Taste, a new American-style tapas restaurant, opened Monday in the former GAKS teahouse location off Dixie Trail in Raleigh.

Co-owner Edward Haag explained the "American-style tapas" moniker as "so we can put lobster mac-n-cheese on the menu and not have people hate us for not being Spanish."

They offer more than a dozen small plates, each costing $10 or less. The menu will change six to eight times a year.

Haag, who runs the bar and the front of house, says he and chef Alex Unger met while working at the same restaurant in Syracuse. When Haag moved down here two years ago, he decided to open a restaurant and convinced Unger and his wife to help him.

The kitchen hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The bar stays open later. The restaurant is at 3048 Medlin Drive, Raleigh, across from Crowley's

For more information, check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taste/144869475610846?sk=info

A handful of food trucks will gather for the Valentine's Day Food Rodeo and Fundraiser from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Carrboro Farmers' Market.

The beneficiaries are two local nonprofits: Table, an Orange County nonprofit that targets hunger relief, and the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, a homeless outreach organization that offers beds, meals, medical care and other services.

The trucks that will be serving food include:

• Baguettaboutit: Baguette sandwiches featuring local sausages and specialty sauces. @baguettaboutit
• Cocoa Cinnamon: Select coffee, teas, spices and handmade chocolates. @cocoacinnamon
• Chirba Chirba:  Asian street fare truck specializing in Chinese dumplings. @ChirbaChirba
• Parlez-Vous Crepe: Made-to-order sweet and savory crepes. @parlezvouscrepe
• Monuts Donuts: A mix of classic and modern donut flavors. @monutsdonuts

All trucks will donate a portion of their proceeds to the charities as well as collect nonperishable food items and donations.

Mystery Brewing Co., the Triangle's newest brewery, is finally up and running in Hillsborough.

The first pints of Mystery Brewing beers will be served at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Wooden Nickel  Pub in downtown Hillsborough. Mystery Brewing owner Erik Myers says they will be serving  these beers:

• Queen Anne's Revenge, an English-style black IPA that is not overly hoppy.
• Gentlemen's Preference, a Belgian-based blonde ale.
• A special cask of blonde ale that was the first beer they brewed on their system.

Myers, an avid home brewer, has had a long road to becoming a brewery owner. In the summer of 2010, he raised $40,000 via kickstarter with the initial idea of becoming a contract brewer -- he would brew his beer at other breweries. But the Triangle beer scene is so good that no breweries had capacity for his beer. So he changed his plan to open his own brewery and found space on Dimmocks Mill Road in West Hillsborough.

His brewery is not open to the public yet. They don't have a bar like Fullsteam in Durham or Big Boss in Raleigh. But Myers says they hope to have a grand unveiling party at the end of the month when they will release their other two beers:

• Six impossible Things, a breakfast stout made with oatmeal, chocolate and coffee.
• Mousqueton, a Belgian-style tripel named after one of the Three Musketeers' lackeys.

Myers says he plans to offer beers seasonally for a limited period of time and if they do well, offer them again the following year.

He plans to offer monthly tours of the brewery starting in March. While they don't have a bar, they do have a space where folks can fill a growler of beer or enjoy a pint during a tour. He plans to have a taproom open nearby by March or April.

"We hope," Myers cautions, noting: "I kept saying we'd get this brewery open last October."
 

Today's food centerpiece is a story from The Chicago Tribune about how many points men can score by cooking for their women on Valentine's Day. Remember: Recipe links are to the right under Related Content.

In the same Valentine's theme, we offer a story from the Akron Beacon Journal about two new chocolate cookbooks. I'm intrigued by the recipe for Mint Brownie Pudding Cakes.

I have a column about Raleigh now being home to 2 artisan bean-to-bar chocolate makers: Escazu and Videri. 

Suzanne Havala Hobbs' healthy eating column, On the Table column is about school lunches.

Linda Gassenheimer's Quick Fix column offers a recipe for Picadillo, a popular Cuban dish.

We share a story from oneforthetable.com on Chicken Chili.

We share a story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on slow cookers. The recipes include one for shredded chicken ragu.

In case you missed Debbie Moose's Sunday Dinner column about sugar packet theft, it's a must read. Go HERE.

Many cookbooks came into the office while I was out on maternity leave and it's time to clear my desk with some giveaways.

The first book you can win is: "Good Eats 3: The Later Years," by Alton Brown.

You know the drill: Leave a comment below this post before noon, Friday, Feb. 24. I will pick a winner at random. Good luck!

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.