DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

As I post this, I'm gazing out onto Fourth Avenue in downtown Olympia through the windows of Sizizis Coffee and Tea House, snug on a rickety chair sipping "Baby's Breath" herbal tisane – mullein, spearmint leaf, Echinacea leaf, slippery elm, ginger, anise seed, orange peel and licorice ($3.50) – with swirling ambient music overhead. Yes, it's awesome.

Primo Grill: Chef Charlie McManus will be slow roasting pork Saturday, Jan. 15.  He'll be perfecting one of Cheryl "The Pig Lady" Ouellette's delicious Berkshire pigs, pulled and served with caper mint salsa verde. To pair with the pig, his wife Jacqueline recommends a bottle of Primo's new Rioja from Marques de Murrieta or a glass of Small Vineyard's Perazzeta Sangiovese. On a side note, Primo Grill will be hosting a Small Vineyards Tuscan Wine Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 for $80 a pop. Reserve your spot at 253.383.7000.

Wine And Charity: For each $100 you spend Jan. 13-16 at Gig Harbor's Water to Wine during their close out sale, they'll give you $5 to donate to a charity of your choice - although they are partial to the Gig Harbor-Peninsula Fish Food Bank.

Future Things Are Coming: Pints & Quarts embedded in Olympia's Capital Mall hosts the 2011 Winterfest and Oyster Bar at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. Partnering with Widmer Bros., the event will feature live music, $5 beer samplers, a free raffle for a Widmer snowboard and other giveaways.

Food Matters: Florida's orange crop predicted to be at least 2 percent smaller this year due to cold. Yikes.

LINK: Vote for the Best of Olympia

LINK: Happy hours!