Eat

On Wednesday night, you can shop and eat the Manor Tavern . The Monkton restaurant is bringing in some two dozen vendors and offering complimentary gift-wrapping. Vendors include the Point at Pintail, Claudia Brookes, Farmstead Goat Cheeses, Maria Ciarpella Classic Works of Art, Silpada Designs, The Pampered Chef, Jack Christopher Custom Clothing and Jewelry, Third Mind Arts,  Radcliffe Jewelry and Main Street Cigars. Reliable Churchill is providing liquor and cocktail sampling, and there will be live classical guitar and flute music Author Michael Rybak ("Transitions")

The Black Olive in Fells Point is launching Food for Thought, an informal schedule of symposia, on Monday night, with a syposium devoted to the cuisine of Crete, titled "The Healthiest Diet on the Planet. " The public is invited to join in this contemporary approach to the ancient Greek ritual of gathering to partake in good food, fine wine and communal discourse. Co-presented with the Institute for Integrative Health and Center for a Livable Future , the first symposium will introduce the culture and cuisine of Crete.

One Baltimore woman eating out for her birthday got an extra treat when one of her favorite actresses, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, sat down at the next table. "OMG," Tweeted blogger Fadra Nally, who was turning 42 and celebrating at Cinghiale in Harbor East . "I'm out for my birthday dinner in downtown Baltimore and JULIA LOUIS DREYFUS just sat at the table next to me!!!!!" The actress returned to town last weekend to resume filming her HBO show "VEEP. " Nally, who was out with her husband, watched out of the corner of her eye as Louis-Dreyfus, in a party of three, sat down and slipped on some glasses to read the menu.

An annual survey of airline food gave Virgin America the top spot with the "healthiest" food choices in the sky, with Air Canada a close second and Alaska Air not too far behind. The 2012 Airline Food Survey conducted by the website DietDetective.com rated foods for 12 airlines, assigning an overall health score based on seven criteria: health of meals, health of snacks, food variety, calories, improvement from last year's survey, menu innovation and cooperation in providing nutritional information.

Let's be honest, choosing the cake is probably the most exciting part of wedding planning. Okay, I should probably preface that by saying that I'm overly obsessed with food. When I'm eating breakfast, I'm already thinking about lunch and dinner. But even if you're not a food lover like me or maybe desserts aren't your thing (really, do people who don't like dessert exist? I don't think so) it's still fun to meet with cake vendors, try samples, plan your design and pick a cake topper. My number one tip to remember -- don't rush the process!

A new restaurant named Live2eat has opened in the South Baltimore space that was formerly Bicycle and more recently Centro. Here's what Live2eat says about itself on its website: "Liv2eat utilizes traditional methods and techniques to best showcase available seasonal products each day. We feature seasonal entrees and salads as well as house pastas and bread. We care about where our food comes from and understand the importance of sustainability. The offerings change several times a year and are complimented by a varied wine and craft beer list.

Start training. The annual pancake eating contest at Pete's Grille is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 a.m. The amateur only contest,, in which contestants eat as many pancakes as they can in one hour, will include both a women's and men's division. Last year's men's winner ate 12 pancakes, and the women's winner ate 8. The all-time male and female record holders ate 20 and 12 pancakes, respectively, and, as all-time record holders, eat for free at Pete's until someone breaks their record.

Paul Blair remembers Dave May, who broke into baseball with the Orioles and spent 3-1/2 seasons here, as a skilled outfielder who was in the right place, but at the wrong time. "Unfortunately, when he got here (in 1967), there wasn't any room for him to play. He just couldn't break into our lineup," said Blair, the Orioles standout center fielder who was flanked by Frank Robinson and Don Buford. May died Saturday of cancer. The New Castle, Del., native was 68. A reserve with the Orioles, he hit .216 before being dealt to Milwaukee in mid-1970.

The 10-day Baltimore Beer Week schedule is overflowing with food-related events, ranging from five-course dinners to pumpkin pancake breakfasts. There are tastings of beer with charcuterie, chocolate and cheese. Many of the dinners have limited seating and sell out fast.   Even before Baltimore Beer Week kicks off officially tonight with the Opening Tap Celebration at Power Plant Live, Big Jim's is convening a Power Brunch at Cross Street Market - get a three-beer flight of Flying Dog and a Big Jim's sandwich for $10.  The marquee dining events include the Stillwater Artisanal Beer Dinner on Monday at Fleet Street Kitchen, the Heavy Seas Brewery Dinner on Wednesday at Heavy Seas Alehouse and the Sierra Nevada dinner at Alewife on Oct. 27, when chefs from the Food Market and Roy's join Alehouse's Chad Wells.

In an age when there are "baby apps" for the iPad and HBO is reissuing classic children's books as made-for-TV musicals, it's nice just to take the kids to visit some goats. Some hard-working, big-eating goats. My husband and I spent a weekend soloing as handlers for Mikey, the 22-month-old grandson with the halo of blond curls, and when a friend spotted a herd of goats along the side of a road, we were off. There's nothing toddlers like more than barnyard animals that are roughly the same size they are. "Goats!