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Chef Salad
Tuesday, we brought you the news that Michael Santoro (who we really, really liked!) had left the enchanted Talula’s Garden (210 W. Washington Square) for a life devoid of gurgling fountains, leafy plum trees and unicorn-milk chevre. Partner Aimee Olexy isn’t saying whether the Santoro’s beef with menu development had anything to do with Craig LaBan's lukewarm two-bell review (as many suspect), but she does offer this: "Mike and I just spent a ton of time together, so it is hard. I am excited, though. The team here is amazing, and we are ready and want to go at it better than ever." A new executive chef has not been named.
This has nothing to do with Philly but it's so cool and absolutely worth sharing — elBulli, chef Ferran Adria's immeasurably influential restaurant in Catalonia, closed for good after dinner service this past Friday. (Adria will reopen the place as a culinary academy in 2014.) While me and probably you were never rich or fancy or cool enough to even consider eating there, and there is absolutely no need for more blind handjobby adoration for the spot, you should definitely check out Seattle writer Hsiao Ching's Storify of the final service, which organizes tweets, pictures and videos (from attending heavyweights like Jose Andres, Rene Redzepi and Grant Achatz) in chronological order. So neat to see it and hear all unfold from multiple perspectives.
Photos: @chefjoseandres and @Tokara_
Jim Burke, whose restaurant James has been sorely missed since it closed in May, has a new project lined up for the fall. It'll be Italian — "modern, simple, elegant," says Burke, who's drawing inspiration from cicchetti bars of Venice for the venture. "And we're going heavy on the pasta and risotto." Which means a resurrection of James faves like truffled gnocchi, risotto alla Kristina and the famed tagliatelle in chocolate-and-orange duck ragu, a serious coup for the tweakers suffering withdrawal. There's just one catch: For their fix, they’ll have to head to New York.
More specifically, they'll have to head to 77th Street and Central Park West. The ooh-la-la intersection is home of the New York Historical Society Museum, an institution in the midst of a top-to-bottom renovation that will add a full-service public restaurant on the building's 77th Street side. How'd the museum get on board with Burke? Stephen Starr, a former boss of Burke's from his Angelina days, recently won their catering contract.
Couldn’t make it to Manhattan for Le Virtù’s big splash at the James Beard House? Fear not, paesan. You can eat the feast in its carefully reproduced entirety tonight, without leaving Philly. Chef Joe Cicala will be opening with cocktails and passed stuzzicchini — that’s Italiano for hors d'oeuvres — of goat meatballs, porchetta agnolotti, headcheese and more at 6:30 p.m. in the Campo garden (weather permitting), followed by six plated courses. Wine pairings are included in the $100 per-person price tag. Peep the full menu after the jump, and make reservations by calling the restaurant (1927 E. Passyunk Ave.) at 215-271-5626.
On July 24, teams from Konstantinos Pitsillides' Kanella (1001 Spruce St.) and Marc Vetri's three Philly restaurants will square off in a fullscale, 11-on-11 soccer match in Fairmount to determine who's best at The Beautiful Game. Pitsillides, who actually played semi-pro ball both in his native Cyprus and in England, says he's pulling together a roster of his servers, cooks and dishwashers — "People that I know can kick the ball, hopefully" — to run up against Vetri's squad. They'll host a training session early next week. The chef, who promises more than a few slide-tackles, says he'll be playing a defensive-minded, Bill Russell-style player/manager role on his team. No official smacktalk from Vetri yet — he's a veteran of inter-restaurant athletic competitions, battling Jose Garces each year in a Thanksgiving-day football game — but we'll surely update when he chimes in.
We've got a Philly representative on tonight’s episode of Food Network's Chopped: Olivier Desaintmartin, chef/owner of Caribou Café (1126 Walnut St.) and Zinc (246 S. 11th St.). A native of Champagne and card-carrying member of Maitres Cuisiniers de France, Desaintmartin first came to the States in the late '80s to work at NYC's Le Bernardin, landing in Philly and putting down roots in 1989; tonight, he'll take on three chefs from New York. The episode, which airs at 10, will apparently feature mystery ingredients like tequila and corn tortillas (what is a Frenchman to do?). Desaintmartin joins local chefs like Eric Paraskevas of Terra, Mackenzie Hilton of Mercato, Jeremy Duclut of georges', Peter Karapanagiotis (formerly of Privé) and Judson Branch of Thirteen in trying his hand on the cook-off show.
Photo: restaurantreport.com
On July 12, Brian Ricci, chef of quaint Queen Village saloon Kennett (848 S. Second St.), is teaming up with two Toms for a special four-course collab dinner. One is Tom Kehoe of Yards Brewing; Ricci and Kennett co-owner Johnny Della Polla both worked for Yards' tasting room. The other is farmer-to-the-stars Tom Culton, who supplies Ricci with gorgeous local produce from his Lancaster acreage.
Nothing's finalized yet, but "Tom [Culton] is fattening up two young lambs for this event, as well as keeping some guineas around for the charcuterie," says Ricci. "I'm working with Yards on some special beers — blends of ales, firkins with chilies, firkins with herbs and spices." For the menu, we’re hearing guinea hen-and-pistachio pate; gnocchi with pork belly and baby artichokes; and lavender/hyssop lemonade intermezzo pinked with Culton's intense Alpine strawberries. But really, Brian, you had us at fattening up lambs.
There’s seating for 50, with about 10 percent already booked. Price is not set, but figure on $60-$65 a head.
Photo: Drew Lazor
This coming Wednesday, Fork (306 Market St.) kicks off its very own Sustainability Dinner Series. Chef Terence Feury will team up with authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough to prepare dishes from their most recent cookbook, Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese. While most may not be aware of this, goat is the most-consumed meat on the planet and one of the most sustainable choices out there, and the book addresses the animal's influence and versatility, providing recipes along the way. Join Feury, Weinstein and Scarbrough as they create a three-course, $45 tasting menu that highlights goat in every way. The meal will feature dishes like hand-rolled gnocchi, grilled/braised goat and goat yogurt panna cotta. Here's the full menu; call 215-625-9425 for reservations.
View gallery- As of Wednesday night, the Great Chefs Event made "just under a million" dollars for Alex's Lemonade Stand, with each ticket selling for $300, to say nothing of its big-ticket auction items like a home dinner for 20 people with Jose Garces, which went for $25,000.
- Upcoming stuff: Marc Vetri, the fountainhead of the Great Chefs Event, was much too busy to talk about anything but Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Shame. I really wanted to bug him about why he changed the name of his Italian gastropub at 600 North Broad to Alla Spina from Birerria 600. B600 sounded so mod, so Marcello Mastroiani. One new restaurant whose name will probably stick is Kevin Sbraga’s cool-casual Sbraga, which should open early autumn at 440 S. Broad Street in the Symphony House corner of Broad and Pine.
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