Black Truffle Dinners

Patina at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown, Los Angeles, is having a special dinner now through Jan. 8. Order a dish featuring black truffles and receive a signature chocolate box at the end of the meal. Patina will add a golden ticket into one chocolate box indicating that the guest will win a pair of tickets for a January black truffle three-course dinner with wine pairings. The special black truffle dinner begins on Jan. 10, 11 and 12 starting at 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. 141 S. Grand Ave, (213)972-3331.

Happy Hour at Mezze

Spice up your early nights and late evenings with a large selection of half-priced beers, wines and inventive cocktails. Discount hours begin at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Chef Micah Wexler offers many specialty dishes at reduced prices from Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Morocco and Turkey. 401 N. La Cienega Blvd. (310)657-4103.

Nick + Stef’s Special

Start off the first four weeks of 2012 with an evening of fine dining and a 25% discount off a bottle of wine of your choice. Offer valid through Jan. 31, 2012. Excludes special events and parties of 12 or more. 330 S. Hope St. (213)680-0330.

New French Restaurant

Papilles, opened in December, is serving bistro food and adventurous wines. On any given day they may serve three-course prix-fixe meals priced between $25 and $40. One day they may serve chilled almond soup with figs, braised veal cheeks with an artichoke fava ragout and a selection of Artisanal cheeses. Service is Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and until midnight on Fri. and Sat. 6221 Franklin Ave. (323)871-2026.

New Chef

Napa Valley Grille welcomes new Executive Chef Taylor Boudreaux, a former Wolfgang Puck Worldwide alumni with 17 years of culinary experience. Some of his recent special dishes served at the restaurant include butter poached lobster salad, agnolotti with chestnut, mascarpone and shaved black truffles. 1100 Glendon Ave. (310)824-3322

Onigiri Contest

By raising awareness about Japanese grains in the U.S., the Japanese American National Museum is hosting an Oshogatsu festival on Jan. 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will have an Onigiri contest. Onigiri is a Japanese rice ball dish covered in nori and filled with savory ingredients. It’s part of the museum’s New Year celebration of the Year of the Dragon featuring arts and crafts, food and cultural activities. The event is open to the public and free. 369 E. First St. (213)625-0414.

Soba Pop-Up Restaurant

Breadbar in Century City will have soba makers Sonoko Sakai and Mutsuko Soma host a soba and sake bar pop-up featuring stoned and milled handcrafted soba and specialty grilled onigiri. The one-of-a-kind event will be on two evenings: Jan. 10 and Jan. 19 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost for each item ranges from $11 to $16. 10520 Santa Monica Blvd. Call for reservations: (310)227-7770.

Soba and Rice Workshops

Learn how to prepare healthy and simple rice and soba Japanese meals at home. The Tortoise General store is hosting two classes on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The cost is $65 per person. 1208 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (310)314-8448.