This wine cost nine bucks. How do the Italians do it? Their economy is in shambles and the euro is killing the dollar. If this was French wine, it would cost $15 or $18. I’m not complaining, of course. I’m just continually and pleasantly surprised by the quality and value so many Italian wines offer.

The Farnese (purchased, available at Jimmy’s) was exactly what I was hoping for when I bought it. There is soft white fruit in the middle (an English critic described it as “gently fragrant,” which is why Engish wine writing is so much fun), low alcohol (12 percent), not a lot of acid, and a kind of stony finish. In this, it’s a wonderful antidote to all the mass-produced, turpentine-like pinot grigio that we’re told we’re supposed to like and that everyone seems to be making these days. Right, Drew B.?

Pair this not only with seafood, but spicy food. That’s what I did (chicken tamales with green sauce), and it worked wonderfully. And, for those of you keeping track of grape varieties, there is apparently a difference between the trebbiano grape and the grape that is called trebbiano in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The former is more or less ugni blanc, one of my old pals, while the latter is something called bombino bianco. Maybe I can get the Italian Wine Guy to explain the difference.

The party starts at 11 a.m. today at Quarter Bar & Grill, which is probably the best spot to celebrate Mardi Gras in Far North Dallas. The French Quarter-themed restaurant is owned by two New Orleans natives who know how to serve up authentic Cajun fare. We featured their bar food last August.

Today, they have jambalaya, bread pudding and all the crawfish you can eat. From 11 a.m.-7 p.m., drink specials are $2 domestic pints, $2.25 wells and $3 house wine. From 7 p.m. until close, they have $3 Miller Lite and Coors Lite pints and $3 shots of Skyy vodka.

If you get hungry for something more than crawfish, try the shrimp po’boy. The Quarter has great pizza and burgers, too, for those not digging Cajun. The kitchen stays open until 2 a.m.

They also have a cigar-friendly and pet-friendly patio. Karaoke begins at 9 p.m. And, of course, Mardi Gras beads for everyone!

Wednesday is National Margarita Day. It’s a fine excuse to take off early, no? Especially when you consider this: The Blue Goose Cantina in Addison will celebrate, all day long (11 a.m.-4 p.m.), with $4 house margaritas.

How did the margarita come to be? Here’s how the Blue Goose folks tell it:

“There are many historical claims surrounding the tequila infused cocktail, but our favorite originates in 1948 when the Dallas socialite, Margarita Sames, hosted a pool side holiday party at her vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico. Margarita decided to entertain her guests by getting behind the bar and mixing spirits and then asking her party guests test and rate the results. That evening she mixed tequila with Cointreau and lime juice — the concoction was a complete success and it soon made its way to Dallas and rest is history.”

A new culinary studio, Low Country Quisine, opens for business today in the Parkside Center area at Midway and Spring Valley.

Owner and head chef Enjolik Oree Bailey offers full-service, custom catering and gourmet food to-go. the studio touts decadent cupcakes, the most popular being red velvet. Oree Bailey has been cooking since she was a little girl, spending summers with her grandparents in Charleston, S.C. Years later, she’d get requests from friends asking if she could make her special dishes for parties and events. Soon, it became clear that this would be her career.

The menus feature several types of cuisine from small bites to extravagant entrees for weddings and corporate events. Anyone can schedule an appointment for a private tasting.

The neighborhood snow cone shack Polar Chill is coming back to its original spot in the Hillcrest Village shopping center at Hillcrest and Arapaho. It opens at noon Saturday.

Owner Tony Atchison closed his shop in October after the landlord and leasing company changed the terms of his lease. The more expensive options gave him no choice but to pick up and leave. It stemmed, in part, from Venture Commercial’s vision to get rid of free-standing kiosks that make the center look “a little junky.”

They’ve finally cut a deal, and Polar Chill is back. That’s good news for the surrounding community. Atchison has been serving up snow cones at events for neighborhood schools and churches for the past three years.

Despite the cold weather forecast, Atchison hopes to see some of his regulars stop by this weekend and welcome him back to the neighborhood. The regular hours will fluctuate depending on the weather, but generally the shop will open at 2 p.m. week days.

The holiday that must not be named is next week. You want to buy sparkling wine. But sparkling wine, being sparkling wine, is expensive and confusing.

Not to worry. I am on the job, as always, looking out for everyone caught between bubbly’s rock and hard place. The Bertrand ($15, sample) is sparkling wine from France that isn’t made in Champagne, which is why it’s one-third the price of entry-level Champagne. Better yet, it has much more than one-third of the quality, and is a tremendous value.

It’s made using the same method as Champagne, and it uses more or less the same grapes (including pinot noir, which is not common in sparkling wine made in France outside of Champagne). That’s one reason why it delivers so much value; its grapes are grown in the Limoux region in the Languedoc, where land is a fraction of the price of Champagne.

This is not as simple a wine as its price would indicate; the pinot noir gives it an edge that others don’t have. Look for very crisp apple fruit and an impressively long finish (lemon zest, maybe?). And you can impress everyone with your bubbly knowledge: If the wine says Cremant on the label, as this does, that means it’s sparkling wine made in the traditional method but not in Champagne. Highly recommended, and sure to impress whoever needs impressing next week.

Who knew that a neighborhood burger joint would serve some of the best breakfast in town? Jakes added it to the menu a couple of months ago at a few select locations, including the one at Belt Line and Prestonwood.

The huge cinnamon rolls rival those at any popular chain and even Crossroads Diner in Lake Highlands. It’s almost bigger than your hand, covered in caramel and cream cheese icing. Share one of these with friends unless you have a stomach made of steel.

You can’t go wrong with any of the breakfast items – from butter pecan pancakes to cheesy grits to the smoked bacon. Jakes appeared in the Best Breakfasts issue of Texas Monthly in November, which featured lots of great Dallas spots.

Jakes opens for breakfast bright and early at 7 a.m.

White wines from France’s Rhone region aren’t particularly well known and, at least in this country, don’t get all that much respect. You don’t see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don’t see many of them reviewed, for that matter.

Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that’s something I’m always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased, available at Spec’s), from one of the Rhone’s largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason. When I can find it, of course.

This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it’s not supposed to be.

And don’t worry that you haven’t heard of the grapes used to make it — almost no one who isn’t in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that’s three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.

Pizza Inn recently launched a spin-off called Pie Five Pizza, which offers build-your-own personal-sized pizzas in less than five minutes. A location just opened up at Belt Line and the Tollway (right behind Far North Dallas’ third In-N-Out Burger, which looks to be opening any day now. As if anyone cares anymore).

Pie Five is just Pizza Inn in a fancier package. So, if you like Pizza Inn …

On the day I went, the restaurant was blaring loud, obnoxious music. Call me an old fogie, but I don’t enjoy having to shout my order, which was a lengthy one considering you dictate the type of crust, sauce, cheese and unlimited toppings. Pie Five serves 9-inch pizzas at $6.49 a pop (specialty pizzas cost more). A bit much considering I could get a pizza triple the size for around $10 at some other chain or, better yet, a locally owned pizzeria with a nicer atmosphere.

But there’s a lot to like here, too. Pie Five has a great selection of toppings, and you can load up on as many as you want. I ordered the pan crust with Tuscan marinara, mozzarella, chicken, spinach and roasted onions and peppers. Then I had them top it off with feta when it came out of the oven. Pretty good for five minutes.

The place was packed with happy diners – lots of young families – who seemed to really like the concept. It’s a great way to mix it up if people can’t agree on one type of pizza. However, it still doesn’t beat out my favorite neighborhood BYOB spots like Bacci’s, Pizza by Marco and Besa’s Pizza and Pasta.

Nosh Euro Bistro has opened a location on Park in Plano. Chef Avner Samuel’s four-star, European/Mediterranean eatery features a “Chef Bar.”

The specialty at Sam Nimer’s restaurant is its sweet namesake. But its pasta dishes, like rigatoni carbonara with penne, aren’t to be missed, either.

Don’t dismiss a wine just because it doesn’t have a cork. Screwcap, Tetrapak, box … The type of closure is no longer a reflection of quality. These wines show just that.