Food Notes

Check out the art scene at Zinc this evening

Art aficionados can plan for Art Drinks at Zinc, set for 5:30 to 8 this evening at Zinc Bistro.

Meet fellow art lovers for drink specials and conversation at the event, which meets at Zinc the second Wednesday of each month. There will be opportunities to win a print by Jeremy Taylor, a CD by Laurence Elder and two tickets to “Valentine’s at the Paramount.”

Zinc Bistro is at 420 W. Main St. and can be reached at 245-9462. For details about the program, which is hosted by Piedmont Council of the Arts, visit http://www.charlottesvillearts. org or call 971-ARTS.

Valentine’s menu takes shape at Pizza Bella

Pizza Bella will offer its special Valentine’s Day menu of heart-shaped pizzas and pastas on Saturday.

Look for lobster and crab heart-shaped ravioli. The menu also includes lobster pasta, oysters Rockefeller and beef tenderloin. There will be holiday flowers and tablecloths.

For information about seating or delivery, call 296-7472.

Fans get a little dance demonstration at Siips

Shergold Studio will start Valentine’s Day revels a little early by bringing a variety of belly dance, burlesque and exotic dance demonstrations to Siips Wine and Champagne Bar on Friday.

Nandini, Shergold’s lead belly dance instructor, will present a solo performance at 9 p.m.

Erica Shergold will present a traditional fan dance at 9:20 p.m. using body-sized red and white ostrich-feather fans.

At 9:40 p.m. Sekhmet’s Sisters, Nandini and Selene, will present a belly dance duet.

At 10 p.m., Shergold will offer a chair dance to “All That Jazz.”

At 10:20 p.m., the E-Fit Femmes Fatales will present a synchronized exotic chair dance.

Admission is free. For details, call 872-0056.

Kluge will close the estate’s Farm Shop kitchen

Starting Monday,the Kluge Estate Farm Shop kitchen will be closed and will be open only for catered events.

The Farm Shop will continue to serve artisanal cheeses and fresh baguettes. The selection of cheeses from around the world pair well with Kluge Estate’s wines.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through March.

Hours from April until June will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

From July through October, the hours will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. In November and December, hours will switch to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For information, visit http://www.klugeestateonline.com or call 977-3895.

King Family welcomes all for Valentine’s dinner

King Family Vineyards will present its Valentine’s Day Wine Dinner with a reception at 7 p.m. Saturday and dinner at 7:30 p.m.

Professional DJ and trained dance instructor Derek Tobler will play traditional dance music ranging from swing to Latin and will take requests. There will be a meal by A Pimento Catering, plus flowers and decor by Beehive Events.

The cost is $95 and is all-inclusive. Prepaid reservations are required. For details or reservations, send e-mail to

or call 823-7800.

Travel to the Hill Top for a Sweet Heart’s event

Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery will celebrate Valentine’s Day with its Sweet Heart’s Weekend from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Wines and historical honey meads will be paired with food during wine tasting.

Raspberry Wine, Three Sisters Elderberry Wine and Mead all have been bottled in time for Sweet Heart’s Weekend. The new release for 2009 is Nectarine Melomel. Fourteen specialty wines are in stock.

Admission is $10 and includes a logo glass, wine glass charm, wine tasting with food pairings and gourmet chocolates. No reservations are required. For information, visit

http://www.hilltopberrywine.com or call 361-1266.

McFadden, Lewis join Not the Same Old Grind

Not the Same Old Grind in Orange welcomes two new kitchen managers.

Day manager Kelli McFadden comes to the Grind with more than 20 years of restaurant management and cooking experience. She spent much of her career at the Caroline Street Cafe in Fredericksburg and worked at Hard Times Cafe.

Night manager Michael Lewis of Gordonsville is known for his barbecue. He learned to make barbecue from his uncle, who was known as the “King of Ribs.” He has worked for Buddy’s BBQ and the Biltmore. Fans can taste Lewis’ barbecue on weekends.

Not the Same Old Grind is at 130 E. Church St. in Orange. Learn more at Notthesameoldgrind.com or (540) 672-3143.

Winemaker’s dinner on tap at DelFosse

DelFosse Vineyards and Winery will present its Valentine’s Day Winemaker’s Wine Dinner from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

The menu by Genevieve DelFosse will be served with DelFosse Winery wines.  The dinner is $65 per person and includes a complimentary wine glass. Reservations are required at http://www.delfossewine.com or 263-6100.

DelFosse also will have two events at the Market Salamander in Middleburg — a wine tasting at 3 p.m. Feb. 19 and a wine dinner at 6 p.m. Feb. 20. For information, call (540) 687-8011.

Palladio plans a pair of Valentine’s dinners

Palladio Restaurant will offer its Valentine’s Day Dinner at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The five-course dinner for two includes a choice of entree. The menu is available upon request.

The cost is $300 per couple, all-inclusive, and reservations are required. Call (540) 832-7848.

Chef will share his secrets tonight at Clifton

Dean Maupin, executive chef of Clifton, continues his new cooking demonstration series tonight, presenting “Slow-Braising Demo: Beef Shortrib, Lamb Shank and Duck Confit” at 6 this evening before dinner. Each demonstration starts at 6 p.m. and includes a chance to sample the results. Diners are invited, but not required, to stay for dinner.

Coming up in the series will be “Great Steak: Marinades, Rubs and Butters” on Feb. 18, “Cheese Course: A Study in Fine American Artisan Cheese” on Feb. 25 and “Dessert Secrets with Pastry Goddess Erin Maupin” on March 4.

For details or reservations, call 971-1800. Find out more about Clifton at http://www.cliftoninn.net.

Cyclists will deliver chocolate chip scones

Bake n’ Bike is back, offering chocolate chip scones for Valentine’s Day.

An order of half a dozen heart-shaped chocolate chip scones can be delivered by “cherubic cyclists” on bicycles within the city of Charlottesville, or picked up at Quest Bookshop on West Main Street. Deliveries are available on Friday and Saturday.

Each deliver is made for a suggested donation of $15 to $10 and comes with a homemade card. All proceeds will go to Community Bikes and Books Behind Bars. To find out more or place an order, send e-mail to or call 882-1516.

Chocolate Fest returns to Whole Foods today

Whole Foods Market will present its Chocolate Fest 2009 at 5 this afternoon.

There will be chocolate demonstrations and samples, including samples of the six-inch Chocolate Dream Cake, which features chocolate sauce layered over the store’s fresh-frozen 365 brand ice cream.

Bissinger’s chocolate-covered marshmallow hearts also will be featured.

Jimmy O will entertain the Aberdeen crowd

Jimmy O will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday for Valentine’s Day weekend entertainment at the Aberdeen Barn.

Reservations are recommended. For information, call 296-4630.

There are some special deals on tap at Clifton

Clifton will be offering its 4-4-2 promotion through the end of March.

Diners may bring a group of four to Clifton and eat for the price of two. The menu is a three-course Chef’s Choice with options available for each course.

If your group is larger, the deal offers a chance for five to six people to eat for the price of three and groups of seven to eat for the price of four. Prices are based on food only and don’t include beverages or alcohol.

Visit http://www.cliftoninn.net or call 971-1800.

Two more chances to sign up for a wine class

“Wine, Wit and Wisdom,” a wine class, continues at 2 p.m. Saturday and Feb. 21 in the Chesapeake Room at the Williamsburg Lodge. Led by Rhys Lewis, Colonial Williamsburg’s executive chef, and sommelier Charles Birr, the classes will explore the red grapes of Bordeaux and Burgundy, artisan cheeses and food pairings.

Saturday’s class offers an afternoon of champagne and chocolate for a Valentine’s Day treat.

Tuition is $25 per session, plus tax and gratuities. For reservations and details, call (757) 220-7798.

Don’t head right home after the class, because the Williamsburg Lodge Restaurant plans a special a la carte Valentine’s Day dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

For dinner reservations, call (757) 229-2141.

From staff reports