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Chef Salad
We were surprised to hear the other day from a very reliable chef source who told us he'd been offered a walkthrough of the former Deux Cheminees at 12th and Locust — a space that has long been earmarked for Starr Restaurant Organization corporate executive chef Chris Painter's restaurant Il Pittore. That, coupled with this job posting for, well, Starr's corporate executive chef (also passed along by a tipster), got the gears turning a little: Could the Italian restaurant we just updated about the other day be off the table? Not the case, according to Painter: When Il Pittore does open (in late summer), the chef will "no longer be in the corporate role. That is why you saw the ad." Ahhh, makes sense. But what about that walkthru? As we understand it, the deal for the space is not yet official, so there's nothing stopping ownership from showcasing it to interested parties, just because.
Back in February, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2011 chef/restaurant semifinalists, and today they're tweeting out the finalists rapid-fire style. Three local luminaries have been earmarked so far — Michael Solomonov of Zahav has been nominated for "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic," Marc Vetri's Vetri is up for "Outstanding Restaurant," and Sam Calagione of Delaware's Dogfish Head is in the running for "Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional." The awards will be doled out on May 9 in New York City. One already-awarded honor of note: Chef Vola's, in Atlantic City, has earned an "America's Classics" award from Beard.
Got an extra $4995 lying around? (And, really, who among us doesn’t?) There’s a seat waiting for you on a six-night food-stuffed journey to Fraciacorta, in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, this September.
"Our goal was to design an authentic and intimate culinary experience, with lots of laughter and memories to last a lifetime," say the trip's hosts, Osteria chef Jeff Michaud (right) and his wife, Claudia. So accommodations are at a restored agriturismo — that's a working farmhouse that doubles as a small hotel — and all meals, whether at Michelin-starred Frosio or at Claudia's mama's house, aim to connect the travelers to the people that produce them. All food, wine, hands-on cooking classes with Michaud and day trips (Venice, Verona, Parma) are included in the cost of the trip. Enviously gander at the full itinerary after the jump, and if you’ve got the green, make reservations now — there are only 10 spots available — by emailing cibus.italy@gmail.com or calling 267-693-5313. Then let us know if you need company. Meal Ticket's escort rates are very reasonable.
View galleryWe're always interested in what Christopher Kearse is messing with, his current rendition on foie gras being no exception. (See our February feature.) The chef de cuisine at Pumpkin's latest take on fatty liver is a far cry from the classic seared-off/compote/toast points setup, focusing on the flavors of pistachio, beet and anise. Kearse roasts foie, then purées it and whips it over ice (a la whipped cream) to get it to a nice and silky texture. He then uses gelatin and agar-agar on a stock of fennel and Pernod (there's some serious anise for ya), which he wraps around the pure foie mousse to create the long, thin cylinders you see above. He combines the formed-out log o' foie with candied pistachio nuts, a pistachio purée, sections of raw beet, little dots of licorice purée and the stalk, frond and bulb of a baby fennel plant. Betcha never had foie like this.
Each month, Joe Cicala, chef at South Philly’s Le Virtu (1927 E. Passyunk Ave.) shares his kitchen one of his Italian mentors. The second in a series of these guest chef dinners goes down Wed., March 30 at 7 p.m. with Domenico Cornacchia, chef and owner of Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in Bethesda, Maryland. Cicala and Cornacchia worked together previously at D.C.'s Cafe Milano, and the pair is planning to rekindle that chemistry with seven dishes inspired by Cornacchia’s hometown of Valle Castellana, in the Teramo province of Abruzzo. The feast is so full of spring harbingers — lamb liver, fava beans — it makes us want to pull up a premature chair on Virtu’s Passyunk patio (it opens May 5). It’s $70 a head, including Teramo wines. Full menu after the jump.
Tonight's five-chef collab at The Corner (102 S. 13th St.) should be capital-K Killer — there still might be a few seats left, so give a ring at 215-735-7500. Looking ahead, though, it's time to prep our brains and gullets for another cheffing get-together, this one scheduled for March 28 at Peter Woolsey's Bistrot La Minette (623 S. Sixth St.). The dinner, which will have 6 and 8:30 seatings ($65 a head, or $90 with with wine pairings), will feature five chefs, in addition to host Woolsey (on decadent canapé duty), focusing on a quacktastic theme: duck. Peek after the jump to find out who — and what — will be cooking. Call 215-925-8000 for rezzies.
The photos are are hanging crooked on the walls, and it's driving Jason Cichonski insane.
The former Lacroix head man is deep into his gig as opening chef at Mica (8609 Germantown Ave., 267-335-3912), owned by Blackfish's Chip Roman, but the fussy frames hanging just outside the kitchen of the former ¡Cuba! refuse to cooperate — so much so that he's temporarily abandoned his cutting board a couple times to right the asymmetrical wrongs. If you've ever tried his food at the Rittenhouse Hotel, it goes without saying that he'll apply identical attention to detail to what's rolling out into the revamped dining room at the 40-seat Modern American eatery.
Perusing the 8,000 square feet of carefully curated retail dreamscape that is Terrain at Styer’s (914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills) can work really up an appetite. But the suburban outfitter’s attached Garden Cafe is much more than a refueling spot (though their Monin-syrup spritzers and giant chewy cookies do the trick in that respect) with chef Keith Rudolf, a Supper veteran, holding down the back of the house.
Every month, the Cafe runs pre-fixe BYOB dinners that bring a bit of big-city swagger to Delaware County. On Friday, March 25, Rudolph’s $45 menu unfolds with John Dory tartare accented with Yuengling jelly, while April’s dinner is a Brooklyn themer featuring chicken liver mousse and Shellbark Hollow ricotta beignets. Check both menus in full after the jump.
The Bryan Sikora-helmed restaurant currently under wraps inside the AKA Rittenhouse Square (135 S. 18th St.) is aiming for the first half of May to officially debut (still no name!), but here we've got some teases of what to expect in regards to the menu, courtesy of partner David Fields. (He shared some prelim details with us back in January.)
"The food will be boldly flavorful and sophisticated, but not complicated or fussy," says Fields of Sikora's in-the-works menu, which will mostly be composed of "medium" dishes that fall between traditional starter and entrée size. (There will, however, be a handful of bigger dishes — think a dry-aged ribeye for two with roasted potatoes — especially meant for sharing.) Sikora, the former Talula's Table chef, will draw from Spanish, French and Italian traditions in his new kitchen, a U-shaped, wide-open situation with 10 counter seats. They'll also offer housemade pastas done up in an Arcobaleno extruder.
After the jump, check out a sneak peek of what Sikora's working on (remember that none of this is set in stone).
We just snagged the full menu for the five-chef, five-course collaboration dinner going down next Tuesday, March 15, at The Corner (102 S. 13th St.). There are two seatings, at 6 and 8:30 p.m., and it's $50 a head. Peep what to eat in full after the jump. The participating chefs are pictured above, conveniently organized from left to right in order of their courses.
1st Course (Andrew Wood, Fork): San Daniele-style prosciutto, Tarbais bean puree, Lancaster duck egg, pea tendrils
2nd Course (John Taus, The Corner): Sweetbreads and crawfish, tasso ham ragu, pickled jalapeno grits
3rd Course (Matt Levin, Adsum): Cod fritters, thyme vinegar, smoked Worcestershire, celery root
4th Course (David Katz, Mémé): Cochon du Lait, black-eyed pea and ham hock stew, fried Brussels, Creole mustard, green tomato marmalade
5th Course (Peter Woolsey, Bistrot La Minette): Lemon meringue, thyme ice cream
Photo: Charlie Salguero
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