Advance registration or reservations are recommended for most events. Prices exclude tax and gratuity unless otherwise noted.
ON THE PLATE
Through Aug. 12
Harmony Hill Health Center’s healthy dessert cook-off allows amateur chefs of all ages to submit recipes without hydrogenated fats, processed ingredients, or more than half an egg per serving. All recipes must use one or more whole grains and/or whole foods. (The submission deadline is August 12.) Free. Send recipes to: Harmony Hill, 7362 E. State Route 106, Union, WA 98592, or e-mail cookoff@harmonyhill.org.
Aug. 6
The food may give the wine a run for its money at tonight’s Yakima Cellars dinner at Dulces Latin Bistro, where oysters sautéed with apple-sage coulis and roasted venison glazed with berry reduction will meet their match in a 2001 sangiovese and other bold reds. $65. 6:30 p.m. 1430 34th Ave., 206-322-5453. MADRONA
Aug. 7
This morning, Assaggio chef Mauro Golmarvi will create an Italian masterwork from market ingredients at a cooking demo hosted by the Magnolia Farmers Market. Free. 10 a.m.–noon. 2550 34th Ave. W., www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org. MAGNOLIA
Aug. 12-13
Fresh summer flavors will blossom at tonight’s tapas dinner at Chaco Canyon. Choose five plates from a list of 13 vegan dishes, each made with local organic ingredients. The menu includes chilled cucumber soup, endive filled with red pepper pesto, and peppered red wine sorbet. $16.95. Reservations available 5–8:30 p.m. 4761 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., 206-522-6966. UNIVERSITY DISTRICT
Aug. 13
Pike Place Market once again hosts the Sunset Supper at the Market; proceeds benefit the Market Foundation and the human services agencies located in the market. Fifty local restaurants and various Northwest wineries and breweries, as well as music from the Dudley Manlove Quartet, should keep things hoppin’ and boppin’. $60–$150. 85 Pike St., 206-682-7453. PIKE PLACE MARKET
Aug. 14
The Seattle-based Ayurvedic Academy hosts the city’s first annual Ayurvedic herb and food fair at Bastyr University. The fair includes lectures, displays, and vendors, plus cooking demos, free samples, and music. Free. 5–8 p.m. 14500 Juanita Dr. N.E., 206-729-9999. KENMORE
IN THE MUG
Aug. 14
Anacortes Brewery, Boundary Bay Brewery, Hale’s Ales, La Conner Brewing Company, Scuttlebutt Brewery, Skagit River Brewery, and Whatcom Brewery will assemble to fill you with beer at Mount Vernon’s annual Brewfest. $15 (admission and five tastes). Must be 21 or older to enter. 2–8 p.m. First Ave. and Main St., 360-336-8955. MOUNT VERNON
Aug. 19
The Little Smoke of Tacoma, postponed from an earlier date, takes place tonight at El Gaucho, with several cigar makers in attendance to offer world-class stogies, which should nicely complement the assortment of beers on offer. $50. 6 p.m. 2505 First Ave., 253-272-1510. TACOMA
IN THE CUP
Aug. 11
Thanks to the unprecedented heat, Seattleites are ordering iced drinks in droves. Perennial Tea Room is toeing the frosty line with its summer Iced Tea Extravaganza, where coconut and ginger peach teas, plus a few surprises, will be yours for the sipping. Free. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 1910 Post Alley, 206-448-4054. PIKE PLACE MARKET
THE GRAPEVINE
Aug. 7
Be the first on your block to discover the year’s best vino at the 30th annual Northwest Wine and Food Festival. Judges will spend two days evaluating over 200 wines, then the fun begins: You get to taste their picks, paired with a four-course meal. $70. 5–9:30 p.m. South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W., 425-775-7168. WEST SEATTLE
Aug. 10
Vinifera Imports provides the vino at tonight’s Italian wine dinner at Nell’s. The menu is loaded with gorgeous-sounding summer food (grilled ahi tuna with sweet peppers, wild mushroom risotto with leeks, and hanger steak with yellow and green beans), and the paired wine list sparkles with chiantis, proseccos, and barolos. $80. 6:30 p.m. 6804 E. Green Lake Way N., 206-524-4044. GREEN LAKE
Aug. 11
The wines of Peter Nicolay, Schloss Vollrads, and Chateau Ste. Michelle will highlight Ten Mercer’s Wines of Germany (Plus a little Washington) Dinner. The scheduled menu includes sea scallops, chicken skewers, baked finfish, pork tenderloin, and chocolate silk. $65. 7 p.m. 10 Mercer St., 206-691-3723. BELLTOWN
Seven courses of beautiful Italian food await you at Pellini, where a small-vineyards dinner will pair wines from Tre Donne and Trevisiol with elegant dishes like seafood ravioli, grilled swordfish with tomato concasse, and rack of veal with wild mushroom sauce. $75. 6 p.m. Seattle Renaissance Hotel, 515 Madison St., 206-267-2201. DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Aug. 12
Taste many local wonders at Tulio’s Chinook wine dinner, which will combines the restaurant’s flair for Italian specialties with seasonal Chinook wines. Expected eats include pork with roasted peaches and chocolate cake with blackberries. $65.1100 Fifth Ave., 206-623-1066. DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Life beyond chardonnay does exist, as Fremont PCC intends to prove at an informal tasting of white wines from around the globe. $5. 6:30–8 p.m. 600 N. 34th St., 206-632-6811. FREMONT
Aug. 14
Basel Cellars Estate Winery hosts chef Ethan Stowell of Union for an unforgettable six-course wine dinner, served poolside on the grounds of the winery. As a special treat, winemaker Trey Busch will invite guests to barrel-taste his 2002 cabernet sauvignon. $125. 2901 Old Milton Hwy., 509-522-0200. WALLA WALLA
BACK TO SCHOOL
Aug. 9
Pizza is practically a staple of the American diet, but plain old pepperoni doesn’t cut it at a fancy dinner party. Rain City Cooking School’s pizza class provides participants with gourmet solutions to such a conundrum. Learn crust recipes, discover an array of unusual toppings, and turn your next pie into a work of culinary art. $50. 6:30 p.m. 1883 145th Pl. S.E., 425-644-4285. BELLEVUE
Aug. 9 and 16
French culinary style has heavily influenced the Seattle dining scene, so why not learn the fundamentals for yourself? A two-session Cook’s World class on Provençal cuisine will expand your repertoire to include bouillabaisse, summer vegetable gratin, crème brulée, pine-nut tart, and more. $78. 6:30–9:30 p.m. 2900 N.E. Blakeley St., 206-528-8192. UNIVERSITY DISTRICT
Aug. 10
Discover your inner Southerner with chef Kenyetta Carter, Bon Vivant‘s expert on creole and cajun cuisines. Learn various approaches to soul food, then prepare fried corn and crawfish bisque, chicken andouille sausage with peppers and onions, and butter-pecan ice cream sandwiches. $39. 7–10 p.m. 4925 86th St., 206-525-7537. MATTHEWS BEACH
Aug. 14
Taylor Shellfish Farms is hosting a one-day shellfish seed sale for those interested in growing their own oysters, clams, mussels, or geoducks. Instructions will be available at the sale, and Taylor experts will be on hand to answer questions. S.E. 130 Lynch Rd., 360-426-6178. SHELTON
