PORTLAND

Back Bay Grill to host fifth annual fundraiser

Back Bay Grill will host the Fifth Annual Joel S. Freund Memorial Wine Dinner on Tuesday.

The annual dinner, which benefits ITNAmerica and ITNPortland, begins with a reception at 6 p.m. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

Five courses will be paired with five wines for $250 per person. Seating is limited to 50. Reservations should be made by Thursday by calling 857-9001 or receptionist@itnamerica.org

Pizzeria to open Nov. 26 in former North Star space

The new OTTO Pizza at 227 Congress St. is scheduled to open at 5 p.m. Nov. 26.

The restaurant, located in the old North Star Cafe space, will have the same menu as OTTO/ENZO at 576 Congress, with the addition of one salad and one dessert, according to owner Anthony Allen.

The new space will include a 16-seat bar serving beer and wine, family-style dining, and pizza by the slice. There will be 90 seats inside and 28 outside during warmer weather.

‘Last Basket Dinner’ puts fall’s best on the table

Chef Erik Desjarlais of Evangeline, 190 State St., and Beth Schiller of Dandelion Spring Farm in Washington are teaming up for a “Last Basket Dinner” Nov. 17.

The four-course dinner will highlight the vegetables, fruits and proteins of fall’s final harvest, including squash, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, house-made pickles, pears, turnips, greens and potatoes. The fruits and vegetables were harvested from Sparrow Arc Farm in Unity.

The Dandelion Spring Farm lamb that will be served was raised on an uninhabited island in Penobscot Bay, where it was allowed to roam freely.

Schiller and Desjarlais will give a presentation on how to bring the farm-to-table experience into the home. Schiller will talk about building relationships with local farmers, farming techniques and her philosophy of growing food.

Desjarlais will talk about how to pickle, preserve and creatively prepare seasonal fruits and vegetables, especially when they’ve been purchased in large amounts.

Dishes served throughout the evening will illustrate the curing, brining and preserving processes that Desjarlais will cover during the presentation.

Desjarlais will also speak about storing and preparing a whole hog at home.

The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. and costs $50. That price does not include alcohol.

For reservations, call 791-2800.

Havana South’s wine dinner to be presented on Thursday

Havana South, 44-50 Wharf St., will host a five-course wine dinner with Robert Kacher of Robert Kacher Selections on Thursday.

The dinner costs $69 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and will be held from 6 to 9 p.m.

The menu includes courses such as citrus-cured Scottish salmon with a chili-spiced raspberry coulis and creme fraiche paired with Domaine Bertrand Ambrosie Cremant de Bourgogne, and cinnamon-spiced braised Colorado lamb shank with organic maple-glazed carrots paired with Chateau d’Or et de Gueules Cimel.

Reservations are required. Call 772-9988.

Learn about wines in time for Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is stressful enough without having to worry about the wine too.

Learn about Thanksgiving wines at the next 20/20 charity wine event, which will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 21 at Havana South, 44-50 Wharf St.

The event costs $20 for 20 wines. Proceeds will go to the Animal Refuge League.

Mead headlines workshop at Urban Farm Fermentory

Learn all about mead and brew your first batch at a workshop on Tuesday at the Urban Farm Fermentory, 200 Anderson St.

“From Alcohol to Alchemy: The Lore, Craft and Nutrition of Mead” will be held 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $35, or $45 at the door. The workshop will include a short talk on mead lore by James Lindenschmidt of www.BardicBrews.net; a lecture on the nutrition and alchemy of mead by Daniel Vitalis; and a meadmaking craft workshop with Lindenschmidt.

Fermentation equipment will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information, call 653-7406.

Bar Lola hosts wine dinner with seasonal menu

Terry Theise, author of “Reading Between the Wines” (University of California Press, $24.95), will be the featured guest at a Dec. 7 wine dinner at Bar Lola, 100 Congress St.

The five-course dinner will feature a seasonal menu paired with wines chosen by Theise. The cost is $100 per person, which includes the wine, tax and gratuity. Books will be available during dinner.
Call 775-5652 for reservations.

Yankee magazine praises Two Fat Cats’ holiday pies

Yankee magazine has named Two Fat Cats, 47 India St., one of the five best bakeries in New England to buy a holiday pie made from scratch.
Victoria Abbott Riccardi, the Boston-based food writer who chose the bakeries, called Two Fat Cats’ pumpkin pie “a rich, custardy concoction of puree, brown sugar and spices.”

The four other bakeries mentioned in the article are the Ever So Humble Pie Company in East Walpole, Mass.; Grandma Miller’s in Londonderry, Vt.; Kristin’s Bistro & Bakery Downtown in Keene, N.H.; and Petsi Pies in Somerville and Cambridge, Mass.

Greenlaw to be guest at annual caviar dinner

Linda Greenlaw, swordfishing captain and best-selling author, will be a guest at the annual caviar dinner on Saturday at the Portland Harbor Hotel.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a champagne and hors d’oeurves reception. Dinner will include four courses featuring Maine seafood, including Greenlaw’s swordfish and imported caviar from Brown Trading Co.

Rod Mitchell of Browne Trading will be on hand to discuss the caviars that are served.

Greenlaw, a resident of Isle au Haut, is best known for her book “The Hungry Ocean” and her reality TV show on the Discovery Channel, “Swords: Life on the Line.”

The cost of the dinner is $140 per person, which includes wine pairings, tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 775-9090.

WESTBROOK

Highland Lake Grange holds Harvest Supper on Saturday

Highland Lake Grange No. 87 will hold a Harvest Supper on Saturday.

The menu includes turkey and rice, shepherd’s pie, lasagna, potatoes, meatloaf, beverages, bread and dessert. Seating starts at 4:45 p.m. The dinner costs $8, or $4 for children under 12.

There will also be a bake sale with homemade pies, bread, candy, fudge and whoopie pies.

The Grange is located on the corner of Route 302 and Hardy Road.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH

Trolley takes diners for ride during progressive dinner

Hop on board the trolley at the Mount Royal Motel, 30 West Grand Ave., at 5:45 p.m. Saturday to participate in an Old Orchard Beach progressive dinner

The trolley will leave at 6 p.m. sharp, and the dinner won’t end until 11 p.m.

The first stop will be Jimmy the Greek’s for a toast and pre-dinner drink.

Appetizers will be served at Thai Orchid, followed by soup or salad at Dunegrass. JJ’s Eatery will be serving the entree. Dessert and coffee will be at the Alouette Beach Cafe. The last stop will be at the Brunswick for entertainment by the Don Campbell Band.

Tickets are limited and cost $45 per person, which includes everything but drinks and gratuity. To purchase tickets, call Linda Mailhot at 281-2114 or Sharri MacDonald at 590-4201.

– Compiled by Meredith Goad, Staff Writer