Food : In The News

The City of Philadelphia and SEPTA join together to address the connection between public health and public transportation, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council and as reported in Flying Kite last week.

Don't see the link between transit and food? Philly does. The City of Philadelphia and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) have made it a top goal to target food deserts--neighborhoods where it is difficult to access fresh food--and public transportation is at the core of their effort.

Source: NRDC Smarter Cities
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 Philadelphia's Continental Midtown is one of the top ten rooftop bars in the United States, according to USA Today.

Global tapas are on this menu at this stylish lounge a few blocks from Rittenhouse Square. The bar, operated by Stephen Starr, the celebrity chef behind some of the city's top restaurants, has heaters to keep things warm and stays open year-round. "It's one of those places that has incredible views," Gerber says.

Original Source: USA Today
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The Washington Post goes hunting for the best of Philly's abundant crop of vegan treats.

So one Saturday last month, my vegan friends and I hit the streets of Philadelphia - where the Phillies claim the country's top-ranked vegetarian ballpark - intending to do no harm to animals, the environment and presumably our health. (At our first stop, Cafe Mocha, we did, however, sample vegan donuts and cookies, and a quick sugar high reminded me that "vegan" doesn't always equal "nutritious.")

We headed to the South Street district for lunch at Blackbird, a vegan pizzeria with a chalkboard menu, a drab interior and space heaters. Blackbird's owner, Mark Mebus, is a Philly native and former chef at Horizons, the upscale restaurant that put vegan dining on the map here. He opened the pizzeria last fall.

Source: Washington Post
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The Baltimore Sun food critic takes a day trip north to sample tapas at Jose Garces' flagship Old City restaurant, Amada.

A friend got in his head that we should all pile in a car and take a day-trip up to Philadelphia to eat at Amada, just one of the jewels in the crown of restaurants that Jose Garces (James Beard Award winner, Iron Chef) owns in Philadelphia.

Everything is bright, shining, packed with flavor. Cured meats are shaved to parchment thinness -- you can pick up a piece of serrano and look right through it. Cheese are with one of Garces' home-made condiments -- truffled lavender honey goes with aged manchego; garlic dulce de Leche with Garrotxa and a currant-pistachio "Salbitxada" with La Peral. Pairing this with strong, vinegary Isastegi cider -- just brilliant.

Original source: The Baltimore Sun
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Naturally, the Canadian Broadcasting Company loves the new dispensing technology for beer lovers that debuted at the Wells Fargo Center for a Flyers game last Tuesday.

The inventors of the Bottoms Up dispensing system claim that their device, which fills cups from the bottom up, can fill a pint cup up to nine times faster than traditional beer taps.

The system uses cups with holes in the bottom. The holes are covered with a magnet, which is pushed up as the beer spews up from the device. Once full, the cup is pulled up off the tap and the magnet comes back down to cover the hole, allowing the customer to grab the pint and get back to the game.

According to Professor Michael Oshinsky of Thomas Jefferson University, if you really want help overcoming a hangover--drink a cup of coffee with an aspirin.

Scientists have confirmed what millions have suspected for years if you want to soothe a tired head - simply take some caffeine and a painkiller.

Pop City takes a look across the state at assets in Philly that Pittsburgh would love to make its own.

Making the most of Philadelphia's identity as the cradle of liberty is a single-subject museum that speaks to the city past and present. The National Constitution Center opened its doors in 2003 and shines a light on the four-page document from every conceivable angle.

In a city fueled by immigrants, food is on everyone's lips. Restaurateur Stephen Starr has leveraged that in recent years, opening a slew of stylish concept eateries in and around Center City. Eating his lunch of late are chef-driven restaurant groups helmed by Iron Chef and James Beard Award winner Jose Garces and fellow Beard award recipient Marc Vetri.

Original source: Pop City
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Choosing wisely and widely, the New York Times Travel section profiles four Philadelphia eateries: Supper, Barbuzzo, JG Domestic and Fish.

Though tourists still mob Philadelphia's famous cheesesteak institutions, these days locals are just as likely to line up elsewhere for house-cured charcuterie, farm-fresh beet salads and delicate foie gras terrine.

Confirmation of the city's evolving palate came on a recent evening in the form of a spellbinding smoked sweet potato soup that a waiter poured tableside at Supper, a restaurant in Center City. As I scraped bits of toasted marshmallow off the side of the oblong bowl and swirled my spoon through the cinnamon-kissed diced apples at the base of the spicy puree, the aromas roused rosy remembrances of Thanksgivings past and swept away my outdated notions about the range of Philadelphia cuisine.

Original source: The New York Times
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You've got to give attorney David Orphanides a lot of credit. He's come up with an alternative to "artisanal," one of the more awkward-sounding terms in the English language. Jettisoning the word, but not the concept, Orphanides uses the more classic "crafted" when describing the four tenets that make up the philosophy of Fairmount's soon-to-open Fare restaurant, which also relies on local, organic and sustainable practices.

Orphanides eats organic and shops sustainably at home, so it makes total sense, he says, that Fare mirrors that lifestyle. "It's second nature for us. We couldn't see doing it any other way." Also on board are Savvas Navrosidis, who owns Fairmount Pizza, and attorney Andy Siegel.

Fare, which opens to the public in "early spring," eschews heavy creams and sauces for "food that's still very satisfying and filling." The projected 85-seat bar and restaurant located at 2028 Fairmount Avenue, across from Eastern State Penitentiary, is fit out with completely green, locally sourced furnishings. The black walnut bar comes from Pennsylvania trees. Wine, beer, and liquor served on that lovely expanse of local wood aims to be "biodynamic and organic, from local vineyards and distilleries," according to Orphanides.

Fare's menu evolved from an original concept of smaller snacks to include dishes for all appetites. Small plates and snacks range in price from $2-$8; salads are $6-$9, and main dishes range from $11-$18. Fare "started out more as a place for people to have a drink and socialize, more of a lounge" for Fairmount locals, but when chef Tim Bellew signed on, the menu expanded. Bellew's previous engagements include Fire in Cherry Hill, Black Eyed Susan in Long Beach Island, and MANNA catering in New York.

Source: David Orphanides, Fare Restaurant
Writer: Sue Spolan

Beauty and style editor Ysolt Usigan goes on a whirlwind tour of our city, dispelling the New York elitist notion that we're its "sixth borough," reports The Huffington Post.

When it came to partying, two speakeasies, and I was had! Once defined as "an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages" in the '20s and '30s, I discovered two venues with that feel nestled in Philadelphia's Penn Center neighborhood. First stop: the sexy Ranstead Room. With entrances through El Rey's kitchen and outside on the street (just look for the door marked with double Rs), I had cocktails with names so complicated I can't even remember them. Even though it was quite dim inside, the naked ladies gracing the walls were hard to miss. The venue is hot, to say the least.

From vintage shops to lux salons, even vast department stores with plenty of preppy and chic options to boot, there's no question--Philly knows style. I picked the best time to visit the city, too, with the Philadelphia Collection 2010 series underway. From September 23 to October 2, the city's many boutiques, stylists, designers and modeling agencies were hosting various independently produced events.

Original source: The Huffington Post
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The travel section at Ireland's Herald.ie is high on Philadelphia for a variety of reasons, imploring the Irish to visit for our safe downtown, good eats and arts and culture.

It's puzzling why Philly isn't on most Irish people's radar. It's more historic than Boston, as Irish as Chicago, 30pc cheaper to live in than New York and has a food culture to match San Francisco.

The city centre proper, (known as Center City) is thriving, unlike many US urban areas. Sections of 15th Street are hubs of restaurants and nightlife, while the area's aptly titled Avenue of the Arts is the local equivalent of London's West End or New York's Broadway theatre districts. The best bit? It feels perfectly safe to walk around, by day or night (don't try this at home, kids).

Original source: Herald.ie
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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch travel section mentions booing Santa Claus but quickly moves on, digging deeper than most national media last week to reveal the insider's view of Philadelphia.

Once you get beyond the fighting fa�ade, Philadelphia is a city of tiny secret gardens, a diverse art and theater scene, a crazy diverse food/pub scene and a thousand walkable historical monuments and museums. Also, it's cheap as can be. You've got to work to spend $15 on a martini.

I moved here six years ago from St. Louis. The things I loved about St. Louis are the same things I love about Philadelphia--people are friendly, the streets have the same names (you copycats!) and there's no need to go to any chain restaurant ever.

Original source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on two online news publications that have launched recently, including yours truly.

As the market for news fragments, new models for journalism are emerging. Two of those experiments, Flying Kite and Patch, launched in Philadelphia last month.

"This is a fresh way to get fresh content about all the innovative things happening in our city," said Danielle Cohn, (Philadelphia Convention and Visitors) bureau spokeswoman.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Philadelphia design company Tuned has created a beer bottle that doubles as a musical instrument, reports Pitch.

Tuned is a design company that draws its inspiration from sound. The beer bottle (at right) for Tuned Pale Ale can actually be used as an instrument in several different ways. The label features the musical notes that correspond to your level of beer while the grooves along the side (near the drinker's thumb) can be strummed with a bottle cap. The beer's six-pack holder can even be flipped over and turned into a tongue drum.

Tuned has actually been produced and drunk, but it's not currently on the market. If you happen to own a brewery or were looking to get into the bottled-beer business, the designers behind Tuned are looking for a distributor.

Original source: Pitch
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Environmental publication Grist takes a look at Philly's urban farming scene, including the historic Manatawna Farm and Glenwood Green Acres.

The city is also host to two multi-acre farms, one at the Schuylkill Center, a nature preserve that operates a farm stand and a CSA in a surprisingly verdant area in the northwest part of the city. The other is managed by the member-owned Weavers Way Co-op grocery stores (more on that below, and full disclosure -- I'm a Weavers Way member, and the co-op hosts my Beyond Green blog).

Mayor Michael Nutter has issued a series of food-focused proposals and initiatives, including creating a food policy council and releasing the Philadelphia Food Charter, which puts ag front and center. Even the city's "Greenworks" initiative, designed to turn Philly into "the greenest city in America," sets the goal of increasing commercial agriculture within city limits.

Original source: Grist
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