Wine and beer events

Napa Valley Grille, 111 Providence Place, Providence, (401) 270-6272, welcomes Duckhorn Vineyards for a four-course wine dinner prepared by executive chef Erik Wicklund Wednesday, Nov. 18, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The fee is $100 inclusive of tax and gratuity; call for reservations.

East Side Prescription Center, 632 Hope St., Providence, (401) 751-1430, will hold a wine tasting event Thursday, Nov. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Gasbarro’s Wines will host a food and wine pairing at Adoption Rhode Island, 2 Bradford St., Providence, Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Foods from Café Romanzo, Siena and Providence Oyster Bar will be featured. Donation is $75, $125 for two. For tickets call (401) 421-4170.

Gallery Z, 259 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 454-8844, galleryzprov.com, partners with AIDS Care Ocean State for this month’s Art, Food & Wine Creating Awareness for a Cause event Thursday, Nov. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. Cuisine provided by Opa and wines selected by Mark Gasbarro of Gasbarro’s Wines will be featured.

The Cumberland Land Trust will host a wine tasting at the Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St., Cumberland, Friday, Nov. 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. Mendon Wines & More will provide a selection of wines from around the world and cheeses and appetizers will be served. Tickets are $25 each or $40 per couple; call (401) 334-4643.

Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery, 417 Hixbridge Rd., Westport, Mass., will hold a Long Acre House beer dinner on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. with Dann Paquette, Pretty Things brewer. He crafts his line of small-batch, artisanal beers at Buzzards Bay Brewing. The food pairings will be prepared by David Hernandez, chef for Green Gal Catering and the Long Acre House. The dinner includes roasted local pumpkin bisque with Jack D’Or, an American take on the Belgian saison. Rabbit ravioli will be served with Paquette’s Baby Tree, a Belgian-inspired dark beer brewed with dried plums. Pretty Things’ Babayaga Stout is the match for a Wolfe’s Neck Farm rib eye with stout jus. The cost is $70. Call (508) 294-7087 for reservations

News

Jim Harris, proprietor of Pizzico Ristorante on Providence’s East Side, has opened his new restaurant, Gavi Trattoria, at the East Providence Sons of Italy, 99 Hicks St., (401) 490-0618. He serves Italian cuisine and grilled pizza. There is a full bar and wine list and prices are meant to be moderate. The dining room has 60 seats and is set below ground with exposed brick, glass, tapestry, wine racks, rustic oversized chairs, banquettes that seat up to 12, low lights, low ceilings, and Italian and classical music.

Flare, a Brick Oven Bistro at 577 Tiogue Ave., Coventry, (401) 615-8577, has reopened. The contemporary restaurant’s new menu is centered around a real brick oven which can be seen from the dining room and the new Chef’s Table. A “build-your-own pizza” section is featured along with a selection of dessert pizzas.

Mystic Seaport has selected Coastal Gourmet to operate its food, beverage and catering operations beginning Jan. 1. Coastal Gourmet will operate the museum’s on-grounds dining venues: Seamen’s Inne Restaurant & Pub, The Gallery Restaurant, and Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern. The group will also book wedding and catered events such as the museum’s open-air boat shed, north lawn and Steamboat Sabino. Seamen’s Inne will remain open into December but will then close for renovations to the kitchen and dining areas. It will reopen –– with a new name –– in the spring.

Warwick Ice Cream Co. has been named a distributor of Hoff’s bakery products.

This week

The Women’s Alliance of the First Baptist Church, 35 Peirce St., East Greenwich, will hold a Fall Food Fest on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Baked beans, pies, pickles, appetizers, homemade jams, cakes and pastries are among the food items to be sold.

The Armenian Congregational Church, Broad and Franklin streets, Providence, will hold its annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Traditional dinners, including Koufta and Losh Kebab, will be served all day, and Armenian pastries and delicacies will be sold.

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church, 565 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, will sell copies of the 170-page cookbook by The American Baptist Women of Rhode Island at its Christmas bazaar Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The coffee nook will be open from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and luncheon will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information call (401) 467-3300, ext. 1.

The Coastal Growers’ Market will hold its first Wintertime Farmers’ Market at the Lafayette Mill on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a special Thanksgiving Market. The Winter Market will be open every Saturday through March from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lafayette Mill is located at 650 Ten Rod Rd. (Route 102) in North Kingstown. To learn more go to coastalmarket.org.

St. Barbara Philoptochos Society of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption, 97 Walcott St., Pawtucket, will hold a Holiday Cookie Walk, selling cookies by the pound, Sunday, Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pick and choose in any assortment from dozens of cookies and bars, all baked by parish women, for $6 per pound. Greek pastries, including Baklava, Finikia, Koulouria and Kourambiedes will also be available, and coffee and hot cider will be served. For information call (401) 723-0515.

The Church of St. Mary’s annual Bazaar on Broadway will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Paul Cuffee School, located behind the church at 538 Broadway in Providence. An International Cafe features Korean, Italian and Hispanic cuisine, including bulgogi (Korean barbecue beef), jobchae (transparent noodles and vegetables), crabmeat pancakes, fried rice, meatball sandwiches, tacos and empanadas.

On the menu

T.G.I. Friday’s is offering eight half-price appetizers in the bar after 4 p.m. at nearly 600 participating restaurants in the U.S. through Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Smoke Lounge, 114 Spruce St., Providence, (401) 780-8975, is offering 50-cent wings, 99-cent hot dogs, $2 cheeseburgers, beer for $2.50, and other specials weeknights from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and weekends until 2 a.m.

More Thanksgiving openings

Castle Hill Inn & Resort, 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, (401) 849-3800, castlehillinn.com, offers a Thanksgiving Day buffet from noon to 4:30 p.m. at $70 for adults and $25 for children under 12. A variety of appetizers and a carving station with Helger’s Farm turkey and Hereford beef rib eye are featured.

Craftsteak at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, (860) 312-7272, MGMatFoxwoods.com/ Craftsteak, offers a fixed-price menu for $85 prepared by chef Tom Colicchio from 3 to 8 p.m. All of the dishes are served family style, with a choice of one main course (organic free-range turkey, prime rib of beef or roasted Scottish salmon).

Trattoria Simpatico, 13 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown, (401) 423-3731, trattoriasimpatico.com, will be open Thanksgiving Day from noon to 7 p.m.

See complete Thanksgiving list updated at Foodblog.projo.com.

Thanksgiving to go and more

A&J Bakery, 1458 Park Ave., Cranston, (401) 228-8696, has numerous nut-free and gluten-free products available for sale, along with gingerbread house kits available in nut-free and allergen friendly versions.

DeLuise Bakery, 1251 Chalkstone Ave., Providence, (401) 351-5826, has specialty pies available for Thanksgiving: Fruits of the Forest, mince, strawberry-rhubarb, pecan and pumpkin in addition to blueberry, apple, coconut custard and cream pies. Cheesecakes include pumpkin, peanut butter, raspberry jelly, strawberry swirl; Italian cookie trays and pastries are also sold.

Nancy’s Fancies Cakes, 294 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 421-2253, NancysFanciesCakes.com, offers pies baked in a glass pie plate: pumpkin, custard, apple and lemon meringue. Holiday breads, cannoli, cakes, cupcakes and biscotti are also available. Bring in a canned good to benefit the Rhode Island Food Bank and receive $1 towards your holiday sweets order.

Pinelli’s Deli by Day and Café at Night, 701 Quaker Lane, West Warwick, (401) 821-8828, offers a full menu of all the fixings (except the turkey) including pumpkin bisque, antipasto and salads. Order by phone or in person by Monday, Nov. 23; orders must be picked up by Wednesday, Nov. 25.

West Bay Gourmet, 889 Boston Neck Rd., Narragansett, (401) 789-9229, westbaygourmet.com, has an “Everything but the Bird” Thanksgiving menu, from maple butternut bisque at $7.50 a quart, twice-baked potatoes at $2.25 each and fresh baked pies from $12 to $12.95. All orders must be placed by Saturday, Nov. 21.

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The West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom St., West Warwick, (401) 822-2834, westvalleyinn.com, offers fully cooked 12- to 14-pound heat-and-serve turkeys with all the fixings for $88 plus tax Tuesday, Nov. 24, and Wednesday, Nov. 25; turkey, stuffing and gravy only is $43. New this year is boneless fresh turkey roast, which serves 12 to 15. The whole dinner (roast, half gallons of giblet gravy and stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie) is $135; turkey, gravy and stuffing only $80.

Baskets & More, 753 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston, (401) 944-9770, Baskets-n-more.net, offers gift baskets filled with fresh vegetables and a prime cut of meat for Thanksgiving. There are also nut trays and other gourmet goodies available. Order by Friday, Nov. 20.

Contests

The Healthy Kids Challenge is teaming up with Del Monte, Johnson & Wales University and the Home Baking Association to present the annual “Stirring Up Health” recipe contest. Middle school students are challenged to develop or modify an existing recipe to make it healthier using Del Monte brand fruits, with vegetables or tomatoes as a primary ingredient. Incorporating healthy baking as part of their creation is encouraged. Entry forms and contest rules can be obtained at healthykidschallenge.org. The deadline for entries is March 13.

Bon Appetit is collecting holiday desserts from food bloggers across the country. Anyone with a food blog can enter Bon Appetit’s Blog Envy Holiday Bake-Off by baking their favorite holiday dessert, posting the recipe on their blog, and submitting a photo of the dessert to baupload@bonappetit.com. The winner will receive a trip for two to New York City and dinner with Bon Appetit Editor-in-Chief Barbara Fairchild and Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton. To learn more go to bonappetit.com/go/blogenvy.

Book signing

Donna Ranucci of Coventry, a cooking contest finalist on the “Rachael Ray Show,” will sign copies of her book, “Donna’s Dishes: Cooking for a Cure” on Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kent County YMCA, 900 Centerville Rd., Warwick. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Kent County YMCA Financial Assistance Fund.

On TV

“Cooking with Class” on Channel 10 will conduct its annual Turkey Hotline Monday, Nov. 23, through Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., answering all Thanksgiving food questions. A live segment on how to deep-fry a turkey safely airs during the Nov. 23 newscast.

“TV Maitre d’ with Joe Zito” airs three holiday editions Sundays at 11 a.m. on Fox Providence and at 11:30 a.m. on Channel 12 beginning Saturday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Dec. 27, and will feature Trattoria Romana in Lincoln; The Capital Grille; Waterplace Restaurant; Eleven Forty Nine and Eleven Forty Nine East; and Venda Ravioli, along with cooking segments, holiday wines and seasonal gift ideas. The show also airs Saturdays at 7 a.m. on Fox Providence and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on MYRITV and at other times during the holiday season. Visit Tvmaitred.com.

GAIL CIAMPA

gciampa@projo.com