Entries associated with the tag "Table of Nations":

thursday6

Chef Daniel Tucker shows how to make fresh mozzarella at home as part of Room 21’s cooking demo series, which runs the first Thursday of each month (next month features eggnog). Mozzarella samples will be served with prosciutto and a wine pairing. Reservations recommended. 6-7 PM, 2110 S. Wabash, 312-328-1198, $10 (which you’ll get back as a discount on your tab if you order dinner at the restaurant).

Taste products from Vermont Butter & Cheese with company founder Allison Hooper at Pastoral's Loop store. 5-7 PM, 53 E. Lake, 312-658-1250, free. 

friday7

Lush Wine and Spirits on Halsted hosts a tasting of winter brews from Bell's. 6-9 PM, 1257 S. Halsted, 312-738-1900, free. 

saturday8

The sixth annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer, presented by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, features area breweries including Mickey Finn’s, Goose Island, Three Floyds, Flossmoor Station, and Rock Bottom as well as farther-flung brewers. The competition covers eight style categories, ranging from classic porter/stout to barleywine to experimental; attendees can sample the entries at one of two sessions. 1-5 PM or 6-10 PM, Chicago Journeyman Plumbers’ Local Union 130, Stephen M. Bailey Auditorium, 1340 W. Washington, illinoisbeer.com, $35 in advance, $45 at the door.

Executive chef Jeff Mauro of Powerhouse shares tips for cooking Thanksgiving dinner, including how to roast the perfect turkey, prepare spoonbread, braised red cabbage, dried fruit couscous, and desserts. There'll be samples of the recipes and wine. 11 AM, 215 N. Clinton, 312-928-0800, $40.

tuesday11

Sheffield's offers a class on the flavors and styles of beer with Brett VanderKamp, John Haggerty, and Fred Bueltmann of New Holland Brewing Company; attendees will taste five New Holland beers paired with appetizers. 7-8 PM, 3258 N. Sheffield, 773-281-4989, $25.

wednesday12

The Freedom Museum’s Table of Nations, a series that “expands minds and palates through stimulating conversations on freedom issues in select countries,” meets at Ethiopian Diamond for dinner and a discussion of famine, genocide, and the current crises in Sudan, Somalia, and other parts of the Horn of Africa. 6-8 PM, 6120 N. Broadway, 312-222-7871, $35, $25 museum members.

Between Boutique Cafe and Lounge offers a fixed-price tasting menu by executive chef Radhika Desai, a contestant on Top Chef: New York, at a viewing party for the premiere of the show's fifth season. Among the offerings: curried lobster bisque, braised duck samosas, and ginger-chocolate mousse in chocolate tarts. 9 PM, 1324 N. Milwaukee, 773-292-0585, $50.

Saturday at this year's Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, Garden Gourmet features cooking demonstrations from chefs Alex Cheswick of May Street Market, Darrel Anderson of Dinner’s Ready, and Ina Pinkney of Ina’s at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM, respectively. All recipes will use ingredients that can be grown around the house, and the first 100 people attending each session get to sample the food. Demonstrations continue throughout the show’s run through Sunday, March 16. $12-14, $5 children ages 4-12.

Massimiliano Vivalda samples out wines from his eponymous winery, including barbera d'asti and dolcetto, in a free tasting at the Broadway location of Pastoral on Saturday from 2-4 PM.

Bring home the bacon--not to mention ham and Polish sausage--at the annual Easter Ham Bingo at the American Legion Franklin D. Roosevelt Post No. 923, Saturday at 7 PM. There'll be a bar and food (not just the pig-based prizes) in addition to the bingo. Free to attend; there's a "minimal charge" to play. 1824 W. Cortland, 773-338-7373

Gene Baur, founder of the farm animal rescue and protection agency Farm Sanctuary, which campaigned for Chicago’s foie gras ban, discusses his new book, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, Monday at 6 PM. It examines ethical questions raised by large-scale production of meat, milk, and eggs and the issues that small farmers face in an industry dominated by factory farms. At DePaul Center's North Cafe, 11th floor, 1 E. Jackson, 312-362-6799.

The Book Stall at Chestnut Court hosts a luncheon at Corner Cooks with Barbara Damrosch, author of The Garden Primer, Monday at noon. Reservations are $27, $15 of which goes to Open Lands.

The University Village location of Lush Wine and Spirits hosts "Cabernet Cage Fight: Down and Dirty International Cabernet," a tasting Monday from 7:30 to 9 PM that highlights the differences between old-world Bordeaux-style cabs and wines from Australia, California, and Chile—the only country in the world with old vines that haven’t been infected by the pest phylloxera. $30.

Wednesday from 6 to 8 PM, the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum hosts a Table of Nations discussion on Pakistan at Chopal Kabab and Steak. Over Pakistani food, participants will discuss the prospect of peace in Pakistan and the country's relationship with the U.S. Reservations required; $35 ($25 members).