REUNITED David Amorelli is working for David Burke again, for at least the third time. Mr. Amorelli met the chef-owner of davidburke & donatella years ago, back when Mr. Burke was the chef at River Cafe. Mr. Amorelli was soon promoted to sous chef at that Brooklyn landmark, but he realized that he was out of his depth and pursued further training.

Then he found himself working for Mr. Burke again at Cite. There Mr. Amorelli was executive chef and Mr. Burke was corporate executive chef at Cite, in addition to all the restaurants in the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.

Ten years later, Mr.Amorelli left Cite for the semi-private Upper East Side dining club Bruno Jamais. But before long he grew tired of the cote de beouf and steak tartare the customers there favored and craved the excitement of a David Burke operation.

“People go to Bruno’s expecting certain things,” he said.”They come into David’s expecting new things.”

He added that purveyors also seek out Mr. Burke to show them their newest, best produce. “When people know that David’s involved they want to get involved, because they know it’s good for them, and we also get the best product.”

So Mr. Amorelli recently joined davidburke & donatella (133 E. 61st St., between Park and Lexington avenues, 212-813-2121) as chef de cuisine.

Having the same first name as his boss does not create any confusion, he said. The kitchen staff has simply given him a nickname: “The other white meat.”

EARLY GREEK There’s an unexpected option for pretheater dinner tonight.The Greek restaurant Kellari (19 W 44th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-221-0144) was supposed to open tomorrow, but it is, in fact, already serving dinner and offering a $35, three-course pre-theater menu from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. After that time, appetizers from executive chef Peter Spiropoulous range from $8 to $17, main courses are $20-$38, and desserts are $8-$12.Traditional mezze, including tzatziki, feta, and two types of taramasalata, are offered alongside sea urchin salad and lamb loin tartar with fig and vinegar dressing. A wide variety of fish options (grouper in avgolemono, loup de mer crusted with Greek mountain tea and baked in grape leaves with pumpkin skordalia), along with slow-roasted lamb shank, and young goat cooked in yogurt, are featured among the entrees. USDA prime steaks are available, too.

Lunch service is expected to start in a couple of weeks.

EAT FOR THE KIDS Have you been wondering what New York’s finest restaurants are planning for their spring menus? Have you wanted to introduce yourself to Per Se chef-owner Thomas Keller? Have you been meaning to encourage your children to pursue culinary careers? Then mark March 1 on your calendar and get a ticket to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program’s Eighth Annual Preview of Spring Dining, at Manhattan’s Pier 60 (West Side Highway between 19th and 20th streets).

Mr. Keller will be honored at the event, where you can sample savory spring dishes from Aquavit, Aureole, Beacon, BLT Prime, Blue Fin, Blue Hill, Bouley, Felidia, Fiamma, Fifty Seven, Fleur de Sel, the Modern, Nobu 57, Patroon, Payard, Per Se, Riingo, the Sea Grill, Shun Lee Palace, Tabla, Telepan, Tocqueville, Town, Union Square Cafe, and WD-50. Dessert will feature the culinary stylings of pastry chefs from Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Atelier, Le Bernardin, Bouchon Bakery, Craft, Fauchon, Olives, and Sarabeth’s.

Al Roker of NBC’s “Today Show” will be master of ceremonies.

Tickets can be purchased for $375 and up, with proceeds going to C-CAP, which provides culinary scholarships and career-long mentoring to underprivileged youths seeking culinary careers.

Learn more about the program at www.ccapinc.org, or call 212-974-7111.

EAT FOR GULF VICTIMS Slow Food NYC, which seeks to preserve food traditions, and Brooklyn Brewery, which brews and sells beer (79 N. 11th St., between Berry Street and White Avenue, Brooklyn), are co-hosting a Mardi Gras celebration to help raise funds for farmers, shrimpers, bakers, and other food producers hurt by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Oysters on the half-shell will be served along with specialties from the Gulf Coast region prepared by New York chefs. Galen Zamarra of Mas will be making boudin noir and pralines. Steve Rice of Bubby’s will be serving pulled pork on potato rolls. Andrew Karasz of Django is making jambalaya, and shrimp etouffee with grits will be dished up by Ed Witt of Il Buco. Les Halles is participating too, and details are to come.The Dixie Bee-Liners will provide entertainment.Tickets are $55. To buy them, e-mail Sherri Brooks Vinton atmardigras@slowfoodnyc.org. The event will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on February 28. Proceeds will benefit the Slow Food Terra Madre, Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund, and the Southern Mutual Help Association.

OR JUST EAT Sushi Samba (245 Park Avenue South, between 18th and 19th streets, 212-475-9377) and Sushi Samba 7 (87 Seventh Avenue South, between Bleecker and Grove streets, 212-691-7885) will highlight their Brazilian personalities during Carnaval from February 25 to 28.

To celebrate the Brazilian pre-Lenten lollapalooza, the restaurants are airing satellite feeds of the Rio de Janeiro celebration and offering special Brazilian dishes such as crab moqueca,a type of stew, with linguica sausage and sauteed apple; and monk fish with yellow lentil feijoada, another type of stew. Those are on offer at the Park Avenue South location, while on Seventh Avenue South, roasted, skewered pork and shrimp coconut shortbread with coconut sorbet and cachaca foam are on the menu.

Both locations will be selling a special restorative cocktail for $11. The Vitamina de Carnaval has avocado, banana, sugar, cream of banana, cachaca, and orange juice all muddled together and served in a martini glass.

Mr. Thorn is food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News. He can be reached at bthorn@nrn.com.