Our favorite moment of last year’s Beer Week had to be the Hitachino Nest tasting at Jose Pistola’s. The beers on draft were just outstanding and meeting brewer Mikio Kiuchi was pretty cool too. He seemed to genuinely appreciate our enthusiasm. An enthusiasm that included us begging everyone in our cell phone to come out and try some of these great beers.

Anyone spot Hitachino Nest on draft elsewhere?

A few weeks back we were told that Hitachino Nest was going to become available on draft. And it looks like it has happened. Today the Sidecar Bar & Grille tweets that Hitachino Nest XH Strong Ale will be pouring today.

An even bigger deal concerning the Sidecar, owner Adam Ritter has lined up a second bar, this one  at Girard and Montgomery in Fishtown. No name yet, but the “European bistro” is aiming for a first quarter of 2010 opening. [Meal Ticket]

Sidecar Bar and Grille [Official Site]

Recognize the corner spot in this 1960 photograph?

Swift Half is adding weekend brunch tomorrow. It’ll start with a small menu but will include biscuits and gravy. Perfect for those days when the Standard Tap isn’t offering theirs. Also new at the Swift is a menu of $2 bar snacks. Look for fried pickles, homemade pretzels, deviled eggs and marinated olives.

P.Y.T. is adding daily lunch starting on Black Friday. The burger lounge is also starting a weekly burger and first up is a Thanksgivin’ Dinner Burger featuring a turkey burger topped with cranberry relish, stuffing and gravy. Also the always dangerous Victory Golden Monkey is $3 a pint during their half-priced 5-7pm happy hour. Be scared, be very scared.

Swift Half launches brunch this weekend [Meal Ticket]
Tommy Up [Facebook]

Pub & Kitchen is going country next Tuesday, the 24th of November. Starting at 9pm the 20th and Lombard bar is putting on their ten-gallon hats, slipping into their cowboy boots and celebrating a “Country Delight” night. There will be awful country music like Garth Brooks,  Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Reba McIntire and more (Bring Your Own Ear Plugs) but there will also be $3 canned beers, $6 pints of Sixpoint Righteous Rye from a firken plus a special $14 southern-inspired dinner of fried chicken, mashed potato and kale.

In other Pub & Kitchen news, bartender Michael Ojeda was recently interviewed by Grub Street.

Pub & Kitchen [Official Site]
Michael Ojeda of Pub & Kitchen Promises His Drinks Will Transport You to a Fantastical World Full of Unicorns [Grub Street]

We received word Zot closed last weekend, we didn’t remember till Michael Klein posted about it last night. Next door neighbor Madam Saito of Le Champignon de Tokio says she will be take over. [The Insider]

Also buried on our iPhone, Benny the Bums at the Holiday Inn Stadium has closed. Evidently a scene in Always Sunny in Philadelphia wasn’t enough to save the sports bar.

Bart Blatstein has taken the reigns of Vino at the Piazza at Schmidt’s from Michael Maglio. [Phoodie via Grub Street]

Champps King of Prussia was hit by fire early Friday morning. [6ABC]

Former Khyber Pass owner David Coleman Headley has been charged with planning terrorist attacks overseas. [The Insider]

This was the final week in Las Vegas for the chefs before they head off to Napa for the finals of Top Chef. They had one of their toughest challenges creating Bocuse d’Or presentation platters for Thomas Keller and an impressive panel of guest judges. Dishes, details, and results after the jump.

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Much of the wine world goes crazy today with the release of Beaujolais Nouveau even if some people say it is vintastic craptastic.

Tria is offering a “juicy” Dupueble Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 for $5 at both their locations.

Fork is offering a Beaujolais Nouveau tasting from 6 to 7pm for $15.

The Atlantic’s Ezekiel Emanuel reviews Vetri and as his title says, the Italian restaurant delivers.

Then came one of Vetri’s signature dishes: spinach gnocchi with brown butter. The four bright green gobs resting in brown liquid and covered in cheese were–as we were warned–rich. Each bite was thick and creamy and tasted like it had 1,000 calories. But even better, during the course there was a plate brought out for the “table” of another pasta–a home-made pappardelle with lamb ragu. This was brilliant–and in my view better than the spinach gnocchi. The pappardelle were perfect yellow pasta ribbons cooked just right, soft and wiggly with just a hint of crunchiness. And the lamb ragu was the right combination of rich with the lamb flavor but delicate and not overpowering.

A Restaurant Lives Up to its Hype [The Atlantic via BROG]

We love ourselves some Asian dumplings and tonight Kong is offering 10 varieties for 50 cents a piece.

Check out all the varieties after the jump.

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