'Tis the season to stock up on good food and great times (as if you needed the excuse.) Beer dinners are a great way to branch out and sample new brews while enjoying a gourmet meal. On Tuesday, Dec. 13, The Pizza Peel & Tap Room will host a “Beer and Beards” beer dinner. Keeping with “the more the merrier” spirit of the season, the event is a team effort concocted by The Pizza Peel, part of Charlotte-based restaurant and entertainment group Stomp, Chomp & Roll, and newly-opened NoDa Brewing Company.

The NoDa Brewery beer dinner features beer pairing for each of the four courses:

First Course - Oysters Rockefeller and Ramble on Red™ - Red Ale
Second Course- Duck Ragu with Fresh Handmade Pappardelle and Hop, Drop ‘n Roll™- IPA
Third Course- Braised Short Ribs over House Cured Sauerkraut and NoDaRyeZ’d™-Double Rye India Pale Ale
Fourth Course- Macadamia Nut Encrusted Goat Cheesecake with Coco Loco™ ~ Porter

The winners of the Peel's ‘Novembeerd’ contest will be announced that evening, with voting taking place at the restaurant Dec. 6-12. Customers will bestow distinctions upon Novembeerd participants, ranging from ‘The Best Beerd’ to ‘The Oh Man You Got Old Grayest Beard’.”

The dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 6pm at The Pizza Peel & Tap Room. Space is limited for this $40 per person dinner.

Two things can come in particularly handy during the holiday season: the ability to whip up a feast in the kitchen, and a significant other to share the meal with. If you find yourself lacking both, then Singles in the Kitchen can arm you with culinary skills for one (and if you hit it off with someone, for two).

Chef Jay Jones, Executive Chef of full service catering and event planning company Chateau Noir, LLC, provides private chef services and culinary education classes to everyone from political figures to A-List celebrities. The holiday edition of this entertaining cooking class provides the opportunity to mix and mingle with other singles. The focus will be on dishes that can be prepared for those dining alone, although date night dishes will also be featured.

Participants will enjoy a meal, a recipe book, a Culinary Creations apron and tote bag.

$30 per person. Saturday, Nov. 19, 6-9pm. You can register here. Space is limited, so sign up today.

The idea of attending a fully vegan dinner arouses either strong interest in the converted (“finally!”) or strong suspicion in the unconvinced (“I guess I’ll order a pizza after."). At the recently opened Fern, Flavors from the Garden, Executive Chef Alyssa Gorelick has a designed a vegan five-course meal set to delight both fanatics and agnostics. On Monday, December 5, the restaurant will pair with eastern N.C.'s Mother Earth Brewing Company for its first Vegan Beer Dinner.

• Fern's oasis-like interior

For $45 per person, Mother Earth Brewing Taproom Manager Travis Quinn will join the staff at Fern to guide diners through each course and its accompanied beer pairing — explaining the brewery’s processes and each beer’s unique detail and flavor profile. The set menu is as follows:

Course One
Stuffed Oysters with Caviar
Paired with Endless River

Course Two
Sweet Potato Cake with Macadamia Cream
Paired with Weeping Willow

Course Three
Risotto: Black Forbidden Rice, Whipped Cauliflower, Cranberry and Brussels Sprouts
Paired with Sisters of the Moon

Course Four
House-Made Sausage, Marinated Cabbage, Mustard Greens and Stout Mustard
Paired with Dark Cloud

Course Five
Cherry Truffle
Paired with Silent Night

Reservations are limited, so call 704-377-1825 to book yours now.

Now that Halloween's sugar-satiated stupor is safely behind us, nippy November turns our thoughts to the holiday season to come. Thanksgiving kicks off a flurry of festivities involving friends, family, and gift-giving, but it's no secret that, especially in today's unstable economic climate, the indulgences enjoyed by some are increasingly out of reach for others. Esquared Hospitality and BLT Steak restaurant are aware of those in need, and have teamed up with Toys for Tots, the nonprofit organization famous for its dedication to helping economically-disadvantaged children throughout the country get what they wish for on Christmas morning.

From Nov. 1 thorough Dec. 14, BLT Steak Charlotte (110 N. College St.) will be accepting donations to help support the charity.

Guests who visit BLT Steak and donate a new, unwrapped toy will receive a complimentary dessert with their entrée in gratitude of their support.

Partner and President of ESquared Hospitality, Keith Treyball, stated his enthusiasm for the project:

We are very excited to be working with Toys for Tots. Mission to mission, ESquared Hospitality and Toys for Tots are a perfect match. “As a company, we believe in giving back and supporting the local communities in which we operate. Children are our nation’s most valuable resource, and it is our privilege to assist Toys for Tots in their efforts by serving as a platform to unite communities together for a better future for our children and for all.

For reservations, please call 704-972-4380 or visit www.esquaredhospitality.com

Weary, bleary-eyed working stiffs, go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief: hump-day is almost here. Is it a coincidence that the words “wine” and “Wednesday” pair together better than a glass of Riesling with a few slices of aged Gouda? (If you haven't tried it, you should). Maybe it is, but I think not. In case your work ethic is of the Puritanical variety and you're hesitant to knock a few back mid-week, or you're having trouble justifying spending your hard-earned bucks buying wine you may or may not enjoy, you can still make an exception for the Presbyterian Cancer Center Wine & Cheese Tasting Charity Event, hosted at Blue Restaurant.

Those who participate will be offered a chance to sample a variety of pairings poised to please the palette, as well as a silent auction, the proceeds of which will all go support Presbyterian Cancer Rehabilitation & Wellness. Our community's cancer survivors depend on the facility for several programs, including yoga, massage, exercise and nutrition services.

The event will take place this Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 6 p.m.— 9 p.m. Admission is a $30 donation, and tickets can be purchased at the door, although since only a limited amount of tickets will be sold it's best to buy them online at www.presbyterian.org/cancerrehab. The Hearst Tower provides complimentary parking. If you'd like more information, you can call Presbyterian (704-384-6959) or Blue (704-927-2583).