Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, 626 Night Market, Anne Willan's Cookbook Family Tree, Cherry Blossom Festival + The Tripel's "Brews and Bites"

By Daina Beth Solomon Wed., Apr. 11 2012 at 9:00 AM

Categories: Events & Festivals

Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival

famous chefs at the Jacques Pépin tribute dinner at 2010's festival

Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival
250 wineries, 75 chefs (Daniel Boulud and Jacques Pépin among the many stars), a beautiful beach, and you. That's the premise of this fifth annual event, which is packed with tastings, dinners, lectures and activities. Events include a "Say Farewell to Foie Gras" talk with Chris Cosentino and André Bienvenu and a "Learn to Cook Like a Rock Star" workshop with Anne Burrell.
WHAT: Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival
WHEN: April 12 - 15
WHERE: The Inn at Spanish Bay
COST: Tickets range from $100 for a single event to $4,750 for a VIP four-day pass.

626 Night Market

an Asian night market

626 Night Market
Eat enough Chinese food in L.A., and you know that "626" means the San Gabriel Valley -- where Chinese restaurants abound. So it's an appropriate name for what organizers are dubbing "the only Asian night market in Southern California." Expect Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Indonesian and Filipino foods among the 80 vendors converging on a single Pasadena street. Founder Johnny Hwang hopes to make the night market a regular event.
WHAT: 626 Night Market
WHEN: 5 - 11:30 p.m., April 14
WHERE: N. Oakland Ave., between Colorado Blvd. and Union St.
COST: Free admission

The Cookbook Family Tree
The Culinary Historians of Southern California presents a talk by Anne Willan, author of more than 30 cookbooks, including the recent Cookbook Library: Four Centuries of the Cooks, Writers, and Recipes That Made the Modern Cookbook. She will discuss the world's first printed cookbooks and explain how they set precedents for today's food books.
WHAT: The Cookbook Family Tree
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., April 14
WHERE: Mark Taper Auditorium, Downtown Central Library
COST: Free

Cherry Blossom Festival
It's been 100 years since Japan delivered 3,000 cherry blossom trees to Washington D.C. Celebrate the occasion -- and the beauty of spring -- with a cherry-blossom inspired menu, including Tai Sushi with Cherry Blossom Leaves and the Cherry Bellini cocktail.
WHAT: Cherry Blossom Festival
WHEN: 4 p.m. - close, April 16 - April 27
WHERE: Chaya Downtown
COST: Dishes $5 - $8.

Birthday Brews and Bites
Join The Tripel, celebrating its one-year anniversary, with a tasting menu it's pairing with beers crafted and selected by The Bruery. Courses include coconut and lime leaf bouillabaisse with White Oak, duck breast and leg confit with Smoking Wood, and deserts with Sans Pagaie.
WHAT: Birthday Brews and Bites
WHEN: 6:30 - 9 p.m., April 16
WHERE: The Tripel
COST: $65