Philly Restaurants Named as Semifinalists for James Beard Awards

By A.D. AMOROSI

Philadelphia is a world-renowned culinary destination with annual nominations for James Beard Foundation Awards for excellence in cuisine, culinary writing, and culinary education in the United States. For 2017, a handful of new and lesser-known (for now) in Philly’s restaurant scene join several notable veterans on the semifinalist list.

East Passyunk Celebrates Flavors of the Avenue and Grace & Pat's Opening

From Plenty: Crostini with Tasso ham, fig jam, sliced green apple and Gruyere

By A.D. AMOROSI

On Sunday, April 26, East Passyunk Avenue (EPA) – home to South Philadelphia's famed Restaurant Row – will show off its finest culinary wares in one place at the 8th annual Flavors of the Avenue under the big top tent between Tasker and Morris Avenues from noon to 4 PM. That same day will also be the debut of East Passyunk Avenue's newest eatery, Grace & Pat's ristorante, across from EPA's Singing Fountain.

Garage Philly to Host Taproom on 19th Pop-up on March 13

Kielbasa cheeseburger from Taproom on 19th

By REESE AMOROSI

On Friday, March 13, Garage Philly – the former auto body shop that now houses a watering hole popular for its vast canned beer selection and "badass" food cart – will host a pop-up for Taproom on 19th, an unpretentious South Philly neighborhood pub with an upscale menu. The event will showcase a cheeseburger made with Polish kielbasa, and two Mexican-inspired dishes: Queso Frito and Grilled Zucchini. The food will be available from 6PM until it sells out.

Philadelphia Christmas Tree Lightings, Events and Attractions 2014

South Street's Christmas tree at the historic Headhouse Square Shambles

By REESE AMOROSI

In the city of Philadelphia, various neighborhoods and landmarks have hung their holiday decorations and invited Santa to stop by and flip the switch on the dazzling displays. With numerous Christmas tree lightings, Macy's famous light show and Dickens Village, RiverRinks' Winterfest (where even Claus himself will be ice skating!) and Love Park's Christmas Village, Philly's 2014 holiday events and attractions will leave revelers with the joy of the season and visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads.

Philadelphia's Chhaya Café Moves to New East Passyunk Avenue Location

Sausage Gravy and Cornbread Waffle with Fried Egg at Chhaya Café

By REESE AMOROSI

When Chhaya Café moves to its new location at 1819 East Passyunk on August 21, chef and owner Varnana “V” Beuria will have a larger home for her daily breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch nook. This is necessary due to the popularity of Chhaya, previously located two doors down at 1823 on East Passyunk Avenue, also known as South Philadelphia's "Restaurant Row." The concepts that V made popular at Chhaya's former space will remain: creative twists on classic dishes combined with pancakes, waffles and crepes, plus salads, sandwiches and beverages including a satisfying selection of teas and fair trade coffees.

Christopher Kearse's Will among Eateries at East Passyunk Restaurant Week

Parisian gnocchi by Chef Christopher Kearse at Will

By REESE AMOROSI

When East Passyunk Restaurant Week returns to South Philly, February 23 through March 1, twenty-four of the avenue's eateries will offer menus at value prices: three-course meals from $15 to $35. East Passyunk Avenue is known for culinary diversity – everything from Scandinavian (Noord) to Italian (Le Virtu) to Japanese (Izumi). It is also known for being the home of Chef Christopher Kearse and his BYOB restaurant Will, where he presents French-inspired dishes rooted in tradition, but modern in execution.

Interview: Chef Joncarl Lachman of Noord Restaurant in Philadelphia

Chef Joncarl Lachman of Noord restaurant in Philadelphia, PA

By A.D. AMOROSI

Chef Joncarl Lachman is truly making the best of his first year on South Philadelphia’s East Passyunk dining strip, cooking for and running Noord. Lachman, a Southwest Philly native who made his bones in Chicago, has won critical acclaim and packed houses for his intimate BYOB’s rustic Scandanavian fare. This week, Lachman announced that Noord will participate in its first East Passyunk Avenue Restaurant Week (Feb 23 - Mar 1), making their debut along with current Top Chef contestant Nicholas Elmi’s Laurel.  Lachman also announced that Noord will host a collaborative dinner with their friends and neighbors at Fond on January 27, where the two restaurants will split one Deep Roots Valley Farm-raised pig as part of a five-course meal.

Philadelphia Celebrates the Holidays with Tree Lighting Events

Christmas tree at The Shops at Liberty Place in Philadelphia

By A.D. AMOROSI and GLAMOROSI

Nothing kicks off December’s holiday season better than a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. These events are nearly as much fun as spiking eggnog with brandy, and far less filling. This week Philadelphia’s evergreens will have their lights strung and their balls hung, often with a visit from Santa Claus to boot. In Center City, The Shops at Liberty Place and The Friends of Rittenhouse Square will both flip the switch on Tuesday, December 3; Mayor Michael Nutter and his wife will be on hand at Love Park for the city's official tree lighting on December 4; South Philly's East Passyunk Avenue will deck the halls on December 5; and the South Street Headhouse District will light their tree during their Winter Wonderland event on December 8.

Kung Fu Hoagies' Vegetarian Cuisine Delights Philly Food Cart Scene

Steve Renzie and Paul Davis of Kung Fu Hoagies

By A.D. AMOROSI

A little over a year ago, Paul Davis and Steve Renzi started taking their vegetarian Kung Fu Hoagies (KFH) cart for a spin on a daily basis, offering the finest in Vietnamese-influenced food (Davis is a painter – that’s his art on their cart – and a student of the martial arts) throughout the universities of West Philly and, in particular, Clark Park. Now, the pair can be found mostly near South Philly’s East Passyunk Avenue, delighting fans with their their cuisine and using Twitter to get the word out for their location.

East Passyunk Flavors of the Avenue Festival Thrills Philly Food Fans

Scenes from the 2013 East Passyunk Flavors of the Avenue event

By GLAMOROSI

On Saturday, April 27, in South Philadelphia, the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District (EPABID) launched the 6th annual Flavors of the Avenue event featuring 25 area restaurants. Down Passyunk Avenue on the same day, Crafty Balboa held their 5th annual artisan fair. Festival organizers confirm 1000 guests participated in the 2013 Flavors event under the tent, and estimate an additional 1500 people were at Crafty Balboa. Attendees included celebrities Jennifer Zavala and Jennifer Carroll, both Top Chef contestants, and some Crafty Balboa patrons did a double-take seeing Project Runway’s first winner, Jay McCarroll, manning a booth.

Chef Joncarl Lachman to Open Noord Restaurant in Philadelphia on May 8

Scenes from the Noord pop-up at The Farm and Fisherman in Philadelphia

By REESE AMOROSI

Chef Joncarl Lachman held a pop-up dinner for Noord, his upcoming Northern European restaurant, at the Farm and Fisherman in Philadelphia on Monday night. While the East Passyunk-based Noord got finishing touches like new windows and stoves in preparation for its opening (between May 6 and 10), Lachman, his partner Bob Moysan, and the staff at Farm and Fisherman delighted diners with the Dutch and Finnish-inspired menu. Erin Kautza, who worked with Lachman in Chicago, was a server for the event.

UPDATE: In our correspondence on April 30, Lachman stated that Noord was scheduled for a May 8 opening.

East Passyunk Prepares for its Annual 'Flavors of the Avenue' Event in South Philly

Venison paté and sourdough toast at Fond on East Passyunk Avenue

By GLAMOROSI

In anticipation of the annual East Passyunk Flavors of the Avenue event in South Philadelphia (Saturday, April 27), members of the media were invited to a preview tasting tour this past Tuesday night. Along with being treated to menu items from Passyunk Ave’s familiar favorites (including Da Vinci, who also showed us their secret garden space), we sampled food from Stateside’s newly appointed Executive Chef, 24-year-old Elijah Milligan (replacing the acclaimed George Sabatino, who left to start his own restaurant), and got an early look at the still-under-construction Noord Restaurant.

Philadelphia Dishcrawl Introduces Diners to East Passyunk Avenue Eateries

A selection of pizzas at Birra on East Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia

By GLAMOROSI

This past Tuesday Philly food fans participated in Dishcrawl, a mobile feast that takes place in cities across the country with patrons meeting at a pre-determined location, then visiting restaurants that are kept secret until the last minute. The sold-out Philly Dishcrawl was hosted by Ali Waks, and took us to four eateries on trendy East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia: Sophia’s, Birra, Noir and Ms. Goody Cupcake.

East Passyunk Avenue Restaurant Week Debuts this February in Philadelphia

Dish from Kris, a featured spot for East Passyunk Avenue Restaurant Week

By GLAMOROSI

East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District (EPABID) and twenty-one dining establishments from the area will launch the debut East Passyunk Avenue Restaurant Week on Sunday, February 24, through Saturday, March 2, 2013. During the event the restaurants will feature three-course prix fixe menus (brunch, lunch and dinner), beverage pairings, and off-menu specials.

East Passyunk Avenue Car Show and Street Festival 2012, Philadelphia PA

1939 Chevy Sedan at the 2012 East Passyunk Avenue Car Show

By Glamorosi, July 2012

The East Passyunk Avenue Car Show and Street Festival took place yesterday, July 29, in South Philadelphia. Now in its 7th year, the show was hosted by the Northeast Muscle Car Club and presented by the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District. From Dickenson all the way to Broad, East Passyunk Avenue was lined with antique, custom and show cars, craft vendors, and people soaking up the sun, sounds, and a selection of food and drinks.

Glamorosi and 1939 Chevy

One of my favorite cars was the 1939 Chevy Sedan (shown above and at right) owned by Randy Ruffin, who has had the car for eight years. The lavender and pearlized white painted beauty has come a long way since Mr. Ruffin found it as a rusty frame sitting in a Camden, NJ backyard. When I asked how many hours of work it took to finish the restoration, Mr. Ruffin laughed and said, "It's not done, it's never-ending".

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1972 Corvette Stingray owned by Harry Brooks

A cool convertible Corvette Stingray

This sexy 1972 Chevy Corvette Stingray is owned by Harry Brooks. According to the National Corvette Owners website, Chevy sold these convertibles for $5,296 in 1972. If I could have had any car in the show, I would have driven away in this one.

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Billy Young's 1931 Ford Model A

This Ford Model A is 81 years old

This 1931 Ford Model A is owned by Billy Young. I watch a lot of movies and recognized this classic car,  so I checked the Internet Movie Cars Database (IMCDB) to see what films and tv shows featured the Ford Model A.  One that stood out was an episode of the Twilight Zone called "The Whole Truth" (1961), starring Jack Carson: "a used car salesman buys a car that dooms him to tell only the truth".

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Tony Luke Jr., Jennifer Schloder and her son

This is actor and food entrepreneur Tony Luke Jr. with gorgeous Jennifer Schloder and her son (in very cool Batman makeup). Although I chow down on his sublime sandwiches on a regular basis, I haven't seen Tony since the premiere of his movie The Nail - The Story of Joey Nardone. Earlier this summer Colin Farrell was in Philly filming Dead Man Down - last week in his Backstage with Bryan interview at The Tonight Show, he said that Tony Luke's has the best cheeseteak. We think they have the best roast pork sandwiches too.

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Maria di Marco aka Mamma Maria

This is Maria di Marco, known as Mamma Maria, putting together some gnocchi marinara to-go for me. In her Passyunk Avenue eatery, Mamma Maria Ristorante Italiano, there are no menus; di Marco goes to the Italian Market on a daily basis and selects the freshest ingredients, and then decides what she'll be cooking and serving that day.

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Gigi Andrew of Ms. Goody Cupcake cuts anniversary cake

South Philly's Ms. Goody Cupcake made it's debut at last year's Passyunk Avenue Car Show - this year owner Gigi Andrew commemorated their one-year anniversary with a custom car cake. The bakery serves twelve varieties of cupcakes daily, plus cake truffles, custom cakes, and more. The car cake was moist and buttery, and the truffle I sampled achieved the perfect balance between cake and candy.  I'll be heading back to Ms. Goody Cupcake soon to taste the newest addition to their menu, the cupcake milkshake.

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Car Photos and Tony Luke Jr. photo ©Glamorosi 2012
Photo of Glamorosi ©A.D. Amorosi 2012
Photo of Gigi Andrew ©Kory Aversa 2012

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The Launch Party for Campo at Le Virtu - Philadelphia PA

For last night's outing A.D. (my husband) and I dined alfresco at the launch party for Le Virtu restaurant's new outdoor space, Campo. The evening was headed by Executive Chef Joe Cicala and featured Abruzzese cuisine including roast suckling pig and butlered hors d'oeuvres. My favorites were the olive balls, the homemade sausage with pollenta and the grilled bread with spreadable salami and caramelized onions.

The event also showcased artisanal wine and local craft beers including selections from Weyerbacher who introduced me to my new favorite brew, Merry Monks' Ale. It was sweet and smooth with a fruity palate and spicy finish that made for an excellent pairing with the food.

The Campo staff was friendly and the space was attractive (loved the mural) and comfortable. Attire ranged from designer jeans and boots to fancy frocks and stilettos. Campo will be hosting a series of culinary events from now through mid-October.

Le Virtu / Campo
1927 East Passyunk Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19148
215.271.5626

Photo by Glamorosi

To read more posts about food, tea, fashion, gardening and events: Glamorosi.blogspot.com

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