The notion that in Pennsylvania you might be able to get a six pack from a beer distributor or gasp, 3 six packs from a deli is dead.

The latest effort to kill Pennsylvania’s ridiculous “Case Law,” the law that requires beer bought at the off-premise beer stores Pennsylvanians call “beer distributors,” is dead. This one had a lot of promise, seemed to have support and reasonable people thinking it had a good chance of getting through. But oh-so-quietly, it died in committee last week, in a quiet Monday of Thanksgiving week.

Pennsylvania Dodges the Bullet, Remains State with Dumbest Beer Law /a> [Seen Through A Glass]

And where does Michael Nutter dine on the night before the election? You might guess he’s rubbing elbows with big wigs at a Broad Street steakhouse like the Palm or Capital Grille but we spotted him having a couple of sausages at Grace Tavern!

It looks like the Rick’s Steaks v. Reading Terminal Fireworks will drag on to summer time. The Court of Common Pleas has set the trial for June 2, 2008.

People frequently complain about how slow the wheels of justice turn.
Not Rick Olivieri.

Facing eviction from the space at the Reading Terminal Market that his Rick’s Original Philly Steaks has occupied for 25 years, Olivieri just got an extension – through next May – courtesy of Common Pleas Court.

Judge Mark Bernstein is not siding with Olivieri in his long-running dispute with management of the nonprofit Reading Terminal Market Corp. But when the judge set a firm trial date of June 2 at a case-management conference on Wednesday, he effectively preserved the status quo until then, barring a settlement.

Cheesesteak case gets trial date – in June [Philadelphia Inquirer]

PW’s Brian McManus highlights the story of Jonn Klein, owner of the Dive and his run in with a curmudgeon and Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Diving For Answers [Philadelphia Weekly]

Joe Sixpack gives a rundown of some Pennsylvania state laws that may be changing and what they’ll mean for consumers. Can you say six-pack sales at distributers? I knew that you could.

For beer in Pa., maybe some new laws

The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. Royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). To protest these rates and encourage the millions of net radio listeners to take action and contact their Congressional representatives, a national Day of Silence will be held June 26. Webcasters across the country will observe this day of silence in a number of ways, including dedicating entire programs to the campaign to save Internet Radio and broadcasting complete silence.

Learn more from Savenetradio.org and sign the online petition at xpn.org.

For more information visit SaveNetRadio.org [Official Site]
Online Petition [WXPN]

The controversy regarding foie gras continues to roar as some Philadelphia restaurants have taken it off the menu while others have staunchly refused.

City’s foie gras foes put heat on chefs [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Stu Bykofsky describes an ugly incident outside Le Bec-Fin between a drunk customer and four people protesting Le Bec-Fin for serving foie gras.

Problems began when a Le Bec-Fin patron – a fiftyish, big-bellied, white male, well-dressed and drunk, according to all accounts – left Le Bec-Fin and got in [protester Dezeray] Rubinchik’s face. “At 6-5, the man was quite intimidating as he stood so close to me, yelling in my face,” says Rubinchik, 29.

And speaking of foie gras, is it as cruel as people say it is? The Truth About Foie Gras [Claasic Wines] via PhilaFoodie.

Cops failed us, say Le Bec-Fin Foie Gras 4 [Philadelphia Daily News]

Vermont cheesemakers Lazy Lady Farm have named a cheese for Barick Obama, and it’s a stinker.

Tremendously stinky washed-rind cow’s milk cheese cheekily named after the senator and presidential candidate. Seth Kalkstein, cheese specialist at Di Bruno Bros., has upped Obama’s stink factor by further bathing its rind in a mix of brine and Chenin Blanc. The resulting cheese has a surprisingly mild, grassy flavor, but its funktastic odor will clear the room of everyone but the most ardent cheeseheads.

Eat Beat [Phildadelphia Weekly]

If you’re looking for foie gras, scratch Stephen Starr restaurants off the list.

Stephen Starr, owner of 11 of the city’s premiere restaurants, has removed the French delicacy, a fattened duck or goose liver, from his Philadelphia menus due to what he has called “incredible amount of protest.”

Craving foie gras? Look beyond Stephen Starr [Daily Pennsylvanian]