SouthPhillyFoodie

Disclosure - I am a food publicist We put together a list of some of our clients meal "deals" that I'd like to share with you -- not on the list yet...Tinto just started a $25 four-course (choice of first and second course, side dish and dessert) for Sunday Brunch! Lunch Deals – Amada – www.amadarestaurant.com • Catalan Express – $12.50, choose a soup and either an entrée salad or a sandwich Distrito – www.distritorestaurant.com • Blue Demon Express - $15, any first course item and any second course item from entire lunch menu Tinto – www.tintorestaurant.com • Bilbao Express - $14.50, choose a soup and either an entrée salad or a sandwich XIX – www.nineteenrestaurant.com • $19, three courses in the café – LaBan called it best Lunch Deal in the city (see attached menu) Zahav – www.zahavrestaurant.com • $10 Kadima lunch special: choice of grilled skewers over laffa with tehina and pickles Weekly Prix Fixe – Fork, etc. Bistro Table – www.forkrestaurant.com • Every Wednesday night starting at 8 p.m., $40 for three courses, including wine pairings Iron Hill Brewery – all seven locations www.ironhillbrewery.com • Prime Time Sundays – Every Sunday from 1 pm to 9 pm, enjoy a 14 oz cut Prime Rib, tossed salad, baked potato, vegetable and 16 oz house pint or glass of house wine for $19.95. Marigold Kitchen www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com • Sundays, three courses for $30. Choose any appetizer, any entrée, any dessert from the regular menu. Pub & Kitchen – www.thepubandkitchen.com • $3 for a warm bag of peanuts, chicken liver toasts, boiled eggs with fennel salt, oyster crackers & horseradish, malt vinegar potato crisps or olives Tria – www.triacafe.com • Sunday School: Every Sunday, Tria offers one beer, one wine and one cheese for 50% off or more. XIX – www.nineteenrestaurant.com • Monday to Friday, the $30 Café Table Dinner Menu – three, courses- including coffee or tea. Xochitl – www.xochitlphilly.com • Keep your weekend going with Sunday dinner at Xochitl: enjoy guacamole prepared tableside and any appetizer, entree and dessert for $35 • Thursday’s “staff meal” – half-price, late-night menu in the lounge Zahav – www.zahavrestaurant.com • Mesibah meal: $50 per person for five courses, including dessert Happy Hours London Grill – www.londongrill.com • Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., $3 Happy Hour o $3 mini meals (mini fish & chips, mini duck quesadillas, mini mussels, mini duck spring rolls, mini grilled chicken and brie, mini London burger [with caramelized onions and boursin] – wimpy stack is 4 minis for $10, mini mixed greens, mini soup etc.) o $3 draughts o $3 well drinks o $3 beer bottles Pub & Kitchen – www.thepubandkitchen.com • Monday to Friday from 5 to 6 p.m. o $2 bar snacks o $1 oysters o $3 domestic pints on draught o $5 house wines XIX – www.nineteenrestaurant.com • 5 to 7 p.m., seven days a week, half price signature cocktails • Monday Night, half off on bottles of wine • Wednesday, 5 to 10 p.m., $10 for three oysters (chef’s selection) and a draft beer Zahav – www.zahavrestaurant.com • 5 to 7 p.m. daily, $3 Israeli beer, $5 Israeli wines by the glass, and $5 selected specialty cocktails. Half-price hummus.

I live close to the restaurant, but haven't been there in years...but, my roommate just celebrated his birthday there and said the food was fantastic.

Hi All, Wanted to let you know that Zahav, the modern Israeli restaurant by Steve Cook and Chef Michael Solomonov is opening on May 5th - they just got approval on the last step, the liquor license, this afternoon. Not sure if you've been following the opening on Mike Klein's blog http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/makingofzahav/ but if you've ever been interested in the behind scenes look at a restaurant opening - you should check it out! Hope everyone enjoys the cuisine as much as I have already! Jennie

Solomonov FYI On Sunday Nights, Marigold offers three-courses for $30

Going there for Happy Hour tonight to try the Wormwood beer for the first time! Can't wait!

I am super excited for Philly Beer Week! Being a longtime "beer geek" (Tom Peters taught me everything I know when I used to work for him when he was the GM at Copa Too!) there are going to be so many events that it will be hard to chose (when I not working) which ones to attend. A few standout for me: Great American Beer Festival award-winners dinner at the White Dog Cafe - a meet and great with the brewer's in Judy Wicks house (above the restaurant) before the dinner Two book launch events for local writers - Joe Six Pack's Beer Reporter's event at the marketplace in East Falls, which I believe is the official kick off event - and He Said Beer, She Said Wine book event at XIX with Sam from Dogfish and Marnie Old. Garrett Oliver at London Grill with meatball slider tasting Ladies Tea with Nancy from Home Sweet Home Brew ...okay, now I want a beer

Ajia - Japanese restaurant located in the Left Bank near Penns' campus for all you can eat sushi for $22.00 - and they include white tuna with the deal! The Pad Thai Shack at 18th and Sansom and 12th and Market does a great green or red curry - for about $9.00 bucks and will feed two people for take out. Since you are new to this area -- make sure to check out Minar Palace, a beloved Indian restaurant that had to close a few years back -- when they reopen on Walnut street in the new months - cheap and good (if they offer the same menu as before) Also - there are a few fabulous restaurants that offer great lunch deals that allow you to try their menus with out paying the big prices -- Amada (Catalan Express for $12.50) and Tinto (Bilbao Express for $14.99) - both are two courses XIX at the Park Hyatt offers a $19, three-course lunch which changes everyday Hope that helps! Jennie

I didn't make it to the Library event, but years ago when Anthony was in town at Blue Angel for Book and Cook, I got to hang out with him - post event. Food was not on his mind, as we were drinking Yuenglings, all he wanted to know was where the chefs and waitstaffs hung out after work

Iron Hill in West Chester recently started a special Chef's Dinner - every other Wednesday night - $40 includes four courses, each with a suggested beer or wine pairing (unlimited), everyone sits together at one long table. The idea is that the chef, who has been with the company for 10 years, is cooking the kind of food that he would make for friends...dishes you wouldn't find on the Iron Hill menu. I was at the last dinner, with a few press people, and we had a great time! Wound up with more than 20 folks, so we had two tables and we were passing notes to each other throughout the meal. The menu for this Wednesday is: Mango and Crab Salad Vegetable Empanada Petit Filet Mignon Blue Cheese cheesecake Have to make a ressie for the dinner - phone number is 610.738.9600

Last night, I attended the James Beard Celebrity Tour dinner at Amada -- Jose and Chris Lee - formerly of Striped Bass, now Gilt in NYC -- created an amazing menu that included a cook off of sorts, using pumpkin as the main ingredient. It was all delicious! Here is the menu -- the fifth course included grits with pumking seeds, which doesn't appear on this menu. THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION CELEBRITY CHEF TOUR FEATURING CHEF’S JOSE GARCES AND CHRISTOPHER LEE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15TH 7:00 PM PASSED CANAPES FOIE TERRINE WITH PUMPKIN SEED LACE COOKIE AND CONCORD GRAPE PEPITA CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE WITH PUMKIN SEED VINAGIRETTE & BOQUERONE SPICY TUNA ROLL WITH PONZU JELLY AND NORI CRACKER CALABAZA CRAB EMPANADA WITH BLACK BEAN PUREE AND OREGANO OIL FIRST CALABAZA SOUP WITH DIVER SCALLOP, CAVIAR & BANANA SECOND VEAL SWEETBREADS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE, SPECK HAM & APPLE CIDER BOURBON SAUCE THIRD GRILLED SHRIMP WITH PUMPKIN FLAN & CURRY SAFFRON SAUCE FOURTH MILK POACHED POUSSIN WITH CHEESE-PUMPKIN RISOTTO, PORCINI MUSHROOM & SHAVED WHITE TRUFFLE FIFTH CRISPY PORK BELLY WITH EGG, MAPLE & CHARRED PUMPKIN DESSERT SPICY PUMPKIN MILKSHAKE

The second installment, about spice smuggling, is up! http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/makingofzahav/

The wings at Tangier restaurant at 18th and Lombard are my fave. The wings are on the smaller side, which I prefer, crispy - hot - and just, well, delicious. One thing though, you must make sure that Chef Quan is in the kitchen, because he is the secret ingredient

Went by Beluxx last night for a tryout... FYI, for the tour, they are closed on Sunday and Monday

I also had a craving for fried chicken after reading this thread...so on Friday night, I decided to try out Popeye's since it was on my bike route home, and I'd never been. I ordered the spicy, with a side of cole slaw, a biscuit and mac and cheese. The chicken was delicious, moist and tender - the crispy skin, also good, with a nice bit of spice to it. Biscuit and mac and cheese were both dry, but good cole slaw. Only problem with all of this was when I woke up at 3 am with stomach pains and headed for the Pepto B. Maybe it is because I haven't had it before - maybe because I don't normally eat fast food - but I think next time I'll head past Ms. Tootsie's instead or make it for myself I did find what looks like a great recipe in the James Beard cookbook for Bacon Fried Chicken with Brandy Cream sauce that I am definitley going to have to try out

Rich - that is a stellar list!!! I haven't been to Belux yet either...is the list different than Eulogy? If you wanted to add a No Lib bar, I would suggest: Abbaye 637 N. Third St. and at Beligan Cafe - a must are the Vegan Chicken wings. Chef Evan is a kickass vegan chef, although he is a meat eater

Grab a bottle of wine from Chaddsford Winery www.chaddsford.com - their Portfolio collection is excellent...and then head to The Orchard, it is a BYOB located a few minutes from Longwood - (610) 388-1100 - you might even get a Wyeth sighting... Or if you aren't in the mood for a BYOB - check out Brandywine Prime, Dan Butler's restaurant which is also very close to Longwood...steaks are delicious!

I can tell you that Brian Duffy is a great chef...so I am sure his poutine will be tasty! I actually went to high school with him...but I don't recall him making poutine back then

Fork's private room sits 40 people -- and is beautiful! Amada has a side dining area/private room as well -- with its own bar -- Tangerine has a very cool back dining area for around 70 --

Two weeks ago I ate sautéed Chicken Livers with Dried Cherries and Sweet Balsamic sauce at Davio's -- although the dish is very Fall/Winter friendly -- it can definitely satisfy a liver craving

I have not been to LaCroix since Matt took over the kitchen, but after reading your review of the party food, it sounds like it might be time. I am a long time fan of Levin's having first eaten his fantastic food when he was the Executive Chef at Moonlight in New Hope (closed for a few years) His food blew me away and I am happy that he has found a new home in Philly.

Iron Hill will be opening the first week of October, and yes, will be offering brunch!