Four Stars of Philly for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

by A.D. Amorosi

How many times, in this glittering city of restaurants, do you genuinely get to affect something other than your primal urges or your mad desire to maintain foodie status? Besides individual charity meals and the once-yearly Dining Out for AIDS, sadly not enough. So, it couldn't be nicer that Philadelphia, like a dozen tony towns before it (Chicago, N.Y.C.) has caught on to international children's charity the St. Jude Children Research Hospital and developed its own local chow-down, the Four Stars of Philly. For any of you too young to remember, comedian Danny Thomas spearheaded both the hospital and the charities around St. Jude CRH, a hospital that, while striving to find cures and treatments for kids with cancer and other catastrophic diseases, takes no money from its patients' families. For Four Stars No. 1, held tonight, three of Stephen Starr's premier restaurants (Pod, Tangerine and his brand-new B3 Mexican bistro, El Vez) join the Cohen-Gutin stable of 2 Street-ers, Cuba Libre and 32¡, plus Pravda vodka, Vetri, Denim, Next, Miel Patisserie and other nosheries providing food; in between courses, a silent auction will present the wares of Nicole Miller, Neiman Marcus, MAC Cosmetics, Philadelphia Kixx and Bailey Banks & Biddle, all benefiting the hospital. "Philadelphia's best restaurants, live entertainment, great cocktails, fantastic auction items all to benefit St. Jude what could be better?" said Jennifer Bedwick, regional associate director of St. Jude. "We're truly grateful for the overwhelming response to Philadelphia's inaugural Four Stars event." Shucks, ma'am.

Four Stars of Philly for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Thu., Feb. 19, 6 p.m., $175, Hyatt Penn’s Landing, Christopher Columbus Blvd., 610-238-0860. www.stjude.org.