Rick Nichols details the Fair Food Farmstand that aims to take over Rick’s Steaks location at the Reading Terminal Market.

So by spring – if Fair Food nails down its end of the financing – it will move from the market’s deepest interior to its big-windowed “front door” along 12th Street, its baskets of potatoes and parsnips and fiddlehead ferns reminding passersby that, yes, though an Amish rib stand and Golden Bowl Chinese, Pearl’s Oyster Bar and Bassett’s Ice Cream counter look out on the sidewalk here, this is still – in its DNA and best aspiration – part farmers market, and not just a place to eat lunch.

Making a stand [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Rick’s, the cheesesteak stall in Reading Terminal Market that was at the center of an ugly, embarrassing and very public tenancy battle with market management – a battle which ended up in court and which owner Rick Olivieri ended up losing – now stands empty. 

There was talk – which turned out to be just that – that Tony Luke’s, another local cheesesteak slinger – would be muscling into the location once Rick’s got the boot. Since then, though, not a peep on a potential tenant. Well, until now. Just who is in negotiations for the space? Read on after the jump.

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A reader tips us off that the La Cucina demonstration kitchen at the Reading Terminal Market has some great chefs coming in to heat up the Fall.

David Ansill, Ansill:  October 14th
Marcie Turney, Bindi: October 20th
Lance Silverman, Sabrina’s:  October 27th
Ralph Fernandez, Moshulu:  October 30th
Ernie Rich, Executive Pastry Chef, Moshulu: November 6th
Brinn Sinnot, Supper:  November 10th
Marc Vetri, Vetri & Osteria:  November 15th
Jose Garces, Amada, Tinto, Distrito: December 9th
Aliza Green, Cookbook Author:  December 10th

Check out the La Cucina at the Market’s web site for details about price and registering.

La Cucina at the Market [Official Site]

What IS it with our historic markets? Is there not one in Philadelphia that doesn’t have its dirty laundry hanging out for everyone to marvel at?

Philly Mag has the wrap-up on the Reading Terminal Market ridiculousness and traces its origins back to the usual Philly political suspects. The Inquirer has a piece on a weird controversy over a cookbook and what amounts to a turf war in the Italian Market… and ends up mentioning some of the same political suspects.

Food and politics are inevitably tied up – in the global sense – but could we be any more parochial in this town? Sheesh.

*photo credit: J. Smith for GPTMC

Icons: A Volatile Market (Philly Mag)
In Cookbook, a Recipe for Italian Market Feud (Inquirer)

Epicurious Editors are taking over the Reading Terminal Market today through Thursday the 28th as part of their national farmers’ market tour. There’ll be Epicurious recipes, shopping lists, and even free tote bags. And it is all available for free.

The Epicurious Farmers’ Market Tour [Epicurious]

The 19th Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival kicks off at the Reading Terminal Market today and runs through Saturday.

Celebrate the traditions, foods and crafts of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Traditional foods including chicken pot-pie, donuts, ice cream, pies and canned fruits and vegetables will be available. There will also be handmade crafts including quilts, woodcrafts, paintings, hand-braided rugs, wooden toys, and cedar chests.

On Saturday, August 9th the festival will include an “Amish barn raising” as Lancaster County workers build a garden and tool shed from scratch on the Arch Street sidewalk beginning at 10 am. Then, at 3 pm there will be a traditional country auction with a live auctioneer, Moses B Smucker. And with a name like Smucker, you know he has to be good. He will auction off the tool shed, plus a handmade quilt, woodcrafts, and other traditional Amish items.

19th Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival [Reading Terminal Market]

On a day when fireworks were expected in the opening of the court case between Rick’s Steaks and the Reading Terminal Market it turns out Rick’s has quietly lost its case.

Rick’s Steaks appears to have lost its battle to stay in the Reading Terminal Market. A judge has ruled that market management has the right to refuse to give Rick a new lease (see related story).

Rick Olivieri and Terminal Market management were expected to be in court on Monday, with their attorneys arguing over some remaining issues in this long-running dispute. But Judge Mark Bernstein on May 9th quietly issued the key ruling — a summary judgment that the Market has the right to refuse to offer a new lease to Rick’s Steaks.

UPDATE: Rick’s Steaks has reached a settlement with RTM and will be out of the market by October 31st. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Judge’s Ruling a Setback for Rick’s Steaks [KYW 1060]

So you got up early and participated in the Democratic process. Reward yourself today with a coupon to the Reading Terminal Market. The specials are easier to stomach than the descriptions.

• Hillary Hoagie – Grilled chicken, roasted hot peppers, sharp provolone, lettuce, tomato and onion. Obama Salama hoagie with Salami, mild provolone, NO OIL, basalmic vinegar, luttce, tomato and onion from Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagies
• Hanging Chad Chowder – Tomato vegetable soup with “hanging chad” noodles from The Everyday Gourmet
• Keystone Primary Sandwich – Sliced turkey breast, American cheese, “horse race/radish” sauce, roasted red peppers and stuffing on diversity-friendly marble rye
• Star Spangled Cheesesteak – Cheesesteak made with roasted red peppers, blue cheese and white mushrooms.

Fresh News From the Market [Reading Terminal Market]

Barack Obama visited Claudio’s in the Italian/9th-Street/Curb Market-thingy earlier this week, says the Daily News. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he tried the burrata, which is one of the finest cheese items available in the whole stinking market. Now, he’s promising to try a cheesesteak.

Of course, this means that soon the Great Opportunity for Cheesesteak-Related Public Relations Disaster will present itself to the candidates. Obama and Hillary Clinton will be forced, probably by their misinformed advisers–the very same advisers that recommend using cliched Rocky references in a speech–to decide at which establishment they will pretend to enjoy their token cheesesteak.

They will be scrutinized mercilessly for which cheesesteak-slinger they choose and how well they handle all of the stupid ordering rules and other shenanigans that go along with cheesesteakery. Let’s face it, cheesesteaks have nothing to do with brotherly love–they seem to attract controversy and create actual hostility like no other local foodstuff. Need evidence? Try this, this, this and, now, this.

Here’s our advice to Obama and if he’s truly the Candidate for Change, he’ll take it:

Roast pork.

From DiNics in Reading Terminal Market. With or without greens, provolone or horseradish. The sandwich of the future of Philadelphia in a classic, truly historic Philly setting.

Real meat, real taste, no hate.

DiNics [Reading Terminal Market]

It’s a real time Foobooz spotting as we’ve just spotted Eric Ripert and 10 Arts chef Jennifer Carroll shopping at the Reading Terminal Market.