File this under things we didn't know: In Pennsylvania, you can spend your benefits at the beer distributor. Says KYW:

"David Reed (R-Indiana County) says the state Liquor Control Board already prohibits the use of welfare electronic benefit cards at state liquor stores, but he thinks the law needs to go further.

Now, the House Liquor Control Committee has approved a measure, sponsored by Reed, that would expand the ban on the use of welfare benefit cards at state stores to include child support payment cards, and would also prohibit the use of those benefit cards to buy alcohol at bars, restaurants, and beer distributorships:

“This was brought to me by case workers at my local county assistance office who had started to notice a growing trend of -- especially with the child support payment cards -- those being used inappropriately at state stores.”

Reed says the benefits are intended to give adults a second chance and to provide for children, and should not be used to purchase alcohol."

Err, alcolicious?

News [KYW]

If there are two things we can appreciate, it's pizza and crazy art school kids. That's why we were kinda sorta thrilled to see how two MFA students at the University of the Arts just wrote (drumroll)...

The Pizza Book: An Illustrated Guide to Philadelphia's Best and Worst Slices.

The authors of the book, Gregory Pizzoli and Ansley Joe, will be appearing on Saturday, May 10 at UArt's Gallery One for a one-day t-shirt exhibit called The Kids Are Uptight.

According to the Philadelphia City Paper (whom we just learned about it from):

"The guide — nay, bible — reviews the actual slices, as well as factors such as service, bathrooms and beverage options. Its handwritten pages and occasional sadistic tomato doodles lend it a pizza diary feel."

All we know is that anyone who likes pizza and The Who is alright with us. Because we really like pizza too, y'know?

The Pizza Book [Gigposters.com]
Doctor Pizzoli [Official Site]

Sweet. George Hummel and Nancy Rigberg of Philly beer purveyors Home Sweet Homebrew were just honored by Governor Rendell for their contributions to Philadelphia tourism.

Not only that, but Home Sweet Homebrew provided beer for the 2008 Keystone Society for Tourism induction ceremony in cooperation with Nodding Head.

Other nominees included Scranton mayor Christopher A. Doherty and Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation CEO Meryl Levitz.

Nodding Head [MenuPages]
Nodding Head [Official Site]

A former assistant manager of the Striped Bass who was shot in 2003 was stabbed on Wednesday in what the New York Post says was a mafia-related incident.

The man in question, George Atterbury, is currently general manager of popular New York restaurant Grayz. According to the Post:

"Atterbury, general manager of Grayz restaurant on West 54th Street, told cops he was hailing a cab when three men drove up in a black SUV, got out and stabbed him in the abdomen and slashed him in the face with a boxcutter or razor."

NYPD sources told the paper Atterbury had ties to the Philadelphia mob. Funnily enough, Atterbury had just been interviewed by the popular New York food blog Eater.

We wish Mr. Atterbury a swift recovery.

Mob Stabbing [NYP]
The Gatekeepers: Grayz's George Atterbury [Eater]
Striped Bass [MenuPages]
Striped Bass [Official Site]

In case you haven't heard, Saturday is National Pretzel Day. Philly Pretzel Factory is offering three free pretzels to all customers on Saturday and numerous other local pretzel joints are getting in on the holiday as well. And, while they aren't Philadelphia-style pretzel chains, both Auntie Anne's and Pretzel Time are getting in on the holiday as well.

Philly Pretzel Factory [MenuPages]

[Image via Roadfood]

On a recent visit to the Philly area, Barack Obama stopped by a ShopRite in East Norriton for a photo-op.

Judging from the picture above, Obama was pretty surprised to discover the existence of Tastykakes.

What type of Tastykake would Obama prefer? [Philly Edge]
Obama Mystified By Tastykakes [Philadelphia Will Do]

Poor Barack Obama just made the biggest PR error possible when visiting Philly (in primary season!) — he didn't try a cheesesteak. During a half-hour tour of the Italian Market, Obama visited Claudio Specialty Food and DiBruno Brothers, where he tried a $99.99 jamon Iberico ham. Afterwards, he told a crowd of supporters at the Penyslvania Convention Center that "I'm going to get a cheesesteak next time I come."

But political analyst Larry Ceiser thinks the cheesesteak omission was intentional:

"I think some of the places that were must-stops, aren't must stops any more [...] "I think some of the places that were must-stops, aren't must stops any more. I think that the Kerry experience was certainly a bad experience and I think the candidates look at that. Also, I don't think they want to take the chance of the immigration issue."

For those with short memories, John Kerry committed a major food etiquette faux pas by ordering a cheesesteak with swiss cheese back in 2004 that gave some pundits ammo. That stinks, friends. If cheesesteaks can't stay apolitical, what can?

Obama: "I'll try that cheesesteak next time" [Daily News]

[Image via Associated Press]

How much food are Phillies fans expected to consume on opening day? The Illadelph found out:

On OPENING DAY, fans [at CBP] are expected to consume:

15,000 Hot Dogs
6,000 Soft Pretzels
5,000 Philadelphia Cheesesteaks
4,000 Pounds of French Fries
4,000 Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
3,000 Slices of Pizza
3,000 Bags of Peanuts
2,000 Orders of Chicken Tenders
2,000 Bags of Cotton Candy
2,000 Bags of Popcorn
1,500 Ice Cream Helmet Cups
1,200 Orders of Chickie’s & Pete’s Crab Fries
1,100 Bull’s BBQ Sandwiches
1,000 Orders of Nachos
1,000 Hamburgers
800 Bags of Cracker Jack
700 The Schmitter sandwiches from McNally’s Tavern
500 Hoagies and Sandwiches from Planet Hoagie
400 Gallons of Ice Cream

Let us be the first to say... damn.

Breaking (Green Alert) [The Illadelph]

It's St. Patrick's Day, so let's write St. Patricks-y. Specifically, let's go for that most Philadelphian of Hibernian-esque treats: Irish potatoes. Philly Mag's Taste Daily just did an excellent Irish Potato Roundup that's well worth checking out:

The gussied-up potatoes coming out of Emerald Confections’ Mayfair kitchen (pictured) are creamier than the original variety and dipped in milk, dark, white or mint chocolate. And they’ve shared the recipe with us. [...] Pick your favorite ice cream (vanilla lends the purest flavor) and Center City’s Scoop DeVille will blend in shredded coconut, cinnamon and, of course, house-made Irish potatoes.

In Search of Irish Potatoes [Taste Daily]

The last time we wrote about Tony Luke's was... four days ago. But it's not just because Philadelphians love their roast pork and chicken cutlet italianos.

Proprietor Tony Luke Jr. is starring in an indie film about boxing:

Northeast/Trenton-raised Leo Rossi is producing and co-starring in the picture, written by Jason Noto and directed by James Quattrochi. Luke has slimmed down considerably recently, but has not been able to work out for a few weeks due to surgery on a deviated septum. Luke, who has appeared in "10th & Wolf," and "Invincible," has a background in boxing and karate and feels he'll be able to pull off playing fighter Joey "The Nail" Nardone, who is trying to rebuild his life after being released from prison.

Rossi, who plays Luke's trainer in the film, just produced "Wisegal," a Lifetime original movie that stars Alyssa Milano and James Caan. It airs at 9 tonight. Rossi worked with Milano in "Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story," a 1993 television movie.

Related: Alyssa Milano and James Caan starred in a Lifetime made-for-tv movie?

Tony's in the big screen ring [DN/Dan Gross]
Tony Luke's [MenuPages]
Tony Luke's [Official Site]

• India farmer suicides peaking despite food prices and country's prosperity [Reuters]
• Pepsi aiming its new no-cal carbonated fruity "Tava" at the "reborn digital" [NYTimes]
• Frightened parents switching in droves from chemical-y plastic to glass bottles [AP]
• Five food additives that ought to scare the crap out of you! Or not really [Newsweek]
• Chinese really hammering home their contention that Olympic food will be safe [ChinaDaily]
• FAO identifies three dozen "crisis" countries facing food shortage crunches [WaPo]
• Never fear: Clooney and pals donate cash to keep Darfur food heli-delivery aloft [AFP]

Hilarious. You know, there can be a lot of fun in translation. Just ask the folks at Engrish. But rarely do you get a gem of this caliber. Ass-hot chicken? You know it! A plate of ass steak? Nothin' butt! (sorry-that was cheeky) Too bad there's no Ass hot dog up there. Ah, the golden age of film...

Anyway, here's why this exists: It's a menu for a burger stand in Quebec, where they speak Franglais. "Ass" stands for "assiette," which basically means "assortment plate," according to Neatorama. But dude, by this time they have to know how funny it is. You got to hand it to them for the sheer commitment. "Ass 2 pain?" We bet.

And what's with the soft-porn lamp hanging down there on the right? That thing deserves a menu board all its own.

Ass Burger! [Neatorama]
Title Credit: Adam P

• Biofuels "2.0," i.e. cellulosic ethanol, to ease food crop demand [FoodNav]
• Can you grow fruit trees in your urban backyard? Sure, why not [NYTimes]
• Beef recall co. CEO somewhat unrepentant under Congressional scrutiny [Tribune]
• FDA discloses dozens of spinach sanitary violations it ignored [WaPo]
• CT school punishes, unpunishes star 8th grader for buying candy [AP]
• USDA kind of dicking Guam over on food stamps for admin. reasons [PNC]

• McDonald's sales up 12% over last February (paging Dr. Leap Day?) [Tribune]
• Nestle, smelling profits, to open Swiss chocolate research center [Bloomberg]
• Bandits now plundering half of WFP food deliveries in Darfur [AFP]
• Gorton's fish fillets recalled as pills found in ths sticks! [USAToday]
• We don't really know diddly-squat about the nanotech we're eating [The Age]
• 4oz wine and beer samples in supermarkets? Wa. state says, "sure"! [AP]

Round 2 of voting in the Citypaper's Beeramid is now on.

Current results as of Wednesday, 1pm:

Appalachian Brewing Company Jolly Scot Scottish Ale is leading Manayunk Brewery Schuylkill Punch by 299 - 267.

Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout is outgunned by Flying Fish Belgian Abbey Dubbel. It's a 290 - 276 competition.

Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale is beating Stoudt's Scarlet Lady 292 - 272.

Nodding Head Grog is freakin' beating Victory Hop Devil by 464-102.

Now go ahead and vote, you lushes. Round two ends on Friday.

Beeramid [CP]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Click to play

Because we love you, here's an Epicurious tour of actresss Debi Mazar's kitchen.

Debi Mazar [Epicurious]

This particular MenuPages editor is addicted to caffeine. He'll gladly admit it. That's why he was kind of stoked to find this guide to optimal caffeine consumption from science blog Developing Intelligence. How to get the most out of your coffee?

1) Consume in small, frequent amounts (between 20-200mg per hour. Hells yes!)
2) Play to your cognitive strengths while wired
3) Play to caffeine's strengths (use sugar instead of Sweet n' Low... and nicotine speeds the metabolism of caffeine!)
4) Tweak caffeine intake based on your own particular neurological and cardiovascular quirks... After all, if you sweat after two cups of coffee, it ain't a smart idea.
5) Stick to coffee or green tea for maximum efficiency.

Caffeine: A User's Guide to Getting Optimally Wired [Developing Intelligence]

[Image via Tom G. Palmer]

Man oh man. The Onion just put together a list of B-list-celebrity endorsed foodstuffs. Here's what they review:

• Smokey Robinson Down Home Pot Roast
• Dwight Yoakam's Chicken Lickin's Buffalo Style Bites
• Mike Ditka Coach's Cut pork chops
• Dexter Holland Gringo Bandito Hot Sauce
• Jeff Foxworthy Grillin' Sauces (pictured)
• Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt energy drink
• Ben & Jerry's Stephen Colbert Americone Dream
• Cheech Marin "Waatsappenin" Hot Sauces
• Sammy Hagar Cabo Wabo tequila
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Big Mo' candy bar

Also, "Big Mo'" you ask? Why, yes. Dale Earnhardt didn't get the double meaning either. Paging Kevin Smith...

B-list-celebrity endorsed foodstuffs [The Onion]

Crap. The owner of a Seattle cheesesteak shop was killed in a gang-related incident. Rey Davis Bell is charged with one count of murder in the death of Philadelphia's Best Cheesesteak owner Degene Barecha. Here's the official word from Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger:

According to Sergeant Deanna Nollette, the shooting at Philly Cheesesteak may be connected to a domestic violence incident which took place in West Seattle a few hours ago.

Just before 11am, SPD responded to a domestic violence call on the 5900 block of Delridge Ave SW. A bullet had been fired through a window at the house, but no one was shot.

SPD believes the man involved in the domestic violence incident is the same suspect in the Philly Cheese Steak shooting.

Police say the suspect is believed to be heavily armed and are concerned there could “additional incidents.”

Prosecutors File Charges In 23rd and Union Shooting [The Stranger]

Among the newest food-related articles in Wikipedia: An entry on that most lovable of Taco Bell creations, the Mexican pizza. We kid you not.

Mexican Pizza [Wikipedia]

[Image via Finest Chef]

The good folks at The Onion recently decided to taste test "space food" — you know, those freeze dried packets of goodness that used to be the only reason you'd look forward to museum field trips as a kid. Here's the word from the paper's revieewers:

“It smells like peanut butter, but it tastes exactly like wet newspaper.” [...] “Just like I remembered it. Why hasn’t NASA made strides in ice cream R&D all these years? It’s not bad, but it’s not like you’ll ever say, ‘Damn, I wish I had some astronaut ice cream.’” [...] "The strawberries look exactly like real strawberries, but when you bite into them, they explode into powder and permanently anneal themselves to your back teeth. I'm not sure whether this is the worst food ever, or the best dental protection package ever."

Yeah. We think we'll skip.

Taste Test: Space Food [The Onion]

Say you're Thomas Keller. Say you're one of the most famous chefs in the world. What would your guilty pleasure be? Hell, it would be... McDonalds. In an interview with Reuters, he admits to a secret love for McD's:

"As the youngest of five boys, I had to fight to get what was leftover. Right now, I'll eat anything and I'm not a snobby eater. I can enjoy a McDonald's hamburger. You eat these things because you remember it from childhood and it's comforting."

World Chefs: Michelin star Keller mixes luxury with simplicity [Reuters]

[Image via Reuters]

This guide to the world's hot dogs is amazing. Highlights:

In Venezuela, expect to be offered an incredibly wide variety of toppings for your dog. Just a few that might be found include carrot shreds, french fries, corn niblets, garlic sauce, chili sauce, mayo and tartar sauce. [...]

Guatemalans know there’s nothing like topping your hot dog (”shucos”) with more meat. In addition to toppings like boiled cabbage, mustard and mayo, you have the option to add bacon, pepperoni, salami, chorizo or longaniza to complete your shuco. The granddaddy of the shuco is sold in Antigua, Guatemala and is called “La Ballena” - the Whale. You get chorizo, longaniza, salchicha, ham, bacon, pepperoni, german ham and sausages, chicken breast, beef steak fajitas and polish sausages. It’ll set you back between $5 and $7 depending on the toppings. I have a friend who might move to Guatemala after hearing this. His idea of a perfect meal is one which has a “meat trifecta”, so this would be right up his alley.

Although ‘hot dogs’ can be found Down Under, a more popular option in Australia is called ’sausage sizzle’. It’s a barbecued sausage on bread, optionally with condiments and onion. ‘Sausage sizzle’ is a versatile word, though - it’s kind of like the word barbeque. It can be used to describe food, but it also describes a gathering of people, grills and adult beverages (at least that’s what barbeques consist of in my world). Corn dogs have all kinds of aliases - battered sav, dagwood dog and pluto pup.

A hotdog topped with three kinds of sausage, two kinds of ham, bacon, pepperoni, grilled chicken and beef fajita? Dear God, sign us up.

Hot dogs from around the world [Neatorama]

Here's the perfect fashion accessory for that next trip to Maoz, Mama's Vegetarian or Sahara Grill: The pitapocket — a small, pita-bread sized cloth wallet.

Says Israeli creator Anat Safran: "Everybody eats it and can get even sentimental about it... I wanted to create a funny 'must have' product related to our Middle Eastern popular culture."

Hold the Tahini [The Food Section]

We were just made hip to VegPA.net, a new vegetarian restaurant directory from Hugs for Puppies. Yeah, the same Hugs for Puppies that constantly protests outside Standard Tap, Le Bec Fin and every other restaurant in Philly that serves foie gras. It's not as good as MenuPages, of course, but they do have some interesting stuff concerning far-flung corners of the state. Hell, we didn't know there were vegan restaurants in Emmaus and Reading. Good stuff.

VegPA.net [Official Site]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

The parent company of the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse chain, which has been in Rittenhouse Square for years, is suffering legal problems at the hands of a fired part-time waiter who claims discrimination against nonwhite employees at one of the group's restaurants.

Mohammed Rahman, a former waiter at Smith & Wollensky's Park Avenue Winter restaurant in New York, claims he was discriminated against for being Muslim & South Asian. A class action suit by 50 current and former employees of the Park Avenue Cafe was thrown out of court, despite reports that three Bengali waiters and captains at the restaurant claimed they were being discriminated against "by being fired or having their hours cut drastically."

Although the class action suit was thrown out of court, federal judge James Francis is allowing Rahman's suit against Smith & Wollensky to proceed.

Mixed Ruling for Smith & Wollensky in Class Action [NY Sun]

[Image via Slyck]

A patron of the Red Lobster in Cherry Hill allegedly found an unexpected ingredient in her stuffed mushroom... A small metal spring. Here's the word from the Burlington County Times:

Blackson ordered an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms at the Red Lobster on Route 38 in Cherry Hill on Jan. 12, 2006, the lawsuit states. She did not finish the appetizer and asked restaurant employees to wrap the food so she could take it home, the lawsuit says.

While eating the leftovers the next day, Blackson choked on a spring inside one of the mushrooms, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit does not say how the spring got into the mushroom. The suit says the defendants “were negligent in the purchase of prepared foods, preparation of foods, (and) service of foods.”

Meanwhile, we find the fact that the woman discovered the spring while at home was... Interesting. Oh well; it's up to the courts to decide.

Lumberton woman sues restaurant [Phillyburbs]

[Image via mvny.org]

Whoops. Jack Kelly, the City Councilman who has been trying to push a Foie Gras ban into Philly's lawbooks, is being investigated by the feds for corruption. Allegedly, the FBI is looking into questions of inappropriate financial relationships between Kelly's office and area real estate developers. Kelly's chief of staff, Chris Wright, has been questioned — along with two area real-estate developers, Hardeep and Ravinder Chawla.

Our educated guess is that this means the foie gras ban is kaput.

FBI quizzes Kelly & staff on top aide, 2 contributors [Daily News]

[Image via Daily News]

As web foodie site Epicurious notes, articles on airline food are a well-regarded media tradition. Nonetheless, we fly pretty often and have seen some true disgraces in the air. For every airline that offers palatable in-flight meals or snacks (British Airways for the meals — chicken korma in coach (!) and Pioneer for the snacks — hot garlic breadsticks with marinara sauce on a short haul Denver-San Francisco flights), there are other airlines that we won't name who just mess it up. MSNBC's Christopher Elliott just did a rundown of airline food that won't surprise anyone who travels regularly:

On United, $5 buys you a Trader Vic’s turkey wrap, roast beef sandwich or a chicken sandwich. Each is served with a bag of chips. American Airlines offers $5 Italian wraps, a turkey and cheese Ciabatta or an Asian chicken wrap. It’s one thing to offer food for purchase on short flights, but Drew Tipton, a senior field specialist for a software company in Cupertino, Calif., was recently offered one of the meals on a transcontinental flight with a stopover. “It just seemed wrong to me, and to several friends who were flight attendants,” he says.

Of course, if you really want to have a decent-ish airline meal and the idea of eating beforehand in the airport isn't your thing... you can always do what Elliott recommends and order a special meal like a Kosher, Halal, vegan or diabetic entree. You'll be giving up any hope of getting delicious bacon with your meal, but it'll likely be more palatable than what the rest of the flight's eating.

What airlines don't tell you about in-flight meals [MSNBC]

[Image of Delta Airlines non-meal via airlinemeals.net]

Legendary French restarateur Jean-Claude Vrinat has died at the age of 71. Vrinat owned Paris' Taillevent restaurant, which deeply influenced notable Philly instutions like Le Bec-Fin and the late Deux Chaminees.

From his obit in the New York Times:

Mr. Vrinat was a frequent diner at his competitors’ restaurants in Paris and the French countryside, and he was frank about complimenting them on things he thought they were doing better than he was. He found time, now and then, to visit the United States. He celebrated Taillevent’s 60th anniversary two years ago with a gala dinner in his own restaurant, then followed it with a dinner at Gramercy Tavern in New York, prepared by Taillevent’s chefs. On other occasions, Mr. Vrinat and his brigade of chefs did dinners in New York at the Tavern on the Green and at the Four Seasons restaurant. [...] When the restaurant celebrated its 60th anniversary, he observed that in its long history, Taillevent had employed only six head chefs. The current master of the Taillevent kitchens is Alain Solivérès, who follows in the conservative tradition of the famous Taillevent chefs Claude Deligne and Philippe Legendre.

Jean-Claude Vrinat, Owner of Famed Paris Restaurant, Is Dead at 71 [New York Times]

[Image via New York Times]

It appears he forgot the cardinal rule of stabbing someone multiple times inside a coffee shop: Never, ever return to the same coffee shop for a cuppa joe. Especially not the next morning.

Singley is accused of stabbing a 29-year-old man following an argument inside the Starbucks at Broad Street and Jackson Street shortly before 6pm on Saturday. The man, who was waiting in line for coffee, was stabbed in the face, back and chest and was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in critical condition.

The next morning? You guessed it, Singley returned to the Broad & Jackson Starbucks for a cup of coffee. He was arrested quickly after being identified and is currently in police custody.

Singley has an arrest record dating back to 1973 that inculudes weapons offenses and numerous counts of theft, burglary, assault, terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.

His court date is on Thursday. So what will stabbing someone at a Starbucks net you? Attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.

Alleged Starbucks stabber returns to shop & is nabbed [Daily News]
Latte violence in attack at Starbucks [Daily News]

Yeesh. Spain's economic minister has started a campaign against over-tippers. He feels that Spain's transition to the Euro leads to people leaving tips that are too big, which causes the perception of an increase in the cost of living:

Over-tipping had added to the sense among Spanish consumers that the cost of living is higher since the euro's introduction in 2002, he said. "People haven't taken on board the value of a euro," Mr Solbes told a political rally in Madrid. Spain's inflation is higher than other eurozone states - at 4.1% last month. "I see people having a couple of coffees and calmly leaving a euro tip," Mr Solbes told a Socialist Party economic for