Cochon 555 is Back and Other Foodie Events in March

Wow! There are some terrific food and wine events coming right up. Add these to your culinary calendars:

Tonight! At Town Hall! Tom Douglas talks lox with the big cheese from Russ & Daughters in New York City. Mark Russ Federman’s family has operated this beloved spot in Manhattan’s Lower East Side for 114 years. He’ll take the audience on a little trip back in time, and with Tommy D guiding the discussion, things are sure to get salty. It starts at 6 (Monday, March 11) and tickets are just $5. Go!

Another essential date at Town Hall this week (March 15, 7 p.m.): Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Michael Moss talks about his new book, Salt, Sugar, Fat and how the food industry tricked consumers into getting hooked on those seductive ingredients. While Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman are often rightly hailed as leaders of the eat-local/sustainable food movement bent on forcing corporations to do the right thing, Moss has been down in the trenches, working as a watchdog extraordinaire. He’s the guy who exposed the pink slime story a few years ago. Let’s give him a hero’s welcome in Seattle!

And how’s about a huzzah for the return of Cochon 555 to the 206? It’s Sunday, March 17 starting at 4 p.m. at Cedarbrook Lodge in Seatac, with chefs from Seattle and Portland cooking up heritage breed pigs and trying to come out on top with a panel of judges (including me!) and a whole bunch of pork fans (that’d be you all who attend). Yes, the winners are determined by a combination of votes from judges and attendees, making this a downright democratic competition. The winner of this regional competition goes on to compete in the finals, held in the summer in Aspen, Colo. Tickets start at $125.

While there are tons of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations planned throughout the city, The Pike comes out on top of the heap, serving up traditional specials both Saturday and Sunday, and inviting everyone to don their best kilts on March 17 for a 4:30 performance by the Elliott Bay Pipe and Drum Band. (Yes, we know kilts and Pike’s Scottish-style Kilt Lifter are leaning, well… Scottish. And the Irish and the Scots haven’t always seen bloodshot eye to bloodshot eye. But, in the spirit of world peace and everybody being Irish on March 17, let’s all raise a glass to St. Pat at The Pike on Sunday!) 

Ivar’s birthday celebration is back, honoring the iconic founder’s big 1-0-8 with its classic buy one, get one for $1.08 entrée deal. On Tuesday, March 19, seafood lovers throughout Washington can enjoy this deep-sea deal all day, and the first 108 guests at any seafood bar will be treated to a blueberry cake pop – one of Haglund’s favorite flavors.

ART’s manager Jorge Castillo and Chef Jelle Vandenbrouke are inviting a small group of wine lovers to a special progressive-style dinner on March 29 with winemaker Marcus Notaro of Col Solare. Guests will experience the courses throughout ART Restaurant and Four Seasons Hotel Seattle — including a welcome reception at the chef’s kitchen; the first course in the hotel’s Presidential Suite; the second course in an elegant ballroom foyer with sweeping views of Elliott Bay; before ending the culinary and wine journey in ART’s private dining room and alongside the wine wall.

Courses will be paired with wines from Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori and Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Col Solare. Other special touches include a tasting of the winemaker’s grappa and a comparison of Col Solare wines with Super Tuscans from Italy. The price is $99, plus tax and tip. Reservations at 206.749.7070 or art.sew@fourseasons.com.