Dining out
Brigantine wines awarded
The Brigantine Family of Restaurants’ 2007 Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay won a silver medal at the 2009 San Diego International Wine Competition and a bronze award at the 2009 California State Fair Wine Competition. These are the fourth and fifth awards received for Brigantine Family wines. Brigantine managers and employees have traveled to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley every spring since 1987 to participate in the custom blending of the Brigantine house chardonnay and merlot. Brigantine wines were entered for competition for the first time in 2005.
Chemist/cook writes book
Woodrow Wilson of Del Mar, a chemist with a Ph.D. from Cal Tech, past Toastmaster president and longtime amateur chef, just released “The Champagne Taste/Beer Budget Cookbook,” $12.95, “for people who want to eat well despite these hard economic times.” The recipes are simple enough to be a joy to cook, and good enough to be a joy to serve, he said. The book is available online at www.woodrow-wilson.com.
Event aids kids in foster care
Jeffrey Strauss, owner/chef of the Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach, donated $50,000 to Walden Family Services, a foster care and adoption agency for special needs children and hard-to-place teens who have been removed from their home due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. A longtime supporter of Walden, Strauss helped the organization conceive of its two signature fundraising events, the annual Pamplemousse Grille dinner and the Wine D’Vine event, this year 6-9 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel, 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road. For tickets, call Camille McKinnie at (619) 727-5890.
Grand Del Mar wine events
The Grand Del Mar presents a lineup of wine events for the fall season. These include featured wineries and wine dinners at Amaya, and the second annual Winemakers Quintet at Addison, hosted by Wine Director Jesse Rodriguez and Executive Chef William Bradley, as well as wine flights in the Lobby Lounge and a class on cooking with wine. The Grand Del Mar is at 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, San Diego. For a schedule, visit www.thegranddelmar.com or call (858) 314-2000.
High-tide breakfasts set
Experience La Jolla’s Marine Room during the winter high-tide breakfast dates. Enjoy dramatic surf while dining on a buffet that includes chilled seafood, wild mushroom frittata, Julian apple and tart cherry cheese blintzes, Virginia ham quiche and assorted sweets.
Buffets will be from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Oct. 17-18 and Nov. 14; 8 to 11 a.m. Dec. 5; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 6; and 7 to 10 a.m. Dec. 29-30. The buffet is $32 per person and does not include tax, beverages or gratuity. Make reservations by calling (858) 459-7222. The Marine Room is at 2000 Spindrift Drive in La Jolla. For more information, go to www.Marine Room.com.
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Savor & Sip’ at The Shores
The Shores Restaurant at La Jolla Shores Hotel, 8110 Camino del Oro, continues its monthly “Savor & Sip” tasting menus. Executive Chef Bernard Guillas and Chef de Cuisine Augie Saucedo craft each menu to highlight a seasonal ingredient, while Lisa Redwine pairs wine or beer tastings with each course.
The three-course menus are available from 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Cost is $35 per person, $25 without beer (tax, gratuity and beverages not included). For reservations, call (858) 456-0600 or go to www.TheShoresRestaurant.
com.
MenuPix grows nationally
MenuPix.com, a popular Web site for restaurant information in Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., has expanded to cover more than 500,000 restaurants and 250,000 menus nationwide. Listings include key information and reviews.