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Archive: May, 2011
Though it was shooting to debut last weekend, Al Zaytouna (901 Christian St.) officially opened for business this morning. An Eastern Mediterranean restaurant in the former Mew Gallery space, Al Zaytouna ("the olive") is the handiwork of longtime Philly restaurant vet Koubeil Benayed, a native of Tunisia. His menu (in full after the jump, click to enlarge) comprises staples like falafel, shawarma kofta, hummus and baba ghannouj. Specialties of the house are good for meat lovers (chicken/lamb/kofta kebabs; charcoal-grilled lamb chops), and there are some seafood options in play too (catch of the day, or the Al Zaytouna combo, which features grilled salmon along with several kebabs). Benayed is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, and says he hopes to introduce brunch service in the coming months.
Photos: Drew Lazor
- Adam Erace tests the waters at the new Chinatown location of Erawan, who's been serving killer Thai at 23rd and Sansom forever. He somehow channels Wiz Khalifa while discussing green and yellow curries. Cheers to that, and cheers to Erawan's golden bags (read on).
- Though we weren't hungover at the time, we took on a few recipes from Milton Crawford's The Hungover Cookbook to determine whether or not we'd be able to accomplish them while full of stale whiskey. Results were largely successful, though please please PLEASE no blenders.
- In What's Cooking: Word on wine tastings, gluten-free education and serious burger-eating contests.
- In Feeding Frenzy: News on new openings Rotisseur, Strange Brew and Burger.Org.
Photo: Mark Stehle
Chef David Katz's momma, Suzanne — aka Mémé, or grandma, to his two sons — will visit her own boy's restaurant (2201 Spruce St.) on Wednesday, June 15 to cook a homestyle meal celebrating the Katz fam's Moroccan-Jewish heritage. Guests who plop down at communal tables will be treated to traditional Moroccan dishes like baked fish with tomatoes; spicy meat-filled cigars; potato pastels; meatballs with celery and peas; and a tagine of lamb. The family-style affair, which'll cost $45 a head (the restaurant will pour $5 Moroccan wines, and BYO is fine), will have two seatings, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Call 215-735-4900 for rezzies.
Last year's "Down the Shore" party at Zahav (237 St. James Place), to which we gave away tix via extremely difficult Jersey Shore-themed trivia challenge, was one of the most fun cheffy events we've had the pleasure of attending in Philly. Looks like newly minted James Beard winner Michael Solomonov is going for Round 2 in 2011 — on Thursday, June 30, they'll start the July 4 holiday weekend right with "Down the Shore 2: The Zahav Boat." First of all: buahaha. OK actual info now: The Love Boat-themed evening ($60 a head) will feature all-you-can-eat/drink offerings from returning participants Pierre Calmels (Bibou), David Katz (Mémé), John Taus (The Corner) and Peter Woolsey (Bistrot La Minette), with first-timers Jennifer Carroll and Monica Glass of 10 Arts joining the festivities. For entertainment, there'll be a '70s DJ, a lounge singer and karaoke. Guests are encouraged to rock "cruise wear." Yessssss.
Guacamole Mex-Grill (4612 Woodland Ave.) is getting quite close (a few weeks out) on the West Philly strip that's already home to Four Worlds Bakery and the Whispering Leaves tea shop. Rafael de Luna, who's opening up the restaurant with his mom and two brothers (bro Rodolfo is in charge of the menu), says they've been working on the spot for close to a year and a half. Food details are still a little close to the vest, but the menu will be authentic to the regional cooking styles of central Mexico. More soon.
UPDATE [26may11]: A bit more on the concept, courtesy of Rodolfo de Luna. Guacamole is very small (16-18 seats), so they will not be able to accommodate BYOers; think of it more as a neighborhood taqueria and restaurant, with standbys like quesadillas and tortas, plus entrée-style places like enchiladas suizas, chilaquiles and mole (the grandparents on the de Lunas' mother's side ran a mole-making operation). The space, which will be outfitted with TVs and free WiFi, is aiming for an early July opening.
Kennett (848 S. Second St.), with its saloon vibe, wood-burning oven and Prohibition cocktails, is not exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find green curry chicken, let alone amazing green curry chicken. But chef Brian Ricci has a way with the exotic — and making the exotic seem familiar. He starts by marinating boneless Bell & Evans chicken thighs — a flavorful and inexpensive call — in a paste of cumin, curry leaves and other Far East ingredients for “up to 48 hours if I can. Two days is the ideal.” Then they hit the Forno Bravo pizza oven, whose hickory/beech inferno caramelizes the curry paste into a charred sheath that surrounds the thighs. Two smoky, moist pieces go into a bowl, topped with a fistful of Tom Culton's zippy watercress, cashews roasted with lime and shavings of quick-pickled cucumbers. Think of this less as a Thai or Indian curry than the best grilled chicken salad you’ve ever had. Eat this immediately!
Photo: Courtesy of Brian Ricci
Listen up, cheeseheads: A Philly mongering all-star, Emilio Mignucci of Di Bruno Bros., is teaming up with Village Belle (757 S. Front St.) to kick off their "Behind Belle's Bar" series this week. Samples from Di Bruno's always-impressive cheese collection will be slivered and served up while Mignucci chats with guests about cheese culture, life in the Italian Market and whatever else strikes his fancy. Stop by Village Belle to take part in what is sure to be a deliciously educational imbibement session tomorrow night from 6 to 8 p.m. and keep an eye out for future installments in the "Behind Belle's Bar" series coming soon.
The loyalty card — you know, "buy nine tuna sandwiches, get the 10th free!" — is a time-honored practice at food/drink operations of all stripes, the coffee game being no exception. But now a group of Philly bean brewers are teaming up to encourage extremely disloyalty within their customer base. Seven local coffee houses — Chestnut Hill Coffee Co. (8620 Germantown Ave.), Spruce Street Espresso (1101 Spruce St.), Lovers & Madmen (28 S. 40th St.), Ultimo Coffee (1900 S. 15th St.), Town Hall Coffee Co. (358 Montgomery Ave., Merion), Shot Tower Coffee (542 Christian St.) and Bodhi Coffee (410 S. Second St.) — are now carrying cards for "Philly's Disloyalty Program." The deal: Purchase a pourover coffee at each of these spots and earn a punch. Once you've got seven punches, you can redeem the card at any of the seven participating cafés for a free pourover cup. Nice little way to tour through all the area's best caffeinated options and come out with a little something to show for it.
Local nutritionist/author Genevieve Sherrow is the founder of Gluten-free Warrior, a nutritional education program derived from Sherrow's recently released cookbook filled with gluten-, wheat- and soy-free recipes. GF Warrior has teamed up with La Cucina at the Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch streets) to share how to live within the constraints of a gluten-free diet with ease, and there are a couple of upcoming classes to kick off the series.
Next Thursday, June 2 (5:45-7:45 p.m.), Sherrow's demonstration, Gluten-free Budget Friendly, Quick and Easy, will center upon keeping a whole-foods diet while remaining conscious of your budget — she will be preparing and sharing recipes that cost less than $20 and take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Some dishes include curried carrots and chickpeas; rainbow veggie chili; and quinoa with zucchini and mushrooms. This leg of the demo series costs $30, and includes recipes, food samples and educational materials.
Later on in the month, on Saturday, June 25 (11 a.m.-1 p.m.), Sherrow focuses on gluten-free brunch — all of us GF humans can probably agree that it's the most frustrating and difficult meal that exists, with all the pancakes and Belgian waffles and French toasts — by preparing a millet-based porridge with seasonal peaches; a scramble of scallion, nori and walnut; and buckwheat waffles. Interested? Register by contacting Anna Florio of La Cucina at 215-922-1170 or sign up at lacucinaatthemarket.com.
Honeybees, of course. On Monday, three hives of nectar collectors were planted on the top of Lynn Rinaldi and Corey Baver's elegant ristorante (1627 E. Passyunk Ave.). Lucky bees; at three stories up, they’ve got Center City views.
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