Chefs hosting Friends of James Beard benefit dinner

Chefs from The Venetian and the Palazzo will host a Friends of James Beard Foundation benefit dinner at 7 p.m. Monday in the Friends of the James Beard Foundation Room at the Palazzo. The dinner, which will include musical entertainment and a silent auction, is in celebration of the foundation’s 25th anniversary, and proceeds will go to the foundation’s scholarship program. Tickets are $150 per person or $175 for VIP, which includes a 6 p.m. reception. Call 414-9000 or visit www.Venetian.com/JamesBeard or any Venetian or Palazzo box office. …

Gerard Bertrand wines will be featured in a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Spiedini at the J.W. Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Drive. With an entree of Chianti-braised short ribs, the four-course dinner is $68. Call 869-8500. …

Chef Pierre Gagnaire returns to his restaurant, Twist by Pierre Gagnaire, from Thursday through March 30. The restaurant is at the Mandarin Oriental, 3752 Las Vegas Blvd. South. …

Society Cafe at Encore, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, has introduced a new happy hour menu in celebration of March Madness, which continues through April 2. The menu, which is available from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays, includes Mac N’ Cheese Bites with a truffle dipping sauce, Grandma Rose’s Meatballs and more, priced at $7 each or three for $19. …

Bellagio executive chef Edmund Wong and Patz & Hall Winery will present the resort’s next Epicurean Epicenter event at 6:30 p.m. March 24 in the Tuscany Kitchen at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South. With an entree of medallion of venison, the four-course dinner is $175 per person inclusive. Call the Bellagio concierge at (866) 906-7171. …

Shakespeare’s Grille & Pub, 790 Coronado Center Blvd. in Henderson, has introduced Jamaican Jerk Saturdays, with live reggae music beginning at 9 p.m. …

Leone Cafe has opened at Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd., serving omelets, breakfast sandwiches, salads, panini, pastries and fruit and espresso-based drinks from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Call 684-5853. …

For additional restaurant news, visit lvrj.com/blogs/vegasvoice.

Send information to Heidi Knapp Rinella, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125. You also can send faxes to 383-4676 or email her at hrinella@reviewjournal.com.