The idea of a seafood chain from the Midwest is an odd one. But then there's the Oceanaire Seafood Room, which opened near Washington Square several months ago and has become a popular high-end destination. It's an unexpected twist; Oceanaire is headquatered in Minneapolis and this is the city of Old Original Bookbinder's and a half-dozen other seafood legends. In this week's Inquirer, Craig LaBan ate at Oceanaire and found a nice, kitschy restaurant that unfortunately botched his lobster:

The kitchen had only one puny 1.5-pounder left, a shockingly short supply for a restaurant this grand. Even more disappointing was how it was presented: steamed and removed from the shell after we'd specifically requested it broiled in the shell. It was glaringly unsatisfying. And our sheepish waiter, who seemed as professional and outgoing as every other server I'd encountered here, was genuinely concerned with the mistake, which he conceded was his.

But what gesture did he offer for this $43 botch? A complimentary bread pudding that runs $6.95.

The Oceanaire [Inquirer]
Oceanaire Seafood Room [MenuPages]
Oceanaire Seafood Room [Official Site]
Old Original Bookbinder's [MenuPages]
Old Original Bookbinder's [Official Site]

[Photo via Philadelphia Inquirer]

Vietnam Restaurant [MenuPages]
Vietnam Restaurant [Official Site]
Vietnam Palace [MenuPages]
The Vietnam (Restaurant) War [Foodzings]
Vietnam Restaurant in Philadelphia [This is Gonna Be Good]

[Photo via Foodzings]

We're a food blog, but let's face it... There is a substantial grey area where covering restaurants intersects with covering hotels. Blog The Illadelph recently did a great job on rounding up spring hotel news for Philly.

From them we learned that Tavern 17 is expected to open late next week at the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel, in the former Circles off the Square space. What we are interested in is the fact that Tavern 17 are marketing themselves as a destination restaurant rather than as a "hotel restaurant": Once opened, they will have over 1000+ bottles of wine available and dog-friendly outdoor seating (!). The Radisson, located just off of Rittenhouse, is also home to The Prime Rib.

Meanwhile, an update on the plans of two high-profile restaurateurs to open new boutique hotels in Center City. Neil Stein, formerly of Rouge, the Striped Bass and Avenue B, has been speaking to the press about his hotel plans ever since his release from jail. Although there is no word on the latest status of his plans, word is Stein has been busy with... something. We just don't know what it is.

But then there's Stephen Starr. Our local restaurant king has been considering opening a Center City boutique hotel for years. But it appears those plans might be changing, or at least sidelined. The ever-readable Down By The Hipster is reporting that Starr Restaurant Organization might be purchased by Starwood Capital as part of a plan by Starwood Capital to recapture their former Starwood Hotels subsidiary (W, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton) with Starr's restaurants possibly being used for high-end hotel dining spinoffs a la W and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Meanwhile, Starr told New York magazine that he wants to open a hotel in New York too. But Starr has been talking of his Philadelphia hotel plans since 2003, so you be the judge.

Hotel Hotwire: Rumbling from the Masses [The Illadelph]
Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel [Official Site]
Is Stephen Starr for Sale? [Down By The Hipster]
Starr sets table for growth [Philadelphia Business Journal]
Q&A With Stephen Starr [New York Magazine]

Novelist-turned-foodie and White Dog Cafe fan Barbara Kingsolver recently got bit by the Michael Pollan/sustainable eating bug. Her new (non-fiction) book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle documents the decision of Kingsolver and her family to withdraw from normal eating habits... and spend a whole year eating only food produced on or near their farm in Virginia. Kingsolver recently spoke to the Citypaper about why they did it and there's a great interview in Salon about why having a massive farm helps when it comes to participating in the "Eat Local" movement:

Some of the long days we described in the book were extraordinary, rather than routine: Obviously, harvesting animals is a once-in-a-lifetime event (for them, at least), and canning tomatoes in August is kind of the gardener's World Series. But in the day-to-day, farm work is stress relief for me. At the end of the day, I love having this other career -- my anti-job -- that keeps me in shape and gives me control over a vegetal domain.

A year of eating locally [Salon]
Land of Plenty [Citypaper]
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle [Amazon]
Barbara Kingsolver [Free Library of Philadelphia]
White Dog Cafe [MenuPages]
White Dog Cafe [Official Site]

The juggernaut of suburban dining known as the Cheesecake Factory just launched a new salvo. Nation's Restaurant News is reporting that their corporate parent, The Cheesecake Factory Inc. is launching an Asian restaurant chain called Rock Sugar Pan Asian Kitchen. The first branches are scheduled to open in Los Angeles before the end of 2007. As for the food, it's going to be the same pan-ethnic Americanized globetrotting as Cheesecake Factory but, y'know, Asian. Oh—and they're totally not competing with PF Chang's:

The venture will feature the cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, East India, Malaysia and Indonesia, according to Howard Gordon, the company's senior vice president for business development and marketing.

Gordon said the menu for Rock Sugar - a reference to a common ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking - is still under development, but that it will not include Japanese or Chinese dishes.

"We're not going to be in competition with P.F. Chang's," he said, referring to the Chinese menu at P.F. Chang's China Bistro, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., which recently launched a sister brand called Taneko Japanese Tavern.

Cheesecake Factory [MenuPages]
Cheesecake Factory [Official Site]

Over at Le Bec-Fin, we've received word of two specialty menus that will be available during May.

First, a special corn-oriented menu will be available from April 30 until May 4 to take advantage of the new crop. The $45 p/p, four-course prix-fie will include dishes like a hot corn soup with pickled baby corn appetizer and an entree of sauteed striped bass with crispy polenta and asparagus.

But what we're interested in is the $80 prix-fie on National Escargot Day aka May 24. The menu in full is available from Le Bec-Fin. Here are just a few highlights:

• Escargot en brioche

• Grilled snails flavored with vanilla accompanied by jus de poulet au Mace

• Roasted grouper, snail Bolognese, arugula emulsion

All courses will contain snails except for, presumably, the champagne shot and cheese plate. As fans of the humble little escargot, we're thrilled.

Le Bec-Fin [MenuPages]
Le Bec-Fin [Official Site]
Le Bec-Fin May 2007 [Official Site]
National Escargot Day [KWMU]

[Photo via Yahoo! Travel]

• Here's a recap of the recaps of Scrapplefest. [Foobooz]

• Forget the hipsters. How about the old school Italian food of Marra's? [Foodzings]

• Speaking of Scrapplefest, Johnny Goodtimes went and took pictures of a scrapple wedding cake. Holy crap. [Johnny Goodtimes]

• That happy hour at the Mission Grill sure has some fine margaritas. [Philly Style]

• Rittenhouse Square's Rachael's Nosheri makes an awesome corned beef special. The rugelach's good too. [Uwishunu]

[Photo of mussels at 1601 via Blogalicious]

Johnny's Hots on the Fishtown waterfront has a specialty. It's a sandwich of... fishcake and hot dogs. Lari Robling of the Daily News recently stopped by Johnny's Hots to check out the fare:

For lunch, try the Hot Dog and Fish Cake ($4.25) which is oddly quite tasty as long as you have plenty of tartar sauce on it. Skip the Roast Turkey ($4.75), however; plenty of other offerings on the menu are much better.

For the most part, I think the obsession with cheesesteaks is really misplaced. This is a sandwich generally consisting of inferior meat with fake cheese and substandard bread. At Johnny's, I guess I have to eat my words because his Cheesesteak ($5.50) is made from top round specially butchered for him. Instead of chopping the meat to disguise it, here you are served actual slices. Surprisingly, I liked it.

As admirable as Johnny's Cheesesteak can be, I remain a loyal fan of the Roast Pork with Rabe and Provolone ($5.75) sandwich. However, while Johnny's rabe has the requisite garlic overkill and you can order sharp provolone, the pork itself could use a little more South Philly influence. It just didn't have the succulent "pig thing" going on.

Sandwich toppings include Pepper Hash, a vinegary mix of finely chopped cabbage and peppers. Pepper Hash has its roots in Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine and I've also seen it referred to as Philadelphia Relish - probably a better name because it has much more cabbage than pepper.

Do you have the hots for a sandwich? [Daily News]

[Photo via Philadelphia Daily News]

We just got tipped off to the new book How I Learned to Cook: Culinary Educations from the World's Greatest Chefs. It's an anthology of stories from over forty chefs about their early days working at restaurants. There are some good stories here—Jonathan Eismann tells about working with a drug addicted cook who would storm into the bathroom with a crack pipe during dinner services, Anthony Bourdain recounts his story of botching a dish on a national cooking show and David Chang writes about traveling to Japan for the sheer purpose of learning how to make perfect soba.

There's even a local connection—our own Mashaharu Morimoto of Morimoto writes about how a shoulder injury detoured his potential baseball career and made him devote his energies to cooking.

How I Learned to Cook: Culinary Educations from the World's Greatest Chefs [Amazon]
How I Learned to Cook [Boldtype]
Mashaharu Morimoto [Wikipedia]
Morimoto [MenuPages]
Morimoto [Official Site]

What interests us is Modo Mio's ambitious approach to Italian regional cuisine. Sicilian specialties (the fried chickpea fritters known as panelle) share menu space with a Northern Italian take with cotechino and Italian-American style mozzarella en carozza. Chef Peter McAndrews, formerly of Porcini and Rembrandt's, seems to be doing a good job. Users on Phillyblog got a kick out of the carpaccio and duck dishes, while on Fishtown.US the big deal is the tasting menus & pasta dishes.

A word of warning though: Modo Mio is cash-only at this time.

Modo Mio [MenuPages]
Modo Mio: new Italian at Hancock & Girard [PhillyBlog]
Modo Mio [Fishtown.US]

[Photo of Girard Avenue trolley via CSX 4758 @ flickr]

Each week, Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan holds an online chat with readers. They're not very well-publicized, but the chats themselves are near-perfect encapsulations of the Philly dining scene. Earlier this week, LaBan offered his opinion of what Philly's next dining trend will be:

Leave it to the Swami to ask for my crystal ball. I don't think we're done with some of the trends you've already mentioned - especially gastropubs. Our beer culture continues to grow, with the addition of Zot, the new Belgian place on Head House Square, another Monk's in Fairmount (in the old Tavern on Green), and continued talk of another project from Eulogy. We've started to get a taste of the Brazilian churrasco craze, with Fogo and Picanha, but another one of those is in the works. Wine bars continue to pop up from Center City to Malvern (where Cosimo has an impressive list of some uncommonly high-end bottles hooked-up to an Oz system). We're beginning to master small plates, so expect more refinement there. But more than anything, our fine-dining options, no matter the flavor, are becoming more casual every year. I'll be curious to see how long many of our more starched fine-dining palaces can continue to thrive without making some concessions to that trend.

Chat With Craig LaBan [Philly.com]

• From Bustleton Avenue to St. Petersburg: It's Philadelphia's best Russian food.

• When a BYOB opens a deli, Pumpkin Market is the result.

• Novelist Barbara Kingsolver sure likes the White Dog Cafe.

• Food events this week include the Hawaii-riffic Lei Day and Raw Foods 101.

• The flip side of the tapas craze: Paella is everywhere.

• Gary Kramer lists the top five open kitchens in Philadelphia.

• Uhmm... yeah. I guess someone must like the idea of bacon-flavored mints.

• A look into Philadelphia's bar guilds.

• Rick Nichols went to Scrapplefest and lived to tell about it.

• An ode to the Silver Palate cookbook.

• Using spices is passe. The next generation of food flavoring? Seasoned skewers.

• Table Talk covers a variety of new openings, including two new Germantown restaurants.

• The prince of tapas cheeses is available at Amada, Tinto and Di Bruno Bros.: Monte Enebro.

If you go to South 9th & Washington today, the dim sum parlor of New Golden Palace will be just around the corner, as will Anastasi Fresh Seafood and Taqueria La Veracruzana.

Italian Market Pictures [Fante's]
New Golden Palace [MenuPages]
Anastasi Fresh Seafood [MenuPages]
Taqueria La Veracruzana [MenuPages]

[Photo via Fante's]

We've heard from friends that the shawarma at Mama's Grill is some of the most authentic in Philadelphia. A number of reviewers here at MenuPages have said the same thing—everything from a sandwich that is "just like Israel" to it being the "best shawarma sandwich ever."

Over on Chowhound, they're discussing Mama's Grill too.

We're also fans of the shawarma at Maccabeam, at Holy Land Grill in the northeast and of the Lebanese-style shawarma at Cedars as well.

Mama's Grill [MenuPages]
Yummy and KOSHER on South Street in Philadelphia [Chowhound]
Holy Land Grill [MenuPages]
Maccabeam [MenuPages]
Cedars [MenuPages]
Cedars [Official Site]

[Photo via pop weasel @ Flickr]

• A complete guide to octopuses in Beantown is our reward for stopping by MP: Boston.

• MP: Chicago explored Michael Pollan's relevance to Illinois. Hint: it's all about the corn.

• Oh, those San Francisco hippies. MP: San Francisco discovered a restaurant that offers colon hydrotherapy.

Food blogger The Girl Who Ate Everything just took a trip to the newly opened New York branch of Maoz. What she found was a restaurant much like the beloved South Street falafel-slinger:

"After you order your falafel sammich you're instructed to top it with whatever you want from their salad bar before they neatly wrap it up for you. It's a cool idea, but there's hardly any space in the falafel-exploding sammich for any toppings to be...topped. I squished in whatever I could to get the most out of my free salad.

[...]

My "Maoz Royal" pita sandwich stuffed with lots of falafels, some eggplant and plenty of hummus was surprisingly huge. Although I ended up eating the whole thing (because I tend to eat everything against the wishes of my belly), I'd go with the "junior" size next time, which I assume still packs a dense chickpea punch."

fried chicken, gelato, falafels and burgers (and indigestion?) [The Girl Who Ate Everything]
Maoz [MenuPages]
Maoz [Official Site]

[Photo via The Girl Who Ate Everything]

Pizza... With Attitude [Uwishunu]
Lorenzo and Sons [Holly Eats]

[Photo via Eric Smith @ Uwishunu]

• Kirsten Henri ventures to Umai Umai for sushi from an ex-Morimoto sushi chef. Word is the sushi's good but the entrees are "underwhelming."

• Osteria is now serving lunch on Thursdays and Fridays.

• We wrote about the indie rock cookbook yesterday. Now the Weekly's getting in on the act.

When K.C. Kulp opened The Whip, an English pub in Coatesville horse country, he introduced beef on weck — a German immigrant sandwich — to a menu otherwise packed with bangers and shepherd’s pie. “I remember growing up in Orchard Park, just outside of Buffalo, and I would go to the restaurant on the corner every weekend and load up on beef on wecks, absolutely smothered in horseradish,” Kulp says. His customers love it; it’s the second most popular sandwich on the menu, next to the hamburger.

Where's the Beef on Weck? [Philadelphia]
Beef on Weck [Wikipedia]
The Whip Tavern [Official Site]

[Photo: Beef on Weck, Charlie the Butcher's via nickgraywfu @ flickr]

A thread on Phillyblog filled us in on some upcoming changes at Zocalo. The University City restaurant is in the process of being purchased by Greg Russell, the owner of Las Tarascas in Sicklerville, NJ and Zocalo's current exec chef. They're going to rebrand themselves as "Las Tarascas in Zocalo" and a new menu will be released shortly. We will be adding the new menu to MenuPages as soon as we can, but in the meantime here's a copy of Las Tarascas' menu.

Zocalo [MenuPages]
Las Tarascas [Official Site]

Brooklyn-based journalist Kara Zuaro recently edited a cookbook of recipes from indie rock bands called "I Like Food, Food Tastes Good". A number of local acts contributed recipes, including RJD2, Dr. Dog and Matt Pond PA. In an interview with the Portland Mercury, Zuaro shared some of her favorite recipes:

I was really surprised by how great some of the recipes are, but a lot of the bands with the best recipes work in restaurant kitchens during their breaks from tour. Eric Bachmann, from Crooked Fingers and Archers of Loaf, has worked in kitchens all his life, and his seared tuna with wasabi-coconut sauce is really great.

I Like Food, Food Tastes Good [Myspace]
I Like Food, Food Tastes Good [Amazon]
Johnny Brenda's [Official Site]
North Star [MenuPages]
North Star [Official Site]
Dr Watson's Pub [MenuPages]
Dr Watson's Pub [Official Site]

You knew the time would come when someone would turn cooking into a video game. The new Wii game Cooking Mama Cook Off allows players to virtually make paella, lasagna and pierogies, among others:

Unlike other games controlled solely by button pushing, Cooking Mama is played on a Nintendo Wii system with a wireless motion-detecting remote. This means players control the game with physical gestures.

For a cooking game, this translates as wielding the remote like a knife, "chopping" midair as onions are simultaneously chopped onscreen. Cracking eggs has you tapping the remote against an imaginary bowl (tap too hard and yolk plops onto the counter onscreen); and buttering a pan means tilting the remote as if it were the pan's handle.

After each task, an anime chef named Mama—maternal only in the fact that she's wearing an apron—grades your performance based on accuracy and speed. Successfully completing a dish means unlocking one more of the game's 55 different recipes, which range from spaghetti with squid ink to mochi.

Cooking Mama Cook Off [Official Site]
Virtual Cooking [Bon Appetit Today/Epicurious]
Dave & Buster's [MenuPages]
Dave & Buster's [Official Site]
Nifty Fifty's [MenuPages]
Nifty Fifty's [Official Site]

We recently came across this picture of an iPod cake and thought it was kind of genius. It's a creation of Lotus Cake Studio in East Falls, who specialize in "couture cakes." Lotus also offers numerous vegan cakes and dessert spcialties.

Lotus Cake Studio [Official Site]

The Chestnut Street upscale comfort food explosion continues apace. 707 opened this past Friday, with a menu of high-end takes on American classics. What do we mean? Well, the appetizer menu includes "reuben spring rolls" and pepper and shallot-stuffed mozzarella pinwheels alongside a cheese plate and fried green tomatoes for starters. Several items look interesting—we're looking forward to trying the "brick sandwich" (a cubano made with manchego cheese and poblano peppers) and the barbecue brisket tostadas. Entree prices are in the $15-$20 range, but a meal can be made out of sandwiches or small plates for significantly less. A full bar is offered as well.

707 [MenuPages]
707 [Official Site]

Based on this Craigslist post, it looks like midwestern sub chain Jimmy John's is expanding into the Philadelphia market. It will be interesting to see how another national chain will fare in the land of the hoagie. Quizno's and, to a lesser degree, Subway, have both been able to thrive in Philadelphia and environs. A look at the menu of one of their Chicago locations shows that they indeed call 'em subs. Will they also be referred to as subs by their Philly locations? Time will tell—but please just call them hoagies.

Jimmy John's Sandwiches wants YOU [Craigslist]
Jimmy John's [MenuPages]
Jimmy John's [Official Site]

[Photo via Planet 99]

Performance In Joy Sin Lau Restaurant [YouTube]
Joy Tsian Lau [MenuPages]
Dung Nghia Duong Lion Dance Association [Official Site]

Philadelphia is turning out to be a hotspot for Mexican regional cuisine. Apart from the Oaxacan restaurants of the Italian Market corridor, numerous Pueblan restaurants have been opening throughout the city. One of the newest is the high-end Xochitl in Society Hill, where Steven Cook of Marigold Kitchen and ex-Vetri sous chef Dionicio Jimenez team up for a Nuevo Mexican take on Pueblan cuisine.

In this Sunday's Inquirer, Craig Laban reviewed Xochitl and found, for the most part, a new classic:

At their best, Jimenez's creations are vivid and stunningly original. That seviche, for example, takes one brilliant pairing - scallop and watermelon - and hones it to its most elegant presentation, with a nearly translucent layer of sliced raw scallops laid atop a paper-thin round of pink fruit. The contrast of textures and flavors - the juicy crunch and sunny sweetness of watermelon against the buttery slip and gentle marine tang of the scallop - was subtle but so startlingly good I can still taste it.

Jimenez has a noticeably light touch, but can also indulge in some of the lusty, rustic flavors of his native Puebla. Among the best is his chile en nogada, a plump poblano pepper stuffed with ground beef, toasted almonds and dried fruit that comes glazed in a pool of walnut cream jeweled with rubylike pomegranate seeds. The richness of the dish, with an exotic whiff of cinnamon to the meat, gave way to a swelling tingle of chile heat.

Xochitl [Inquirer]
Xochitl [MenuPages]
Xochitl [Official Site]

[Photo: Ed Hille /Philadelphia Inquirer]

There's a blog for every taste in this world. We recently came across The Art of the Buffet, dedicated to the "art to eating at an all you can eat restaurant." Buffets have proliferated over the past twenty years, mainly as a result of American agricultural policy and globalization. Economic logic: Processed foods are cheap to produce. Serving processed foods in large quantities will attract cost-conscious diners and (especially) families. We're not going to get into whether it's good or bad or rant about the quality of food at most buffets or the poor dietary choices of patrons. But we will say that we're not the only ones who have had experiences similar to this:

Tonight we went back. Low and behold, there were the Lobster Grabbers. (For those of you new to this site, check back in past articles for the Lobster Grabbers) What would they do now? There is no lobster any more for them to grab. Would it be the crab legs? No, it was the sushi! The Lobster Grabbers have now converted to become the Sushi Grabbers. The guy literally filled a dish with every piece of sushi that was in the tray. And did the restaurant refill it the entire time that we were in the restaurant eating? Of course, not. My suspicion is that they did not refill the tray because they knew that as soon as they did, this guy would bounce up and grab every piece again. Not so good for the rest of us.

The Philadelphia area has numerous buffets, mainly concentrated in northeast Philadelphia and the suburbs. South Philly's Ruby Buffet could easily serve as the archetype of the Chinese-American buffet. We're fans of the West African/soul food buffet at Fatou and Fama in University city and of Kings Court Buffet near West Oak Lane, which seems to have some of the best buffet sushi in the area.

The Art of the Buffet [Official Site]
Ruby Buffet [MenuPages]
Fatou and Fama [MenuPages]
Kings Court Buffet [MenuPages]

Pennsylvania has bizarre liquor laws. We accept it, we understand it (somewhat). However, they are perplexing to outsiders. Why are all the liquor stores state run? Why are there so many BYOBs? Why can't you buy beer in grocery stores?

Some of the best answers we've come across can be found at Chowhound, where they are currently discussing Pennsylvania liquor laws. A large part of it has to do with Pennsylvania's liquor license system: the state has a limited number of liquor licenses based on population. Philadelphia has more restaurants than the licenses it's allocated. New restaurants are forced to buy their liquor licenses on the open market from restaurants that are closing—and the price averages $250,000, according to Chowhound user JugglerDave (there are even brokers, such as the Pennsylvania Liquor License Exchange). As a result, many Philly restaurants opt for BYOB.

Meanwhile, restaurants are allowed to give customers complementary glasses of wine or champagne with dinner, as long as they don't charge for it—as can be seen at many South Philadelphia establishments.

As for the whole only-buying-beer-at-bars-and-distributors-thing... We're not going to go into too much detail. Far too complicated and legalistic, thanks to PA's Quaker heritage. But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently discovered a convenience store in Altoona that is allowed to sell beer through a loophole in the liquor laws. Apparently restaurants (and bars) are allowed to sell beer but delis and convenience stores are not. This one particular store built a seperate seating area, meeting the requirement that any establishment selling beer be able to seat at least 30. And now you know.

Can someone please explain the liquor license thing in Philly? [Chowhound]
Pennsylvania Liquor License Exchange [Official Site]
A convenience store to sell beer in Pa. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

• Over at MP:Boston, some 1990's television nostalgia and a guide to Boston's most creative cocktails.

• An in-depth look at veal in Chicago is our reward for stopping by MP:Chicago.

• Hey, it looks like MP:San Francisco is digging in to the local specialty of cioppino.

• Francophonic blog La Vie a Philadelphie checks out Tuscany Cafe [La Vie a Philadelphie]

• Looking for banh mi in South Philly? Cafe Nhu Y is the place. [Mac & Cheese]

• The Food Network just filmed at a Penn frat house. [Metroblogging Philadelphia]

• Phillyist is in love with all things scrapple. [Phillyist]

[Photo: Reading Terminal Market via momogo @ Flickr]

God bless Philadelphia. Saturday is Scrapplefest at the Reading Terminal Market. There will be scrapple cooking demonstrations, scrapple samplings, celebrity scrapple tastings (!), costumed mascots for the kids, live bands and more. Channel 6 Action News is getting prepared by offering a segment on all you need to know about scrapple (video) but we really got a kick out of two enterprising Philly art students. They put together a 10-page, conveniently scrapple-sized book called "An Ode to Scrapple..." that we can only presume is, yes, an ode to scrapple. At the Reading Terminal, scrapple can be found anytime, but we think the Down Home Diner does the iconic rendition.

Scrapplefest [Reading Terminal Marlet]
Scrapplefest [Channel 6]
Scrapplefest!! hell yeah. [Livejournal]
Down Home Diner [MenuPages]

We just got word that Brasserie Perrier chef Chris Scarduzio (pictured) will be offering an open-to-the-public cooking demonstration at CN8's The Fretz Kitchen on Thursday, April 26. It won't be cheap however: Tickets are $80 per person.

Brasserie Perrier [MenuPages]
Brasserie Perrier [Official Site]
The Fretz Kitchen [Brasserie Perrier]
The Fretz Kitchen [Official Site]

MenuPages' Old City Lunch Map [Google Maps]

It's good to be chef Jose Garces, he of Amada and Tinto. While the brand new Tinto racks up the mentions in every publication imaginable (and for their much-discussed policy of requiring reservations for the bar), the older Amada just got some love from New York Times food critic Frank Bruni in his Diner's Journal blog.

Bruni claims he discovered Amada while walking by and was wowed by, yup, the cheese plate:

Why not just order whatever I was in the mood for, freeing myself from any compulsion to nibble across different sections of the menu? Why not just cheese?

That thinking suited the restaurant: Amada is devoted to tapas, which of course are a formula for spontaneous grazing. It reminded me in a few ways of Tia Pol and in a few ways of Boqueria, although it feels like a slick, slightly Disney-fied invocation of the muse that guides those restaurants as well.

The cheese selection was neither broad nor surprising, but I was fine with Manchego, Garroxta and a terrific blue cheese from the Basque region that they had. The presentations of the cheeses were beautiful: slices of each fanned out beside slices of fruit and alongside one interesting condiment or another. My favorite condiment, a dulce de leche infused with roasted garlic, was out of this world.

But that wasn’t — isn’t — really the point. And while I was happy with my two glasses of xarel-lo, a grape used in blends for cava, the quality of the wine wasn’t — isn’t —the point, either.

The point: I’d stolen an hour, liberated myself from the day’s to-do list, surrendered to the comforting advances of a restaurant and sated my hunger all on a whim. Is there any more rewarding way to approach a meal out?

Philadelphia Freedom [Diner's Journal]
Amada [MenuPages]
Amada [Official Site]

• Now it's Citypaper's turn to review Tinto.

• Inside the world of the flavor scientists.

• Ever wanted to get a 14-ounce re-creation of The Last Supper in chocolate form? Now you can, thanks to the Stutz Candy Company.

• Where to go for pork shoulder in Philly.

• How to find Amish-style eats in the city.

• Kingdom of Vegetarians now has a juice bar.

• Surprise, surprise: American breakfast foods are unhealthy.

• How to roast a moose, Danish-American style.

• Butterfish is opening in West Chester and the Water Works has a new executive chef.

• Y'know, James makes some pretty awesome mushroom-blueberry tortelloni.

We just got tipped off by Uwishunu that the Hinge Cafe in Port Richmond is offering yoga classes. Yoga? At a coffee shop? Apparently so. The classes meet on Wednesday nights at 6:45pm and massages are available by appointment. It's a bit unorthodox, but given the new stores and restaurants that have opened in Fishtown and Port Richmond of late, there certainly seems to be a demand for new amenities in the area. As for us, the idea of combining espresso and exercise seems to be one whose time has come.

Hinging Out [Uwishunu]
Hinge Cafe [MenuPages]
Hinge Cafe [Official Site]

When you're writing a Philadelphia food blog, let's face it: you're going to be working on a lot of stories that involve cheesesteaks. That's the situation we found ourselves in when we found out that a release party for a documentary about cheesesteaks was just held at the Bridge Cinema. The film, This Is My Cheesesteak, was made as a student project at Syracuse University by West Philly native Ben Daniels. But Daniels had a who's who of the local cheesesteak world attend... and then some:

There were the requisite gold chains, and in the case of Geno's owner Joey Vento, a profusion of tattoos and Confederate flag iconography. Shaved heads were amply represented, as were dress T-shirts denoting self-proclaimed rank; king (Pat's) and prince (Steve's).

[...]

Daniels, 22, grew up (and still lives) at 45th and Larchwood in West Philadelphia. And besides the creme de la cheesesteak world - the owners of the six most-famous eateries - he'd invited his entire block, his teachers, his friends from Lower Merion and Friends Central, noted olfactory expert Marcie Pelchat, and even the girl who cut his hair for a 20-minute interview with Stephen Starr about the $100 cheesesteak (with kobe steak and truffle butter) at Barclay Prime, the Rittenhouse Square steak house. ("It's a marketing tool," Starr said, and sure enough the Pavlovian media ate it up: It got international press.)

The steak kings take a bow [Inquirer]