Catania to repeat Piedmont wine dinner amid popular demand
Catania liked it so much the first time that it’s doing it again.
The La Jolla eatery, which specializes in coastal Italian fare and wood-fired pizza, will hold its second in a bimonthly series of wine dinners featuring different regions of Italy on Monday, April 30. Amid popular demand, this is a repeat of the restaurant’s Feb. 19 premiere event. That installment featured wines from Piedmont, a northern region famous for Barolo and Barbaresco.
The April event will seat 80, doubling the February capacity. The cost is $105 per person, including tax and tip.
Sicily and Tuscany are among the regions of focus in the months ahead. Catania is located at 7863 Girard Ave. For more, see cataniasd.com or call 858-551-5105.
BrunchCon to feature four La Jolla eateries
BrunchCon, a food and drink festival touting all things brunch-worthy, will feature fare from four La Jolla restaurants on Sunday, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 North Harbor Drive.
Some 30 regional eateries will participate in the Los Angeles-based event, now in its third year. The San Diego date is the event’s first for 2018; other stops include San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Miami, Austin, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The event closes Aug.19.
A BrunchCon Market and a so-called Museum of Brunch will feature vendors, goods and products associated with the popular late-morning repast. Lawn games and a disc jockey are set as well. The $45 and $85 tickets include one brunch bite from each of the vendors and admission to the open mimosa and Bloody Mary bars. Attendees must be 21 or older.
La Jolla-area participants include the Richard Walker’s Pancake House La Jolla location; Snooze, an A.M. Eatery; La Clochette du Coin; and Farmer & the Seahorse. 
For more information, call 619686-8027, or visit brunchcon.com.
George’s Level 2 releases cocktail history/recipe book
George’s Level2, the cocktail bar arm of La Jolla’s acclaimed George’s at the Cove restaurant, has now tried its hand at publishing, having launched “Neighborhoods of San Diego,” a hardbound book that also functions as the bar’s cocktail list. The book, inspired by those about notable bars in other large cities, was created by Level2 bartender Stephen Kurpinsky, who primarily supplied the images. Managers Sam Peters and Christian Ortiz assisted on the project.  
The book is available for purchase from the bar at $25. George’s Level2 is located at 1250 Prospect St.
Four La Jolla restaurants make AAA 4-diamond list
Four La Jolla restaurants are among 13 San Diego County venues to receive this year’s AAA four- or AAA five-diamond awards for their excellence over the past 12 months, according to a Feb. 21 statement from the Automobile Club of Southern California. La Jolla’s A. R. Valentien (The Lodge at Torrey Pines), Donovan’s Chop & Steak House, George’s at the Cove and The Marine Room made the four-diamond list.
Del Mar’s Addison received a five-star rating. Just 0.2 percent of the more than 31,000 AAA Inspected & Approved restaurants are five-diamond-rated restaurants.
To qualify for four diamonds, a restaurant must provide creatively prepared, skillfully served fare, often by a wine steward, amid upscale ambiance. The auto club’s full-time inspection staff brings prior hospitality industry experience and applies that experience to give members information that meets their travel desires.
For a five-star rating, a restaurant will consistently provide leading-edge cuisine of the finest ingredients, uniquely prepared by an acclaimed chef and served by expert service staff in extraordinary surroundings.
“Guests want to learn about cooking techniques, fresh ingredients and trends,” said Patty Marenco, manager of the auto club’s approved accommodations program. “They are looking for a wide-ranging dining experience that includes being entertained. No longer does world-class necessarily mean formal attire and opulent surroundings. And that’s where AAA’s diamond ratings can help guide the discerning diner.”
The rating system provides consumers with the broadest coverage of any U.S. rating system, geographically and by the number of properties rated, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The county’s four-diamond establishments include San Diego’s Avant, Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop, Mister A’s, Veladora and Grant Grill; Alpine’s The Grove Steakhouse; Carlsbad’s Vivace and Argyle Steakhouse; and Mille Fleurs, in Rancho Santa Fe..
In all, 40 Southern California venues made the four- or five-diamond cut.