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* At the Duke Mansion, 400 Hermitage Rd., Executive Chef Mark Shook is teaching an “Elegant Sunday Brunch Cooking Class” on Monday, March 9, at 6 p.m. Recipes include Blood Orange Mimosas, Apricot Almond Scones, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata, and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pie. $40 per person or $65 per couple, plus tax. 704-714-4400.

* Sonoma Modern American, 100 North Tryon St., is hosting a Fisher Vineyards dinner with winemaker Whitney Fisher, including the Rose of Syrah and Hidden Terrace Syrah, on Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. $100 inclusive of tax and gratuity. 704-332-1132.

* The Wine Vault is hosting a four-course dinner at Ratcliffe’s on the Green on Monday, March 23, with wines from Willm Gentil Pinot Gris, La Ferme Côtes du Rhône, Daniel de L’ansee Sauvignon Blanc, Les Jamelles Cabernet Sauvignon, and Les Jamelles Merlot. $58 inclusive of tax and tip. 704-548-9463.

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* Soon to open is The Lodge, 7725 Colony Rd., in the space which was once the successful Oneo followed by a succession of Colony Grills. Veteran restaurateur J.D. Duncan of Bonterra, Mac’s Speed Shop and Las Ramblas, is opening the store with his partners. Executive Chef Blake Hardwick has designed the menu to include primarily burgers and friendly “casual” food. The place has been transformed with dead mammal heads, pheasants, and hunting guns; hence the name. Donny Anderson will manage.

* Kilimanjaro Restaurant & Lounge, 3001 Independence Blvd., is celebrating the Second Annual Ghana Independence Day and Afro Caribbean Celebration on Friday, March 6. No charge before 11 p.m.

* Wolfgang Puck Carolina Bistro, 5349 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, is offering half price on pizzas and wines by the glass from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily until April 15.

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* Pewter Rose Bistro, 1820 South Blvd., turns 21 years old on March 8. In honor of that event, the eatery will host an official birthday party at 7 p.m. with complimentary hors d’oeuvres at the bar along with drink specials and live music. Also offered is a $21 prix fixe menu from March 8 through 21 that will include a choice of soup or salad, an entree (beef stroganoff, chicken marsala or scallop stuffed flounder) and a choice of a glass of wine from the cruvinet or a dessert. 704-332-8149 or www.pewterrose.com.

* Rooster’s Wine Bar, 6601 Morrison Blvd., is hosting a wine dinner with winemaker Guillaume Gonnet, featuring Robert Kacher’s wines, on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. The cost is $75 (includes tax and gratuity). On the menu are cured foie gras, frisee, and brioche with Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2007; sea scallops, sweetbreads, oxtail ravioli, and celeriac puree with Font du Vent Cotes du Rhone Villages “Notre Passion” 2005; rabbit loin with parsley mousse and Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2005; and smoked palmetto squab and truffled foie gras stuffed squab leg with Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge “Cuvee Etienne Gonnet” 2005. 704-366-8688.

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* ZINK: American Kitchen, 201 N. Tryon St., will host a five-course Highland Brewery Beer dinner on Thursday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. On the menu will be crispy polenta salmon with Gaelic Ale; horseradish-crusted Niman Ranch strip loin with Kashmir IPA; charred bacon-wrapped Carr Valley cheddar with local honeycomb and braised endive with St. Terese Pale Ale; and bittersweet chocolate torte with caramel corn ice cream and caramel sauce with Mocha Stout. $48, plus tax and gratuity. 704-444-9001.

* Noted on the Crêpe Cellar Kitchen & Pub website is the countdown – including the seconds – to their opening. Owners are Paul Manley and Jeff Tonidandel, a Davidson alum. Crêpe Cellar will open in late March at 3116 N. Davidson St., NoDa.

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• Pewter Rose Bistro, 1820 South Blvd., is offering an on-going RVSP Wine Dinner for $59 per couple, including a bottle of wine. In addition, their adjoining nightclub Tutto Mundo has launched a new bar menu that includes 12 items for $7 or under, including Chicken Sliders and Lamb Lollipops.

• The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery opened its new 15,000-square-foot-brewery at 215 Southside Drive in mid-January. Jon Hayward, a founding partner, said his brewery will produce “full-flavored ales and lagers brewed in the centuries-old tradition of Germany.” The company’s initial brew, called OMB Copper Altbier, is authentic Düsseldorf style amber ale that undergoes several weeks of lagering after primary fermentation. Tours of the facility and the tap room will open April 1. Customers can take home fresh beer in 36- and 72-ounce decorative glass containers called growlers that can be brought back to the brewery for refills.

• To celebrate the 2005 BelnerO Sangiovese di Montalcino, The Capital Grille is offering a five-course Italian-fare dinner for $49 per person from Feb. 23 to April 5. Menu highlights include Porcini Mushroom Soup; Swordfish Roasted inside Parchment Paper with White Wine; Herb-Marinated, Dry-Aged Tenderloin; and Black Truffle Mac ‘N’ Cheese.

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For Valentine’s Day, Cafe Monte, 6700 Fairfield Road, offers the regular menu or the $40 per person Chef’s Tasting Menu ($60 with four wine course pairing) which includes Watercress Salade with Port Poached Pear; Shrimp and Artichoke Crepe; Tenderloin Roulade with Oven Roasted Tomato, Spinach and Goat Cheese; and Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake or Creme Brulee. Live jazz every Friday and Saturday.

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Free wine tastings and special pricing on bottle purchases on Wednesdays at Press Wine/Food (333 West Trade Street, 704-370-3006): February 11, Scott Killette from Juice Wine Purveyors with “Jammy and Spicy” reds; February 18, Mike Bell from Mutual with “Lively” whites; February 25, Marcelle Miller from Prestige with “Soft Round” whites; March 4, Alice Rodgers from Empire with “Buttery and Rich” whites.

The Artisan, a teaching restaurant at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Charlotte, is hosting its inaugural senior practicum. For six weeks on Thursdays and Fridays, dinner service will be run by students. The food and theme of the restaurant will change from week to week with each menu developed by the students over the course of the entire program. The five-course, prix fixe tasting menu dinners are $23.95 with the option of paired beverages for $34.95. Dinner reservations will be taken from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays starting February 12. Seating is limited to 30 guests. 704-357-5900.

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The McNinch House Restaurant, 511 North Church Street Fourth Ward (in a house with 10 fireplaces and happens to be on the National Historic Register), is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2009. They will be hosting events throughout the year: mcninchhouserestaurant.com.

Tour de Food is a two-month mission to deliver as much food as possible to the 19 counties that are served by Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. Patterned after the Tour de France, the Tour de Food will feature a Grand Start and then an additional eight stages to deliver the equivalent of eight tractor trailer loads of food (approximately 300,000 pounds) to 44 emergency pantries and soup kitchens. Emergency pantries and soup kitchens are reporting increases in requests for assistance of 30 to 40 percent over the same time period in 2008. Food to be delivered includes rice, pasta, tuna, canned chicken, soups, canned vegetables and fruit, oatmeal and cereal. The stages of the Tour de Food began in Mecklenburg County on February 5 and 6 and end in Burke County on March 27.

Saturdays and Mondays at Pie Town, 710 West Trade Street, feature half-off bottles of wine. 704-379-7555.

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The Flying Saucer, 9605 N. Tryon Street, will host a beer tasting featuring Asheville, N.C.-based Highland Brewing Company on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. The event will be hosted by brewery owner Oscar Wong and will pair six of Highland’s beers with four courses and dessert. Featured beer and food pairings include: the Gaelic Ale with aged Manchego cheese, St. Theresa’s Pale Ale with Sopressata, the Kashmir IPA with Cotswold English cheddar, Oatmeal Porter with a stout beef stew, and Highland’s Black Mocha Stout and Imperial Black Mocha Stout with chocolate truffles. Tickets are $30. More info at: www.beerknurd.com/stores/charlotte.

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Opened January 29: Moe’s Southwest Grill, 16933 Kaufinger Street in the Northcross Shopping Center, Huntersville. www.moes.com.

Bel Caffè Italian  Italian Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, 2130 Ayrsley Town Blvd, is featuring “Rare Italian Wines Saturdays” all February from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Also from Monday through Saturday, special Italian wines will be offered for $6 a glass. www.belcaffeinc.com.

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