July, 2013

About Us…

We believe…

Philadelphia has to be included in every review

of the Top Ten Restaurant Destinations in the U.S.

Say what you will, Stephen Starr is a genius (and

Jose Garces is not too far behind).

We are not sure how it happened, but the Barnes

Foundation is a game-changer for Philly Arts (and

you have to love The Arts in Philadelphia).

Again, we don’t know how it happened, but

according to Food & Wine Magazine, East

Passyunk Avenue was included in their “Top 10

Foodie Streets in America.”

Something has to happen to save our much

maligned Convention Center. The secret word is

“HOSPITALITY.” Without it, nothing works.

There is a substantial audience for Healthy Food

and we are blessed with several outstanding

“Healthy Food Spots.”

We must admit that there might have been a few

too many steakhouses.

In a funny way, we miss Neal Stein. With all the

negativity, he helped make Center City happen.

In terms of the ongoing debate concerning alcohol

in Pennsylvania, we are for privatization. We

either privatize or we don’t. All the half-way

concepts are confusing and possibly unworkable.

Privatization would help the restaurants, and there

is no point in attempting to please everybody.

The Restaurant Report

by Bob Bickell

Stephen Starr’s Buddakan; Sapori;

Destino, NYC; Rotisseur; and Philippe.

Mr. Starr

Stephen Starr has some twenty restaurants in

Philadelphia, and in terms of longevity and overall

success, Buddakan is (in my opinion) the most

interesting restaurant concept in the entire City.

He placed this intriguing spot at 325 Chestnut Street

in Old City in August of 1998. We are talking about

fifteen-years of nothing but success, with no end in

sight. The only thing more dramatic was his

decision in 2006 to place a Buddakan in Manhattan.

By the year 2010, Buddakan was listed as #9 on the

list of the one-hundred top grossing restaurants in

the United States. Mr. Starr’s restaurant came in

with a figure of $20,074,102.

Interestingly enough, Buddakan in Philadelphia

made the same list at a delightful figure of $10,

399,677.

We are talking about Buddakan in two cities that

brings in over 30 million-dollars in gross sales. I

would suggest that it is safe to call Mr. Starr a

genius!

Chef Franco Lombardo –

Sapori Trattoria Italiana

The Chef from Palermo, Italy is celebrating

ten great years in Collingswood, New

Jersey…

The young chef literally built his restaurant with

his own hands, and he takes his rendition of

Northern and Southern Italian food very seriously.

For Franco, his perfect guests are those who don’t

study the menu, but they simply ask Franco to

cook for them. Several courses later, they know

precisely how great this restaurant has become.

Please don’t ask Franco to make you a chicken

parmigiana. Again, he takes his food so seriously

that the chicken parm is not suitable to his vision

of truly genuine Italian cuisine.

I remember ordering a meal at Sapori and Franco

told me that I really didn’t want that particular

selection. “Let me make you something that you

will really enjoy.” It was fabulous!

www.sapori.info

Destino – 891 First Ave. NYC

Chef & Owner – Anthony Curko

One of New York’s youngest owners has emerged

as one of New York’s best. The “kid” has made

things happen at 891 First Avenue in the Big City. It

is without a doubt, one of the top Italian Spots in

NYC. The look is upscale, yet the vibe is casual. Anthony has the talent and absolutely the passion

to succeed in this business. He was born into it as

his father (Mario Curko) was the chef of the classic

Rao in New York. Anthony learned from the best.

Unlike Franco, Anthony displays a Chicken

Parmigiana on his menu. Because I was telling the

story of a chef from New Jersey, I ordered the

chicken parmigiana.

With all due respect, it was one of the best meals I

have ever experienced. The man is proud of his

rendition of the simple chicken parm. In my mind it

was anything but simple. It was amazing.

Two chefs (Franco of Sapori and Anthony of

Destino) have so much in common. They both love

what they do and they both own and operate

outstanding Italian restaurants.

www.destinony.com

Rotisseur

Fast Slow Food!

It’s as far away from fast food than you

can get. Healthy dining has emerged in

Philadelphia, and Rotisseur is what it’s

all about. Look for more locations as

this concept grows.

102 S. 21st St. www.rotisseur.net

Chef Philippe Chin…

He is always interesting!

Perhaps “interesting” is the wrong word, but one

thing is for sure…the man can cook. The former

Philadelphia chef/owner opened a concept in

Somers Point, New Jersey. His “Philippe By the Bay”

had some immediate success, but the recent

appearance of a storm (Sandy) certainly didn’t help.

It also didn’t help that Philippe was working with an

owner of the property who over the years watched

some 14 chefs come and go. For the record, I

actually warned Philippe about an extremely

difficult owner of the property, and Philippe was

confident that things would work out.

The owner wanted items on the menu that were

not in tune with what Chef Chin does, and the rest

is history.

Philippe is on his way to a new project in Hawaii

with a gentleman he worked with in Washington,

DC.

I side with Philippe on this particular one and I wish

him well in Maui. We will have a follow-up in the

next few months to check-in with “the always

interesting chef.”

Chef Sal Montezinos

You might remember one of Philadelphia’s classic

restaurants in the early 1970’s called Déjà Vu

located on Pine Street. It was the home of Chef Sal

and his wife Susan (with the addition of his

daughter in 1975). The best description of this spot

came from a writer from a gourmet magazine… “10

Tables and 5000 Bottles of Wine”! We are talking

about a French fine-dining concept that was not

exactly healthy, but a significant part of his journey.

With many years of a fine-dining lifestyle, the good

chef made an amazing shift in his life and adopted

a dramatically different way of living.

I met with him on his recent visit to Philadelphia

and we had dinner at Vedge per his request. The

man is seventy-five and looks at least twenty-five

years younger. He works-out on a daily basis and his

choice of food is exactly the opposite of “fine

dining.”

We discussed his transformation to a healthier

lifestyle and his desire to help others do the same.

He got involved in the subject of raw foods and

even published a book on the subject.

Sal realizes that most people will never embrace a

raw foods way of living, but his message that

includes exercise and a more healthy approach to

food is critically important.

I agree, and a guy like him (who has done it all) can

be a big help in improving the way we live. The

current picture of health (or the lack thereof) in

America needs people like Chef Sal.

We will have more on the subject…

_____________________________________________________________________________________

There are more “Prime Spots” than ever!

www.PrimePhiladelphia.com

Prime Spots – The Reading Terminal

Talk about great spots, it doesn’t get better

than the classic Reading Terminal. You don’t

even have to buy anything to appreciate this

incredible concept. Just walk through and feel

the amazing vibe of this Philadelphia favorite.

The location is perfect and it’s shared by both

the visitors and the locals. It’s one of those

“spots” that makes Philadelphia so

interesting! www.readingterminalmarket.org

Ben - Alive & Well in Philadelphia!

www.BenFranklinToday.com

The Barnes Foundation

With such an amazing collection of art in one

place, the new Barnes Foundation is located in

Downtown Philadelphia only steps away from

the equally amazing Philadelphia Museum of

Art and the Rodin Museum. It has to be the

most significant tourist attraction for this City

in many years.

The wealthy Dr. Albert Barnes established the

Foundation in 1922, and the collection includes

masterpieces from names such as Pierre-Auguste

Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo

Picasso, Chaim Soutine, Henri Rousseau, Amedeo

Modigliani, Edgar Degas,Vincent van Gogh,

Georges Seurat, Edouard Manet, and Claude

Monet (to name a few).

www.BarnesFoundation.org

Mütter Museum

Philadelphia is blessed with so many interesting places

to visit, and that would include America’s finest

museum of medical history. Make no mistake, the

Mütter Museum is as fascinating as one could possibly

imagine. Located at the College of Physicians of

Philadelphia (19 South 22nd Street) be prepared for

perhaps the most unique museum visit of a lifetime.

The museum’s collection includes more than 25,000

amazing objects, and how many times have you seen one

or more of the following?

Part of Einstein’s brain; the tallest human skeleton on

display in North America; Joseph Hyrtl’s collection of

139 skulls, illustrating anatomic variation among ethnic

groups of central and eastern Europe; the plaster death

cast of the torso of world-famous Siamese twins (Chang

and Eng) and their cojoined livers; and Dr. Chevalier

Jackson’s collection of more than 2000 swallowed

objects removed from patients.

The real goal of the museum is to help people

understand the mysteries and beauty of the human body

while appreciating the history of diagnosis and treatment

of disease. There is so much to see and to learn, and

visitors can do this at their own pace.

www.muttermuseum.org – “Disturbingly Informative”

Prime Travel…Miami Beach,

The Eden Roc Renaissance

Devoted visitors of the classic Eden Roc see this beautiful hotel as a timeless treasure that became famous for hosting Hollywood greats since 1956.

You might remember that incredible private party

honoring Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd for the

premiere of the film “Around the World in 80

Days”.

If indeed you were there, how can you forget so

many of the notable guests that included

Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Durante, Groucho

Marx, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Gleason, Esther

Williams, Liberace, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey

Bogart, and of course Ernest Hemingway (just to

name a few).

While the Eden Roc still maintains that aura of

Hollywood and the “Rat Pack” in Miami Beach, it

has been totally renovated to accommodate more

modern expectations (a $220 million renovation).

The modern version includes the new ELLE Spa

with Eighteen luxurious treatment centers and a

state of-the-art fitness center.

The good news is that the Hotel still sits on the

beautiful beach and the views are stunning.

We absolutely must include the food. It is of the

Five-Star variety. If you visit Miami Beach, don’t

leave until you try 1500 Degrees (at the Eden

Roc). Paula DaSilva is the executive chef, and her

food is a reason by itself to visit the hotel.

Chef Paula has appeared on Gordon Ramsey’s

Hell’s Kitchen, landed spots on “Best Celebrity

Chef” and “40 Under 40” lists, and cooked at the

renowned James Beard House in New York City.

425 Collins Avenue – Miami Beach, Florida

1-800-319-5354

From the web… Did I read that sign right? TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW In a Laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT In a London department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS In an office: WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN Notice in health food shop window: CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS Seen during a conference: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR Notice in a farmer's field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES. Message on a leaflet: IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS On a repair shop door: WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

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