Craig LaBan reviews Mt. Airy’s new bistro, the Wine Thief and despite a shaky first visit he finds enough improvement in subsequent visits to award the spot two-bells.

The “Thief Roll” is one of [Chef Jared] Cohen’s most addictive dishes, medallions of tuna maki that wrapped ruby-raw fish inside a ring of seaweed and the flash-fried crisp of a sesame crust, over spicy streaks of wasabi cream. The halibut ceviche was so zippy in its citrus marinade, I only wish there’d been more of the fish tucked into the martini glass of citrus and lacy peppers.

There was an outstanding fried chicken, whose tawny crust crackled with the unexpected savor of lemon and celery. It came with a pudding of crumbled corn bread, niblets, and peppers that was decadently ribboned with custard set oh-so-barely to order.

Wine Thief deserves a reprieve [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Wine Thief [Official Site]

North by Northwest which was shut down by L&I in March has reopened. Benjamin and Robert Bynum of Warmdaddy’s are running the show.

They’ll be open Wednesday through Sunday with local acts during the week and bigger performers coming in for the weekend.

There will be a global-oriented menu featuring the likes of truffled gnocchi, jumbo lump crabmeat mac and cheese, jerk-grilled salmon, smokehouse bbq brisket and more.

North by Northwest [Official Site]

Craig LaBan knows there isn’t a much better combination than pizza and beer and he makes his way out to Earth Bread + Brewery to sample Tom Baker’s  experimental brews and thin crisp pizzas.

There are definitely some choices worth visiting for, including the “Traditional” take on a Margherita, its zesty sauce topped with mozzarella and fresh arugula tufted in the middle. The Mexican adds a jalapeño- and smoked-paprika tingle to the tomato sauce, which also gets the pop of roasted black beans and corn. But the most memorable bread here is the “Seed,” a sauceless cheese round scattered with enough crunchies – sesame, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, and garlic (whoa, lots of garlic!) – to make a Weaver’s Way bulk-bin groupie go weak in the knees.

Two Bells – Very Good

Earth Bread + Brewery [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Earth Bread + Brewery [Official Site]

Adam Erace visits Mt. Airy’s new “village green,” Earth Bread + Brewery. Erace is impressed with EB+B’s environmental awareness but less so with its pizzas.

Earth’s pizzaoilas use King Arthur flour for the flatbread dough, which imparts a wholesome aroma and flavor, but what’s on top brought them down: squash and eggplant roasted to mush, bland cubes of potato that added little to a pesto-dressed pie. The black bean-and-corn-studded Mexican was the exception, deceptively spicy from its jalapeño-and-smoked- paprika-spiked marinara.

Slice of Strife [Philadelphia Weekly]
Earth Bread + Brewery [Official Site]

Trey Popp has been eagerly waiting for the arrival of Earth Bread + Brewery for a year now. And unlike most things with such a build-up, the beers and pizza deliver.

My favorite one [pizza] bore another simple name: Seed. Sesame seeds, pine nuts and pepitas studded a crust that had been painted with garlic-infused olive oil and topped with cheese. The smell alone had me salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs trapped in a bell factory, and the sourdough crust was just perfect between the teeth.

A pungent pesto topped the crust of another flatbread, garlicking up a cargo of cubed potatoes that would send one of Atkins’ acolytes running for the nearest mound of meat. I loved the double dose of carbs. It reminded me of a pie topped with fettuccini Alfredo that still colors my memory of Key West 15 years after the fact.

Hearth of Gold [City Paper]
Earth Bread + Brewery [Official Site]

This past weekend we checked out Mt. Airy’s Earth Bread + Brewery for some flatbread and beer. It so inspired us, we felt compelled to write another review in Haiku.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Tiedhouse isn’t the only beer-centric spot opening tonight. Mt. Airy will see the debut of Earth Bread + Brewery.

Earlier this week we detailed the EB+B beers that will be on tap and today Beer Radar has the other 8 craft beers. No crap on tap.

• Allagash White
• High & Mighty St. Hubbins Abbey
• One Guy Brewing Oktoberfest
• PBC Rowhouse Red
• PBC Wheat Wine
• Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout
• Victory Baltic Thunder
• Victory Moonglow Weizenbock

Joe Sixpack also points out the more than fair pricing, $3.75 for 13 ounces, 20 ounces for just $5.

Philly’s newest brewpub [Beer Radar]
Earth Bread + Brewery [Official Site]

Lew Bryson is headed out of town so he’ll miss the official opening of Mt. Airy’s Earth Bread + Brewery on Thursday but he was able to get a sneak peek and taste yesterday. He’s got pics over on his site, below are the initial four EB+B brews.

• Love Your Mother Mild – “One of the best American-brewed session-strength beers I’ve ever had.”
• Biere d’Earth – “Mellow, maltalicious, with a spicy flow of yeast character.”
• Sedgwick Pale Ale – “The beer was arresting, with a rich aroma of spicy candy, almost toffee-like. Delicious and completely unexpected.”
• Terra Fumé – “A smoked wheat, and the smoke was rich and solid in the nose, but not overdone in the mouth.”

More on Earth Bread + Brewery [Seen Through a Glass]
Earth Bread + Brewery [Official Site]

Food and Drinq has a progress report on Earth Bread + Brewery, the Mt. Airy brewpub by local brewing legend Tom Baker. It’s “just some finishing work” and the dreaded wait for licensing away from opening.

What’s brewing in Mount Airy [Food and Drinq]

The restaurant and delivery service Tiffin.com has announced it will be bringing its raved about Indian food to Mt. Airy with a second location at 7105 Emlen Street.

The location will provide delivery to the northwest section of Philadelphia as well a dining room with room for 28. The tentative opening date is set for Friday, July 18, 2008. Also coming soon is Tiffin and a Movie.

Tiffin [Official Site]

UPDATE: Michael Klein reports Tiffin is also looking for locations in South Philadelphia and Center City, perhaps on 11th Street near Jefferson.