Don’t bother eating today--there will be plenty...

Don’t bother eating today--there will be plenty of opportunity for that Friday through Sunday at the third annual Taste of Ventura County food and wine festival at Channel Islands Harbor. Twenty-one restaurants, including The Chart House, The Greek at the Harbor, Capistrano’s and Yasmeen’s, will join six wineries in offering samples of their specialties. Festival hours are Friday 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday noon to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $6 (adults), $4 (seniors, military) and free for children age 14 and younger. Individual samplings are $1 to $5. Call 985-4852.

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A sampling of wines from the Sanford Winery near Buellton will be featured at a wine-tasting dinner Monday at Giovanni’s restaurant in Camarillo.

The multi-course Italian meal will open with a Caesar salad, followed by penne with smoked salmon and sun-dried tomato cream sauce, and a chicken breast topped with spinach and Fontina cheese. The main course will be lamb chops in brandy demi-glace with mushrooms and rosemary. A Sanford Pinot Noir Vin Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Barrel Select Chardonnay and another Pinot Noir will complement the meal.

Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $45 per person. Call 484-4376.

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For a second dinner option Monday, you might consider the Next Generation Series at San Ysidro Ranch Stonehouse Restaurant in Montecito. Since January, resident Chef Gerard Thompson has teamed with up-and-coming young chefs for special dinners. This time around, the guest will be Chef Larry Nicola, owner of Nicola restaurant in Los Angeles.

The menu will open with Thompson’s ginger beet risotto followed by a warm baked smoked mozzarella and organic tomato salad.

Dinner will be served between 6 and 10 p.m. Cost is $45. Call 969-4100.

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Friday is the reservation deadline for the Casa Pacifica Wine & Food Festival on April 30 at Ventura’s Pierpont Inn. About 20 restaurants and more than 20 wineries are expected to participate. Tickets are $35, with all proceeds benefiting the Children of Casa Pacifica crisis care center. Call 445-7800.