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Archive: March, 2012
Robert Amar's Underdogs (132 S. 17th St.), which has become quite the go-to for Center City restaurant workers since opening about three weeks ago, is ready to get its late-night thing going. Starting tonight, he'll keep his subterranean forcemeat emporium open until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. No night-owl-specific discounts or dealage, just his regular menu, which you can check out after the jump.
As the first of the big Navy Yard food benefits (Great Chefs, benefitting Alex's Lemonade Stand, is next), the ACHIEVEability's Food for Thought tomorrow, March 24, is a good one. The goal for ACHIEVEability is to assist low-income parents and homeless families in the area become completely self-sufficient. Tix, ranging from $150 to $300, are available here or by calling 215-748-8800.
Along with honoring the night's speaker, Salome Thomas-EL, author, former principal in the Philadelphia school system and a regular contributor to The Dr. Oz Show, the event features 21 chefs from 21 food operations in the area, some of whom are already lined up for Marc Vetri's Great Chefs event. No menus available, but the list of attendees speaks for itself.
Han Chiang, fresh off opening a Manayunk location of Han Dynasty just before Christmas, has honed in on the vacant U-City Science Center restaurant space at 3711 Market for an 88-seat Handy location. He hopes the restaurant, which also has room for about 40 outside, will be open for Penn graduation in May, which thrusts pretty much every reservationist in the city into pastel-clad pandemonium. Chiang, who regularly accommodates large parties from Penn at his Old City restaurant (he's already got 200 on the books for graduation here), feels confident he can make a successful go of it in the space that formerly housed Daniel Stern's MidAtlantic (pictured), which shut down in late February after three-plus years.
There has been much rumbling in the Philly brunch world as of late. Check out all the new options and menus that have bubbled up in the past couple of weeks ...
Documentarian David Gelb's film about world-renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono starts at Ritz at the Bourse (400 Ranstead St.) tomorrow. It's really inspiring. Here you go with the trailer. Hop over to CP's film section to read our review.
- Adam Erace somehow manages to find parking Fairmount and visits Lemon Hill, the neighborhoody collaboration between The Franklin and Supper. "The concept could easily come across as grandiloquent," writes Erace of the corner space's thoughtful cocktails and "surgically wrought" menu, "but the crew keeps it anchored in the innate promise of serving its neighborhood."
- In Feeding Frenzy: Popolino, Rex 1516, Square Peg and Machi Sushi are now open.
- In What's Cooking: Dumpling-eating bonanzas, Philly Stake, Greek independence, more.
- In Icepack: A.D. Amorosi has tidbits on a new project for the Farmers' Cabinet people and Stephen Starr drama in NYC.
- Emily Guendelsberger has more on the ice cream-centric Bruce Springsteen tribute happening at Johnny Brenda's this weekend. We told you about it yesterday.
- Jiro Dreams of Sushi opens in Philly this weekend. You gotta see it.
Photo: Neal Santos
Very excited to be on the judges' panel for this Sunday's Fishtown Neighbors Association Chili Cookoff, which'll bring together cooks both pro and amateur to complete for spicy spoony supremacy. I'll assist food writer Joy Manning and state rep Mike O'Brien in pinpointing the best chilis in a field that includes 10 in-the-'hood competitors (Frankford Hall, Pickled Heron, E.G.G., Interstate Draft House, Sketch, Barcade, Loco Pez, Soup Kitchen, Murph's and Brindle Café) and five at-home specialists (boasting awesome names like "Happiness is a Warm Chili" and "Heathen Vegans"). Lots of beer, too, from PBC, Saint Benjamin and a brand-new nano-operation called Bombshell Brewing.
Skedded for 1 to 4 p.m. at Skybox Studios (2424 E. York St.), the event runs $15 for food and drink. Cop tix online in advance or buy them at the door (it'll be $10 for chili only, no beer). Proceeds will support the recently launched RiverWards CrimeWatch and FNA programming.
As we mentioned in our ramen notebook post this past Friday, the noodle artists formerly known as Roundeye will host their third (and final, at this location) pop-up at Matyson (37 S. 19th St.) on Sunday, April 1. Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh — the partners are now going by Cheu Noodle Bar — have developed a bunch of new menu stuff, including a snack section and a tweaked-out ramen broth. The full Cheu rundown is after the jump. Same rules as the last event — they'll seat from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and reservations can be made by calling 215-564-2925 no earlier than 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 31. Cash only.
View galleryMany people seem to think the under-the-radar Brick American Eatery, which occupies the old Fish space (1708 Lombard St.), is a new Mike Stollenwerk endeavor. Is it a meatier spin-off from the seafood maestro? Negative, though that was the plan at one point. Jolly Weldon of Jolly's Piano Bar (1420 Locust St.) is now heading up the business. "I've always liked the space, and one of my partners at Jolly's is a partner of Mike's," says Weldon of the lead-up to the transaction. He's teamed up with Stollenwerk, whose role is "consulting chef," and partners Jason DiDomenico (the GM), Judy Taraborrelli and Jon Anderson to convert the G-Ho space (most famously Astral Plane) into an affordable, approachable neighborhood restaurant.
The fellas of Little Baby's Ice Cream are taking to the stage instead of the streets with a Bruce Springsteen tribute show at Johnny Brenda's (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) this Friday, March 23. Bruce Ice Cream and the Freeze Street Band consists of the Little Baby's founders (Jeff Ziga, Pete Angevine and Martin Brown) and five of their friends (Greg Wright, Dave Fishkin, Matt "Shaggy" Stein, Julia Factorial and Maura Diberardinis). The show is a fundraiser to help LB's buy the necessary equipment for their upcoming brick-and-mortar shop.
"We thought, 'We have ice cream, so what else do we have?'" says Ziga on the idea of the show. Musical chops, clearly: Angevine and Brown met while attending jazz college, while Ziga worked at a rock-and-roll camp with Angevine. Why Bruce? "I'm not exactly sure how Springsteen came up," says Ziga, "but I am a fan of his music and I think it has widespread appeal."
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