Cafe Zao to celebrate 1st anniversary
Chef Toni Pais and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will be celebrating the first anniversary of Cafe Zao at Theater Square with a special dinner at 6:30 p.m. April 11.
Pais -- also the owner of Cafe Zinho and Baum Vivant restaurants -- will premiere a six-course menu that he will be serving in July at the James Beard House in New York City. The dinner includes pan-seared sardines, sea bass, prawns, pork medallions and quail; dessert is a creme caramel with almond-laced cookies and orange port.
Wines will complement each course. The dinner is $150 a person, which includes the meal, wine and guaranteed parking. Reservations are required. Cafe Zao is at 649 Penn Ave. in the Cultural District, Downtown.
Details: (412) 456-6666
Food science forum planned
A symposium about food science will be offered next month at the Youngwood Campus of Westmoreland County Community College, presented by The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh.
For $10, attendees will hear discussions about food safety, myths and trends from several experts in the field, including Richard Durst, professor of chemistry in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University; Judy Dodd, R.D., adjunct assistant professor at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh; and Mark Henry, executive chef and beverage director, Mountain View Inn, Greensburg. A Mediterranean diet luncheon is included.
Topics are "Techniques for Food Safety," "Food Facts, Fads, Fallacies and Fables," and "A Healthy Diet -- History, Science and Perceptions."
The deadline to register is Friday.
Details: (412) 825-3220, ext. 204.
Tin Angel earns Four Diamond Award
The Tin Angel Restaurant, 1200 Grandview Ave., Mt. Washington, has earned the AAA Four Diamond Award, according to officials at AAA East Central.
Only 3.3 percent of the estimated 32,000 AAA-rated lodgings and 3.1 percent of the estimated 23,000 restaurants are awarded the Four Diamond Designation each year, says Jim Lehman, senior vice president of AAA. The Tin Angel will be noted with four stars in the 2005 AAA Tour BookGuide, in print and on the AAA Web site, aaa.com.
Among the qualifications to earn a Four Diamond Award: a luxurious and socially refined experience, consistent to fine dining; a menu that typically reflects a high degree of creativity and complexity, featuring elaborate presentations of market-driven or traditional dishes; and a cultured, professional and highly proficient staff who demonstrate a profound desire to meet or exceed guests' expectations.
Details: For reservations, call the restaurant, (412) 381-1919.
Hyatt to host medical fund-raiser
"A Toast to Your Health" -- a wine and culinary celebration -- is set for April 16 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Presented by Alex Sebastian of the Wooden Angel restaurant in Bridgewater, Beaver County, the event will benefit The Medical Center Foundation and Sewickley Valley Hospital Foundation.
The day begins with several seminars in the afternoon. The first, from 3 to 4:45 p.m., is "Exploring Wine Flavors Through Riedel Crystal," at $100 a person, which includes four Riedel wine glasses worth $90.
Concurrent seminars, which cost $25 each, will take place from 5:45 to 7 p.m. Topics are "Celtic Flavors of Scotch Malt Whisky," featuring five beverages; "The Lohr of Merlot," a wine presentation by J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, San Jose, Calif.; and "Taster's Choice," a Certified Angus Beef cooking and wine demonstration.
During the seminars, an optional gourmet dinner will be served, featuring Dianna Stoffer, corporate chef from Certified Angus Beef, and Pat Roney, owner of Girard Winery in Napa Valley, Calif., with seating limited to 100. Tickets are $100 a person.
"The Main Event" begins at 7 p.m., featuring fine wines, spirits, micro beers, international corporate chefs and local fine dining chefs, as well as a silent auction. Tickets are $150 each.
Details: (724) 728-9111 or (412) 749-7121, or register online at www.heritagevalley.org .
Container prevents smashed cupcakes
Cupcakes usually don't travel well, even if a bakery boxes them up -- until now.
The Cup-A-Cake Company has designed a container that supposedly holds one homemade or store-bought cupcake in place even if it's bounced, turned upside down or jiggled. The container is made of durable strong plastic -- approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- and "comes with a hinge that is virtually indestructible and prongs on the inside so the visual appeal of the cupcake won't be upset during travel," according to Colleen Patrona, president of Cup-A-Cake, based in Detroit. The company plans to produce larger-size containers for oversized cupcakes and muffins.
Details: www.cupacake.com
Old Bay contest seeks shrimp enthusiasts
Seafood lovers are invited to enter the fourth annual Old Bay Peel & Eat Shrimp Classic, in which participants try to persuade judges -- in 100 to 250 words -- that they are the country's biggest seafood fanatics; describe the lengths they'd go to for a taste of Old Bay, including favorite and unusual uses; and make a case for why they deserve to compete in the classic, which offers $10,000 to the finalist who eats the most shrmp in 10 minutes.
Last year's winner was John Dabashinsky of Schuylkill Haven, Pa., who ate 96 Old Bay steamed shrimp.
There will be five regional semifinals to choose the finalists. Entries can be made online and by U.S. mail. The deadline is April 8.
Details: www.old-bay.com .
