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Indulging at the holidays

At old-fashioned feasts, eat like a king or tycoon.

If you're in the mood to loosen belts as well as wallets, the holidays are the time to do it.

At madrigal dinners, channel portly Henry VIII in a Tudor castle settling. During Dickens dinners, wallow in 19th century England — the England of "A Christmas Carol,'' not "Oliver Twist.''

Which is to say, there's no gruel course. When I ate my way through the Victorian Progressive Dinner in the mansions of Dubuque, I dined on chicken salad in puff pastry, bisque, London broil and English trifle.

During the holidays, dinners at mansions built by early entrepreneurs — Capt. Frederick Pabst in Milwaukee, Chester Congdon in Duluth — are as sumptuous as the decor. But the frontier folk feasted, too; at Old World Wisconsin, guests will dine on delicacies favored by Irish immigrants.

Here are some of the best holiday feasts in 2008; reserve early.

Nov. 22-Dec. 27, Victorian House Tour & Progressive Dinner in Dubuque, Iowa: A five-course dinner is held on six Saturdays in four Dubuque mansions  decorated for the holidays: the 1856 Ham House, the 1873 Ryan House, the 1894 Redstone Inn and the 1908 Mandolin Inn. Cost is $48; reserve at 800-226-3369, Ext. 214. For more, see Feasting eyes in Dubuque.

Nov. 29-Dec. 26, Wassail Dinner Concerts at the Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, Wis. The inn on Lake Superior serves a five-course dinner while guests are regaled by the Rittenhouse Chamber Singers. Cost is $45 for noon concert dinners, $75 for evenings, plus tax, gratuity and beverage. 888-611-4667.

Dec. 4-7 and 11-14, “A Christmas Carol Holiday Feast’’ in St. Paul. Diners are entertained by members of the Actors Theater of Minnesota on three stages of Wigington Hall Pavilion on Harriet Island, with live music. Tickets are $72.50, 651-290-2290.

Dec. 5-7, Madrigal Dinners in Bemidji, Minn. Singers at Bemidji State University create the atmosphere of a Renaissance feast in an English castle, with performances by the king's players, the royal court, beggars, minstrels and troubadours during a five-course dinner, $35. Reserve at 218-755-3406.

Dec. 6-7 and 13-14, Irish Holiday Dinner at Old World Wisconsin in southeast Wisconsin. A traditional Irish celebration of dinner, music and dancing, 2:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 6-7 and 13-14, $65. This 576-acre complex of 10 ethnic pioneer farmsteads celebrates a different ethnic group at each year's holiday celebrations. Reserve at 262-594-2922.

Dec. 13-14 and 20-21, Holiday Brunches at Glensheen Mansion in Duluth. Tours of Chester Congdon's mansion on Lake Superior, decorated for the holidays, are followed by brunch and a wassail toast, $24.95, $13.95 for children. 888-454-4536.

Dec. 15-23, Dickens Dinners at the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee. It's a traditional English feast, with Charles Dickens reading from "A Christmas Carol.'' Cost is $79-$89, $45 for children 12 and under. Reserve by calling Bartolotta's at 414-727-6980; for Pabst Mansion details, 414-931-0808. People who visit Old World Wisconsin or the Pabst Mansion get admission to the other site free.

Last updated on December 28, 2008