Giovanni’s Restaurant in Camarillo last week presented...

Giovanni’s Restaurant in Camarillo last week presented a revised menu that includes a new brodetto di pesce (a bouillabaisse-type dish served with pasta) and an upgrade of its nightly five-course gourmet specials.

Owner Giovanni Tromba offered a couple of samplings: Tuesday night’s five courser consists of salad, a half-portion of the pasta of the day, and a veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese in a reduction of Cabernet Sauvignon. On Wednesday night, it’s Caesar salad, pasta, and a whole, grilled, boneless Iowa corn-fed chicken, marinated in herbs and served with roasted garlic.

Stay tuned for details on a planned Dec. 12 champagne dinner at the establishment. Giovanni’s is located at 5227 Mission Oaks Blvd.

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About 40 people turned out for chef Louis Ludwig’s winemaker’s dinner last Saturday at Ventura’s Pierpont Inn. The Fall Harvest Winemaker Dinner & Dance paired Ludwig’s creations with wines from Zaca Mesa Vineyards in Los Olivos. Judging by the applause following the last course--a chocolate-covered, hazelnut mousse-filled pear--the evening was a success. The Pierpont’s next scheduled wine (actually champagne) dinner is scheduled for New Year’s Eve. Ludwig said to look for pheasant and alligator on the menu.

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The Santa Ynez Winery Tasting Room opens its Ventura outlet this weekend. The grand opening will include events Friday for the local dignitaries and Chamber of Commerce members, and Saturday (noon to 7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (noon to 6 p.m.) for the regular folk.

This is the winery’s fourth tasting room, but the first outside Santa Barbara County. It is located at 1591 Spinnaker Drive (upstairs at what was formerly Berto’s Ristorante).

Call 644-WINE for more information.

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And next door to the wine tasting room, at the Greek at the Harbor restaurant, Tuesday nights will now be Folkdance Fun Nights. Beginning Tuesday, the Haverim Dancers of Ventura--a group open to dancers of all levels of ability--will gather for some authentic dancing. The public is welcome to join in. For more information, call group leader Ann Taylor at 643-2886. The Greek is located at 1503 Spinnaker Drive.