Spring lamb at Village Pub
Lamb lovers, head to The Village Pub in Woodside from now until Sunday, April 30, to taste a particular spring lamb that is only available for one month every year. The lambs come from Don Watson's Napa Valley Lamb Co., where they are milk-fed and harvested just before they're weaned, according to the restaurant. "This care results in a smaller lamb, with an incredibly mild flavor and extreme tenderness," an online description reads. During the month of April, Village Pub will have one dish a week featuring the hard-to-get lamb.
The Village Pub, 2967 Woodside Road, Woodside; villagepub.net
Tom Pavicic, a server at The Village Pub in Woodside, takes diner’s orders for lunch in 2015. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Weekly.
Gluten-free pop-ups in Redwood City
Duck and Dragons Bakery, a local gluten-free baking company, is teaming up with Cyclismo Coffee in Redwood City to host two pop-ups at the coffee shop on Tuesday, April 18, and Sunday, April 23, both from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. At the April 18 event, expect fresh, made-from-scratch breads and pizzas free of gluten, grains, soy and corn as well as paleo items. The second pop-up will feature pizzas and sandwiches. Tickets ($8 each) also include extras like coffee or tea and a slice of banana bread. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to eventbrite.com.
Cyclismo Coffee, 871 Middlefield Road, Redwood City
Manresa Bread coffee class
Head to Manresa Bread in Los Altos on Wednesday, April 19, for a coffee class with lead barista Aevan Balan. Learn how to use a Chemex and taste Verve Coffee. The classes will run from 15 to 30 minutes and start at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
Manresa Bread, 271 State St., Los Altos; manresabread
Redwood City Restaurant Week
Redwood City Restaurant Week is returning for its third year on Thursday, April 20, through Wednesday, April 26. Thirteen restaurants (view a list here) will be serving special prix-fixe dinner menus throughout the week. Four chefs from some of the participating restaurants — LV Mar/La Viga, Aly's on Main, The Striped Pig and Arya Steakhouse — will engage in a "friendly cooking competition" on April 22, according to a Facebook event page. The cook-off is from noon-4:30 p.m. at Courthouse Square; a Journey tribute band will perform live from 5-7 p.m.
Village Pub wine seminar
Interested in "deductive" wine tasting? The Village Pub's lead sommelier, Randy Nakagawa, will guide you through learning about the sight, smell and taste of wine in a seminar on Saturday, April 29, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nakagawa will explore the physiology of wine, blind and double-blind tastings and explain how to determine what a wine is without reading the label. $65 per person; for more and to purchase tickets, go to thevillagepub.net.
Blue Bottle brew class
Blue Bottle Coffee is celebrating its second anniversary in Palo Alto with a free brewing class on Sunday, April 30, 11 a.m. to noon. Learn how to make a cup of pour-over with Blue Bottle's new custom coffee dripper and try out the company's new ground coffee. For more information, go to eventbrite.com.
Blue Bottle Coffee, 456 University Ave., Palo Alto; bluebottlecoffee.com
Barista Cory Gaytan pours ground coffee into the top component of a coffee siphon at Blue Bottle Coffee in Palo Alto. Photo by Magali Gauthier/Palo Alto Weekly.
Silicon Valley Italian Festival
Learn how to make handmade pasta, sample gelato and sip on Italian wines during the Silicon Valley Italian Festival at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto on Sunday, May 7. There will be cooking classes, food vendors, speakers and more throughout the day. For more information, go to bayareaeventitaliani.com.
OFJCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Pampas 'grand' wine tasting
It will be a wine extravaganza at Pampas in downtown Palo Alto on Sunday, May 7, with more than 100 different wines from 30-plus wineries available at the restaurant's "grand" tasting event. Bottles will also be available for purchase at discounted rates. Tickets cost $15-$55; for more information and to purchase, go to eventbrite.com.
Pampas, 529 Alma St., Palo Alto; pampaspaloalto.org
Samin Nosrat in Palo Alto
Samin Nosrat, chef and author of forthcoming cookbook "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: The Four Elements of Good Cooking," will speak in Palo Alto on Monday, May 18, at 7 p.m. She will talk with Wendy MacNaughton, California Sunday Magazine columnist and illustrator for Nosrat's cookbook, and Sunset Magazine Food Editor Margo True at the Commonwealth Club event. General admission is $22 or $12 for members. For more and to purchase tickets, go to commonwealthclub.org.
Farmers market openings
Head's up: Two favorite local farmers markets will make their seasonal debuts in May. The Downtown Palo Alto market will open for its 37th season on Saturday, May 13, and continue on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at Gilman Street and Hamilton Avenue through December. Downtown Los Altos opens on Thursday, May 4, and will run on Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. at 2nd and State streets through the end of September.
A woman picks Romano beans from the Borba Farms booth at the Downtown Los Altos Farmers' Market on May 5, 2016. Photo by Michelle Le/Palo Alto Weekly.
Brioche 101 with Avery Ruzicka
Get on the wait list for a brioche-making class with Avery Ruzicka, head baker from Manresa Bread in Los Gatos and Los Altos, at Draeger's Cooking School in Menlo Park on Saturday, May 13. The class is full, but if you get in off the wait list, you'll learn the basics of making brioche dough, shaping variations, proofing and baking techniques from Ruzicka. Cost is $90. For more, go to draegerscookingschool.com.
Draegers, 1010 University Drive, Menlo Park; draegers.com
Alyssa Chhan, left, and Avery Ruzicka shape portions of apricot sunflower bread on tables, where it will rise before baking at Manresa Bread's baking facility in Los Gatos. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Weekly.
Pig roasts at Pizzeria Delfina
Pizzeria Delfina's summer pig roasts will return to Palo Alto on May 30. Dine on roasted pig from a local farm, summertime side dishes and Peroni on tap in the patio. There are two family-style seatings at each roast (5:30-7:30 p.m. and 7:30-9:30 p.m.), first come, first served. For more and to purchase tickets, go to eventbrite.com.
Pizzeria Delfina, 651 Emerson St., Palo Alto; pizzeriadelfina.com
