Friday Buffet

By L. Stolpman in Food on Feb 13, 2009 7:00PM

Let's focus on some post-Valentine's, pre-Restaurant Week events this week:

• February 16-22 Carnivale's "Taste of Spain" continues with a focus on Extremadura and Andalucía. Featured dishes include pata negra and ajo colorado. (702 W. Fulton St., 312-850-5005)
• Monday: A reminder about Brasserie JO's February bar bites menu, in which all listed bar bites offerings are $1. (59 W. Hubbard, 312-595-0800)
• Tuesday: Beverly's Pantry (1908 W. 103rd St., 773-238-8550,) has a knife skills class from 7-9 p.m. As part of the $50 price, you'll also leave with an 8" chef's knife.
• Wednesday: Head on over to the Hideout for Soup and Bread. Donations go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Great opportunity to eat some great soup. How do we know? Because Chuckles "The Decider" Sudo will be whipping up a soup along with others from Pierce Doerr, Swim Café, Joshua Westlund and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack. (1354 Wabansia Ave. 5-8 p.m.)
• Thursday: Texas de Brazil and Meals on Wheels will be conducting its first Caipirinha Contest. Come for appetizers, complimentary beer, wine or caipirinhas made by local food writers and editors. Oh, and yours truly will be competing. I just may name my drink the L-Stop in honor of Spook. (51 E. Ohio Street, 6-9 p.m., $20.)
• Thursday: Adam Seger's monthly Happy Hour cocktail class series at Nacional 27 continues. this month, Seger will show you how to work with blood oranges, including giving up the secrets behind his "Luxe Blood Orange Smokey Corazon" and "Blood Orange Caipirinha". (325 W. Huron, 5:30-6:30 p.m., $15)
• Thursday: Local writer Donna Pierce takes a look at the culinary traditions and recipes that blacks from the South brought with them to Chicago during the Great Migration in a free cooking class at the Chicago Cultural Center. (77 E. Washington, 6-8:30 p.m.)