What's Cooking: Wine tasting festival at Borrone What's Cooking: Wine tasting festival at Borrone (September 01, 2004)

International wines will be paired with Italian food for Cafe Borrone's second wine tasting festival to be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, September 18, at the popular downtown Menlo Park European-style cafe.

Wines from Italy, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, California and Oregon will be poured. Borrone will be serving some of its specialties, including Italian cheeses and breads, calamari salad, tomato and mozzarella salad, and tortas.

There will be live music throughout the afternoon. Tickets are $35 each and may be purchased over the phone by calling 327-0830. Cafe Borrone is located at 1010 El Camino Real, next door to Kepler's bookstore.

Celebrity cookbooks

Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine, will be first in a series of famous foodies to appear at Kepler's this fall to promote their new cookbooks.

Ms. Reichl is coming to Menlo Park Sunday, October 3, to celebrate the release of "The Gourmet Cookbook," featuring 60 years of favorite recipes from the magazine.

She will appear at a luncheon at the Left Bank restaurant at 1 p.m. Tickets are $135 per couple or $85 single, and include one copy of "The Gourmet Cookbook," lunch, limited wine, tax and tip. To order tickets, call 324-4321.

Ms. Reichl will also be at Kepler's at 4 p.m. Sunday for an in-store presentation and book-signing.

November will bring three more food celebrities to Kepler's. Thomas Keller, chef and owner of the famed French Laundry and Bouchon in the wine country and the new Per Se in New York City, will appear at Kepler's at 7 p.m. Monday, November 8, to promote "Bouchon," a compilation of recipes of dishes that are served in his Yountville bistro.

Anthony Bourdain, who shook up the food world with his revelations in "Kitchen Confidential," returns to Kepler's at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 11, to talk about his latest, "Les Halles Cookbook." The cookbook contains recipes for many of the classic French dishes that Mr. Bourdain prepared at Les Halles restaurant in New York City.

"Domestic goddess" Nigella Lawson will be signing "Feast: Food to Celebrate Life," a book of recipes for holiday celebrations, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 19. Ms. Lawson is a columnist for the New York Times and author of "Nigella Bites" and "Forever Summer."

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