Noshing Around

Carnival

To celebrate the world's best party, retail store Old Brazil will host samba music, Brazilian treats, wine and caipirinhas (pronounced ky-pee-REEN-ya), a potent mixture of cachaca (sugar cane liquor), limes and sugar over ice, on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. Along with the festivities will be a huge sale of textiles, furniture and jewelry at Casa Adobes Plaza, 7131 N. Oracle Road; 219-5700.


Fungus Among Us

Celebrate the Oregon truffle harvest at Janos restaurant. Beginning on March 1 and running the length of the truffle season, Janos will be shaving fresh Oregon truffles on every beef dish at no extra cost. Truffles are both difficult to find and perishable, and have been coveted by gourmets for their pungency and the extravagance created by their rarity. For centuries, truffle aficionados prized the delicacy for therapeutic and aphrodisiac qualities. Gnarled in appearance, truffles range in size from a small marble to a tennis ball. Truffle is a term that also describes the chocolate candies made from chocolate ganache, so named because they were originally coated with cocoa and formed into irregular shapes evocative of the rare fungus. Complementary chocolate truffles, as well as miniature cookies and petit fours, conclude every meal at Janos, located at 3770 E. Sunrise Drive; 615-6100.


Conga Line

Last week, I went to the opening party for Café Poca Cosa. I arrived fashionably late--in other words, all the food had been served; people said it was amazing. However, the bar kept flowing. It was one of liveliest openings I've experienced, as people danced, and even a conga line snaked throughout. The wait staff really likes to party. Not only do they give good service; they look like they stepped off the pages of some chic magazine. The new location at 110 E. Pennington St. doesn't have the Old Pueblo vibe; instead, it echoes a swanky metropolitan bistro--but the same Oaxacan food that has made Poca Cosa famous remains; 622-6400.