ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Meet me behind the IKEA

No word when it'll occur, but Divan - the swell Turkish cuisine spot in the Graduate Hospital area that vacated so the SoWe bistro could move in - has found a new home at the old Shouk hookah lounge on Sixth next to Beau Monde.

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ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Meet me behind the IKEA

POSTED: Thursday, March 29, 2012, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Icepack Illustrated

Couple of weeks ago it was a shell — pictures of the Flyers on its walls, some brushed silver, lots of concrete. I wore a hard hat. Now, just in time, for the E Street Shuffle, XFINITY Live! Philadelphia is open with its main dining rooms (Broad Street Bullies Pub, Professional Bull Riders Bar & Grill, Philly MarketPlace, Victory Beer Hall) intact and overseen by executive chef Christopher Stevens who’ll focus on XL!P’s Spectrum Grill chophouse. Is it everybody’s cup of tea? Yes, quite literally when you consider it’s a mass-market joint geared for folk heading to ball-n-puck soirees and concerts. If you expected Mario Batali’s Eataly, you were wrong. The guy who helped put this together, Xfinity Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider is getting the President’s Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Maryland on April 14, a prize presented to U/M alums outstanding in their field. Snider graduated from College Park in 1955.

The Philly wall of noise that is Ugh God and Rasputin’s Secret Police take over Kung Fu Necktie on March 29. Bring your earmuffs. Not for the sonic boom. It really is still chill out you know.

Philly’s Christian Meoli just got cast in the Showtime network pilot Ray Donovan created by Ann “Southland” Biderman and starring Jon Voight, Elliot Gould and Liev Schreiber. Meoli, who made his film debut in 1993’s disaster flick Alive, will also be seen in Desperate Housewives before the ABC show runs its course and Should’ve Been Romeo co-starring Ed Asner, Michael Rappaport and Kelly Osbourne.

Philly-raised Tony Award-winning thespian and Harry Jay Katz pal Hugh Panaro will be the 2012 honoree at the Walnut Street Theater’s annual gala come May 11. Bravo.

After hours used to be about finding cocaine, Xanax and willing victims. Now, it’s about hot dogs. Really good ones what from Underdogs on S. 17th Street having opened their weekend hours to way-late-night, 4 a.m. If you can’t get blow, I suggest you snag a gourmet wiener with pepper hash. In fact, I say skip the coke and head for Underdogs. Dipping sauces like chocolate cayenne mole will also burn as they trickle down your throat.

The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Recording Academy and Drexel U’s formidable Music Industry program at MADD bring top-notch producers Jimmy Douglass and Just Blaze Smith to Bossone Auditorium (3140 Market st.) April 5, 6 p.m. Blaze has tackled recordings by Eminem, Usher, Mariah Carey and Jay Z. Douglass has recorded Aretha, Led Zep, the Stones and Hall & Oates. Sounds like a party.

Know what was a knuckle biting affair? Watching The Martha Stewart Show — live — on Tuesday and watching Devon, PA.’s Christina Verrelli win the Pillsbury bake-off (to say nothing of the million dollar prize) for her pumpkin-ravioli dessert with salted caramel whipped cream.

I asked J. Nathan Bazzel, the director of communications at the Mutter Museum and College of Physicians, the reasons why the board had chosen its 1920s theme for this weekend’s Mutter Ball. Each year the Mutter picks a different era in which major medical advancements occurred and it would be no different for its fourth annual event. “We chose the 1920s, a banner decade for medicine, because during the ’20s echocardiograms came into use,” says Bazzel. “Penicillin was introduced and groundbreaking research and implementation in radiology took place.” I dare say I’ve rarely made parties out of penicillin and radiology before — I say rarely — so let’s see how March 31’s ball turns out.

“It’s not a record at this point but a great milestone in any exhibition” is what the Philadelphia Art Museum’s Gigi Lamm is saying about its currently running Van Gogh Close Up numbers — over 170,000 tickets booked and counting.

Nothing foolish about this April 1 show at Johnny Brenda’s: Japan’s garage-throbbing Guitar Wolf get a worthy opening slot assist from The Midnight Beat, Philly’s femme-fatale fronted garage punk ensemble whose full album is due from Creep Records.

If you ever drove behind the IKEA (don’t ask), saw dining trucks and thought “really good food court,” someone else thought so too — Kristen Muldoon. She’s setting up a truck station/lunch area for those who wish to park, pick and choose. Interested in parking? 215-351-9366.

Knit Wit — the glittering house of fashion that Ann Gitter built — is moving from 1718 Walnut to 1729 Chestnut — a tower of sartorial splendor at two full floors and long high windows for displaying its haute wares. We’re hearing that they’ll be updating their already tony clothing lines (Alexander Wang, Helmut Lang for rhyming starters) with additional private labels. Anyone with half a memory left will recall that Knit Wit started at 10th and Chestnut.

Radio maven, producer and twang bar king local Ben Vaughn is working on Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman’s solo album Marvelous Clouds. The due-for-May Freeman project is dedicated to the music of lousy poet Rod McKuen and you can preview it here.

No word when it’ll occur, but Divan — the swell Turkish cuisine spot in the Graduate Hospital area that vacated so the SoWe bistro could move in — has found a new home at the old Shouk hookah lounge on Sixth next to Beau Monde.

Miro Dance Theatre will make its debut as “Miller Rothlein,” a new company that will encompass movement, visual art, live performance and dance with its first shows March 29-April 1. The show, Still Life opens at Vox Populi with 40+ mini-performances directed by Tobin Rothlein.

One time horror-show-local Karen Scioli, Stella from Channel 3/KYW’s Saturday Night Dead (1984-1990) got inducted into the Horror Hound Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio. Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson was also placed in the same crypt, I mean, hallowed hall, that night.

University City on a Sunday night was a no man’s land. That is until Andrew “Stripes” Winter of Reckless Dodgers fame came to call on Drinkers West. Starting Sunday April 1 he’ll do a weekly open mic jamboree geared for the unplugged personality in your home.

Ousted Fox-y weather man John Bolaris, without his hot hot Eastern European kidnappers, will appear on an episode of ABC’s 20/20 in the near future.

Nikki Jean must be ready to rough things up after her smooth debut CD kinda-sorta-flatlined upon release. The S-Curve Philadelphia chanteuse is hooking up with Drugbunny John Cecil Price’s meta-metal-soulful Baptist Preachers on March 30 at N. Seventh Street’s J.D. McGillicuddy’s. Also on the bill is Alexa Gold(en Lover), Lee Mekhai, TC Cross and Selina Carerra.

The Office’s Ardmore connection Kate Flannery will host a new series on the TV Guide network Stand Up in Stilettos starting in late April, probably right after she plays Helium (April 15) with her cocktail lounge comedy act, The Lampshades. Stand Up in Stilettos begins its airings June 16.

WHOWHATWHERE: Before Jill Zarin lands at Fox-TV, Macy’s got its hands on the Bravo NYC’s ex-Real Housewife, for a “Fashion Face-Off” event. Oy. Before he pummeled the skins at Wells Fargo during his day job with the Boss (no, seriously, “She’s the One” was all Max),

E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg hit the National Constitution Center for “From Asbury Park to the Promised Land” (go to the exhibit and see his post-it-note fave song for yourself) and spoke at the National Museum of American Jewish History Tuesday night for an evening co-hosted by Electric Factory’s Larry Magid — the guy who booked Springsteen into the Wells Fargo Center this week. Right before, Blossom star Mayim Bialik (currently to be found in Old Navy television ads with area native Joey Lawrence) also stopped by the National Museum of American Jewish History for a talk. Jessica Sutta from the Pussycat Dolls hung out with Maxwell at Q102’s iHeart performance theater and proved she has a damn good and booming voice to go with her dancing skills. Speak stopped by Radio 104.5 FM and didn’t show off any dance moves. And Audrina Patridge from The Hills barely moved yet still nearly ruined my whole Saturday in A.C. with Liza and Fiona when she hit The Pool at Harrahs.

(@ADAmorosi)

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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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