Here are the most hardcore cheese lovers who showed up nice and early for the event. The line zig-zagged up the staircase and out the door. (That's Messy checking her phone in the blue shirt near the top!)

Here are the members of The Notorious Pie.Ro.Gi entering World Cafe Live's main floor.

Kasey Esposito cutting up samples of her Summertime Savory Cheesecake which brought Picky back to the Chevy Food Crawl, where he first had crab cheesecake at Marsha Brown's.

One of Picky's co-workers, Paul Lawler, was manning the cheese table with the Chester County Cheesemakers.

A solid pierogi they prepared. Good enough to go on to win top prize from the judges.

Here's the contestant we think was robbed! Came Here 4 the Science's entry was a Cherry Marscapone Ice Cream. It was delicious and scientifically displayed in a bath of dry ice. It let the marscapone shine through (the cheese flavor in some of the other contestants' dishes was sometimes a little too muted). Apparently the world of ice cream making is new to this contestant (unfortunately, we didn't catch her name), but if she keeps at it, her friends will live like kings. Keep it up, Came Here 4 the Science! We'll be your biggest fans!

Judge's #3 pick was Alyssa Lees and her Strawberry Rhubarb Cannoli. The Limoncello cannoli was an interesting twist on the traditional cannoli, but we thought strawberry-rhubarb overpowered the sheep's milk ricotta. A great tasting cannoli with the prettiest display of the afternoon.

Here's Cheese en Place with their Coconut Cheesaroon; their super creative take on a East meets West (remember Ming Tsai?!) dish which tasted strongly of Chai.

None of this would've been possible without the support of Brooklyn Brewery. A big thank you to them for producing some quality brews since 1988. Thank you for sending Nick and Theo across the country eating and drinking their way through cities filled with food fanatics spreading the joy of the home cook. Wait, no, we're totally jealous of them—send us!

Here's Theo snapping a cellphone shot just as people are starting to come into the main event. His last moment of calm for the afternoon, for sure.

Up on stage were the judges. Each contestant brought up a plate full of their most prized bites.

The duo behind Unconstitutional Ravioli in costume. Their quail egg, ricotta, provolone and broccoli rabe filled ravioli finished third in the audience vote.

Second place in the audience vote went to Cat Attacks and their Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese with gazpacho.

One of the many plates full of food. People most definitely differed in their approach to having all of the samples. There were those who went one by one down the line and ate along the way. Some went in pairs and had entire plate fulls to take back to a seat to try at once. Others ditched their plates all together and took samples one by one.

Here are girlfriend and boyfriend competing against each other and right next to each other. Bragging rights would surely be an issue by the end of the afternoon. Both dishes were great—they must make some fantastic meals together! Messy especially loved, loved, loved this mac and cheese!

A shot from the stage of the massive crowd which took up the entire floor and the balcony above.

Here are the Flying Yoshis! with their Steakcheese, a grilled cheese with cheesesteak beef inside.

A shot of one more very full plate.

The prizes decorated with a snaking rope light. Le Cruset fondue pots for all the winners!

Here's Theo with the official Philly Beer Week Hammer of Glory. He raised it above his head like he was the WWF champ from back in the day.

Here's the Judge's third place winner Alyssa Lees for her Strawberry Rhubarb Cannoli.

Judge's second place winner Kasey Esposito for her Summertime Savory Cheesecake.

Theo hoisted a very heavy prize pack from DiBruno Brothers before handing it off to…

The Notorious Pie.Ro.Gi

The prize for Pluckiest Assistant, the assistant who went above and beyond during the call of duty went to Unconstitutional Ravioli.

…Who also took home third prize from the audience.

Second place from the audience was awarded to Cat Attacks for their Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese. They took home some of the new, sought-after, champagne bottles of some schmancy Brooklyn Brews.

The audience picked Phondoody for their The Philly Dip Shits, a French Dip with gruyere fondue as the dip. As the winner, he got to wield the sacred Beer Week Hammer of Glory. He also got some awesome prizes and a chance to compete in the finals in Brooklyn later this year against all the other regional winners. Hope he takes his girlfriend and her awesome mac and cheese making skills along with him!

Theo took the sacred Beer Week Hammer off stage to show off to some of his Philly-based friends. We think he looks quite happy with it. We took our cheese-filled stomachs home and bid adieu to a great new event which we hope will return for a bigger and badder run next year. We got to meet some more of Philly's blogging scene including the duo behind 22nd & Philly [their post on the event] and the Philly editor of Midtown Lunch.

The full set of 1200px wide photos in the flickr set below

We met them earlier today on their Philadelphia Sandwich Crawl: 12 sandwiches in six hours. First stop: Picky's favorite sandwich in Philly: DiNic's. 10.15a we met them. Oh yes, you gotta start early if you want to eat all this food. We had to wait until 11a to get the famed pulled pork so we started with a rare roast beef with horseradish, sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. Here's Theo getting nostril deep into the juicy sandwich.

When the clock struck 11a, Theo rushed to the line. We got the first pulled pork of the day. Here's Theo and Nick with Theo's longtime friend Alain (sp?) and the Italian pulled pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe.

Here's Theo with a wet juicy bite of the sandwich.

Here's Nick about to take a ginormous bite out of the king of sandwiches (in Picky's humble opinion).

We parted ways and bid them well on their journey across Philly. Hopefully they will not have exploded by Sunday.

The gigantic, airport waiting area-sized atrium in the Cira Center is a bit off-putting to say the least. It works as an entry to a gigantic office building, but for the entrance to a restaurant, it's kind of weird. We were seated right at the front of the space (in the first photo we were seated to the right of the entrance under the trellis) even though we had a reservation and the place had ample space on that Tuesday night. The rest of the space felt more like a standalone eatery, but where we were seated just felt plain strange. Our seating aside, the details in the space were great, from the different tones of wood down to the whole black peppercorns in the candle holders (pictured below) which gave off a very faint roasty smell.

We started off with a couple drinks. Picky had an old fashioned, which wasn't as spicy as he likes it. It wasn't watered down, but it tasted a bit weak. He has since forgotten the whiskey used, but he probably should have opted for the rye instead of the bourbon the server suggested. Messy enjoyed a lovely glass of Zinfandel.

From our seats, we gazed out on the Philly skyline through the large atrium's windows and dug into the freshly baked dinner rolls brought out in a piping hot cast-iron skillet. They had the delicate layers of a croissant, but the density of a nice loaf. We were off to a great start.

The little square of apple gelée (we think that's what it was) was a nice, little, not-too-sweet touch to the rolls.

The square cast iron pan was too cute.

Messy's course included cranberry bean soup with in-house chorizo (eaten by Picky), and brussels sprouts. The soup was surprisingly light, with flavors that were both delicate and intense.

Picky went for the pig trotters, which came with a chunky cranberry compote and Dijon spots to dip into. The trotters were reminiscent of an upscale scrapple, a local hearty pork meatloaf of sorts.

The servers gave us ample time to soak in our drinks while letting our minds wander about the following courses. Next up for Messy was some delicious kabocha squash with sautéed black kale, shaved sheep's milk cheese and candied squash seeds. Messy, who was dealing with some frustrating food allergy diagnoses at the time, was bummed to have to order such a seemingly boring dish. Squash and kale doesn't really do it for her. And yet, somehow, this dish was utterly phenomenal. And filling. She could eat it every single day if given the opportunity. And she'd like to be given the opportunity—Messy is a huuuuge Garces fan!

Then out came a wild boar rack, which was more like a giant Frenched chop, with mustard glaze and creamy maple grits. The boar's deep flavor melded well with the lump of house-made vinegary whole grain mustard. Forkfuls of delectable grits and garlicky greens quickly followed each other. Each plate was garnished with edible baby sprouts which added color—no clumps of useless parsley were in sight.

To finish up the night, we went back to the snack menu and ordered a bowl of phenomenal hickory-smoked pecans with maple and bacon, followed by a dessert titled simply "Bourbon." The pecans were the surprise hit of the entire meal. They were soft but not mushy, and packed with so many levels of flavor in each single nut. Savory brunoised bacon bits clung to the delicate folds of the pecan's sticky glaze. This bowl of pecans was the most incredible thing Picky ate in all of 2010. He was reduced to a series of "umms" and "aahhhs" and "this is [expletive] phenomenal" between hurried bites, as if scared our server would whisk it away when his back was turned.

"Bourbon" included New Orleans style beignets served with a vanilla mousseline—think thick, whipped, luscious ice cream—and a Maker's Mark butterscotch dipping sauce. The alcohol was most definitely forward on the palate, offering a sharp contrast to the creamy mousseline and warm beignets.

The large, airy space had plenty of open seats on the rainy, windy and cold Tuesday night when we ventured out, but word will surely get out quickly, so jump on a reservation before it's too late! If there's one person who can make this out-of-the-way location behind the overpass and 30th Street Station work, it's Philly's Iron Chef Garces (sorry, Chef Morimoto, but you're just not in town as much anymore; we miss you, come back!).

Messy ****1/2
Picky ****

The final word: Does Chef Garces and Co. have what it takes to get people to come to this odd location behind 30th Street Station for years to come? Yes. Yes. Yes.

JG Domestic
Cira Centre, Ground Floor
2929 Arch St
(215) 222-2363
Lunch:
M-F: 11:30am-3:00pm
Dinner:
M-Sa 5pm-10pm
Happy Hour:
M-F: 3pm-7pm

June 5th will mark the day Philly battled over cheese at the Philly Cheese Experiment. Founders of The Food Experiments Nick and Theo are bringing the Experimental tour to Philly. They've been to Austin, New Orleans, and DC, and they're headed to Boston in July and then back to Brooklyn in September. But Sunday, it's Philly. The event will be at World Cafe Live and costs $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. so there will be ample time to give your body a lactose-laden, artery-clogging jolt. Or thud. Growing up, Picky's family owned a Carvel ice cream store so he has the uncanny ability to eat massive amounts of dairy with no ill effects (he's a freak!). But the rest of you, be forewarned.

We predict mac n cheese, quiches, cheesecake and sandwiches will all be well represented. But what will be the surprises? Will there be cheese-based drinks? What will unexpectedly be stuffed with cheese (and wrapped in bacon?!)? Who will pair it with something out of left field? Will Limburger make an appearance?!

All kidding aside, this event is going to be great. Winners will get a very cool prize pack and proceeds are going to local food non-profit The Food Trust.

The shot at top is a wheel of Cherry Grove Toma Primavera.

Inside the bar area the dishes started to come out. The crowd was a mix of faculty, administrators, friends and family. I could tell right away that there were definitely people there who had never eaten let alone seen Korean food before from their body language. This was a pretty cool setting to try it all out for the first time.

So what's at the center of every proper Korean meal? Kimchee. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Brunch, lupper, midnight snack. Koreans eat it all day and with everything. I love the stuff. At this point, I eat a fraction of what I used to eat growing up and I love each and every time I get a chance to have it. This was a very different take on my people's national dish. In fact, most of the dishes prepared were interpretations of traditional dishes. There were hits and misses according to my native tongue. This kimchee missed. It was beautifully presented, but it was just plain sweet. The water it was sitting in was an odd purplish-red. I thought this was a harbinger for the rest of the food given the Americanized palates of the students regardless of their fortnight spent in the motherland.

Kimbap. Korea's on-the-go food which is similar to Japanese maki. Cuts of thinly sliced and cooked beef, julienned carrots, zucchini and pickled daikon rolled in vinegary rice, rolled into dried seaweed. This stuff was closer to what I grew up with. Proportions weren't quite where I like it, but that's being nitpicky, but hey, that's me, right?.

Scallops on fried lotus root topped with a soy, scallion sauce. This is something I've never seen before. Maybe it's a take on something they saw in Korea, maybe it's something I just didn't grow up with. I'm not the biggest lover of seafood and I thought it was quite tasty.

Ah japchae. It's a time consuming noodle dish which I'll describe as fried rice, but with noodles. This take on japchae was rolled into [wonton?] wrappers. Not quite salty enough, but very well done.

The guests happily dug into everything.

A shot of one side of my overflowing plate.

A shot of the other side.

Into the presentation we went. The class presented their professor, Dr. Jeehyun Lee, with a lovely gift in a familiar white ribboned, turquoise box. She brushed away a few tears as she soaked in the applause. She was the one who tirelessly led them across her homeland.

Here's Andrew Haught talking about some of the things they did early on. The group went up to the Seoul Tower where they decorated a tile commemorating the trip. Tiles are stuck onto the observation deck of the tower by visitors year round.

Marilyn Miquel spoke of the facilities at Youngsan University. You can see in the photo all the monitors at each cooking station. I've had a tour of Drexel's kitchens and while they are very nice and well equipped, there's nothing like this anywhere. The instructor can place cameras in various spots to give students the best view possible, she explained.

After the presentation, the students peeled off to the kitchen to put the final touches on each of their dishes. They then manned their station and dished out portions for all.

I lined my plate with bulgogi, ttokbokki and spicy chicken. The bulgogi was on the grainy side and that may not have been the fault of whomever prepared it. The ttokbokki's sauce was a little gloppy and there was a big thing missing from it: the heat! The spicy chicken had a nice meld of oniony heat to it. A few days after the event, I was talking to my sister in law and she remarked at how hard it is to make ttokbokki and I gotta agree, it's tough to get the cylindrical rice cakes cooked well. But like most of the other dishes, it was the spice factor which was most bothersome.

The students and guests tucked into their food in the bistro. As I watched everyone enjoying themselves, I thought of what an experience it must be for all of them. It's one thing to learn classic French techniques, but Asian cuisine is a different set of tastes which haven't fully saturated this continent. I have to commend Drexel for taking the leap to create the country's first and only Korean Cuisine course. I spoke with Dr. Lee, whose mother is a culinary instructor in the southern end of Korea, as everyone was eating and she told me a little about the journey.

She's a food science person, so not a classically trained chef and hopes to hand the course over to a chef in the future, but she knew she, a native Korean, would have to be there at the start to get the relationship with the Korean government on solid ground. She said some of the students struggled with the different coursing and portion sizes of Korea. She sent a group of them to Outback Steakhouse to get their fill and they were fine for the rest of the trip. But the first thing they said when they landed stateside was that they missed everything about Korea. She had them hustling around 10+ hours a day and I didn't have to ask her how much sleep she was getting; close to none. I thanked her for her time and let her get back to her guests.

From all of the empty plates skewed across the room, it was obvious that most of the guests enjoyed their eats. And looking at this photo, I see that I forgot to mention the drinks! They had a ginger-cinnamon drink which was just about perfect&emdash;it was just missing the pine nut floating garnish. I learned later that the bartender of the group was allergic to nuts so I understood their absence. There was also a raspberry wine and a few other drinks I can't recall.

I had a great time at the event. IT's always wonderful to see people discover what I consider to be the best food on earth. I know I'm biased having grown up with it (and with excellent cooks in the family), but I truly do believe that it's the best. Thank you for having me Drexel!

The full set of photos all at 1200px size

Kennett's pork rillette and pig head terrine were fantastic. Both had a nice crunch and mush to them. The rillette had a nicely spicy pickled piece of something great on top.

The big circular room was de-cluttered this year. The double ring of vendors was reduced to a single ring in the middle and a few tables around back. This really opened up the space for all.

Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant had a pork belly bruschetta with Flying Fish jelly packed with flavor. It was a little too much baguette for my liking. My scarfing without pause prevented me from taking an adequate photo, my bad.

The Abbaye brought a slew of different pâtés. I think they brought rabbit, duck, mushroom and something else; I had the rabbit.

I ran into my friend and farmer Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm and we chatted next to an ancient relic. I hope we can take a trip out to his orchard this May/June to see his operation and some of his neighbors as well. Ben is good people.

Cichetteria 19 had delicious bruschetta. I had the egg and anchovy which was deliciously slightly salty. The egg was intensely rich.

The ladies of Brauhaus Schmitz in some traditional dirndls.

Nodding Head brought two new to me brews: BPA and Rufus. I went with the Rufus, a golden ale with Belgian yeast coming in at 6% ABV. It's been too long since I've climbed the steps up to Nodding Head and these new brews have me itching to head back for some ribs or the best French dip in town.

Southwark came through with a house cured hop salami hoagie with pickled red onion, Birchrun Hills Fat Cat cheese and some Bibb lettuce on a roll from Cafe Estelle. My friend, and head barman, Kip lent me a smile while prepping plates.

Squeezebox crew roamed the rooms telling people to head to the Speakeasy lounge downstairs.

The Speakeasy lounge

JG Domestic came with some big guns: a potted Hudson Valley duck. It was inconveniently a two-part operation of spreading the layered duck on the toasted bread while handling your sample cup. Instead of a third hand, I downed whatever was in my sample cup and put it in my pocket and greedily munched away.

Here's my co-worker Holly and Mme. Fromage, Tenaya Darlington, sampling some chèvre for the guests.

Doe Run Dairy brought along some delicious cheeses. Their Seven Sisters was a cheese I could see using as a nice melter in lots of dishes and their bloomy Hummingbird [above with fig reduction to the side] didn't have the bit many bloomies do.

The famous Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse brought a dais worth of baked goods and cheese to the VIP tent.

The Bent Spoon of Princeton is a spot I've heard much about and they didn't disappoint. Their three scoop ice cream sampling was a great way to wind down. A scoop of Peachy Nugget Nectar sorbet with NJ vintage 2010 peaches and Troeg's limited release Nugget Nectar; Golden Honey Monkey with NJ honey and Victory Brewing's Golden Monkey; Dark Philosophy with fair trade 61% dark chocolate, Omegang's 3 Philosophers and Amarena cherries. The Troeg's was deliciously present, the honey was super sweet and the chocolate was strong, but tamed by the tart cherries. When I finally make it out to Princeton, this place will most definitely be on the to-do list.

Barbuzzo/Bindi/Lolita had a fantastic meatball ragu which, once again, escaped my camera. I'm gonna be thinking of that meatball for awhile.

Two Gander Farm produces one of my absolute favorite honeys: a raw, crystallized honey which is so easy to spread. I spread it, like butter, over baguettes, cheese and apples.

So much food, so much fun. We love having such an incredibly vibrant and friendly local food community here in Philly. It's one of the many things keeping us here. It would be horribly painful to start from scratch in another region. We love knowing where our food comes from and having so many friends who also care and understand why that's important to us and everyone else. Happy eating! Click on the slideshow below for 1200px wide photos of the night. Warning, you may start drooling so watch those keyboards!

This event is a fundraiser for Fair Food, a local-food non-profit and where Picky works part-time. Fair Food's mission:

Dedicated to bringing locally grown food to the marketplace and to promoting a humane, sustainable agriculture system for the Greater Philadelphia region.

Fair Food has been uniting local farmers with businesses and consumers for over a decade. We promote the importance of family farms and create a year-round marketplace for fresh, local and humane food products in the Greater Philadelphia region. We provide an assortment of programs and services that contribute to a strong and sustainable local food system. Supporting farmers, connecting consumers, educating the public and celebrating the joys of local food.

You'll get a souvenir tasting glass from which you'll imbibe the best the region has to offer. You'll make up your $75 ticket in no time if you're like Picky. If you're a non-drinker, you can still enjoy the non-liquid offerings that evening for $45, the 'Designated Driver' ticket price. And if you're feeling extra schmancy, step on up to the $125 VIP level where you'll enjoy a full hour of advance access to Brewer's Plate's complete offerings.

At 5p when the event opens to the general admission, VIPs can steal away to the beautiful Warden Garden—transformed by an expansive canopy into a private lounge—were you’ll find comfortable seating, exclusive artisanal offerings, tutored tastings, gift bags, and live music, plus have the opportunity to meet your local farmers and producers. Celebrity chefs such as Terence Feury of Fork and Marcie Turney of Barbuzzo will be on hand as well as City Paper food critic Drew Lazor, wine author Marnie Old, and beer writer Lew Bryson.

Picky's been to a couple of these as an employee of Fair Food and can say first hand that it's a really special night of food and drink. You'll get a chance to chat with a chef or two of your favorite restaurant or try something new you've been dying to get your hands on. All while mingling with antiquities; hands off the sphinx! Last year's event was particularly pork-heavy, but vegetarians fear not, there will be plenty of options for you. Check out the list and all vendors with an * will have veggie options. Teetotaling vegans, sorry, but you're out of luck here.

This event has sold out in each of the six previous years so get your tickets while you can! For a look at a similar event Fair Food throws each year for the producer-side of things, check out this post of the 2010 Local Grower Local Buyer event at Reading Terminal. Picky didn't bring his camera gear last year, but he'll have it on hand this time around for a recap a few days afterward.

Brewer's Plate
Sunday March 13, 2011
5p-8p (4p-8p for VIPs)
Designated Drivers: $45 | General Admission: $75 | VIP $125

Above is a shot of the competition dish Chef Louth provided for the post. Delicious looking, eh? Rare bison tenderloin on a fig balsamic reduction, topped with smoked, deep fried oysters with a crispy potato Napoleon and arugula pine nut salad. While I didn't get a chance to taste this awesome looking dish, I did get a chance to spend a little time talking with Emma about the competition, studying the culinary arts at Drexel and a sprinkling of everything else going on in her busy life.

The seed for the Smoke+Ocean+Prairie dish was planted in the fall term during one of Louth's classes. She had seven or eight different kinds of oysters to work with and had no restrictions on preparation. Not being the biggest raw oyster fan, she smoked then deep fried them and had a taste. She thought "I'm a person who doesn't like oysters, but I love it," and she knew she had a winner.

Above is a shot of Drexel's newest kitchen where Louth and her classmates spent hours practicing their craft. But her love for food started during her childhood. She told me of a second grade fairytale she wrote, back home in New England, of the invention of London broil and Bearnaise.

Louth likes to eat out when she can, but being a student puts a damper on things like that. When she and her classmates head out, she prefers places like Lolita and their "innovative cuisine." Louth points out their use of interesting ingredients like jicama, which they made more popular around town. On the other end of the spectrum, she loves spots like Taqueria la Veracruzana. Their pork tacos stood out while on a class trip to the Italian Market. After telling her of my recent move to the Italian Market area, she said she'd be at Veracruzana all the time; we're not so far off from that reality.

But what meals about at home? She loves cooking Chinese cuisine. There's a lot of preparation beforehand of the food making good use of all the knifeskills she's learned. And there's the mental aspect of it too: thinking the dishes through as the wok speeds the timing up. She finds wok cooking quick and exciting. She loves dumplings because you can fill them with anything. She'll also admit to spaghetti for the ease of it and being a college student always pressed for time, it's a great time saver.

I walked through the main class kitchen to see the equivalent of a kitchen cubicle: sections of ranges pointed at each other in islands.

Louth lists Charlie Palmer as a big influence in her philosophy as a chef, which requires a lot of management skills. She heard Palmer speak at the 5th Annual International Chefs Congress (she missed the first few days of classes, but it was well worth it). He went with some of the chefs from his various restaurants around the country.

I respected what he had to say about being a mentor to your staff… Not looking to say "this is how I run things and this is what you have to follow, the mold you have to be in, to be one of my chefs. It's really: what can you bring to the table and how can you make this great." I respect that style and that lifestyle… that management style. I think that's something you really have to think about even if you're not a manager, working with people and collaborating, making something better than you yourself could put out on your own.

She took this knowledge to her co-op at The Regatta at Cotuit in Cape Cod where she first found bison tenderloin. "It was an introduction to the flavor and that's why I chose the meat [for her competition dish] because it's interesting and the sweetness of it, I think, really complements the salty-smoky oyster." She started off as an expediter in the spring (slow season), dealing with incoming orders. She moved to the broiler, then garde manger, then sautée, then desserts and back to expediting. She went from 30 incoming tickets a night to 130 by the summer and that's when she realized "I can do it, it's not just something you're either good at it or you're not. But you learn, and it was a confidence booster to me, 'so maybe I can do this.'" Her head chef and pastry chef were very helpful and truly made her time there a learning experience in addition to a working experience.

The newish bar area at The Academic Bistro.

Louth doesn't have any finite plans after college, the finals of the contest may have a big part of her future, but she wants to try a little bit of everything. She'd love to try catering to have that skill set in her repertoire. She'd love to work more with pastries as Drexel doesn't have a full pastry program to explore. Working in a restaurant is key as well because you do everything and learn a lot day to day. Ideally, she'd love to travel to Ireland and Italy to learn old world bread making. Maybe there's a future for her at The University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy?!

So back to the competition in Napa. The competition is in two parts on March 12th and 13th. Part 1 will be a mystery box challenge where each competitor will have three main ingredients and two hours to prepare a dish for the the 10 judges. Part 2 will be making the signature dish, but in appetizer size and for 200 people. She'll have a sous chef to help in all the preparation. A total of $19,000 broken down in different categories will be handed out. The Grand Prize will take home a $10,000 cash prize and a position in the kitchen from one of the judges of the competition. We can all vote for Louth on the 13th at 2p eastern as the competition winds down in NapaWe can watch [and vote for Emma!] the competition online at the Almost Famous Chef site from 1.30p-5p on Saturday and 8.30p-11p (both times are Eastern).

The dining room of The Academic Bistro where Louth, and her fellow classmates, prepare meals weekly for the general public. A better kept secret than the well-known Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College a few blocks west. The entire kitchen is student-run so the feel of the meals semester to semester changes quite a bit.

I had a great time chatting with her and hopefully this fairytale will end with a Happily ever after for her. Go Emma!

Decorated with coffee sacks hanging from the ceiling, broken tile mosaic tables, stacks of boxes by the coffee condiment stand and well-worn chairs, it feels cozy and homey when you walk in. This spot, which can hold about 25 inside and another dozen or so outside when it's nice, can get busy in the mornings, especially so when there's just one person behind the counter. Lunch time can get hectic too with the panini press running all the time.

At the start of many cold work days, I'd trudge up the 3 flights of outdoor stairway, boot up my computer and then head back downstairs, mug in hand, to get some maple tea and a muffin. Oh those muffins. Nothing like a fresh muffin to start your day. And Satellite has the goods. The one muffin I eventually settled on was the apple, raisin, walnut muffin. It's got a nice crust to it with a very moist inside helped by all the apple bits. The baked goods eventually made their way into the refrigerated case later on in the day, but they're on top of the counter at the start.

You can see here just how filled with stuff the muffin is. I was back in the area a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but stop in and grab a muffin for old time sake and I wasn't disappointed. It's been about 3 years since I've been there and the place hasn't changed. This little neighborhood spot still has the goods. The place was the same down to the "We need $1s" sign made out of an old index card just like old times.

Since I'm not a coffee drinker, I can't help you out on that front, but they do have a wonderful selection of teas and baked goods. They've managed to stick around for a good while too so they're surely doing it right. If you're passing through the area or live around there and just never got around to venturing in, give it a try.

Satellite Cafe
701 S 50th St
Philadelphia, PA 19143
(215) 729-1211

After not being able to get a seat at several other University City hang-outs on a Friday night, we decided to try the less-crowded New Deck Tavern. Even though it wasn't super-busy, we had to wait about 15 or 20 minutes while our hosts bustled around with headsets waiting for a table for two to open up. There were plenty of Penn kids out milling around, taking a break from finals preparation and enjoying the unlimited free peanutes that the New Deck provides.

We got a cozy table for two way in the back. Since we had plenty of time to look over the menu (which is pretty much an Irish-infused TGI Fridays type of thing), we knew exactly what we wanted. We ordered the spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer, and it came out immediately. Picky found it a little too creamy and too salty, but Messy, who was starving, gobbled it up happily. Messy decided to go with a special: the tomato and cheese toasty. It was a delicious grilled cheese and tomato sandwich which was served with a tremendous heaping of unfortunately soggy fries. The sandwich was good, but it was still just a grilled cheese sandwich, and at $6.50, a pretty pricey one.

Picky opted for the less conventional bangers and mash. Unfortunately, they were less sausage-y and more breakfast link-y. Five shriveled up links were lined up on a mound of yummy mashed potatoes. Around the mound was a moat of gravy with peas and a few strings of onions. The breakfast links were disgusting. Just plain disgusting. Picky's used to much better bangers and mash with delicious plump sausages and a ton more onions [Picky loves him some onions]. Picky's pint of Guinness wasn't so hot either. Perhaps the pipes need to be cleaned or the taps themselves. All in all, our meal was somewhat disappointing.

Messy **1/2
Picky **

The final word: Mediocre bar food. . . but free peanuts!

New Deck Tavern
3408 Sansom St
215-386-4600
7 days a week: 11am – 2am