Food Network host to make a quick trip

Fans of Food Network star Robin Miller might like to mark their calendars for her upcoming visit. Miller, host of "Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller," will be here April 20 for two events.

For $35, you can have lunch with Miller at noon at A Southern Season, the gourmet food store and cooking school in Chapel Hill. Diners can ask her questions while eating baked halloumi cheese with spicy red pepper and olives, stuffed zucchini, and lamb burgers with tzatziki sauce. For ticket information, go to www.southernseason.com or call (877) 929-7133.

You can also catch Miller at a 4 p.m. signing of her new book, "Robin to the Rescue," at the Barnes & Noble at 760 S.E. Maynard Road in Cary. For more information, call the store at (919) 467-3866.

Vintage by any definition

Raleigh's Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern is offering a five-course dinner at 6:30 p.m. April 29 featuring owners of two Italian wineries and their wines.

For $85 per person, which includes tax and gratuity, you can have dinner with Nicola Argamente of the Podere Ruggeri Corsini winery and Renato Vacca from the Cantina del Pino winery.

The dinner's courses include braised lamb shank with saffron risotto and English peas, and an Angus beef short rib with creamy celery root and fingerling potatoes. For more information or to make a reservation, call (919) 829-3663.

Dining to benefit Poe

Diners eating at any of Rocky Top Hospitality's restaurants can help Raleigh's Poe Center for Health Education.

Rocky Top Hospitality has partnered with the hCard company, which offers gift cards that can be used at local and national retailers. Half of the $25 purchase price of the card is donated to the Poe Center, while diners who use the card get a 25 percent discount on their dining bill. To buy cards or to find other restaurants and retailers that accept it, go to www.thehcard.com.

Rocky Top Hospitality owns Michael Dean's, Bogart's American Grill, 1705 Prime, The Twisted Fork, Hi5 Sports Restaurant, The Red Room, all in Raleigh, and The Mash House in Fayetteville. The Poe Center is based in Raleigh and addresses youth health concerns, from childhood obesity to teen pregnancy.

Relax and enjoy a meal

Durham personal chef service Elves on Your Shelves is offering a unique gift experience: side-by-side one-hour massages followed by a three-course gourmet meal for two, all in your home. At a cost of $385, it could be worth the splurge for a no-fuss evening to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or Mother's Day.

For more information, contact David Levi or Sara Nelson, owners of Elves on Your Shelves, at (919) 680-0955 or visit their Web site, http://elves.ezchef.net