Want to see our local "Top Chef" contestant on more than your TV this week? Here's where to catch Handsome Hog chef Justin Sutherland around town. (Note: Some of these events are ticketed and may be sold out.)
Monday
Boston-based chef and fellow "Top Chef" contestant Brian Young is in town this week for a pair of events with Sutherland. First up: a Whole Hog Butchering Demo at 2:30 p.m. today, Jan. 14, at Handsome Hog (203 E. 6th St., St. Paul, 651-340-7710, handsomehog.com). Email events@madisonrestaurantgroup.com for $30 tickets.
Tuesday
On Jan. 15, at 6:30 p.m., Sutherland joins chef Carrie Summer of Chef Shack Ranch for She+He SMOKES, a family-style "BBQ wintery indulgence." The chefs will be smoking beef, chicken and ribs. Tickets are $55 per person plus fees. (3025 E. Franklin Av., Mpls., 88-844-0017, chefshackranch.com)
Wednesday
Before Sutherland had his own restaurants (and well before he was a rising TV star), he was sous chef at Brasserie Zentral in downtown Minneapolis. That restaurant shuttered three years ago. On Jan. 16, 5 to 9 p.m., it will be remembered at the Brasserie Zentral Tribute Evening at Meritage, where Sutherland will be in the kitchen. (410 Saint Peter St., St. Paul, 651-222-5670, meritage-stp.com)
Thursday
This is the big one: Bourbon & the Beast. An Iowa-grown Duroc pig, raised entirely on walnuts and olive oil, is the star of a six-course tasting menu prepared by Sutherland, Young (of "Top Chef"), and chefs Brandon Randolph and Donald Gonzalez. Each course is paired with – what else? – bourbon. After the dinner, stay for a screening of the week's episode of "Top Chef." The dinner at Sutherland's own Handsome Hog starts at 5 p.m. and tickets are $160. Email events@madisonrestaurantgroup.com for reservations.
Saturday
If the rest of the week wasn't wild enough, Sutherland is doing a Guest Chef Takeover at Xcel Energy Center's Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Club before the Minnesota Wild game on Jan. 19. Dinner is $48.95, or you can book a six-person chef's table for $125 per person. (199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, 651-726-8400)
