Are you ready to taste your way through Palm Beach County?

One of the area’s largest food events returns Wednesday Nov. 11: The sixth annual Taste of the Palm Beaches (tasteofthepalmbeaches.com, 561-630-8630) takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the PGA Commons in Palm Beach Gardens. Tickets are $40 at the door ($25 for veterans). All proceeds benefit the Big Heart Brigade, an organization that feeds needy families during Thanksgiving.

Like lots of charity foodie events, Taste follows a standard format, with area eateries and markets offering samples of their wares. Where Taste differs is in the sheer number of participants. Among those on hand tonight: Brio Tuscan Grille, Cafe Chardonnay, Cantina Laredo, The Capital Grille, Cod & Capers Seafood, Carousel Can Can Cafe, David’s East Side Deli, Field of Greens, Giovanni’s Pizza & Pasta, Gusto Italian Cuisine, Hurricane Grill, Ironwood Grille at PGA National, J. Alexander’s, Margaritas, Nordstrom Cafe Bistro, Oakwood Grill, Ouzo Blue Greek Restaurant, The OZ at the Double Tree, Pizza Fusion, Rachel’s Steak House, Roxy’s Rooftop, Seasons 52, Secrets Piano Bar, Slainte Irish Restaurant & Pub, Spoto’s Oyster Bar, Sushi Jo/Thai Jo, Talay Thai, Tall Tales at Gander Mountain, Taverna Opa, Uncle Julio’s, Vic & Angelo’s, Whole Foods and Zuccarelli’s, plus the soon-to-open B.B. King’s Blues Club (at CityPlace).

There’s also a good representation of beer, wine and spirits producers (more than 50 wine labels alone!). Be on the lookout tonight for two brands with local ties: 4 Oranges Vodka (made in Florida by Imperial Brands, which is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens) and Monk in the Trunk Organic Amber Ale (made in Jupiter by the Inlet Brewing Co.).

I attended last year’s Taste and I can only advise you to pace yourself accordingly — there’s a lot to try. Plus, take advantage of the trolley service to get to and from various points along the sprawling PGA Commons complex.

Annual Boca Bacchanal scheduled for March 19-21

If you like to plan ahead, here are some dates to put on your foodie calendar: March 19-21. That’s when the eighth annual Boca Bacchanal Winefest & Auction (bocabacchanal.com, 561-395-6766, Ext. 101 ) takes place. The auction portion is set for March 20 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The always popular grand tasting, featuring 30 local chefs, takes place on March 21 at Mizner Park.

Openings and closings

We’ll be providing some more detailed reports in the coming weeks on major developments in the downtown West Palm Beach and downtown Delray Beach dining scenes. But for now, here are a few changes of note throughout Palm Beach County:

Openings: A relatively new Italian buffet place, Bellante’s (2693 Forest Hill Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-967-0005 ) has set up shop. For $5.49 ($2.99 for kids ages 4-10), the restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat spread of pizza (up to 12 different varieties, including taco and barbecue chicken pies), pasta (with choice of four sauces), soups (two daily) and salad (a 25-item bar), plus dessert. …

Another new Italian eatery, Cucina Rustica and Pizza (1000 U.S. 1, North Palm Beach, 561-355-0361 ), has also opened its doors. Run by the former team behind Mangia, a longtime North Palm Beach favorite, the restaurant features a $7.95 lunch buffet, plus a dinner menu highlighting several veal and chicken specialties. All entrées are priced at $20 or less and come with a house salad, too.

Closing: Sadly, one of our favorite new culinary spots — Cooks Inc. in Jupiter’s Abacoa Town Center — has shut down after just an eight-month run. The ambitious enterprise combined a cooking school and small gourmet market with a restaurant that specialized in unique dining events. Chef John Carlino, the cook behind Cooks, is still doing catering, however. For more info, contact him at catering@abacoa
cooks.com.

THE WEEKLY NOSH: The Dalmore

Single-malt scotches continue to be as popular as ever. And that sets the stage for the reintroduction in this country of a classic name: The Dalmore.

The brand is perhaps best known for having the world’s priciest scotch — a rare release of a 1943 bottling that went for $58,000 in 2007 (just 12 bottles were made available — today, each likely would go for $150,000-plus apiece).

But that bit of trivia obscures the fact that Dalmore also offers some modest-priced bottles of great quality and refinement. The 12-year-old (simply known as “The 12” and priced at around $40-50) is like the after-dinner drink as easy chair ­— nice and cozy.

It’s got noticeably little “burn” ­— indeed, it’s almost as smooth as a blended whiskey. But the seductive notes of orange are what really appeal to me.

Enjoy!