Do something nice, support World Bicycle Relief (“WBR”) and treat yourself to a terrific seven-course dinner at Farm House Cafe  WBR provides modified bicycles to children in Africa so they can travel safely to and from school.  Key note speaker is 10^th place Tour de France Cyclist Chris Horner and there will be an auction of Tour de France items including Lance Armstrong cycling equipment.  November 5, 7pm, $200 per person includes wine pairing, tax and gratuity.  BTW, Buzz thinks Farm House Café is one of the best restaurants in San Diego. Reservations:  619) 269-9662 or www.farmhousecafesd.com.

Expand your taste buds and get over to Ocean Beach and The 3^rd Corner Monday, October 25 to try unique wines featuring 25 different grapes. 4pm to 7pm, $10, Information and reservations:  619-223-2700.

Lobster fans rejoice and enjoy the locally caught crustaceans at King’s Fish House in Carlsbad, Chula Vista and Mission Valley.  They work with local fisherman to bring these seasonal beauties to the table.  They also feature local swordfish caught off the Channel Islands. UPDATE:  AS OF THIS WRITING, CHECK WITH THE RESTAURANT FOR LOBSTER AVAILABILITY, DUE TO SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS.

Hillcrest adds Ethiopian to their smorgasbord of ethnic restaurants in the block between Fifth and Sixth on University.  Bayu Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine takes over the spot that Cafe Bleu had before relocating down the street on Washington in Mission Hills. Not familiar with Ethiopian food?  Here’s a quick primer.

Charlie’s Best Bread’s new location is the former Con Pane space in Point Loma.  Con Pane, for those of you who missed it, is now in a spacious new space at Dewey and Historic Decatur Streets (in the same  building complex as Ace Hardware, Tin Fish and Point Loma Sports Bar) with lots and lots and lots of free parking.  It’s a short walk to the park if you want a place to relax with a coffee, sandwich or just a slice of artisan bread.

The just renovated Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant in Old Town San Diego  State Park is destined to be a hit.  Most will know the spot as the former Casa Bandini restaurant.  But oh what a cool place it is now with a second floor of ten hotel rooms and some familiar faces to welcome you for drinks and food.  The proprietor is Joseph Melluso well-known for his Tin Fish restaurants in San Diego and around the country, the chef is Amy DiBiase formerly of Roseville and bar goers will find  Sheila Tracy mixing drinks.  The entire venue is set in the 1870′s, complete with period costumes for the staff and victuals that reflect a modern take on those from earlier times.

If you love sushi you’ve likely experienced uni, the roe from the spiny creature called sea urchin. These days, uni dishes go way beyond laying it on a mound of rice to be eaten in one bite. Recipes that incorporate this prized ingredient into everything from sauces and soups to savory mousses and more, appear in French, Italian, Asian and American cookbooks.

From San Diego to Ft. Bragg, California is home to sea urchin divers who bring the creatures to processors who in turn ship it to sushi bars and restaurants worldwide, mostly to Japan and the United States. Recently, Philanthropy Roundtable organized a trip to San Diego to go on the boats with the divers and see fiirst-hand the sea urchin harvesting.  The group saw the urchin processing at San Diego’s Catalina Offshore Products, followed by dinner and no, it did not take place at a sushi bar.

Pete Halmay is a diver with a mission: Get these sustainably grown urchins beyond the sushi bars and into restaurants such as Tony D’Amato’s well-known Baci Ristorante on Morena Boulevard. D’Amato hails from Sicily where sea urchin, known as ricci di mare, is as much a staple as pasta.

D’Amato served a sampler of urchin dishes that began with drinks and an incredibly simple bruschetta: Bread rounds brushed with a bit of garlic infused olive oil, topped with a “tongue” of roe. At the table, an amuse bouche of roe served in the spiny test (its shell) with prosecco and eaten with a teaspoon. Note that these two presentations allow the roe to stand alone, much like it does in sushi. In dishes like these, the roe’s delicate sea taste and creamy texture meld in the mouth, unhampered by too many other flavors.

Next came uni bisque with mussels, scallops and uni also served in the test. The sampler finished with a classic Italian dish of spaghetti mixed with a hint of olive oil, garlic and pinch of red pepper and barely warmed roe.

If you think sushi is the only way to experience this lovely delicacy, think again. Resources include http://www.calurchin.org/ and http://www.catalinaop.com/ as well as http://www.epicurious.com/.  Photos by Marcie Rothman.