Welcome to the 805 Living Dining Blog where our Dining Editor, Angela Pettera, keeps you up to date on restaurant happenings in the 805. To send her your tips and comments, email angela@805living.com. Happy eating!

“Picnic at the Lake” Wine Tasting

Saturday, May 1st, noon - 3 p.m.

Fourteen wineries, all members of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Assoc., will be pouring their wares at a picnic on Saturday for adults over 21 years of age.  A buffet lunch will be set out by J.R. Catering and live jazz will play by the lake of the Bridlewood Estate Winery located at 3555 Roblar Avenue in Santa Ynez.

Tickets, which included unlimited wine tastes, are $55.  Tickets must be purchased by noon tomorrow (Friday, April 30th) online or at the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country office.  No tickets will be sold the day of the event.

Headliners Comedy Club Opens at Fiamme

This weekend (April 30th and May 1st) marks the opening dates of “Headliners Comedy Club @ Fiamme.”    Comedians will perform every Friday and Saturday night on the stage of Fiamme Restaurant & Bar in Thousand Oaks.  General admission tickets are $15.  Tickets for dinner and a show are only $40.  This weekend’s comedian is John DiCrosta.

Dinner reservations can be made between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.  The shows begin at 9 p.m.

Free Bacon Freak Cookbook with Order

until April 28th

There’s only one more day to get a free Bacon Freak, Bacon is Meat Candy, Cookbook with orders of $20 or more at BaconFreak.com.  In case you couldn’t tell, BaconFreak.com is the source for all things bacon including flavored bacon, bacon pancakes, bacon greeting cards, and bacon jerky.

To get your free book, type “Give me my cookbook” in the comments section of your order at checkout.

Free Cupcakes to Little Sports Stars

month of April

For a few more days, children 12 and under get free cupcakes from SusieCakes Bakery in Calabasas when they appear in the bakery wearing their team uniform.  Founder Susan Sarich says, “I hope this is something both little sports stars and parents alike can look forward to as a fun, rewarding, post-game activity.”

Conejo Valley Family Fun Fest and Chili Cook-Off

Sunday, April 25th, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks is once again sponsoring the Chili Cook-Off which opens the Conejo Valley Days Carnival. The Cook-Off will be held at Conejo Creek Park South, at the corner of Hwy 23 and Janss Road.

Tickets to the Chili Cook-Off are $10 which buys you a taste of every chili entrant in the contest.  Usually over 75 entries are on hand.  This year Fiamme Restaurant & Bar is entering a red chili and a green chili in the contest.

The Grilled Cheese Invitational

Saturday, April 24th, noon-6 p.m.

This is the 8th annual convocation of The Grilled Cheese Invitational, a grilled-cheese-sandwich competition. It’s being held in downtown L.A. at Los Angeles Center Studios, 1201 W. 5th St., L.A.  Tickets are $15 at the door.

The Grilled Cheese Truck will be there selling its wares along with other food vendors.  The Tillamook Cheese Pavilion will be giving away free grilled cheese sandwich samples, free samples of cheddar, and coupons for Tillamook products.