Vegetarian Dinner at Beast; Bar Tartine Comes to Portland

BEAST — There's something very special about the tender produce of spring, and Beast is celebrating the emergence of delicacies like green garlic, pea shoots, morels, and nettles with a six-course vegetarian dinner Tuesday, April 7. There are still seats available for the 8:45 p.m. seating. Cost is $150 per person, including wine pairings and gratuity. Click here for more information and reservations.

BAR TARTINE & OX — Jacobsen Salt continues its Salt Fire Water dinner series this month with another collaboration between heavy hitters. On April 18, chefs Nick Balla and Cortney Burns of Bar Tartine in San Francisco will come to Portland to cook a five-course dinner with chefs Greg and Gabi Denton of Ox. They'll use spring ingredients, plus a set of as-yet-unreleased Jacobsen Salt Co. salts that will be available at Williams-Sonoma this summer. Wine pairings come from cult favorite Teutonic Wine Co. Cost is $135 per person all inclusive. Click here for tickets.

DIY WHISKEY — Whiskey lovers who long to take a deep-dive into distilling can learn the ropes at two whiskey-making classes April 12 and 19 at New Deal Distillery. Owner/distiller Tom Burkleaux will teach a hands-on class, where attendees get to partake in all aspects of production. Learn about fermentation, distillation, barrel-aging, and how grain choice, enzymes and yeasts affect the final product. Morning coffee and lunch are provided; cost is $230. Register here.

SOUS-CHEF SMACKDOWN — St. Jack is hosting its first "Sous-Nami Smackdown" Monday April 13. Sous chefs from three restaurants will compete against each other to see who has the best skills: Amanda Williams (St. Jack), Jeremy Whyte (Oven & Shaker), and Tony Wilkie (Racion). The doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the action begins at 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 per person (advance; or $25 at the door) and include food and two drinks. Call 503-360-1281 or email info@stjackpdx.com.