Winter brings game dinners to Western Mass.

LATE WINTER HAS been the traditional season for restaurant game dinners, events where guests can “bite back” when it comes to the like of alligator, bison, venison, and more.

Elk has been a staple of these game event dinners for a number of years now. Like all meats served at game dinners, the elk must be farm-raised rather than hunter-harvested; the meat is processed for human consumption under USDA supervision.

Elk meat is produced from North American Elk, a larger relative of the common white-tailed deer. A number of wild elk sub-species are native to the West, the Midwest, and the southern Appalachians

Elk meat is similar to venison — deep red in color, more fine-grained, leaner, and somewhat sweeter than beef. Its meat is nutritionally superior to nearly all red meats commercially available. Low in fat and cholesterol, elk meat is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid.

Given its nutritional virtues, elk is beginning to migrate from special event menus to instead appear as a regular a la carte option on culinary agendas.

Elk USA, a Del Notre, Colorado, producer of ranchraised game meats, has an informative website, elkusa. com, that details the raising, nutritional characteristics, and uses of elk and other game meats.

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• On Saturday, Wheelhouse Catering and Events in Amherst will host a “Pop Up Bar Night” at its 383 Main St. storefront. The event, which will run from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., will feature “quirky” cocktails and “irresistible” snacks and is open to all who are 21 and older.

Wheelhouse promises to preview the pop-up’s offerings on its Instagram feed, @wheelhouse.farm.

Wheelhouse answers at 413-323-3322.

• Villa Napoletana in East Longmeadow is holding its annual Valentine’s Day celebration Feb. 14 from 4 to 9:30 p.m.

The restaurant will be serving an a la carte menu as well as a special dinner-fortwo, with a complimentary Valentine’s Day rose as part of each couple’s dinner experience. The restaurant is also suggesting that folks “dress to the nines” for this celebration of love.

Reservations are essential, and they can be made by calling the restaurant at 413732-9300.

• Waypoint Spirits in Bloomfield, Connecticut, has organized a “Love Stinks” Valentine’s mixology class for Friday, starting at 6:30 p.m. The class will be led by the distillery-taproom’s chief mixologist, who will lead the group through the preparation of two distinctive cocktails. Participants will also engage in spirits tastings and