Holidays. Bern’s is offering a bite of holiday cheer: buy any wine or spirit and take your same-day receipt to the Sidebern’s bar for a complimentary Chef’s Choice bite from the lounge menu. 1002 S. Howard Ave., Tampa (813-250-9463)

Thursday, November 26: Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa
ThanksVegan Feast. Thanksgiving should be an opportunity for all sorts of folks to get together and stuff themselves without recrimination, unless you’re spending the holiday with your family. Why discriminate against people who shun the bird for more esoteric culinary fetishes? Join vegans, vegetarians, raw foodists and the veg-curious at the fourth annual ThanksVegan Feast. It’s a potluck, so you’ll need to bring a covered dish that’s free of animal products (even bacon), a massive appetite and a willingness to buck traditional foods while maintaining the true spirit of the season: gluttony, in all its cruelty-free glory. $5 (with a dish), $15 (without a dish). 1:30-5:30 p.m., 11400 Morris Bridge Road, Tampa, vegtampathanksgiving.com. —Brian Ries

Thursday, November 26: The NoHo Bistro
Thanksgiving: To Cook, or Not To Cook? Instead of worrying about undercooking the turkey, runny mashed potatoes, or burning the pumpkin pie, take time to relax with the family (or attempt to avoid them), watch the Macy’s Parade, and scream/cheer at the football games while NoHo Bistro does the work for you. Just follow their cooking instructions and within minutes, you’ll be digging into their scrumptious seasonal meal that includes: whole roasted turkey with herbed butter chestnut-cranberry Stuffing; maple-cured bacon sweet potato souffle with marshmallow crust; honey-glazed butternut squash; creamed peas with baby onions; and pumpkin praline tart. This ain’t no Swanson’s Turkey Dinner! $26.95 per person. 1714 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa (813-514-0691)

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Sample a selection of Fontodi wines at Bern's Tuesday tasting

Tuesday, November 10: Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Fontodi Wine Dinner. There’s no better way to start the week than with an elegant wine dinner, and this one truly delivers with its selection of six wines from the Fontodi estate specially paired with six modern Mediterranean cuisine courses by SideBern’s Chef extraordinaire, Chad Johnson. $125. 6:30-9:30 p.m., 1002 S. Howard Ave., Tampa (813-253-0358)

Tuesday, November 10: American Spirits
Spanish Wines. Ben Carson of Ole Imports, which brings more than 100 Spanish wines stateside, offers a tasting of vinos from the Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Yecla regions. Free. 7-9 p.m., 280 Third St. S., St. Petersburg (727-895-8700)

Wednesday, November 11: Cork and Olive Carrollwood
Wine for Dummies. Learn the basic rules and etiquette of wine tasting and how to choose the right bottle for the occassion. $10. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 10019 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa (813-868-3733)

Thursday, November 12: Total Wine
Celebrate with Champagne and Sparkling. A trained sommelier helps you find the best bubbly for your budget and palate — it’s never too early to stock up for New Year’s. Taste eight zippy, fizzy sensations, including Crémant de Bourgogne, Cava and four stunning selections from Champagne. $25. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 4880 Park Street N., St. Petersburg (727-544-6018)

Thursday, November 12: Cork and Olive Carrollwood
PACE Benefit Wine Tasting. Live music, hand-selected hors d’oeuvres and a holiday raffle round out this wine tasting to benefit the PACE Center for Girls. $30 in advance, $35 at the door. 6:30-9:30 p.m., 10019 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa (813-868-3733)

Friday, November 13: Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Cult Cabs Crush Hour. Movies, books and Christopher Walken all have cult followings — but so do a select (and tasty) number of wines. Tonight’s featured flavors (which garnered aficinado attention via high prices, limited production, famous winemakers and gushing reviews by wine critics) include Hartwell by winemaker Andy Erickson of Screaming Eagle, Robert Foley Vineyards, Sherwin Family Vineyards, Beau Vigne and more, accompanied by five hand-selected accompaniments from the Bern’s Cave du Fromage. $25. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 1002 S. Howard Ave., Tampa (813-253-0358)

Many more events after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, October 27: Snookers Grill
Champagne and Sushi. It seems like the words I’m reading are too good to be true, but unless my eyes are deceiving me, it appears that Snookers is offering unlimited — yes, like, all you could ever imbibe — champagne and chef-selected sushi. Those just happen to be two of my favorite delicacies, and though I admit to never having tried them together, it sounds like a damn fine idea. $15. 7-9 p.m., 606 N. Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs. (727-937-6665)

Wednesday, October 28: Splash! An Ocean Grill
Kennedy White House Wine Dinner. It’s no run-of-the-mill wine pairing, that’s for sure. Sommelier and foodie Perry Thomas dares you to test your tastebuds against the personal favorites of the Kennedy family, with a menu that includes: Clams Jaqueline, Little Neck clams stuffed with  pernod spinach and watercress, topped with asiago bread crumbs and oven roasted, paired with Chateau La Freynelle, Bordeaux Blanc, 2007; Homard en Bellevue, rock lobster medallions stuffed with a shrimp mousse and asparagus, served in a chilled lobster consommé with caviar-stuffed new potatoes, paired with Jadot, Pouilly Fuisse, 2007; Spring Lamb a la Broche aux Primeurs, lambsickles pan seared and glazed with a rosemary and garlic mint aspic, served with pan roasted thumbelina carrots and truffled fingerling pommes frites, paired with Chateau Bellevue Peycharneau, Bordeaux Superior, 2005; Salade Mimosa, fresh baby spring greens tossed in a light champagne-horseradish vinaigrette, garnished with sliced avocado, lump crab and chopped egg yolk, paired with Piper-Heidsieck 1785 Champagne; and Strawberries Romanoff, Plant City strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier topped with crème anglaise and chantilly cream, paired with Chateau Laribotte, Sauternes, 2003. Reservations required. $90. 7 p.m., 3973 Van Dyke Road, Tampa (813-269-8611)

Many more events after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

Two years ago, right after Cork & Olive set up shop in Tampa, I went to check out the place. My reaction was a combination of admiration and nausea: great service (they’ll open anything in the store for you to taste!) but the wines – mostly unknown private labels from other countries – sucked. (Read the column). After the story broke, the C&O folks hated me, openly criticizing me to anyone who would listen. But I shrugged it off, figuring the public would discover the wine crappiness for themselves. Apparently, they did: Cork and Olive declared bankruptcy in June.

But a couple of months ago, the fashionable and energetic Frank Henselmann and his team of investors plucked the ailing company from the flames. Believing the concept could yield big returns with a few tweaks, they emerged Cork & Olive from bankruptcy in October. Read the rest of this entry »