Wynnewood’s Elevation Burger will be giving “Stick It to Ohio State Fries” to anyone showing Penn State gear or presenting a PSU transcript or pay stub between now  and November 7th. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Rick Nichols visits Clark Gilbert’s Gemelli and hopes the Italian “with a nod to French” BYOB in Narberth puts down some deep roots.

He is a seasoned chef, under his belt stints at the Four Seasons, Tony Clark’s short-lived Square Bar on Rittenhouse Square, Avalon in West Chester, and the elegant, now-departed Taquet in Wayne.

But he is the first to point out that the menu here, his first truly solo venture, is not the wheel reinvented: He offers a proper Caesar salad (add $2 for white anchovies), and the braised-veal-cheek-and-tuna-tartare classic called vitello tonnato. The salmon rests on ratatouille and puttanesca sauce.

Back home, with a bistro [Philadelphia Inquirer]

The kidnapped calf-napped fiberglass Baby Moo has been returned to its sidewalk home in front of Hope’s Cookies in Rosemont. To celebrate the return of Baby Moo, if you mention Twitter between 12 and 3pm you can get a free scoop of ice cream.

And where was the calf? It could have gone anywhere, it chose Temple.

Missing calf returned [The Insider]
Free ice cream [Twitter]

This week in Philadelphia Magazine’s Restaurant Club Newsletter.

• The Ultimate Philly Brunch Guide
  Get a tasty sampling of Philly Mag’s 55 favorite places to spend a weekend morn
• Special Delivery on the Main Line
  new online service brings 20 Main Line restaurants straight to your door
• Where We’re Eating: Rat’s
  Stephen Starr’s catering division has taken over this Best-of-Philly winning Jersey restaurant
• This Week’s Featured Restaurant
  Order Le Virtu’s Best of Philly 2009 appetizer Olive All’Ascolana and receive 25% off any signature cocktail or Meletti brand digestivo.

Restaurant Club Newsletter [Philadelphia Magazine]

“Baby Moo,” the calf outside of Hope’s Cookies in Rosemont has gone missing. It happened Sunday night or Monday morning. The calf is 42″ tall, 50lbs and black with white spots, or is that white with black spots? Either way there is a $500 reward for its safe return, no questions asked. Call 610-527-4488 or the Lower Merion Police at 610-649-1000 with any information.

Coquette was broken into last weekend. the thieves even cooked themselves a meal of hanger steak, burgers and macaroni and cheese before making off with some better beers and wine. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Drew Lazor checks out Elevation Burger, the environmentally friendly burger chain that has opened its first local location in Wynnewood. Here’s hoping he took the train.

Single-source, organic, free-range, grass-fed beef is the restaurant’s biggest point of pride, so I tried it in the signature Elevation Burger, a double patty layered with cheddar and your choice of toppers (I picked lettuce, tomato pickles and a zingy balsamic mustard, but there’s also stuff like caramelized onions, hot pepper relish and the tomato-based “Elevation Sauce”). The burger’s lean ground-in-house meat was round in natural beef flavor, but my patties tasted slightly dry — likely a result of their across-the-board cook-to-well policy. I easily squished the bun into submission, and it didn’t draw attention away from the main meat attraction, the way a good burger bun should.

Get Lifted [City Paper]
Elevation Burger [Official Site]

The Freehouse in Wayne is a drama queen of a location. JD McGillicuddy’s is not opening there. MLD floats Mexican as a possibility. [Main Line Dine]

The writing was on the wall for Blush when chef Nick Farina and much of his staff headed down the road to Verdad. [The Insider]

Margot closes in Narberth. This bad news is coupled with some good though. Former Taquet chef de cusine Clark Gilbert is taking over the space as an Italian BYOB, Gemelli. [Main Line Dine]

Bertolini’s at the King of Prussia Mall has been shuttered by its corporate overlord Morton’s.

Did you blink? Spring Garden Street’s Siam Lotus reopened for a split second but was shut down by L&I this week.

Latimer Deli gets the candy stripe treatment too. [Meal Ticket]

Verdad (Spanish for the truth), a tapas and tequila bar opens today in Bryn Mawr at the site of the former Carmine’s Creole Cafe.

Read the rest of this entry »

Verdad is set to open Friday, August 7th at the old Carmine’s Creole Cafe in Bryn Mawr. The menu is “Euro-Latin tapas” and Restaurant Club has the menu. [Restaurant Club]

Main Line Restaurant Guide asks the reasonable question, what is going on in Wayne? With the closing of 8 or so independent restaurants and bars over the past couple of years. And with JD McGillicuddy’s addition, the Conshohockization of the Wayne Ave continues. [Main Line Restaurant Guide]

Azie on Main starts lunch service today and brunch starts next week on  Sunday, August 9th.

The Burger Baroness heads out to Wynnewood to check out the new Elevation Burger. She’s quite impressed with the simple burger with In-N-Out tendencies. And of course she got fries with that shake. After all, it was her birthday.

And for a second opinion check out Foodaphilia who accompanied the Baroness and was smitten with the first bite.

Update: Meal Ticket says Elevation Burger is eying 9 more Philadelphia-area locations in the next four years.

Happy Birthday to me at Elevation Burger [Fries with that Shake]
Elevation Burger [Foodaphilia]