The new Vela at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront springs onto the scene with an extensive menu that embodies coastal recipes from around the world. The downtown restaurant is situated at the promenade level of the hotel, offering waterfront views amid coastal design elements. Bring your large parties because Vela seats 325 people in its dining room and outdoor terraces. One Park Boulevard, 619-321-4284.

Dish at Universal presents a three-course prix fix dinner every week, from Thursday to Saturday, for $30. The meals include a choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert. And on Thursdays, customers enjoy happy hour prices all night, with specialty drinks and draft beer specials costing $5, plus $10 large pizzas made available at adjoining Ciro’s. 1220 University Ave., 619-296-3474.

David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health, has just released, Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide, which focuses on the worst grocery store products you can eat based on fat, sugar and calorie counts. Making the list are Healthy Choice’s sweet and sour chicken, Oscar Mayer’s Turkey & Cheddar Lunchables, Hungry-Man’s classic fried chicken, Marie Callender’s parmesan chicken pot pie and Quaker’s 100 percent Natural Granola with oats, honey and raisins.

A wine tasting that showcases small, family-owned wineries from our state is scheduled from 1 - 6 p.m., March 15, at Wyland Hall in the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The event, presented by Family Winemakers of California, will bring together more than 250 winemakers, marking the first expansion of the annual tasting into San Diego. No food vendors will be on site. The cost is $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at familywinemakers.org. For more information, call 916-498-7500.

Grant Grill sous chef Chris Kurth highlights white asparagus on a five-course tasting menu available throughout March. The coveted vegetable, which has a short growing season, will be used in soup, crab salad, main entrees and sauces. The price is $85 per meal. 326 Broadway, in the US Grant Hotel, 619-744-2077.

Chefs Collin MacLaggan of Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar and Victor Jimenez of Cowboy Star team up to cook a four-course dinner that will be paired with scotch whiskeys from The Macallan, an award-winning Scottish distiller. The dinner costs $75 per person and will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19, at Avenue 5. Reservations are required. 2760 Fifth Ave., 619-542-0394.

The American Heart Association has launched an Internet site listing nearly 130,000 recipes, restaurants and cookbooks that offer heart-friendly meals. The address to the free site is foodieview.com. Visitors can type “heart healthy” in the search field on the homepage to access the information.