What to Eat This Week: Get Your Gumbo On, Wine Dinner at Vie, Buffalo Wings Anniversary, and Pasta Contest

Mardi Gras Specials From Bottleneck Management

The fattest Tuesday of the year is this week, and there's still time to plan your feasting. Bottleneck Management's gamut of restaurants and taverns are doling out New Orleans-style specials all week long, from alligator gumbo at Howells & Hood, Old Town Pour House, The Boundary, Sweetwater, and South Branch to chicken jambalaya and shrimp po' boys at The Boundary, Sweetwater, and South Branch exclusively. You want all of this.

Wine and Dine at Vie

Nothing like a little wining and dining to help everyone get over the mid-week hump. This week, Vie hosts River's Edge Winery for a special wine dinner on March 5, featuring guest wine-makers Mike and Vonnie Landt and an array of dishes prepared by chef Paul Virant to highlight the flavor profiles of each wine selection. The Oregon winery boasts a low-tech, hands-on approach to wine-making, with small-batch fermentation and unique varietals that ensure a tasty and memorable meal for oenophiles. Wine-adjoined dishes for the evening include escolar crudo, pan-seared fluke, and slow-cooked goat. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and costs $85 per person, including pairings. Reservations can be made by calling 708-246-2082.

(This jambalaya is waiting for you at The Boundary, Sweetwater, and South Branch)

Buffalo Wings-palooza at Lillie's Q

This month marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest food inventions in the history of gastronomy: Buffalo wings. To herald this great occasion, Lillie's Q is featuring smoked and fried Buffalo wings all month long, doused in housemade Buffalo sauce, which utilizes a hot sauce that will soon be sold as part of Lillie's Q's hot sauce line. The wings fly for $11 per order of 10, which is a very small price to pay to take part in this wonderful wing celebration.

Pasta Contest at City Dough

March marks National Noodle Month. Duh. In light of this carb-tastic occurence, City Dough rolls out a "design your own pasta" contest for the duration of March. What this means is that home cooks can submit pasta recipes for the chance to be featured on City Dough's menu for April and earn a $50 gift card. Let's face it, for home cooks this is the equivalent of winning Top Chef. Recipes can be submitted on the City Dough Facebook page or in person at the restaurant. The winner will be announced on March 28.

- Matt Kirouac