Adam Erace asks the reader to picture a meal at the Venezuelan Sazon on the ragged corner of 10th and Spring Garden. A meal that shines with pride.

Just picture the soft Champion sweatpants hanging in your closet at home, because that’s what you should’ve worn to Sazon. Picture the portions, generous for such little coin, and how full you are by the time the gargantuan asado negro arrives. But picture the fork, and you lifting it anyway, slicing through the tender steak’s black jacket of caramelized garlic and unrefined brown cane sugar, and savoring.

Spanish Slice [Philadelphia Weekly]

Chifa is certainly making news today, first it was photos and now it’s the menu.

MenuPages got their hands on the initial menu for the Peruvian and Cantonese amalgamation and here are some of the highlights:

• The cheapest item on the menu is the $5 white cabbage leaves with sweet chile vinaigrette and sesame brittle.
• The most expensive item is the $55 salt baked fish, a salt crusted bronzino with hot ginger oil and caldon sea salt.
• The 20 oz grilled Adobo New York Strip goes for $52.
• There are also plenty of dishes under $15 including duck ceviche, braise lamb empanadas, lobster noodles and conchitas (scallops, parsnip-parmesan cream and caviar).
• There is a chef’s tasting menu available for $65.
• The scallion pancake that made our knees buckle is just $8.

Update: Here’s are all the menus as PDFs. Dinner Menu | Drink Menu | Desserts Menu

Chifa Madness [MenuPages]
Chifa [Official Site]

Meal Ticket and Phoodie were both over at Chifa earlier today and they have the photographic evidence to prove it.

An inside look at Jose Garces’ Chifa [Meal Ticket]
First Look: Chifa Sneak Peek [Phoodie.info]

Felicia D’Ambrosio got to try out Jose Garces’ Chifa on Thursday night and highlights some dishes you’ll be sure to drool over.

House-made sriracha sauce, served with the signature Chifa Chicken, an air-chilled organic bird from Giannone in Canada. Impossibly crisp, glassine skin over tender meat. This will be a must-have.

First Bite: Chifa [Meal Ticket]
Chifa [Official Site]

It was all good, but the Pollo a la Brasa ruled the roost at El Balconcito in the Northeast. [The Philadining Blog]

Foodzings hadn’t been to Dmitri’s but made up for it with a feast. Great, now we’re jonesing. [Foodzings]

Uncle Jimmy enjoys a “grrreat mint tea” at Shouk and offers some sage dating advice as well. [Uncle Jimmy Eats]

Philadining discovers Cajun Kate’s in Boothwyn and is hooked. [The Philadining Blog]

Foodzings goes off the menu at Sang Kee in Chinatown and the lemongrass wings were well worth it. [Foodzings]

It’s Moore Brothers Wine and fine Italian food at Mezza Luna in South Philly. [Moore Bros. Blog]

Usually the week before a big holiday is D-E-A-D, dead, dead, dead. But that isn’t the case this week as this bombshell just landed.

Jose Garces (Amada, Tinto, Distrito) is taking over the departed 707 on Chestnut Street and is opening an Asian and Latin-style restaurant with an emphasis on ceviche that will be named Chifa.

According to the always reliable Wikipedia, chifa is defined as:

Chifa is the name given to an establishment in Peru in which Peruvian-Cantonese cuisine is served. The name chifa comes from a Spanish adoption of the Mandarin words chi fan (吃飯), which mean “to dine”. The chifa is especially common in Lima’s Chinatown (barrio chino), but can be found anywhere in Peru with a significant ethnically Chinese population.

Jose Garces to open Chifa at 707 Chestnut [The Clog]
Chifa [Wikipedia]

Adam Erace tries the Paraguayan eatery, Arbol Cafe in Northern Liberties and delivers this stomach awakening report.

For a heartier dinner, start with the earthy, full-flavored vegetable chowder and order the asado à la olla con kiveve. Traditionally part of a Paraguayan Sunday supper (and served at Arbol only on weekends), the dish consists of velvety polenta enriched with mozzarella and butternut squash and a boneless short rib braised four to eight hours into tender, pull-apart submission. Drizzled with sugarcane molasses, this sweet-and-savory dynamo is the best thing Arbol serves—and the best thing I’ve eaten in months. I can understand why customers call ahead to reserve an order.

Arbol Café [Philadelphia Weekly]

City Paper’s Elisa Ludwig takes a look at Northern Liberties’ Arbol Cafe, a Paraguayan restaurant with a sandwich to put the cheesesteak to shame.

For an intro to Paraguayan cuisine, look to the lomito. At Northern Liberties’ Arbol Café, the sandwich bears a striking resemblance to the Philly cheesesteak — the basic version is a golden, puffy Le Bus roll stuffed with slices of thin fried steak, a “broken” fried egg, turkey ham and melty Port-Salut cheese. It can be made even drippier with additional toppings, like fried onions and mushrooms.

Up the Right Tree [City Paper]

Daily Candy takes a look at Northern Liberties latest coffee shop, Arbol Cafe.

Stop by the quaint spot and try a yerba mate or a mate dulce: a concoction made from sweetened coconut and steamed milks. Add a shot of espresso and you’ll actually look forward to getting out of bed in the a.m.

Move on to toast slathered in orange or guava preserves imported from Paraguay. And if you’re truly hungry, try the Sandwich de Lomito: thin steak, egg, smoked turkey ham, romaine, tomato, and cheese on Le Bus bread.

Full to the Brim [Daily Candy]

Foodzings heads off the beaten track for dinner at Tierra Colombiana, a Cuban and Colombian restaurant off Roosevelt Boulevard in North Philadelphia.

Service is adequate and friendly. Prices are reasonable for the giant portions you get. But best of all, the food is great. So if you’re up for the drive to the hood, it’s a nice outing.

Tierra Colombiana [Foodzings]
Tierra Colmbiana [Official Site]