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Enjoy an exclusive evening of Route 6 Chef DiRienzo's delicious cuisine prepared with crisp craft beer.
(Photo courtesy Route 6)

Stephen Starr’s Route 6 is hosting a one-night-only special beer dinner featuring the New Hampshire-based nano-brewery White Birch Brewing, Wednesday, March 7, the first event of its kind at the recently opened restaurant.

The four-course menu prepared by acclaimed Chef Anthony DiRienzo will feature plates like Smoked Bluefish Dip and Smoked Cod and Mussel Cassoulet, paired with craft brews from White Birch, including Route 6’s own proprietary blended ESB Ale.

The dinner is $50 per person.

Seats are very limited; reserve your spot by calling the restaurant at (215) 391-4600.

Check out the full menu, below.

Route 6 and White Birch Brewing Beer Dinner
When: Wednesday, March 7, 6-8 p.m.
Where: 600 N. Broad Street
Cost: $50
More info: www.route6restaurant.com

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UPDATE: We just received late word that Love Park has cancelled this event.

There are so many excuses to celebrate in February: Valentine’s Day, Groundhog’s Day and the anticipation of Spring. Plus, there’s this: Winter Fest 2012 in Love Park.

On Saturday, February 11, from 1-5 p.m., you’ll find some of Philly’s favorite gourmet food trucks and brews like Guapos Tacos, Mini Trini, Buttercream Cupcake, Say Cheese Philadelphia and Yards Brewery gathered in the park serving helpings of all-you-can-eat-and-drink options for ticket-holders to degust.

Live music and Philadelphia’s RAW: Natural Born Artists will also be on board showcasing an exhibit entitled “Art Walk” for viewing and purchasing pleasures alike.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the Fairmount Park Welcome Center in Love Park.

LOVE Park Winter Fest 2012
Where: LOVE Park, 15th Street & JFK Blvd.
When: Saturday, February 11, 1-5 p.m.
Cost: $20
More info: www.events.membersolutions.com

Chef Vetri says Alla Spina's look will be that of a converted car garage: lots of metal, wood, earth colors and graffiti. (Photo courtesy Marc Vetri)

Fresh off the resounding four-bell affirmation of Vetri in this Sunday’s Inquirer — in which critic Craig LaBan gushed: “the fact that [Chef Marc] Vetri refuses to rest on his classics is at the heart of why he remains a singular leader for his generation and why his namesake restaurant remains our very best” — Chef Vetri is busy preparing for the opening of his newest restaurant, Alla Spina.

Vetri and crew are now targeting February 27 as opening day for their latest venture.

Alla Spina will join Stephen Starr’s Route 6 as one of two new restaurants putting down roots in what used to be an old automobile dealership at Broad and Mount Vernon. And Marc Vetri is taking that theme pretty literally, saying that the look of Alla Spina “is basically a converted car garage. Lots of metal, wood, earth colors, graffiti. But you’ll feel [the] Italian theme.”

The main entrance will be on Mount Vernon, not Broad Street, right next to Route 6′s main entrance. Alla Spina will also boast three large garage doors that look out onto Mount Vernon Street. We’re guessing they’ll be open when the weather is right.

Both Vetri and Chef Jeff Michaud of Osteria took to Twitter recently to share progress inside the restaurant and bar, teasing photos of one of Alla Spina’s signature design pieces: an inside wall custom tagged by a graffiti artist.

Graffiti and a brand new tap system? Opening can’t be very far.

Alla Spina [Official Site]

Leave it to the experts to instruct you on how to pair hand-craft chocolates made at Shane's with delicious wine, selected from an unparalleled selection at Ristorante Panorama. (Photo courtesy Shane's)

Wine and chocolate.

Individually they’re two of the most delicious and decadent delights one can enjoy. But pair them together and the flavors uniquely enhance one another, creating a taste so exceptional that it practically feels illegal on the tongue.

Fortunately, it’s perfectly legal to indulge in this luscious combination. So the experts from Ristorante Panorama and Shane’s Confectionery want to make sure you know how to pair them correctly.

On Wednesday, February 8, from 6-8 p.m., join sommelier William Eccleston of Ristorante Panorama and Eric Berley of the newly-remodeled Shane’s Confectionery for an evening of tasting, trying, sipping and sampling of a variety of superior wines and ports, all the while becoming enlightened on how to mix and match them with a rich array of dark and light chocolates from around the world.

Tickets to this appetizing and instructive event (learn how to impress your date on Valentine’s Day!) can be purchased in advance online for $25 or $35 at the door.

Ristorante Panorama and Shane’s Confectionery Wine and Chocolate Pairing
When: Wednesday, February 8, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Ristorante Panorama, 14 N. Front Street
Cost: $25 in advance, $35 at the door
More info: www.localwineevents.com

Fairmount's restaurant scene is gaining a wine bar, courtesy of and adjacent to London Grill. (Photo courtesy London Grill)

“I see London, I see France” is what you’ll say when owners Terry and Chef Michael McNally of London Grill open their second restaurant, Paris Wine Bar, next door on Thursday, February 9 with a reception featuring free hors d’oeuvres and live jazz.

Although “an ode to the winsome storefronts of Paris’ Le Marais neighborhood,” in Terry’s words, the comfortable lounge and cafe will focus on wines produced here in Pennsylvania.

Food-wise, Chef McNally’s cafe-inspired menu will include comfort fare like steamed mussels, mustard-crusted calf’s liver and his own take on the classic croque madame served with duck confit.

The 50-seater, adorned with French sconces, chandeliers and draperies from the McNallys’ personal collection, will be open Thursday through Sunday from 4 p.m.-midnight as well as for private events.

And, if you can’t visit the City of Lights this Spring, be sure to check out the wine bar’s outdoor cafe which will open with the welcoming of warmer weather.

Paris Wine Bar
2303 Fairmount Avenue
www.londongrill.com/paris

Iron Hill's brand new Chestnut Hill location is hosting its inaugural beer release event next Friday, February 10. (Photo courtesy Chestnut Hill)

What do you get when you combine chocolate, beer and employees sporting green hair and orange skin?

Iron Hill Bewery’s Oopma Loompa Stout release party.

For its very first brew event, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Chestnut Hill, the most recent of nine locations to open, will treat guests with samples of their newest creation, Oompa Loompa Stout, from head brewer Paul Rutherford on Friday, February 10 from 5-8 p.m.

A medium-bodied chocolate stout that’s been aged for two weeks on Madagascar vanilla beans and cocoa nibs, Oompa Loompa Stout will be passed around for tastings by employees dressed as those odd little characters from the book and film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (we weren’t kidding you).

To top it off, guests can also indulge in house-made chocolate truffles and purchase 16 oz. mugs of the stout.

No golden ticket is required for entrance.

Enjoy the chocolatey experience, but try not to pull an Augustus Gloop and be the first to get ejected from the factory for “over-indulging”.

Iron Hill Brewery Oompa Loompa Stout Release
Where: 8400 Germantown Avenue
When: Friday, February 10, 5-8 p.m.
Cost: Free tastings
More info: www.ironhillbrewery.com

The Omni's decadent lounge is the perfect setting to nestle into a warm chair and enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate. (Photo courtesy Omni)

Few things are better than warm, creamy hot chocolate on a cold winter day.

Salon 401 at the Omni Hotel at Independence Park delivers with their brand new hot chocolate menu, offered daily 3-7 p.m. in the hotel’s magnificent lobby lounge. Bonus: the lounge includes a fireplace.

The hot chocolate menu, a twist on your standard happy hour, features an array of hot chocolate flavors and toppings and even an adult version capped with Bailey’s Irish Cream or Kahlua.

The hot chocolate menu features the option of a dark hot chocolate with a hint of espresso, Ghirardelli White Mocha, Ghirardelli Chocolate Hazelnut or classic milk chocolate.

All are served with a side offering of whipped cream, shaved chocolate, mini marshmallows, crumbled Oreo’s, Heath Bar bits, mini M & M’s, S’mores and white chocolate morsels. Toppings are unlimited.

Hot chocolate is $5 per steaming, sweet mug or $6 with the alcohol additions.

Located in the heart of the historic district, the Omni is the perfect place to stop in after ice skating at the RiverRink or catching the sights in historic Philadelphia.

Omni Hotel at Independence Park’s Hot Chocolate Bar
Where: 401 Chestnut Street
When: Daily, 3-7 p.m.
Cost: $5/cup, $6/alcoholic version
More info: www.omnihotels.com

Leo and La Colombe — breaking hearts and taking names. (Image courtesy La Colombe)

Philadelphia’s own La Colombe Torrefaction, the nationally acclaimed coffee roaster, yesterday announced a first-of-its-kind charitable alliance with none other than Leonardo DiCaprio.

La Colombe has formed the alliance with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and its initiatives to create a new, ultra high-end coffee line called LYON.

Under the alliance, 100% of the net profits from the sale of LYON will be donated to environmental charities supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this new project with La Colombe that will help aid the shift to a truly sustainable future for the planet and its inhabitants,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever.”

The coffee itself is described as velvety, nectar like and sweet, boasting a unique taste achieved by blending directly sourced and sustainably grown coffees from the mountains of Haiti, Peru, Ethiopia and Brazil.

LYON is already available for sale at La Colombe Cafes, select Whole Foods stores as well as online.

With the introduction of LYON, La Colombe wants its customers to help make a significant impact on projects that defend lands and oceans, clean water, help endangered species, aid disaster relief and support alternative and green energy efforts.

Todd Carmichael, CEO and Co-Founder of La Colombe, is extremely passionate about both the quality of his coffee and the impact his company can have on the world.

“Sustainable coffee — specifically, coffee that is traded above fair prices and grown using earth conscious methods — not only adds much needed global biodiversity, but provides support for millions of families and communities in the developing world. The impact we are having in Haiti alone, just to bring this coffee to market, has changed the lives of thousands of peasant farmers, as well as the landscape of the country. We are excited to be working with and supporting The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and find it, as well as its namesake, uniquely qualified to carry out our hope, to make our planet a better place.”

A truly impressive and inspiring partnership for La Colombe. We hope it’s only the beginning.

La Colombe Makes First of Its Kind Charitable Alliance with Leonardo DiCaprio [La Colombe Torrefaction]

UPDATE: EVENT NOW MOVED TO FALL 2012.

“Burgers and Brews,” Philly’s inaugural fundraiser for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, will take place at Trust in Old City this Saturday, February 4, from 7-11 p.m.

Sample and savor the best burgers the city has to offer, complemented by a wide selection of premium beers, all while raising money for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, a national non-profit foundation which funds children’s cancer research.

Sink your teeth into an assortment of mouth-watering burgers prepared by some of Philly’s finest restaurants including Devil’s Alley, Smoking Betty’s, Triumph Brewing Company, Rembrandt’s and more and wash it all down with thirst-quenching ice cold brews.

A live auction will top off the evening with items up for bid like four tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies; an Elite Island Resorts Caribbean 7-night complimentary resort accommodation (airfare not included); tickets to Philly sports team events; and gift certificates to your favorite Philly restaurants.

Make a difference in the lives of the more than 40,000 children, adolescents, and young adults who undergo treatment for children’s cancer each year, while you dine and drink to your heart’s content.

Burgers and Brews
When: Saturday, February 4, 7-11 p.m. UPDATE: EVENT NOW MOVED TO FALL 2012.
Where: Trust, 249 Arch Street
Cost: Tickets start at $75
More info: www.phillyfoodandbeer.com

Draft Magazine has released its list of the 100 Best Beer Bars in America and good news: Philadelphia is well represented. Included in the list are six Philadelphia bars: the Grey Lodge Pub in Northeast Philadelphia, Memphis Taproom in Fishtown, Monk’s and Tria in Center City, Eulogy in Old City and Standard Tap in Northern Liberties. It’s a good start. What would make your list of the best beer bars in Philadelphia? There are clearly plenty of choices. Let us know in the comments. Post Updated. [Draft Magazine]