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

Noble American Cookery is looking to open in early 2009 on the booming 2000 block of Sansom (Capogiro, Melograno, Porcini, Tinto, Vic Sushi, Village Whiskey). The former Gioia Mia is the being run by the group of Bruno Pouget (Caribou Cafe), Todd Rodgers and Chef Steven Cameron (Blue in Long Beach Island, NJ). Expect New American fare such as orange-glazed grass-fed beef shortribs, Pocono Mountain trout and lobster souffle.

Ugly American’s opening chef, David Gilberg has moved on to Bar Ferdinand. Sous chef Merlot Pagnatti moves on up and will be keeping much of the menu intact. [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

Pascual Cancelliere, who partnered with his father at the Italian Market’s Butcher’s Cafe is aiming to open an Italian-Argentine BYOB in the market in February. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Described to Drew Lazor as a “Moroccan El Fuego” Argan Moroccan Cuisine has opened at 132 S 17th Street. [Meal Ticket]

J.C. Dobbs is looking to have their liquor license by November 22nd. [Icepack, City Paper]

Boutros’ Mediterranean Specialties has opened in the Bellevue food court. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Nothing ugly in Craig LaBan’s write-up on Pennport’s Ugly American.

[Chef David] Gilberg has a few nice moves with seafood, too, like the garlicky head-on shrimp, and the seared dayboat scallops with chunky bacon-laced chowder and puffy popovers, and fried oysters with an addictive celery root-spinach salad.

But he has a special touch with beef, including possibly the best prime-grade steak deal in town. His ginger- and soy-marinated “Belvedere” – a wonderfully marbled chuck cut patented by Wells Meats – comes with a skillet-seared crust over a lavish smear of black truffle bearnaise. At $22 (and with a brilliant side of twice-baked potato stuffed with sweet creamy crab), this dish should draw surf ‘n’ turfers of all ilk, from the Pennsport neighbors to visitors from the no-man’s-land of the nearby Riverview complex.

Two Bells – Very Good

Ugly American [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Ugly American [Official Site]

It’s a special Monday edition of Quick Bites with lots of news and notes.

Ashoka Palace is the new spot taking a run at 38 S 19th St. It will serve northern Indian cuisine. We wish owner Kinder Jit Singh better luck than what met Bootsie’s, Sabor and Cha Cha Sushi. [Food & Drinq]

The Clog has the rundown on Fishtown’s Memphis Taproom from the taps (American craft, Belgian, German and English) to the food (it is a Polish neighborhood isn’t it?). Get a sneak preview of sorts this Saturday as Memphis Taproom will be pouring the beer at Unbridaled, an interesting bridal expo this weekend. [The Clog]

The restaurant at the Victory Brewing Co. has temporarily gotten smaller as they continue to renovate the brewery and brew pub. More photos at their site. [Victory Brewing Co. via The Brew Lounge]

The first Philadelphia Brewing Co. beer has made it into the fermenter. Brewer Deane Browne has the details. [Fermental]

Zahav has a logo. Check it out. [The Making of Zahav]

And finally, today’s the day Ugly American gets their draft system installed.

Adam Erace finds nothing ugly at Ugly American, especially not Carla Goncalves’ biscuits.

The biscuits, though, are all Goncalves’. She does all the baking—from the French country loaves for the truffled mushroom “meatball” po’ boys to the coarse-salt-and-caraway-sprinkled kaisers holding the beef-on-wick (Buffalo’s version of the roast beef sandwich). The roll hugs the shaved beef and lacy onions well, keeping fingers dry even when the sandwich is plunged into the accompanying pool of au jus.

Both sandwiches are tasty and satisfying, but man, I just keep going back to those biscuits.

A Taste of Home [Philadelphia Weekly]
Ugly American [Official Site]

The Daily News takes an early look at the Ugly American and urges the restaurant chill out on some of its dishes.

The restaurant is in its infancy and I really liked much of the experience, but there needs to be some restraint in the dishes. Too much is going on in over-the-top combinations. One of my tasters described it as going back to the period when American chefs started adding ingredients and fusions just because all those flavors were there.

It led to what some called “confusion cuisine.”

So, while I love the fact that the bar menu has the classic Beef-on-Weck sandwich (Buffalo, N.Y.’s, answer to our cheesesteak) and that there are some delicious dishes to be had, there are – like American tourists – some real loud and boorish ones to be found.

Two Forks – Good, worth the trip

Ugly American could use a little restraint [Philadelphia Daily News]

Philadining takes an early look at the Ugly American and tries out a variety of regional American classics including Beef on Wick.

But on the up-side, overall the food was pretty good, and we could certainly see going back. We feel like they’re missing an opportunity by not featuring more regional American specialties (Binghamton Spiedies? Cincinatti Chili? A Kentucky Hot Brown? New Mexico Green Chile Enchiladas?) But even without any geographical expansion, there’s good food to be had here. I could see going back on a regulaar basis just to get a Wick fix!

The Ugly American [Philadining]

It’s Monday and that means Meatball Madness at London Grill. Chef Michael McNally whips up weekly variations on meatballs, some of which don’t even have meat in them! It’s Monday! It’s meatballs! It’s madness!

Speaking of meatballs with no meat, at new Pennsport pub The Ugly American we recently tried the mushroom po’boy , a safe-for-vegetarians sandwich incorporating mushroom-based meatballs, goat cheese and broccoli rabe on a made-in-house roll and it was bitchin’. We both crave and recommend it.

London Grill [Official Site]

The Fieldhouse opened last night at the old Independence Brew Pub. The sports bar is run by the same people as Mission Grill and the Public House. [Food & Drinq]

Michael Klein has some more information on two new spots (Peppercorns, Ugly American) that have opened in the Pennsport neighborhood of South Philly. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is scouting locations in Miami for his third restaurant. [Page Six, New York Post]

Patrick Mullin who has made the Drafting Room a suburban beer mecca over the last 9 plus years is leaving for Sierra Nevada. He won’t even be able to attend the Drafting Room’s debut of Baltic Thunder (Victory’s remake of Heavyweight’s Perkuno’s Hammer) set for January 5th. [Liquid Diet Online]

The chicken shawarma sandwich from the Pita Pocket might be the Bite’s current craving but there are serious contenders to that throne on the menus at Sonam and the Ugly American.

The Bite appears every Wednesday in the Metro and is written by Foobooz editor Arthur Etchells

The Bite: Fried, roasted or on a spit, it’s all delectable [Metro Philadelphia]