Philly Mag’s Ashley Primis gets Stephen Starr to spill the beans on how Pizzeria Stella came to be. Including a story about Starr hiring someone to stand outside a pizzeria to find out where the tomatoes came from.

Stephen Starr’s Stella Secrets [Restaurant Club]

Zahav deservedly received lots of praise for its Restaurant Week menu but did you know the modern Israeli restaurant offers a  similar deal on Monday nights for $36. Ta’Yim, Salatim and Hummus, choice of three plates and choice of dessert will set you back just $36.

Pizzeria Stella is set to open tomorrow at the corner of 2nd and Lombard. Stephen Starr’s pizza joint takes over the former Cosi location and promises 12 varieties of pizza plus a selection of antipasti, insalata and meats.

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Rick Nichols accompanies Stephen Starr and a cast of others as he heads out for a pizza fact finding mission that visits New Haven, Connecticut, Manhattan and Brooklyn. At stake, just what kind of pizza will be cooked up at Starr’s 2nd and Lombard pizzeria.

Stephen Starr goes in search of the perfect pizza [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Who did we spot walking towards the old Cosi at 2nd and Lombard last weekend? Yep, it’s Stephen Starr approaching his soon to be Pizza Select.

Do you like to drool? Then check out the menu Zahav is putting together for a chocolate themed dinner on Thursday, June 11th. If chocolate isn’t enough to get your salivary glands pumping, how about foie gras truffle and kobe beef tataki?

Check out the full menu of the $85 per person menu after the jump.

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Zahav and the Society Hill Towers are working together to allow Zahav to add outdoor seating in the Society Hill Towers Shopping Plaza. Zahav is looking to start patio service as soon as possible but has to work out a number of logistical issues first.

For those unfamiliar with the layout of the area, the roof-topped plaza backs up to Zahav along St. James Place and is home to a number of merchants and previously to a small super market.

Zahav has been piling up the accolades, Food & Wine, Esquire, Bon Appetit and most recently, Philadelphia Magazine named it the top restaurant. All this before turning a year old.

On Wednesday, May 20th the Israeli restaurant is throwing itself an anniversary party. Starting at 8pm there will be live Middle Eastern music, belly dancing and $5 all you can eat hummus and laffa. plus drink deals like $3 Goldstars and $5 Lemonnanas.

Zahav [Official Site]

Celebrate the birthday of Benito Juarez, Mexico’s first full-blooded Indigenous president with a feast of pre-Hispanic delicacies at Xochitl from Tuesday, March 17th through Saturday the 21st.

And just what are pre-Hispanic delicacies? Well they include things you might not normally see on a menu like grasshopper tacos, breaded veal brains, pine cones, frog legs and more. The meal is $45 per person, $65 with cocktail pairings.

Full menu after the jump.

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Rick Nichols subs for Craig LaBan and rings three bells for Zahav, the Israeli restaurant overlooking Dock Street in the shadows of the Society Hill towers. Nichols finds some gold in the regular menu but he’s quite grumpy with the the Quarter, Zahav’s back room for weekly tastings.

Zahav does so much right, so singularly and – in its rendering of a Jewish grandmother’s unforgettable chicken soup – sometimes brilliantly. It’s worth the climb up, if only to look down, indulgently, on the out-of-the-know Zahav-nots.

Three Bells – Excellent

Zahav [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Zahav [Official Site]