ICE PACK ILLUSTRATED: Chip, Suss, Bitar's, Jordan Catalano and more

POSTED: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: Icepack Illustrated

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Chef and restaurateur Chip Roman has a whole slew of things coming up. His newly opened Mica in Chestnut Hill just started the same sort of four-course $45 prix fixe Tuesday dinner (a different seasonal ingredient weekly) that’s been successful at his Conshohocken eatery Blackfish. He’s gearing up for a collaborative cook-off with his one-time mentor Georges Perrier at Le Bec Fin on June 13 — seven courses for $95 (reservations: 215-567-1000). But this week, Roman opened his doors to Kevin Sbraga, another one-time Perrier protégé and Top Chef’s season seven winner. The beetroot gazpacho with goat cheese sorbet was a masterful mix of the gently spicy and coolly textural. The steamed halibut with lobster chunks and artichokes cooked and cut different ways (a Sbraga signature) and the rack of lamb with a tangy tandoori yogurt were the most delectable highlights of the meal. But a big part of the night was watching throngs of Top Chef aficionados chatter at Sbraga (“is Padma as pretty in person as she is on TV?”) and pose with him for photos. I actually felt bad that the chef had to be so genial. “I don’t mind at all,” said Sbraga. “I like to think I’m a people person.” Sbraga talked with me about the night’s menu (“everything but the beetroot gazpacho which is a long time favorite of mine, was made specifically for this night”) and how much he digs Roman and this Conshy hot spot. Then conversation moved to the question of the hour: where will that Philly Sbraga restaurant open, the one that’s been in the planning stages since he won Top Chef? “Right now, I’m looking very seriously at a space between Rittenhouse and Washington Square,” he smiles. OK THAT’S NOT TOO WIDE A SWATCH. Then Sbraga throws a little focus my way. “We’re looking at something that’s a little bit bigger than this,” said Sbraga pointing at the 30+ seater. That’s a start.

The Philadelphia Film Society is having a cool run: Last month it was the Wanamaker organ’s debut for the screening of the silent Metropolis at Macy’s in March, this month on May 16, the PFS will hold a screening of the movie Philadelphia in the Mayor’s Reception Room.

Call for the Cure, Philly’s CBS-3/CW 57/KYW News Radio/WYSP/WOGL on-air fundraiser for the upcoming Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure event (Mother’s Day, May 8), raised $553,157 for breast cancer research, education and outreach. Brava and bravo.

Three guitar geniuses in one big ball: Philadelphia shredding monster Nick Millevoi will open for fellow six-stringer Nat Baldwin at First Unitarian Church Side Chapel on May 6. Millevoi’s first solo guitar release, Black Figure of a Bird, was recorded by Philadelphia-based guitarist/sitar-ist/master of all things classically Indian, Eric Carbonara. Whoa.

It’s a bad week for the Philly food biz. Tuscany Café on Rittenhouse? Down. (They have two others on Broad and 2 Penn Center). The 105-year-old Harry Oaks’ Prime Meats at Reading Terminal? Down. Haru on the corner of Third & Chestnut? Down. Italian Bistro on Broad Street? Down. Naked Chocolate Cafe in the Philadelphia Building at 13th and Walnut? Down, but they are looking to re-open in a new space shortly. Scott Swiderski, the one time Buddakan boss who got hired to run Serafina’s kitchen (opening May 24) just left the project. Oy. On the good news tip, Bitar’s on 10th and Federal, is pretty much staying put. The owners had stated that they wanted to leave South Philly and rumor had it they were sizing up shop on South near Broad but neighbors and employees let the bosses know what a value they are to their home base, so, welcome home, Bitar’s.

Philly painter/Vox Populi member Becky Suss brings her wonky wintry landscapes in an exhibition called Cold Cold Ground to her one-time gallery home, Space 1026, for her first solo show on May 6.

Philly’s MVD Entertainment (the distributor of Aggronautix punk rock toys) just made a Throbblehead doll out of Roky Erickson, founding father of The 13th Floor Elevators and an evil hero of mine for some time. Specs: 1000 numbered units at 7 inches tall, made of super strong polyresin, $19.95. You can order here.

Check here to see what Gordon Dinerman will cook up when he opens Birra at 1700 East Passyunk Ave. in June.

WHOWHATWHERE: Michael Smerconish likes Neil Young and likes to watch rust never sleeping at the Tower while wearing a weird flack vest what from the looks of the Big Talker on Sunday. LeBron James and Dwyane “D-Wade” Wade supped in a private room at Del Frisco’s the Miami Heat’s series with the 76ers. Good for them. Bam Margera hung out with Jared Leto backstage at the Susquehanna Bank Center when his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, wasn’t on stage. And happy birthday to photog/best bud-of-mine Scott Weiner. He spent his b-day week running around and snapping hot acts like Hot Chelle Rae and New Boyz at Q-102 studios and Philly’s own Musiq Soul Child who stopped at WDAS-FM to promote his sixth studio album, MusiqInTheMagiq.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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