Here’s a February present – some red wines that, for the most part, are worth buying, trying and buying again. These were all sent to us for review, and you won’t break the bank with this bunch.

2010 McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah ($9.99, Total Wine) –
This isn’t just a Bold wine, it’s a deep wine: deep color, deep nose, deep palate. In other words, I liked it. It’s a purple-black wine, very dark, with a nose of fragrant, dark fruits. One of my sighworthy wines. On taste, it’s big cherry pop, licorice, a little smoky and some root beer (really). It’s a full-boded wine with a long finish that paired very well with high-quality burgers.

2010 Casa Silva Reserva Pinot Noir, Colchagua Valley, Chile ($12 online) –
This is a light-bodied pinot noir that smells of sour cherries (in a good way) and pretty, pink raspberries. On taste, it reminded me of cherry candies; a little too light for my taste in pinot noir. It would be a good wine for someone who is trying to learn about red wines, because it’s not too expensive, big or heavy and would probably be just right for a big white wine drinker.

2007 Hobnob Vineyards Shiraz, France ($9.99 online) –
This wine turned out to be the perfect antidote for a long day at the office. I went home, opened this, took a deep breath and found full cherries and a little earth. Then I took a sip and found cinnamon, a little spice, some more cherries and a nice-bodied wine with a medium finish. This was the first vintage for U.S. sales from this winery and it’s aimed at the young, hip crowd. It’s not too shabby after work for any age! It’s on my “buy again” list.

2009 Mandolin Syrah, Central Coast, Calif. ($11 online) –
A deep purple wine, with a deep nose of brambles and blackberries, this was just terrific with burgers. In fact, I used some of this wine when I made the burgers and it elevated those to a really yummy place. My notes say it’s a serene wine that has unity. On taste, it reflects the nose, very cherry with a smooth mouthfeel. A really, very nice wine. This is on my “you can give this to me as a gift anytime” list. Anyone listening? And you can’t beat the price.

2009 Caldora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy ($9 online) –
Here’s a food-friendly wine that’s also under $10 – what’s not to like? This Italian red blend has a light bouquet with faint cherry and a little cocoa on the nose. Sipping brings an off-dry, red fruit taste, specifically sour cherries, light currants and a little cola. It’s great with cheeses or pizza or red-sauce pasta dishes. If you get a chance, I’d recommend trying this medium-bodied wine.

2009 Tamas Estates Double Decker Red, Central Coast, Calif. ($8.99 ABC Wines) –
This blend of cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah and barbera (it was a Bold blend for sure) had a light cherry nose, so I wasn’t sure it would live up to Bold billing. On taste, it had some zippy spice, and proved to be a good, casual sipping wine. It’s comparable to a good house red in Italy or France, as it was good with food, too. It’s a medium-bodied wine that’s not pretentious and, for the price, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Relish has become a go-to spot in Northwood. (Post file photo)

Northwood’s Relish is one of my favorite spots – it’s yummy, neighborhoody and has a menu with approximately eleventy-seven combinations of burger fillings, toppings, cheeses and other deliciousness. And they’ve added even more stuff since the last time I was there – mini mac and cheese, fresh hot doughnuts and mini corn dogs. I’m still partial to the polenta fingers, but it’s nice to have even more snacky variety to wash down with a red velvet milkshake. Hungry yet?

Relish, 401 Northwood Road. (561) 629-5377 | Directions, invite a friend

The lobster roll ($25) is one of Kabuki's signature dishes (Thomas Cordy / Palm Beach Post)

The Japanese art form of kabuki tells vivid stories through dance and theatrical performance. On Clematis Street in downtown West Palm, the new sushi and Thai tapas spot named Kabuki expresses its theatrical storylines on the plate.

Fresh, decadent sushi rolls — with names like Sugar Mama, Lava Drops and The Chick — are vibrantly presented. Soul-satisfying Thai noodles and curry dishes arrive in abundant portions. The bar pours some sexy cocktails, in addition to a selection of sakes, wines and beers.

Opened just two months ago, Kabuki is enjoying a well-deserved amount of Clematis Street heat, with its weeknights bustling and weekends remarkably busy. On my first visit to the stylishly set eatery, I found the place hopping. It was one of those very chilly nights during a recent cold snap, a Tuesday at that. Yet the place was alive with diners chattering against up-tempo tunes.

Directions, invite a friend

On that night, it was love at first bite for me — first bite, that is, of a 561 Ocean roll ($8, half roll), fresh diced tuna, cucumber, avocado and Japanese omelet in a light soy paper wrap. When dipped in the accompanying spicy ponzu sauce, the super-fresh, clean flavors just popped.

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This week we pair Drew Barrymore's new movie 'Big Miracle' with food at Darbster.

The film: Big Miracle, opening Friday, in which a small-town Alaska TV reporter recruits his ex-girlfriend — a Greenpeace volunteer — to help save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. | Showtimes, theaters

The food: Save the whales — or at least animals that typically wind up on dinner plates — when you dine at Darbster, a vegan bistro with a dog-friendly deck. The restaurant donates a portion of its profits to local animal rescue groups. And the chow’s not bad, either.

Darbster, 8020 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, (561) 586-2622, Darbster.com | Directions, invite a friend

By ALISON LADMAN

These are not your girlfriend’s cupcakes. There is no frilly pastel frosting piped on top. They are not delicate. They are not pretty.

They are big, bold, manly and totally down for a Super Bowl spread.

Since ease is key for Super Bowl feasts, we decided to start with a chocolate cake mix. To man-it-up, we made them big and added beer. And instead of pretty buttercream frosting, we’re dabbed and smeared whiskey frosting all over them. And to really take it up a notch, bacon. Of course, salted peanuts, pretzels or crushed malted milk balls also would also be terrific.

If you want, you also could make giant cupcakes; you just need an oversized muffin pan (sold at most kitchen shops). You’ll need to cook larger cupcakes longer (timing will vary depending on the size).

But whatever you do, don’t you dare add sprinkles.

Super Bowl Cupcakes

Servings: 24

Preparation: 1 hour (30 minutes active)

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1 cup dark beer, such as stout

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 eggs

18.5-ounce package moist chocolate cake mix

FOR THE FROSTING:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup whiskey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPINGS (use any or all):

Crisp cooked bacon

Salted peanuts

Pretzels

Crushed malted milk balls

Heat the oven to 350°. Spray 24 muffin regular cups with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the beer, sour cream, oil, eggs and cake mix. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Spoon into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar, whiskey and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

When the cupcakes have cooled, add a smear of frosting to the tops, then sprinkle with your choice of toppings.

Per serving: 280 calories; 17 g fat; 50 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 190 mg sodium

ONGOING

Wine Down Wednesday, 5-10 p.m., Romeo-n-Juliette’s Caffe, 1544 Cypress Drive, Jupiter. Enjoy half-price bottles of wine. (561) 768-3967 .

Ladies Night, 9 p.m. Wednesdays, The Blind Monk, 410 Evernia St., No. 107, West Palm Beach. Ladies enjoy two-for-one specials on all wines. (561) 833-3605 .

- Katie McBroom

TODAY

Jupiter Wine Tasting, 6-8 p.m. ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, 1260 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. Enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres to complement more than 50 wine selections and chat with wine experts. $10. (561) 743-0146 .

pbpulse.com/swirlgirls

By MICHELLE LOCKE

What pairs well with your couch, a bowl of popcorn and the Super Bowl? How about a wine with a genuine pigskin pedigree?

Sure, beer may be the first beverage that comes to mind when you think about football. But it turns out plenty of football fans like to drink wine – and quite a few NFL legends like to make it.

Take Dick Vermeil, who coached the 1980 Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance and later, after a 15-year stint as a broadcaster, took the St. Louis Rams all the way to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.

These days he’s an expert on a different type of field as partner of Vermeil Wines in the Napa Valley. And unlike some celebrity vintners, Vermeil is a hands-on guy who has been known to take a predawn tractor ride or two, pulling gondolas of charbono grapes.

"You’d be surprised how many people come in and they don’t realize that it’s the Dick Vermeil," says Mary Sue Frediani, who is the tasting room manager and wife of winemaker Paul Smith. Frediani also is a co-owner of her family’s Frediani Family Vineyard, which provides much of the fruit for Vermeil wines.

Vermeil was born and raised in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga. His great-grandfather retired to Calistoga and grew grapes – the Fredianis now own and farm that land.

So, Vermeil’s move from gridiron to grape in 1999 wasn’t a huge stretch. He has a cabernet sauvignon named after his great-grandfather, Jean Louis Vermeil.

Maybe you’re looking for a wine brand that comes with "Attitude. Character. Enthusiasm." Somehow, it’s no surprise this is a project involving Hall-of-Famer "Iron Mike" Ditka, who coached the 1985 Bears to a Super Bowl championship.

Made in partnership with the Mendocino Wine Co. in Northern California, Mike Ditka Wines feature a chardonnay, a pinot grigio, a merlot, a cabernet sauvignon and the flagship red blend, Kick Ass Red .

San Francisco 49ers fan? Sbragia Family Vineyards in the Sonoma County town of Geyserville is selling 2007 Montagia Cabernet Sauvignon, a project between Ed Sbragia and former San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana, the player nicknamed "Joe Cool," for his ability to stay calm in clutch situations, who led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories.

Montana took part in the blending sessions that went into making the wine and the label carries his and Sbragia’s signatures.

‘Super’ wines

Dick Vermeil’s site: www.vermeilwines.com

Ditka wines: www.mikeditkawines.com

Joe Montana and Ed Sbragia’s wine: www.sbragia.com

The finished product: Tandoori-grilled shrimp over tabouli with fresh vegetables. (J. Gwendolynne Berry / Palm Beach Post)

THE INFO: Located on the corner of State Road A1A and Lake Avenue in Lake Worth, the market is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Website: lakeworth-farmersmarket.com

THE FIND: Indian tandoori spice blend

Delicious homemade spice blends add the perfect touch of the exotic to an otherwise simple meal. Spice-maven Kathy Canestrini of Spice up your World tickled our noses with a bunch of different blends like an espresso rub for steaks, a slightly-sweet Moroccan blend for sweet potatoes, and a lighter tandoori for chicken or fish.

Individual blends sell for $5, two blends for $9 or three for $12. Each spice blend is sold with at least one recipe card to steer you in the right direction.

I was wooed by Canestrini’s tandoori shrimp recipe, so I grabbed some fresh shrimp from the Independent Seafood stand ($12.95 a pound for 15 pieces) and fresh organic veggies from Ms. V’s Organics. I prepared the tandoori shrimp on the grill, served over tabbouleh. Fragrant with the tandoori spice blend, our meal was light, fresh and delicious.

THE VENDOR: Spice up your World

By ALISON LADMAN

A stromboli is kind of a cross between a grinder and a calzone. Bread dough is rolled out, filled with sliced meats, cheeses and vegetables, then rolled up into a tube and baked.

To serve, stromboli are simply sliced like a loaf of bread, creating a spiral baked sandwich that is perfect for large parties. If you like, you also can serve sandwich condiments (or even warmed marinara) alongside the stromboli slices for dipping. We’ve offered suggestions for fillings; but mix and match to suit your group (or devise your own combination).

Just be careful with vegetables. Because you will be baking the fillings in the dough, watery vegetables (such as tomatoes) can release too much liquid during cooking. To avoid this, cook most vegetables in a skillet before adding them. Sun-dried tomatoes would be a good alternative to fresh.

Super Bowl Stromboli

Serves: 10

Preparation: 1 1/ȀA2 hours (30 minutes active)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chopped raw vegetables, such as peppers, onions and mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup drained and chopped Kalamata olives

1 tablespoon drained and chopped capers

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend

Salt and ground black pepper

20-ounce ball pizza dough

10 ounces sliced deli meat, such as salami and ham

1 cup grated provolone or mozzarella cheese

Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the vegetables and garlic, then sauté until tender and any liquid has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes depending on your choice of vegetables. Stir in the olives, capers and herb blend. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Arrange the sliced meat over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the longer sides, as well as the end farthest from you. Spread the cooked vegetables over the meat, then sprinkle with the cheese.

Starting with the side closest to you, roll the stromboli up like a log. Pinch the seam and ends to seal. Transfer the log to the prepared baking sheet with the seam on the bottom. Using a paring knife, make three deep slits in the top of the loaf.

Heat the oven to 375°. Allow the stromboli to rest for 20 minutes while the oven heats.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted at the center reads 180°. The outside should be golden brown and should sound hollow when tapped. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Per serving: 430 calories; 27 g fat 60 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1,740 mg sodium

By ROCCO DiSPIRITO

The big game on Super Bowl Sunday usually brings with it big eats.

As a nation, in just one day we consume millions of pounds of potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, popcorn and nuts. And don’t even get me started on the guacamole, chicken wings, baby back ribs, pizza, dips, chili and subs.

But a few smart choices can have you enjoying Super Bowl-style snacks without doing quite so much damage to your New Year’s resolutions.

My buffalo popcorn chicken is a good example. It puts a delicious, low-calorie spin on a game day favorite – chicken wings. Typical wings rack up 549 calories and 30 grams of fat per serving (you’d have to do the wave about 2,000 times to burn those off). My version has just 264 calories and 14 grams of fat per serving.

Traditionally, chicken wings are deep-fried. Combine that with the usual blue cheese dip accompaniment, and you have a caloric nightmare. Mine are served with low-fat blue cheese dressing, and I swear you won’t taste the difference.

To reduce fat and calories, I use my flash-frying method, which is easy to master.

Starting with skinless chicken thighs, I microwave the thighs until cooked through. Microwaving the chicken first means it doesn’t need to sit in the oil for nearly as long. Next, they are dunked in low-fat egg white, then dredged through a blend of whole-wheat flour and cornmeal.

After that, the frying takes just 12 seconds. Traditional methods call for 10 to 15 minutes.

Nothing goes better with wings – or in this case, thighs – than beer. But drink a few brews and you’ll have to climb the stadium steps for an hour to burn them off. Instead, consider serving low-calorie beers at your party. There are some great ones out there.

As for the rest of your Super Bowl offerings, don’t be afraid to serve vegetables and fruit with low-fat and low-sodium dips, and other creative low-cal foods. With some thoughtful planning and delicious dishes, you’ll be sure to score with food and football fans alike.

Buffalo popcorn chicken packs flavorful punch for game day eats

Buffalo Popcorn Chicken

Serves: 4

Preparation: 30 minutes

1 quart grape seed or corn oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt and ground black pepper

2 egg whites

1/4 cup fine ground yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup Tabasco Buffalo Style Hot Sauce

1 bunch celery, trimmed and cut into 4- to 5-inch lengths

1/2 cup low-fat blue cheese dressing

In a large, heavy pot over medium, heat the oil to 400°. Use a thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.

Meanwhile, cut each chicken thigh into 4 to 5 even chunks. Season the chunks on all sides with salt and pepper, then arrange them on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and move those on the outer edge of the plate to the center and vice versa.

Microwave on high again until the chunks are just cooked through, about another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes depending on your microwave. Let the chicken cool to room temperature.

While the chicken cools, in a medium bowl beat the egg whites until foamy, about 2 minutes. In a separate large bowl, mix the cornmeal and flour, then season with salt and pepper.

Submerge the cooked chicken pieces in the egg whites and toss to coat well, then move the chicken to the bowl with the cornmeal mix. Toss the chicken to coat well.

Working in about 4 batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil and fry for 12 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. While still hot, place the chicken in a large bowl, add the buffalo sauce and toss to coat well.

Serve the chicken with celery and blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Per serving: 264 calories; 14 g fat; 75 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 3 g fiber; 747 mg sodium