Almost Meatless, the cookbook by Philadelphia writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond has been named one of the Best 10 food books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly. [Publishers Weekly]

Gianna’s meatballs lauded by PETA as having some of the best faux meatballs in the nation. [VegCooking via Meal Ticket]

Check out next month’s edition of Bon Appetit where Pub & Kitchen’s fish and chips recipe will be featured.

Joy Manning finds a little bit of California in this rendition of the Oyster House. She also finds a fish house menu worth diving into.

The heart of the menu, the oyster list, changes every day. It usually features five to seven varieties, with options from both coasts. Mink thought about confining the list to East Coast specimens, but his love of the Westerners, like the tiny, succulent, cucumber-scented Kumamoto, mandated that both regions be represented. Servers offer spot-on descriptions and guide newbies through the oyster-ordering process. During one visit, I fell head over heels in love with the Wellfleet from Cape Cod.

Food: B+
Service: B+
Vibe: A

East Meets West [Philadelphia Magazine]

Joy Manning reviews Alison two and has a very different take than Craig LaBan.

It’s the food that sets Alison Two so far ahead of the local curve. Barshak’s style has been shaped by her work experience and extensive world travels: A shrimp papri chat salad was inspired by street food in Singapore’s Indian district, and seared tuna, joined with tender oxtail morsels and pho-style rice noodles in a savory broth, is based on the flavors of her sojourn in Vietnam. Barshak’s talent lies in her ability to draw on these disparate influences without rendering her dishes fussy or fusion-y. Her personal culinary style — a delicate hand and an understanding of seafood — combined with her international prowess unifies the diverse and impressively large menu.

Food: A
Service: A
Vibe: B+

Twice As Nice [Philadelphia Magazine]
Alison two [Official Site]

Joy Manning visits 10 Arts and wonders if we’re getting a copycat restaurant or our own place.

10 Arts chef de cuisine Jennifer Carroll, a Northeast Philly native and five-year veteran of Le Bernardin, lends 10 Arts a local flavor that keeps it from being a copycat. The dishes conceived especially for Philly by Carroll and Ripert reflect the tastes and trends of our region. Items like gourmet pretzel bites (inspired by Ripert’s infatuation with Fisher’s doughy knots at Reading Terminal), Pennsylvania brook trout and even a tribute to the Tastykake help 10 Arts feel like it belongs to us.

Food: A-
Service: A
Atmosphere: B+

Reviews: Top 10 [Philadelphia Magazine]
10 Arts [Official Site]

Not me!

Our impeccable sources tell us it’s now official: Joy Manning, formerly of Philadelphia Style, is the new critic. She’s been handling restaurant reviews for the past few issues while Philly Mag conducted its search – you can read her work here and here.

Congratulations to Ms. M! Restaurateurs and chefs, consider yourselves alerted.

Philly Mag [Official Site]