offthemenu

by Juliet Fletcher

Been feeling that your pasta skills are a little soggy? This week, Bucks County Community College continues its varied series of cookery classes with an intensive series on "La Cucina Italiana (The Italian Kitchen)." The six classes are led by Nicandro Poccia, executive chef at Spring Mills Country Club and twice winner of the American Culinary Federation Gold Medal, who'll guide you through one type of regional Italian cooking each week. First up, Trentino, which borders Austria, where minestra d'orzo (barley soup), stuffed chicken and apple fritters are on the menu. Future weeks will include Val d'Aosta, once a central point for Roman travelers; the mountainous and rustic Abruzzo; and Basilcata, the regional home of penne al arrabbiata, made with chili sauce, and honey ricotta tart.
Monday evenings, Oct. 4-Nov. 29, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $39 plus $10 materials fee per class. Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown. Call 215-968-8409 to register.

In Short: No sooner has Restaurant Week energized Center City diners than there's a reason to get yourself over to Manayunk. Next Thursday, as part of Think Pink, local restaurants and shops will hand over a portion of their profits to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research. So taking a stroll down Main Street, you're likely to see a flurry of pink awnings and flags. And inside participating bars will be offering pink cocktails all evening.
Visit www.manayunk.com for more information, including participating restaurants.

For the meat lovers and carb avoiders amongst us, the next few weeks feature two notable feasts. Maggiano's, at its 12th and Filbert sts. location, introduces a new range of steaks to their menu, aiming to compete with Center City steakhouses. Prime N.Y. steak comes in 12- and 18-ounce portions, kept company by a 14-ounce sushi-grade tuna steak and a veal porterhouse, among other options. Meanwhile, the Penndelphia Scholarship Foundation gears up for the annual Tasting of the Beef, a fundraiser dinner providing Army scholarships for students, held on Oct. 28.

Recognizing the importance of cultural traditions — many of which involve food — the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia presents the annual Center City sukkah tours this Sunday. Synagogues will erect these temporary shelters as part of the Succoth festival, remembering the flight from Egyptian slavery. It is customary for some participants to eat their meals inside these shelters throughout the celebration. Tours are free.
Oct. 3, noon-5 p.m. For details and locations, call 215-627-0463.