In case you were wondering why posting was a bit light yesterday, it may have had something to do with recovering from this.

Long night to find toop six brews in city [Metro Philadelphia]

Adam Erace finds promise at Kite & Key but despite chef Justin Hoke’s impressive resume the menu needs more finesse.

Aside from a mushy crab-cake slider that squished out the sides of its poppy seed bun, the rest of Hoke’s efforts showed promise. Like the perfectly respectable burger, for example, and the eight-hour-braised barbecue pork butt sandwich gone Italian with roasted long hots and sharp provolone, both served (with the sorry crab cake) in Kite and Key’s slider trio. True, the mussels lacked fire, and (except for the chili sauce) the ingredients—shallots, garlic, vermouth, chicken stock, butter, parsley— evoked more Provence than Phuket, but still, the PEI pileup was plump and sand-free, and the broth was charged with all the flavor I missed in the crepes.

Soaring Ambition [Philadelphia Weekly]
Kite & Key [Official Site]

Philadining pays an early visit to Chifa to find out just what Peruvian-Cantonese fusion is. [Philadining Blog]

The Beer Lass is satisfied by the new chef at Kite and Key twice in a week. [Beer Lass]

Hmmm, could Nick’s Charcoal Pit be the cheap BBQ answer for South Philly? [Drawing for Food]

With Slumdog Millionaire sweeping the Oscars, Fidel Gastro felt Tiffin was a must. [Fidel Gastro]

CE Phood does a day trip to the Stoudt’s Brewery and antique mall. [CE Phood]

Marc Vetri has a deal on the table for a new trattoria that would go in the Kimpton Hotel coming to 17th and Arch but “talks have been dragging.” [Inqlings, Philadelphia Inquirer]

R. Evan Turney will be rolling out the beginning of VargaBar’s menu at Azul Cantina for Restaurant Week. All the main courses offered that week will be Turney’s creations. [The Insider]

The Headhouse Square Kildare’s wasn’t the only property recently shed by Dave Magrogan. The former Grady David’s in Honey Brook is now Bistro on 10. The business was purchased by Lewis Frame Jr. who owns the Waynesbrook Inn where Grady David’s was located. [Pottstown Mercury]

Kite & Key gets a chef with Georges Perrier experience. Justin Hoke comes after time at Table 31 and Le Bec-Fin. He’ll keep the menu “simple and fun.” [The Insider]

Weird synergies between Ridge and Passyunk Avenues. First there was the Adobe Cafe and in February S & H Kebab House will take over the former Overtures. The S in S & H is Sal Kucuk who owns the Borough’s New Ridge Diner. [Meal Ticket]

The Rouge burger is no stranger to fame or fortune, on February 19th the burger will among the contenders at the Amstel Light Burger Bash, hosted by Rachel Ray, at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Alison at Blue Bell will be reopening in the first week of February. The menu will reflect Chef Anthony Bonett’s Italian heritage and on Mediterranean fare. Amonght the highlights, Spanish octopus, pork chop Milanese, shellfish risotto, rock shrimp with potato and goat cheese ravioli  and the return of brussel sprouts!

It’s like 9th and Passyunk getting another steak place. Montgomery Ave in Narberth is getting another deli. Mel Glickstein who has run Mel’s Italian in Bala is looking to open Benny’s come April. [Inqlings, Philadelphia Inquirer]

I Am Beer Wise points out that there are a couple of brewery/bar combos to choose from this evening. Kite and Key is offering a firkin of Yards Cocoa Porter and Devil’s Den is showing off Weyerbacher’s new smoked beer, Fireside Ale. A smoked beer next to a roaring fireplace sounds pretty smart. But if you’re more Northern Liberties inclined, the Standard Tap does weekly firking tappings on Wednesdays. Tonight it’ll be Riverhorse.

I Am Beer Wise was also at the opening of Earth Bread + Brewery and files a complete report. [I Am Beer Wise]

David McDuff enjoys a “fantastic” meal at Zahav and chronicles the Italian wines he paired with it. [McDuff's Food & Wine Trail]

Philly Grub went to brunch at Lacroix feeling skeptical but come out throwing around superlatives like genius and spectacular and unbelievable. [Philly Grub]

Foodaphilia visits Ekta, the most talked about takeout spot in the city. [Foodaphilia]

The Beer Lass comes up with a concept the only concept that can rival Oktoerfest, Porktoberfest. [Beer Lass]

Mac & Cheese finds that it’s slim pickings for the vegetarian at Parc but like just about everyone else she finds the people-watching bountiful. [Mac & Cheese]

Living on the Vedge won’t be back to Hummus at 40th and Walnut but if you work or go to school nearby it might be worth a look. [Living on the Vedge]

I Am Beer Wise visits Kite & Key and the Tiedhouse in the Art Museum area. [I Am Beer Wise]

Mac & Cheese heads to the self-proclaimed “originator of the veggie hoagie,” Chickie’s on Federal Street and discovers the fried tomato hoagie. [Mac & Cheese]

Planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest? Then you might want to check out Foodzings who review everything including the food at the airport. [Foodzings]

David Snyder dines at Kite & Key off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and finds a place where the food hasn’t caught up to the beers.

The kitchen, on the other hand, doesn’t complete the circuit. Spicy pineapple wings, served with a puzzling “nest” of pickled carrots, showed up nearly petrified. Pan-fried crab cake sliders, too, had little flavor, though the accompanying gazpacho was refreshing. I enjoyed the house seafood seasoning that flavored moist tilapia in the grilled fish tacos, but an out-of-place Asian slaw topper gave them an unpleasantly soggy texture. I was into the roast pork loin sandwich despite the broccoli rabe coming out under-sautéed.

Higher Ground [City Paper]
Kite & Key [Official Site]

Now that the Franklin Institute is simply “the Franklin”, The Institute had to land somewhere. And that location is 12th and Green where a new bar in the Brandywine section of Philadelphia (first time we’ve used that term) has opened. Joe Sixpack has an early look at the spot and its beer list.

The Institute is open [Beer Radar]
The Institute [Official Site]

On the other side of Broad, the Clog reports that Kite & Key opened July 3rd at 1836 Callowhill Street. Among the details for the former Savannah’s Soul Food are 16 beers on tap and between 20 an 30 bottles. The chef, Bill Stroebel is no stranger to the neighborhood having cooked at Rembrandt’s and McCrossen’s.

Kite & Key Tavern opens in Fairmount [The Clog]

Old City’s Sassafras is making way for Ugly Mug, an offshoot of the Cape May Ugly Mug Tavern. An opening date is unknown but it won’t be November, 2007. [The Clog]

The Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop has opened at 713 N. Fourth Street and features roughly 40 teas and randomness like antique and vintage accessories, furniture and jewelry. The shop also sells a variety of locally baked goodies. [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

Sounds like Kite & Key’s owners are a couple of bartenders from Bishops Collar. Whether they’re disgruntled or not has devolved into a typical PhillyBlog shoutfest. [PhillyBlog]

Elsewhere on PhillyBlog we find Otolith, a proposed Girard Avenue Seafood store and restaurant has received neighborhood support and now goes in front of the Zoning Board. Otolith incidently is part of the inner ear of fish. [PhillyBlog]

If you missed The Bite in today’s Metro it’s only because it moved from the pink Entertainment pages to the Going Out section where it shares the spotlight with Bar Belle. Take a gander to find out just how big a deal the new room at Johnny Brenda’s is and celebrate Mexico’s favorite uni-browed artist with food.

The Bite: Airier, hairier and what to do this weekend [Metro Philadelphia]