Food and Dining Briefs for Jan. 1

By Pam Kragen - Staff Writer | Wednesday, December 31, 2008 10:04 PM PST ∞

Arterra brews up something new: What started as a hobby for Chris Davies, the pastry chef at Arterra Restaurant in the Marriott Del Mar, has become one of the hottest things on the menu. Davies and Arterra's Executive Chef Jason Maitland began experimenting with home-brewing recipes and carbonation/fermentation methods. The result is a line of floats featuring homemade Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream and home-brewed root beer, ginger beer and limited-edition orange elderflower soda. The bottled sodas, priced at $5 (floats are $11), have been selling so fast, they had to be removed from the menu last month when the restaurant ran out of root beer (which takes 14 days to slow-brew). The chefs believe Arterra is the only restaurant in San Diego County selling its own brewed sodas. Call (858) 369-6032.

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RB chef's culinary debut: Sharon Prescott of Rancho Bernardo will make her debut as an instructor at the Cooking With Class Cooking School at San Diego Kitchen & Bath, 8290 Miramar Road, San Diego. Prescott has trained with chefs around the world including at the Cordon Bleu School and the Ritz Escoffier, both in Paris. From 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 8, she'll present "A Feast for Jewish Festivals," featuring brisket, tsimmes and gefilte fish, among other dishes. And from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 12, she'll present "Who Would Know That You Have Diabetes?" with a sugar-free, healthful menu of lamb chops, minestrone and chocolate souffle. Classes are $49. Register to sdcookingwithclass.com.

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Chick-fil-A offers free taste: To celebrate New Year's Day, the fast-food chicken chain will be giving away coupons for a free Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit sandwich. Customers must visit on Thursday, Jan. 1, to pick up the coupon (while supplies last), which can be redeemed until March 28. Visit chick-fil-a.com.

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Food events

S.D. Restaurant Week: San Diego Restaurant Week will return next month, with more than 130 restaurants signed up to offer prix-fixe meals from Jan. 11-16. To lure diners hurt by the recession, a $20 menu level has been added to the regular options of $30 and $40 prix-fixe menus. Also this year, San Diego Restaurant Week is partnering with the Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council. Girl Scout cookies will show up on some of the menus, and some money raised through the dining program will benefit the Scouts. Visit sandiegorestaurantweek.com.

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"Taste of Opera Dinner": San Diego Opera presents a three-course prix-fixe dinner and lecture themed to its upcoming production of "Don Quixote" at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Currant Brasserie, 140 W. Broadway, San Diego. Cost is $30 (includes glass of wine). Call (619) 533-7047.

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Spaghetti fundraiser: St. Mark's Knights of Columbus Council #6979 in San Marcos will host an "Everybody Loves Somebody" all-you-can-eat pasta dinner on Jan. 23 to raise money for the Special Olympics Foundation. The program includes dinner (pasta, meatballs, salad, garlic bread, punch, coffee and spumoni) and live entertainment. Seatings are at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. The dinner will be served at St. Mark's Church, 1147 W. Discovery St., San Marcos. Call (760) 736-4529.

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New menus

Panera warms up winter: Panera restaurants have added several hearty soups, sandwiches and salads for winter and seasonal dining. Among the new items are the Tomato Mozzarella Panini grilled sandwich, Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, the Jalapeno Cheddar Bagel and the Orchard Harvest Salad. Soups are now available in 12-ounce bowls and two flavors have been added: Creamy Tomato and Chicken Tortilla.

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RA adds new items: Tai Obata, executive chef at RA Sushi in San Diego, has revamped the menu with several new items including Spicy Octopus and Cucumber Salad ($6.50); the Shrimp Sumai (fried shrimp dumpling skewers, $7); Kona Kampachi (Hawaiian yellowtail) in nigiri and sashimi preparations ($5.25-$10.25, respectively); and three sushi rolls, the Beef Tataki (artichoke, asparagus, roasted red peppers and avocado, $9.50; the King Crab Roll (cucumber, avocado and Asian pesto sauce, $11.25) and the Mango Lobster Roll ($9.25); and the Bara Chirashi Bowl lunch special ($9.50). RA Sushi is at 474 Broadway. Call (619) 321-0021.

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Ivy Hotel offers "Happier Hour": The San Diego hotel has expanded its happy hour menu, running from 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays-Fridays, with items including $5 cocktail specials, half-off wines by the glass and appetizers including Zucchini Pappardelle, Crispy Popcorn Shrimp and Tuna Tartare. Ivy is at 600 F St. Call (619) 814-2000.

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Classes

Healthy cooking seminar: Indigo Energy and Fitness will host a "Healthy Cooking and Meals" seminar from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 10 in Oceanside. Indigo founder Kelly Jean Dammeyer will prepare nutritious meals and snacks, offer tips on menu planning and lifestyle, and ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle without fad dieting. Reserve to (760) 696-7084.

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Children's cooking classes in Carlsbad: Captain Cook's Culinary for Kids hosts weekly cooking classes for children with a new, all-organic menu every week: "Mommy and Me" (ages 3 to 5) from 10-11 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; "Lil Explorers" (ages 4-6) from 3:15-4:15 p.m. Thursdays; and "First Mates" (ages 6 to 14), 3:30-5 p.m. Mondays or Wednesdays. Classes range from $25-$40 each or $60-$100 for three. Captain Cook's is at 6986 El Camino Real, Suite C, in Carlsbad. Call (760) 431-2278.

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Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio: Rosanne Zinniger's new cake decorating shop and studio at 277 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road, San Marcos, offers classes in cake decorating. Call (760) 744-0447 or rozsweetartstudio.com.

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In the spirits

Carlsbad Wine Merchants: Hosts tastings at 5 p.m. Fridays and 4 to 7 p.m. Saturdays for a fee at 5814 Van Allen Way, Suite 155, Carlsbad. Call (888) 750-WINE or visit www.CarlsbadWineMerchants.com.

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Harvest Ranch Market Del Mar: Wine tastings from 5-7:30 p.m. plus appetizers for $10-$20. The store is at 1555 Camino Del Mar, Suite 203, Del Mar. Call (858) 847-0555.

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Holiday Wine Cellar: Daily tastings from 5:30-7 p.m. at 302 W. Mission Ave., Escondido. Call (760) 745-1200.

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The North County Wine Company: Tastings daily at 1099 San Marcos Blvd., San Marcos, plus special events from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays. Call (760) 744-2119 or visit www.NorthCountyWineCompany.com.

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T&H Prime Meats & Sausage: The shop now offers tastings from 10 San Diego wineries from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays for $5, which includes four tastes and a San Diego Vintners Association souvenir wine glass, at 735 E. Mission Road, San Marcos. Call (760) 471-9192.

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Vinz Wine Bar: Full restaurant menu with wide wine menu by the glass or bottle. Live music on Saturdays and outdoor patio dining. Vinz is at 201 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. Call (760) 743-8466.

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The Wine Spot: Hosts tastings from 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; noon-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays at 2801 Roosevelt St., Carlsbad. Six tastings and an appetizer ($20). House tastings any time ($15). Call (760) 434-9463 or visit the-wine-spot.com. Upcoming:

-- Friday through Jan. 4: Great value wines.

-- Jan. 8: Wine club pick-up day; $10.

-- Jan. 9-11: Zinfandels from Central, Northern California.

-- Jan. 16-19: Domestic Italian wines.

-- Jan. 23-25: Cabernet sauvignon.

-- Jan. 30-Feb. 1: Great blends.

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Wine Street Inc.: Weekly tastings from 3-7 p.m. Fridays. Appetizers to match are served. Wine Street is at 6986 El Camino Real, Suite D, in Carlsbad. Call (760) 431-8455 or visit www.winestreet.com.

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Wine Styles: The Encinitas wine store hosts tastings from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 1-6 p.m. Saturdays. Cost is $15 or $10 for WineClub members and includes six to eight wines and snacks. The shop also hosts WineDown Fridays, where guests enjoy wine and live music and can bring in food to socialize. Call (760) 633-0057.

Send information about local food products, food events or classes to Food Editor Pam Kragen, North County Times, 207 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Escondido, CA 92025; fax to (760) 745-3769, or e-mail to food@nctimes.com.