Bud Light Mardi Gras Party Tent
Feb. 2 – open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Soulard Market Plaza
314.771.5110
www.mardigrasinc.com

“Let them eat meat!” proclaimed Joanie Thomas, eponymous owner of Soulard standbys Joanie’s Pizzeria and Joanie’s to Go. Thomas, who caters the annual buffet for the deluxe Bud Light Mardi Gras heated-tent party with open bar, explained that she has served all manner of Cajun and Creole delicacies at Mardi Gras past, but experience has taught her that the people want protein. “They’re drunk, and they want meat,” she added, putting a fine point on it. So, in addition to Louisiana favorites jambalaya, gumbo, cornbread and coleslaw, Joanie’s will offer barbecued pulled pork and Italian sausage-and-peppers under the tent. Revelers will also enjoy the Grand Parade, which climaxes nearby; a live radio broadcast from the Party Tent; “bottomless vats of beads”; and the most enviable amenity of the day: a private, dedicated bank of Port-a-Potties. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Wine & Beer Tasting
Feb. 8 – 6 to 8 p.m., Sally S. Levy Opera Center, Webster University
314.963.4223
www.opera-stl.org

The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis does not run on the power of song alone. The internationally acclaimed maverick opera company needs plenty of dough to pay for Viking helmets and period corsets, and in this case, for a young artists’ development program. That’s why OTSL is hosting a soiree with lip-smacking beer, wine of excellent vintage and hors d’oeuvres fit for a diva. The wine has been ferried from the cellars of Big Sky Café, Busch’s Grove, Café Napoli, Niche, Parker’s Table, Robust, Saint Louis Cellars and Villa Farotto. The viands are plucked from the kitchens of Bryan Young Catering Plus, Companion, LoRusso’s Cucina, SqWires, Soda Fountain Square and Vin de Set. You can pay $20 for a mystery bottle from the wine grab bag, and wind up with one worth up to $100. You can also make aggressive bids in a silent auction before satiety relaxes the faculties.

Novel Cuisine
Feb. 10 – 1 to 3:30 p.m., Kitchen Conservatory
314.862.2665
www.kitchenconservatory.com

There are some book-discussion groups that have a curiously ascetic rule: no fancy food. The belief is that if the food is too delicious, it mollifies the senses and detracts from the desire to explore the literature. Novel Cuisine is not one of those groups. Participants discuss a food-centric book, in this case, The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones, while a facilitator cooks up appropriate goodies and everybody enjoys. Mones’ novel is about a conflicted food writer who travels to China for two reasons: to interview an up-and-coming Chinese-Jewish-American chef and to meet a woman who claims to have fathered a child by her late husband. Sparks fly in the kitchen, and some of the other rooms, too. Kitchen Conservatory owner Anne Cori will whip up scallion-ginger pork ribs wrapped in lotus leaves; fish dumpling soup with shrimp, tofu and mustard greens; Drunken Prawns; Beggar’s Chicken With Salt-Cured Ham; and Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding to enhance the book talk.

Beekeeping Basics
Feb. 23 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Center of Clayton
314.894.8737
www.easternmobeekeepers.com/workshop

Hopefully by now you’ve heard about Colony Collapse Disorder – the mysterious affliction that is decimating the world population of honeybees. Scientists are still working on just why it’s happening, but the implications are truly frightening – bees are needed to pollinate about one-third of all American crop species. While the researchers do what they can, there is something you can do to help, too – start beekeeping. The Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association wants to get your whole family involved in the hobby. The group is offering a daylong course and “open-hive demo” for beginners as well as experts, and admission includes hands-on follow-up sessions in March and April. Master beekeeper Raymond Nabors, famous for his sense of humor, will lead the class and have you making sweet, sticky honey right in your own backyard.

Sugared, Spiced & Everything Iced
Feb. 23 and 24 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Missouri Botanical Garden 314.577.9400
www.mobot.org

Will the annual Sugared, Spiced & Everything Iced display and demo of wedding cakes reflect the hot new trends in the industry? Of course, I’m talking about Duff Goldman and the ripple effect of his gonzo cake-decorating TV show, Ace of Cakes. The man has made wedding cakes that look like Jeeps, the opening credits of The Simpsons and the Taj Mahal, for Shiva’s sake! As you may or may not know, odd cake flavors are in vogue now, too. Patrons of Goldman’s Baltimore cakery can order cakes in flavors like marble and black forest, but they can also request Thai iced coffee, peaches and cream, or ginger and green tea. Have these funky wedding-cake choices made it to St. Louis yet, or are we still stuck on three tiers with buttercream icing and an Eisenhower-era plastic couple planted at the summit? Let your freak-fondant flag fly at two days of cake-ogling and confabbing with an army of local bakers at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Celebrate the World: An International Festival
Feb. 24 – noon to 5 p.m., Maryland Heights Centre
314.434.1919
www.marylandheights.com

The planners of Celebrate the World, the annual international fest in Maryland Heights, have taken pains to offer delicacies from each continent (except Antarctica). Among the delights you can sample, you’ll find cannoli from Serra’s Pizzeria, beef knishes from Billy Sherman’s Deli, Nigerian jollof (chicken and rice) from Princess Delights, creamy corn empanadas from Tango Argentina, alfajores (shortbread cookies) sandwiched with dulce de leche from Arts and Treasures Peruvian Cuisine, and Black Angus beef sirloin teriyaki kabobs from Sweet Meat Stix. The restaurants are encouraged to offer tasting-sized portions at lower prices, too, so you can fix yourself the proverbial pu pu platter. Guests will also enjoy two stages of ethnic dance and live music, arts and crafts booths, kids’ activities, and a special Japanese theme that includes displays of ikebana (arranged flowers), calligraphy, bonsai trees and top-spinning.

St. Louis Gluten-Free Cooking Spree
Feb. 26 – 7 to 10 p.m., Anheuser-Busch Brewery
215.692.2639
www.celiaccentral.org

People with celiac disease, aka gluten intolerance, have to get used to a life with no wheat, rye and barley. And though bread made with potato flour is tasty stuff, beer has been a challenge. Local juggernaut Anheuser-Busch has come to save the day, creating a gluten-free beer called Redbridge, which is actually brewed from sorghum. Now, A-B has partnered with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness for an Iron Chef-style cook-off that is entirely gluten-free. The St. Louis Gluten-Free Cooking Spree features five three-person teams cooking up dishes at high speed. Each team includes a local chef, a local doctor and a local dietitian. The not-so-secret ingredient in the dishes will be … Redbridge gluten-free beer. Everyone present will get to sample the chefs’ creations, and the evening includes a panoply of gluten-free hors d’oeuvres, desserts and booze, plus take-home goodie bags stuffed with gluten-free samples.

Saint Louis Cellars Wine Tastings
Weekdays – 5 to 7 p.m., Saturdays – 10 a.m. to
7 p.m., Saint Louis Cellars
314.880.9000
www.saintlouiscellars.com

I hope they have an extra-large spittoon at Saint Louis Cellars. It must need one, what with the nonstop freebie wine tastings held there. Every weekday and all day Saturday, you can sample a flight of wines priced at less than $20 a bottle. On a recent frigid Saturday, the shop offered samples of Valley of the Moon California Chardonnay, Gatekeeper Australian Shiraz and the popular London Cab California Cabernet. An acoustic guitarist plucked away as shoppers ogled the smart look of the new establishment – it’s a single room lined with a vast grid of white, translucent cubby holes plugged with bottles of wine and lit from behind. The design may call to mind the guts of the computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey. (“Open the cellar doors, Hal …”) Also, the entire store is color-coded for the greenest of grape enthusiasts: orange for full-bodied whites, gray for locals, beige for sparkling wines and so on.

Before and After
Webster Film Series

BEFORE: The sassy cinematic fare at the Webster Film Series calls for more than your standard movie-night grub. Zinnia fits the bill. Yes, it’s “the purple gem of Webster Groves” – get over it, because the food is good. Combine the tuna roll (pictured) or the duck tacos with a seasonal soup for a light meal, or get ready to hunker down in the dark with heartier entrées like the signature almond-crusted trout or applewood smoked pork chops. Plus, efficient service and a blocks-long trip to the auditorium will ensure you’re in your seat in plenty of time. 7491 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.962.0572

AFTER: After the credits roll, journey just a bit farther down Lockwood for a post-screening discussion at Robust Wine Bar and Café. Fair warning: As one of the few see-and-be-seen spots in family-friendly Webster, the joint is jumpin’ with casually sophisticated suburbanites looking for a night away from the kids. But elbow some space at the bar or secure a seat, and it’s a great setting for a few rounds of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, bolstered by one of many wines by the glass and a small plate or two. 227 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.963.0033