On Monday, March 22nd Mémé is turning off its ovens for a night featuring Rosé, cheese and charcuterie. Award wining local cheeses and charcuterie from Hendricks Farm in Telford, PA and rosé wines from Italy, France, and Spain will all be featured for $5 each.

Meme Restaurant [Official Site]

We’ve got the menu for 500°, the Sansom Street burger spot coming on March 23rd from Rouge’s Rob Wasserman. Basic burgers are under $6 and you can have it your way, even if that means rare. [Menu (PDF)]

The Capogiro on Passyunk Avenue is aiming to reopen for the season on Friday, March 19th. [Grub Street]

Argan Moroccan Cuisine on 17th has added a full-fledged dinner menu to its offerings. [Meal Ticket]

Meal Ticket has word that Jet Wine Bar is looking to open at 1525 South Street sometime in July. Jill Weber, the owner has to do some archaeology in Syria first. [Meal Ticket]

Cedars Cafe is now serving up Mediterranean food in Frazer. [Main Line Restaurant Guide]

The Washington Post’s restaurant critic, Tom Sietsema has plenty of praise for Fond, Koo Zee Dooand Mémé. [Washington Post via UWISHUNU]

Restaurant Week is a boom to participating restaurants but that doesn’t mean its the only deal in town. Here are some restaurants that either by geography or choice are not included in the official Center City District Restaurant Week but are still offering deals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Q BBQ & Tequila is launching their Quick and Gourmet burger menus in a few days, Meal Ticket has the menu plus some tasty looking photos. [Meal Ticket]

Georges Perrier and Nicholas Elmi will be cooking at the James Beard House on February 24th, it’ll be Elmi’s first experience at the JBH. [The Insider]

Speaking of the James Beard House, Meal Ticket has the menu that Meme’s David Katz will be preparing for his March 23rd dinner in New York. If you make reservations and say “thyme” you are entitled to a discount. [Meal Ticket]

For the gossip fodder, AD Amorosi drops word that Stephen Starr’s director of development got the grand tour of the Piazza at Schmidt’s this week. [City Paper]

Drew Lazor asks Capogiro’s Stephanie Reitano a couple of pertinent questions regarding possible expansion of the East Passyunk store and status of the South Street project. [Meal Ticket]

Mixx, the sports bar in Villanova from Win Restaurants and Maru Global Takoyaki are both set to open on Monday, January 25th. [The Insider]

Misso has indeed closed at 1326 Spruce Street.

Craig LaBan looks back on the year that was in Philadelphia’s thriving dining scene and along the way he makes some adjustments to earlier grades.

Five restaurants were revisited with two getting bumps and one an unceremonious demotion.

• Meme went from two to three bells.
• Alison two went up from one bell to two.
• El Camino Real didn’t fare any better in its re-review, the Tex/Mex bar remains at one bell.
• LaBan had another “see-saw meal” at Noble: American Cookery and the stylish space sticks with one bell.
• Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House got slammed even harder in its December inspection and LaBan dropped the steakhouse to the dreaded No Bells.

What 2009 put on our tables [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Wine Enthusiast lists their top 25 beers of 2009 selections and Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche and Victory’s Festbier make the list. [Wine Enthusiast (PDF)]

David Katz of Meme will be cooking at the James Beard House on March 23rd. The dinner will include an hour of hors d’oeuvres and sparkling wine followed by a 5-course dinner with wine pairings. Call 212-627-2308 for reservations. If you say you’re “a friend of the restaurant” you get the member price of $125. [Meal Ticket]

Marnie Old will be a featured speaker at the Food & Wine Classic set for June 18th to 20th in Aspen, Co. [The Insider]

Marc Vetri has a deal to write another cookbook. RUSTIC ITALIAN: The Heart and Soul of Italian Home Cooking is due in the fall of 2011. [Grub Street]

It’s a homebrew event at Meme with 10 home brewers bringing out their best beers to be judged. The event starts at 6:30 and is open to the public. It’s $25 and includes tasting of the beers, additional beer from Resurrection Ale House and bites prepared by Resurrection chef, Joey Chimko.

Tonight -= Homebrew event @ MEME open to the public 6:30 [Beer Lass]

It’s prix fixe only at Meme on Mondays now, four courses for $38. there will also be some  additional “treats” available like foie gras, oysters and bone marrow. To drink,  three different glasses of wine will be pouring for $5.

Mémé [Official Site]

Esquire names David Katz of Meme as one four “Breakout Chefs to Watch” in its November, Kate Beckinsale is the sexiest woman issue.

Katz has also recently been recognized by USA Pears as a top chef for his nine-spice squab breast with roasted pear. That dish has him a recipient of the Pear  Panache honor.

Nine-Spice Squab Breast with Roasted Pear Recipe [Pear Panache]
Esquire Suggests You Watch Meme’s David Katz [Grub Street]

David Katz’ Mémé turns one today. An occasion that stirs us to verse. A haiku about Mémé’s sizzling mussels appetizer.

Hear the Roaring Pan

Sizzling Mussels Tantalize

Lemon, Herbs and Mmmmm

Mémé [Official Site]