Restaurants are busy during the holiday season with festive events.
Santa Claus will be a frequent guest at area restaurants this holiday season. La Cucina di Hampden House in Hampden will be holding their annual Toys for Joy drive and dinner event on Monday.
Anyone who brings a new and unwrapped toy to La Cucina di Hampden House that evening between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. will enjoy a pasta dinner on the house. For more details, contact the restaurant at (413) 566-8324.
On the afternoon of Dec. 18, the Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield will be hosting a Holiday Spectacular Show featuring singer/entertainer Jimmy "Mazz" Mazzaferro.
Joining Mazzaferro in presenting a medley of holiday favorites old and new will be Brianna Lamb, a 16-year-old chanteuse from Ware.
Lunch, which will be served at noon, will feature the Tavern's signature chicken potpie; coffee and cake will conclude the meal.
Tickets, which are $23 (including tax and gratuity), can be ordered by calling the Jimmy Mazz Ticket Line at (413) 374-5890.
Santa will be paying a visit to the Delaney House in Holyoke on the next three Sunday mornings. He'll be there to visit with young and old, listen to holiday gift suggestions, and generally amp-up the pre-holiday merriment level.
His appearance will be in conjunction with the restaurant's Sunday Brunch, which is served from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Pricing for the morning food spread is $23 for adults; children age 12 and younger pay $14.
On Dec. 17 the Delaney House will present a special "sparkling wines" edition of Learn to Drink Like a Pro. A four-course dinner of blackened scallops, filet mignon, and flourless chocolate cake will be paired with four different sparkling wines.
The dinner begins at 6 p.m.; tickets are $35. Contact the Delaney House at (413) 532-1800.
Over the last four winters area chefs and food enthusiast have found that they have had a growing numbers of options when it came to sourcing locally. This December the total increases as five local communities begin hosting Winter Farmers' Markets.
Some are weekly, such as the Saturday morning market at the Amherst Middle School and the Easthampton market on Fridays in the Eastworks Building on Pleasant Street.
Greenfield will be holding a Winter Farmers' Market on the first Saturday of each month, December through March, and Springfield's winter market, which is held in the Old Monkey House at Forest Park, takes place on the second and fourth Saturdays.
Details on area Winter Farmers' Markets, including date, time, and location specifics, can be found at buylocalfood.org
Robin Lamothe of the Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer sent word of some of the special preparations that historic venue has made for the holiday season.
In addition to dining room decorations she says make the space seem magical, Steaming Tender is offering a Polar Express Reading on the 1909 train car parked adjacent to the restaurant. On Dec. 13, 16, and 23 at 5:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. youngsters (and the young at heart) can settle in for an on-board reading of the holiday classic along with hot cocoa and cookies. Advance tickets, which cost $5, are required.
On Dec. 15 and Dec. 22, there will be a Breakfast with Santa and Holly the Elf. After enjoying a buffet in the station restaurant, participants will adjourn to the train car for magic, holiday songs, and balloon animals. Two seatings are available, 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Tickets are $15.99 for adults and $11.99 for children.
Contact Steaming Tender at (413) 283-2744 for reservations or additional details.
Winterfest 2012 is being celebrated this month at the Munich Haus in downtown Chicopee.
Planned for Dec. 15, the "fest" has been designed along the lines of a traditional German Weihnachts celebration -- food, music, and lots of merriments.
A buffet of traditional German favorites will be served, and the menu is to include roast chicken, pork, sausages, and sauerbraten. Live music will be provides by Relentless, a band that specializes in hits from the 50s, 60s, and today.
Tickets are $19.50 and must be purchased in advance.
The Munich Haus will also be hosting its monthly Hops Club event on Dec. 19. Featured beer is to be Würzburger Schwarzbier, which will be served along with a buffet of Munich Haus signature dishes.
Dinner begins at 6 p.m.; tickets are $15 per person.
Contact the Munich Haus at (413) 594-8788 for more information.
The Duck in Sturbridge will be hosting a Thomas Hooker Beer Dinner on Dec. 19. With a scheduled start time of 6:30 p.m., the meal is to feature beers and ales made by the Thomas Hooker Brewing Company of Bloomfield, Conn.
The Duck's chef, Rob Fecteau, will be crafting a menu designed to enhance the Hooker ales and lagers.
The dinner is $48 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling The Duck at (508) 347-2321.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College's hospitality and culinary arts program and has over 35 years of restaurant and educational experience. Please send items of interest to Off the Menu at the Republican, P.O. Box 2350, Springfield, MA 01102; Robert can also be reached at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com