19147 Travel Guide
Tags: Top Chef / Top Chef Travel / Philadelphia Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags
Ex-Top Chef Contestant Heats Things Up in Philly, No Seitan in Sight
Pierced and tattooed to the nines, recently booted Top Chef contestant Jennifer Zavala claimed to have a fiery temper on the first episode of this season, but her dish—a disastrous seitan-stuffed pepper—was anything but hot and enticing. It looked and apparently tasted like a mealy, flavorless mess, which ultimately confused the judges and sent her packing.
But Zavala, like many other Top Chef hopefuls, isn't a culinary novice and won't be crying over her Santoku knife now that she's returned to Philadelphia. Hot like fire Zavala, whose cooking, we hope, doesn't always go the way of bland vegan fare, is a sous chef at Philly's Xochitl. Say it with us: so-cheet. There she helps whip up new Mexican cuisine that's familiar, but with a modern, elevated twist.
Tags: Best-Jewish-Delis-Map / Delis / Food Travel / Restaurants / Sandwiches / cheese steaks / → All Tags
Best Jewish Delis: Philly's 'The Famous'
The world of Jewish delis can be divided down a very distinct line; there are those that try to put a modern, all-inclusive spin on the classic delicatessen and those that will tolerate absolutely none of that blasphemy.
Firmly a member of the latter, authentic camp is Philadelphia's Famous 4th Street Delicatessen, which has been luring hungry diners to the corner of 4th Street and Bainbridge in Queen Village since 1923. From the very retro signage to the massive, art deco dining room, the restaurant almost looks like it should be viewed in black-and-white.
Tags: Restaurants / New Philadelphia Restaurants / → All Tags
New Philly Restaurant: Bistrot La Minette
The hottest topic on the Philadelphia dining scene this summer was Parc, which had locals debating whether Philly restaurant mogul Stephen Starr's massive new bistro would be the next Buddakan or an overpriced faux-French stand-in.
Meanwhile, the much less hyped Bistrot La Minette opened on Sixth Street last week and more than a few Philly foodies are saying this one is the real deal.
Tags: Philadelphia-Music-Venues / Music Venues / Live Music / → All Tags
Philly Music Venues: Theater of the Living Arts
One of Philly's best mid-size concert venues, this (not-too) renovated movie theater is smack in the middle of South Street's always-on nightlife scene, and attracts an appropriately young and rowdy crowd.
Like a growing number of mid-size venues across the country, the 800-capacity Theater of the Living Arts has been recently acquired by Clear Channel spinoff Live Nation, much to the chagrin of local indie rock fans, but it should be noted that they haven't done much to corporate the place up as of yet.
In addition to local indie and hip-hop bands, upcoming shows at TLA include Ice Cube, Sonic Youth with The Hold Steady and "Crash" star Terrance Howard, who, if you didn't know, is apparently an "urban country" singer now.
Shows for national acts are often sold out, so it's a good idea to get tix beforehand.
Related Stories:
· Theater of the Living Arts [Official Site]
· Philadelphia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: pleonasticism]
Tags: 2008 Candidates Travel / Barack Obama / Hillary Clinton / Cheesesteaks / → All Tags
Cheesesteak Travel: Obama Skips Philly's Finest
Maybe it was the fear of repeating John Kerry's "with Swiss" gaffe or maybe he just wanted to avoid an immigration debate at Geno's, but Barack Obama skipped the cheesesteak on his recent visit to Philadelphia's Italian Market. The democratic front-runner instead sampled some grub from Claudio Specialty Foods and DiBruno Brothers.
Hillary Clinton hasn't done much better, as she's also skipped the steaks in Pennsylvania. Back in October, Rudy Giuliani had no problem ordering his sandwich in English when he was part of the Republican race.
The candidates will be scrounging for votes for another couple weeks, so there's plenty of time to track down a good sandwich. Our Philly Cheesesteaks Map will point you in the right direction, Barack!
Related Stories:
· Obama: I'll Try That Cheesesteak Next Time [Daily News]
· Rudy Goes Native in Philly [Jaunted]
· Philly Cheesesteaks Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: Barack Obama]
Tags: 2008 Candidates Travel / Candidates-Travel-Map / Rudy Giuliani / → All Tags
2008 Candidates Travel: Rudy Goes Native in Philly
Former mayor and GOP flip-flopper Rudy Giuliani was in Philadelphia recently to beef up his (non-existent) anti-illegal immigration credentials. And since he used to lord over New York City--a place not exactly known for its above board labor force--where did Rudy get a bite to eat while still hammering home his message that illegal immigration must be stopped? Geno's Steaks, of course.
The cheese steak palace is probably just as famous these days for its xenophobic signage as its Whiz-drenched subs. Giuliani did take a moment to explain his position on immigration:
Immigration is wonderful...We need people who are going to inform us, give us new ideas, but it has to be legal. Illegal immigration is a bad thing.
We'd love to know if Rudy picked up one of Geno's shirts with the slogan "I'm an American so I order in English" to go with his dinner.
Related Stories:
· No Giuliani Beef at Philly Cheese Steak Shop [NYDN]
· 2008 Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Candidates Travel Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: joshmadison]
Tags: Philadelphia Field Trip / Food / Restaurants / Street Art / → All Tags
PhillyStyle: Brunch at Sabrina's
At behest and via the courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Jaunted spent the weekend in 6th Borough for a sleepover and tour--meaning this trip was on Ben Franklin, Rocky, and Boyz II Men--or something like that. Our thoughts are scattered below. Enjoy.
Philadelphia is at no shortage for good french toast, but Sabrina's is one of the city's most popular places to eat it and other brunch goodness. Also a BYOB, Sabrina's is the tradition to Rx's hippie crunch. The wait at Sabrina's can be brutal, but if you arrive early, say around 8 am, you can avoid the worst of it.
On the menu are several decadent varieties of french toast, most stuffed to the gills with fruit and farmer's cheese. You can also get pancakes, eggs, and more lunch-like sandwiches. It's hard to go wrong here, though even "healthy" options like the egg whites are quite buttery, but Sabrina's pretty much does its bread products best. Just the mention of it to our Philly friends prompted stories of all the varieties of french toast they'd eaten there in the past.
As a bonus, you can catch some of Philly's scariest street art right around the corner on 9th street. The entire Italian Market area, within which Sabrina's is located, is full of murals. Check out our favorite piece after the jump.
