Southern Italy and Sicily are home to some of the best cheeses in the world. Village Voice food critic Robert Sietsema wrote a guide to Italian cheeses for Epicurious that is well worth checking out. Although his locations and purchasing picks are New York-centric, both NYC and Philly share a common stock of immigrants from the same regions of Italy. In South Philly, the cheesemongers of the Italian Market are good for obtaining cheeses like the chile-rolled calabrese and homemade caciocavallos.

What a friend we have in cheeses [Epicurious]

Over in London, the Japanese-inspired fast food chain Yo! Sushi is selling Joy Division sushi (PDF) named after one of the Brit band's most well known songs. The "Love Will Tear Us Apart" bento box contains salmon and tuna and retails for GBP6.50; other purchases include a George Michael-esque "I Want Your Sex" sesame seared salmon sashimi and the "Love Me Tender" meat bento box. You see, they're all named after pop songs. However, as Epicurious notes, Joy Division's singer did hang himself shortly after recording the song. A bit of a sushi comedown, that.

We also recently interviewed Sushi Economy author Sasha Issenberg.

Yo! Sushi [Official Site]
You Sushi Thing [Epicurious]

Michael Klein's Inqlings gossip column in the Inquirer tipped us off to a number of food-related items. Copa Too is officially shut down—and to be replaced by a Mexican restaurant. Meanwhile, Old Original Bookbinder's is opening a new location waaaay out in the South Jersey 'burbs: The Atlantic County town of Linwood is the lucky winner. Lastly, it turns out there's a change at Ansill. Chef Kibett Mengech stormed out after "a rather public quarrel with a manager." We miss working in restaurants, we really do.

As for the Inquirer, that giant hog that was caught in Alabama really is ginormous.

Inqlings [Inquirer]
Ansill [MenuPages]
Ansill [Official Site]
Old Original Bookbinder's [MenuPages]
Old Original Bookbinder's [Official Site]

• Citypaper's verdict on 707: Nice decor, good service but the food's too conservative. Good comment thread from CP readers too.

• A profile of Baker Street Bread Company's Nick Bronson: Come for the early '90s Ray Cappo and Krishna hardcore punk references, stay for the artisinal bread.

• How to raid Chinatown produce stands for superior smoothies.

• The new Phillips Seafood Restaurant just opened at the Sheraton City Center. They do clambakes!

• Counting down Philly's top five pad thais.

• Mercato is a BYOB. But Citypaper has some tips on what wines to bring there.

• Tired of cucumber pickles? Try some non-traditional pickles.

• Lots of new Philly restaurants: French-influenced pan-Asian Pearl in the former Chestnut Street Little Pete's space; "sustainable American" City Grange at the Philadelphia Westin and Sabrina's Cafe spin-off Sabrina's Cafe & Spencer's Too near the Art Museum.

• Investigating the CDC's new campaign to encourage Americans to eat vegetables.

• Aw man, it's time for indian mangoes again.

• San Francisco chocolate crusader Michael Recchiuti talks about Philly chocolate.

• Hey, it's a wire article about the Coca-Cola Museum.

• MP: Boston breaks out the Jetsons graphics to explore the future of Boston dining.

• MP: Chicago explores Chicago's thin crust pizzas and makes us remember why we miss Polish delis.

• MP: San Francisco gave us a guide to Ethiopian restaurants and contemplated the rising popularity of Pinkberry.

MenuPages South Florida, the newest member of the MenuPages family, launched today. Our most geographically extensive site yet, MP:FL covers Miami, the Florida Keys, Broward County and more. All in all, a staggering 3963 restaurants are included on the site. How about some Cuban food? Or Key West seafood? Or even just some old school treats from the Rascal House? Check it out.

MenuPages South Florida [Official Site]

The Bite [Metro]
Rae [MenuPages]
Rae [Official Site]
Fork:Etc. [MenuPages]
Fork:Etc. [Official Site]

[Image via Wikipedia]

How about a guide to Philadelphia's best lemonades? Over at Philadelphia magazine, April White lists a few of her favorites. There's the traditiona-style lemonade at Frog at the Yard and Matyson's pink lemonade with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries added to the mix. But for sheer opulence, Brasserie Perrier at Boyds gets a shout-out:

It’s DIY lemonade with the classic French citron presse at Brasserie Perrier at Boyds. A tall glass filled with crisp ice cubes, the juice of two freshly squeezed lemons and still Voss water is served with a miniature pitcher of sweet simple syrup, made in the restaurant’s pastry kitchen, for a customized quaff.

Frog at the Yard [MenuPages]
Frog at the Yard [Official Site]
Matyson [MenuPages]
Matyson [Official Site]
Brasserie Perrier at Boyds [MenuPages]
Brasserie Perrier at Boyds [Official Site]

• Philly pizza standard bearer Tacconelli's gets a review from Kirsten Henri. Verdict? A good pie.

• Lots of weekend food events, like a BBQ festival in Camden and a pig roast at Yards Brewery.

• A look at the wide world of novelty beers. Mmm... peanut butter beer.

Wagyu: A Japanese breed known for the abundant marbling of its flesh (must be the beer-and-rice diet the steers are fed).

Kobe: A specific strain of Wagyu from Hyogo Prefecture, of which Kobe is the capital. Ranchers up the ante on the royal-treatment diet with a regimen of deep-tissue massages. (What, no pedicure?)

Washu: A broad category of crossbred American Angus and Wagyu cows, of varying quality. It’s often labeled Kobe, somewhat misleadingly, on American menus.

Australian Wagyu: A top-quality strain of Wagyu, these cows are actually being exported (repatriated?) to Japan—and their beef sent as far away as Great Britain.

American Wagyu: Technically, a misnomer. So far, the USDA has not certified any homegrown cow as being 100 percent Wagyu—but the price tag likely won’t reflect this. Let the beef-eater beware.

Where's the Beef? [Travel + Leisure]
Barclay Prime [MenuPages]
Barclay Prime [Official Site]
Creed's [MenuPages]
Creed's [Official Site]
The Palm [MenuPages]
The Palm [Official Site]

• At Audrey Claire, don't call them pizzas. Call them "flatbreads". [Foodzings]

• Who better than a French language blogger to write up Philly's most think-you're-in-Strasbourg restaurant, the Rim Cafe? [La vie a Philadelphie]

• The couple behind Django moved to Kennett Square to open gourmet food shop Talula's Table. The sandwiches look good. [Mac & Cheese]

• Chorizo and chocolate at Tinto? It works. [Phillyist]

[Photo of Reading Terminal Market via Seba_moya @ Flickr]

Service Tuesday is a new weekly feature where the MenuPages Blog scours the classifieds for industry jobs of note in the Philadelphia area. Without further ado, here's the goods...

• Ever wanted to pass a federal background check for a service industry job? Then you too can apply to be a bartender or waiter/waitress at a Philadelphia International Airport concession.

• South Philly's 1601 needs some new kitchen staff.

• Morimoto still needs a sous chef.

• Everyone's favorite posh sandwich shop, Grocery, is looking for a barista/sandwich maker and a cashier.

• Alfa needs a Front of House manager.

Craig LaBan has moved on from hamburgers to the world of Korean food. This week, he tried out new Korean lunch hotspot Miran and wrote eloquently about his passion for a good bibimbap:

But let it sizzle. Wait. Smell the rice below starting to roast against the hot sesame oil-slicked bowl before you give it the mixing stir. If you top it off with kimchi-spiced pork and mix it well, every spoonful should warm your body with a tingle of heat mingling with the snap of shredded vegetables and a toasty rice crunch.

Miran [Inquirer]
Miran [MenuPages]

[Photo via Michael Bryant/Philadelphia Inquirer]

The Inquirer's Rick Nichols tried shawarma for the first time in Russia. Now, shawarma's a Middle Eastern food... So Russia is just a bit far away for that. But when Nichols tried the Israeli-style shawarma at South Street's Mama's Grill, he had an epiphany:

You can tell time by the shape of the big cylinders of shawarma at Mama's: At lunchtime they are bulky stacks - one chicken, the other turkey - a hunk of lamb fat and an onion on top, oozing juices on the meat. Go in the evening and they're cones, whittled down to a point.

This is the venture of Shauli David, 26, whose father owns Mama's Vegetarian, at 18 S. 20th St., where David says Israeli customers started asking for shawarma. Each day now he marinates chicken and turkey thighs with seasonings (cumin, paprika, salt and pepper), slow-roasting layers of them next to the glowing vertical heaters.

As for Russian shawarma, well... you can find everything on Google.

On South St., a remembered taste [Inquirer]
Mama's Grill [MenuPages]

[Photo via Barbara L. Johnston/Philadelphia Inquirer]

In the meantime, check out Philly.com's Shore Guide. It's good.

Over at the Daily News, Joe Sixpack just did a rundown of the new crop of Belgian taverns that are popping up around town. Although we have to disagree with Joe's designation of Philly as Brussels, USA (said honor has to go to New York, with a staggering 22 Belgian restaurants), we have to say that Philly is making strides.

The recently opened Zot does a good job of Brussels-style bar food (mussels, steak frites, etc.). In June, the Main Line is getting Teresa's Next Door, a bar with 12 drafts being dedicated to Belgian beers. Ditto for June, The Belgian Cafe will be opening in the Art Museum District courtesy of the Monk's Cafe/Fergie's crew. Old City is getting the Eulogy spin-off Beneluxx Tasting Room and the same team is opening a restaurant named Beneluxx in the former Broad Axe Tavern space in Blue Bell.

Belgian taverns debuting all over [Joe Sixpack]
Zot [MenuPages]
Zot [Official Site]
Monk's Cafe [MenuPages]
Monk's Cafe [Official Site]
Fergie's [MenuPages]
Fergie's [Official Site]
Eulogy [MenuPages]
Eulogy [Official Site]

[Photo via Daily News]

Daily Candy just got their hands on one of Amada chef Jose Garces' cooking secrets: How to make truffled lavender honey. We can totally see the goodness of lavender honey, but given Garces' culinary fame we will take his word on the need for truffle oil.

Oh, Honey Honey [Daily Candy]
Amada [MenuPages]
Amada [Official Site]

Continuing on the hamburger tip, let's step into the world of fast food for a minute. Courtesy of food blog Will Work For Food, we came across a list of McDonald's menu items from around the world. In Australia, a special pasta happy meal is marketed to children. In Brazil, the McCalabresa is a hamburger-sized slab of pepperoni served on a bun. Quebecois McDonald's patrons can get McPoutine. Over in Greece, hamburgers are rolled up in pita bread with yogurt sauce, tomato, lettuce and onions to make the Greek Mac. Israelis get to enjoy McShawarma and McKebab. The hot item in Japan is a Tamago Double Mac—two beef patties, pepper sauce, bacon... and a poached egg. Pakistanis are hip to the McChutney Burger. It goes on and on... but our favorite has to be Poland's McKielbasa.

Royale with Cheese? [WWFF]

• Trying out the Indian cuisine at the new Palace at the Ben.

• Hey, Center City finally has Ethiopian food.

• A guide to fried seafood sandwiches in Cajun, southern and Italian-American interpetations.

• The pick of the beers at the new Triumph Brewing Company? Go for the Chico.

• Meet Philadelphia's new matriarch of Israeli food, Mama's, in both her Vegetarian and Grill incarnations.

• A qualifying match for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest will be held on Independence Mall this Saturday.

• A look at University City's underrated dive bar Kelliann's.

Leave it to the Daily News to shatter our misconceptions about local food. It turns out water ice is massively unhealthy. Unhealthy as in your typical serving of water ice today contains five teaspoons more sugar than is found in a 12-ounce soda can and comes in at three hundred calories:

There are nearly 300 calories and 17.25 teaspoons of sugar in a typical 12-ounce serving. That's about five teaspoons more sugar than is found in a typical 12-ounce can of soda.

A 150-pound woman would have to walk at a pace of 3 mph for an hour to burn off that treat. If she's pressed for time, she could simply jump rope vigorously for about 30 minutes.

For the record, when my mom was growing up, she recalls that water ice came in a 4-ounce cup. That's half the size of today's kid's cup at local water-ice stands.

To quote a late-'80s song by Public Enemy, "Don't, Don't, Don't, Don't believe the hype" when you see the phrase "Fat Free."

Don't be misled by our national fat-free fixation. Sure, you'll save a few calories because the fat has been removed. But, fat free, I repeat, is not calorie free!

Remember that the next time you order a large water ice. Which, by the way, is nearly 19 ounces and 450 calories. That's a lot of excess calories, and it doesn't even include the "fat-free" pretzel many people get with their water ice.

A typical 4-ounce soft pretzel is about 400 calories.

That's a nice Public Enemy reference too. We've never connected Chuck D to wooter ice before either, but there's a first time for everything.

• Burgerdom Part 1: A state of the cheeseburger address for Philly.

• Burgerdom Part 2: A list of Philadelphia's best cheeseburgers. The winner? Good Dog's bleu cheese-stuffed bruger.

• Burgerdom Part 3: Err... Craig LaBan sings.

• A trip to Chiapas, Mexico with chef Rick Bayless. Less Zapatistas, more cooking.

• Slow food guru Carlo Petrini stopped by Princeton recently.

• Table Talk has plenty of new suburban restaurants and news that Tom Peters and Fergus Carey of Monk's are opening the Belgian Cafe in the former Tavern on Green space.

Multimedia content from newspapers is justified by the Craig LaBan music video that was posted to philly.com this morning. As part of the Inky's special cheeseburger-focused food section, LaBan performed his original balled "Cheeseburger, I Hold". That's him singing in the picture. These are his lyrics:

Truffles fall like snowflakes, on my plate Sparkling crystal goblets always brim with wine I can eat anything that I want, ’cause it’s my job I’m a hungry man for hire. And still, nothing sets my soul to sizzle Like a fresh-ground patty on the grill…

Chorus:

Cheeseburger, I hold
Mischief heart of liquid bleu
Cheeseburger, I hold
You melt into mine

All my life, I’ve been a burger chaser
That perfect simple sandwich shouldn’t be so hard to find
But how many times have I been sorry, after just one bite
To find a fraud between the buns
The patty smashers! (No juice! No juice!)
The topping fools! (Pile the pink tomatoes on!)
The fast food stand-ins for good old school
So when the grinder’s gift hears that charcoal song
Lay your best Roquefort and crisp bacon on!

Chorus

I remember: Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burgers, Mo’s in Frisco, In-N-Out
Barclay’s sliders, Rouge’s biggies, on the Boardwalk I love Brown’s
Burger Heaven in Manhattan , Tommy’s Westwood chile bombs
Midnight snacks at the Camellia, in the Quarter Port of Call
But then the Good Dog Bar turned my patties inside out
So when I took a bite, love came rushing out.

Chorus

Recommended.

Cheeseburger, I Hold [Inquirer]

• MP: Boston is getting hip to the wonders of Chipotle burritos and takes a field trip to Provincetown.

• MP: Chicago ponders the rising price of beef and continues the deep thinking with a look at immigration and the restaurant industry.

• MP: San Francisco continues their breaking coverage of the Great Ferry Plaza Scuffle of 2007 and celebrates the reopening of Julius' Castle.

• The word from Ida Mae's Bruncherie: Cheap and damn that full Irish breakfast is good.

• Enjoying Tavern 17's 17-themed happy hour.

• Inside MANNA, which distributes meals to individuals with life-threatening illnesses.

With temperatures for the Memorial Day weekend expected to reach 88°, it's safe to say that summertime is (unofficially) upon us. Apart from the endless stream of daytrippers on the Atlantic City Expressway and the clogging of Kelly Drive with joggers, this means only one thing: Summertime food features. The Philadelphia Weekly put together a list of cold foods for summer that they guarantee to be Fla-Vor-Ice free. Picks include Franklin Fountain's ice cream (we're partial to the retro-style phosphates), gelato from Capogiro, Fante's espresso granita and blended tea drinks from Remedy (pictured).

Cold Comfort [Philadelphia Weekly]
Franklin Fountain [MenuPages]
Franklin Fountain [Official Site]
Capogiro [MenuPages]
Capogiro [Official Site]
Fante's [Official Site]

Well, the oft-mentioned Marc Vetri has now been officially elevated to the ranks of the superstar chefs. Vetri just got a glowing profile in the New York Times courtesy of food critic Frank Bruni. Both Vetri and Osteria get extremely positive mentions. Things we learned:

1. Osteria is to Vetri as Craftbar is to Craft. Does this mean that Vetri's third restaurant will be his Craftsteak? We hope so.

2. Vetri got an extremely sweet real estate deal on renting the space for Osteria. As per the Times, "The deal he and Mr. Benjamin got let them do it without taking on investors, though they did max out several credit cards." Well played, Mr. Vetri. Well played.

3. Frank Bruni calls Vetri's goat "duck on testosterone therapy." Per Frank Bruni and his duck-loving ways, this is high praise indeed.

4. Osteria's somellier, Karina Lyons, got a personal shout out. See? Philadelphia restaurants do have good wine lists after all.

A Chef to the Few Heeds the Call of the Many [NY Times]
Vetri [MenuPages]
Vetri [Official Site]
Osteria [MenuPages]
Osteria [Official Site]

[Photo via Steve Legato @ the New York Times]

Update: Vetri got some Diner's Journal loving too.

Marathon Grill owner Cary Borish was just interviewed by Philadelphia Magazine about running the Center City mini-chain and their newest location at 10th and Walnut. The just-opened location brings them up to seven restaurants in Center City and University City.

Running a Marathon [Philadelphia]
Marathon Grill [MenuPages]
Marathon Grill [Official Site]

[Photo via Messy & Picky]

• Govinda's Gourmet To Go has some damn fine vegan cakes. [BeXnlog]

• Checking out the brunch and mojitos at Azure. [Foodaphilia]

• Some superior bar food courtesy of the Manayunk Brewing Co. [Foodzings]

• A spirited discussion of the best bars in Philadelphia. [Johnny Goodtimes]

[Photo of Azure's mojitos via Foodaphilia]

Service Tuesday is a new weekly feature where the MenuPages Blog scours the classifieds for industry jobs of note in the Philadelphia area. Without further ado, here's the goods...

• Nuevo Mexican BYOB Lolita is looking for a server.

• The Starr Restaurant Organization is hosting an open house for managers, sous chefs and hourly employees at Tangerine.

• Belgian gastrobar Zot is looking for experienced servers & runners.

• Queens Village standby Django has a job opening for servers as well.

• Deuce needs a line cook.

• Total wine nerd? Tangerine is looking for a "Cellar Rat" to maintain the restaurant's wine and liquor inventory.

Philly Italian Market Festival... [Mac & Cheese]

We just got word that Cuba Libre in Old City is bringing Pasion's Guillermo Pernot aboard as their new concept chef. Pernot, a James Beard award-winning chef and former Esquire "Chef of the Year," will be unveiling a new dinner and brunch menu for Cuba Libre in June as well as overseeing both locations in Philadelphia and the Tropicana Casino in AC.

Cuba Libre [MenuPages]
Cuba Libre [Official Site]
Pasion [MenuPages]
Pasion [Official Site]

Legendary chef Eric Ripert (say it like "repair") of Le Bernardin in New York has a lucrative consulting contract with Ritz-Carlton Hotels. Lucrative to the point where, apart from the salary, Ripert reportedly flies to the Bahamas monthly to check on his two Grand Cayman hotel restaurants. Ripert and Ritz-Carlton's Craig Spencer just announced a new restaurant in Philadelphia to open in spring 2008 as part of a multimillion-dollar reservation at the Broad Street hotel. The new, currently unnamed restaurant is being billed as a casual concept space. It will be one of Ripert's first two stateside restaurants for the luxury hotel chain; another is slated for the Ritz-Carlton in Washington.

Inqlings | Hot N.Y. chef will check in here [Inquirer]
Philly's Ritz-Carlton Reels in Ripert [ZagatBuzz]
Eric Ripert to open restaurant in Caribbean [Slashfood]

[Photo via Epicurious]

Center City burgers-and-beer fixture Copa Too is closing down. The last date of business will be June 3rd and the restaurant is throwing a thank you party for their patrons on May 30th. In the meantime, they will not be able to accept credit or debit cards but Copa Too is open for the remainder of the month. Philebrity's got the announcement email from the bartender. Copa Miami shut down suddenly several weeks ago as well.

Copa Too [MenuPages]
Copa Too [Official Site]
Dan Gross [Daily News]
Another Bar Down: Copa Too To Close [Philebrity]

[Photo via Phillytown]

Here's an excerpt:

The outer-borough location allows ample room for this Five Guys, and the place was airy, clean, and orderly. All grilling and frying is done in the open in a large space behind the counter. Above the counter is the menu, which lists but a few items: burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and fries (regular or "Cajun" spiced). Hanging from the menu is a sign that would normally send me running: "We Cook All Our Meat WELL-DONE."

Yes, burgers here, unfortunately, are cooked to well-done as per company policy. While this would seemingly result in a dry puck of a burger, ours, while not dripping with juices, were moist enough. The 3.3-ounce patties are packed moderately loose by hand each morning and are cooked atop a griddle, which, along with the coarse grind, makes for a great crunchy crust. The joint gets the cheese-melt just right, too.

Five Guys Center City [MenuPages]
Five Guys Clifton Heights [MenuPages]
Five Guys [Official Site]

[Photo via Serious Eats]

The customer, who was rubbing himself against Le Bec-Fin's glass door at the activists, was allowed to exit through Le Bec-Fin's back door. Shortly after one of the protestors was threatened by the patron, a cop watching the incident allegedly told her to "**** off" and that the animal rights activists should "**** themselves."

A 58-year-old schoolteacher, Diana Eberhardt, who was walking by the busy stretch of Walnut Street tried to get the police officers to intervene with the drunk, pantsless Le Bec-Fin patron, whose behavior she described as "agressive." From there:

When Eberhardt asked police to step in, they refused. When she asked again, she says, Officer Wallace told her, "If you don't leave, I'll put you in the car."

She stood her ground - and Wallace put the totally innocent bystander in the police car, observers told me.

[...]

Eberhardt was released after a half-hour by a just-arriving Civil Affairs sergeant, who apologized for the bad treatment.

Internal Affairs are investigating the incident.

Cops failed us, say Le Bec-Fin Foie Gras 4 [Daily News]Le Bec-Fin [MenuPages]
Le Bec-Fin [Official Site]

[Photo via Around Philly]

Originally known as GolDongBan (”rice mixed with stuff”), Bibimbap is basically rice mixed with vegetables, usually some type of meat, and gochujang. But that’s the simple of it. Each one of the ingredients is something special in itself. It’s like a bunch of little salads and meats individually and carefully prepared placed on shiny rice in a bowl.

It's also easy to find in Philadelphia if you know where to look. Olney's Jong Ja Jip does an excellent rendition. Center City's Tampopo mini-chain allows guests to customize their bibimbap with their choice of proteins (want caviar bibimbap? you've got it). Upper Darby's Naq Won Garden does a stunning array of variations, including bibimbap with raw beef. But, ultimately, we have to say that Giwa's bibimbap has a special place in our hearts—and is one of the best Center City lunch options around.

"All Over You Like Egg on Bibimbap" [ZenKimchi]
Jong Ja Jip [MenuPages]
Tampopo 1 [MenuPages]
Tampopo 1 [Official Site]
Naq Won Garden [MenuPages]
Giwa [MenuPages]
Giwa [Official Site]

[Photo via Zenkimchi]

Hmm... So as we write this, the Sunday Inquirer's Craig LaBan review of Osteria isn't showing up on the Inquirer's dining page—instead, it's replaced by a link to a horse racing feature. Weird. In any case, LaBan's verdict on this restaurant we've mentioned a few times before is that they have the "pizza that saved North Broad Street":

You can find all kinds of spectacular seasonal pies emerging from the 700-degree heat of the wood-fired brick oven here. There are pizzas topped with snails and fresh spring garlic scapes. There are crusts laced with tender octopus sparked by chile flakes and smoked mozzarella. They come stuffed with white truffled robiola cheese, or scattered with woodsy slivers of snappy bluefoot mushrooms. There is also the Lombarda, which sports homemade cotecchino sausage and a sunny-side-up baked egg.

But it's the Margherita I love. The height of refined simplicity, its crust, sauce and toppings channel such vivid harmony that I'm transported to the pizzeria in Naples where I first encountered this taste.

A luscious Italian newcomer to N. Broad [Inquirer]
Osteria [MenuPages]
Osteria [Official Site]

• MP: Boston stays current on sweetbreads and gives us a history lesson about the Boston molasses disaster.

• MP: Chicago gives a rundown of the National Restaurant Association convention and mourns the last days of Chi-town's Benihana.

• MP: San Francisco examines the feud at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and the pies of the Mission District.

Smoke-free restaurants aren't just limited to Philadelphia (and, well, nearly every large city) any more. The Morning Call is reporting that New Hope is banning smoking in restaurants and bars, starting in June. The 1.3 square mile village has over 50 restaurants and bars and will be only the municipality besides Philadelphia in the state to ban smoking. The new regulations are stricter than Philly's; not only is smoking banned inside restaurants and bars, but it also covers smoking on sidewalks and streets with 20 feet of restaurant and bar entrances. Smoking will still be permitted at outdoor cafes. Restaurants and bars that skirt the ban face a $600 fine.

A breath of fresh air [The Morning Call]

Congrats are in order for Marc Vetri (pictured) and Jeff Benjamin of Osteria. The Broad Street hotspot was just named one of Bon Appetit's "10 Hottest New Restaurants." Osteria's mention in the magazine will appear in the June 2007 issue and the restaurant is one of the three selections from the northeast—New York's Momofuku Ssam Bar and Washington's Central Michel Richard are the others. Well done, Osteria. Well done.

Bijoux restaurant makes Bon Appetit's "10 Hottest New Restaurants" list [Peagsus News]
Osteria [MenuPages]
Osteria [Official Site]

[Image via Italian Cooking & Living]

It turns out that this week was Food Allergy Awareness Week (it's okay, we didn't know either). The Inquirer pitched in with a guide to allergy-friendly dining in Philadelphia. It turns out that the sister of Audrey Claire owner Audrey Claire Taichman runs the Pennsylvania Food Allergy Alliance and that the restaurant offers a nut-free menu. The Jamaican Jerk Hut offers gluten-free desserts, P.F. Chang's China Bistro has a gluten-free menu and that Brasserie Perrier is happy to make dishes customized to guest's special needs. We also offer a full listing of restaurants with gluten-free items as well. Just search our listings by feature 'Gluten-Free Items'.

Food Allergy Awareness Week [Official Site]
Allergies? Here's Where To Eat [Inquirer]
Audrey Claire [MenuPages]
Audrey Claire [Official Site]
Jamaican Jerk Hut [MenuPages]
P.F. Chang's China Bistro [Official Site]
Brasserie Perrier [MenuPages]
Brasserie Perrier [Official Site]