Suzanne Woods, who it should be pointed out also works for Sly Fox, nonetheless brings up a good point regarding Philadelphia’s attitude towards its own craft beers. At some bars, locals are being ignored for the latest releases and one-offs from breweries as far off as Michigan, Colorado and California.

Should we be buying local? Have we become obsessed with the latest and greatest from around the country at the detriment of our local breweries?

What do you think?

When it Comes to Beer, Stay Local [Philadelphia Weekly]

The Fair Food Farmstand has moved into their spacious digs along the 12th Street side of the Reading Terminal Market and Friday their having their official Grand Opening.

Starting at 10:30 there will be various speakers including food and nutrition writer Marion Nestle as well as a tasting reception.

Head down and celebrate with them.

Also, check out these links for more on the new Farmstand:

Fair Food Farmstand Move Update [Messy and Picky]
New and Improved Fair Food [The secret is salt]
Now Open: The Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market [Meal Ticket]
Fair Food Farmstand [Official Site]

Come out to the Reading Terminal Market tomorrow evening to support Fair Food and the Fair Food Farmstand. There will be lots of great food, drink music and prizes.

The party will feature artisan chocolate, local cheese, fresh bread, beer and spirits.

Raffle prizes will include gift certificates from Southwark, Tria, the Reading Terminal and Cosmic Catering among others.

Tickets are available from the Farmstand (inside the Market opposite the Metropolitan Bakery) for $10 or at the door for $15. Money raised will go to the farmstand which is moving to the 12th Street side of the market and expanding in size by over 100%. The new space will have refrigeration and  a wider selection of produce.

The fundraiser runs from 6:30 to 9pm.

See more details after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday saw the opening of Pumpkin Market at 1610 South Street. The market by the folk who gave us Pumpkin Cafe and Pumpkin the BYOB stocks local dairy, cheese and meats from locals.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 to 9 and Weekends from 9 to 9.

Pumpkin Market [Facebook]
Pumpkin Market [Twitter]

Next Saturday kicks off Buy Fresh Buy Local week in the greater Philadelphia area and here are some highlights.

• Saturday, July 12th – Ultimate Philadelphia Ice Cream Festival at the Reading Terminal Market
• Sunday, July 13th – Kickoff party at Philadelphia Brewing Company
• Wednesday July 16th – Local Beer and Local Hors d’oeuvres at Standard Tap
• Thursday July 17th -Southwark Happy Hour with Bluecoat Gin and Sly Fox beers
• Saturday July 19th – Good Food, Good Beer, and the Rest is History food and beer tastings at Headhouse Square
• Sunday July 20th – Cooking Demonstrations and Cookbook Swap at Headhouse Farmers’ Market

A complete list of events as well as tickets to the Kickoff at PBC can be found on Local Food Philly.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Week [Local Food Philly]

Here are some Minar Palace details to go with highlights from today’s edition of The Bite.

Vegetarian Specialities range from $6.95 – 7.50
Chicken Specialities range from $7.95 – 8.95
Lamb/Goat Specialities are $8.95
Shrimp Specialities are $11.95
Biryanis range from $8.95 – 12.95
Platters range from $7.95 – 8.95

The Daily Specials are…

Monday
Alu Baingan – Morsels of eggplant and potatoes sauteed in mild spices…$7.00

Tuesday
Dum Alu – Chunks of potatoes in a thick tomato gravy mildy spiced…$7.00

Wednesday
Rajmaah – Kidney beans in a thick tomato gravy medium spiced…$7.00

Thursday
Vegetable Jalfrazi – assorted vegetables in a highly spiced tangy gravy…$7.00

Friday
Chilly Chicken – succulent pieces of chicken breast sauteed with onions and bell peppers in a spicy sauce…$7.95

Hours of Operation will be
Monday – Friday 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Saturday 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Sunday Closed

Invasion of the Farmers Markets [Metro Philadelphia]

 

 

UPDATE: Market manager Nicky Uy tells us that the Sunday Headhouse Market begins May 3rd, the Saturday Headhouse Market will not start until May 17th. 

The Headhouse Square Farmers’ Market was enormously successful last year and this year it looks to be even bigger and better. The market will be open now on Saturdays AND Sundays starting on May 3rd and Sunday starts on May 3rd, Saturdays start on May 17th. Both market days run through Thanksgiving.

 

David Snyder looks at why we’re such good locavores and how we got that way in his City Paper piece today.

Philadelphia often lags behind with respect to the latest food trends, but it’s long been ahead of the curve when it comes to eating local, so much so that it’s easy to take for granted how advanced our food system is compared to other cities. But how did it get that way? And what did we do — if anything — to make this movement so worthy of attention?

Cult of Seasonality [City Paper]

DailyCandy presents some Philly restaurants that cater to the locavore in you.

• White Dog Cafe
• Fork
• Restaurant Alba
• Marigold Kitchen

Die-Hard Locavore [DailyCandy]

Craig LaBan puts City Grange through the ringer and finds the restaurant at the Westin suffers from careless cooking and an overly ambitious menu writer.

That second visit, indeed, showed a genuine glimmer of what City Grange is hoping to become. The hard peach had been replaced by a hard pear (at least it was in season). And the kitchen served a handful of memorable dishes.

The macaroni and cheese was as good an update to the classic as I’ve had, tanged with good Pennsylvania Noble cheddar and snuggled beneath a deeply crunchy crumb crust. The trendy Angus burger sliders were borderline delicious, with good meat topped in three pleasantly distinct ways. The Alaskan salmon was moist, and basked in the gentle contrast of its earthy spice rub and a sweet peach chutney. The massive ribeye steak from Meyer Ranch in Montana was undercooked, but the spice-rubbed meat was profoundly tender and buttery.

One Bell – Hit Or Miss

City Grange [Philadelphia Inquirer]