Local restaurants planning special dinners and holiday fare

Sparkling Festival starts Friday

The annual ThinkFoodGroup Sparkling Festival will run from Friday through Dec. 12 at China Poblano and Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The featured cocktail at China Poblano will be the Winter’s Blush, $17 (Hendricks gin, lychee, rose, lemon and Poema cava). There also will be a sparkling flight, $22; a trio of bubbly bottles to go, $150; and a paired bite of six trout roe siu mai, $18. Jaleo will have a sparkling flight, $32; special bubbles by the glass or bottle; and a trio of bubbly bottles to go, $250.

Wine and truffle dinner at Brezza

Wines from Pio Cesare Vineyards in Alba, Italy, and Alba white truffles will come together in a dinner at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at Brezza at Resorts World. The wines will be presented by Federica Boffa, the fifth-generation owner of the 140-year-old winery, and Brezza executive/chef partner Nicole Brisson plans a menu of dishes such as a porcini-rubbed veal chop with crispy potato millefoglie, roasted cippolini and sauteed baby kale and spinach. The five-course dinner is $399. Go to eventbrite.com.

Holiday fare on Water Street

During Henderson’s December WinterFest, businesses in the Water Street District will offer holiday-themed specials from 5 to 7 p.m. each Thursday, starting Dec. 2. Sticks will have pumpkin sugar cookies with eggnog buttercream frosting, and the Bourbon Apple Blitzen (apple cider, bourbon, lemon juice, sweet vermouth and orange bitters). Mackenzie River will have sugar cookies served in a hot skillet with cinnamon ice cream, and six specialty cocktails. The Pass will have holiday sliders (three roasted turkey sliders with turkey gravy aioli, Grand Marnier and black pepper cranberry sauce and a cornbread stuffing fritter on a brioche bun) and the Gold Mine will have gingerbread rum cocktails.

Beerfest for toys

The Winter Wonderland Beerfest, a benefit for Toys for Tots, will be 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Tuscany Ballroom at the Tuscany. The fest will feature one-off brews and collaborations, raffles and more. Participants are asked to bring unwrapped toys. Tickets at eventbrite.com are $50 in advance or $65 on the same day; VIP tickets, with entry at 6 p.m., are $80 in advance or $95 on the same day.

Wine Spectator brings Grand Tour

Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour Las Vegas 2021, with more than 200 wineries, will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 4 at The Mirage. All of the wines have been rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator. Tickets, which are $250 ($350 for VIP, with entrance at 6) include a buffet and souvenir glass. winespectator.com

Celebrating Repeal Day

The Underground speakeasy and distillery at the Mob Museum will host a Repeal Day celebration from 7 p.m. to midnight Dec. 5. Guests are encouraged to dress in ’20s period clothing for the costume contest. The evening will include an open bar with craft cocktails, small bites and live music by The Moonshiners. It’s $115; tickets are at themobmuseum.org.

White truffles at Ferraro’s

Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar, 4480 Paradise Road, will have a white-truffle dinner with wine pairing from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Dec. 7. White truffles, which are unusually scarce this year, will be used in each of the four courses, including a filet mignon with Barolo demi, maitake mushrooms, pan-fried gnocchi, truffle cream and fresh white truffles. It’s $275; reserve at 702-364-5300.

Pop-up dinner at 8 East

The pan-Asian 8 East at Circa will have a pop-up dinner in partnership with Korean restaurant Miss Kim of Ann Arbor, Mich., on Dec. 11. The dinner by Ji Hye Kim, James Beard Award-nominated chef and managing partner, and 8 East executive chef Steve Piamchumtar, will involve six courses, two beverages and a takeaway dessert, and seatings will be available at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. It’s $150; book at circalasvegas.com/8east-popup.

Drag brunch for Golden Rainbow

The Stirling Club will partner with Golden Rainbow for a drag brunch from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 12 to benefit the organization that provides help to people affected by HIV/AIDS. Edie, known for her starring role in the former “Zumanity,” will host and perform with Martina Brookshire and Joji Darling from Notoriety’s “Faaabulous! The Show.” The brunch, with bottomless bubbles and buffet stations, is $99; go to bit.ly/3qUHvB8.

Brunch served at La Neta

La Neta Cocina Y Lounge at Downtown Summerlin has launched a brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. The menu includes Shut the Cluck Up, with waffle bread pudding and hot honey-tossed fried chicken; Cinnamon Toast Brunch, made with challah; breakfast tostadas with barbacoa, eggs, jack cheese and pickled vegetables; and Dholes, puff pastry filled with pineapple, topped with lime icing and served with fresh berries. lanetacocina.com

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.