http://www.philly.com/r?19=960&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F The latest restaurant and dining news from around Philadelphia and the Burbs. en-us Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 2009-11-22T08:01:00Z en-us http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70612987&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091122_Kong.html There was so much syrupy hoisin and sweet sauce streaked across my first dinner at Kong - Northern Liberties' new ode to Hong Kong street food - that it was pretty clear Michael O'Halloran's "authenticator" wasn't having the desired effect. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:05:00 GMT 3f9ff68d3efe7577b7275c4249df8403 2009-11-22T05:05:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=354454&44=70600712&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2Fbeer%2F20091120_Joe_Sixpack__A_beer_a_day_for_10_000_days.html THE FIRST was Dinkel Acker. Dale Van Wieren of Lansdale, Montgomery County, cracked open the dark German lager on March 19, 1971, wrote its name in a notebook, poured himself a glass and put the bottle on a shelf. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 9544e1bf5b1a7cc27ff9a1963de182f4 2009-11-20T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391047&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Looking_for_the_right_wine__No_problem.html All the pressure should land on the chef at Thanksgiving, because when it comes to bringing the wine, there are no "wrong" answers. After all, this holiday meal is typically such a riot of divergent flavors, from tart cranberries to sweet potatoes to the meaty bird and its lusty dressing, that it's impossible for a single wine to match the feast's many moods. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT e38181440b2f1c07414624201541eee4 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70613007&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091122_Drink.html Philadelphians have been drinking a long time over at McGillin's Olde Ale House - since the days of Abraham Lincoln, to be exact. So it's only fitting that the venerable tavern in the 1300 block of Drury Street should celebrate its forthcoming 150th birthday with an anniversary beer called 1860 I.P.A. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 4aac0e87a6be9cf5519b70d6405021a3 2009-11-22T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70613012&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091122_K-never_fear__k-nishes_here.html Not that you would call him svelte. By any means. But I ask Mitch Lipkin, 60 now, hasn't he lost some weight? "I lose some. I find some," he shrugs. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 86f343005d6ae134788f3d5909616d3e 2009-11-22T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70600702&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091120_Northern_Liberties_Koo_Zee_Doo_BYOB_offers_Portuguese_cuisine.html Until recently, if you had a hankering for Portuguese cuisine - and it's hard not to - you had to trek to the Northeast or New Jersey. With the opening of Koo Zee Doo BYOB on Second Street in Northern Liberties, it is easier for Philadelphians to say, "Bom Apetite!" Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT ce2b55b5144a3ce39a62bf54aa68e9c7 2009-11-20T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391052&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_On_the_Side_.html When it was all ready one afternoon last week - the dry-brined turkey a rosy chestnut brown, the Sister Frances' Potatoes (named for one of the last of the famously celibate Shakers), the brothy, purposefully not creamy blue-pumpkin soup (with a sour jolt of preserved lemon), Melissa Hamilton beamed at what she had wrought: "Ah," she announced, "Thanksgiving in November!" Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT 9c63506c666618f0339920340822a9ac 2009-11-19T03:00:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391032&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Pie_contest_has_ulterior_motive_-_what_crust_.html Marilyn Paige adores apple pie, but she knows her limitations. "I can eat it, I just can't bake it," says Paige, a student/scrapbooker/photographer. "And I don't believe you can buy a great slice of apple pie in Philadelphia without paying a fortune." Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT c98545a5f09c169be7a5b65b49b08716 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391062&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Rush_Hour_Gourmet.html Southwestern fajitas with meat and colorful vegetables make a delicious, light meal. Typically, the meat is marinated overnight and then grilled, but I use a warm marinade and cut the chicken into thin strips to eliminate the wait. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 48f009075804f16b5cb1440642a9bf1f 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391072&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Good_Taste.html Sushi, for seconds The elaborately sleek, wood-clad space remains largely untouched from its brief life as Maia. But memories of that short-lived Main Line star are bound for a quick-fade if its replacement, Azie on Main, continues to serve sushi as pristine as this. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 196dfaf604b38bce3b3d27edf232a846 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391027&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_MarketBasket_.html Casseroles travel safely to Thanksgiving dinner in this two-quart covered dish. Fits neatly into a woven wood basket, and the pair would make a nice gift to leave with the host. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 764d357a871cb12994f7bad4f1c8f770 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391042&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Pumpkin_can_be_so_much_more_than_pie.html Every year the pumpkin parade arrives earlier - before Labor Day, even, the fluffy pumpkin lattes and baseball mitt-size pumpkin muffins emerge on cue from behind coffee bar counters. Limited-edition pumpkin ales follow, along with sweet-smelling doughnuts and seasonally confusing ice creams. And before long, chunky cans of purees are lining supermarket aisle-end displays, seductively promising smooth-as-silk pies. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT b7f6ca94948c08a01217c11b83f4cf4a 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70444757&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Turkey_Days__These_haunts_serve_up_Thanksgiving_classics_year-round.html THANKSGIVING can't come soon enough. When the leaves start to change, and the city is cloaked in the sweet scent of fall, there are few things as comforting as the thought of gathering around the dining room table at Mom's house to argue about politics and football while we stuff our bellies. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 969630c3ee8ea5d45fb01fc08eb16c1d 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=70391067&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091119_Table_Talk__All_of_a_sudden_it_s_dining_time_in_Swarthmore.html Swarthmore is awakening as a dining destination. First up, this week, is Rudi's on Park (112 Park Ave., 484-472-7686), an elegant, intimate BYOB in a restored house with hardwood floors, a romantic balcony, and lots of patio space for outdoor dining in season. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT d120d0e00d56f8d88d6528c977cb33f0 2009-11-19T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=34602579&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20081117_The_incredible_barbecued_bird.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:22:42 GMT e3731e988a53bf7130b41ebd49238f25 2009-11-18T21:22:42Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=69961262&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091115_A_visit_from_much-missed_Fritz_Blank.html His preserved memory is acute and finely textured, rich with rollicking tales of late-night muskrat feeds in the Jersey marshlands, and of the grandeur of his German grandmother Oma's turtle soup, the toast in its day of the saloons of Pennsauken. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT f6def3e22290c40e8a0d520bd23c77fe 2009-11-15T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168301&44=69961257&32=3796&7=195532&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Frestaurants%2F20091115_Drink.html Malbec mavens should pay attention to this bottle of Achaval Ferrer, as Pennsylvania has snared a good discount on the 2008 vintage from one of Argentina's most consistent winemakers. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 68bb976f09a9656830554a94b68c7239 2009-11-15T08:01:00Z