The Week In Eats

by Amy Strauss

Each weekend, Ristorante Panorama hosts "Friday Night Flights," a lighthearted happy hour surveying international wines. This Friday, sommelier Bill Eccleston will taunt your tongue with a slew of sparkling wines, including Italy's Prosecco, Germany's Riesling Sekt and Jacquesson champagne. Sparklers from Long Island and Greece will also be sampled. Ristorante Panorama, 14 N. Front St., 215-922-7800.

Daily News columnist Don "Joe Sixpack" Russell considers Philly the zenith of American beer drinking. With George Hummel of Home Sweet Homebrew by his side, he's tasted the city's finest pints and lived to brag about it. It's your civic duty to attend this beer course, which focuses on the city's first brewhouse (Samuel Adams), the hops rise of the 1990s, the important role of beer in Belgian gastronomy, bar culture and, of course, how Philly became a center for brewing excellence. Tria Fermentation School, Medical Arts Bldg., 1601 Walnut St., Ste. 620, 215-972-7076.

Haven't gambled lately? Make the trip down the expressway—A.C.'s Pier Shops will host a restaurant week, with spots offering fixed-price lunch and dinner menus to fit your every dining whim. Sample Phillips' roasted Amish chicken or some choices off its jumbo lump crab cakes list, or check out Boston-based sports bar Game On's chowder and lobster rolls. Swing to Souzai Sushi & Sake for a Japanese pint and munch some shrimp, steak and onion yakatori, or stick with Irish brews at Trinity Pub. Round out your multicourse meal with a vintage bottle from Sonsie's. The Pier Shops at Caesars, One Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic City, N.J., www.thepiershops.com.

The National Kidney Foundation will play host for this music-and-chow fundraiser. As Philadelphia jazz vocalist Karen Wilhelm sings torch songs of the '30s and '40s, 25 restaurants, wineries and breweries will present their signature dishes and beverages. Guests can sample Anheuser-Busch's World Lager, Blue Coat's Dry American Gin or Jacob Creek's Australian wine. Foodwise, check out the Capital Grille's sliced filet mignon or Solaris Grille's veal tenderloin. Deuce Restaurant and Bar will kick back with their cornbread waffles, and Sansom Street Oyster House will provide an ample spread of shellfish. Proceeds benefit kidney disease and transplant patients in the Delaware Valley. The Ritz-Carlton, 10 Avenue of the Arts, 215-923-8611, www.nkfdv.org.

Chef Alan Tardi closed his New York City restaurant, Follonico, in 2002 and began a new life in Castiglione Falletto, a village in Italy's Barolo wine region of Piedmont. His new memoir, Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation, focuses on the years he spent tending to local wineries. With the book as the centerpiece, Le Castagne will host a tempting truffle dinner, with white truffles from Alba as the leading ingredient. Le Castagne, 1920 Chestnut St., 215-751-9913, www.lecastagne.com.