Fine dining with 7-course meal

• Wine

Press Photos by Linda Sailer Patricia Pender, left, owner of Town and Country Liquor, goes through a selection of wines with Deanna Jilek, Trinity Fine Arts Board member, on Tuesday. Town and Country is providing the wine for the upcoming Trinity Divine Wine and Dine event.

Talk about it

A seven-course meal with wine is on tap for those who attend the fourth annual Trinity Fine Arts Divine Wine and Dine event.

Patricia Pender of Town and Country Liquors will pair each course with a complementary wine.

“I will introduce them to the wines and give a little history,” Pender said. “It’s a learning experience for the novice wine drinker; and for the experienced drinker, it’s for their pleasure and an opportunity to try something maybe they’re not used to trying.”

This year’s menu includes:

Appetizer: Cucumber and salmon bites.

Soup: Wild rice pumpkin soup.

Salad: Strawberry and red onion salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Palate cleanser: Lemon sorbet.

First entrée: Chicken Veronique on bed of pasta and asparagus spears.

Second entrée: Beef Roulades with oven-roasted baby potatoes and glazed carrots.

Dessert: Layered chocolate and strawberry trifle, cinnamon cream cheese bite and apple tartlets with caramel sauce.

“It’s not a pressure evening whatsoever,” Pender said. “It’s an evening of good friends, good food and good conversation. At the same time, you’re giving back to the community.”

Deanna Jilek, who serves on the Fine Arts Board, hopes guests will enjoy it.

“The meals are spread out nicely — you’re not inundated — they are spaced out nicely,” she said.

A slide show will showcase the fine arts at Trinity High School.

“We’ll look at everything from singing to drama, as well as speech,” Jilek said. “We’ll have other entertainment, but it will be a surprise.”

Serving on the board for the first year, Jilek added, “I’ve learned how much the board really cares for and supports the fine arts.”

Trinity’s music director Jeff Dasovick said the Divine Wine and Dine has been a huge success for the Fine Arts Board and Trinity’s fine arts department.

“Not only does it bring together friends for an elegant dinner, but it helps raise a lot of money for the fine arts programs at Trinity High School and the Trinity elementary schools,” he said.

He said fine arts play an important role in the development of an individual; but in many school systems, people tend to overlook them because there is no aggregate score to determine proficiency levels.

“The Fine Arts Board and the work they do, along with support of our school administration, allows us to continue to give our students these opportunities,” Dasovick said.

In recent years, the funding has enabled students to attend the International Music Camp and festivals, while teachers pursue continuing education courses. Financial support has gone into the drama productions and to purchase music equipment.

The Divine Wine and Dine is Saturday, Feb. 9, at Lady J’s Catering, 20 East Broadway. The social starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The wine raffle drawing is 9 p.m.

The raffle features 100 bottles of wine (divided among three drawings), wine glasses, an electric wine opener and a bottle cork cage, donated by Town and Country Liquor. Raffle tickets are sold at Lady J’s, Town and Country Liquors, THS and American Bank Center (north.)

The tickets are $60 and may be purchased at THS, 701-483-6081 or visit the website, www.trinityhighschoolcom.

Tags: lifestyle, dickinson, trinity