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Food Events
Last night, the inimitable David Katz put out a Twitter call to all his "Jewish friends and Gentiles who hate their families" for the Christmas Eve feast he's hosting at Mémé (22012 Spruce St.). On Saturday, the free egg nog will flow as citybound merrymakers dig into roasted goose, glazed ham, Brussels sprouts with green beans, mashed potatoes and cornbread-chorizo stuffing for $35 a head. (Apple or coconut custard pie is $4.) Reservations are available from 4:30 to 8, and the diner who comes wearing the "the most outlandish Christmas sweater" will eat for free (!).
Photo: Drew Lazor
Since the beginning of 2011, the team at Cuba Libre (10 S. Second St.) has rolled out more than a few surprises. While executive chef/co-owner Guillermo Pernot was busy prepping new piqueos (tangy ceviches, delightful baby octopus) and re-done Cubano classics (arroz con pollo with Manzanilla olives and asparagus salad), owners Larry Cohen and Barry Gutin were plotting their takeover of Marathon's 10th-and-Walnut location with chef Matt Levin. Just last week, though, Pernot, after travelling to his wife Lucia's hometown of Havana for culinary research (Pernot is Argentine), accomplished a longtime goal: bringing native Cuban chefs to Philadelphia for "Pop-up Paladares" dinners starting in January.
"This visit is a big deal, as it took a year to get approval from both governments and it's the first time a chef from Cuba has come to the U.S. to cook since the embargo was in put in place over 40 years ago," says Gutin of the pop-ups, named after the restaurants that are often set inside a chef's own home. The first chef in the series (Jan. 11-13) is Luis Alberto Alfonso Perez of Cuba's El Gijonés, Bar Oviedo, La Terraza and Asturias. I recently spoke to Pernot in more detail about the historic series.
The sober reality of the bar and restaurant industry is that most people who work in it do not have access to healthcare benefits — which makes taking measures against any type of serious injury or illness a stiff challenge. This is where the quick thinking and generosity of in-the-business peers comes in. Phoebe Esmon, head bartender at the Farmers' Cabinet (1113 Walnut St.) and president of the Philly chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, has organized a benefit for her barback Jim Edwards, a Philly restaurant veteran who was recently diagnosed with cancer. This Sunday, Dec. 18, from 7 to 11 p.m., visit Khyber Pass Pub (56 S. Second St.) and take advantage of liquor, cocktail and beer specials — DonQ Rum, St. Germain, Philly Distilling and F-Cab itself are confirmed participants so far — raising money to help defray Edwards' medical bills. Cheers to a speedy recovery.
Longtime pals Lee Styer, Jessie Prawlucki and Tory Keomanivong of Fond (1617 E. Passyunk Ave.) and Jon Cichon and Adam Lazarick of Lacroix (Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square) will team up on Jan. 23 for a truffle dinner at the South Philly BYOB. We've already got our calendars marked. The $125 dinner will comprise five courses (plus a coconut sorbet intermezzo) and feature the king of the mushroom realm as an accent for squab, sweetbreads, gnocchi and kampachi. Check out the full menu after the jump, and call Fond for reservations.
Jake's Wayback Burgers, which opened its first city-limits restaurant in the N'East (9173 Roosevelt Blvd.) in November after launching several successful spots in the Philly 'burbs, is hosting a grand opening event for the location this Saturday, Dec. 17, starting at 10 a.m. They're giving away a bunch of pricey prizes (iPads, TVs, cameras, etc.) via a raffle, in addition to Jake's gift cards and the right to burgers, shakes and hot dogs for a full year. There will be free grub at the event too, of course. Connecticut-based Jake's, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, has 10 Pennsylvania outposts.
The Farmers' Cabinet (1113 Walnut St.), purveyor of all things excellent to drink, is hosting the Italian Beer & Food Experience this Wednesday. For $90, you’ll get nine rare Italian beers (many on draft) from the likes of Del Borgo, Del Ducato and Almond '22, a microbrewery making chestnut-honey barleywine and pink-peppercorn IPA in the mountains of Abruzzo. Matthias Neidhart, who pioneered bringing Boot-bred beers to the States via his B. United International importers, will be on hand at the dinner to discuss the beers, as well as the brewing revolution in Italy. Meanwhile, chef de cuisine/paesan’ Steve Forte will be cooking housemade cotechino, gnocchi with lamb ragu, a take on vitello tonnato and more Italian plates to pair with the brews. Full food/drink details after the jump; call F-Cab at 215-923-1113 for reservations.
The growth of Philly's food-truck culture in the past calendar year is birthing collaboration — Andrew Gerson of the soon-to-launch Strada Pasta is working with other local street-food-entrepreneurs to found the Philly Food Truck Association, which will host its very first meeting next Monday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Free Library (1901 Vine St.).
The fifth of December is Repeal Day, and The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. (112 S. 18th St.) is celebrating America's 78th consecutive year of legally sanctioned alcohol consumption with a "Dealer's Choice" night headed up by Franklinite Colin Shearn and visiting New York drink slanger Nick Jarrett, who opened the Philly cocktail joint in 2009. In lieu of the bar's usual big-azz menu, the twosome will simply distribute checklists designed to gauge each table's boozy proclivities — indicate how you prefer your drinks (shaken, stirred, bitter, savory, tart, effervescent, etc.) and the gents will do the rest. "There were no cocktail menus in the '30s," says Shearn. "That's the whole idea — we're The Franklin, and we're good enough that you should trust us. Hopefully that will fly. People might revolt."
While we're pretty sure this is going to go well for open-minded drink consumers, Shearn vows that they'll fix something very special for anyone who gets smartass-y with the Repeal Day system (i.e. glibly checking both "shaken" and "stirred"). He won't say what. Just pray for your sake that it doesn't involve Jeppson's Malort.
Photo: susanhessel.wordpress.com
Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook of Zahav (237 St. James Place) are presenting their take on holiday fare with not one but three prix-fixe dinners this December.
First up, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, is a Chanukah menu ($45/person), featuring dishes such as hummus with glazed brisket, a variety of latkes and date and orange sufganiyot. Next, on Thursday, Dec. 22, is the Israeli restaurant's second annual A Very Jewish Christmas celebration. The $50-a-head evening, dubbed An Even Jewisher Christmas, upholds the age-old tradition of Jews partaking in movies and Chinese food to occupy their time on the most Gentile of all holidays. This year's menu includes Solomonov's versions of Szechuan-style pork belly and moo shu duck, as well as Chinese-inspired cocktails. Movie suggestions can be sent in via Twitter (@zahavrestaurant), and the screening schedule will be kept a surprise until the day of, just like last year. Finally, on Saturday, Dec. 31, Zahav will offer a New Year's Eve menu ($65/person or $100/person with wine pairings), which will include fluke crudo paired with Golan Heights Chardonnay and glazed veal shanks paired with Clos de Gat Syrah. The full menu can be seen here (PDF).
Kennett (848 S. Second St.) is celebrating its first year of business with a bit of help from Yards. Chef Brian Ricci (above) is doing a special all this weekend — for $25, you get a starter (apple parsnip soup or one of Ricci's homemade terrines), an organic beer-brined half chicken plate (with vanilla-toasted barley and fall veg) and a pint of beer. On Sunday, Kennett's proper birthday (they opened on Dec. 4, 2010), Tom Kehoe and his crew will roll in a selection of bourbon-barrel-aged Yards beers (Love Stout, Porter, etc.) and pour them, with complimentary snacks from the kitchen, between 3 and 5 p.m. Ricci adds that he might be sharing tastes of his own homemade mead if you'd like to get all Beowulf about it.
Photo: Drew Lazor
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