Learn to make sushi at Shaw's Crab House

Ever wanted to make your own sushi? Shaw's Crab House shows you how in an interactive Japanese Sushi Demonstration and Lunch. You get to learn how to make sushi rice, hand-pressed nigiri sushi and hand-rolled maki. A Saketini cocktail is also included.

Facts: 11:45 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at 1900 E. Higgins Road, Schaumburg. $45 per person, all-inclusive. Reservations required. (847) 517-2722.

Opera while you eat

Monastero's Ristorante & Banquets once again hosts the Bel Canto Foundation Opera Contest Evenings. Dine on gourmet Italian fare while you see up-and-coming opera singers compete for more than $25,000 in cash awards and a grand prize trip to Italy to study with famed tenor Carlo Bergonzi.

Facts: Preliminary rounds conclude 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at 3935 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. $40 (includes dinner, tax and gratuity). Competitions continue to Saturday, April 4. Reservations requested. (773) 588-2515.

'Green Fairy' sighting

Experience the art and controversial allure of the once-banned drink absinthe when Morton's The Steakhouse hosts the "Green Hour." Sample up to four different cocktails with Pernod Absinthe while enjoying signature hors d'oeuvres such as oysters Rockefeller and crab-stuffed mushroom caps.

Facts: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, at 1 Westbrook Corporate Center, Westchester. $45 per person, all-inclusive. Reservations required. (708) 562-7000.