Diversitastic! Dining, cooking contest and a Turkish restaurant coming to Restaurant Row.

FusionFest is restarting its Diversitastic! Dining experiences, the monthly excursions to area restaurants to experience the cuisines and traditions of other cultures. (You may recall that one of the last ones of 2021 explored exotic Texas through its barbecue.)

January’s dinner at Curry Mantra is already sold out, but you can sign up for February’s South African exploration at Serengeti Restaurant at the Bronze Kingdom Museum. The dinner is Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. and tickets are $49.95 per person. Tickets here. Other upcoming D!Ds include Korea, Poland, Romania and the United States. (I just hope it’s not Texas again.)

February is breathing down our necks with its disturbingly cold breath. That means: 1) February could use a Tic Tac and 2) the clock is going tick-tock on getting your Valentine’s Day reservations in.

This year, Valentine’s Day will fall on Feb. 14, which is a Monday, the least romantic day of the week. But a few of our favorite restaurants are offering some Valentine’s Day special that will help you feel the love and impress your dinner date.

As I mentioned in a previous article of restaurants offering Valentine’s Day specials, Feb. 14 falls inconveniently on a Monday this year. But you say, “Scott, true love is love every day of the week,” to which I reply, “Many restaurants aren’t open on Mondays.” (You don’t have a pithy retort, do you?)