Empire Eats, the local restaurant group that owns The Raleigh Times Bar, Gravy, Sitti and The Pit, is buying the former Hideaway BBQ location on Capital Boulevard.

Hideaway BBQ, which was likely better known as a roots music venue than as a restaurant, closed in 2008. and has been empty ever since.

Greg Hatem, head of Empire Eats, says he building is ideal to use a catering kitchen since it is close to the highway and close to downtown. Empire Eats had been using the former Duck & Dumpling restaurant on Moore Square as a catering kitchen but Hatem has found new tenants for that space. No word yet on who that will be.

Seven local chefs will compete Feb. 25 for the title of shrimp and grits champion in the first ever Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chefs' Throwdown.

The event at The Carolina Inn is open to the public who will vote for the fan favorite. It costs $15 to attend the event, which is from 1-4 p.m.

The participating chefs include: Jeremy Blankenship of Tyler's Taproom; Trey Cleveland of Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery; Adam Cobb of Glasshalfull; Bret Jennings of Elaine's on Franklin; Vimala Rajendran of Vimala's Curryblossom Café; Jimmy Reale of Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and Bar; and Adam Rose of Il Palio at the Siena Hotel.

For more information and tickets, go to www.CarolinaInnThrowdown.com.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit TABLE, a nonprofit aimed at helping children at risk of hunger.

You can help send culinary students from Wake Tech Community College on a three-week trip to France by eating French food.

The Wake Tech Culinary Team will prepare a five-course French meal with wine pairings on Feb. 26 in the former Duck & Dumpling space at 222 Blount St. in downtown Raleigh. Seatings are every half hour from 6-7:30 p.m. Dinner with wine costs $70 and dinner without wine costs $50.

For a reservation, send an email to culinary@waketech.edu.
 

Here is a list of upcoming cooking classes, food tours and more across the Triangle:

Hungry for Change -- a food justice discussion group
Six-week small group discussion course sponsored by Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and South Durham Green Neighbors. 7 p.m. Wednesdays until Feb. 15. $22 (for workshop reading book). Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4907 Garrett Road, Durham. 489-2575. www.sdgn.net.
Free Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting
Taste 40 different chocolate bars and be inspired by delicious chocolate confections. Fair trade chocolate is produced without child labor and ensures fair pay for farmers. 10 a.m. Saturday. Free. One World Market, 811 Ninth St., Durham. 286-2457. www.oneworldmarket.info.
A Little Southern, A Little Italian
With Sheri Castle, author of "The New Southern Garden Cookbook: Enjoying the Best from Homegrown Gardens, Farmers Markets, Roadside Stands, and CSA Farm Boxes." 1 p.m. Saturday. $40. A Southern Season, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill. 929-7133. http://bit.ly/yXnu8l
Valentine's Dinner & Dance
Valentine's dinner plus live music and dancing. 6 p.m. Saturday. $35 per person. $60 per couple. Adams Vineyards & Winery, 3390 John Adams Rd., Willow Spring. 567-1010. http://adamsvineyards.com.
All About Love Valentine's Social
 Dinner, music, roses. 8 p.m. Saturday. $35 per couple. APOD, 309 Technical Court, Garner. 696-9250. www.aplaceofdeliverance.com.
Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake Bake Off
For more than 20 years the Council on Aging has been challenging Chatham County bakers to pull out all the stops for the annual Chocolate Cake Bake Off. This year we invite you to sample the winning desserts with milk and coffee and perhaps take home one in the decadent auction to follow. 3 p.m. Sunday. $5 for adults, $3 for children. Council On Aging - Eastern Chatham Senior Center, 365 N.C. 87 North, Pittsboro. 542-4512. www.chathamcouncilonaging.org/Events.

Click READ MORE to see entire list.

Here is a list of upcoming wine tastings and events across the Triangle:

Sip...A Wine Store
Sample sexy wines and savor yummy chocolate from Red Light Chocolates. 5 p.m. Friday. Free. To celebrate the owner's 40th birthday, four wines will be offered at 40 percent off. 5 p.m. Feb. 17. Free to sample. Join runners and walkers for exercise and end about 7 p.m. for a short wine tasting. 6 p.m. first Wednesday of the month. $3 for a glass. 1055 Darrington Drive, Cary. 467-7880. www.sipawinestore.com.
Museum of Life and Science
After Hours: Science of Wine. Excite your senses and experience unique characteristics of wines crafted around the world. Meet wine experts from local wine shops and talk to scientists about enology. DJ Gonzo will be spinning jams on vinyl and there will be plenty to see, do, taste and create at this year's Science of Wine. 6 p.m. Thursday. $20. 433 W. Murray Ave., Durham. 220-5429, ext. 313. www.ncmls.org.
Taylor's Wine Shop
Pre-Valentine wine tasting. 6 p.m. Thursday. Free. 10005 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh. 847-3069.
Southern Season
Find the perfect dessert wine to share with your special someone. 5 p.m. Friday. $15. 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill. 929-7133. www.southernseason.com
Cloer Family Vineyards
Wine tasting and tour. 11 a.m. Saturdays. $5. 8624 Castleberry Road, Apex. 387-5760. www.cloerfamilyvineyards.com.
Chatham Hill Winery
Tasting and winery tours. 11 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Monthly tour with owner and winemaker Marek Wojciechowski with wine tasting. 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11, April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8, Aug. 12. 3800 Gateway Centre Blvd., Morrisville. 380-7135. www.chathamhillwine.com.
The Granary at Fearrington Village
Taking a look at wines from two of Italy's most interesting wine-growing states, Piemonte and Lombardy. The wines include Barolo, Barbaresco, Carema, Valtellina, and Franciacorta. 5 p.m. Feb. 16. $45. 210 Market St., Pittsboro. 542-2121. www.fearrington.com.
 

For Valentine's Day, restaurants usually unveil a prix fixe menu or special offerings in addition to their regular menu. If a nice meal out isn't your thing, here's my list of other Valentine's Day activities, including cooking classes and chocolate tastings.

Here are a few dinner options that I spotted in my inbox or online:

• The Angus Barn in Raleigh is offering a four-course meal on Saturday for $95 with live music and dancing in the pavilion after dinner. Go HERE for details.
• Daniel's in Apex is offering an Almost Valentine's wine dinner on Thursday offering five courses for $75. Go HERE and click on Wine Dinner for details. Daniel's is also offering a special Valentine's Day menu, including lobster bolognese for $22.
• The Matthews House in Cary is offering dinner and dancing from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday. It costs $50 per person. Plus, one lucky couple will win a night in the honeymoon suite. Call 467-1944 for more details and reservations.
• Herons at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary is offering a five-course tasting menu for $85. You can get wine pairings for an additional $35. You can take your date for this special meal on Friday, Sunday, Monday, Feb. 13 and then Feb. 15-Feb. 18. Call 447-4000 for a reservation.
• La Residence in Chapel Hill is offering a three-course meal for $49 or a four-course meal for $65 on Valentine's Day. Call 967-2506 for a reservation.
• Taste Carolina is offering walking tours in Durham and Raleigh on Valentine's Day. Tickets cost $62.50.
• Dos Perros in Durham has posted its Valentine's Day menu, which it will be offering in addition to its regular menu. I'm most intrigued by this drink, which could stand in for dessert: Mexican Affogato, a Mezcal-spiked coffee poured over mole ice cream with house-candied orange peel. 
• Its sister restaurant in Chapel Hill, Jujube also has posted its Valentine's Day menu.
• The Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham is offering a five-course meal for $65. Go HERE for details.
• The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill has a series of dining and overnight stay packages starting at $129. Go HERE to see their offerings.
• Il Palio at The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill is offering a five-course meal for $95. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Chef Chip Smith, formerly of Bonne Soiree, is now cooking at The Inn at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City. They are offering a Valentine's Day menu on Saturday, Sunday and Valentine's Day. Call 742-5176 for details.
• Watts Grocery in Durham is offering a three-course meal for $50. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Foster's Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill are offering a three-course take out meal for two for $75. You must place your order by Saturday to pick up on Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.

If you would like your restaurant added to this list, please send an email to aweigl@newsobserver.com and put "Valentine's Menu" in the subject line.

We're back with a winter Triangle Foodie Tweetup. This time at Durham's G2B gastropub, which recently earned 4 stars from The News & Observer's restaurant critic Greg Cox. (Go HERE to read the review.)

The event will be from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22. Tickets cost $11.24, which includes all the fees from eventbrite and paypal. Ticket sales start at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 6. These events often sell out so be sure to get your tickets early.

To buy tickets, go to http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2907158389

Follow the discussion on Twitter: #trifoodietweetup @CarrieG2BPub @G2B_restaurant @andreaweigl @durhamfoodie

At the event, we'll sell $1 raffle tickets for a chance to win a cookbook. The money collected for the raffle will be donated to a charity of the chef's choice.

Chef Carrie Schleiffer shared this menu for the event, which could change:

    * Variety of bar snacks: deviled egg, pork belly, beer nuts etc
    * Charcuterie platter with various pates and cured meat (all done in house)
    * Roasted Beet Salad
    * Wings
    * Housemade Andouille with celery root and fennel puree and sauteed kale
    *  Shepherd's Pie

And for dessert:

    * Cranberry Macaron
    * Raspberry Linzers
    * Chocolate-Cinnamon Mousse petite Gateaux
    * Dark Chocolate-Mint tartlets w/ cocoa nib
    * Reisling poached pear-Almond tartlets
    * Almond Dragees

 For more information about G2B gastropub, go to http://g2b-restaurant.com/
 

Go HERE to read Greg's review of the latest restaurant to take over the former Joe's Place location: Brewmasters Bar & Grill.

This outpost of a Chicago chain opened a few days after I left on maternity leave so I feel like I should mention it: Mia Francesca Trattoria opened Oct. 21 at North Hills mall on the first floor of the Renaissance Hotel.

The chain started by chef Scott Harris in Chicago in 1992 has about 20 locations from Scottsdale to San Diego, Madison, WI to the greater Chicago area.

General manager Adam Moore says they hope to add four to five more locations in the Triangle in the coming years.

The restaurant serves rustic northern Italian fare and its menu changes monthly. The 8,000-square-feet space can seat 280 people inside and on its patio.

The chef is Adam Smith, who has worked at Carolina Country Club, Firebirds and Restaurant Eden in Durham. (N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox gave 2-1/2 stars to Restaurant Eden, which was owned by Smith. It has since closed.)

Today's food centerpiece is a story from Kathleen Purvis about how the Buffalo flavor is for more than just wings and challenges guacamole for Super Bowl snack supremacy. Remember: Recipe links are to the right under Related Content.

I have a column about some bar cookie wisdom that I recently discovered in the cookbook: "Two Chicks from the Sticks."

Suzanne Havala Hobbs' On the Table column is about the Battle of the Pudge.

Linda Gassenheimer's Quick Fix column offers a recipe for Stir-fried Diced Chicken and Cucumber.

Kathleen Purvis' Cook Q&A is all about substituting different types of onions in recipes. If you have a cooking question, send those to kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com.

We share a story from the Washington Post about hydroponic lettuce.