Food briefs | For that hard-to-find ingredient

Long a supplier of game, exotic meats and other vittles to restaurants, Seattle-based online specialty-foods purveyor marxfoods.comMarxFoods.com has begun selling its foodstuffs retail, including local Eaton Natural Beef, mushrooms, fish, shellfish, wild produce, camelina seeds and oil, spelt and emmer.

"We were getting a lot of calls from consumers who wanted to buy our products, wanted to buy what the restaurants buy. Some products are really hard to find, so the demand was there," said Chief Executive Justin Marx.

So far, the site's most-popular foods include wild boar, venison, huckleberries and wild mushrooms. Artisanal ravioli is available with more than 40 filling options, including braised short rib, amaretto butternut squash, Grand Marnier roasted duck and lobster. Stumped where to find pheasant, fennel pollen, rabbit meat or frog legs? Here's your spot. For the foodie who has everything, the site also offers sampler packs of sausages, burger patties, oysters and sea vegetables. Visit marxfoods.com for more information or call 866-588-6279.

Dinner and a Movie film series

The Seattle International Film Festival and Volterra (5411 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle, 206-789-5100) have teamed up for Dinner and a Movie, a series of four food-related films in 2009 screened in the restaurant's 45-seat drawing room.

The 2008 series is sold out. Next year's series includes "Babette's Feast" on Jan. 11, "Like Water For Chocolate" April 19, "Tampopo" July 12, and "Diner" Oct. 11. The $125 per-person ticket (plus fees) includes the movie and dinner paired with wines. Call the SIFF office at 206-464-5830 or visit www.siff.net for details.

Lesson in cider making

Washington State University tree-fruit specialist Gary Moulton presents an overview of cider making, from selecting apple varieties to growing and harvesting, as well as production from raw fruit to finished bottle, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 11.

Ed's Apples (13420 339th Ave. S.E., Sultan) is the setting for the event, which costs $55 per person and includes a box lunch. Register at www.snohomish.wsu.edu/ag/workshops/hardcider08.pdf and mail with your check, or contact Karie Christensen at 425-338-2400 or klchristen@cahnrs.wsu.edu.

Other morsels

Skillet on the move: Look for the silver Airstream trailer cooking up gourmet street food on the Eastside starting in January. Cooking-class discounts: Seattle's Culinary Communion cooking school is offering a bring-a-friend-for-half-off deal through November. Call 425-458-8743 or visit www.culinarycommunion.com/calendar.html for details.

Thanks for your service: U.S. military veterans (bearing a VA, VFW or American Legion card, discharge papers or a DD form 214) will receive a free entree Nov. 9 in honor of Veterans Day at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants (in Bellevue's Lincoln Square, on Lake Union and at both downtown Seattle locations; www.mccormickandschmicks.com for details).

Movin' on up: Morton's The Steakhouse Seattle has promoted Michael Hanke from assistant manager to general manager.

Opening Friday: KuKuRuZa (215 Pike St., Seattle, www.kukuruza.com), a gourmet popcorn shop featuring more than 25 flavors (including rocky road, dark chocolate caramel and cinnamon red hot) plus old-fashioned sodas.

Lunch on the run: Chipotle restaurants now offer online ordering, enabling incoming customers to skip the line, grab their food and head back to the office. To order, visit https://order.chipotle.com.

There's a hunger inside you: Hungry-Man Frozen Entrees wants your original dinner ideas through Dec. 15 at www.hungry-man.com. Winner gets a $500 American Express gift card and his or her idea created into a limited-edition Hungry-Man dinner.

A contest closer to home: The Dairy Farmers of Washington want your hot-chocolate milk recipes and will pay $500 cash for the best all-ages and "adult" (alcoholic) offerings. Visit www.hotchocolatemilk.net to enter online by Nov. 16, or mail your entry to Hot Chocolate Milk Recipe Contest, 2033 Sixth Ave., Suite 333, Seattle, WA 98121. All recipes must include cow's milk.

Got food news? Send it to kgaudette@seattletimes.com

Karen Gaudette, Seattle Times staff reporter