Philadining always has photos that could put Gourmet Magazine to shame. Maybe he’s the guy who somehow makes the menu photos at McDonald’s look appetizing. But at a recent visit to Osteria he had a lot more to work with than a Big Mac.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal all the way around, even considering the inevitable sticker-shock when the bill comes. It can climb up quickly if you’re not paying attention (or asking the prices of specials!) and having some wine, but when the food’s this good, I never regret it.

Osteria Update [The Philadining Blog]

The New York Times recently poured out 1000+ words on Korean fried chicken but as MenuPages points out you don’t have to go to New York to try this trendy food as there is a Bon Chon Chicken on Cheltenham Avenue. We might be more likely to get to New York but if you’re up for the trek the address is 468 W Cheltenham Ave.

Korean Fried Chicken In Philadelphia [MenuPages Blog]
Bon Chon Chicken [Official Site] in Korean

Makers Local is the first bar of the note to come along to the Loft District, that somewhat isolated area east of Broad and North of Vine. But now that local bartender Paul Browning has opened his new bar some of that isolation vibe is sure to heading out the door.

Livin la vida local! [I'll Have Another Stout]
Makers Local [My Space]

Philadelphia Weekly goes north this week to take a look at Cobre, the relatively new Mexican and Puerto Rican restaurant on North Broad. Owner Diana Guzman was the lone star of the evening as the food and service disappointed.

Her restaurant could be so many things. Cobre has a beautiful space, a well-meaning staff and an entrepreneurial powerhouse at the reins. And judging by Guzman’s resume (she also successfully runs two other businesses—a ballroom and a beauty salon), she seems to know what she’s doing.

But Cobre is trying to be everything—a neighborhood restaurant, a swanky lounge, a late-night spot and a takeout joint—all at once. And for now, it comes up short.

Cobre [Philadelphia Weekly]

City Paper’s A.D. Amorosi profiles Diana Guzman, serial entrepreneur who has recently opened Cobre, the North Broad restaurant that brings Peurto Rican dining to the edge of Center City.

Mami Dearest [City Paper]

Now we know what the New York Times’ food critic, Frank Bruni was doing in Philadelphia a few weeks back. He dined at Osteria and Vetri for a big piece in today’s New York Times about Marc Vetri. And although he found some flaws with Osteria Bruni was confident Vetri would iron those problems out.

There’s a lot the restaurants Osteria and Vetri don’t have in common. There’s one very lucky thing they do. Both are helmed by Marc Vetri, whose enormous talents have brought him a widespread, fervent regard he has never really exploited. And with the opening of Osteria in February, he has taken a huge step. He has bucked his obsessive, controlling nature and accepted what is apparently nearly every acclaimed contemporary chef’s fate: to multitask across multiple stages.

A Chef to the Few Heeds the Call of the Many [New York Times]

Craig LaBan weighs in on Osteria, Marc Vetri’s North Broad outpost. LaBan finds “one of the most compelling menus in town.” But it’s the pizza, the pizza that might change an entire section of the city.

The heat-blistered crust is as thin as a cracker, a round not much bigger than a dinner plate. Its toppings are minimalism at its best – a bloom of tomato sunshine dappled with mozzarella clouds and plumes of fresh basil. But it may go down as the pizza that saved North Broad Street.

Three Bells – Excellent

A luscious Italian newcomer to N. Broad [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Osteria

Marc Vetri’s Osteria is named one of the 10 hottest restaurants in the June issue of Bon Appetit. Osteria joins Gayle, which made last year’s list.

Kirsten Henri finds the cure for a hangover and “sublime smoothness” at Osteria, even as the service is surprisingly uneven.

Ah, the food. Who would’ve thought a simple bowl of fusilli tossed with fresh fava beans, coated in creamy pecorino and scattered with brilliant fresh mint would be so utterly addictive? How to explain how two potentially clashing flavors—stinky gorgonzola and bitter radicchio—make beautiful music over rigatoni? How could a dish as simple as a pizza with tomato, oregano, baked eggplant and stracciatella cheese be elevated to something so superior to its individual parts?

Vetri Dish [Philadelphia Weekly]
Osteria [Official Site]

UWISHUNU has a favorite cheesesteak that’s off the beaten path, Rodriguez Deli & Grocery Store at 833 N 5th Street. And at just $4.50 for a double cheesesteak hoagie it’s easy to see how it could be a tough cheesesteak to beat.

Cheese, Steak: Keep On Believing [UWISHUNU]