Culinary Calendar: Sept. 19

culinary calendar

SPECIAL EVENTS

Lee Roy Selmon's: Celebrate NFL season every Thursday after 4 p.m for $5 nachos. Happy hour is 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and features an expanded menu of $3 appetizers and drinks. Lee Roy Selmon's is at 6510 Cortez Road, Bradenton. Information: 941-798-3287 or http://www.leeroyselmons.com.

Culinaria restaurant weeks: The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced Culinaria, restaurant weeks in the Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area, through Sept. 28. In addition to their regular menus, specially designed prix fixe lunch and dinner menus will be featured at each of the 16 participating Culinaria restaurants; pricing starts at $15 for lunch, $25 for dinner. Restaurants participating in Culinaria are Alamo Steak House, Anna Maria Oyster Bar, Cedar Reef Fish Camp, Eat Here on Anna Maria Island, Gulf Drive Caf, IMG Academy Grille Room, Island Gourmet Grill, J's Bistro, Lazy Lobster, Michael Johns, O'Bricks, Peridia Golf & Country Club, Pier 22, Polo Grill & Bar, Tarpon Point Grill and V's Grill at Riviera Dunes. The BACVB partnered with the Southern Living Test Kitchen to offer Southern Living-created recipes each of the participating chefs may offer on their Culinaria menus during the restaurant weeks. In addition to tastings from special menus at participating restaurants, diners will have the opportunity to have their official "Culinaria Bradenton Area Restaurant Week Passports" stamped at each restaurant in which they dine; passports are available at participating restaurants. Once diners have 12 stamps in their passports, they can enter a drawing to win a trip to "Edible Escapes" in Manhattan in October, compliments of Chefs Choice, Edible Sarasota/Bradenton and JetBlue. Complete contest rules can be found on http://www.bradentongulfislands.com/culinaria.

Mattison's wine dinner: There will be a five-course wine-pairing dinner featuring wines from the Italian family-run vineyard Illuminati at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Mattison's Forty-One, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Stefano Illuminati, third-generation vineyard owner, is the special guest and wine expert to guide guests throughout the evening. The dinner is $75 plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and can be made online at http://www.mattisons.com or by calling 941-921-3400.

St. Petersburg & the Bay Area Festival of Food, Wine and the Arts: Tickets for the St. Petersburg & the Bay Area Festival of Food, Wine and the Arts are now on sale at http://www.enjoyartsandtastes.com. The festival is Nov. 15-17 in and around St. Petersburg. Renowned regional chefs, restaurants and artists, nationally celebrated chefs Donatella Arpaia, Duff Goldman, Ingrid Hoffmann, Masaharu Morimoto, Ming Tsai, Scott Conant, Todd English and Lorena Garcia, as well as artist Duncan McClellan and food journalist and author Allen Salkin, will come together to celebrate the culinary and arts community of St. Petersburg and the bay area. Scheduled events include:

Nov. 15: Sense Immersion Dinner hosted by Todd English and Duncan Mcclellan, 7-10 p.m. A kick-off to the festival weekend, this dinner will combine culinary arts with fine arts through teams of celebrated chefs and artists. Teams will present a one-of-a-kind menu inspired by the sensibility and style of each artist, accompanied by fine wines and spirits. Seated dinner. Location: Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Dr. N.E., St. Petersburg. Time: 7-10 p.m. Tickets: $200 (includes all food and beverage)

Nov. 15: Nocturnal Cravings hosted by Duff Goldman, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. A late-night dessert tasting party that celebrates Salvador Dali's art, and plays on his delicious lithograph, Les Pios Nonoches. The evening will feature notable regional pastry chefs and chocolatiers offering an array of desserts inspired by the artist's work. A selection of fine wines and spirits will be served. Walk-around tasting. Location: The Dali Museum, 1 Dali Blvd., St. Petersburg. Tickets: $85 (includes all food & beverage)

Nov. 16: Grand Tasting, noon-5 p.m. The centerpiece of the festival, the Grand Tasting will feature top regional culinary talent who will present tasty portions of their signature dishes, both savory and sweet. To top off this gourmet experience, fine wine and spirits will be poured. VIP tickets grant access to HSN's VIP tent, where guests get a chance to mingle with celebrity chefs who will stop by throughout the day. Location: Tented area at The Mahaffey Theater Plaza and Albert Whitted Park, Bay Shore Drive SE, St. Petersburg. Tickets: $95 general admission/$125 VIP access (includes all food and beverage)

Nov. 16: Culinary demonstrations by guest celebrity chefs and personalities, 11 a.m.-6:15 p.m. An exciting array of interactive culinary demonstrations led by guest celebrity chefs and personalities who will reveal their tricks of the trade. Demonstration-only, no tasting. Location: Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. Demonstration schedule will be available on the festival website. Tickets: $50 per demo

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Culinary Calendar: Sept. 19