Luck of the Irish
Ditch the corned beef and green beer and head for Fruitlands Museum in Harvard Wednesday, March 17, for a St. Patrick's Dinner.
The menu -- which includes Irish Leek and Potato Soup, Smoked Irish Salmon and Golden Potato Cake Salad, Roasted Leg of Spring Lamb, Poached Atlantic Salmon and Sticky Toffee Pudding -- is the creation of chefs Paul Correnty of Harvard Public School and Chris Basile of the Quarterdeck in Maynard.
Each course will be paired with beers from Canton's Blue Hills Brewery.
The dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is just one of a series of imaginative dinners at the museum's restaurant, Alcott's Restaurant and Tea Room. The cost is $59.95 plus tax. Reservations required. Call 978-897-9165.
Bring your appetite
We'll start dieting now so we can get ready to taste foods from more than 25 restaurants and shops during the 11th annual Flavors of Neponset Valley on Thursday, March 25.
Hosted by Christina's function facility at 2 Washington St., Foxborough, from 5 to 9 p.m., the event is sponsored by the Neponset Chamber of Commerce.
Pick up some tips during a 5 p.m. seminar titled "How to Navigate a Wine Tasting." The Echos will perform music from the '50s and '60s and a silent auction will be held.
Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 after March 15. Go to www.nvcc.com or call 781-769-1126.
Helping with a bigger breadbasket
After the Jan. 12 earthquake hit Haiti, Panera cafes in Natick, Framingham and Westborough began collecting donations, encouraging its patrons to add $1 or more to their checks.
In all, the MetroWest franchises have donated $27,102 for the Boston Foundation's Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Fund. The donations are matched, up to $1 million, by the Ansara Family Fund, bringing the donation to $54,204.
"The true spirit of our business is breaking bread -- a tradition of sharing across backgrounds and borders," said Mitchell Roberts and David Peterman, co-owners of PR Restaurants.
The Boston Foundation's Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Fund focuses on longer-term rights and issues in Haiti. The fund is intended to be spent over five years and will devote up to 25 percent to immediate disaster relief. Remaining money will go toward human rights training and organizing, long-term reconstruction, long-term livelihoods with emphasis on grassroots approaches like business micro-financing, and support for Boston's Haitian American community as it copes with grief and economic impact of the disaster.
To make a donation, contact Jamie Giller at Ebben Zall Group at 781-449-3244 or e-mail Jamie@ebbenzallgroup.com.
