Quick Bites: Another new brunch, expanded lunch and free dessert.

Melville Tavern (917-7314), one of my top 10 new Monterey County restaurants for 2015, ups its game this weekend.

It brings in brunch 10am-3pm Saturday and Sunday, with the same smart twists on classics and reasonable price point that define dinner.

Think blackened salmon Benedict, quesadilla huevos rancheros, pecan-banana pancakes, shaved-ham-and-charred-scallion flapjacks, and biscuits and duck gravy with duck hash ranging $8-$14.

More food news nibbles appear below:

• Speaking of brunch, the polenta French toast, fried chicken donut and lamb potato pancake proved filling and memorable at jeninni kitchen + wine bar (920-2662).

• Thursday, Jan. 14, is National Dress Up Your Pet Day.

• The Original Stonie's (710-1009) is now open for business inside Northridge Mall in Salinas, in the food court, "serving all your favorite ballpark and carnival food," like deep fried Oreos, deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and funnel cakes. More on the blog.

• Indian pop-up dinner at Happy Girl Kitchen 6pm Saturday, Jan. 23 ($55, 373-GIRL).

• Cult caffeine hotspot ACME Coffee in Seaside (393-9113) is now open until 5pm weekdays. Saturday until 3pm. (It opens 6:30am weekdays, 7am Saturday, closed Sunday.)

• Peter B's BrewPub (649-2699) now does lunch by Chef Jason Giles to go with all the good beer, starting at 11am, every day of the week. During January, Peter B’s and sibling Jacks Restaurant hand out complimentary chef’s choice dessert with mention of California Restaurant Month. (One per table.)

• French-born chef Jacques Zagouri, formerly of Andre's Bouchee, reports he's helping with the Portabello project with Dametra owners Bashar Sneeh and Faisel Nimri. Zagouri describes a fine-dining French-influenced Californian concept with things like foie gras, rack of lamb, truffles, ribeye steaks and local fish. "I want to thank all my great customers at Andre’s," he says. "I can’t wait to see them at Portobello." That restaurant should be off the ground within a month.

• Nice Ram's Gate wine dinner at Grasing's in Carmel Thursday, Jan. 21, with goodies like the North Coast Brut, estate Pinots, foie gras, short-rib ravioli and truffle tater tots ($175, 624-6562).

• De Tierra does free tastings and wine deals for the 5-7pm Wednesday, Jan. 13, Wine Down Wednesday at Tarpy’s (647-1444), where there's a new happy hour 3-6pm weekdays with $6 designer drinks, $5 wells, wines and drafts, and $4-$8 bites like meatloaf sliders, Sriracha-glazed ribs and spicy tuna tacos with tobiko.

• Fresh abalone from H & H Fresh Fish Co. now available at MPC Farmers Market on Fridays.

• Craft beer sales jumped up 18 percent in 2015, another year of double-digit growth. Post No Bills does a tap takeover with Alesmith Friday, Jan. 15.

• Is it wrong to love tiny cantapalitos chorizo corndogs? New Carmel Valley spot Roux (659-5020) has a lot to recommend it; the little doggies rank right near the top.

• Best of Monterey County readers poll has begun: www.mcweekly.com/bestof.

• One of best oceanfront happy hours in town is most incognito. 4-7pm at Tides (aka Beach Hotel) at the end of Canyon Del Rey next to Highway 1.

• The Culinary Roundup brings the deepest roster of local chefs together for one event Sunday, Feb. 21 at Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa to benefit Rancho Cielo (444-3533, www.ranchocielo.com).

• Second annual "A Burns Supper" Scottish Dinner Celebration happens at at Quail Lodge’s Peninsula Ballroom in celebration of Robert Burns with Exec Chef Kenneth MacDonald doing cock-a-leekie soup, housemade haggis and cheese and oatcakes Sunday, Jan. 24, 2015 ($85, tickets by Jan. 20 here).