|
|
|
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The perfect balance of sweet and savory
As we mentioned several weeks back, Southwest Philadelphia gets its own piece of the Philly-filming pie starting next week when the USA Network's Political Animals starring Sigourney Weaver, Carla Gugino and newly-announced costar Ellen Burstyn starts to roll. Gugino and Weaver were already spied supping together at Le Castagne the other night. The series has to shoot fast as it's scheduled for a July start.
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The perfect balance of sweet and savory
Looks like Icepack Illustrated started a trend with the notion of spring menu tastings. Last week it was Davio’s and this week it’s Sansom Street’s hottest mod-Greek eatery Opa that unfurled bits of its new seasonal menu from exec chef Andy Brown and owners George and Vasiliki Tsiouris. The zesty oil and wine braised grilled artichoke with shaved bottarga offered one of Opa’s sole nods to old world Greek traditionalism with its use of ladolemono sauce. Plump mussels done in a tomato saffron citrus broth were heavenly and the date-n-raisin emulsion surrounding the duck confit was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. And the dessert, a strawberry foam and Greek yogurt cup with crumbled pistachio wasn’t even on the menu yet. Brown served it to my wife/photographer Glamorosi and me before he had even presented it to the Tsiouris fam. We were Brown’s test subjects for a dessert inspired by Opa’s Stacey Lyons who had given the chef a foam maker for his birthday. Here’s hoping that strawberry foam jawn made it onto Opa’s spring menu. It was perfect.
A night with Rover — Lee Jones’ floating Monday DJ jawn — at Liberties reminded me of what I had written ages ago: changes would come sooner than later to the 700 Club’s neighbor on N. Second Street.
As we mentioned several weeks back, Southwest Philadelphia gets its own piece of the Philly-filming pie starting next week when the USA Network’s Political Animals starring Sigourney Weaver, Carla Gugino and newly-announced costar Ellen Burstyn starts to roll. Gugino and Weaver were already spied supping together at Le Castagne the other night. The series has to shoot fast as it’s scheduled for a July start.
Philly’s Phillip Spaeth — you know him from NBC’s all-singing, all-dancing Smash — will be part of the Wilma’s May 7 benefit for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, an organization established by Dustin Lance Black to support gay marriage. Spaeth will read Lance Black’s 8 along with a murder’s row of young acting greats from Broadway’s Tony list (Gavin Creel from Hair, Rory O’Malley from Book of Mormon, Forrest McClendon from The Scottsboro Boys) and Philly (Mary Martello, Grace Gonglewski, Steve Pacek). Tix are available at the Wilma box office.
Which reminds me about the Wilma’s currently-running BalletX. Philly-born comic Chuck Nice — a stalwart of VH-1’s programming and a one-time host of a karaoke night at Stephen Starr’s The Bank — is now a BalletX board of director. Huzzah, that.
Remember the Greenhouse project at 725 Chestnut? Not a place for Philadelphia Science Fest but another after-hours affair from the owners of Old City’s Recess that got slammed by its neighborhood association at its first attempt at licensing? Looks like the Greenhouse is trying for another shot at opening as new orange stickers are in front of the all glass-enclosed front.
The toast of Voorhees, NJ Rocco Fiorentino, a 15-year-old, blind jazz pianist and vocalist, will perform at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria for a Dr. Oz gala to benefit his nonprofit HealthCorps. Fiorentino was last seen at Joe Piscopo’s Variety Club charity event at Vie and the young gent can wail. Also in Dr. Oz news (man, I hope I don’t have to say that too often), Revel-er Jose Garces will be on Oz’s television show on Thursday. The topic: flavor-boosting. Oz. Oh. Oy.
Speaking of: Garces’ chef Reinaldo Reney from Starr’s Alma de Cuba is now at Garces JG Domestic as several of JGD’s staff have headed off to Revel in A.C.
Tim Lu and Michael Skolnick have jumped into the Piazza spot left open by Raw having vacated what was once meant for Speck Food + Wine. There’s so much weird history and bad blood behind that location. It really is best that you do some Googling. That said, Skolnick and Lu’s new hot spot will be called Krafteria — cafeteria-like menu, craft beers vended from a self-serve wall a la Horn & Hardart’s automats. Look for an opening in May before the OUT! Fest at The Piazza.
When he isn’t busy traipsing after Colin Farrell and the Dead Man Down cast, Niels Arden Oplev, director of the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, takes time to speak at Drexel U on May 6. Check here for details.
Holy el malito. Flavor of another kind is coming to Philly by way of Latin music promoters Josh Norek (co-founder of the Latin Alternative Music Conference) and Ernesto Lechner (contributing writer for the Los Angeles Times and author of Rock en Español: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion). The pair that have hosted The Latin Alternative, the country’s first nationally syndicated public radio show specializing in Latin hip-hop, electro and rock, for the last four years, brings twisted Latino-ism to WXPN starting April 22. Norek was recently featured on “Latin Roots,” on WXPN’s World Café. Aye.
I’m always talking about Barry Gutin and Larry Cohen’s Cuba Libre and Square Pegs but rarely get a good reason to chat up their 32 Degrees lounge in the OC. This Friday, April 20, Philly promoter Mike Fazio is bringing DJ Excel to spin the thin swank salon. It’s as great a reason to go any — hit it.
First ex-TLA Films guy Richard Wolff goes off and forms Breaking Glass Pictures which releases new DVD and gets oddball indie releases into theaters. Now Ray Murray, one of TLA Entertainment’s founders, has his own imprint, Artsploitation Films. Based in Philly, Artsploitation will drop three foreign films to start — Gandu from India, Hâdo romanchikkâ from Japan, Bullet Collector from Russia — then go full force into the DVD/VOD/theatrical release route soon after.
The Glitoria space at 51st and Chancellor offers an early evening house-bound show of fabulous neighborhood weirdos for cheap. Six bucks gets you Porches, Da Comrade, No One and the Somebodies, and what I must assume has become the house band, Glitoris. Yahoo.
Not too far from the Glit, and sadly I must add, the long-running Watusi Pub II at 45th and Locust will soon go the way of the dinosaur. Maybe. Apparently, it’s closing with no word on re-opening, due to headaches with L&I due to bad behavior of all sorts. Shame.
A sad passing in the extended family of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Art Jenkins, an Arkestra member for 36 years — vocalist and space-megaphonist — passed away this week. Though he was living in Sleepy Hollow, NY as late, he did indeed spend time at the Arkestra complex in Germantown. Sorrows and condolences.
WHOWHATWHERE: One-time Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz can now be found drumming with a little old Pennsylvania indie rock act Kingsfoil who played a gig on Sunday night at World Cafe Live with D&M, an area act connected to Drexel. Daryl Hall and pork rolling Tony Luke Jr. were on stage at Daryl’s House at the Borgata over the weekend where Luke got to jam on his own “Cheesesteak Anthem” before doling out coupons for his Borgata location. All American Rejects stopped by WIOQ studios to talk and sink shop. Gallery rogue David Carroll not only celebrated his birthday at La Viola with the Dellobuono boys, Jack Eldridge and Mary Beth Hallman of Lippincott House Bed & Breakfast fame and our fave porno-phonic sonic duo, Gunner and Erika Schiff. Carroll hung out the day after the Viola affair at Parc with Schoolly D. A dynamo, that David. Before their pairing at the Trocadero, DEV and Outasight both made their presence known across Philly’s WIOQ, both bugging DJ Maxwell. Pop-hop singers Rita Ora, Chris Rene and Carly Rae Jepson — the latter, the first artist signed by Justin Bieber to his new label, did likewise at the Q. Mitt Romney hit up the Tri-State Tax Day Tea Summit at the Franklin Institute. And before his sentencing for tax evasion goes through, Philly MC Beanie Sigel hit up Delilah’s. Sigel’s going to jail yet Romney roams free. What’s wrong with that picture?
- Activism
- Arts
- Arts Events
- Books
- Dance
- First Person Fest
- Last Chance
- Museum
- On the Fringe
- Philly Artists
- The Curator
- Theater
- Visual Art
- Arts News
- Artist Profile
- Arts Preview
- Street Art
- Been There, Done That
- Big Ups
- Comedy
- LOL With It
- Stand-up
- Critical Mass
- DVD
- Events
- Friday Fill-in
- Ice Cubes
- In Memoriam
- Interview
- Just Do It
- Just Opened
- Kaleidoscopic
- LGBTQ
- Art Phag
- Mailbag
- Movies
- Film Fest
- Movie Review
- On set
- Scenester
- screening
- trailer!
- Music
- 10 Track Mind
- Album
- Album Review
- Concert Review
- DJs
- Local Support
- Now Hear This
- One Track Mind
- Philly Bands
- Show
- Somebody Else Was There
- Song
- The Showdown
- concert photos
- jazz
- DJ Nights Blogged
- Night Watch
- Now See This
- Poetic License
- Printed Matter
- Radio
- Shopping
- Coveted
- Fashion
- What We Heart
- TV
- 24
- Idol Hands
- Mad Men
- ProjRun
- True Blood
- Useless Lost Recaps
- Couch Potato
- Shore Trash
- Turned ONN
- TopMod
- Video Games
- Free Online Game
- PSP
- PlayStation 2
- The 1-Upper
- Wii
- Web Junk
- CAGE MATCH
- Free Online Toy
- Weekend Omnibus
- Win
