There are a couple of new watering holes in Monument and a new neighborhood market in Palmer Lake worth checking out. Here’s a look at what you can expect:

• Cloud Wine — Wine & Tapas Bar, 213 Washington St., Monument, is an extension of The Bistro on 2nd, which opened mid-February. The Bistro owners, Katrina van Rossem, Robie Simpson and Vito Crews, who is also the executive chef, created the wine bar in an adjacent building to The Bistro. The two establishment are connected with a flagstone patio and walkway. The small wine bar is divided into three intimate rooms with high and low seating. The walls are painted in shades of purple. The menu, executed by Crews and his staff, is small with dishes like shishito peppers, bacon-wrapped dates, Spanish prawn cocktail and charcuterie board. The wine list is tight and focused with specials offered on various days. The full bar has a cocktail menu and beers. Hours are 3-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 3-8 p.m. Sundays. Sunday Funday features all-day happy hour pricing on food and half-price bottles of wine. Details 719-418-5584, facebook.com/bistros.cloudwine.

• Local Landing — Bar and Bites, 491 Colorado 105, Monument, formerly Ramen Chops Noodle Bar, opened in March and is a great place to have a drink from the full bar and enjoy some reasonably priced, well-prepared food from the small menu. Think bread & butter board ($10), cup of soup with baguette ($5), spinach dip with tortilla chips and naan bread ($9), tzatziki dip with pitas ($8), loaded smashed potato ($6), chicken Caesar salad ($10) and cheesecake ($6). Hours are 2-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 2 p.m.-midnight Fridays. 11 a.m.-midnight Saturdays, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.

Details: 719-481-4818, tinyurl.com/5n74rpfw.

• Calvert’s Mini Market, 4 Colorado 105, Palmer Lake (upstairs, above Bella Panini’s), is owned by Stephanie Calvert. Calvert’s opened in October with a small offering of mostly Colorado source produce, fresh flowers, cheeses, meats and baked goods. The little store that could is now brimming with full shelves, freezers and refrigerators. Calvert takes pride in stocking local top-quality brands and clean label goods (whole foods without any artificial ingredients). A few of her purveyors include Taste of Life, The French Kitchen, Two Sisters Ranch, MK Ranch, Westcliffe Cheese and Yummy Lotus jams. Hours are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays, and Wednesdays through Saturdays. Details: 719-290-9930, calvertsminimarket.com.

Private chef and more

Janon Bourgeois has launched a new business as a private chef, cooking teacher and culinary coach for hire.

Many of you will remember Bourgeois from her days as a culinary instructor at The French Kitchen, where she always was full of enthusiasm and made time in the kitchen look easy. At a recent puff pastry cooking class, where she was joined with Jeff Webb, of Lost Art Baking, she brought all of her usual energy to prepare a five-course dinner.

Webb demonstrates how he effortless prepared the complicated laminated pastry. Bourgeois kept the kitchen party lively while teaching us how to prepare the dishes that would be the supporting actors for the flaky puff pastry.

The star of the show was beef Wellington, which Bourgeois demonstrated how to prepare a whole beef tenderloin and cook it to perfect medium rare. When Bourgeois is not teaching classes, she is showing clients how to prepare meals with what’s in their pantry, refrigerator and freezer at the moment. She also is a private chef for dinner parties.

Follow her at facebook.com/janon.bourgeois or email chefjanon@gmail.com.

Piroshky pop-up

Piroshky Piroshky, an Eastern European-inspired bakery based in Seattle, is having a pre-order pop-up at Distillery 291, 4242 N. Nevada Ave., 5-7 p.m. May 8. Visit tinyurl.com/mwe5yuck by May 6 and place your order. The bakery workers hand-make the order and it is flash-frozen and will be ready for pickup May 8.

Treat mom to a buffet

Joseph’s Restaurant & Bar, 1603 S. Eighth St. will have a lavish buffet 11:30-3 p.m. May 12. For $55 you get an array of dishes like shrimp, green lip mussels, crab salad, eggs benedict, tortellini, chicken piccata, Alaskan salmon, steak a la Diane, assorted vegetable dishes and desserts. Details: 719-630-3631, josephsdining.com.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.