Food Events

5/1: A Sexy Wines of the Rhone Valley dinner will be held at Stage Left, 5 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick. 7 PM; $129 plus tax and tip. Call 732-828-4444 for reservations.

5/1: A Super Saver Super Sampling will be held at the Tournament Players Club at Jasna Polana, 8 Lawrenceville Rd, Princeton, to benefit the Cancer Hospital Patient Care Fund and the RWJ University Hospital Foundation. 7 to 11 PM; $89. For tickets call 609-737-0358.

5/1: A three-course Eat With the Fishes Sicilian wine dinner will be held at the Pluckemin Inn, 359 Rt 202/206 and Pluckemin Way, Bedminster. 7:30 PM; $100 plus tax and gratuity. Call 908-658-9292 for more information and reservations.

5/1 to 5/3: A Spanish Wine Weekend will be held at the Golden Inn Resort, Oceanfront and 78th St, Avalon. $195 plus tax and gratuities. For more information and reservations call 609-368-5155.

5/2: Meet Lidia Bastianich; get a signed copy of her latest cookbook, Lidia’s Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes From the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most, at the special price of $24.99; and taste Bastianich wines at Stew Leonard’s Wines of Clifton, 345 Allwood Rd, Clifton, from 1 to 3 PM. For more information call 973-859-7700.

5/2: The third annual Avenel VFW Post #7164 wine tasting with light hors d’oeuvres will be held at 60 W Park Ave, Avenel. 7 to 10 PM; $30 for all VFW members and VFW men & ladies’ auxiliary members; $40 for the general public; $50 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in the bar at the Avenel VFW or by calling Debbie at 732-208-0300.

5/3: Slow Food NNJ will host a four-course Locavore Dinner at A Toute Heure, 232 Centennial Ave, Cranford. 5 to 7 PM; $50; $55 for non-members; BYO. For more information call 908-654-3242; for reservations send check payable to Slow Food NNJ by April 27 to Pam Tonucci, 27 Field Rd, Maplewood, NJ 07040.

5/3: A wine dinner sponsored by the Essex County Wine Society will be held at Cafe Panache, 130 E Main St, Ramsey. 5 PM; $120 for nonmembers and guests; $105 for members. For more information and reservations call 201-934-0030.

5/3: A spring wine tasting and dinner will be held at Acacia of Lawrenceville, 2637 Main St, Lawrenceville. 6 to 9 PM; $70. For reservations call 609-895-9885.

5/3: A wine tasting class, Riesling, the Other White Wine, will be held at the Cape May Wine School at the Washington Inn, 801 Washington St, Cape May. 1 PM; $30. For reservations call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278.

5/4: Bobby Flay will be signing copies of his most recent cookbook, Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes, at Bobby’s Burger Palace, Monmouth Mall, 188 Rt 35 S, Eatontown. Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $25.95; 6 to 8 PM. For more information call 732-544-0200.

5/4: The 2009 Culinary Classic will be held at the Mill at Spring Lake Heights, 101 Old Mill Rd, Spring Lake Heights, to benefit the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. 5 to 9 PM; $85. For tickets call 732-918-2600.

5/6: A Tedeschi wine dinner will be held at Berta’s Chateau, 7 Grove St, Wanaque. 7 PM; $45. For reservations call 973-835-0992.

5/6: Think Pink, Drink Pink: The 2nd Annual Rosé Guzzle Fest will be held at Rosie’s Wine Bar, 514 North Ave, Garwood. 7 to 8:30 PM; $25 including cheese and bread. For reservations call 908-518-WINE.

5/6: A beefsteak dinner will be held at the Brownstone, 351 W Broadway, Paterson. 6 to 10 PM; $45. For reservations call 973-473-2775.

5/7: A wine tasting with finger food and snacks will be held at Verve Restaurant, 18 East Main St, Somerville. 6 to 9 PM; $20. For reservations call 908-707-8655.

5/7: A four-course Bell Vineyards wine dinner with Sandra Bell will be held at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring St, Newton; $85. For more information and reservations call 973-300-4192.

5/7: A book signing and wine tasting with author Lidia Bastianich will be held at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, 1308 Rt 23 N, Wayne. 5 to 7:30 PM; free. For more information call 973-633-3900.

5/7: A Restaurants for a Cure event to benefit Share Our Strength, an organization that works toward ending childhood hunger, will be held at the Park Avenue Club, 184 Park Ave, Florham Park. 6 PM VIP admission $75; general admission, 7 to 10 PM, $50. For tickets call 888-273-6141.

5/8: Prunotto wines will be featured with the nightly tasting menu and will be available by the glass for pairing with à la carte dishes at Elements, 163 Bayard Ln, Princeton. Guest sommelier Emanuele Baldi from the Prunotto winery will be in attendance. Diners will have the opportunity to sample a vertical of Costamiole 2001, 2003, and 2004 as well as the critically acclaimed 2001 Barolo Bussia. For more information and dinner reservations call 609-924-0078.

5/8: A Pour for a Cure wine tasting with a full buffet dinner and dessert will be held at the Hyatt Regency, 2 Albany St, New Brunswick, to benefit the fight against muscular dystrophy. 7 to 11 PM; $90. For tickets call 908-358-4030.

5/14: A cooking class will be held at Bacio Italian Cuisine, 2806 Rt 130 N, Cinnaminson. 6:30 PM; $35 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 856-303-9100.

5/14: A wine tasting with hors d’oeuvres sponsored by CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) will be held at the Flanders Hotel, 719 E 11th St, Ocean City. 7 to 9 PM; $60 per person; $90 for two. For tickets call 609-601-7800.

5/14: A five-course Chalk Hill wine dinner will be held at Legal Sea Foods, 1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus. 6:30 to 10:30 PM; $85 all inclusive. For reservations call 201-843-8483.

5/15: The Morel of the Story, a three-course wine dinner, will be held at the Pluckemin Inn, 359 Rt 202/206 and Pluckemin Way, Bedminster. 7:30 PM; $100 plus tax and gratuity. Call 908-658-9292 for more information and reservations.

5/17: A Lilac Party and wine tasting featuring artisanal spring wines chosen by Master of Wine Chris Cree from 56 Degree Wine, Bernardsville, will be held at Willowwood Arboretum, 300 Longview Rd, Far Hills. 4 to 7 PM; for ticket information call 908-234-1815 or e-mail wwfoundation@earthlink.net.

5/19: A four course Alba wine dinner will be held at Pasta Grill by Enzo, 1916 Rt 57, Hackettstown. 6:30 to 8 PM; $45 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 908-813-8535.

5/19: A Francis Ford Coppola wine dinner will be held at Casa Dante, 737 Newark Ave, Jersey City. 6:30 PM; $95. For reservations call 201-795-2750.

5/20: The Great Grill & Pig Out will be held at the Estate at Florentine Gardens, 97 Rivervale Rd, River Vale, to benefit Table to Table, an organization that fights hunger by collecting prepared and perishable excess food and delivering it to organizations that feed the hungry in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, and Hudson counties. 6:30 PM; $175. For reservations call 201-444-5500 or go to www.tabletotable.org.

5/20: A Loam Wines Cabernet Sauvignon release party with hors d’oeuvres will be held at Mahogany Grille, 142 Main St, Manasquan. 7:30 PM; $59 including tax and gratuity. For reservations call 732-292-1300.

5/21: Barkingdales, a charity event with light fare and dessert, will be held at Branches, 123 Monmouth Rd, West Long Branch, to benefit the Monmouth County SPCA. 7 PM; $35. For tickets call 732-542-2030.

5/21: A Pizza, Focaccia Bread & the Basic Art of Italian Cooking class taught by chef/author Maria Liberati will be held at Whole Foods Market, 3495 Rt 1 S, Princeton. 7 to 8:30 PM; $15. For reservations call 609-799-2919.

5/22: Hugh Carpenter’s Hot Barbecuing: A Class for Bold Men and Fearless Women will be held at Viking Culinary Center, 4 Sperry Rd, Fairfield. 6:30 to 9 PM; $69. To register log on to www.vikingcookingschool.com or call 973-244-1580.

5/23 & 5/24: A Blues & Wine Festival sponsored by the Garden State Wine Growers Association will be held at Natirar Park, Peapack Rd (Rt 512), Peapack-Gladstone. Noon to 5 PM; advance tickets $18; $20 at the event. For more information and tickets call 609-585-0085.

5/28: A Tastes of Chile dinner featuring the wines of Casa Lapostolle will be held at Atlantic City Country Club, 900 Shore Rd, Northfield. 6 to 10 PM; cost to be determined. For more information and reservations call 609-236-4465.

5/29: A three-course Do You Come From the Land Down Under (Australian) wine dinner will be held at the Pluckemin Inn, 359 Rt 202/206 and Pluckemin Way, Bedminster. 7:30 PM; $100 plus tax and gratuity. Call 908-658-9292 for more information and reservations.

5/30: More than 50 beers will be on tap at the Spring Craft Beer Festival on the grounds of the Historic Prison Museum, 215 High St, Mount Holly, and sponsored by High Street Grill, Mount Holly. 1 to 5 PM; $35 in advance; $40 at the gate. Rain date: May 31. For more information call 609-265-9199.