Explore the Globe With the Grateful Palate's Summer Passport Wine Series

For the Fort Lauderdale foodies who remember it, the Grateful Palate was the type of restaurant where you went to experiment with your taste buds, try new foods, and have an eventful evening out.

Today, it's no longer a standalone restaurant but a catering company and private event space for hosting weddings, anniversaries, and corporate or social occasions, located next door to Shooter's Waterfront.

Those missing the longtime Fort Lauderdale eatery now have a chance to revisit the restaurant side of things later this month when Events by Grateful Palate hosts the first tasting dinner of the Passport Wine Series. Over the next several months, the series will give guests a unique opportunity to explore the expanded catering space while learning about wines sourced from across the world.

Each dinner series will feature wines paired with cuisine representing different regions of the world. Dinners will take place the last Friday of the month for the next several months, spanning the venue's interior dining room with panoramic Intracoastal waterfront views — a prime location to watch the sunset while sipping and savoring (and dancing to the evening's live jazz).

"This event will set the stage for a summer of travel, transporting guests from the scenic Northwest coast to the vineyards of Bordeaux," says Shooter's Waterfront and Events by Grateful Palate director of operations Peter Lopez. "Whether you're a wine connoisseur or consider yourself a novice, with these pairings you'll have the opportunity to bolster your palate with tastes from around the world."
The three-hour inaugural tasting event will take place on Friday, May 27, and will showcase vintners from the Pacific Northwest and appropriately paired cuisine. Seven distinct wineries from Oregon and Washington will be featured, and guests will be able to sample ten different whites and reds by Joel Gott Willamette Valley and Erath Estate Oregon to Eroica Columbia Valley and Chateau St. Michelle.

From there, five chef-manned stations will compare two wines of the same varietal while a complementing culinary offering will complete the grand tasting experience.

The first Passport Wine Series event will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, May 27. Future events will take place on Friday, June 24, and Friday, July 29. Tickets can be purchased by calling 954-566-3044, or visiting eventbrite.com. General admission tickets are $75 or $85 at the door.

Events by Grateful Palate is located at 3003 NE 32nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-566-3044, or visit eventsbygratefulpalate.com.

Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.