On the Plate: Upcoming Food and Wine Events

December 15: Cheese 101
Liz Thorpe, Wholesale Manager of Murray’s Cheese, will give you the inside scoop on all things cheesy, including selection of the perfect cheese plate, how to display it, and picking the wines to match. 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., 254 Bleecker Street. $50/person. Call 212.243.3289, ext. 25 or register online.

December 19-22: Auvergne at Partage
Visit Auvergne without leaving the West Village. From December 19-22, Partage will be serving dishes from Auvergne including frogs’ legs with asparagus and burnt butter sauce and beef cheeks with truffle cream sauce. Partage, 92 Seventh Ave. South. Call 212-242-2207 for details.

December 20: Phillippe Opens
Philippe Chow, longtime chef at Mr. Chow, will take over the helm at Philippe, a new, contemporary Chinese restaurant located located in the former RM space. Philippe will be serving lunch and dinner and weekend brunch, but this isn't your local Chinese takeout -- their menu features a selection of main dishes intended for sharing, like nine seasons spicy prawns ($40 for two), drunken sea bass served in white wine ($42 for two), Peking duck ($50 for two), and crispy pork loin with salt and pepper ($36 for two), as well as a 10-course tasting menu for $50 per person. Plan to be there at 8 p.m. each night, when Noodle and Pastry Chef Wai Ming Cheng will conduct live demonstrations for making hand-pulled noodles. 33 East 60th Street. Call 212-644-8885 for reservations and information.