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If the world ends tomorrow, here's where the Food team is eating tonight

Seeking a meal for the end of the world.

The brined chicken roasting at Vernick, a top pick for end-times dining.
The brined chicken roasting at Vernick, a top pick for end-times dining.Read moreDAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer

The news was grim this week.

President Trump on Thursday escalated his rhetoric about North Korea's nuclear weapons program, after earlier in the week threatening "fire and fury." Residents of Guam are increasingly worried about Washington's escalating war of words with North Korea.

Some fear this could signal end times.

Well, if the world were to end tomorrow, here's where your friendly neighborhood Philly.com food team would eat dinner tonight.

(This, of course, assumes that both calories and credit-card bills don't count at the end of the world.)

Food Editor Maureen Fitzgerald is starting the night at Zeppoli in Collingswood (618 Collings Ave., Collingswood; 856-854-2670, zeppolirestaurant.com) with the spaghetti vongole (critic Craig LaBan describes it as a menu highlight). But why stop there? Fitzgerald next heads across the river to Wm. Mulherin's Sons (1355 N. Front St., Philadelphia; 215-291-1355, wmmulherinssons.com) for the porterhouse, which LaBan calls "a special-occasion splurge." (If the end of the world isn't a special occasion, what it is?) Then it's on to Capogiro (1625 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia; 215-462-3790, capogirogelato.com) for the dulce de leche. She'll wrap up her last night on Earth with the mint-juleplike classic lemonnana at Zahav (237 St. James Place, Philadelphia; 215-625-8800, zahavrestaurant.com).

Lifestyle & Arts Editor Molly Eichel took seriously the pressure of picking her last-ever meal, but eventually settled on Vernick (2031 Walnut St., Philadelphia; 267-639-6644, vernickphilly.com).  Good choice: "Vernick is so many things — and does them all to perfection," LaBan says. Eichel says she's ordering the entire raw menu — currently featuring red snapper ceviche, arctic char, tuna, and oysters — but definitely wants the sea urchin with scrambled eggs (also a LaBan favorite). Though LaBan recommends Vernick's blueberry pie, Eichel is skipping it in favor of gelato and a pretzel stick at John's Water Ice (701 Christian St., Philadelphia).

Lifestyle & Arts Deputy and Food Verticals Editor Alison Smith (hey, that's me!) is headed to LaCabra in Berwyn (642 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn; 610-240-7908, lacabrabrewing.com), where I'm ordering both the crispy pork belly and the duck fries to start, because I take this whole "calories don't count in end times" thing very seriously. Then I'm having the black angus burger with duck confit and fries, because there's clearly no such thing as enough duck or fries. For dessert, I'll stroll down the street to Handel's Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt (576 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn; 610-640-1606, handelsicecream.com) for a scoop of salty caramel truffle.

Food News writer Michael Klein is ordering the seafood tower, ravioli in brown butter, and halibut at Walnut Street Cafe (2929 Walnut St, Philadelphia, 215-867-8067, walnutstreetcafe.com), followed by a trip to the roof deck overlooking the Schuylkill and Center City. But Klein isn't done yet. "Oh, after gazing at the city from the roof deck, I then head to Zahav for dessert: the lamb shoulder." Hey, the world is ending — who says dessert can't be the lamb?

The newest member of our Food team, Food & Booze Culture writer Allison Steele, is having the omakase at Royal Izakaya, (780 S. Second St., Philadelphia; 267-909-9002, royalsushiandizakaya.com) — and she's having a double order. ("Jesse [Ito]'s omakases reveal not just artistry and pristine ingredients, but also a compelling vision for the order of tastes, where the often subtle differences between one raw fish or another are suddenly vividly clear," LaBan says.) Steele will swing by Barbuzzo (110 S. 13th St., Philadelphia; 215-546-9300, www.barbuzzo.com) for the budino ("my favorite ending," LaBan says, fittingly for our end-of-the-world meal." And then, Steele says, "Champagne at Assembly as a nightcap while I watch the world burn."