The blog post in which MenuPages readers join in some unfounded speculation...

Write us here at the MenuPages blogs to let us know what kind of restaurants you'd like to see more of in Philly. We, for one, would like to see more of the following in 2008:

a) More restaurants serving South Asian vegetarian cuisine (Good dosas in Philly? Hells yes.)

b) Creative molecular gastronomical joints similar to Chicago's Alinea or New York's WD-50.

c) A cupcake-centric bakery... After all, the post-Sex in the City cupcake trend swept just about every city but Philadelphia.

What kind of restaurants would you like to see in Philly? E-mail us and let us know. The best replies will be printed on the blog this Monday.

Our very own Joe Sixpack just got written up in the American Journalism Review. How did Don Russell end up writing one of the most popular beer columns in the country? Let's find out:

Don Russell wrote that story. Wrote all of the Joe Sixpack stories, as a matter of fact. Still does, once a week, for the city's pugnacious tabloid. Became so associated with the hometown hero most folks just call him Joe Sixpack. He left the newspaper racket after nearly 30 years to do Joe Sixpack full-time. The Joe Sixpack column, a Joe Sixpack Web site (joesixpack.net) and, coming in March, a book: "Joe Sixpack's Philly Beer Guide."

"The beer business in Philadelphia is a very tightly knit community, and Joe Sixpack is an absolutely huge part of it," says Tom Peters, owner of Monk's Café in center city Philadelphia, one of America's great beer bars. "But the unique part of it is that the column is directed at a broader audience."

The Column That Became a Franchise [American Journalism Review]

Super Sunday. Gluttony. Super Sunday. Gluttony. We were just informed by the Franklin Mills branch of Uno Chicago Grill that they're hosting an all-you-can-eat pizza fest at their bar on Sunday. $6.99 earns you all-you-can-eat cheese, sausage and pepperoni deep dish pizza and the chance to watch the Giants kick some Patriot butt on big screen tv.

The unlimited, artery-clogging pizza special goes on February 3 from 4pm until end of game. Now we'll be elsewhere, eating marginally healthier food at a Super Bowl party... But we thought we'd let you know anyway.

Uno Chicago Grill [MenuPages]
Uno Chicago Grill [Official Site]

If you've seen Juno, then odds are you remember the hamburger phone.

Well, now you can get a hamburger phone of your very own.

Juno Phone [Uxcell]

• Enjoy the celebration of American regional food that is Pennsport resto the Ugly American. They have garbage plates!

• Golosa owner Fabio Scarpelli likes chocolate.

• As previously noted, South Philly coffee shop E's Passyunk is becoming B2 pretty soon, with plenty of vegan smoothies for all.

• The White Dog Cafe is offering a Pennsylvania Dutch Dinner.

• A shortlist guide to Philly's best salmon.

• Super Bowl game food: Is it time to (crap!) eat healthy? The Inky suggests you ditch pizza and wings for "Thai Chicken Satay skewers."

• The new trend sweeping the suburbs: Freeze-ahead supper clubs.

• The strange, strange magic of Sonam's roast pork, provelone and broccoli rabe egg rolls.

• What's opening in Manayunk this spring? A ton of new restaurants, actually.

Valentine's Day is coming up. If you're culinarily inclined, why not find an interesting way to celebrate it? For instance, you could attend a romantic cooking class. Here's the word from Main Line resto Pond:

Anyone can buy flowers and chocolate. Why not plan something a little different this year. Couples looking to spice up their Valentine’s Day can cook up some romance…and delicious dishes, too!

Executive Chef Abde Dahrouch of Pond Restaurant is offering the “Sweetheart Special”, a cooking class for men and women who want to woo their partners with a romantic meal. This FUN class will be held for both men & women, couples & singles on Sunday, February 10 from 2:00-4:00pm.

Chef Abde will walk the gentlemen and ladies through the fine points of shucking oysters, making tarts, garnishing plates and selecting wines. The dishes include ingredients with romantic history or symbolism: figs, avocadoes, oysters, caviar.

The cost per person is $75. Space is limited, so call 610-293-9411 to reserve your place.

Sweethearts Cooking Class at Pond Restaurant [The Latest Dish]
Pond [MenuPages]
Pond [Official Site]

We just found out about a great Russian restaurant in far Northeastern Philly. Stolovaya, located on Bustleton Avenue near the Bucks County border, is a low-key cafe serving homey Russian dishes. There aren't any crazy dinner shows with Broadway dancers and frozen bottles of vodka here... Rather, regular, Brighton-Beach style Russian and Caucasian dishes win the day. Pierogies? Manti (lamb dumplings)? Meat-stuffed crepes? Borscht? Georgian-style roast pork? Hells yes. Recommended.

Stolovaya [Philadining]

[Image via Philadining]

The legendary Broad Street Diner is up for sale. A cool $1.9 million earns you the 144 seat diner, a 140 seat banquet area, a liquor license and a legacy of one of Philadelphia's classic drunkard/wino magnets. We're talking Tom Waits-style atmosphere here, folks. The full ad is below:

Just 1 minute from center city of Philadelphia, Well-known "Broad St Diner" facility is on 14,171 sqft lot right on Broad street with parking in front and in the rear. Super location with walking distance to Kimmel center, Theaters, Avenue of the Arts, High rise condos, Shopping, schools…public transportation is right at the front. Dining area with capacity for 144 people . Banquet area for 140 has been rented for parties, special events… for weekend. Large 3 offices and 2 full baths can be used for office or apartment. Golden opportunities for Developer, Investor, or Family run business.

South Broad street diner for sale [Craigslist]
Matchmaking: Restaurants & Real Estate [Foobooz]

Fast food chain Sonic does not have much of a presence in Philadelphia proper — their nearest stores are in Lancaster County and the Jersey Shore. However, the Wall Street Journal just did a feature (including video!) on the popularity of the restaurant's new snackable ice. Choice quote:

Ice isn't just for chilling drinks anymore, or for packing fish and treating sprains. It's a hot snack. Some Sonic Drive-In franchises sell it in cups and in bags to go. Ice-machine makers are competing to make the best chewable ice, with names like Chewblet, Nugget Ice and Pearl Ice. One manufacturer calls the ice-loving South the "Chew Belt."

Awesome!

Chew This Over: Munchable Ice Sells Like Hot Cakes [Wall Street Journal]

We reported last week on the arrest of a suspect in the Geno's Steaks beating. Now, a second arrest has been made. Like the first suspect, this one also lives in the Chester County suburbs. From Christine Olley of the Daily News:

Police said Michael Morrisson, 21, of Berwyn, Chester County, surrendered Monday at the 1st Police District, 24th and Wolf streets.

Morrisson is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, criminal conspiracy and harassment.

Police said Morrisson and a friend, Kevin Bacci, 19, began to verbally harass Tony Chestnut, an employee of Geno's, about 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 27.

After a brief argument, one of the suspects picked up Chestnut and flipped him two times onto his head, knocking him unconscious.

2nd man charged in assault at Geno's [Daily News]

[Image via Daily News]

• The so-far-east-on-South-Street-it's-nearly-in-the-river Las Bugambilias is really quite good.

• If they can make vegetarian haggis, why the hell can't they make vegan scrapple?

• A guide to Philadelphia chocolate treats just in time for Valentine's Day.

• Do you want to be the bouncer at Cuba Libre? Then today is your lucky day.

• A certain new Jose Garces restaurant in University City is meeting with potential managerial candidates.

• An unnamed Northern Liberties pizzeria needs a "phabulous," "predominantly preppy" phone person.

• The Striped Bass needs a sommelier.

• Manayunk institution Jake's is opening a winebar next-door... and they're looking for a manager.

Want to buy a cheeseburger in a can? German sporting goods supplier Trekking Mahlzeiten is now marketing a "Cheeseburger in a Can" that they recommend one eat while off on a hike or a camping trip. Each cheeseburger costs around US$5.50 and contains a staggering amount of calories and fat. Is this the most repellent food ever invented? Why yes, we think it is.

Cheeseburger in der Dose [Trekking Mahlzeiten]

Doesn't this look good? The delicious pancake shown above is the roti canai from Philly Malaysian resto Banana Leaf. Food blog Foodzings just photoblogged a whole meal there and we heartily recommend checking it out.

Banana Leaf [MenuPages]

Birthday Dinner: Banana Leaf [Foodzings]

Masaharu Morimoto is having some problems. His business partner (the non-Stephen Starr one), Donald Fellner, has won a court judgement entitling him to 45 percent of the profits from Morimoto's Philly, New York and Mumbai locations and from celebrity endorsements. According to the court judgement, Fellner befriended Morimoto in 2000 and formed a company with Morimoto and Fellner having 55/45 stakes. The company then entered into an agreement with Stephen Starr that it appears Morimoto broke in 2004 by adding an amendment which excluded Fellner from Morimoto's New York branch and from all other future Starr ventures.

Here's the word, courtesy of New York mag Grub Street:

During the case, brought almost three years ago by Fellner and his lawyer, Steven Landy, Morimoto maintained that an amendment to his original agreement with Fellner gave him the right to personally keep all profits arising from “private work.” But the court disagreed and ruled that Fellner is entitled to a share in the profits from Rogue Brewery and Nenohi knives, Food Network merchandising, and the aforementioned restaurants. Morimoto maintained he had the right to reserve all profits from his Starr restaurants because he was originally approached via a headhunter (something the judge ruled was irrelevant) and because Fellner misappropriated funds, failed to pay chef salaries, and didn't bring in financing, issues that will be addressed at trial. The trial will also determine whether Fellner is entitled to 45 percent of Morimoto’s endorsement profits from Fukumitsuya Sake and Mishima Foods. The Iron Chef might just want to up that $10,000 appearance fee, assuming he hasn’t already.

Court Rules Morimoto Shafted Business Partner [Grub Street]

Where would the real life versions of Michael Scott and Pam Beasley go to get coffee? We like to think that they would go to Scranton's Northern Lights Espresso Bar. As part of our mission to occasionally document the outer fringes of the Philly metroplex, we thought we'd note that not only do they serve beans from the legendary upstate NY/Brooklyn brewer Gimme! Coffee, but that the all-around experience seems... pretty primo:

Walking in, it's a two-floor space with a wonderful furniture arrangement and beautiful art hanging on the wall. The line is usually healthy and the place almost always hopping.

The coffee is Gimme! out of Ithaca, which was a welcome surprise. The coffee brewed was about up to par with Gimme! straight from the native spout (i.e. little blundering in the brewing at Northern Lights) and they seemed to serve the better coffees (Gimme! has a few dark roasts that make me cry). The espresso was pretty good, as it was pulled decently but for some reason, it just didn't wow me. The tea I think is free leafed.

Northern Lights Espresso Bar [Pure Coffee]

[Image via Pure Coffee]

It's time for a return to the Neil Stein-returning-to-the-restaurant-biz story we first covered back in November.

For our friends who moved to Philadelphia after 2003 or so, Neil Stein is a legendary Philadelphia restaurateur (Striped Bass, Avenue B, Rogue) whose empire went down in flames amidst some particularly sordid circumstances. After serving his jail time and some subsequent toying with the idea of opening a boutique hotel, Stein has decided to reenter the restaurant biz. Here's the info, courtesy of the Daily News's Dan Gross:

Cabaret is the name of the restaurant that Neil Stein and partners are hoping to bring to the Morris House Hotel (225 S. 8th). Stein is partnered up with Lindsay Ratkovich, a real-estate developer and daughter of Los Angeles real-estate titan Wayne Ratkovich, and Morris House owners Michael DiPaolo and Gene LeFevre. As the name suggests, says Lindsay Ratkovich, Cabaret will be "a space designed to entertain," and the food will be "American-Parisian bistro cuisine." Look for red decor and a piano bar as part of the restaurant.

Cabaret coming to Morris House [Dan Gross/Daily News]

A fascinating piece in Philafoodie examines the rise of stealth molecular gastronomy in PHI restaurants. Philafoodie editor David Snyder makes a salient point: Although Philadelphia lacks overtly experimental restaurants like Alinea and wd-50, some of the food preperations used in those restaurants have slowly crept into local kitchens. It's undercover sous vide and flavored foams... as Studio Kitchen's Shola Olunloyo says:

According to Shola Olunloyo of Studio Kitchen, “You can either do or talk about doing. And sometimes you just need to do. I like to be transparent and let the food speak for itself, as opposed to selling the technique before I sell the flavor.”

But, hey. At the end of the day it's all just food, isn't it?

Agar-a-phobia [Philafoodie]

One of the best Center City dining bargains around might be the lunch prix-fies at Jose Garces' various restaurants. Adam over at Blogalicious compiled the following:

• Amada: The $12.50 Catalan Express (soup or salad, sandwich, non-alcoholic beverage)

• Tinto: The $14.99 Bilbao Express (soup or salad, sandwich, non-alcoholic beverage)

Food sounds good too:

Chestnut soup was the perfect anti-freeze, warming us to the fingertips with its lush, creamy consistency, hiding tender shreds of duck and a shower of crunchy pistachios. A judicious drizzle was the only time we’ve seen the truffle oil used for good rather than evil. To follow up, Tinto’s riff on the cheesesteak was a crusty baguette stuffed with frisée and charred sliced of skirt steak loaded so generously the beef kept slipping out the sides of the roll.

Chef Garces Discounts [Blogalicious]
Amada [MenuPages]
Amada [Official Site]
Tinto [MenuPages]
Tinto [Official Site]

[Image via Blogalicious]

A 19 year-old Chester County man has been arrested in the December attack on a Geno's Steaks employee. Kevin Bacci of Devon has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and related offenses; he turned himself in. Here's the story via the Daily News:

The attack came after two men began shouting insults at employees inside Geno's. Chestnut, who was outside power-washing the restaurant's exterior walls, intervened and implored the men to stop.

Instead, the duo began arguing with Chestnut, police said. The dispute ended only after one of the men picked Chestnut up and slammed him head-first into the ground twice, knocking him unconscious.

Devon man nabbed in violent Geno's assault [Daily News]
Geno's Steaks [MenuPages]
Geno's Steaks [Official Site]

Stu BYkofsky's mad as hell and is not going to take it anymore. In a prime angry rant inside the pages of the Philadelphia Daily News, the local institution gets all Fast Food Nation on us:

We are in a Brave New World of biotechnology, some of it good (I guess), some of it bad (I'm sure). Before you accuse me of shaking my fist in the air to damn progress, first prove it is progress, and not just change, which is doing something just because scientists can do it.

When it comes to synthetic hormones and cloning, you can find experts to say it's the best thing since the Paris Hilton sex tape and opposing experts to say it's the worst thing since . . . the Paris Hilton sex tape.

Science doesn't know everything. It couldn't explain Hillary Clinton's short-lived giggle, for example. Science gave us Velcro, iPhones and zero-calorie soda. It also gave us thalidomide, junkpiles of radioactive waste and drugs intended to relieve one symptom that also spur suicide.

You hear that, people? Stu Bykofsky has two things and two things only on hi mind: Bio-genetically engineered food... and Paris Hilton.

I'll pass on Frankenstein food, thanks [Daily News]

So... the infamous strip club site on 13th and Locust (owned by the equally infamous Frank Palumbo) seems like it will quit the Signatures legaacy in favor of a restaurant. The Inquirer reports that a new "restaurant and dinner theater" will open in the space and, judging from the quotes they gather, it sounds it will be a non-adult entertainment space:

He's a pretty classy operator," the judge said in a brief telephone interview. "I'm impressed with what he's done."

Judy Applebaum, head of the Washington Square West Civic Association, said she believed the new restaurant would be "only a positive" for the neighborhood and said the group had no problem with Coleates' involvement.

"He has a history of running very successful restaurants," she said.

Further, Applebaum said, "there will be life on that corner. There has not been life there for years."

Hoewever, a member of the group who will be running the restaurant spent almost two years in prison after siphoning $2.7 million dollars "from a drag show in Honolulu called Boy-lesque," per Inquirer. So who knows? Maybe some of the 13th & Locust sleaze will remain.

Former strip club has new tenants [Inquirer]

For this week's Craig LaBan adventure, the critic journeyed out to Elkins Park to try new high-end Kosher restaurant Max & David's. Working within the strictures of Kosher dietary laws, it looks like the restaurant created something that is pretty damn good... and that the observant Jews of the northern suburbs will be more than pleased with the food (as will the rest of us):

My sister-in-law, Patty, glanced up from the menu at Max & David's with a rebellious look and laid down this commandment with unexpected umph.

"I am not going to get the fish!"

The pronouncement took me by surprise, at first. Over the dozen or so review meals we've shared over the years, she had dutifully tiptoed across menus strewn with land mines for a kosher eater. With all pork, shellfish, and dishes mixing dairy with meat (let alone any nonkosher meat) crossed off her list, she inevitably settled on fish or veggies. It seemed a reasonably flexible approach, given that even stricter kosher Jews probably wouldn't have come out to eat with me at all. But for some reason, I'd come to believe she actually just liked fish.

That was until I saw her eyes widen at the sight of Max & David's rib eye. And, lo, this wasn't just any rabbinically approved steak. This was a Let-There-Be-Meat! slice of flesh, a grilled bone-in slab of such biblical proportions that this Turkish-spiced chop perfumed the entire table with its savor when it landed."

Mmm... steak.

Max & David's [Inquirer]
Max & David's [MenuPages]
Max & David's [Official Site]

• MP: Boston is making the culinary establishments of NYC and Boston rumble in the Food Super Bowl.

• MP: Chicago charts the goings on at a Balkan restaurant.

• MP: San Francisco is celebrating Burns Night with some haggis.

• MP: South Florida is going on a stone crab picnic.

Liquor + pork = awesome. Introducing bacon-infused vodka, as created by Oregon food blog Brownie Points. It sounds gross, but bear with us. Fry three strips of bacon, put the bacon into a mason jar, add some black pepper corns, fill the jar up with vodka, seal it, place it in a dark cupboard for three weeks... Then, once you're done, put it in a freezer to solidify the fats, strain out the fats using a coffee filter and drink that stuff, kids!

Actually, it's kind of gross. But we still had to write about it.

Homemade Bacon Vodka [Brownie Points]

[Image via Brownie Points]

Food blog Slice has put together an amazing (and thoroughly detailed) guide to American regional pizza styles. Here's what they had to say about two Philadelphia regional styles:

Trenton Tomato Pies

In the capital city of New Jersey, pizza does not exist. Here, they're known as "tomato pies." As Slice correspondent Rich DeFabritus wrote in his review of the two dueling DeLorenzo's there, "There is a body of myth and lore attempting to distinguish tomato pie from pizza. The generally accepted explanation is that a tomato pie is built as follows: dough, cheese, toppings, and then sauce." Trenton tomato pies would then seem to have much in common with a sauce-last grandma pie or a Detroit-style pizza, but tomato pies are round.

Old Forge–Style

I know the least about Old Forge–style pizza but am including it here in the interest of providing a wide range of styles. On Pizzamaking.com, user IlPizzaiolo describes it thusly: "My friend studied a type of pizza from Pennsylvania that sounds close to what they are talking about. It is like a medium-thin Sicilian dough, the pan oiled with peanut oil, so the dough sort of got a fried consistancy like pan pizza from Pizza Hut. The cheese [was 100% Wisconsin white cheddar.]" I think I need to take a three-day weekend and investigate Old Forge pizza.

If you like pizza, we recommend you give it a full read. It's good.

A List of Regional Pizza Styles [Slice]

[Image via Slice]

It's good to be Jose Garces. The Amada and Tinto culinary superstar is currently in Mexico, during... err... research for his upcoming West Philly nouveau Mexi-joint Chilango. He reported on his findings for Food & Wine:

"There are taquerias throughout Mercado de la Merced, a block-long market. My favorite, El Tacometro, is mid-market and has a huge variety of huaraches—corn griddle cakes filled with beans and topped with cactus or chorizo— for less than $2. The San Angel Inn, a colonial hotel-turned-restaurant, makes the city’s best margarita. On a day trip to Puebla, we found a cantina, La Pasita, named for the raisin-based liquor it makes. It’s served in a shot glass with skewered cheese at the bottom."

So... who wants to pay for us to go to Mexico? We're talented writers and can do a damn fine travelogue. C'mon now.

Chef Dispatch: Jose Garces in Mexico [Food & Wine]

[Image via Food & Wine/Cedric Angeles]

Philadelphia magazine has released their Top 50 restaurant list. Did we take a look? Hell yeah, we did. It made us pretty happy. You see, the vast majority of restaurants on the list are in Philadelphia proper (and some — gasp — in South Philly)... it's a refreshing change from the years when the Main Line, King of Prussia and the 611 'burbs dominated Philadelphia's restaurant listings. A sampling of the list:

1. Osteria
2. Lacroix
3. Blackfish
11. Standard Tap
17. Ansill
20. Xochitl
28. Vietnam
31. Sang kee Peking Duck House
35. El Vez
39. Carman's Country Kitchen
41. Honey's Sit n' Eat
48. Lolita
50. Nan

Any restaurants that you feel should have made the list? Let us know.

The Philly Mag 50 [Philadelphia]

[Image via Philadelphia]

American regional (beef on weck! garbage plates!) restaurant The Ugly American recently opened in Pennsport. The Daily News just stopped by and gave the resto a mixed review:

So, while I love the fact that the bar menu has the classic Beef-on-Weck sandwich (Buffalo, N.Y.'s, answer to our cheesesteak) and that there are some delicious dishes to be had, there are - like American tourists - some real loud and boorish ones to be found.

The Roasted Oysters ($8) were disappointing. Although the oysters were plump and briny, the cream sauce was thin and flavorless.

I noticed, on a paper menu, the option of Fried Chesapeake Oysters with apple-celery root slaw and bacon dressing. Somehow that sounds more promising.

The Daily News calls the mash-up of American regional styles served at the restaurant "confusion cuisine."

Ugly American could use a little restraint [Daily News]

[Image via Daily News]

The following menus have all been recently added to MenuPages Philadelphia:

• NoLibs bar Irish Times

• Center City Japanese joint Kaizan

• South Street Korean/Japanese Gaja Gaja

• Fairmount Park restaurant Centennial Cafe

• University City takeaway Picnic

South Philly coffeeshop E's Passyunk (located around the corner from the Passyunk Ave. Acme) just got purchased by Benna's Cafe, The Clog reports. Here's the official word:

It'll all become official on Thursday, Jan. 31; the space will undergo extensive renovations (including the installation of equipment to offer pressed juices and smoothies). It's tentatively being called B2.

Benna's buys E's Passyunk [The Clog]

Philadelphia food writer Eileen Talanian just wrote a marshmallow cookbook. Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats is skedded for a March release from Gibbs Smith and includes recipes for dishes like:

• Blood Orange, Rosemary and Zinfadel fluff
• Toasted Coconut marshmallows
• Honey and Cardamom marshmallows
• Champagne marshmallow wedding cake

Talanian, a restaurant consultant, previously wrote dessert cookbook Chewy Cookies and helped develop the pastry line for Xando/Cosi and worked on banquet catering for the Philadelphia Eagles, the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College and others. More information can be found at her website and press release follows after the jump.

Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats [Amazon]
Eileen Talanian [Official Site]

MARSHMALLOWS: NOT JUST FOR S’MORES ANYMORE!

New Book Unveils Gourmet Marshmallow Recipes For Home Cooks.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - In March 2008, expert pastry chef Eileen Talanian will introduce Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, February, $16.95), an exciting 128- page book that demonstrates easy techniques and recipes to create homemade marshmallows in dozens of sweet and savory flavors. The book will feature over 125 recipes with step-by-step instructions ranging from the classic s’mores to the uncommonly delicious blood orange, rosemary and zinfandel fluff.

It’s no secret that Americans love marshmallows—more than 90 million pounds are consumed each year. They are commonly enjoyed in ice cream, cookies, fudge, candy bars, and s’mores. However, marshmallows are gaining new cachet as an upscale gourmet treat. The best part is they are incredibly easy to make! The Washington Post notes: “Freshly made marshmallows are a popular sweet treat in upscale restaurants these days. Folks who encounter them are usually highly impressed having no idea that so long as a sturdy stand mixer is on hand, a home cook can easily prepare these simple candies.” (August 1, 2007).

For those who think marshmallows are only a sweet treat, there are myriad savory recipes for meal accompaniments to dishes such as shrimp skewers, burgers, grilled chicken breasts and roasted pork tenderloins. Along with a variety of tantalizing recipes, Marshmallows supplies readers with helpful sections on ingredients, equipment, tips, techniques, a history of the marshmallow and more.

Recipes include flavors like raspberry crème de cassis, toasted coconut, lemon, honey and cardamom, chocolate ancho chile, chocolate-speckled banana fluff, confetti crispy rice treats, fluff and chocolate-dipped strawberries. In recent months, homemade marshmallows have been featured on Martha Stewart, Oprah, Food Network, Country Living, Chocolatier and Bon Appetit.

Eileen Talanian is an entrepreneurial pastry chef who has served on the Philadelphia chapter board of directors of both the American Institute of Wine and Food and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. She’s a highly sought-after restaurant consultant, providing innovative dessert menu guidance to many upscale and quality-conscious restaurants and corporations. Also author of Chewy Cookies: America’s Comfort Food, Eileen lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. Visit her web site at www.howthecookiecrumbles.com.

Founded in 1969, Gibbs Smith, Publisher specializes in beautifully illustrated lifestyle books on topics ranging from design and architecture to business. Additional cookbooks from Gibbs Smith, Publisher, include S’mores: Gourmet Treats for Every Occasion and The Flying Biscuit Café Cookbook.

Awesome. Michael Klein just tipped us off in his Inquirer column that Tony Luke's is offering a nationally distributed line of frozen foods in partnership with Rastelli Foods. No word yet on which stores will be targeted or the official roll-out date, but here's what Michael has to say:

The South Philly-rooted sandwichery is working with South Jersey's Rastelli Foods to launch a nationally distributed line of Tony Luke's products - steaks, roast pork, broccoli rabe, rolls - into supermarkets, home-shopping TV and through an online store.

Sounds good to us.

Inqlings [Inquirer]

• The newest food trend to accept Philly's warm, wit wiz embrace: Molecular gastronomy.

• More on Vietnam's new West Philly outpost.

• Sampling the goods at new South Street Korean-Japanese resto Gaja Gaja.

• Swedish split pea soup... In Philly. Why the heck not.

• An ode to that long-neglected treat of the Philadelphia phood arsenal, chicken cheesesteaks.

• Eco-friendly kitchens? Why the heck not.

• When food/science writer, locavore partisan and NPR guru Michael Pollan came to Philly, he ate at the White Dog Cafe, the Rose Tattoo and Vietnam. Bourgeois bohemianlicious, people.

• We were hoping and praying that the cupcake trend would skip Philadelphia. We were wrong.

• Temple University has a new Korean restaurant.

• Art Gallery area restaurant Peacock on the Parkway has switched over to serving Pan-Asian food... and it's called Kujaku now.

Have we found Joey Vento's Mexican soulmate? Not really, because Advertising Age columnist Laura Martinez (a Mexican citizen) regretted her fit of Mexi-chauvinism when visiting the Anglo retiree-dominated port town of Puerto Vallarta:

The last straw came one morning at a local food joint. Hoping to get my favorite Mexican breakfast of molletes or huevos rancheros, I was told by a young attendant that breakfast consisted only of bagels. That did it. "Bagels? What the hell are bagels?" I found myself asking in a very loud voice. "I don't know what a bagel is," I told him with a straight face. "We are in Mexico. I am Mexican. I want a Mexican breakfast!" As soon as these words came out of my mouth I realized how stupid I must have sounded. It was pretty clear I looked like a silly, arrogant and ignorant (let alone crazy) person. But it was almost as if the words came out involuntarily, a knee-jerk type of reaction resulting from days of built in frustration and what I thought was a very unfair treatment of people. I guess my feelings were not very different from those of many Americans in places such as Texas, Florida or New York, who keep complaining about the increasing number of Spanish-language signs or non-American food.

But given that, up in New York, an increasing minority of bagelmakers are Mexican... we're gonna venture a guess and say those bagels might have been pretty decent. But still, not that much different from Geno's English-only signs, we suppose.

Battling Bagels and Xenophobia in My Home Country? [Advertising Age]

[Image via Advertising Age]

Pirates love rum. We love Rum. We also found out from Blogalicious that over at Center City's Rum Bar, owner Adam Kanter is offering weekly rum tastings on Wednesdays at 6pm. So kick off work early, swing by, and try some quality rum.

Calling All Pirates [Blogalicious]
Rum Bar [MenuPages]
Rum Bar [Official Site]

One last pizza-related post to comment on. The good folks at Pizzeria Uno (whoops, Uno Chicago Grill) wanted to let us know that frozen Uno pizzas are now being distributed to stores in the Delaware Valley. So if you have a Costco or a New Jersey Pathmark in driving distance... Delicious treats like "pizza skins" (a pizza crust filled with mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese and bacon) or "barbecue chicken flatbread pizza" can now be purchased for home consumption. Personally, we're pizza-delivery types but whatever, right?

Uno Foods [Official Site]

The long forgotten art of fonduing just got a tip and a nod in the New York Times courtesy of food writer Melissa Clark. She confronted the ungainly 1970s-era reputation of the fondue:

But did fondue always have to be the centerpiece of what inevitably comes off as an I Love the ’70s theme party? What if I wanted to make fondue for two? Would we have to wear bell-bottoms?

However, Clark perservered. She contacted noted chef Terrance Brennan (Artisanal) and ended up making some damn, damn good fondue. Here in Philadelphia, the best spot for the dish is chain The Melting Pot, which has branches in Center City, Chestnut Hill and King of Prussia.

A Little Nostalgia, a Long Fork and Lots of Cheese [NY Times]

[Image via New York Times]

This flashback from sportswriter Kerith Gabriel reminded us of exactly how much we love the Wing Bowl:

Finally, we're not the only person at the Daily News who takes the Wing Bowl seriously.

Sportswriter Kerith Gabriel shares his tale of how he came to appreciate the contest:

"I was 19, and he was a contestant named Sloth. And I attribute my passion for Wing Bowl to him.

"For me and I am sure countless others, one of the highlights of being at the annual glutton festival is the anticipation of an eater saying 'uncle' by way of spewing partially digested chicken all over the stage. And to this day for me, no one did it better than Sloth. I remember being up for most of the night, catching a minute or two of sleep between underage binge drinking and listening to 50 Cent. It was my first Wing Bowl, me a sophomore at Drexel and three dorm buddies who convinced me that the daylong fiesta of chicken, alcohol and scantily clad women was worth the price of the already free admission. But by mid-morning, I was too tired to care.

"However, leave it to the exploitation of one's weaknesses to add to the excitement, and there on the jumbo screen was Sloth, gurgling and covering his mouth, his face mixed with the agony of indigestion and the determination of a pseudo-athlete. At that moment when I realized his plight, so did he and the next thing I remember is the loudest roar from the crowd all morning as Sloth spewed for what seemed like an indeterminable amount of time the largest cascade of vomit I have ever seen. Every year, that image is put up recurrently on the jumbo screen and since that day I haven't missed the event."

Viva.

Wing Bowl [Dan Gross]

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A Chinese restaurant just opened in Baghdad. That Baghdad.

The "Chinese Restaurant," located in the upscale (though war-torn) neighrbohood of Karrada, is operated by Chinese emigrants Yan, Tsao, Lo and Wo. Tsao, a native of Yunnan province, has been in Iraq for two years. Yan is his wife and Lo and Wo are friends whom he persuaded to move to Iraq with him.

As for the food, menu items are limited due to the difficulty of obtaining supplies in the middle of a warzone. Guests can choose from dumplings, fried chicken, Chinese breads and sweet pepper and chicken salad. But ultimately, it's not that much different from here in the States:

"This is the only Chinese restaurant in Baghdad," boasts Tsao in the few Arabic words he knows.

The furnishings are simple -- plastic tables and chairs, with small Chinese red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Two posters on the pink walls show film stars Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee in fighting poses.

The cooking is done on a small raised platform in front of customers, who can either eat in or order a takeaway.

Wo, a black woollen hat on his head, prepares dumplings and spinach on a gas cooker. The impressive chef expertly dips a fritter in a pan of sizzling oil.

The dishes of the day are displayed along a plastic rack on cheap crockery. On the menu: "Dumplings, fried chicken legs, Chinese breads, and sweet pepper and chicken salad," recites Tsao.

Under the rack, two bowls of salad are arranged beside a pile of dried sardines. On a stool is the inevitable rice pressure-cooker.

Cooking pots are piled up in the corners between mounds of plates, cleaning cloths and boxes of paper napkins.

Wearing sneakers with built-up heels, Yan washes the dishes in an imposing art deco washbasin that stands out amid the scruffy decor.

The wife of the patron has the hardened hands of a country woman, and she scours the pots and pans with vigour.

"The menu is limited for the moment but it will improve," says Tsao reassuringly. "Like security in Baghdad, it will get better."

The last Chinese restaurant in Baghdad closed two years ago due to violence.

Baghdad gets taste for Chinese Takeaway [Middle East Online]

[Image via Middle East Online]

West Philly's newest dining option is the Vietnam Cafe, on Baltimore Avenue between 47th & 48th Streets. We'll have their menu shortly... in the meantime, the Daily Pennsylvanian just stopped by the restaurant and found a worthwhile place:

On Baltimore Avenue, Lai is aiming for a calmer experience that brings his cuisine closer to some of his patrons. "Lots of customers of Vietnam live in West Philly, that's why I'm bringing Vietnam close to home," he said. Lai and his family - his father opened the deli located next to the Cafe - have been a fixture in the West Philadelphia neighborhood for over twenty years. Lai said he hopes to bring a low-key, highly tasty atmosphere to the new Vietnam Cafe. He says, "We don't need fast food [here], we need family gourmet."

More business on Baltimore Ave. [Daily Pennsylvanian]

[Image via Daily Pennsylvanian]

Can the greasy, gnarly charms of Taco Bell peacably co-exist with TB's new "diet" Fresco Menu? We don't know. I mean, hell, we feel guilty for liking Taco Bell — but a few times a year we'll make the drive down there for a Mexican Pizza, a 7-Layer Burrito or a Chicken Burrito Supreme with extra fire sauce. We admit it. We admit it.

But Chow.com just taste tested Taco Bell's new lower-calorie menu, which just takes regular menu items and swaps out the cheese, cheese sauce and sour cream for a onion/tomato/cilantro salsa. Here's the verdict:

From a nutritional perspective, Fresco makes only a slight difference for smaller items such as the Soft Taco, but it has a reasonably impressive impact on gut-busters such as the steak Burrito Supreme, which goes from 390 calories and 14 grams of fat to 330 calories and 8 grams of fat. Moreover, the addition of salsa (and deletion of cheese) from the Burrito Supreme shifts it palpably away from merely being a tube of tortilla-wrapped meat paste toward tasting a little bit more like … food.

Will Salsa Conquer Processed Cheese? [Chow]

[Image via Chow.com]

Talk is growing that Jason Evanchik of Vintage on 13th Street is planning to renovate a watering hole on Sansom into something considerably more stylish and (lest I identify the existing joint) less Teutonic.

Given that the combination of Sansom and Teutonic means only one thing, this should be interesting.

Finn McCool's, reborn [Inquirer]

Art Museum neighborhood standby St. Stephen's Green existed in a prior incarnation as "Tavern on Green," a popular local spot for beer and brunches. Craig LaBan stoped by the new, 2008-vintage St. Stephen's Green and found the following things:

Still in need of much help are the dining room staff (friendly but unpolished) and the beer list (good craft selections, but with all the wrong glasses and lame advice from the servers).

But such rough edges can be overlooked when the food is this good. Longtime McNamara-lytes will recognize all of the chef's old favorites, reflecting a blend of his classic European style with some of his bar-food updates.

There are his delicate risotto crabcakes, with sweet lumps of crustacean molded into pillows of rice, set over basil butter sauce. Toothsome homemade gnocchi come in porcini cream. And then, there is the chicken cheesesteak, an open-faced baguette toasted with brie, then piled high with tenderly braised poultry, oyster mushrooms and shallots.

Damn it's hard to please Craig LaBan. Interestingly, he's skedded to review a Kosher restaurant in Montgomery County. Will the pork- and seafood-loving LaBan manage to find love in a kitchen where they don't even serve cheeseburgers? Only time will tell.

St. Stephen's Green [Inquirer]

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