Archive for January, 2007

Rick Nichols visits Fogo de Chão and follows the night of chef/server/gaucho Ivanir Luis Delavecchia.

Within three minutes, he’s back in the kitchen, smearing a little salt on the exposed meat, hoisting the skewer back on the grill. Its rosy surfaces caramelize and darken again for their encore.

But another skewer is already ready: He’s off, his trousers billowing, his elbows tucked close, his knife and skewer held chest-high in the prescribed two-finger vertical hold.

He cuts a proud figure - an other-American cowboy, a keeper of the flame, untrivialized by the cynical branding of Roy Rogers or Lone Star or Golden Corral.

In a city besieged by cheesy corporate chains (Olive Garden!) and history-erasing interiors, I’m glad he rode into town - and the Fogo gang along with him.

Gauchos stride the range on Chestnut St. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Fogo de Chão [Official Site]

Staying up may have just gotten a little easier as the Starbucks at 34th and Walnut is now a 24 hour-a-day operation. The location is the first 24-hour Starbucks in Pennsylvania.

As late nights loom, staying up gets easier [Daily Pennsylvanian]

Craig LaBan heads to Northern Liberties to try out Copper Bistro, the relatively new BYOB that has definitely gotten better reviews of late. LaBan comes away impressed by the New American bistro and says “as Copper Bistro’s shiny newness acquires a little patina, a quest for more of those surprises will really help it begin to gleam.”

Two Bells – Very Good

Copper Bistro [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Copper Bistro [Official Site]

Joy Manning of Philadelphia Style makes it to James and experiences the new Bella Vista hot spot. James offers five, seven, nine and twelve course tasting menus. Joy tries the seven course variety and gives a rundown of each dish.

Joy of Dining [Philadelphia Style]
James [Official Site]

Blogalicious visits the Royal Tavern and aptly describes the food but does call the Passyunk Avenue hipster spot a dive.

Back to East Passyunk today, for lunch at Royal Tavern, a hipster haunt shadier than Michael Vick’s “water bottle.” It’s a dive bar if you’ve ever seen one (which is ironic since a joint called Dive Bar is right next door), brought to you by Dave Frank and Stephen Simons, the dudes behind Khyber and the Cantina a few blocks down.

We here at Foobooz wouldn’t put the dive label on the Royal. And we certainly wouldn’t call it shady or grungy either. In fact we’ll go on record calling the Royal one of the better looking bars in the city. From the tin ceiling to the vintage bar the spot qualifies. And we’re big fans of the menu, especially the the daily specials and of course the popcorn sprinkled with truffle oil and pecorino cheese.

Royal Flush [Blogalicious]
Photo by maurGor via Flickr

Saturday
Start the day of gaining some knowledge at Yards Brewery where you can learn about the breweries of yesteryear. Starts at 2 PM and it’s free.

Celebrate the Abbaye’s fourth anniversary with bands and a DJ. Festivities begin at 9 PM.

?uestlove is celebrating as well and he wants you to join him. He’ll be DJing tonight at Fluid and celebrating his birthday.

Sunday
Brunch is definitely a favorite meal here at Foobooz. We just hate waiting for a table almost as much as we hate getting up “early” to beat the crowds. So maybe we will check out DiBruno’s brunch.

The Eagles didn’t make it to the Conference championship games but there are two intriguing matchups including Manning vs. Brady. So plan on heading to your favorite watering hole to watch the game.

These chilly winter nights (finally!) make us think soup. So why not head to one of these gastropubs that always have a soup special or four on the menu.

• Johnny Brenda’s
• N. 3rd
• Royal Tavern
• Standard Tap
• Ten Stone

Elisa Ludwig takes in Miraku, a recent addition to Philadelphia’s Japanese restaurant scene. There are some stars among the dishes, especially the tempura.

Sadly, the bar’s output — while perfectly acceptable — is not transcendent, lacking the crisp nori, vibrantly flavored fish and precise presentation that make for truly great maki and sushi. Most memorable is the complex arrangement of textures in the Miraku roll, which features spicy tuna blanketed with sweet barbecued eel, thin slices of avocado and a sprinkling of black tobiko. There’s also no denying the decadent pleasure of the tornado roll — lobster tempura embedded in Japanese mayo, lettuce and caviar.

Miraku [City Paper]
Miraku [Official Site]

Stephen Starr will be turning his Blue Angel/Angelina’s spot on Chestnut Street into a gastropub. It’s about a year out. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Asylum it is. Asylum won the name the “Yellow Bar” contest and will be the name of the new bar on Grays Ferry Avenue in G-Ho. [Philly Blog]

Ramazan Hima, the man behind Bistro La Viola has opened La Viola Ovest across the street from the original La Viola. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Didn’t know the English monarch was a fan of steak sandwiches but evidently he was, why else would you name a steak shop after him? King Edward’s Steaks has opened on the 1300 block of Bainbridge. [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

Looks like Black N Brew, opening soon on East Passyunk, will be more than just a coffee shop. The breakfast menu will feature eggs and pancakes. For lunch there will be wraps and paninis. [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

Philly Skyline has a food related tip that is sure to please sushi lovers. Morimoto offers a lunch deal featuring the likes of “scattered sushi” and tempura for less than $30. The lunch is available Monday through Friday from 11:30 to 2 PM.

Morimoto [Official Site]