• MP: Boston is on the trail of raw food ravioli.

• MP: Chicago is on the trail of old-school Chicago cuisine.

• MP: San Francisco is on the trail of the taco truck killer.

• MP: South Florida is on the trail of wonderful, wonderful vino.

(Click to play)

Fans of the Rittenhouse Square Wawa held a midnight vigil to mourn the loss of their favorite lemonade iced tea source on Thursday night... and, of course, the Philadelphia Weekly was there with a video camera.

Wawa Vigil [PW]

The King of Prussia branch of chain restaurant California Cafe has just named David Butler as their new executive chef. Butler was previously a sous chef at the restaurant. They're also introducing some new menu items as well. Here's the word, directly from the restaurant's PR mailer:

Delicious portobella pizza, a new vegetable platter or fresh Mahi are all in need of trying. Trying to keep your diet lighter for the new year? Don't forget about California Cafe's Asian Chicken Salad. With fresh Napa Cabbage, crisp red peppers and crunchy almonds this salad is sure to please any size hunger.

The KOP store is California Cafe's only east coast location. CC's other branches are located in Minnesota, Colorado and (of course) California.

California Cafe [MenuPages]
California Cafe [Official Site]

The next best thing to a drive-through liquor store (pictured) is a mobile liquor store. According to Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman Nick Hays, the state agency is strongly considering setting up mobile liquor stores in rural areas of the state.

Does this mean that residents of deep Chester, Montgomery and Bucks county are getting their grubby hands on trailers filled with vodka, whiskey and wine? We sure hope so.

Liquor control agency may offer booze on the road [The Patriot-News]

[Image via Bwog]

First things first: We thought this post was a damn good excuse for a Talking Heads video, so enjoy it.

But here's the deal... The Philadelphia Flower Show. You know of it and probably either love it or hate it. Either way, Patrice Rames of Patou contacted us about the restaurant's Flower Shore prix-fie. Starting on Sunday, March 2nd, $30 per person will get you:

First Course (choice of)

Carrot Soup - with lobster, coconut milk and ginger
Spring Salad - with arugula, watercress, spring pea shoots, Begium endive, saffron jumbo lump crabmeat, heart of palm, grape tomato and tarragon lemon vinaigrette
Fricassée - with sautéed wild mushroom, creamy bordelaise sauce and truffle oil
Moroccan Plate - with hummus, eggplant caviar, chickpea and carrot salad, roasted beets and peppers, crispy pita chips

Second Course (choice of)

Parmesan and Rosemary-Crusted Pork Loin - with white bean cassoulet, carrots and onions
Bouillabaisse - with seared monkfish, mussels, jumbo shrimp, clams, crab leg, white potato, fennel, tomato, golden broth and saffron aioli crouton
French Chicken Breast - stuffed with spinach, goat cheese and prosciutto, with mashed sweet potato, caramelized apple and onions, and cognac green peppercorn sauce
Lemon Risotto - with pan-seared dayboat scallops, watercress , spring peas and asparagus

Dessert (choice of)

Nutella Chocolate Crepes - with orange blossom whipped cream
Apricot Lavender Praline Mousse Cake - with vanilla crème anglaise

A similar deal is available at Bistro St. Tropez as well.

Bistro St. Tropez [MenuPages]
Bistro St. Tropez [Official Site]
Patou [MenuPages]
Patou [Official Site]

So Bill Clinton walks into the Penrose Diner...

But it's not a joke. It's real life. The ex-president was working the room on behalf of Hillary Clinton's campaign on Thursday morning. Thanks to the heated competition between Clinton and Obama, Pennsylvania (and its upcoming primary) has become the latest battleground between the two. Here's how the Daily News put it:

Wonder what a seven-week Pennsylvania primary campaign will be like? Ask Nick Poppa.

Sitting on a stool at the Penrose Diner counter trying to finish his eggs and home fries yesterday, the South Philadelphia retiree looked up and saw former President Bill Clinton standing next to him, working the room for his wife - presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"I was making money while you were in there," a stunned and smiling Poppa told Clinton. "No question, things were going good."

The Penrose Diner, located beautifully between I-95 and the Sunoco Refinery in South Philly, was chock full of the working class voters Clinton is aiming for. Following breakfast at the diner, he went on to meet with Governor Ed Rendell and Mayor Michael Nutter.

Something tells us that Bill Clinton is a Greek omlette fan.

At South Philadelphia diner, Bill scrambles for Hill [DN]

[Image via Daily News]

We just added a number of new menus to MenuPages Philadelphia. Highlights:

• The newly resurrected Astral Plane Millenium

• Northeast Philly's nuevo Thai BYOB Kao Tip

• The PETA-friendly lunch truck cuisine of Viva Las Vegans

• Philadelphia's first Uzbek-Russian restaurant, Stolovaya

If you're writing a blog about food in the Delaware Valley, you're going to end up writing about cheesesteaks. It's a fact of life — Philadelphians love cheesesteak like Barney Gumble likes the bottle. So we feel obligated to report that Rick's Steaks saw most of their claims against Reading Terminal dismissed in court:

Judge Bernstein ruled in an order issued Feb. 20 that Rick's Steaks failed to provide evidence in its lawsuit, filed July 30, of terminal-market-management misdeeds, including breach of oral contract, fraud and failure to negotiate in good faith. Bernstein said that although Rick's Steaks said an agreement on the "material terms" of a new long-term lease had been reached, Rick's never detailed what those lease terms were, either in number of years or in rental amount. Bernstein also said that Tony Luke's had done nothing wrong. He did allow Rick's complaint that Olivieri had suffered monetary damages because of the alleged breach of the oral contract to go forward, but proof of actual loss is required to be detailed in further proceedings.

The Rick's Steaks trial is scheduled for June 2. Obviously, we'll be there.

Rick's Steaks dealt setback on Reading Terminal dispute [Daily News]

Saturday marks the first day of March. It's also freakin' cold outside. How does one reconcile the two?

If you're an editor at the Daily News, you commission a piece on seasonal products at area restaurants. Andrew Brown (pictured) of the White Dog Cafe is a fan of fresh lamb. Local cookbook author Aliza Green likes the freshly imported California asparagus. Meanwhile, Brian Lang of the nonprofit Food Trust is a fan of winter greens like collards, kale and Brussels sprouts.

Spring's around the corner. Some great things to eat are already here [Daily News]

[Image via Daily News]

Major League Soccer is coming to Phladelphia. At a press conference yesterday, MLS confirmed that a franchise would be awarded to Philadelphia — and word on the street is that they will be playing in an 18,500-seat park in Chester.

That's right... You won't be forced to root for Red Bull New York or DC United anymore.

So in honor of the good news, how about a shortlist of UK-style soccer hooligan food in Philly?

• University City's New Deck Tavern serves some right-on fries in curry sauce. They might just be PHI's best take on curry chips around.

• The Dark Horse Pub in Society Hill offers a traditional breakfast fry-up: $11.25 gets you eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, fried tomato, fried mushrooms, black pudding and white pudding.

• Irish pub The Bards offers up chicken curries and bangers and mash.

• Sitar India serves England's true national dish: Balti.

Philadelphia market to get soccer franchise [Inquirer]

• Is Philadelphia America's best beer city? It would be, if not for that pesky Liquor Authority.

• The poor Astral Plane Millenium just got slammed again — this time by Elisa Ludwig.

• NoLibs and Old City are getting three new coffee shops.

• A user's guide to the Philadelphia Beer Festival. We need this.

• Philadelphia's top five BYOBs for bringing drinks besides wine too. Mmm... sake.

• Cooking tips for chard and kale.

• An inconvenient truth: Foods have carbon footprints.

• Everyone keeps talking about Pearl. There's a reason for that.

• When George W. rolled into the white house, he kept Bill's executive chef. Now the chef has written a memoir.

• Craig LaB compared the City Hall location of Academia Del Caffe to "a slice of Milano." However, the chain's roots are in the rival city of Trieste. Whoops.

The venerable Wawa at South 20th & Locust Street is closing on Friday. Blog The Illadelph photographed the note on the door at Wawa (above). There's a lot of rumors going around regarding the closing, which we won't get into... Suffice to say — they're gone for good.

But all is not lost. For quick Rittenhouse Square-area breakfasts, we've learned from Food & Drinq that Snackbar is entering the fray. The high-falutin' restaurant is going to start selling coffee, doughnuts, bagels, fruit, juices and newspapers to-go starting on Friday.

Rittenhouse Wawa Effs Loyal Customers [The Illadelph]
Snackbar Adds Mornings [Food & Drinq]

We're addicted to watching the television show "Parking Wars." We'll admit it. That's why we were so happy to see Blogalicious' list of Philly food references in Parking Wars. A small sample:

1) Ticket-writer, animal lover, and outdoorsman Brian clues us into (brace yourself) a patch of wild strawberries growing in the shadow of the Blue Cross building. Wild strawberries! In Center City!

2) Folks in the Northeast really heart Rita’s water ice. Enough to illegally park in a bus zone to grab a quick cup anyway. We say, Boo! Rita’s can’t hold a pretzel rod to the water ice at John’s (pineapple), Mancuso’s (lemon), and Italiano’s (iced tea). Spring, please hurry the $%@# up.

3) The PPA impound lot is within walking distance of both John’s Roast Pork and IKEA. Oooh those cinnamon buns.

What Parking Wars Can Teach Us About Food [Blogalicious]

A few years ago, we went on holiday to Belgium. While there, we were taken aback by the fact that Pizza Hut sold a knockwurst-stuffed-crust pizza. But, as crazy as European pizzas might be, they don't compare to the unique pies sold in Asia. Robyn Lee of Slice just compiled a guide to Asia's strangest pizzas, including Pizza Hut's Whole Shrimp Cheese Bite (pictured, with whole shrimp and cheese stuffed into the crust!) and Domino's Triple Cheese Pizza, which is made out of a stack of three thin crusts with cheddar, camembert and emmental slathered between each layer. Just think of it as an unholy pizza analogue to the turducken, and you'll be on the right track.

Top Ten Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts [Slice]

You can't make this kind of thing up — twin gay-porn stars were arrested in the robbery of a South Philly buffalo wing takeout. Brothers Keyontyli and Taleon Goffney area accused of breaking into the Wings and More and 9th and Washington in the Italian Market and robbing the store along with a beauty shop next door. They're also suspected of robbing a South Philadelphia Rite Aid and two suburban Wawas.

The twins recently starred in a gay hardcore-porn internet film called "Marc and the Twins." Philadelphia Daily News reporters Stephanie Farr & Dan Gross managed to land one of the weirdest quotes we've ever read in the newspaper as a result:

In "Marc and the Twins," which was distributed only online, the Goffneys are hanging out on the Las Vegas strip when they offer to audition for "Marc," a chiseled black porn star who happens to pass by. The three take the "audition" to a seedy hotel room. Although "Marc" is the focus of the encounter, the twins can be seen rubbing each other's chests and getting cozy. "Marc and the Twins" seems to be the most popular of the online porn films that star Taleon and Keyontyli. Their co-star in the film, Marc Williams, is a fairly big name in gay porn, according to Erik Schut, editorial director of Philadelphia-based TLA Entertainment Group. The company's Web site, TLAVideo.com, is the nation's largest retailer of gay porn DVDs. To Schut's knowledge, the twins have not appeared in any porn films available on DVD, but he said if they had chosen to further their career in porn, "They could have been huge." "Two incredibly beautiful black men and twins - it's unprecedented," Schut said. "Ethnic, gay models are rare."

Yeah, we learn something new everyday.

Twin gay-porn stars arrested in rooftop burglaries [Daily News]

[Image via Daily News]

Jose Garces' ambitious Basque-style small plates restaurant Tinto almost made it into the New York Times. Food critic Frank Bruni compiled his list of America's top ten restaurants that aren't in New York and Tinto just missed the list:

The 5 of the 15 restaurants that didn’t make my final cut were Ad Hoc in Yountville, Calif., Thomas Keller’s casual counterpoint to the French Laundry; the two-month-old Takashi, which serves a sort of Japanese-French fusion in Chicago; Tinto, with an array of artful tapas in Philadelphia; Lüke, the chef John Besh’s brasserie in New Orleans; and Comme Ça, the chef David Myers’s brasserie in West Hollywood, Calif.

That stinks, but we'd say that being shortlisted with Thomas Keller is a pretty good consolation prize.

Coast to Coast, Restaurants That Count [NY Times]
Tinto [MenuPages]
Tinto [Official Site]

• Matyson is the reigning heavyweight champ of Philadelphia's BYOB. But how is the food? It's pretty damn good.

• Alcohol makes you loosen your wallet. Maybe that's why Rum Bar is hosting a trunk show in the bar on Thursday.

• Yes, women like beer. Did you know we're suckers for a cute girl who likes her Boddington's?

• Newtown's Jules Thin Crust pizza is hiring.

• Work in that funky skyscraper next to 30th Street Station. We don't know what exactly is causing all these vacancies, but Rae has a number of low-to-mid-level vacancies.

• Estia is hiring bartenders for the day and evening shifts.

In Philadelphia, Eric Ripert is best known as the boldface name behind upcoming restaurant 10 Arts. Of course, he's also the chef of New York's legendary Le Bernadin. He's also a bit of a television star — check out this clip of him on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" working the Les Halles line with Anthony.

More good news from the soon-to-open Memphis Taproom — aka the coolest restaurant we've heard of in a while.

They've hired a new chef, Jesse Kimball, formerly of Lacroix:

Prior to LaCroix, Jesse spent two years mastering New American cuisine at Matyson, the popular 19th Street BYOB. Jesse got his Philadelphia start as an apprentice to Food and Wine’s Best New Chef 2004, Dominic Filoni at Bianca, in Bryn Mawr. He received a culinary degree and the Best Young Culinary award from the Art Institute in Philadelphia.

Memphis Taproom [Official Site]
Memphis Taproom Hires Chef, Acquires Full Time Spanky [Foobooz]

Kraft is going after a fancy new market for their frozen food: People who are too lazy to put cream cheese on their bagel. The frozen foods giant is launching a new line of breakfast sandwiches called Bagel-Fuls. Essentially, they're frozen bagels stuffed with cream cheese:

Kraft's new Bagel-Fuls brand are frozen bagels, which come stuffed with Philadelphia cream cheese. Kraft sells everything from Maxwell House coffee to Oscar Mayer meats, but cheese is still a key part of its business. Last year the company's North America cheese and food-service business had revenue of $6.4 billion. [...] "Consumers are not spending a lot of time cooking these days," said Chitra Ebenezer, the director of marketing for the new brand. "Breakfast is one meal occasion they really struggle with."

I Am Tired of Spreading Cream Cheese on a Bagel for Myself [Serious Eats]
Kraft to unveil new breakfast brand [Marketwatch]

Blogalicious has some info on the new restaurant at the Borgata, which is aiming for a second quarter opening.

Here's the deal:

It's named Izakaya. In Japanese, "izakaya" means "pub." More specifically, it's a compound word made out of "i" (to remain) and "sakaya" (sake shop). You know, a sake shop you can drink in.

Obviously, Izakaya is going to take inspiration from them. Chef Michael Schulson, who cooked at Pod before moving on to the Style Network, will be running the kitchen.

But unlike those Japanese pubs, Izakaya is going to be a bit more swanky. The combination restaurant/club will feature a sushi bar, a yakitori bar and is hiring (natch) a sake sommellier. Izakaya is going to replace the old Suilan restaurant.

And the Name of Borgata's New Restaurant Is... [Blogalicious]

The meat eating crew over at the Philadelphia Inquirer (well, actually reporter Alfred Lubano) is asking the big question: will 2008's beef recall encourage people to go vegetarian?

People, this is Philadelphia. City of beef and pork-based monster sandwiches. Of course not.

William Rabutino, a former butcher having lunch near Martin's Quality Meats at the market, said he knows why. "We're meant to eat meat," he said. "It's a little cruel. But they're animals. How else are we supposed to live in this world?" [...] "I was raised on meat," said Daniel Bundy, a 41-year-old airline worker who grew up in Vineland. He was chowing down on a cheesesteak at Rick's Philly Steaks with his son, Malik, 10. "I will eat it till I'm gone. To me, it's all about survival of the fittest, man over animal. And I love beef."

We're guessing Rabutino and Bundy won't be going to Horizons anytime soon.

Will that big beef recall steer people to veggies? [Inquirer]

[Image via Inquirer]

The hopes and dreams of millions of Cubans were dashed when Raul Castro was named as Fidel's successor. But that doesn't mean Cuban restaurants should avoid publicity stunts. Hell, if they didn't... it'd be downright unamerican.

Until Thursday, February 28, eaters at Cuba Libre (in both its Philly & Atlantic City incarnations) get a complimentary Cuba Libre cocktail with each meal. Also:

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is also inviting guests to sign Cuba Libre’s “Freedom Book” to express their own hope for democracy. Cuba Libre’s “Freedom Book” is a living document that has been circulating since early 2007. The book is available for viewing and signing from February 24-28 at the restaurant’s Philadelphia location and can be signed online at http://cubalibrerestaurant.com/freecuba/. Cuba Libre hopes to one day send this list of thousands of names to a free Cuban government. Also available for viewing at the restaurant is a copy of Fidel Castro’s high school yearbook, which features his class photo.

Cuba Libre [MenuPages]
Cuba Libre [Official Site]

Upscale sushi is coming to South Philadelphia. Taste Daily is reporting that Paradiso owner Lynn Rinaldi is opening a BYOB Japanese at Passyunk and Tasker.

The menu will lean towards sushi and tempura. Executive chef Corey Baver (also of Paradiso) is also going to have complimentary beer at the BYOB courtesy of brother Scott Baver - brew master for Reading's Legacy Brew Master. All patrons will be treated to a free glass of Baver's ginger-laced beer.

Sushi heads South [Taste Daily]

Now that Pearl is in soft open mode in the old Little Pete's at Chestnut and 19th, all the Philly foodies are happy. The food's pan-Asian, per 2008's obligatory hipness factor and chef Ari Weiswasser is an alum of the Striped Bass. But the menu... What about it? Oh yeah, Food & Drinq is offering a sneak preview — we'll have the official menu shortly.

Highlights include pho-braised short ribs ($26), a raw bar, braised king shrimp with bouillabaisse ($28) and cashew wok chicken ($18).

Sneak peak at Pearl [Food & Drinq]

[Image via Food & Drinq]

The founder of barbecue chain Famous Dave's (which has locations in the Northeast and Springfield) is opening his own amuseument park. "Famous Dave" Anderson is opening the $135 million KeyLime Cove, a 400-room water park resort located halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. Here's the scoop:

At KeyLime Cove, that world is a tropical resort, awash in pastel colors, with umbrella drinks, floral scents and a layout of shops and restaurants designed to resemble a Key West street. The 65,000-square-foot water park has huge tube and body slides, a lazy river, whirlpools and other features. Anderson also touts an attention to details. The bedsheets have a higher thread count than those found at other hotels, so they're more comfortable, he said. The rooms feature flat-screen TVs, high-end Keurig coffee makers and other amenities. Guests, including children, can use their wristbands - equipped with radio transmitters - to pay for meals, arcade game tokens and other items, allowing them to explore the resort without having to carry cash or credit cards. The restaurants include D.W. Anderson's Eatery and Ice Cream Parlor, which Anderson hopes to turn into a chain of free-standing, franchised locations. The menu features burgers and other comfort food.

What can you say... Dave likes naming the restaurants after himself.

Famous Dave's founder takes on Dells with water park of his own [JS Online]

[Image via Madison A to Z]

Good news for coffee fans: On Tuesday, February 16 (you know, tomorrow), Dunkin Donuts will be offering 99c lattes from 1pm until 10pm in hopes of promoting their espresso drinks. We thought we would share that as a public service. After all, we know there is a Dunkin Donuts in your neighborhood.

Get Dunkin Donuts latte for 99 cents on Tuesday February 26 [Slashfood]

A few months ago, GHo area restaurant Astral Plane was shut down by its longtime owner, the flamboyant Reed Apaghian. After 34 years in the business, it was time to move on.

But the Astral Plane was purchased by new owners: Namely ChriStevens Catering owner Christine Fischer and partner Clara Gomez. They reopened the restaurant as the Astral Plane Millenium. Then Craig LaBan stopped by to cover it for the Inquirer. He didn't like it. We mean he really, really didn't like it:

After a couple of dreary and overpriced meals, I really wish this kitchen would focus more on the food. What was that viscous greenish ooze slicked across the raw scallop carpaccio? It's just parsley and oil, it turns out. But it accentuated the fishiness of the raw shellfish, which should typically be sweet. A steaming pile of sauteed scallops in the middle of the raw ones made it even worse. The cooked seafood wasn't much better. A $25 entree of red snapper and shellfish served in a wax-paper bag was so overdone (in fact, the ingredients were pre-cooked before being baked together in the bag) it was like sawing through a bad banquet chicken breast. The dish was kindly removed from our bill in a proper gesture of contrition, since it was nearly inedible. But it was only the tip of Astral Plane Millenium's cooking troubles. The menu designed by Fischer and executed by chef Gildardo Zavala is all over the place, from an Italianesque section of carpaccios and homemade pastas to Greek salad, curry and numerous Latin flavors. The Mexican-born Zavala, who worked several years in the Italian kitchens of Girasole, has the background to pull it off. But Astral Plane fails so consistently I have to wonder if the owners are paying close enough attention. There were a few highlights. The raw beef carpaccio was classically good, the rose-colored rounds of filet mignon laid on the plate like a paper flower beneath a tuft of arugula. The tuna carpaccio was also tasty and fresh, with piquant capers, olives, and sweet sun-dried tomato bits lighting it up.

It goes on like that. Mostly on the negative.

Astral Plane Millenium [Inquirer]
Astral Plane Millenium [Official Site]

• MP: Boston is fixated on Bostonian scallops.

• MP: Chicago has found the best sausage sandwich ever.

• MP: San Francisco is fighting the liquor bans.

• MP: South Florida knows that it's time for spring training.

A 16-year-old girl was beaten by a gang of teenagers on the subway over french fries. The unnamed girl was assaulted on the Broad Street Line just before the Logan stop:

The girl and her friends are students at Philadelphia Girls High School, and got on the Broad Street Subway on Tuesday after school. It was the next stop, which was at Broad and Logan, that 12 girls they didn't know got on, the girl said. One knocked french fries out of her friend's hand. "Then four girls attacked me," the girl said, "pulling my hair and just grabbing it, swinging my head around and pounding on my head." With no SEPTA help in sight, NBC 10 News reported, the girl said the assault would have continued if it wasn't for an unarmed vigilante. "A lady who was sitting on the train near us decided enough was enough," the girls said. "She reached into her purse a little bit and moved her hand around as if she had a weapon. She's screaming at the girls to back up, and the girls yielded." The 12 girls sprinted out of the SEPTA train at Broad and Erie, police said. The only description the victims had was that the attackers all wore shirts from Hope Charter School.

Stay classy, Philadelphia.

French Fries To Blame For SEPTA Station Gang Beating [NBC10]

It's Friday, the weather sucks and it's time for restaurant voyeurism. Over at Blogalicious, they've got some sneak peek pictures of the much-awaited Union Cafe & Market.

But, yeah. It's snowing out and we're going to go back to staring out the window and dreaming of french onion soup.

Delayed Restaurant Paparazzi [Blogalicious]

Life's tough for old-school Jewish delis. Selling oversized pastrami sandwiches, stuffed derma (aka "Hebrew Haggis") and chicken-in-the pot is a cash flow drag compared to your typical sushi restaurant or northern Italian trattoria.

Maybe that's the reason why Murray's, the Berwyn corned beef institution, decided to retool their dinner menu to serve New American fare. Fuggedabout the corned beef specials and french fries; they're going for the beet-and-goat-cheese salad and the pancetta wrapped pork tenderloin.

Any deli which sells pork wrapped in bacon is alright with us. As for the night menu, they're calling it "bistro M." Main Line Today described it as "Manhattan meets Westchester (N.Y., not Pa.)." Sounds interesting.

Murray's Main Line [Official Site]
bistro M in Main Line Today Magazine [The Latest Dish]

Two things we learned reading Taste Daily this morning:

1. Eric Ripert's pastry chef at the upcoming 10 Arts project has a blog.

2. Said pastry chef, Michael Laiskonis, is infatuated with Tastykakes:

A Pennsylvania native, Michelle explained that Tastykake is a much adored regional snack, a source of local pride right alongside the cheese steak. I understand such nostalgia; I think every region of the country has similar products that form an association with our childhood and where we grew up. But the Tastykake phenomenon was confirmed by another Philly girl and one of my own assistants, Monica, who dutifully delivered the goods to the pastry kitchen. It turns out there are several varieties, and everyone familiar with them has a personal favorite.

We're dedicated Coconut Junior fans ourselves. In any case, Laiskonis is offering up recipes for deconstructed Tastykakes. We like.

Will Eric Ripert Serve Us Tastykakes? [Taste Daily]
Found Objects [Michael Laiskonis]

[Image via Michael Laiskonis]

Joe Sixpack's money quote from today's Daily News about Italian beer:

Italian beer - isn't that one of those classic oxymorons, like giant shrimp and Microsoft Works? Moretti, Peroni . . . and then what? Would you believe beer made with chestnuts? How about pineapple, tea leaves, licorice, carob or grapes?

Recommended beer types include the Val D'Aosta Seson and Birrifico Del Ducato's Nuova Mattina.

Do you know where we can get these beers in Philly or South Jersey? Let us know.

Italy - the next great brewmaster? [Daily News]

Chef, author and unofficial MP icon Anthony Bourdain just gave an interview to Fodor's where he revealed his favorite New York spots. As a matter of fact, he recommends legendary sushi restaurant Masa as a first date litmus test:

I'll go where the food is. I think the Time Warner Center is the ugliest building in the universe, but I'd walk through hell to eat at Per Se or Masa. I just signed a contract for a nice advance for a book, and I'm looking to totally reward myself and do something really outrageously expensive and self indulgent. A woman might go out for an Hermès bag, I go to Masa. That's also a really good first date place. Take someone to Masa and if they don't eat absolutely everything, there's no possibility of a relationship.

Top Chef Travels - Anthony Bourdain [Fodor's]

We've got good news for two of our favorite target demographics: Alcoholics and music fans.

Noche and Drinker's Pub owner Avram Hornik is planning a 20,000 square foot music venue designed to rival both the Trocadero and the TLA(*).

After a deal in Fishtown fell through to open in a space on the ever-gentrifying corner of Front St. & Girard Ave., Hornik is back talking to real estate agents and looking at potential spaces. His business partner in the project is Mark Fichera.

*: As a matter of pride, we're not calling it "The Fillmore." Sorry, Live Nation.

Avram Hunting for New Music Venue [Impresario/PhillyMag]

A British restaurant employee decided to curse out patrons via receipt. Here's what happened: A party of ten who were dining at Joe Delucci's Steak & Pasta House, an Italian-American restaurant in Lichfield were allegedly given poor service during a meal. Then they complained. Then they were handed the receipt pictured at right, which lists "Suck my d*** f*** face" as an appetizer — right above the buffalo wings and fish cakes they ordered as appetizers. According to patron Claire Watkin:

"I couldn't believe it. The bill read 'fish cakes', which one of us had for a starter, and it was written right above it - absolutely disgusting language. [...] We actually booked the table for 8 o' clock in the evening, by the time they had taken our order it was quarter to nine and we didn't actually receive our food until quarter past 10. [...] I'd like a written apology from the restaurant and I'd also like some compensation. [...] I think that the way that we've been spoken to is absolutely outrageous."

The owner promises an investigation — and we're getting the sneaking suspicion that some of the employees at Delucci's might not be the smartest eggs in the basket as a result.

Have a similar restaurant horror story? Let us know. We may or may not publish it, but we'd definitely like to hear it.

Restaurant sorry over F word bill [BBC]

[Image via BBC]

The Daily News is ga-ga for tater tots. Yes, tater tots: The frozen, pre-made potato nuggets that are a staple at school cafeterias, Jones and finer bars everywhere. Today, we got a wire story service on tater tots and a recipe for DIY tater tots. Relevant graf:

The Vortex club in Atlanta hosts a monthly "Boozer Doodle and Tater Tot Extravaganza," in which would-be artists sketch burlesque dancers, drink to excess and help themselves to the endless single-item buffet. (As often as not, they sketch fetishized images of the Tots; some can be viewed at: www.flickr.com/photos/thevortex/sets/ 72157600218916785.

This generation also has definitively dropped the "tater." Following the example set by Napoleon Dynamite, the movies' patron saint of awkward youth, these fried snacks have become "Tots" in common parlance.

Once a popular food earns its retro cachet these days, the fine-dining crowd can't be far behind. Don't believe it?

Michel Richard - the great chef at Citronelle in Washington - has five little words to shake your soul: "Tater Tot foie gras ravioli!" the chef exclaimed by telephone. "I make the Tater Tot mixture, fill it with foie gras and then saute it until it crisps. They're wonderful."

Tater Tots, America's favorite potato snack. is bigger & cooler than ever [DN]
Go Ahead, Make Your Own Tater Tots [DN]

[Image via swirlogirl!]

• Now that the media's grace period is over, the CP checked out the new, Southern Marigold Kitchen. Was the food any good? Hell yes it was.

• Center City East burrito joint El Fuego is spawning.

• Months after we wrote about it, we read the paper and found that Korean fried chicken finally got a print shoutout.

• In Roxborough, Bob's Diner is keeping the old school alive.

• Those crazy hipsters at Space 1026 are holding a food n' art show.

• Chinatown's best late night snacks.

• Rich people are different from you and me: They order home-cooked, delivered meals for their dogs.

• Rick Nichols weighs in on obesity and chain reestaurants. Mmm... quadruple bacon cheeseburger with extra bypass.

• Peter Dunminre of Northern Liberties' North Third would like you to know that he makes a killer soup.

• Man, how big of a business loan did Bobby Chez take out? Fresh on the opening of their new Broad & South Street location, the crab cake takeaway kings announced that they're opening a full service restaurant in Glen Mills. Yup, we've never heard of Glen Mills either... Apparently it's halfway between Media and West Chester. Go 'burbs!

The Lone Star Steakhouse chain is in a bit of trouble. Lone Star, which has Philly-area locations in King of Prussia and Langhorne, announced today that they are closing 27 restaurants and laying off 1500 employees.

The Langhorne branch, we hear, is among the casualties.

Your pink slip is showing [The Scoop]

The world's best fried chicken is made in Georgia. No, not our Georgia — though much love to the good folks of Macon. Thanks to going to high school with a lot of folks from Russia and points east, we realized the world's best fried chicken is called chicken tabaka and it's from the Republic of Georgia in the former Soviet Union.

Chicken tabaka (Tobacco chicken) is one of those dishes that's genius in its simplicity: A partially deboned chicken is flattened, coated with plenty of raw garlic and hot pepper and fried under a brick. It's greasy, super-crispy and ridiculously delicious.

Basically, it's chicken that makes the good Colonel look like the lowly punk he is. Here in Philly, we have a Georgian restaurant that serves the dish. Piroshki on Krewstown Road is a Georgian restaurant that does a spot-on rendition of the dish. Actually, we've written about them before. BucksCo's Russian Tea House offers it as well.

Piroshki [MenuPages]
Russian Tea House [MenuPages]

[Image via Grub Street]

That massive beef recall we've been hearing so much about has officially hit Philly. Our good friends at the Philadelphia public school system have decided to remove beef from school menus. That's right: Recalled beef was sent to Philly public schools.

Specifically, the school district bought meat that had not been tested for E. coli, salmonella or mad-cow disease from six seperate regional processors. That's one more thing to worry about if your kid is in Philly public schools. Awesome.

Meat recall forces all beef off Phila. school menus [Daily News]

Yes, Neil Stein (pictured) has cool glasses. But the fallen restaurateur is also knee deep in debt.

Stein told the Inquirer's Michael Klein that he "still owe[s] a few dollars."

But a few dollars means a lot more than just a few thousand. According to Stein attorney Nino V. Tinari, he owes more than $155,000.

You've gotta sell a whole lot of Rougeburgers to make that up.

Neil Stein is a man with a plan - and a debt [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Popular Queens Village restaurant Ansill has just introduced a new late night menu. That's not all: Chef David Ansill has also decided to resurrect dishes from his old restaurant, Ansill, every Sunday. But here's a sample late night menu for your entert