
The Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival takes over the parking lot just south of Republic Square Park (Fourth & Guadalupe) this Saturday with the best Louisiana-inspired food, drinks, music, dancing, and arts & crafts imaginable. Food, drinks, and crafts will be for sale, but they'll also be giving away 5,000 pounds of fresh boiled crawfish, one plate at a time. $15 at the gate. Saturday, April 10, 10am-11:30pm.
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Marble Falls' Flat Creek Estate (www.flatcreekestate.com, 267-6310) with artists in the vineyard all afternoon and a special seven-course dinner paired with the estate's bottled wines. $109 a person; reservations are necessary. Saturday, April 10, 6-9pm.
La Condesa (400-A W. Second, 499-0300) hosts the first in a series of local farm-to-table dinners benefiting the Sustainable Food Center: a meal prepared by chefs Rene Ortiz, Tyson Cole, James Holmes, Shawn Cirkiel, Todd Duplechan, Jesse Griffiths, and Laurie Sawicki. $100 per person. Make necessary reservations at www.sfcchefseries.eventbrite.com. Sunday, April 11, 6pm.
Chef Lawrence Kocurek shares the secrets of pork charcuterie ($75, April 11) and a selection of French seafood charcuterie preparations ($75, April 18) at classes the next two Sundays. Make necessary reservations at kocurekfamilycharcuterie@yahoo.com. Sundays, April 11 & 18, 1-4pm.
The Chef's Table series continues at Fino (2905 San Gabriel, 474-2905, www.finoaustin.com) with chef Jason Donoho and pastry chef Mike Joyner preparing a five-course meal paired with Cruzan Rum cocktails created by mixologist Bill Norris. $75 per person, reservations necessary. Wednesday, April 14, 7pm.
Recipes for Family History is a two-part class presented by Texas Foodways expert Dawn Orsak to give students "inspiration, skills, and ideas to delve into their family history through the subject of food." $44 per person. Register for this Texas Union informal class No. 7630.601 at www.informalclasses.org or 232-5277. Wednesdays, April 14 & 21, 6:30-8:30pm.
Event Menu, Poteet Strawberry Festival, Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival, Flat Creek Estate, Kocurek Family Charcuterie, La Condesa, Sustainable Food Center, Fino, Jason Donoho, Dawn Orsak, informal classes