Archive: August, 2012
Michael Klein, Philly.com
With all the on-the-road programming that the Food Network does, it's hard to get the chefs and the restaurants straight. Did Guy Fieri hit Tony Luke's? It was actually Marc Summers on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
I knew this because I just downloaded the free On the Road app for iPhone and iPad that the Food Network just released.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
TV food host Adam Richman toured the country and sampled 28 sandwiches, and when the smoke cleared, he named DiNic's roast pork, served at the Nicolosi family's stand at Reading Terminal Market, the best in the nation.
Week by week, Wednesday's Travel Channel series had been showing off the contenders. A wild card also came from Philly: John's Roast Pork's cheesesteak. (How about a John's and a DiNic's pork sandwich, head-to-head, eh?) John's steak did not make the final bracket.
The DiNic's sandwich includes thin sliced pork, broccoli rabe, and extra-sharp provolone on a roll from Carangi's. Then it gets a splash of gravy.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Melissa d'Arabian, who parlayed her win on the fifth season of Next Food Network Star into the shows Ten Dollar Dinners and Drop 5 lbs, is now an author.
Ten Dollar Dinners ($24.99, Clarkson Potter) - catchy! - is a compendium of 140 recipes and a bunch of home-ec tips.
D'Arabian will visit the area on Thursday, Aug. 16 for a noon signing at the Williams Sonoma in King of Prussia and a 4 p.m. signing at the Wegmans in Warrington, Bucks County.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Techie/wine seller Greg Cohen - who last year came out with OysterGuru to help people find bivalves - has set his sights on independent coffeehouses.
His CoffeeGuru iPhone app launched today.
CoffeeGuru is hand-curated and doesn't rely on search engines for results, He says he spent three months contacting more than 3,000 coffeehouses and plans to update the info in real-time. There are 70 Philly-area coffeehouses in it now, and the search allows you to find those coffeehouses that roast their own beans or use Fair or Direct Trade roasters. Users can also submit reviews.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
How about free breakfast on Saturday, Aug. 18?
Anyone who arrives between 8 and 11 a.m. at the new Andy's Diner, at 3001 W. Cheltenham Ave. in Wycote - the old Old Country Buffet in Cedarbrook Mall - gets a comp, courtesy of diner kingpin Andy Kamaratos.
The weekend breakfast buffet usually costs $10.99.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Fork in Old City has imported Eli Kulp - chef de cuisine at Torrisi Italian Specialties in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood - as its executive chef, starting in mid-September.
Kulp replaces Terence Feury, who is going the chef-owner route as a partner in the soon-to-open Tavro 13 in Swedesboro.
Fork owners Ellen Yin and Roberto Sella say Kulp's new menu will begin in October. It will change constantly to reflect seasonality and availability of products.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
You'd think that software developer Joe Krill would be a major food truck fan, given that he's just launched Chowspotter.com, the ultimate online resource for those trying to locate Philly's culinary migrants.
But no. "I haven't really eaten at a lot of them," he told me. "I tend to eat healthy and pack my own salad."
The project began when he was looking for something to do on the side. "I saw a need for something like this, but I don't know if I'd call myself a foodie," he said.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
The city's social calendar is full of fundraisers that attract crowds with copious food and drink options.
They pale next to Feastival, a collab between the arts and dining community that supports Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. This year's third edition will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 at Pier 9 (121 N. Columbus Blvd.).
Check out this lineup of participating bars and restaurants, at the bottom.
Feastival - hosted by restaurateurs Stephen Starr, Michael Solomonov and Audrey Claire Taichman - is a collab between the arts community and the restaurant community; it benefits the Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. The ticket prices ($250 for general admission and $350 for a VIP ticket that gets you in early among other benefits) may seem steep but consider this: You might go out to eat every night of the week and still never hit all the restaurants that will serve food there. The entertainment alone - with Brian Sanders’ JUNK, the headlining performer, doing an original work - is worth the admission.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Pete Ciarrocchi probably was not the first guy to sprinkle Old Bay seasoning over crinkle-cut french fries, but he was the first to get to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register the name "Crab Fries."
And so, the owner of Chickie's & Pete's is haunting the restaurant world, siccing his lawyer on all occasions that someone uses the term.
Even, in the most recent case, when naming a restaurant in the Outer Banks that opened in 2010.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
The restaurant space next to the Regal movie theater in Edgmont Square Shopping Center (4755 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square) has not had much luck, given the short-time status of Roux 3, Parker's Prime, and now Sang Kee Noodle Bowl.
Win and Sutida Somboonsong, who owned the last two restaurants in the space, are ending their licensing deal with Sang Kee's Michael Chow after a year. On Aug. 29, they will close the Sang Kee to retool the kitchen. On Sept. 5, the plan goes, it will open as Azie Southeast, a version of the two Azies, in Media and Villanova.
This location will serve the cuisines of Southeast Asia. Unlike the other Azie locations, there will be no sushi or sashimi so they won't compete with their nearby Teikoku.
