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Once a year, for two days 9th Street in South Philadelphia is closed to traffic, opened to dozens of food stalls, and awash with Philadelphians and tourists, loaded with home made wine.Yup, when the whole pig is parked in front of Espositos, and carved up for roast pork sammidges, the party’s on. If you haven’t been here before, there are loads of people, three stages of live music, food demonstrations, and more antipasta, sausage and peppers and lovely pastries than you can shake a stick. This weekend is supposed to be lovely and sunny so come on down and be sure to come hungry. Even the skinny girls eat at this event.

Sorento Cheese Italian Festival

Saturday and Sunday

May 15th & 16th

10am - 5 pm

Rain or shine

On 9th Street from Fitzwater to  Federal.

What with trying to do the work of two people at the office, adding extra work outs before I’m in a swimming cossie on the shores of Cornwall and life in general, I haven’t had much of a chance to blog. But some days a subject so near and dear to your heart, fills you with such joy and rapture, you simply have to address it.

That passion, foie gras!!  

While some are eschewing this culinary delight on the grounds of the inhumane over feeding practices, there are those of us who would eat it, even if I had to cram the food down the throat of a goose with my own little caribou tan hands. Foie Gras to me, is akin to donuts to Homer Simpson.

(cue the head tossed back, river of drool from right corner of mouth.)

 “Ummmm Fwah Grah!!”  

So it should be no surprise on the first night of Philly’s Foie Gras week, that yours truly is headed out to some of Philly’s finest bars, boítes and bistros, risking weight gain and elevated cholesterol in order to sup on the delicacy. Seventeen restaurants in the city are participating in the event and each will offer a plate of the orgasmic offal for just $5. So it you’re a connoisseur or a novitiate, this budget price could tempt anyone to give it a go; unless you’re a rampant vegetarian. Should that be the case, Sod off, more for me!!  

Participating restaurants include, Alfa, Bar Ferdinand, Bibou, Bistrot la Minette, Caribou Cafe, Izumi, London Grill, Meme, Mercato, Positano Coast, Saute, Time, Valanni, Vintage, Xochitl, Zinc and Zot. For links to the restaurants and addresses visit http://foiegrasweek.blogspot.com 

Perhaps you’re not the type to regularly frequent a local watering hole. More’s the pity. As residents of the Italian Market, our local by default was Villa Di Roma, a fine family owned Italian Restaurant that has been a staple of the market for years. It was great because neighbors, market stall holders and their workers would converge after work. On nights when there was a baseball, basketball or hockey game, regulars would have to fight dinner patrons waiting to be seated, for the slots at the bar. Eventually a few people began migrating a bit further like12 Steps Down 9^th &  Christian or Anastasio’s Seafood at 9^th and Washington and The Friendly Bar at 8^th and Washington. While I like a dive bar once in a while I was looking for something a little more light and a little less grotty. The search continued with Vesuvius. I loved the tin ceiling and the décor, the hub didn’t enjoy it. So we tried the Royal Tavern, which is great, but the small bar means the place fills up quickly, and more often then not, with poser hipsters. Finally, POPE(Pub On Passyunk East) became the spot. But now with the departure of everybody’s favorite bar keep David (English Dave) Linsall, the bar has now reverted to just a bar. You see, if you don’t have a regular, you’ll never know how it feels to have a barkeep who knows what you drink, converses with you when you want a confab and just keeps sending drinks you way when you’re moody and not desirous of using the English language. It’s like dating. There has to be chemistry. You have to be able to practice the art of small talk, be polite when required and strong enough to tell one of the punters that he’s barred in a tone that leaves no room for questions and the offending creature sliding off the barstool and slinking out into the night. That’s not to bash POPE. The food is good, the regulars are friendly and I’m sure it will live a long happy life without me, but my salad days are over and I’ll leave it to the wannabee hipsters to occupy. As for me, oh, I’ve found a new local. A brand spankin’ new, fabulous bartender (who ironically is a friend of English Dave). But before it’s overrun with you lot, my baby and me are keeping this one under our hat’s for a while. But if you know my neighborhood, I’ll give you a hint when I say, “POPE is dead. Long live The Devil.”

Didja ever fall head over heels in love with a joint only to have it close or change ownership? If you have, you can understand how I felt when Shank’s was sold. Their Health Sandwich, a veggie hoagie with fried eggplant, roasted peppers, spinach, zucchini, asparagus and cheese was a poem. For me, there was no other.

Then Shank’s changed ownership and my favorite sarnie went from Aston Martin to Pacer status, with lightening speed. Sure new version was bigger, but it was also greasier, heavier and some days missing many of the veggie bits I adored. I did what any self respecting foodie did, and pretended Shank’s had indeed closed, mourned and then began my search for a replacement favorite.

Then after ignoring the new Shenk’s existence, which took some doing since I live right around the corner, my husband said someone at work had brought in sandwiches from there and they were, much to his surprise, they tasted like they did before. Tired and bereft of mid week dinner ideas, the hub presented me with the Health Sandwich for dinner last night. Good, is an understatement. It wasn’t better than ever. It was the same as ever. It was the same fabulous taste I remember. The exact flavor that haunted my dreams de cuisine. I munched. My taste buds did the happy dance. I made the yummy noise.

Maybe it was a learning curve or perhaps they just found the original recipes used by the previous owners, but the Chicken Cutlet Parm, the Hot Roast beef and the Health Sandwich are back, and so am I; at least twice a month.

Shank’s & Evelyn’s

932 S 10th St

Philadelphia, PA 19147

(215) 629-1093

Open Tuesday -Saturday for breakfast and lunch.

I’m fortunate not to have much of a sweet tooth. My other half however is enamored with all things chocolate. Since we don’t do baskets, I decided to surprise him with a few special Easter treats. I’ve listed a few of my favorite stops, for picking up holiday yummies, but be forewarned, these places are busy today and will really be packed tomorrow, so if you’re looking to provide a filled basket for Sunday morning, either shop early or be prepared to wait in a long, and in some cases, very long lines.

For chocolate:

Naked Chocolate Café10am - 11pm Mon – Thur10am - 11:30pm Fri & Sat11am - 9pm Sunday1317 Walnut Street (at the corner of Walnut and Juniper)
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 735-7310 Filled with delicious desserts, cupcakes and a fabulous selection of artisinal chocolates this is a haven for chocolate lovers. You can take desserts with you or enjoy them with a cup of sipping chocolate that would make the Nestle Quik bunny hang his head in shame. Offering chocolates by the pound or by the piece, the best part, during busy times like this, is you can ponder the selection while sipping a lovely beverage and waiting for the queue to die down a bit. Lore’s Chocolate9:00 am - 5:30 pm M-F
9:00 am - 4:00 pm Sat34 South 7^th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107 For 35 years, Lore’s has been making chocolate, a stone’s throw from the Liberty Bell. Whether you purchase their boxed milk or dark selections, cherry cordials, or truffles, or have them create a selection just for you, the freshness and selection is what brings Philadelphians back year round, with large throngs descending on the place especially during the Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter holidays. Isgro’s1009 Christian St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Phone: 1-215-923-3092
Fax: 1-215-923-72158 am-5 pm T-Sat8 am-3 Sunday This South Philly institution has lines starting on Good Friday. By Sunday morning both the Easter bunny and Philly’s finest will be making sure patrons behave in an orderly fashion while waiting to pick up cakes, cookies, marzipan lambs and of course, the cannoli. On Saturday and Sunday, queues form at dawe and extend until the doors close but for special cakes or the seasonal ricotta pie, make sure to call in your order, or there may be an empty spot on your dinner table. Happy Easter, Happy Spring.

When it comes to eating out, I like my eateries to have ambiance, good food and a relaxing atmosphere. All of those things were available at Divan Turkish Kitchen (22nd and Carpenter.) But we also got something else, the bums rush after dinner.

When my friends Sandra and Patricia wanted to meet for dinner, we immediately agreed as it was also our 17th anniversary, which was a good excuse to have a festive dinner out. After hearing good things about Divan, my husband suggested that we go, so I made reservations for 7 pm. When we arrived, our mates had already been seated and ordered a bottles of red and white Turkish wine. The service was impeccable and the place absolutely charming considering it’s location on the border of regentrifying neighborhood.

While the food was spicier than anything we enjoyed in our travels through Turkey, it was tasty and well cooked, albeit a bit pricey for what it was. For example the mixed appetizer platter which in other middle eastern venues runs between $9-$12 was $20. While Divan offers a selection of Turkish wines and Efes beer, they advertiser themselves as a BYOB and I saw many patrons brining bottles with them but if you thought you were saving money by bringing your wine, you may have been surprised by the $10 per bottle corking fee which

All in all the restaurant had many things I enjoyed but there was one thing that so overwhelmed the positives of this place that I’ll never go back.
What was the huge faux pas?

Well it started when we asked the waiter to call us a cab. He told us it would take about 10 minutes. Having vast experience with taxi dispatchers, I knew that was highly unlikely, so we relaxed as we finished our wine. When the cab hadn’t come after 20 minutes however, we were not perturbed, but the manager was.

She began yelling at the waiter, then came to our table and explained that we had been misled about the time it took to get a cab. I encouraged her to breathe and remain calm as we weren’t bothered by the delay, but she then began squealing about needing to free up the table, which I didn’t understand, as there was no line of waiting guests and the table behind us was empty.

As she flitted around wringing her hands and making such a mountain out of a molehill, my husband and I left the restaurant; he in an attempt to flag down a cab, and me to get away from the harpy. Once we found a cab, I went back to the restaurant to retrieve our dinner companions, but getting the bums rush after spending $250 for dinner, has to go down as the rudest, most unfriendly treatment I’ve ever received at a restaurant, bar none. We enjoyed the remainder of the evening anyway, but you could see how such an incident could easily dampen even the highest of spirits.

As my mother says, we learn by doing, but when I have a hankering for Turkish food again, I’m headed for the warm and welcoming, Konak at 228 Vine Street.

Bopping around my neighborhood the other day I noticed Michael’s, a restaurant at which I’d previously dined and lived to tell the tale, had changed hands. In place of the pretentious wannabe haute cuisine joint, that nearly killed me with a crab cake with more shell and cartilage than the original crustacean, had emerged James. When I peaked in the window I observed a gorgeous interior of well shined dark wood tables and cream colored suede banquette, which sparkled with simple elegance and made a mental note to stop for dinner soon, since it’s in my neighborhood. The following day, I received a call from friends who are meeting us for dinner next weekend, asking if we’d decided on a venue yet. When I couldn’t pull an immediate answer from the air, she coincidentally suggested James.

She had heard lovely things about their pasta, fish and cocktails and since they’re not in town often enough, living and working in Jersey, I immediately agreed. A bit later she called me and told me there were no reservations to be had on a Saturday night. It seems booking a week ahead, wasn’t early enough.

After a bit of online research, I discovered why. Chef Jim Burke formerly of Angelina has received great reviews as early as last April from Philadelphia Weekly and as recently as January 13th in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Magazine also included them in their pick of the 50 Best Restaurants in the area while Food and Wine waxed poetically about the Risotto Alla Kristina (named after Burke’s wife whose love of both oysters and Prosecco served as the inspiration for the dish) in the December 2007 issue. Another thing that I find incredibly appealing is menu that reflects the seasonal availability of locally sourced meat and veg. After visiting the website and drooling over such offerings as langostino tempura, and finding intrigue in the opportunity to enjoy the chef’s tasting with wine pairings, I will be visiting soon, but as I live in the neighborhood, I’m sure it will be early in the week when an empty table is easier to come by.
James; www.jameson8th.com; 824 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 p: 215.629.4980 f: 215.629.4983