Event Menu

• Progress Coffee (500 San Marcos, 493-0963, www.progresscoffee.com) will present tasting samples to encourage the sale of six new brands of its locally roasted, directly traded, organic coffee beans at the Whole Foods Market Downtown on Saturdays in March. See details on the new brands at www.owltreeroasting.com/store. The Progress posse will be joined by DJ Manny and some special guests spinning tunes in front of the store. Saturday, March 21 & 28, 11am-3pm.

• Uchi (801 S. Lamar, 916-4808, www.uchiaustin.com) celebrates the Japanese music scene with its own East Meets Fest free live-music party. Three of the six bands it's lined up have Japanese influences, and Japanese street foods and beers will be on sale during the party. See more details and the complete band schedule at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38539046967. Saturday, March 21, 11am-4pm.

• Pie man Bud Royer alerted me to a blog post about an upcoming local pie competition that I'm eager to share, but the details were still relatively sketchy at press time. What I can tell you is that after 10 years in the San Francisco Bay area and a couple of years in New York City, the Pie-Off ATX will be held in Austin this year "to bring like-minded pie bakers together for a jamboree of filling creativity, crust integrity, and overall baked-goodedness." Details about the competition are being released gradually at www.pieoff.blogspot.com. I'm fascinated and plan to whip up a pie and attend. Saturday, March 21, 2-6:30pm.

• Hill Country Pasta House (3519 RR 620 N., 266-9445, www.hillcountrypasta.com) hosts a multicourse dinner featuring pairings with wines from Driftwood Vineyards. Reservations are necessary. While you're there, ask them about their new appetite stimulus packages. Thursday, March 26, 7pm.