PHILADELPHIA RESTAURANT NEWS
October 2004

Restaurant Trends – Home-Grown Cookin’

For Kevin Klause, chef/owner of Farmicia, one of Old City’s newest restaurants, the standards are high when it comes to selecting ingredients for his dishes. In addition to super fresh, they must also be organic and pesticide free, locally grown (if it’s produce) and humanely raised (if it’s meat). Klause is not the only Philadelphia chef committed to the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” philosophy promoted by Fair Food, a project of the White Dog Cafe Foundation. In fact, dozens of local restaurant owners and chefs are recognizing the importance of using locally grown, farm-fresh products. Here’s just a sampling:

In the City

• Azafran – This 40-seat, bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) restaurant specializing in South American cuisine uses produce from Philadelphia’s popular Italian Market and fish, poultry and meats from a local company to create some of its most popular dishes, including fried calamari with salsa and sugar-cane skewered shrimp. 617 S. 3^rd Street, (215) 928-4019

• Chloe – Chef/owners (and spouses) Mary Ann Ferrie and Dan Grimes incorporate international flavors into traditional American cuisine with local produce and dairy products at their 32-seat BYOB restaurant in Old City. 232 Arch Street, (215) 629-2337, www.chloebyob.com   

• Cresheim Cottage Café – The seasonal menu at this Mt. Airy café features eclectic American comfort food with international flavors. The staff is committed to purchasing locally grown food whenever possible and dishes include free-range, organic and/or wild meat, poultry and seafood. 7402 Germantown Avenue, (215) 248-4365, www.cresheimcottage.com

• Django – Husband and wife team Bryan Sikora and Aimee Olexy serve European dishes using regional ingredients at this immensely popular BYOB restaurant. Organic Style Magazine named Django one of the top 20 organic restaurants in the country in 2004. 526 S. 4^th Street, (215) 922-7151

• Joseph Poon Asian Fusion Restaurant – Chef Joseph Poon uses local produce such as Japanese eggplant, Chinese winter melon and silk cucumber at his self-named Asian fusion restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. The duck used in his specialty dishes comes from Lancaster County, where he also gets ostrich, lamb and venison for his inspired creations. 1002 Arch Street, (215) 928-9333, www.josephpoon.com

• Matyson – Matthew and Sonjia Spector, who share a last name and a kitchen, use local produce and meats to create the new-American fare served at their bustling BYOB located near Rittenhouse Square. 37 S. 19^th Street, (215) 564-2925, www.matyson.com

• Rx – The menu at this casual, affordable BYOB bistro that’s housed in an old pharmacy on the University of Pennsylvania campus is American-eclectic, highlighting organic, local produce. 4443 Spruce Street, (215) 222-9590

• Sonoma – Chef/owner Derek Davis emphasizes healthy, fresh organic foods in the Californian-influenced contemporary cuisine served at his popular Manayunk bar/restaurant. Menu items change daily depending on what’s fresh at the local markets. 4411 Main Street, Manayunk, (215) 483-9400, www.sonomarestaurant.com

• Standard Tap – This busy Northern Liberties bar/restaurant serves sophisticated comfort food using local produce and poultry. The “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” theme is taken one step further here with the all-regional beer menu. 901 N. 2^nd Street, (215) 238-0630, www.standardtap.com

• Vetri – This romantic, 35-seat Italian restaurant is a favorite for many upscale diners. Scoring a reservation isn’t easy, but the wait for the decadent fare, including spinach gnocchi with shaved, smoked ricotta cheese is well worth the wait. The kitchen uses Lancaster County produce and dairy products, as well as pork from Pennsylvania farmers. 1312 Spruce Street, (215) 732-3478, www.vetriristorante.com

• White Dog Café – While Chef Michael O’Halloran serves up contemporaryAmerican dishes using organic and free-range ingredients, owner Judy Wicks organizes lectures, tours and films on social issues. Wicks also created “Fair Food,” a project of the White Dog Cafe Foundation that educates consumers about the value of locally raised food and actually builds connections between farmers and chefs. 3420 Sansom Street, (215) 386-9224, www.whitedog.com

In the Countryside

• Alison at Blue Bell – Chef Alison Barshak uses dairy products and produce from local farms at her 65-seat, award-winning suburban BYOB restaurant. The menu is contemporary American with an emphasis on seafood. 721 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, (215) 641-2660, www.alisonatbluebell.com

• Coleman Restaurant at Normandy Farms – Radio and television celebrity chef Jim Coleman highlights local and organically grown ingredients from Southeastern and South Central Pennsylvania farmers at his upscale restaurant housed in an historic Montgomery County barn. 1431 Morris Road, Blue Bell, (215) 616-8300, www.normandyfarm.com

• Gilmore's Restaurant – Chef Peter Gilmore, formerly of the acclaimed Le Bec-Fin, incorporates local produce whenever possible for the dishes he serves at his popular, suburban French restaurant. Favorites include crispy Thai snapper and house-cured pastrami salmon. 133 E. Gay Street, West Chester, (610) 431-2800, www.gilmoresrestaurant.com

• Restaurant Taquet – Chef Abde Dahrouch uses Lancaster County produce in the seasonal dishes available at this award-winning French restaurant located in the Wayne Hotel. Some of the selections from the current menu include ragout of Maine lobster with asparagus and steamed Alaskan halibut with bok choy. 139 E. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, (610) 687-5005, www.taquet.com

New Restaurant Openings

• Farmicia – Owners Wendy Born and James Barrett join Chef/Owner Kevin Klause to open this new Old City restaurant that specializes in organic, locally grown produce and meats. The menu will highlight simply prepared, organically grown foods. 15 S. 3^rd Street, (215) 627-6274

• Nectar – Executive chef Patrick Feury serves up Asian-influenced entrees at this Delaware County restaurant, featuring a dramatic interior design complete with a floating Buddha. 1091 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, (610) 725-9000

• Pumpkin – This pint-sized, Mediterranean-style BYOB bistro features an open kitchen run by Chef Ian Moroney, formerly of the popular Little Fish. The small menu changes daily depending on what’s available at local markets.1713 South Street, (215) 545-4448

• Valentino on the Square – This Southern Italian eatery specializes in seafood dishes. House specialties include salmon carpaccio, grilled octopus and shrimp scampi risotto. The restaurant takes reservations for seatings at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. 267 S. 19^th Street, (215) 545-0441

For a list of additional restaurants that subscribe to the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” philosophy, look for Fair Food’s “Philadelphia Local Food Guide,’ available at restaurants and farmers’ markets throughout the region. For more information, call (215) 386-5211 or visit www.whitedog.com/foundation.html, www.whitedogcafefoundation.org.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia’s regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region’s economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com.

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Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of www.gophila.com/pressroom

June 2004

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