Toro Bravo at Ping; Events at Bent Brick, EaT, MORE

OLD TOWN: Toro Bravo chef John Gorham pops into Old Town's Ping for a one-off "Pass the Plate" dinner to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. On Sunday, March 18, Gorham will serve a five-course dinner (including wine and cocktail pairings) to help fund Toro Bravo's participation in LLS' Team In Training Triathlon. Courses include an endive salad with pickled chicken salad; veggie soup with poached quail eggs; and lasagna with veal and nettle pesto. Reservations are limited to 40 seats, and are available here.

NORTHWEST/ALPHABET DISTRICT: NW's the Bent Brick teams up with Breakside Brewing for a pairing dinner on Monday, March 19. The three-course meal (plus appetizers) features dishes like mussels with Tobasco mignonette (served with a pour of extra day stout); squid, fennel, and chickpeas (paired with a French-style farmhouse ale); and a pork scrapple with sweet potato dish served with Bent Brick's collaborative Breakside brew, aged in a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel. Reservations are $45 and are available by calling the restaurant.

N. WILLIAMS: EaT: An Oyster Bar's dynamic duo of Ethan Powell and Tobias Hogan will host a "Raw Truth About Oysters" seminar on Sunday, March 18, giving guests the down low about oyster sourcing — whilst they slurp down a dozen oysters, paired with four wines from Chehalem Winery. The Portland Culinary Alliance is sponsoring the event, which is $35 for PCA members and $40 for the general public. More information and tickets are available their the PCA's official website.

SOUTHEAST: SE Hawthorne's Otto welcomes a guest chef — in the form of Tabla's Mark Dunleavy — for a Cana's Feast wine-pairing dinner on Wednesday, March 21. The six-course menu features dishes like sunchoke gnocchi with apples and roasted garlic; grilled sturgeon with cabbage and glazed onions; and a braised short rib (paired with Cana's Syrah). Reservations are $45, inclusive of wine pairings and an introductory cocktail; call the restaurant to secure a spot.

Image of Ping courtesy JessyeAnne via Flickr