Newsbites (19)

From still lifes to harvest scenes to sketches of café patrons, food features prominently in many Impressionist works. On Sunday, May 1, you can lunch with Cézanne, Monet, Manet and Renoir, among other master painters of the period, at the Cleveland Museum of Art — well, vicariously anyway.

Writer and historian Alexandra Leaf, author of "The Impressionists' Table: Recipes and Gastronomy of 19th-century France," will discuss the artists' world of picnics, cafes and restaurants in France during the latter half of the 1800s. In her book, Leaf delved into period cookbooks to assemble 15 menus of eight recipes each, re-creating dishes enjoyed and often depicted by the leading Impressionists, including roasted quail, cherry flan and croque monsieur (a ham-and-cheese sandwich dipped in beaten egg and then sautéed in butter — a dream meal for a truly starving artist).

A tea party in the museum's Oasis follows the lecture. Tickets are $85. Call 1-888-CMA-0033 or (216) 421-7350.

In a similar vein, Bistro Joseph-Beth (inside Joseph-Beth Booksellers at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst) offers a menu comprising dishes from cookbook recipes. Every month, the restaurant and wine bar showcases items from a featured cookbook available in the bookstore.

Sometime this summer, look for a spun-off second Sushi Rock to open in the former Cooker Bar & Grille East space at Beachwood's LaPlace.

Also this summer, the West Side's ever-popular Phnom Penh will open a second location on West 25th Street, adjacent to the West Side Market. The new Cambodian eatery will seat 50 to 60 and serve the same extensive menu at the same bargain prices as the original.

April is Takeout Month at Johnny Mango World Café & Bar in Ohio City and Willoughby, so get 10 percent off when you "get them in the sack."

Tim Rios, formerly executive chef of Shaker Heights Country Club, has taken charge of the kitchen at Mitchell's Fish Market in Woodmere. Rios, a Johnson & Wales University grad, is also current Cleveland chapter president of the American Culinary Federation.

Lockkeepers in Valley View holds the following wine tastings this month: "Wacky Wines: Unique selections from Unique locations" April 1, "Best Buys!" April 15 and "Dessert in a Bottle" April 29. Cost for each is $15.

Openings

Bravo Cucina Italiana, 7787 Reynolds Road, Mentor, (440) 946-2090; Chris & Jimmy's Diners, 1975 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, (216) 932-3001; Flakey's Seafood and Barbecue Smokehouse, 2424 Ridgeland Drive, Avon, (440) 934-1044