The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Elisabeth Holm

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Relying on Starbucks for your caffeine fix is easy, but it's so 1997. Let the Specialty Coffee Association of America's eighth annual competition alert you to Philly's better baristas and blends. Murky Coffee sponsors the mid-Atlantic regional contest, which includes 20 of Pennsylvania's finest java masters. The competitors serve espresso, cappuccino and a signature beverage of their choice to a group of judges, who evaluate everything from taste and quality of blend to grinding procedure and frothing technique. Bear Creek Mountain Resort, 101 Doe Mountain Lane, Macungie, Pa., 562-624-4100.

For those who appreciate French cuisine beyond baguettes, this hands-on workshop teaches party-host-hopefuls how to prépare le dîner. Your guests will be rendezvous-ing with potato-stuffed mushrooms, French onion soup, spinach souffle, beef Wellington and white chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis. Registration required. Viking Cooking School, 1 Town Place, Suite 100, Bryn Mawr, 610-526-9020.

The White Dog Café Foundation's third annual philanthropic feast calls for a little math: Eighteen Philly-area chefs preparing two dishes apiece team up with 18 local brewers to make 36 pairings of yum. Unlimited samplings from the likes of Patou, Tria, Rx, Fork and James restaurants will be coupled with tastings from Philly-area craft staples like Dogfish Head, Sly Fox, Triumph, Victory, Manayunk Brewing Co. and more. Proceeds benefit White Dog's Fair Food Project. Reservations required. Center Court at Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-386-5211, ext. 106.

The old adage "It's not what you say but how you say it" applies to more than your passive-aggressive spouse. "Our city brims with people who naturally tell stories with flair but haven't been given a wider stage," says Lisa Jo Epstein, artistic director of Gas & Electric Arts, the organization behind the bi-monthly "Generating" series. The storytelling and wine-tasting event features $5 wine flights from Vine Street Imports (Swings & Roundabouts viognier 2005, Kiss Chasey cabernet Shiraz merlot 2005, etc.). The tellers run the gamut from Aldo Magazzeni, CEO of stud-welding company Champion Fasteners, to Nick Gregory of neo-vaudeville troupe the Give & Take Jugglers. And—shameless plug alert—CP's Brian Howard will be transferring his stories from the page to the stage. Reservations required. Serrano, 20 S. Second St., 215-407-0556.

Mainliners who can't dine at Brasserie Perrier and Le Bec-Fin every night settle for Georges'. This four-course Napa Valley wine dinner includes pineapple carpacchio and bay scallop ceviche paired with a 2005 Napa Cellars sauvignon blanc; coffee-braised short ribs paired with a 2004 Napa Cellars merlot; pan-roasted striped bass with a 2004 Folie a Deux Napa cabernet sauvignon; and a blueberry waffle ice cream sandwich with a 2005 white Menage a Trois to finish. Reservations required. Georges' , 503 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 610-964-8744.