Food Notes

Keswick offers wine dinner, Scottish flavors
Keswick Hall offers two festive events in the coming week.
Dinner at Keswick Vineyards will be presented at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the Barrel Room. Guests can taste the latest releases and meet Stephen Barnard, Keswick’s winemaker.
Craig Hartman, the Fossett’s Restaurant chef, has prepared a menu for cozy candlelight dining.
Hors d’oeuvres will be served with Keswick Vents D’Anges Viognier 2007. Deconstructed chowder of Rag Mountain trout and dried corn and truffle powder will be served with Keswick Verdejo 2007. Foie gras sausage, warm black-bean cake and braised cabbage and white grape nage will be paired with Keswick Cabernet Franc 2007.
Wood-roasted loin of Virginia fallow deer, hunter’s sauce, terrine of local potatoes with braised venison shoulder and winter vegetables will be presented with Keswick Heritage 2006. Dessert will be Keswick Vineyards Nektar Cake and warm almond soup, served with Kewswick Nektar 2006.
Dinner is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 979-3440.
Fossett’s Restaurant will present its first Robert Burns Dinner with a reception at 6:45 p.m. Monday and dinner at 7 p.m. There will be Scottish delicacies, haggis with liquor and sporadic outbursts of poetry. A piper will be on hand.
Hors d’oeuvres will include Scottish smoked salmon and leek tart with English cheddar fritters and red deer pate. The first dish is Cullen Skink, with smoked haddock and a potato and leek fondue and strong ale to match.
Haggis with neeps and tatties includes a stuffed sheep’s stomach with mashed turnips and potatoes, traditional oat cakes and whiskey to match. Wood-roasted prime rib of Devon cattle is next, served with Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots and a hearty wine. Dessert features a traditional Scottish dessert pudding with mead to match.
The meal is $65, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling 979-3440.

Shaps’ viognier selected for inaugural benefit
Alice Waters and Daniel Boulud, two of the best-known American chefs, chose the 2007 Michael Shaps Viognier to serve at the “Art. Food. Give” charity dinner during the inaugural festivities.
Waters and Boulud selected the wine for a dinner to benefit D.C. Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table, which operates soup kitchens and fresh farm markets.
The wine is produced at Virginia Wineworks in Charlottesville. It has been praised as “American best viognier” in Saveur magazine and one of the “10 hottest brands in the U.S.” in Wine Business Monthly.
Virginia Wineworks is open for tours and tastings from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends on Harris Creek Road off Route 20. For information, visit http://www.virginiawineworks.com.

It’s OK to take Clifton class for shellfish reason
Dean Maupin, executive chef of Clifton, continues his new cooking demonstration series tonight, presenting “Shellfish Cookery: Lobsters and Mussels and Shrimp, Oh, My” at 6.
Each demonstration starts at 6 p.m. and includes a chance to sample the results. For details or reservations, call 971-1800. Find out more about Clifton at http://www.cliftoninn.net.

Dip into gourmet fondues at South River
At South River Restaurant and Wine Shop in Waynesboro, reservations are needed for the Wine Dinner at 7 p.m. Thursday. There will be gourmet fondues and wine.
Guests also can sign up online at http://www.southrivergrill.com for a free birthday dinner. For information on any event, visit the Web site or call (540) 942-5567.

Pollak Vineyards brings home silvers, bronzes
Pollak Vineyards has won four medals in the San Francisco Wine Competition, which took place Jan. 5. More than 4,700 entries were submitted by wineries across the United States.
Pollak’s 2005 Meritage, a Bordeaux-style blend, and 2007 Viognier won silver medals. The 2006 Cabernet Franc and 2006 Merlot received bronze medals. Each wine was a first release for the winery.
Pollak Vineyards, created by Margo and David Pollak in 2003, is open for tastings Wednesdays through Sundays through March and daily from April through October.
Learn more at http://www.pollakvineyards.com or (540) 456-8844.

Harris Teeter’s ready to fill your other tank
Harris Teeter is offering customers with VIC cards the chance to get up to $50 in free gas.
Shoppers who spend $40 or more and use their VIC cards at Harris Teeter in 14 out of the program’s 16 weeks will get status updates on their receipts. Once shoppers qualify for the giveaway, they will see a reward notice printed on the bottom of their receipts. Take the qualifying receipt and VIC card to customer service and get a $25 gas card.
To receive the second $25 gas card, become an e-VIC member by signing up on harristeeter.com by April 7. E-VIC offers weekly e-mails with personalized weekly specials and members-only discounts. To learn more, visit harristeeter.com.

From staff reports