American bites

• Good Life Café (1216 Taylor St.): Choose a lunch special for $21 or dinner at half off.
• Liberty Tap Room and Grill – Vista (828 Gervais St.): Enjoy a three-course dinner for $60 per couple.
• Market on Main (1320 Main St. #150): Pair your $39 three-course meal with a $10 glass of wine.
• Midwood Smokehouse (702 Cross Hill Rd.): The three-course meal for $25 per person, available for lunch and dinner.
• Pearlz Oyster Bar (936 Gervais St.): The $40 three-course meal offers a variety of seafood options.
• Smoked (1643 Main St.): Indulge in a half-off lunch offering or a three-course meal for $55 at dinner.

Asian fusion flavors

• Boku Kitchen + Saloon (916 Gervais St.): Try a three-course dinner for $26.
• Hanabi Hibachi & Sushi (1624 Main St. #100): Try the four-course meal for $30 at lunch and half off select lunch offerings.
• Takosushi (multiple locations): Lunch and dinner specials for $25

International cuisine

• Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse (1508 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201): Delight in an all-you-can-eat dinner for $42.95.
• Hampton Street Vineyard (1207 Hampton St.): The dinner menu includes a three-course meal for $38.
• Publico Kitchen & Tap (multiple locations): Savor a three-course meal for $20, available for both lunch and dinner.

Unique dining experiences

• The Melting Pot – Columbia (multiple locations): Enjoy a fondue dinner priced at either $45 or $60 per person.
• Urban Tiki (1621 Main St.): Try a 3-course Hawaiian dinner for $25.

• Meet and Greet and Mini Tomato Pies with Floyd J. | Monday, Jan. 8 | 6-7 p.m. | Richland Library Northeast, Columbia | Free | Join Richland Library’s Culinary Coordinator, Floyd + learn to make mini tomato pies.

• Sound Bath Meditation at Steel Hands Brewing | Tuesday, Jan. 9 | 6-6:45 p.m. | Steel Hands Brewing, 2350 Foreman St., Cayce | $20 | Join Michael from Good Company Yoga for a 45-minute sound bath meditation inside Steel Hands Brewing’s steel shed benefiting “Rosewood Community Orchard.”

• Parks and Recreation Master Plan Kick-Off Meeting | Thursday, Jan. 11 | 10 a.m. | Earlewood Community Center, 1111 Recreation Dr., Columbia | Free | Stay up to date with the future of Columbia’s parks.
• Beethoven & Blue Jeans | Thursday, Jan. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene St., Columbia | Guest pianist Andrew Armstrong joins the SC Phil to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5.

• Cor De Lux , Aaron J. Burke, Bones Hamilton | Friday, Jan. 12 | 7-11 p.m. | New Brookland Tavern, 632 Harden St., Columbia | $10 | Aaron J. Burke’s new album “Young Pier Jumpers” was named one of the best of 2023.

• Noma Warehouse bids adieu with a final bash on Saturday, Jan. 20 from 7 to 10 p.m. The farewell soirée at 2222 Sumter St. invites guests to don all-black attire. A night of memories and farewells awaits, echoing the sentiment, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again!”

• The Gamecock men’s and women’s basketball teams defeated Mississippi State over the weekend in SEC play. Next up, the men’s team plays at Alabama on Tuesday, and the women play at Missouri on Thursday.

• The Post and Courier shared its list of the top albums from SC artists in 2023. Stagbriar, Toro y Moi, and Preach Jacobs, all with Cola ties, landed in the top 10.

• USC set a new record with over 50,000 freshman applications, a 13% increase helped by initiatives to improve accessibility for in-state students. This surge continues a significant expansion of the university’s student body over the past 20 years. (The State)

• Here come the loppers. Dominion Energy will conduct tree-trimming activities in neighborhoods like Meadowfield, Hyatt Park, and others in 2024. These efforts, supervised by the City’s Certified Arborists, aim to improve safety and reliability of electric service, notably reducing vegetation-related outages.

• Show your love for local green spaces at the “Love Your Park” event on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 9 a.m., for the Litter Sweep at Riverfront Park and Columbia Canal (312 Laurel St.). Register in advance with the keyword “Love.”

• Looking for your new favorite water bottle? The Owala Travel Tumbler combines the best of Stanley’s viral tumbler with Owala’s smart design. We’re liking color “Bunny Hop.”*

🌱 Spring for seeds

• Reese’s Plants in Blythewood, 10418 Wilson Blvd., Blythewood
• B.B. Barnes, 1067 Woodleys Way, Columbia
• Jarrett’s Jungle, 1621 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia
• Gardener’s Outpost, 709 Woodrow St., Columbia + 1211 Franklin St., Columbia
• Seven Oaks Plant Shop, 4522 St Andrews Rd., Columbia