McLain’s Cookie Decorating Party & Other Weekend Possibilities

Your garden is still there under that snow and ice. And it never hurts to get a jump on planning for what you’ll be growing this season. Kansas City Community Gardens (6917 Kensington Ave.) hosts a seminar on planting fruit trees and berry bushes from noon to 2 p.m. Friday. The workshop is free, but you can register to reserve a seat.

Warm wood. Live fire cooking. The Russell, which opened earlier this week at 3141 Main St., is an antidote to winter. The restaurant, bakery and market is rolling out a menu centered on the wood-fired grill behind the counter. It’s steak, salmon, chicken and grilled vegetables all cooking over a fire fueled by hickory and oak.

A charred pear salad comes dressed with a bourbon-pear vinaigrette and the steak chimi sandwich comes with grilled steak topped with charred onion, goat cheese and chimichurri on a grilled baguette. There’s a rotating daily soup — it was white bean on Wednesday — and grilled entrees: a half-chicken or sumac-rubbed tenderloin. The Russell is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

New delivery options are still news in Kansas City. ClusterTruck, a three-year-old concept out of Indianapolis, has arrived in KC. ClusterTruck has a central commissary with an eclectic menu — we’re talking breakfast burritos, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, rice bowls, tater tots and Cuban sandwiches — available for delivery. It’s a food court at the push of a button.

For those with vegan or gluten-free diets, the menu is clearly and easily labeled as such. ClusterTruck is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

McLain’s Market (10695 Roe Ave., Overland Park, Kansas) is hosting a Cookie Decorating Party from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Your first cookie is free and they supply the icing and sprinkles. Add another cookie for $1. Find inspiration in their donut designs.

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Solve a murder and foster romance? Agatha Christie has nothing on you. The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show is from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Have dinner and catch a show, along with the culprit, at 1301 Wyandotte St.

Brick House (400 E. 31st St.) is celebrating its first anniversary Friday in Martini Corner. As part of the celebration, it’s having a battle of local breweries. For $10, you can drink your fill from a keg of Martin City Brewing Co.’s Banging the Enemy or Torn Label Brewing Co.’s Alpha Pale Ale. The kegs will be tapped at 7 p.m.

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You should never have to compromise when it comes to dessert. The Better Cheddar (604 W. 48th St.) understands your quandary. Cheese & Chocolate, a class and tasting, is from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Get a walkthrough of different cheese and chocolate choices, each of which have been paired with wine by cheesemonger Lincoln Broadbrooks.

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[Note: An earlier draft of this post identified Brick House’s anniversary party as Saturday. It is actually this Friday.]