Taste of Solvang

The popular annual Taste of Solvang festival runs through Sunday, March 22. The “Grand Tasting — Walking Smorgasbord” will be held on Saturday, March 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when more than 40 restaurants and retailers will offer bites and beverages. The 2015 Taste of Solvang Weekend Passport is $85 and includes tickets to events such as Sips & Sweets, the Grand Tasting and the Wine & Beer Walk, as well as a souvenir wine glass, wine charm, map, visitors guide and tote bag. A la carte ticket prices are $30 for Sips & Sweets, $35 for the Grand Tasting, $40 for the Wine & Beer Walk and $95 for the Larner Winemaker Dinner. Attendees must be 21 or older. Advance tickets are available by calling (800)468-6765, or visit www.SolvangUSA.com/tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the Solvang Visitors Center, 1639 Copenhagen Drive.

Petrossian Special Dinner

Diners can enjoy a six-course menu by executive chef Giselle Wellman paired with wines from Domaine Anderson on Thursday, March 26 at Petrossian. Launched in 2014, Domaine Anderson is located in the hillside and mountain terrain of the Anderson Valley. Selections from California sparkling wine producer Roederer Estate will also be served. Guests will have the option to purchase wine or join the exclusive Domaine Anderson wine club. The tasting menu includes bird’s nest with caviar; raw artichoke salad with Italian black winter truffle, arugula, pine, nuts and lemon; and Aspen Ridge short rib with parsnip mash, pear and horseradish. The dinner begins at 7:30 p.m.; the cost is  $125 per person. 321 N. Robertson Blvd. (310)271-6300.

OpenTable Hosts Dinners

OpenTable is launching the #100OpenTables contest in celebration of its recent rebranding by offering diners a chance to win unique experiences at restaurants such as Alma, Republique, and The Bazaar by José Andrés. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 24. On Thursday, April 9, OpenTable will simultaneously host 100 dinners in 30 cities around the world. For a chance to win, diners are encouraged to visit the website and select their desired city and reservation, and share it via social media by tagging the restaurant and using #100OpenTables. www.100opentables.com.

National Paella Day

FIG & OLIVE is serving paella del mar on Friday, March 27 in celebration of National Paella Day. The special dish is made with chicken, black tiger shrimp, sea scallops, calamari, mussels, saffron rice, green peas, red bell pepper, artichoke, saffron aioli, pimento and oregano, and topped with Hojiblanca olive oil. Diners can pair the paella with fig carpaccio and fig and walnut juleps. 8490 Melrose Place, (310)360-9100.

Cooking on the Edge

The Westin Bonaventure is hosting its second culinary class of the year on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. with executive chef Jose Velasquez and executive sous chef Ali Parvinjah. Students will learn how to prepare foods for a “paleo diet”, such as baby heirloom tomato salad with homemade cashew cheese, and Strauss farm grass-fed filet tenderloin with creamed spinach, foraged chanterelle mushrooms, roasted baby leeks and natural jus. Desserts include baklava ice cream and maple cookie sandwiches. Seating is limited to 30 participants; participants must be 21 or older. The cost is $65 per person. 404 S. Figueroa St. RSVP requested to Claudia Lambaren at Claudia.Lambaren@westinbonaventure.com.

Rock & Brews Restaurant

Gene Simmons of KISS is holding a release dinner and party on Tuesday, March 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. for his book titled “Gene Simmons is a Powerful and Attractive Man And Other Irrefutable Facts”, at Rock & Brews in El Segundo. KISS front men Simmons and Paul Stanley co-founded the restaurant. Tickets are $75 and include a three-course, prix fixe dinner; a signed book and a photograph with Simmons. To purchase tickets, visit www.rockandbrews.com/elsegundo.

Rock & Brews is also celebrating March Madness and will offer “Sweet 16” appetizer platters and complimentary upgrades to 20-ounce “Player’s Pints” with the purchase of select 16-ounce draught pours during games. The madness continues through the final buzzer of the NCAA Championship game on Monday, April 6. The restaurant will also host a brewery bracket competition in which guests can vote for 64 breweries. The winning brewery will get a permanent tap. 143 Main St. (310)615-9890.

Baltaire in Brentwood

Baltaire is redefining the classic American steakhouse. With a mid-century modern design, executive chef Travis Strickland has created a menu fusing seasonality with tradition. Prime meats are cooked at 1,600-degrees on imported French Montague broilers; beverage director and sommelier David Vaughn, formerly of Osteria Mozza, has developed New World and Old World wine lists; and the beverage program includes craft cocktails and rare spirits. The Baltaire staff offers tableside preparations including sautéed Dover sole fileted and deboned in French copper pans; Greek salad; and matcha green tea steeped in glazed bowls. The dining room offers a fireside lounge, a baby grand piano and a sprawling 2,500 square-foot outdoor terrace. Baltaire is the latest venture from the team that created the Coral Tree Café, Red Room Food & Wine Bar and the coffee boutique, Comoncy. 11647 San Vicente Blvd. (424)273-1660.

3 Square Café

3 Square Cafe has debuted a new dinner menu featuring burgers and pies with a contemporary twist. The menu features pretzel burgers and new creations such as double salmon burgers made with a salmon filet and gravlax, and spicy buffalo wing burgers with blue cheese slaw. The burgers are served on fresh-baked artisan Röckenwagner Bakery buns. A rotating menu of pies will also be served by the slice and as whole pies, with varieties such as Myer lemon with brown sugar meringue, and chocolate pretzel, caramel cream topped with chocolate whip cream. Dinner is served Wednesday through Saturday from 4 to 10 pm. 1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (310)399-6504.

Michael’s Santa Monica

Guests are encouraged to enjoy the warm weather by dining al fresco and enjoying authentic California cuisine at Michael’s Santa Monica. The hidden gem has earned the reputation of being a destination for indoor and outdoor California dining for 36 years. While the menus continue to evolve and change with the seasons, guests can enjoy an authentic organic dinner party atmosphere. Happy hour at the bar runs from 5 p.m. to closing. Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 6 to 10:30 p.m. 1147 3rd St. (310)451-0843.

Ox & Son Opens

Executive chef and partner Brad Miller worked at Patina and the Inn of the Seventh Ray before opening Ox & Son, a modern American restaurant featuring tapas-style dishes. Miller’s creations include Benton’s ham and corn griddle cake with maple butter, and chicken fried duck confit with shaved pickled vegetables. Desserts include lemon, strawberry and malt with milk soaked yellow cake. The restaurant is the latest addition to the FNA (Forkin’ Awesome) Hospitality Group, and offers a modern-yet-rustic ambience that complements the elevated, comfort-food cuisine. The intimate space seats 54 guests in booths and at high top tables overlooking the kitchen. Patrons can watch bartenders and oyster shuckers at work. Luke Tabit curates the beer and wine menu offering a selection of drafts rarely found in Los Angeles. The wine list was created with the help of sommelier Stephen Jordan and features French, Italian, Spanish and local California wines. Ox & Son opens for dinner at 5:30 p.m. 1534 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (310)829-3990.