Departments

Indulge in Special Dinners at Area Favorites

While dining out in itself may feel decadent from time to time, buckle your seatbelts because it gets even better.
Restaurants are hosting multicourse dinners, paired with beverages, to their guests. But it’s not just wine that’s being paired with each course. Tequila, beer and even a fable are on the list.

Seasonally inspired, sometimes themed or paired with a specific brand, these dinners bring indulgence to a whole new level.

Rye Restaurant
Nick Morse, Owner

Types of dinners hosted: We have hosted specific brands; Caymus and Heitz with speakers from the vineyards. Or region specific; with an Oregon Themed Wine Dinner with a level 3 Sommelier from the region

Inspiration behind these dinners: All of our dishes are seasonally inspired! Initial inspiration is usually focused on a region or a theme. Firstly, we start with intensive research of the wines. Then we choose the main ingredient for each of the 6 courses. Next, we start flavor pairing in-house as we form each dish. Lastly, we find accent ingredients around it based on the season. There are a lot of steps behind the scenes to create the perfect pairings!

Fun facts: Our kitchen team loves to host these wine dinners, they all work collaboratively on creating the components! It truly is a team effort, between research, sourcing and development. They have a lot of fun sourcing produce from other regions for example one of our dinners we had cheese flown in from Oregon specially.

Next dinner and how to participate: Our next wine dinner will be March 6, 2025. The theme will be announced in early January, when we will begin booking.

Follow along on our social media, Open Table or call us directly to book.

Uncle Mike’s Food Emporium
Nathan Vande Walle, Co-Owner

Types of dinners hosted: We’ve hosted two dinners so far, with our third on the way. Our first was a bourbon dinner, followed by a wine dinner. We offer a unique six-course dinner featuring a floating pizza course. Due to the challenge of baking enough pizzas for our maximum capacity of 90 guests, we serve them gradually to each table. At our last dinner, guests enjoyed Seared Pepper Ahi Tuna Sashimi, followed by Roasted Chicken with Tomato and Mushroom Orzo. All dishes are crafted by our chef and are exclusive to these events, not available on our regular menu.

Inspiration behind these dinners: We love bringing friends and family together, so we thought hosting these dinners would be a perfect fit for our family business. Each dinner is a collaborative effort, with input from all owners and management.

Next dinner and how to participate: Our next dinner is our Mandala Tequila Dinner, scheduled for November 7th. The menu features Shrimp and Mango Ceviche, Pozole Soup, Chicken Tinga Tostada, Tequila-Infused Sea Bass, and a Pineapple Upside Down Cake made with tequila instead of the traditional rum. We’ll also serve two pizzas: Fiesta Flame Pizza and Mexican Street Corn Pizza. Typically, we offer five tastings, but this event will feature four tastings plus a special mixed drink: the Tropical Twilight Margarita, made with orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, lime juice, agave, coconut piña colada mix, and garnished with an orchid flower. Some dishes will incorporate the paired liquor, while others will share similar tasting notes.

Stay updated by following us on Facebook and Instagram. We host these dinners quarterly, and that’s where we’ll announce our upcoming tasting dinners first!

Fox and Crow Bistro
Patrick Isajiw, Chef/Owner | Katie Isajiw, FOH/Owner

Types of dinners hosted: Our namesake Fox and Crow is from an Aesop’s fable. In the winter, we host our “Aesopian Wine Dinner Series.” Each dinner is based on a different Aesop fable, giving us a fun theme to work with while guests enjoy a multi-course meal and paired wines. A few dishes that stick out to me are:  White asparagus soup, lobster arancini with caviar and green apple, carrot cake with blue cheese frosting and a sweet corn creme brulee.

Inspiration behind these dinners: We enjoy throwing these dinners because they allow us to connect with our guests in a cozy setting. It’s a great excuse to share delicious food and drink. We keep our wine menus a surprise to add excitement and let us adapt to what’s fresh and inspiring at the moment… even up to the day of the event most times.
Fun facts: (The dinners) have gone so well for us and been such a hit! We usually do three wine dinners in a row, as it allows most people to secure a ticket. We usually sell out within the same day of making the tickets available.

Next dinner and how to participate: Right now, we’re in the middle of our “Nightmare on Watson Street” Wine Dinner Series to celebrate Halloween as we speak. After this series, we’ll shift back to our Aesopian dinners each month until summer. We taste the wines and develop a menu around those wines. We will make adjustments if need be one way or the other to make sure they pair perfectly together. We typically do 5 courses per wine dinner.

You can find all the details about our events on social media when they’re announced, and tickets are available on Resy.com.