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This week's Circles collab menu, new April specials, and half-priced burgers tonight only, all on today's Afternoon Snacks!
New week, new chef and menu for a Thai New Year collab dinner at Circles (812 N. 2nd St.)! This Thursday, Apr. 4, it's Jenn Choplin's turn, and of course she's bringing a little game and lots of classic French influence—think Thai pot au feu and curried "blanquette" de lapin (guess the Easter bunny overstayed his welcome). Better yet? This one is a serious bargain: just $35 for six courses (the previous collabs have carried a $50 price tag).
Looks like Kris, the higher-end Italian eatery from the Stogie Joe's folks is no longer. Eater is hearing that the 11th and Federal corner could possibly be taken over by Tiffin/Tashan owner Munish Narula and transforming it into Tiffin Bistro. Considering the shortage of Indian options south of Washington Avenue, we'll take it!
Foobooz found newspaper covering the windows of Village Belle in Queen Village. No official word on whether or not the Belle is gone for good.
Over at the Comcast Center, Cook and Solo's barbecue satellite of Percy Street is no longer. Friday was their last day. For an amusing list of speculations on why the location has closed please direct yourself to the comments thread on The Insider's post.
Just in time for a mid afternoon pick me up, we're pleased to announce that the first Philadelphia outpost of Joe Coffee (1845 Walnut St.) is now open. The New York based mini chain is a longtime Meal Ticket favorite, seriously, they do a killer macchiato. The Rittenhouse location is pulling shots on a shiny new La Marzocco Strada using their own beans as well as Intelligenstia Black Cat espresso. On the edible end of thins Joe is bringing in local pastries from Metropolitan and Brûlée Bakery as well as some out of town treats from Greenpoint's Ovenly, home of the salted chocolate chip cookie.
While Philadelphia continues its love affair with beer, there are those amongst us who prefer a good cider, but not necessarily a sweet one. The fermented alcoholic beverage made from fruit – usually apples – is as hearty as any beer and can pack a punch, varying in alcohol content from 2% to 8.5% ABV or more. While most cider fans are happily acquainted with British and American ciders, the Asturias and Basque regions of Europe like its sidra (cider) so much their people make an event of it: an annual bash where people scream “Txotx” when the barrels get tapped and glasses get filled straight from the barrel. On Thursday April 4, Tinto (114 S. 20th St.) does the theoretical tapping, pouring three ciders from distinct regions in Spain and France, pairing them with a Basque-inspired menu.
“Spanish ciders tend to be more savory then an average American or British cider,” says Pete Lattanzio, the manager of Tinto and Village Whiskey, when asked about the differences between Basque ciders and those more familiar US/UK tastes. “Spanish ciders tend to have low carbonation and can be cloudy in color.”
Our favorite restaurant of 2012, Vernick Food & Drink (2031 Walnut St.), is headed to the New York's Beard House next week. Chef/owner Greg Vernick is cooking a five courser (six if you count the slew of hors d'oeuvres, which includes fan faves, uni with scrambled eggs and beef tartare) on April 8th at 7 p.m. The $170 price tag counts wine pairings, as well as mix master Vincent Stipo's beautiful house-made rose vermouth served two ways. Visit JBF's website for reservations.
The first rule of pranking is that you don't restrict your pranks to April 1st, when everyone is on their toes. With that in mind, Modernist Cuisine has a bunch of ideas that you might want to keep up your sleeve for the next 364 days. Fashioning "raw quail eggs" of spherified passionfruit and lemongrass juice will show real dedication to the pranking craft, while grated cauliflower in place of couscous is just sort of a handy dinner idea even for the humorless among you. Click through to see the rest!
Insert hackneyed lede about birdsong in the air here: despite mere 40-something highs in the forecast this week, spring won't be denied. And that means that menus all over the city will be experiencing some turnover—whether a mere half-hearted injection of favas and pea tendrils or a top-to-bottom makeover.
Looks like American Sardine Bar (1800 Federal St.) falls into the latter camp. Always on the lookout for the perfect partner for some frozen fries—and riding high on the success of a recent special at sister resto South Philly Tap Room, the Big Mark (seen above)—exec Scott Schroeder has decided to mix things up. ("Let's face it, that whole thing wasn't really working," Schroeder said of the Sardine Bar.)
On tap? An all gourmet burger concept. Seems the pambozas and braised pork sandwiches will be swept out the door in the name of spring cleaning, to make way for a full line of whimsical topping combinations designed to complement their signature artisanal grass-fed patties. No word yet on whether or not a sardine burger will be available, but we do feel confident predicting that this bold maneuver will earn the Bar at least one of two things: A repeat visit from Guy Fieri to put ASB on the Trip-Deez map, and/or legal action from Bobby Flay for infringing on his "Crunchified" trademark.
My sister-in-law, Christina, despite being born in Australia — where they like to celebrate Easter by eating and singing about hot crossed buns — has in recent years taken on the very Italian tradition of making the ham pie. Ham pie is a delicious and weird monstrosity and every brick is pretty much solid cholesterol. The recipe, as per Italian tradition, varies from household to household and is supposed to be kept secret, so I won't tell you or show you everything that's in it. Buf for a good idea of the sheer density of this delicacy, please enjoy Christina's slideshow below.
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Burger enthusiasts please mark your calenders, the Third Annual Burger Brawl is going down Sunday, May 5th at 3 p.m. at the Fleisher Art Memorial (719 Catherine St.). Hosted by Rob Wasserman of Rouge, 500 Degrees and The Saint James, this year's brawl burger-meisters include Spencer's ETA Burger, South Philly Tap Room, Alla Spina, Barbuzzo, Good Dog and plenty of other notable burger joints around town.
Others Burger Brawl points worth mentioning are famous Philadelphian and former Double Dare host Marc Summers will be emceeing the event and a portion of the proceeds from the event go to fancy new computer labs for Philadelphia Public Schools. Tickets are running $75, a price tag that gets you a ton of burger samples, drinks from Jim Beam and Dogfish and water ice from Rita's (remember that stuff?). Brawl goers will be able to cast their vote for People's Choice and we'll be there passing ultimate burger judgement on the judging panel. The last two Brawls have crowned a couple of controversial winners (London Grill and Bobby's Burger Palace) so if you're up for some burger eating action reserve your spot here.
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