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Philly Museum Cashes In Big Time on Star Trek Mania

Film critics had their doubts about whether moviegoers would shell out for J.J. Abrams' more mainstream, less hardcore science fiction take on Star Trek, but those doubts were quashed this weekend when the movie took in an impressive $72.5 million; it was by far the biggest opening weekend haul for any film in the franchise.

Now branded as one of the year's biggest hits, Star Trek is causing a renewed interest in the original show, and that's good news for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, which will try to cash in on the fervor with Star Trek: The Exhibition, opening this Saturday, May 16 and lasting through the summer.

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Tags: Recession Restaurants / Recession Restaurants Map / Restaurants / Food Travel / → All Tags

Philly Foodies Get a Faux-Downscale Option

Philadelphia foodies may have been sad to see high-end bistro Matyson absent from the town's recent Restaurant Week list, but fear not, even classy standbys like this aren't above stooping to recession menus to reel customers in.

Actually, Matyson is offering one of the funniest recession-themed menus we've seen yet. At first glance you'd think they'd fallen to boring, cheap-ingredient soup kitchen meals, but look closer and you'll see the "spaghetti and meatballs" is spaghetti squash with beef and mushroom meatballs served in a parmesan froth, and the "tuna salad" is confit tuna topped with crispy olives and blood orange vinaigrette. They just can't help being fancy!

At $35, the four-course feast is a deal at this normally $25-an-entrée eatery, plus it's a BYOB, so you can even afford a (cheap) bottle of wine.

· Matyson [Official Site]
· Rouge Drops a Course, Wins Our Heart [Jaunted]
· Recession Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

Photo: [Matt O'Hara]

Tags: Recession Restaurants / Recession Restaurants Map / Restaurants / Food Travel / → All Tags

Rouge Drops a Course, Wins Our Heart

Suddenly, it seems every high-end restaurant in the country is coming out with discount menus in a desperate attempt to keep their tables full. The problem with all these Restaurant Week menus and recession deals is that they always offer a good value for three courses, but that's assuming you would order three courses anyway.

The truth is, you end up spending $40 a person on three courses, but if you had ordered off the regular menu, you would have spent $25 on one great course and been just as happy. Which is fine for normal times, but with everyone's wallets squeezed, we're looking for some serious deals.

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Tags: Food Travel / Philadelphia Travel / Gelato / → All Tags

Philly's Anti-Cheesesteak: Capogiro Gelato

What you see above is a trio of scrumptiousness; a selection of true gelato in the palate-pleasing flavors of Pear Bourbon, Thai Coconut Milk and Dark Chocolate. At Philadelphia's Capogiro Gelato, a bevy of the brand's gelato and sorbetto flavors means that you are safely ensconced in within an anti-cheesesteak forcefield.

Capogiro is Philly's answer to the Pinkberry explosion of both coasts, except that Capo is keeping it real with straight-up homemade gelato available in more than just two measly flavors. With two locations of their own in Philly, one by Rittenhouse Square and the other in Midtown Village, Capogiro is more than just a tourist's pleasure.

The list of gelato varieties alone is enough to keep the locals addicted. We're not even going to get into the thrill of seasonal specialties, but we will divulge a few of their more exotic choices: lemon bourbon mint, sweet potato with pecan praline, rosemary honey goat's milk and ginger with sesame brittle. Of course they've got the classic Italian standbys like espresso, hazelnut and stracciatella (chocolate chip), but since we aren't in Rome, we don't always have to do as the Romans do.

Related Stories:
· Capogiro Gelato [Official Site]
· Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Recession Restaurants / Recession-Restaurants-Map / Restaurants / → All Tags

Lacroix Offers A Stimulus Package

A few weeks back, dinner-booking site OpenTable.com announced "The Appetite Stimulus Plan," a promotion offering three-course prix fixe meals at 1,300 high-end eateries around the country. We usually don't get too excited about Restaurant Week-style promotions such as this, because they too often go hand-in-hand with limited selections, poor service and obnoxious crowds.

But Philly foodies are in luck, because one of the city's hottest dining rooms--Lacroix at the Rittenhouse--is running with the idea and offering the deal all winter long.

For $24, you can choose from a (limited) lunch menu of upscale comfort creations. For example, warm butternut squash-and-miso soup for a starter, orzo macaroni and cheese with spinach, smoked salmon, and oven dried tomato for the main and a pre-determined dessert tier.

Yes, $24 may sound like a lot to drop on a lunch, but considering mains alone usually go for that much or more at Lacroix, we're smelling a discount that's worth it.

Related Stories:
· Lacroix at the Rittenhouse [Official Site]
· Recession Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Rittenhouse Hotel]

Tags: Restaurants / Holidays / Bastille Day / New Philadelphia Restaurants / → All Tags

New Philly Restaurant: Parc

If you're in Philly and craving steak frites or escargot, you're in luck, because a brand new French bistro opens today, just in time to celebrate Bastille Day.

Parc is the latest endeavor from Philadelphia restaurant mogul Stephen Starr, the man behind hotspots like Buddakan, Moriomto and El Vez. If you're familiar with any of those places, you can probably guess that the ambiance at Parc is less Left Bank, more Champs-Élysées.

Philadelphia City Paper has a walk-through of the elegant new space, which includes details like a 50-foot hand-crafted solid zinc bar, vintage fans and intricate tile work. No word yet on whether the food will be as exciting as the décor, so if anyone stops by today, be sure to let us know.

Related Stories:
· Parc [Official Site]
· Stephen Starr Gives us the Grand Tour [City Paper]
· Francophile Travel: Bastille Day in New York [Jaunted]

[Photo: Philadelphia City Paper]

Tags: Philadelphia-for-Geeks / Geeky Travel / Star Wars / Museums / Cult Travel / Videos / Travel Videos / → All Tags

Geeky Philly: The Star Wars Show Opens

After we told you about the Star Wars show opening in Philadelphia, we had to go check it out. We got to the Franklin Institute right about 10 am Saturday to watch this lightsaber duel and see a bunch of Imperial Stormtroopers march all over the place. And after navigating the crowd of kids and adults acting like kids, we finally managed to scope the show.

Now, with the disclaimer that we're Star Wars geeks, it was awesome. There were heaps of models from the movies, costumes and taped interviews with Lucasfilm artists. The token attempts at science--questions like could people really survive on Hoth--were also nice and good for the kids.

We skipped the $5 extra for the Millennium Falcon experience. We wish we would've skipped the Star Wars planetarium show. (The theater is nice; the show was bad.)

Your exhibit ticket gets you into the rest of the Franklin Institute, so if you're taking kids, you can make a full day of it. If you'd rather not, we'll have more geeky Philly recommendations this week including comic book shops and sneaker boutiques.

Related Stories:
· Stormtroopers Invading Philly [Jaunted]
· R2-D2 Mailbox Map [Jaunted]
· Star Wars Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Star Wars / Cult Travel / → All Tags

Star Wars Travel: Stormtroopers Invading Philly

Speaking of space travel, if $200K is a bit steep for you, admission to the new Star Wars exhibit at Philly's Franklin Institute is a relatively cheap $20.50. The science center is hosting Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination from February 9 until May 4.

Some authentic props including Luke's landspeeder from Episode IV and Darth Vader's helmet from Episode III are part of the show. There will also be models and other Star Wars stuff to see, including a battalion of Imperial Stormtroopers the Institute has hired for the opening day celebration.

For an extra five bucks, you can even hop into a replica of the Millennium Falcon for a multimedia tour through space. Sadly, we hear its a trip through our galaxy, not one far, far away.

Related Stories:
· Franklin Institute's Star Wars Exhibit [Official Site]
· Photos from the Star Wars Exhibit in Boston [Jaunted]
· R2-D2 Mailbox Map [Jaunted]
· Star Wars Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Official Star Wars Blog]