The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Ciana Hardwick

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Published: Jul 31, 2007

If waiting for a pint of lo mein is the longest you've ever spent in Chinatown, it's sign up for this insider tour of the neighborhood guided by chef Joseph Poon. He'll take you backstage, so to speak, with tours of a fortune cookie factory, a Chinese bakery, a grocery store/fish market and an herbal medicine store. Then, Poon will prepare a four-course lunch that includes General Joe's chicken in a chili-ginger sauce and shrimp and pork wonton soup. The morning also includes food carving demonstrations, so you can learn to make watermelon swans for your next dinner party. Reservations required. Chef Poon's Kitchen, 1010 Cherry St., 215-500-9774, www.josephpoon.com.

Ingredients from five of the Hawaiian islands will be the focus of this five-course wine dinner created by Roy's chefs. The menu includes pan-flashed abalone with crab salad paired with Moet et Chandon, seared rare sashimi with lobster, hearts of palm and pancetta paired with Bochendal Grand Cuvee Reserve South African Sauvignon Blanc, and a guava chiffon shortcake with lilikoi and strawberries. Reservations recommended. Roy's, 124 S. 15th St., 215-988-1814.

There's no need to head to the Shore this weekend when you can enjoy all things summery at this "beach party," with half-price watermelon sangria pitchers and $3 Peroni drafts. The DJ will spin behind the front windows, so you can dance to all the hits outside on sand spread out just for the occasion. Besides clams, there will be lobster, shrimp, mussels, potatoes and corn. Valanni, 1229 Spruce St., 215-790-9494.

You be the judge as two wine connoisseurs compete to win you over with perfect food and wine pairings. Competitors match four tapas-style plates with four wines — the catch is that the bottles cannot cost more than $80 total and must be available at state stores. In this week's sold-out Smackdown, it's Jeff Bloom of Oceanaire versus the Wine School of Philadelphia's Brian Freedman. Fair warning: Buy tickets now for the Aug. 22 face-off, which'll pit Cork's Justin Inman against Wine School founder/president Keith Wallace. "It's not the Olympics," says Wallace, "but the sommeliers actually get quite nervous. " Wine School of Philadelphia, 2006 Fairmount Ave., 215-965-1514, www.vinology.com.

Rae sommelier Ryan Davis is prepared to lift the wine-y cone of silence as he pairs food with delectable wines rarely found in restaurants. Discover the luxury of a Roncus Tocai Friulano paired with curry fish and pineapple stew, or a Bodegas Oliveras Monastrell Dulce alongside a cherry and plum clafoutis. The evening's wines hail from Spain, Argentina and Italy. Reservations recommended. Rae, 2929 Arch St., 215-922-3839.

 

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