Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings, from a seasonal truffle menu to fire-grilled paella on the patio:

With truffles in season, chef David Denis has created a decadent menu at Le Mistral,  1400 Eldridge. The special menu will be offered now through the end of the year and features dishes such as lobster and truffle mushroom risotto, duck confit with shaved black truffle, and dark chocolate fondant with truffle-laced white chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

SaltAir Seafood Kitchen, 3029 Kirby, is adding lunch and brunch service to its already impressive lineup of eats. Beginning Tuesday, September 27, and running Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., lunch highlights include an Asian-inspired tuna burger, buttered lobster roll, tuna poke and crispy-potato-coated crab-cake sliders. Weekend brunch service (available Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) will begin Saturday, October 1, with dishes such as a lobster BLT, a smoked salmon plate and steak and eggs, plus $1 Gulf and $2 East Coast oysters.

On Thursday, September 29 at 5:30 p.m., Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, 1200 McKinney, will pit the wines from the Rhône Valley in a head-to-head wine-tasting battle royale. Guests can taste and crown a rich and powerful wine, from House Côte-Rôtie from the North to House Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the South. The tasting costs $75 per guest plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 713-658-1995.

Vallone’s, 947 Gessner, will host Dr. Madaiah Revana and guests for a sumptuous four-course dinner on Thursday, September 29. The feast will feature six Revana wines from California, Oregon and South America, including the Revana Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, and is priced at $225 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling 713-395-6100. 

The Morning After, a Houston Press Brunch Event is ready to satisfy every brunch craving on Saturday, October 1. Held at the Bayou City Event Center Pavilion, 9401 Knight, guests can expect drink samples, live music and bites from local brunch hot spots, including Boheme, Brennan's and Max's Wine Dive. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $35 or day of for $45. VIP tickets are also available.
Beginning Tuesday, October 4 and for the following two Tuesdays (October 11 and 18), Revival Market charcutier Andrew Vaserfirer will be making paella at Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale. As inspired by the early paellas, first made in Valencia on the Eastern coast of Spain, that were cooked outdoors over wood-burning fires, each paella will be cooked in a clay vessel on a live fire grill. He’ll be making his own Andalusian sausage with a selection of seafood — mussels, shrimp — and rabbit, a classic Spanish tradition.

AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse) will be hosting its annual Home Safe Home Around the World gala on Wednesday, October 5 at 7 p.m. at The Astorian, 2500 Summer. The event will feature 12 of Houston’s finest chefs, including Neal Cox of Olivette at the Houstonian, John Sheely of Mockingbird Bistro and Danny Trace of Brennan’s, to delight guests with small bites, each paired with a boutique wine. Individual tickets are $250 each. Proceeds from the gala go to provide direct services to families victimized by domestic violence as well as preventative education to stop violence in the future.

On Friday, October 7 through Sunday, October 9, beer lovers can enjoy an Oktoberfest celebration at King’s Biergarten, 1329 East Broadway. The massive three-day extravaganza will be packed with a huge Oktoberfest tent, eats such as pretzels, brats and sliders, delicious German “bier” and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. Tickets are available for $10 ($5 for early-bird pricing), with VIP packages available.