Great Chefs Event

On June 17, 2009, the fourth annual Great Chefs Event to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand will be held at Osteria on North Broad Street. The ticket price is a little steep ($250) but it's for a great cause and the list of chefs who will be participating is incredible.

Italian Market Street Festival

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, check out the Italian Market Street Festival on 9th Street this weekend. Rain or shine, the event is sure to draw large crowds and offer plenty of great food.

The Eagle Has Landed

As of 7pm on Friday night, Capogiro is officially open on East Passyunk! Those of you following this blog know that we've been eagerly awaiting the opening of this awesome gelateria. My trusty companion Sweety McGee and I checked out the new establishment around 11:30pm -- one of the best parts of this addition to the area is that it will be open late (1am on Friday and Saturday, 11pm every other day). Why do so many places in this city close so early?

Anyway, I tried the pineapple-mint and papaya, while Sweetie went with the dark chocolate and sweet milk. (You'll notice I've changed the spelling of Sweetie, since Sweety looks too much like Sweaty, and Sweaty McGee does not sound like a fun eating companion) The flavors were great, the service was friendly, and I can't wait to go there every night and gain 30 lbs. Tables were not yet set up, but it looks like there will be several tables inside as well as in a courtyard shared with Michael's Cafe next door.

Dollar Dog Night

PhoodAddict.com's Man on the Street Murph reports that yesterday's Phillies Dollar Dog Night (combined with the College Night promo) was a madhouse. His source at Aramark revealed that 71,200 hot dogs were purchased last night.

Michael's Cafe on Passyunk

PhoodAddict.com is happy to report that Michael's Cafe is a great addition to the burgeoning East Passyunk Restaurant Row. We've been there a couple of times: once for breakfast and once for dinner, and both instances featured good food and friendly service.

On our breakfast visit, I had the eggs benedict, a special. The eggs were poached perfectly and the hollandaise sauce creamy and lemony. My dining companion, let's call her Sweety McGee, had the Spanish omelet with peppers and salsa, which she enjoyed.

Our dinner visit was also a success. I again had the special, calamari stuffed with veal sausage accompanied by grilled radicchio in a balsamic vinegarette (pictured above). Dinner includes a choice of soup or salad -- I had the New England Clam Chowder. I'm not really a big fan of soups but this was a great cup of soup -- not skimpy on the clams and not too heavy like NE Clam Chowder can be. Sweety McGee had the Mac and Cheese, which I sampled -- to be honest I was not that impressed. I felt it needed a little kick or something extra -- the menu description mentions roasted tomatoes, but there was barely even a bite on the plate -- more of a garnish.

The service was prompt and friendly without being intrusive, and our table on the sidewalk was perfect for people watching. We're eager to see Michael's succeed.

Michael's Cafe

1623 East Passyunk Ave

http://michaels-cafe.net/

The scoop on Capogiro

This morning, I spoke to a painter working on the Capogiro on Passyunk who gave me the inside scoop (Get it, scoop? How clever are we.) on the gelataria. The owners were targeting a Wednesday opening, but he thinks it's more likely that it opens next week. We're still holding out hope for a Friday opening.

Around the Web

Unbreaded has a nice preview of the Starr Burger Shack in Franklin Square. We've never heard of a "Philly Dog" (100% Kosher beef hot dog wrapped in Salami) but it sounds delicious.

Fries With That Shake went to Famous Deli recently. It's been so long since we've been there...not many things better than an enormous pastrami sandwich followed by a nap on the couch.

two.one.five has a great interview with James Beard award winner Jose Garces. Nice that he seems proud to call Philly home. And Cantonese via Peruvian sounds amazing.

Free Drink at Fri Sat Sun

Fri Sat Sun is offering a free drink to diners Monday through Friday. Just mention the Barcelona Delusion (recipe below) to your waiter to get the exotic apertif.

1 oz. of fine sherry, amontillado
1 oz. sweet vermouth
2 oz. prosecco1
lemon peel for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add
the sherry, vermouth and stir rapidly until the outside of the shaker is
frosted. Strain into a flute glass and top off with the prosecco. Add lemon zest
garnish and serve immediately.

Capogiro coming soon!

City Paper's Meal Ticket blog has a first look at Capogiro's new outpost on East Passyunk. They mention a target opening of Tuesday, May 12th, but a waiter at Michael's (the cafe next door) told me it would probably be Friday, May 15th. In any case, we are thrilled that Capogiro is coming soon, and even more excited that it's going to be open until 11pm on weekdays and 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays!

Inquirer Article

Craig LaBan had an article on the Philadelphia restaurant scene in the Sunday Inquirer. Nice to see East Passyunk included, but no specific restaurants were named. Come on, LaBan, even Girard Ave had some specific places mentioned.

Turkey Burgers Don't Count

Phood Addict Senior Correspondent Murph sent us this great article on a Burger of the Month Club. We were also disgusted yet simultaneously intrigued by Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, home of the World's Largest Burger Challenges.

KFC offers grilled chicken, dogs and cats living together

Loyal Phood Addict contributor Cheesy McStreet Cred notified us that for a limited time KFC is offering a coupon for a free meal of two pieces of grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit. It's a great idea to get people to try their new menu option. We haven't tried it yet, but we're pretty sure it'll hook you since the Colonel, with his wee beady eyes, puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes you crave it fortnightly.

The download is only available until 9:59pm CDT today, so act fast.

Around the web

I'll be honest -- there is a sizable backlog of posts to be written. Coming soon -- we promise -- will be a trifecta of Passyunk Ave reviews: Lynda's Mediterranean, Michael's Cafe and Izumi. In the meantime, we'll just post a bunch of links, like the lazy bastards at Foobooz (just kidding, Foobooz is awesome):

• Philly Mag posted its top 50 restaurants list. My main problem with this list is the same problem I have with the magazine: Kennett Square is not in Philadelphia. Berwyn is not in Philadelphia. Birchrunville is not in Philadelphia. If I'm looking at a list of the best restaurants in Philadelphia, I don't want to read about a place that's an hour and a half outside of the city. That said, I can't wait to try Zahav. They have raw lamb!
  
  
• Lucky 13 got a good review from Craig LaBan. We tried the mac and cheese in March and it was delish.

• Capogiro is coming soon to East Passyunk as well as University City. The sign is already up on Passyunk, hopefully it opens soon!

• Philadelphia Weekly notes that August (13th and Reed) hasn't changed much in the past six years, but why fix it if it ain't broke.

• Being the wonderful son that I am, I made Mother's Day Brunch reservations at Le Bec Fin. $50 per person gets you:

First course buffet: Smoked salmon / Fresh fruit / Freshly baked pastries / assorted salads / Omelets prepared by chef George Perrier

Second course (served): Choice of Scottish salmon / Braised, wild striped bass / Leg of lamb quinoa provençal / Organic, white-feathered chicken / 5 oz. petite filet of beef

Third course: Selections from the legendary dessert cart

Of course, I couldn't get a table until 3:30pm, so it'll be more like a really early dinner.