More on the Royal Tavern’s 7th anniversary. On Wednesday, November 11th the week long fun begins with a night for vegans and vegetarians. All of the blackboard specials will be vegetarian or vegan items and there will be a specialty cocktails crafted from cruelty free ingredients. It all starts at 5pm and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to PAWS.

Royal Tavern [Official Site]

Grub Street has all the details on a farmhouse ale dinner at South Philadelphia Tap Room. Occurring on Sunday, September 20th at 7pm, the $75 all inclusive dinner will include courses from SPTR’s Scott Schroeder as well as Gene Giuffi of Cochon, Sheri Wade of Southwark and Nick Macri of Beneluxx plus Patrick O’Malley of New York’s Balthazar Bakery.

All You Can Eat – and Drink! – at South Philly Tap Room [Grub Street]
Farmhouse Ale Dinner [South Philadelphia Tap Room]

Shank’s Original is opening a second location. This one will be on the Delaware River waterfront at Christian Street. It should be open later this month.

Looks to us that it’s the location where Tugboat Annie’s/Chink’s Steaks stands.

Shank’s: A Philadelphia Original [Unbreaded via The Illadelph]
Shank’s Pier 40 [Official Site]

Craig LaBan visits Bibou where he finds chef Pierre Calmels and his wife Charlotte creating another star French bistro on 8th Street in South Philadelphia. Of special note was the “gastro-splurge” of the seven-course $70 tasting dinner.

Our meal soared from an ethereally light but vivid chilled asparagus soup to a velvety-tender slice of poached veal tongue with sauce gribiche (a decadent throwback mayo with capers, cornichons, minced hard-cooked egg, and tarragon.) There were wonderfully crisped scallops with lime emulsion, sea beans and shaved cucumber noodles, another bowl of Madeira-sauced chanterelles (which I gratefully devoured), seared foie gras, and an intensely beefy hanger steak in a light green peppercorn sauce alongside snappy plumes of black trumpet mushrooms that glistened with a butter shine.

Three Bells – Excellent

Bibou [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Bibou [Official Site]

Nick’s Charcoal Pit at 13th and Snyder gets lots of love from the venerable Holly Moore (who has been getting lots of press of his own) and from Drawing for Food. Holly gives 5 grease stains to Nick’s charcoal broiled filet topped with spinach and cheese and served on a Sarcone’s seeded roll.

Drawing for Food likes the ribs and the wings but favors the split hot dog covered in bacon and Cheez Whiz.

We think we’re going to have to go on an empty stomach.

Nick’s Charcoal Pit [HollyEats.com]
Nick’s Charcoal Pit – Again [Drawing for Food]

Johnny Goodtimes is hunting for Philadelphia’s best pizza. He’s hit a few spots up so far and most recently dined at Chuck E. Cheese (CEC) with his Little Brother and comedian Chip Chantry.

The pizza was better than expected, the rodent problem, larger than life. All of Goodtimes’ Pizza Hunt reports are available on his web site.

Latest Spot in the Pizza Hunt: Chuck E. Cheese [Johnny Goodtimes]
Chuck E. Cheese [Official Site]

This Saturday South Philadelphia Taproom is hosting their always fun Wheat Beer Fest. There will be 30 different wheat beers to try and each will be just $3 per glass.

There will also be live music and grilling outside. Look for pulled pork, grilled chicken and vegan mushroom kabobs on the grill.

Check out the beer list after the jump.

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Adam Erace steps into Bebe’s Barbecue in the Italian Market and finds some of the city’s most authentic barbecue amid the Italian butchers and Mexican taquerias.

How else can you explain how an unassuming sesame-seed hamburger bun becomes the hero of Bebe’s pulled pork sandwich? Behind the glass-fronted line of hotel pans kept warm in a baine-marie, Coates so overloads the soft roll, you can’t help having visions of the rusty red stains awaiting your clothes. But the bun, it’s like a sponge for the vinegar-tipped Lexington, Carolina-style sauce, a Memory Foam mattress for the 16-hour smoked pork shoulder, contouring to the heap of unctuous tatters.


Bebe’s BBQ [Philadelphia Weekly]

Salt Pepper Ketchup checks out Taco Loco at 4th and Washington where they go beyond the basics.

Johnny Goodtimes kicks off a new Quizzo tonight at the Ugly American. The fun gets underway at 7:30pm at Front and Federal.