OPENINGS: AJ's Press, the No. 4-ranked eatery in the nation according to (*cough*) Yelp, is now open in Longwood ... Farm & Haus inside East End Market will rebrand itself as the Bowl Bar and offer a menu of warm grain bowls and salad bowls. Their pre-made meal service will continue, but meals will be all dairy- and gluten-free ... Jinya Ramen Bar will open early next year in the space vacated by Verde Cantina on Summerlin Avenue in Thornton Park ... Florence, Italy's Gelateria La Carraia has opened a Florida outpost in the Marketplace at Dr. Phillips ... Wonderland Cookie Co., offering edible cookie dough in little bowls, opens in Celebration Saturday, Aug. 19.
NEWS/EVENTS: DoveCote hosts a Summer Picnic Wine Pairing Dinner tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 2) with oysters, cassoulet, fried chicken and strawberry shortcake. Cost is $58; shorts and flip-flops are welcome ... Top Chef Masters champion and multiple James Beard Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson will hold a cooking class for kids Saturday, Aug. 5, at Macy's inside the Millenia Mall. The class is free, but you'll need to RSVP at macys.com ... La Tavola by Kevin Fonzo will be a series of pop-up dinners staged by the former K Restaurant chef-owner at the Emeril Lagasse Kitchen & Culinary Garden starting in August ... The Great Orlando Craft Beer Festival "Endless Summer Edition" goes from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, downtown. For $15 ($30 day of), you'll get a taste of 15 different breweries in 15 different downtown haunts ... Dragonfly Robata Grill & Sushi holds a four-course craft beer pairing dinner Tuesday, Aug. 15, featuring the brews of Crooked Can Brewery. Cost is $45 ... Nick Sierputowski of the Ravenous Pig and Ferrell Alvarez of Tampa's Rooster and the Till join forces for a one-night-only, four-course chef collab dinner Sunday, Aug. 20, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the Ravenous Pig. Cost is $65 ... John Rivers (4 Rivers, the Coop) and Brandon McGlamery (Luma, Prato, Luke's) pair up for a cooking demo and tasting at the Coop Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are free, but seating is limited ... Starting Thursday, Aug. 24, Brooklyn Coffee Shop will offer a tapas-style dinner menu Thursdays through Saturdays from 5-10 p.m.
