Food Calendar

Wednesday, March 11

Famous New Orleans restaurants theme dinner, prepared by students from the Widener University School of Hospitality Management as part of their spring dinner series. $16-$23. Dinner served from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Heintz Dining Room on the Widener main campus, 17th St. between Walnut St. and Melrose Ave. in Chester. For information and to make reservations, call 610-499-1127.

Plan Now

March 12: Wine dinner, featuring food and wines of Italy's Piemonte region, including spinach fettuccini tossed with mushroom balsamella and porcini mushrooms, pan-seared pecan-crusted trout with a sage butter sauce, braised beef short ribs with a Barolo wine sauce served atop a grilled polenta cake, and more, all paired with wines from the Piemonte region. $65 plus tax and gratuity. 6:30 p.m. at Trattoria San Nicola, 668 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn. For information and reservations, call 610-296- 3141 or visit www.sannicola.net.

March 12: Night of spice dinner, prepared by chef Michael Solomonov with the help of master spice blender Lior Lev Sercarz of La Boite a Epices, and featuring a different specially created spice blend for each dish, including duck rillettes and barbecue heart, Spanish mackerel confit with beets and labaneh, Tasmanian sea trout, wild boar with chestnuts and cranberries, and more. $85 plus tax and gratuity. Reservations available during dinner hours in the private Quarter at Zahav Restaurant, 237 St. James Place, 215-625-8800.

March 15: Victory Beer dinner, in celebration of the new Three Ring Ale and featuring a five-course menu that includes roasted Bosc pear and arugula salad with candied pecans and charred shallot vinaigrette; Roth Kase Knight's Vail aged cow's milk cheese made in Wisconsin, with dried fruits and nuts; Baltic Thunder marinated pork tenderloin wrapped in crisp applewood smoked bacon; and more, all paired with Victory beers. $45, all-inclusive. 4 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.

- Barry Zukerman