And now, in a massive event-planning EaterWire:
E. BURNSIDE: Caleb McBee's American bistro Skin & Bones is celebrating the colder climate with a "Winter Treasures"-themed dinner on Sunday, December 4. The multicourse menu promises to heavily feature truffles; cost is $75 per person with an optional $25 wine pairing. Reservations available here.
NORTHEAST: Ned Ludd's Jason French "roasts" Vermont-based cookbook author Molly Stevens (unfortunately, no Friar's Club-like barbs here) during a book launch party on Tuesday, December 6. The multi-course menu, inspired by recipes from Stevens' newest book All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art, features dishes like maple-brined pork loin, trout with tomato relish, and a roasted pineapple and star anise panna cotta. Reservations to the $80 dinner include dinner, wine, and a copy of the cookbook.
PEARL DISTRICT: In an annual tradition, the Pearl's Teardrop Lounge celebrates Repeal Day (aka the day Prohibition was acknowledged as a spectacular failure) with a password-protected party on Monday, December 5. This year promises a cocktail menu highlighting classics from 1904 to 1920; try saying "I'm here to see a man about a horse" at the door.
DOWNTOWN: As part of next week's StarChefs celebrating, the culinary organization will hold a "How to Make It" career panel at downtown's International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland on Friday, December 3. The Rising Star chefs themselves will lead the seminar; registration is required.
DOWNTOWN: Chef Michael Hanaghan throws another pairing dinner at the Frenchy Brasserie Montmartre, this time with Willakenzie Estate on Friday, December 9. The five-course menu features dishes like foie gras terrine, pan-seared scallops, and a pheasant-and-foie "pot pie," all paired with wines. Reservations to the $70 dinner are required and available by calling the restaurant.
Image of Skin & Bones courtesy B. Roberge via Facebook