Yes, it’s already Dec. 11. Hanukkah is here, and Christmas is fast approaching. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of events happening around town to keep your holiday spirits soaring.

Holiday Events at Eckert’s
Dec. 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, Eckert’s of Belleville, Belleville · 618.233.0513 · eckerts.com 

They’re pulling out all the stops at Eckert’s for the holidays on the weekends this month. Gingerbread House Workshops are for both kids and adults, and all supplies are included. Breakfast With Santa includes a chance to beg Old St. Nick for material gain, gifts for each child, photos with Santa and breakfast including scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and house-made sausage gravy. Call for reservations. Finally, Holiday Storytime for kids features the story of the gingerbread man, with an interactive gingerbread craft project for all comers.

Candlelight Christmas Walk
Dec. 7 and 14 – 5 to 10 p.m., Mount Pleasant Estates, Augusta · 636.482.9463 · mountpleasant.com

More than a generation of Missourians has made merry at the annual Candlelight Christmas Walk at Augusta’s Mount Pleasant Estates. This year’s 30th annual walk will include festive luminaries, horse-drawn carriage rides, roasted chestnuts, and an antique trolley that delivers guests to area shops and galleries offering stocking stuffers (and more substantial giftage). Offered on two weekends, the walk concludes with a rustic dinner buffet in the winery’s Terrace Ballroom. Guests can stuff themselves with shepherd’s pie, chicken Alfredo pasta, beer-cheese soup, smoked salmon and more. A cash bar offers wine, of course, including a variety of ports. Call for reservations.

A Wealth of Wellingtons
Dec. 19 – 6 to 8:30 p.m., Kitchen Conservatory · 314.862.2665 · kitchenconservatory.com

If you bring the beef Wellington, we’ll bring the fork. Tenderloin wrapped in buttery pastry is always a treat, but the crew at Kitchen Conservatory is offering a rare (beef pun) opportunity to learn how to make a number of delicious varieties of the dish. Instructor Barbara Nack will teach students how to prepare the classic beef Wellington made with pâté and Madeira mushroom sauce, along with a butternut squash-mushroom Wellington with goat cheese, mini shrimp Wellingtons with roasted red pepper sauce, a Wellington burger with fresh-ground sirloin and crimini mushrooms, plus blueberry-vanilla cream cheese pies for dessert. Bring any of these to a holiday party, and they’ll demand you return every year.

Festive Holiday Spirits Class
Dec. 13 – 6:30 p.m., Bissinger’s at Maryland Plaza · 314.367.7750 · bissingers.com

At Bissinger’s Holiday Spirits Class, you do not guzzle and inhale – you sip and sup, on artisan liquors and eau de vie (clear fruit brandies) paired with exotic creations like chocolate-covered marzipan with bourbon and caramelized white chocolate semifreddo; olive oil cake; and roasted cranberries served with tequila. You’ll sample a series of wild treats that might just inspire the menu for your own holiday party. For reservations, call 314.615.2490.

By Byron Kerman

Tags: Bissinger, Eckert's, Kitchen Conservatory, Mount Pleasant Winery

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 at 11:24 am and is filed under Saucy stuff to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.