Kathleen Hill: Hungarian dinner coming Sunday; Food Network ‘star’ pop-up; Vintage Evening; Depot Hotel to celebrate 30th

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Sonoma Sister City Association and the Tokaj, Hungary committee will host an authentic Hungarian dinner including everything from goulash to homemade pastries Saturday, Nov. 14 at Burlingame Hall. Expect a performance by the Corvinus Chorus, folk dancing with Todd Wagner & Friends, a raffle, and a live auction including a graft of a Flame Tokay grape vine donated by Jon and Jackie Early, allegedly from an original planted by Agoston Haraszthy in the 1860s. Wines have been donated by Blue Danube, Buena Vista, En Garde, Obsidian Ridge and Poseidon wineries, and Whole Foods market is sponsor. $50. 6 to 9 p.m. 252 W. Spain St., Sonoma. More information and tickets at sonomatokajsistercities@gmail.com.

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On Friday, Nov. 20, Susie Jimenez, a Food Network Star runner-up, will spice up Ramekins with her Latin American cooking of such things as seafood ceviche with jalapeno avocado mousse, sopes carnitas with chorizo, beans and cabbage slaw and tres leches with orange cream. Great chance to learn about spices. The menu will be paired with wine from Conundrum, part of the Wagner Family of Wines.

According to foodnetwork.com, Susie Jimenez of Aspen, Colorado “began her relationship with food picking fruit with her parents, who came to California from Mexico. To pursue her food passion, Susie attended the California Culinary Academy and later worked as manager, line cook, sous chef and executive chef at several restaurants.” 6:30 p.m. $95. Reserve your place at ramekins.com.

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BBQ-Smoker update:

When I suggested Sonoma as the barbecue capital of the North Bay last week, I left out a couple of places. While it is often called “Texas BBQ,” some pit masters get offended at the suggestion that they barbecue instead of smoke their meats.

Just to clarify, here is a new attempt (in alphabetical order) to include all of them in Sonoma Valley. Let me know if I leave someone out: Barking Dog Roasters Smokehouse, Cochon Volant Smokehouse, Ernie’s Tin Bar, Picazo Café & Deli, Rossi’s 1906 and Schellville Grill.

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Vintage House has a few seats left for the Park Avenue Catering three-course dinner that is part of its Vintage Evening 2015 celebration on Saturday, Nov. 21. This year’s party celebrates the memory of super generous Bob Stone, for whom Stone Hall is named, with Carolyn Stone and their family contributing to the evening.

Vintage House board president Bill O’Neal and Executive Director Cynthia Scarborough relay that all wines will be donated by Gerry and Bill Brinton and Mabeth and Bill Sanderson. The opening reception will feature a bar hosted by Sonoma Market, bubbly from Jacuzzi Winery, and passed hors d’oeuvres from Park Avenue Catering, with a few small decorated trees available for silent bidding.

Dinner will include a salad of kale and golden beets followed by marinated skirt steak with fork-mashed potatoes with McClelland butter and sautéed sugar snap peas. The vegetarian option will be a quinoa cake with wild mushroom reduction, all followed by pears in pinot gris syrup and whipped cream. $200. Cocktails 5:30 to 7 p.m., dinner follows. Dancing to Topca T quartet. Reservations at 996-0311 or info@vintagehouse.org.

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Holiday in Carneros rolls in Saturday and Sunday Nov. 21 and 22 featuring the Carneros region’s fine chardonnays and pinot noirs as well as Grenache, merlot and petite syrahs, plus some great sparkling wines.

Thirteen wineries will pour their finest and most will serve yummy nibbles created by their own chefs and local restaurateurs and caterers. Participating wineries include Adastra, Cline, Homewood, Jacuzzi, Keating, Larson Family, Meadowcroft, Peter Cellars, Poseidon and Obsidian Ridge, Robledo, Schug, Tin Barn and Ty Caton. This year there is a new VIP feature where you can be bused to four wineries with workshops and reserve tastings at Meadowcroft, Larson, Peter Cellars and Robledo. VIP $125. Regular pass $50, $15 for designated drivers. Proceeds for viticulture scholarships at Napa Valley College and Santa Rosa Junior College. Tickets at carneroswineries.org and more information at 256-0693.

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Muscardini Cellars will host the Ferrari Club of America at its Kenwood tasting room on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 1 to 4 p.m. and hosting Muscardini’s holiday open house Friday and Saturday Nov. 27 and 28 with food from Olive & Vine. 9380 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood.

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The place to be last Friday evening was Brigitte McReynolds’ La Haye Art Center studio show of her fabulous paintings and art objects. So many friends and fans crowded the room, loaded with husband John McReynolds’ appetizers, that it was almost hard to see the art. Congratulations.

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Everyone had a blast Saturday evening at Beltane Ranch’s Zinfandel Release Party. I went for the roping lessons. Lucky for all cattle, those of us who tried roping faced the tail ends of bales of hay, with the horns facing north. Those ropes are stiff, baby. After several tries, I actually lassoed the back end of the bale, but not the horns (to the laughter of Lauren Benward Krause and her adorable sons).

Dinner started with Beltane fennel salad with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese fritters, grass fed Knights Valley beef strip loin medallion, Beltane Golden and Chioga Beets and scallions, with blue cheese Beltane potato gratin, followed by dark chocolate cream pie with Beltane raspberry sauce, all prepared by Greg Markey and Lauren Kershner. The fun went on to the tunes of Twang Ditty. Don’t miss this one next year.

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Reserve now for the ever-popular Depot Hotel Restaurant’s 30th Anniversary Party on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 6 from noon to 3 p.m.

Chef Antonio will prepare an Italian celebratory buffet, accompanied by the family’s Ghilarducci wines. There will be a Depot trivia contest that starts at noon, with winners given prizes at 2 p.m.

The Ghilarduccis have a long history at the hotel, where Chef Michael and wife, Gia, founded their restaurant and cooking school and actually lived upstairs with their children.

Chef Antonio Ghilarducci, son of Gia and Michael, joined the professional team at the Depot Hotel Restaurant in 2008, after honing his culinary skills at La Folie, the French Laundry, Redd and El Dorado Kitchen. Reservations a must. 241 First St. W., Sonoma. Tickets at Eventbrite.com or 938-2980 or gia@depotsonoma.com.

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Sonoma Valley Grange opens once again for its famous organic Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 9 to 11 a.m.

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Enjoy your lucky Friday the 13th!

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