Wichitans will have three opportunities over the next week to educate themselves on wine and beer and the food that makes them sing.
The first is tonight’s Gusto Social Wine Tasting, a monthly event at Gaslamp Grille and Lounge, 550 N. Rock Road. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and is $25 a person. Participants will be able to sample four different wines and have access to some light appetizers. Credit card reservations are required in advance by calling 316-260-1432.
Then, on Tuesday, Yia Yia’s Eurobistro at 8115 W. 21st will offer a $65-a-person wine dinner featuring the wares of the Paraiso winery. It’s a four-course dinner, and each course is paired with a Paraiso wine. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Call 316-634-1000 for reservations.
Wednesday is the day for Newport Grill’s Tallgrass Beer Dinner. The restaurant at 1900 N. Rock Road will charge $50 a person for the five-course meal, which will pair Tallgrass beers with dishes such as butter-poached halibut and cocoa-glazed beef tenderloin. The dinner starts at 7 p.m. Call 316-636-9555 for reservations.
Wine lovers will want to know about a few cork-tastic events coming up in Wichita.
One is a fundraiser this weekend, and I’ll be there helping out my friend (and the event co-chair) Bonnie Bing.It’s called Palette to Palate, and it will feature food, wine and lots of art. (I’ll be serving as a wine pourer or live auction spotter or both. We’ll see.) The event is at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Wichita Scottish Rite, and tickets are $60 or $50 if purchased by Wednesday by calling 316-383-8889 or by visiting the web site. Money raised benefits Ketch.
Also coming up: An event put on by a new venture called WineTastingWichita, who will put on a wine tasting called A Taste of Italy at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Corporate Caterer’s space in the former Olive Tree, 2949 N. Rock Road.
The event will feature seven reds selected by local wine expert Jamie Stratton, each of which will be paired with food created by chef Jeremy Wade.
Admission is $30 a person, and reservations are required by Friday by emailing taste@winetastingwichita.com
Wichita has plenty of wine dinners on the horizon. But for those who prefer their wine and food pairings a bit more hardcore, a couple of restaurants are planning HARD LIQUOR DINNERS!
The first is a single malt Scotch dinner planned for Monday night at Mike’s Wine Dive, 4714 E. Douglas. Chef Brad Beyer will prepare a five course meal, each course paired with a different Scotch. It’s at 6:30 p.m. Monday and costs $50 a person. Call 316-613-2772 for reservations.
The second dinner is a Jim Beam’s small batch bourbon dinner at Yia Yia’s Eurobistro, 8115 E 21st St. N. It’ll also feature five courses paired with Jim Beam bourbon. It’s at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 and costs $75 a person. Call 316-634-1000 for a reservation.
Chester’s Chophouse Chef Bobby Lane is planning monthly Sunday night three-course suppers inspired by his favorite cookbooks.
Diners will leave with the recipes used from the evening and can assemble their own cookbooks by year’s end.
Dinners are $35 a person or an additional $12 for those who want wine paired with the food.
The first dinner is at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 and will feature recipes from Chef Thomas Keller’s “Ad Hoc at Home” cookbook.
Chef Bobby Lane
On Feb. 27, Chef Eric Ripert’s “On the Line” cookbook will be the supper focus, and March 20’s dinner will feature recipes from Chef Suzanne Goin’s “Sunday Suppers at Lucques.”
Reservations are mandatory and can be made by calling 316-201-1300.
Press, the month-old cocktail lounge and restaurant in the old Sabor space at 1720 N. Webb Road, is getting started on one of its promises — to put on regular wine tastings and wine dinners.
Two are scheduled for this month. On Jan.20, the 12/12 dinner will feature 12 wines to sample and a tapas buffet. Admission is $25 a person.
Then, on Jan. 27, Press will put on the St. Hallett Winemaker wine dinner, featuring a four-course meal from chef Douglas Pitts, including a tuna tartar and a lamb shoulder entree. The dinner is $50 a person.
Credit card reservation are required at 316-558-5855.
It’s my job to keep you updated about approaching wine dinners, and I take that job very seriously.
Two worth checking out are coming up over the next seven days.
The first is Saturday at Oeno Wine Bar, 330 N. Mead. The dinner is called Savor the Summer and will feature a five-course dinner, each course paired with a corresponding wine. (Pork scaloppine over fettucine is among the entrees on the menu.) The cost is $40 a person, and it starts at 7 p.m. Call 316-440-5000 for a reservation.
Then, on Aug. 31 (next Tuesday) Yia Yia’s is putting on a Spanish wine dinner that’s $65 a person and will feature five courses and five wines. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and will include dishes such as wood oven roasted quail. Call 316-634-1000 for reservations.
My work here is done.
Two restaurants are planning two interesting dinners in the next several days, and one is centered around one of nature’s most dangerous substances: Tequila.
On Tuesday, Yia Yia’s Eurobistro at 8115 E. 21st St. N. is putting on its first ever tequila dinner, featuring samplings of Jose Cuervo and Don Julio tequilas paired with a five-course dinner prepared by chef Dave Varner. Among the dishes he’s creating: A trio of shrimp shooters, a black bean encrusted tuna, and anejo-lacqured wild boar ribs. The dinner is $55 a person and starts at 6:30 p.m. For reservations, call 316-634-1000.
And Uptown Bistro at 301 N.Mead still has space for tomorrow’s Opera wine dinner, a four-course meal that will include seared sea scallops, braised short ribs and four unique wines. It’s $50 a person, plus tax and a 20 percent gratuity, and it starts at 6:30 p.m. For reservations, call 316-262-3232 as soon as possible.
Wichitans will have three opportunities over the next week to educate themselves on wine and beer and the food that makes them sing.
