Labor Day is nearly upon us. While we love the extra day off work, what we don't love is the fact that we'll soon be hurtling toward cold temperatures, icy streets, and a severe shortage of our favorite produce varieties. So for those of us who want to cling to summer as long as we possibly can, City Food Tours of Philadelphia will be offering a “So Long to Summer” Food Tour on Sunday. The......

It shouldn't surprise anyone to know that we watch food shows. And so we'd be remiss if we didn't mention a new show on the Fine Living network featuring the inimitable Martha Stewart. Well, "featuring" is a bit of a stretch: the show, as the New York Times reports, will be more like a spin on Mystery Science Theater 3000, starring Stewart's daughter Alexis and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, whose father, Charles Koppelman, is the......

Sometimes, our curiosity and attention span are at odds: we see something we want to find out more about, make a mental note of it... and quickly forget at the first glimpse of something shiny. We've been noticing an increasing number of black buckets filled with white, full-sized umbrellas at restaurants and bars around the city. We'd always wonder what they were, but by the time we got home, we'd forget to look them up.......

We can't believe we let this one slip through the cracks. About six weeks ago, we were contacted about Viewzi, a visual search engine that is, at least on first glance, more user-friendly and far prettier than the aforementioned Cuil. We haven't had a chance to really explore each of Viewzi's sixteen search options, but what we have discovered is their awesome recipe search, which pulls search results from Epicurious, Simply Recipes, 101 Cookbooks,......

A few months ago, we asked readers to tell us where we can eat cheaply and quickly in Old City. We got some great feedback (this Phillyist eats at Gianfranco Pizza Rustica at least once a week, much to the chagrin of her personal trainer), and now we'd like to add another spot to the list: Independence Al Fresco, next to the Independence Visitor Center. Now, we're not endorsing the spot, mostly because we......

Weren't we just talking yesterday about our love for wine? Lucky us that Positano Coast is willing to indulge that love, along with our love of raw and only-barely-cooked fish, with tonight's Crudo Wine Dinner. Crudo, best described as Italian sashimi, is probably what Positano Coast is best known for, and the crudo there landed Chef Pippo Lamberti in Philadelphia Magazine's list of the "Next 8 Great Chefs" in the city in 2006, and......

As a native Texan, I just don't understand vegetarianism. I respect it, sure—but I don't know if I will ever understand how anyone can pass up tasty red meat dishes, especially with the newly-opened Chima Steakhouse giving Fogo de Chão a run for its money. I don't mind the competition, though: it just means more meat on a sword for me (although, to be fair, Chima adds two seafood offerings—salmon and swordfish—to its Rodizio......

If it's spicy, chances are I'll like it. Thai, Szechuan, Mexican, Japanese, or Indian: if it leaves my lips a little tingly and my sinuses a little clearer, it's generally okay by me, which is why I was excited to try out the newly-opened King of Tandoor in Logan Square. Now, I'm no expert in the field of Indian cooking, but I've eaten my share of good Indian food, and my share of bad......

*Why yes, it is Wednesday. Chef Joseph Poon is sixty, but you wouldn't know it when you meet him. It's only once you start doing the math while he's talking—it seems as if the Chef has had hundreds of restaurant jobs, on top of owning no fewer than than four establishments over the years—that you realize that he couldn't possibly be as young as you first thought. Nobody can blame you for your misconceptions, and......

It's about seventy billion degrees outside, but somehow, people are still eating outside at restaurants with sidewalk service. Not only eating outside, but waiting to eat outside. Ordinarily, we at Phillyist are the sit-indoors-in-the-air conditioning type, but we do love a good al fresco meal, so we can't help but feel jealous of all the people who seem completely unphased by the heat as they enjoy their lunches and dinners. We've yet to discover......

While an undergraduate psychology minor, I learned about any number of behavioral studies involving children that went something like this: Researcher: Johnny, I'm going to leave the room for just a minute. While I'm gone, don't eat any of the delicious-looking candies on the table in front of you.Researcher leaves; Johnny shoves two handfuls of M&Ms into his mouth. And like this: Researcher: Billy, I'm going to leave the room for just a minute. While......

We already know that you like to put your money where your mouth is and support food-based fundraising efforts. Fortunately for you, summertime means there are plenty of opportunities to stuff your face and ease your conscience all at the same time. One of these, Fox Chase Cancer Center's 16th Annual Plain & Fancy: A Taste of the Greater Delaware Valley (a mouthful in and of itself!), happens next weekend. For a mere thirty-five bucks......

Philadelphia may not be perfect, but on the whole, we're a city full of big-hearted people willing to open their hearts—and, sometimes, their pocketbooks—to those in need. The latest group to benefit from this philanthropic city of ours is the family of the late Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski, who, you might recall, was killed while on duty just a few weeks ago. And funds will be raised in Phillyist's favorite fashion: through our stomachs. Several......

Wawa may be abandoning Center City, but for those of you not affected by the desertion, there's good news—especially if you're a young professional addicted to your Crackberry, or a teenager who can't put your Sidekick down during Calculus class: Select Wawa locations will now let you text message your sandwich orders straight to the store. You can order online, too, but let's think for a moment here. Online ordering is nothing new. But text......

We've had friends who lived or worked near Old City tell us before that they had trouble finding fast, cheap, non-pizza food in the neighborhood. Nonsense, we'd say. There are so many restaurants in Old City, surely, there must be a slew of options for a quick lunch on the go. The hungry tourists have to eat something, right? Well, yes and no. Sure, there's the food court at The Bourse, and about a......

There are few things we love more in the world than food. And when it's good food that comes cheap, we love it even more. That's why we're excited for 8 Days of Eats, the South Street Headhouse District's answer to the Center City District's Restaurant Week. There are fewer restaurants to choose from, sure, and most of those restaurants don't have menus posted on the event website, but 8 Days of Eats has a......

And no, we're not talking about roughage. We're talking green like local foods, which ensure that you're protecting natural resources and getting the freshest meats and produce available, prepared by some of Philadelphia's top restaurateurs. That's right—you don't have cook your own meals to make sure you're eating local, organic ingredients. Restaurants like the White Dog Café have been keeping it local for years, and popular and well-reviewed places like Farmicia, Fork, Vetri, Standard......

Okay, so the low temperatures this week might still be a little wintry, but, during the day at least, the sun will be shining and we can finally put away our scarves and gloves. And eat ice cream. Or gelato. Or water ice. So, this week's Foodsday Tuesday comes to you in the form of a question: When the temperatures start to rise, where do you go to cool down? Does the Franklin Fountain's old-fashioned......

Remember my boyfriend? No, not that one (even though we're officially out now). The other one. James. I'm still very much in love with James, even though it's been a while since that fateful evening. So you can imagine my delight when Jim Burke, chef/owner of James, was the first name on the list of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2008. Jim will appear on the cover along with F&W's nine......

We all know one or two. We don't agree with them, but they're our friends anyway, even if Anthony Bourdain likens them to terrorists, some courts have called them murderers, and Roger Clemens doesn't know what they are. They're vegans—or at least really serious vegetarians—and their numbers are growing. Are they obnoxious about it? Well yes, sometimes, like when Hugs for Puppies is out blocking the sidewalk and ruining people's meals. And while veganism......

Sometimes, to quote that awful Taco Bell commercial, you just want something cheesy and melty. But if you're like me, there's little—short of being very, very broke or very, very drunk—that will persuade you to patronize Taco Bell, so when the craving hits, you must look elsewhere. And as entertaining as it was to watch Mayor Nutter really enjoy his margaritas at the Love Park Mexican Post last week, I didn't find my meal......

Last night, to celebrate St. Patrick's day properly, I feasted upon corned beef and cabbage. Cabbage, as you probably know, is one of those vegetables that can make you really popular in places like the grocery store and your yoga class, right up there with beans, cheese, and soda. And that got me to thinking: while I've written a Foodsday Tuesday post about poop, its cleaner and more sanitary first cousin, the fart, hasn't......

When it comes to dieting, I really kind of suck. Unless it's imposed by my circumstances (the Unemployment Diet) or my religion (the "real" God Diet), I'm likely to fall off the wagon within a week. Maybe two. But still, I at least try to eat right. No fried foods. (Well, French fries once in a while.) Poultry and fish. (Except for when I really want beef, which happened twice last week.) Coke Zero.......

We love food. Not just because it's a necessary substance for sustaining life. Perhaps, we should say we're in love with food. That's why we would risk personal relationships for an ourstanding meal, why The Food Network is one of the only TV stations we can find without using the guide, and why we comb the pages of picture-heavy cookbooks the way most people thumb through the latest edition of Playboy (NSFW). And so......

Starbucks may be closed for three hours this evening, but have no fear! Dunkin' Donuts to the rescue! About an hour ago, Dunkin' started serving up small lattes—of any variety—for 99¢. They'll keep slinging the discounted caffeine (or decaffeine) until 10PM or closing time – whatever comes first at each individual franchise. While you're down there, you may want to try out one of those new Flat Bread [sic] sandwiches they've started selling over......

I don't usually plan my dinner menus out ahead of time. Rather, I buy whatever protein (a) looks fresh or (b) is on sale at the grocery store/farmer's market, and plan my menu from there. Once in a while, it means cooking things that I've never cooked before. On rare occasions, it means cooking things I'm not sure I've ever eaten before. (I'm a rebel like that.) Recently, I found myself at Whole Foods......

When this Phillyist gets Starbucks, he's one of those guys with the forty-seven part order. You know the ones: Grande non-fat extra hot caramel no foam extra shot latte on the rocks with a twist little bit of oil hold the mayo. There's much to be said about Starbucks, both good and bad. One of the good things that can be said, and it's the thing that leads to those comically long orders, is that......

There's a new restaurant reviewing website in town, and we think it's pretty neat. Urbanspoon works as a local restaurant review aggregator, finding reviews of eating establishments city-wide and combining them with user rankings to come up with an overall score, a la Rotten Tomatoes. Urbanspoon will also tell you its current top restaurants in the city, give you reviews by cuisine, neighborhood, or price, and even features a few "specialty" categories (vegan, gluten-free, delivery,......

At first glance, the details about the upcoming Center City District Restaurant Week look the same as always. So does the list of participating restaurants. What has changed, though? The cost of your prix fixe dinner will now be $35 instead of $30. Why? Well, it's not explained. And we certainly can't figure it out, seeing as, from what we can tell, the menu prices at the featured restaurants haven't changed – which means that......

I'm back from a two week stint in Texas, full of Mexican food and tequila and happy to be back with this guy and this guy. While I was home, Ross came to visit for a few days, and somehow, we got to talking about comfort food with Mamaist and Papaist. Surprisingly, it was a phrase that Papaist wasn't familiar with. "You know," I told him, "Foods you like to eat for comfort. When......