It's a symptom of a restaurant critic that we don't often return to many of the restaurants we write about -- we go out to eat the way commitment phobics date -- but looking back on 2009, I realized there were missed opportunities. Pittsburgh restaurants, cultural associations and food businesses offer an impressive array of special events, food festivals, and other edible and drinkable opportunities, and I didn't make it to nearly as many of them this year as I would have liked.

So my resolution for 2010 is to do a little more advance planning and a little more exploring.

Here's a list of some opportunities that likely will return this year. Most of these dinners require a reservation, and many require pre-payment. Some are bargains, others are indulgences, but all are likely to reward adventurous diners with unique memories.

The chance to look back on 2010 and know that I didn't let opportunities slip through my fingers? Priceless.

At breakfast and lunch Cafe Raymond in the Strip District serves scrumptious gourmet sandwiches, salads and pastries. But occasionally the restaurant opens for dinner, serving four courses for $40 with the option of bringing your own bottles of wine. Chef and owner Raymond Mikesell cooks up delicacies such as white truffle pizza, butternut squash soup, grandma's meatballs and lemon herb chicken.

Point Brugge in Point Breeze is another casual spot that sometimes offers more elaborate menus. It has become locally famous for its opulent beer dinners. The recent four-course New Year's menu started with a champagne and beer reception to ring in Belgium's New Year, moved on to butter poached Maine lobster tail paired with Don de Dieu Triple Wheat Ale and finished with profiteroles filled with caramel apple parfait ice cream and topped with applejack soaked cherries, paired with Unibroue 17 Strong Brown Ale. At $100 per person, it wasn't cheap, but tax and gratuity were included, and at Point Brugge some people would pay that much just for a reservation -- it's one of a few Pittsburgh restaurants that commonly has a wait of more than two hours.

Some restaurants like to take a break with more casual offerings, and Italian-style Sunday suppers have been growing in popularity in Pittsburgh. At Il Pizzaiolo in Mt. Lebanon enjoy a traditional Italian meal in its intimate second-floor wine bar for $24 per person. There are platters of vegetables, cheeses and cured meats to begin; then a choice of pastas; then a choice of handmade meatballs, sweet fennel sausage and beef braciole in tomato sauce, or chicken and vegetables braised in a tomato and wine sauce. For dessert, zabaglione with fresh fruit.

Sunday suppers at Gypsy Cafe on the South Side are $20 per person. The prix fixe includes appetizers, a salad or soup course, and entrees. Soft drinks and coffee are included. The menu changes a little every week, but a sample menu has some mouth-watering winter options, including Gypsy's version of Bigos (Polish Hunter's stew) with pork, bacon, beef and lamb stewed with sauerkraut in a tart-sweet broth.

There's no better way to celebrate each season than to revel in its foodstuffs. In Regent Square, Legume Bistro's regular menu always has a seasonal influence, but to revel in corn, or tomatoes or the first goulash of the year, keep an eye out for their semi-regular special dinners held on Sunday evenings.

Whole Foods put a new spin on its local offerings last summer when it started serving a multi-course, BYOB dinner in a tent outside the store. Whole Foods cooks got a chance to express their creativity with more upscale dishes than the prepared foods counter usually demands, and customers got a chance to see the store in a whole new light. Last summer's dinners were $40 per person and BYOB. They will likely return this year, although perhaps in a slightly different form, said local marketing director Kim Wynnyckyj.

No one celebrates seasonal produce as passionately as Slow Food Pittsburgh. Not only does this group sponsor the ultra-local Farmers@Firehouse market in the Strip District, it also organizes a number of events throughout the year, open to members and non-members alike (members typically get a discount). I'm kicking myself extra hard for missing last August's dinner at DeLallo Foods, a retail and wholesale Italian food store in Jeannette. The meal began with a selection of antipasti, including raw zucchini salad with olives, mint and pecorino; an assortment of meats, cheeses and olives and two styles of focaccia -- one with fresh swiss chard, the other with San Marzano tomatoes. The pasta course featured a simple tomato sauce, to highlight the beauty of the San Marzanos, followed by a main course of sea bass with tomato and olive salad. Almond praline semifreddo with grilled peaches provided an ultra-seasonal, sweet finish.

Every year I manage to stand in line for pierogies, Greek pastries and other wonderful ethnic delicacies. But this year I will make certain not to miss my favorite of all local food festivals: The Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh's Food Bazaar held each year in early May. From seafood-stuffed pancakes to kimchi to bulgogi, the bounty and quality is incredible.

The Sunday before Memorial Day offers many food lovers a tremendous dilemma: Wake up early and get to the Rachel Carson Sustainable Feast in Springdale before lines get too long? Or, save your energy and appetite for Kaya Fest in the evening? Past feasts have included an impressive array of miniature dishes, featuring local produce and proteins and made by local restaurants. Kaya Fest in the Strip District includes a whole roasted pig with plantains, braised greens, live music and tropical drinks. Maybe this will be the year I finally make it to both.

Before you even consider going on a low-carb diet for the New Year, see if you can read this without starting to drool: Polenta agnolotti with braised Elysian Field Farms lamb ragout and fresh figs. Tagliolini with seared rare tuna, calamari and puttanesca sauce. Roasted garlic tortellini with wild mushrooms, arugula, rosemary and ricotta salata. These were just a few of the creative pasta dishes offered at Casbah's pasta fest last year. Highland Park's Casbah loves pasta year round, but it takes over a more substantial portion of the menu for four days each spring.

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