• Spencer Clarke, owner and founder of Amizetta Vineyards, will be pouring his collection of Napa Valley wines on the patio overlooking the Cahaba River at the River Run Piggly Wiggly Saturday, May 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. Clarke will also provide the musical entertainment for the evening, playing a variety of tunes from his rock n' roll library stretching back to the 70s. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be matched with the five wines that will be poured. Tickets for the event are $35 each and can be purchased at any Piggly Wiggly or Tria Market.
  
• May 17 is the Shelby County Art and Wine Trail. The three Shelby County wineries team up for a  wine weekend event with music and local arts.
• Starting May 1 you can pre-buy your tickets for the Second Annual Magic City Brewfest at Sloss Furnaces, May 31-June 1. It's a celebration of the great beers of the world, paired with the finest food from the Birmingham area. Come and learn about beer while sampling some of the different brews! Learn more at MagicCityBrewfest.com.
  
• Looking for Mother's Day brunch? Satterfield's restaurant in Cahaba Heights is advertising a special Mother's Day menu featuring items such as spring pea and morel soup, Caesar salad, hickory grilled pizza, bacon-and-caramelized-onion quiche, house-smoked Scottish salmon, crab cake Benedict and hickory grilled hanger steak. Veranda on Highland is also advertising a Mother's Day brunch. Reservations are recommended for both.
  
• Table restaurant in Crestline village is now serving Sunday brunch, with offerings such as chocolate beignets, banana bread French toast, buckwheat pancakes, omelettes, blue crab Benedict, grilled salmon salad, shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, fried chicken salad, tempura fish sandwich, and the Table burger (with caramelized onions, bleu cheese and oven-dried tomatoes). 
• Prairie Fire Grille in Greystone has added more tables, new flowers and new umbrellas to its patio for outdoor dining.
• Crestline Village will be getting a new restaurant in May, the second location for fledgling Italian restaurant chain MAFIAoZA's out of Nashville. The restaurant will have an outside patio, a full-service bar with an extensive wine list and menu offerings including stone-oven pizzas and New York-style Italian dishes. The Crestline Village location is the first in Alabama and the fourth location overall. It will be modeled after the original Nashville location, which caters to families - offering kids pizza dough to play with and the opportunity to watch pizzas being made - and to young professionals. The Mountain Brook location will be open until midnight on weekends and until 10:30 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday.
  
• Whole Foods is now carrying our favorite local coffee from Primavera Coffee Roasters in Cahaba Heights. They also carry Higher Ground coffee, based in Leeds.
• Jefferson State Community College's newest building on Valleydale Road houses its Culinary & Hospitality Institute and a new endeavor, Bistro proVare, a cafe open for lunch Monday through Tursday 11:30-1 p.m. Dishes are planned, prepared and served by students as part of the curriculum. A three-course meal is $10; call 983-5214 for reservations. Also since the new facility opened, a series of single-session community culinary classes have been quite popular; for more information, go to www.jeffstateonline.com/chi or call 856-7719. 
• A well-known Bessemer restaurant that was forced to close to make way for a new Jefferson County courthouse has re-opened at a new location in Alabaster. Bevelle's Cafeteria is now serving home-style cooking at the CC Food Mart on Industrial Road, off U.S. 31 near Shelby Baptist Medical Center. The location is smaller than what owner Eddie Bevelle had in Bessemer, but he's expecting to do a lot of takeout business, reports the Birmingham News. 
• Taziki's Greek Fare is opening another location, this one in Liberty Park, next to Billy's on Overton Road. Opening date is targeted for June 15.
• Bellini's is a new Italian restaurant on Cahaba Valley Road, owned by Benard Tamburello, who also owns La Dolce Vita in Hoover. For more information call 981-5380.

The Vintage Wine Shoppe off Hwy. 280 is holding a tasting of 2003 Barolo wines Tuesday, March 25, 7-8:30 p.m. Eight wines will be tasted. Reservations required; call 980-9995. 

Magic City Harvest's fifth annual Empty Bowls event will be 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Bruno's Conference Center at St. Vincent's Hospital. For a $15 donation, you get soup and bread -- soup from the caterer A Social Affair, cheeses from Cabot Creamery, and breads from local bakers. Each guest receives a hand-painted or hand-crafted bowl to take home. Funds go to support Magic City Harvest, which helps redistribute excess food in the area. For more information, call 591-3663.

Monday, March 31, stop on your way home from work for a chocolate and wine tasting at Prairie Fire Grille between 5 and 6 p.m. Enjoy chocolates from Peterbrooke Chocolatier and learn how different wines enhance the qualities of the chocolate. Call 991-1313 to reserve your spot. 

Mark your calendar for the first Thursday of each month for "Jazz on the Porch" at Historic Rucker Place, 5-9 p.m., starting April 3. Admission is $5, and you can enjoy a cash bar, a wine tasting, and a selection of tapas ($4-$5 each). For more information or to make reservations, call 558-2485. 

Temple Emanu-El's Food Fair will be Sunday, April 6, at the temple at 2100 Highland Ave., 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Among the treats will be corned beef, matzo ball soup, hot dogs, noodle pudding and more.

Corks & Chefs at the Magic City Art Connection, April 26-27 at Linn Park downtown. This is the 25th year for the popular outdoor art show and the 11th for the Corks & Chefs event. More than a dozen local chefs prepare a specialty for tasting, and local wine merchants offer selections as well, inside a large tent on the west side of Linn Park in front of City Hall. Hours are 1-5 p.m. both days. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Friday, May 2, Bromberg's at the Summit is hosting a Riedel Wine Tasting with Maximilian Riedel, the 11th generation of the renowned Austrian wine glass making dynasty. 6:30-8 p.m., $75 per person (includes one set of Vistis Tasting Glasses, a $170 value). Call 969-1776.

Pepper Place Saturday Market opens May 3. Running from 7 a.m.-noon on Saturdays through Sept. 27, it features local growers, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations and more.

The inaugural Clover Crawl and open house for the new Green Resource Center for Alabama will be held Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Homewood. There will be specials and discounts on food, drink and green products from participating downtown Homewood restaurants and merchants, plus music, exhibits and kids' activities. 

The J. Clyde on Cobb Lane downtown will be tapping a cask of Lazy Magnolia Jefferson Stout this Sunday, March 16, at 5 p.m. The proceeds from the sale of that cask will be donated to Free the Hops - in the name of Lazy Magnolia, Supreme Beverage, and The J. Clyde. Free the Hops is an organization lobbying to change Alabama laws to allow the sale of craft beers that are currently illegal in this state due to their higher alcohol content or larger containers.

Lucy Buffett, the famous proprietor of Lulu's on the Gulf Coast, is cooking up a scrumptious appetizer for fans who drop by The Alabama Booksmith in Homewood for a signed copy of her new book, "Crazy Sista Cooking," on Monday, March 17, at 6 p.m. Big brother Jimmy Buffett wrote the introduction and explains much of the family's fascination for food.  

Enjoy a special dinner at Rosemarie's Special Teas next Thursday, March 20. The dinners, usually once a month, feature a three-course meal and are from 6:30 until 8 p.m. This dinner's menu will include a choice of shrimp and grits, chicken piccata or sauteed halibut for the entree, choice of soup or salad, and for dessert, Irish cream crepe cake or mixed berry cobbler.  Reservations are required; call 980-8335. 

Sign up now for cooking classes in March, April and May at Little Savannah restaurant in Forest Park.

Saturday, March 15, learn the art of making house-made stocks and incorporating your new skills into different seasonal soups.

Saturday, April 12, learn about classic sauces with Gulf Coast fish, including what to look for in the perfect fish and chef's preparation secrets.

Saturday, May 12, learn to make the perfect risotto, using seasonal ingredients. 

All classes are held from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. You'll prepare lunch with the chef and it will be served at the end of your class. Each class is $65; six-student minimum required. Call 591-1119 to register.

* The Joy of Taking Tea: Rosemarie Kramer, owner of Miss Rosemarie's Special Teas, will be at the Hoover Library Sunday, April 6, at 2:30 p.m., to teach about the art of taking tea. Book signing, refreshments, door prizes. Reservations required, call 444-7840.

* Prairie Fire Grill in the Greystone area has a new lunch menu featuring six entrees under $12, including Chicken Picatta Southwestern, Braised Duck Taco, Viola's Tilapia, and Beef Tenderloin Chimichanga. There are also a number of similarly priced sandwiches & salads, including a Southwestern Caesar salad with chicken and Cajun smoked turkey club wrap.

* Fish House Grill is a new restaurant in the Trussville area. According to Jo Ellen O'Hara in the Birmingham News, the chef and partner in the new restaurant is Nicola Bacchi, a native of Milan, Italy, who formerly opened White Villa in Sylacauga, and later was with Amore Ristorante Italiano on U.S. 280 at Greystone. The restaurant is seven days a week, for dinner Monday through Thursday, and both lunch and dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Daily specials  include dishes such as blackened Gulf shrimp over stone-ground grits, crab cake with lemon butter, and lobster ravioli, plus fresh fish specials on the weekends, and prime rib on Sundays. 661-6005, 5961 Chalkville Mountain Lane.

* If you love specialty beers you can't get in this state, contact your state senators and representatives about bills currently in the state legislature to relax Alabama's restrictive alcohol limit laws (read our previous post on this topic). The Free The Hops organization announced that House ABV Bill - HB196 and the companion Senate Bill, SB116, came out of committee this week. These bills are intended to increase the allowable alcohol in beer to 13.9% ABV in the state. The House and Senate could vote on the bills as early as this Tuesday but it probably won't happen until mid-March. Free The Hops is asking beer lovers to contact their representative and senator. If you don't know who they are, go to http://www.legislature.state.al.us/ to find out and give them a call.

Ah, it's the day for lovers, when cupids abound, the price of roses goes through the roof, and restaurant reservations are hard to come by.

If you forgot about making restaurant reservations and don't relish the long waits at the places that don't take them, consider doing your Valentine's dinner tomorrow or Saturday, instead. Some restaurants are running their special Valentine menus at least through tomorrow, such as Icon, which still had spots for its special prixe fixe menu on Friday as of yesterday afternoon, and Plaza III steak house, which is offering its special menu all the way through Sunday.  

And there's always the possibility of doing a romantic Valentine's Dinner at home. Call your favorite restaurants to ask about take-out, or go by Tria Market or Whole Foods or V. Richard's and get some prepared or easy-to-fix gourmet fare and some good wine or champagne (don't forget dessert -- and how about some flowers!). Get out the good china and the candles and put on some romantic music and voila! You know, even some gourmet pizza and champagne in front of the fire would be romantic, in my book.

We actually celebrated Valentine's Day early and went out last weekend and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Little Savannah -- good way to beat the crowds! 

Some events of interest this week and next:

• Acoustic Soup, Tuesday, February 5, 6-9 p.m. at Historic Rucker Place. Soups and hors d'oeuvres prepared by popular restaurants and chefs, live acoustic music, wine. Acoustic Soup benefits VSA arts of Alabama, which provides opportunities in the arts for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Guests will be able to purchase original soup bowls, hand-painted by VSA artists.Tickets are available for $40 each; call Julie Wall at 212-7042.
• Collective Perspectives, every Tuesday in February, 5-7 p.m. at Vulcan. Programs in honor of Black History Month featuring a social hour with African-insired foods and a one-hour program exploring Birmingham's African-American communities. This week: The Women of Sloss Quarters. $5 admission; Vulcan Park Foundation members free. More info: www.visitvulcan.com/collectiveperspectives.html.
  
• Wine'd Down will celebrate Fat Tuesday (Feb. 5) with Southern rock from the South Saturn Delta band, plus specials on Hurricanes, Margaritas and beer. They also have their weekly wine tastings, Wednesday and Friday from 6-7:30.
• Romance 101 at Soho Square: A Pre-Valentine Extravaganza, Thurs., Feb. 7, 5-8 p.m. Merchants of Soho will feature Valentine gift ideas along with drinks, hors d'oeuvres and music. For more information call 254-0999. 
• Extended Mardi Gras celebration at Little Savannah in Forest Park, Friday, Feb. 8, 5-7 p.m. Local author Jenny Adams will be signing copies of the book "Mixing New Orleans, Cocktails & Legends." The Merchants of Forest Park are also hosting gallery openings that evening, and most of the merchants will stay open late for shopping and dining. 
• Pleasure is All Wine in Pelham is featuring a wine tasting with hors d'oeuvres Friday, Feb. 8, and with Spanish tapas Friday, Feb. 15. Free wine tasting each Saturday afternoon from 3-4:30.
  
• Watch CBS 42's "Wake Up Alabama" next week (Feb. 11-14) to see Prairie Fire Grill's chefs present a new dish using fresh, local ingredients from Tria Market in SOHO. These recipes will be easy enough to make at home for your Valentine's dinner.
  
• Valentine with Vulcan dessert and champagne reception, Thursday, Feb. 14, 8-11 p.m. Reservations required. $40/couple, $20/individual. Live music, champagne, sweet confections, breathtaking views. For info, go to www.visitvulcan.com/ValentinewithVulcan.html.
  

For Valentine's Day, Icon in the Tutwiler Hotel downtown is offering a special prix fixe menu.

For the first course, you can select from Iconic Caesar salad crowned with lightly cornmeal dusted fried gulf oysters, or Winter Asparagus Bisque with in-house smoked duck cracklin. After an Intermezzo of Blood Orange Sorbet, you have your choice of three entrees: Veal Chop Oscar (Pan Seared Veal Chop lavished with all natural Pacific lump crabmeat, winter garden asparagus & icon hollandaise accompanied by an Alabama goat cheese, truffle and scallion soufflé); Lobster Newburg (1-pound lobster featuring tail and knuckle meat rolled & baked in fresh parmesan artisan bread crumbs, topped with the claw; all basted with herb butter & accompanied by steamed baby artichokes and orange scented prawn butter); or Icon Grill Trio (grilled 8-ounce farm raised filet mignon accompanied by seared diver scallops, grilled jumbo Madagascar prawns and rosemary steamed winter vegetables.) Dessert will be warm Chocolate Torte with Berries Florentine. Dinner includes a complimentary glass of champagne for each person.

The cost is $150 per couple (tax and gratuity not included). The regular menu will not be available during this special event. Call 251-2021 for reservations.

The Lee Brothers - Matt and Ted - will visit The Alabama Booksmith in Homewood tomorrow (Thursday, December 13) at 5 p.m. and sign copies of their book, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-be Southerners. The cookbook won the James Beard Award, and the brothers are featured in this month's Southern Living magazine. Southern author Pat Conroy (and a cookbook author himself) says, "The Lee Bros. have written the classic Southern cookbook. They write with flair, brilliance, and hilarious commentary on the recipes, customs, and eccentricities of the South they celebrate with such passion. Their recipes are so good that I believe cookbook writers like the Lee Bros. may turn Southern cooking into an actual cuisine."

After the signing event at the Alabama Booksmith, they're making guest appearances at Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega, and Hot and Hot Fish Club, which will feature recipes from the book on the evening's menu.

As a special treat, the Booksmith will be serving The Lee Brothers' World Famous Boiled Peanuts during the signing. For more information, call 870-4242.

Village Wine Market (English Village, Mountain Brook) is hosting its Third Annual "25 Wines We Think You Need to Taste" event tonight, Nov. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.  Reservations and prepayment ($10) are encouraged but not required; call 879-5240.

Wine and Cheese with Vulcan is this Thursday, Nov. 29, 5:30-7:30. For a $15 (tax-deductible) donation, enjoy an evening of live music, wine and cheese, spectacular views, and more at Vulcan Park and Museum. Taste seasonal wines and food pairings while discovering ideas for entertaining at your own holiday parties. Email info@visitvulcan.com or call 933-1409 ext. 28 to make your reservation. 

Bromberg's 2007 Riedel Wine Tasting Event will be held at its Mountain Brook, Summit, and Riverchase Galleria locations on Friday, December 7, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Claus Riedel was the first person in the long history of the glass to design its shape according to the character of the wine. Sample wines from some of Riedel's most celebrated wine glasses. 

Wine'd Down in Patton Creek Shopping Center in Hoover has two special wine events scheduled next month, in addition to its regular Wednesday and Friday wine tastings. The annual Wine and Chocolate Tasting will be December 14, and on December 21 they will showcase Sparkling wines to make your holiday sparkle.

Pleasure is All Wine in Pelham offers free wine tastings every Saturday afternoon (it will be champagnes on the 29th, just in time for New Year's). On Wednesday, Dec. 12, they team up with Art Buzz for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun: Bubbles and Paint," at  6 p.m.; cost: $25. Call 985-4760 for reservations.

Did you know? A number of studies that indicate that wine consumption is rising in the U.S. Now, a new study reveals that by the end of 2007, Americans will consume more wine than Italians for the first time ever, and will rank second only to France in overall wine consumption. This year, Americans will drink 304 million cases (3.6 billion bottles), according to The U.S. Wine Market report, and will surpass France before 2015.