the best in the world of food and drink this march

The Dandelion Chandelier Luxury Food and Drink Calendar highlights luxury food, wine and craft beer festivals around the world in March 2018, plus the top five things you need to know in restaurant news to be literate when you meet up with your foodie friends. Eat, drink, sip and savor. For the rest of the Luxury Calendar, click here. 

Epicureans of the world, what are you hungry for this month? There are buzzy new eateries in London, Peru,  and New York. There are festivals with wild foods; pinot noir, and cheese — lots of cheese. There are gastronomic conferences in Italy and Chile. And waffles in Sweden. We don’t know about you, but we’re going to Disney. Whatever your taste, there’s something delicious in store in March. Bon appetite! 

Five Things You Need to Know in Restaurant News this Month

1. In London, the buzz is all about the reincarnated Kettner’s, now known as Kettner’s Townhouse and run by the SoHo House Group. The 150-year old space, once frequented by Oscar Wilde, has a fresh, relaxed and glamorous vibe — definitely check it out if you’re in town.

2.  Intrepid culinary travelers, heads up! Near the Inca ruin of Moray, high above Cusco, Peru, Virgilio Martinez (chef and owner of the 5th best restaurant in the world) has just opened the 20-seat restaurant Mil. It will highlight the ancestral cuisines of the Andes: “first you touch the earth, and then you eat from it,”says the star chef. Conde Nast Traveller says this might be the most exciting restaurant opening of 2018. A seven-course meal will cost about $140 per person. Luxury travel agency Black Tomato will be offering trips to Mil as part of their Tasting Notes series.

3. Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in Yountville, California has just unveiled a $10 million kitchen expansion and courtyard revamp, its first renovation in more than twenty years. It was designed by architectural firm Snøhetta in collaboration with San Francisco’s Envelope A+D. California wine country is open for business – this is the perfect reason to go!

4. In Manhattan, the chatter about the soon-to-open restaurant Legacy Records is reaching a fever pitch. The restaurant, from the Charlie Bird team of chef Ryan Hardy and his partners Robert Bohr and Grant Reynolds, will open this month in Hudson Yards. It has a menu focused on seafood and an ambitious cocktail program. Instagram is already full of pics from the friends-and-family events — unless you’re in the elite, call in some favors if you want to be among the first to dine there when it opens.

5. The Michelin stars for 2018 have been awarded in France and in the Nordic region. The headlines? Sweden has its first-ever three-star Michelin restaurant, Frantzen.  In France, there are a record-setting 616 restaurants with at least one star; 28 have three stars. However, despite #MeToo and Time’s Up, of the 57 French restaurants receiving new stars, only 2 have female chefs.

Festivals, Fun Facts and Fundraisers

March is Taste Washington Wine Month and also National Nutrition Month. Happily, we’ve been told that red wine has antioxidants, so they can be celebrated together guilt-free!

Red, White and Snow in Park City, Utah is a wine, ski and culinary festival to benefit the National Ability Center – March 1-3

The Summit Mountain Series Winter Weekend features “the mother of American cooking” Alice Waters and former White House Chef Sam Kass. The weekend also features over 10,000 acres of fresh powder for snow sports; guest chefs; speakers; emerging musical talent; outdoor activities; and wellness programming – March 2-5

At the Ritz Carlton Bacara, the annual World of Pinot Noir event gathers the foremost Pinot Noir wineries and winemakers, renowned chefs, sommeliers and leading wine scholars in a seaside celebration of this delicious and storied wine – March 2-3

Newport Restaurant Week returns – March 2-11

The happiest place on earth just got even happier thanks to the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. Disneyland will feature over a dozen kiosks serving California-inspired food and drinks around the park.  Visitors can see celebrity chefs give demonstrations, participate in wine, beer, and spirit tastings or to book reservations for a gourmet dinner and wine pairing – March 2-April 12

The James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour dinner series brings a taste of what happens at the James Beard House in New York City to more than 20 cities across the country each year.  This month it stops at 4 cities: Chicago on March 2, Milwaukee on March 7, Pine Mountain, Georgia on March 15, and Napa on March 24

Sample over 200 beers at the Philadelphia Craft Beer Festival – March 3

The brainchild of journalist Paolo Marchi, Identità Golose launched in 2004 as the first food congress in Italy. The 14th edition will be centred on the concept of “The human factor,” refocusing the culinary rhetoric around “the chef as human” and cooks’ relationships with clients, suppliers, artisans and the restaurant team – March 3-5

Taste more than 50 of the best cheeses from nations around the globe, learn cheese evaluation techniques from international experts, and enjoy local specialty foods and craft beers while you learn the name of this year’s World Champion Cheesemaker at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin – March 6-8

The Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival is a week-long annual event that showcases many of the world’s premier wines, while shining a light on the Lowcountry’s thriving food scene – March 7-11

Adventurous eaters should head to the quaint town of Hokitika on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island for the Wildfoods Festival; visitors feast on things they probably never thought could be cooked into a meal – or even eaten raw – March 10

The Small Plates Big Hearts gala to support the Food and Finance High School in New York will be hosted by chef Tom Colicchio; the event showcases the culinary talents of 25+ top chefs and restaurants, with all proceeds benefiting the Food Education Fund – March 12

Relais & Chateaux’s GourmetFest is a 4-day foodie extravaganza in Carmel, CA – March 15-18

At the  Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, visitors will be treated to over 200 events, including food and wine tastings and culinary demonstrations. One of the highlights is the world’s longest lunch, where 1,700 diners will gather for three decadent courses prepared by a host of chefs – March 16-25

World Water Day is about focusing attention on the importance of water; this year’s theme is ‘Nature for Water’ which will explore nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face – March 22

Palm Desert Food + Wine presents some of the best in the food industry — chefs, vintners, and craft beer brewers from across the country – March 23-25

The week-long Ñam Santiago food festival in Chile starts with four days of markets, dinners, artisan stalls and family-friendly activities. On the fifth day, it evolves into a gastronomic congress with talks and masterclasses led by chefs from all over Latin America. The last day is dedicated to innovation with the special day-long seminar “Ñam Innova” – March 23-30

March 25th is National Waffle Day in Sweden – better known there as Våffeldagen. Swedish waffles are flatter than the better-known Belgian waffle, and are normally made in a special heart-shaped waffle-maker – March 25

See other March 2018 Events:

— Travel

— Planes, Yachts & Autos

— Fitness & Sports

— Fashion & Design

— Entertainment

— The Arts

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