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Principal dancer Arantxa Ochoa and soloist Meredith Rainey in Agon, choreography by George Balanchine. (Photo by P. Kolnik courtesy Pennsylvania Ballet)

Pennsylvania Ballet honors the heritage of George Balanchine (the renowned Nutcracker choreographer) with a showcase of two of his masterworks, April 14-17.

In addition, the company will round out the program with a world premiere ballet from renowned French-born choreographer Benjamin Millepied who is, incidentally, engaged to Black Swan star Natalie Portman. Currently a Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet, Millepied was the choreographer for the Oscar-nominated film Black Swan, whose cast included 14 dancers from Pennsylvania Ballet.

This mixed bill program showcases the supreme talents of the Pennsylvania Ballet dancers to perfection, with added entertainment from inspiring music courtesy none other than Igor Stravinsky and George Gershwin.

Tickets are available online.

Pennsylvania Ballet’s Building on Balanchine
When: April 14-17
Where: Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad Street
Cost: Tickets range from $20-$139
More info: www.paballet.org

Mango Moon's green papaya salad with grilled shrimp (photo by M. McClellan for GPTMC)

While Philadelphia is known as a city bursting with good dining restaurants, for years now, our Thai options have been woefully uninspired. However, since late 2008 Chef Nongyao “Moon” Krapugthong (who also owns and operates Chabaa Thai Bistro) has been working to change that. Mango Moon features dishes that are inspired by the highly flavored street food that she knew during her childhood in Bangkok.

Be prepared for a menu devoid of pad thai or drunken noodles. Instead, you’ll find a world of small plates, including grilled skewers (we had the pork ones and holy moly were they good), spicy/sticky wings and housemade grilled sausages that are juicy and bursting with savory, tongue-pleasing flavor. One of our dining companions was initially thrown by the menu, certain there was would be nothing he’d like. By the end of the meal, he was planning a return trip.

Other menu standouts included the green papaya salad with chargrilled shrimp (pictured above), the calamari salad (it was the sweetest squid we have ever tasted) and the grilled duck breast in red curry sauce. For pictures of some of the dishes we tried, check out the slide show below.

Mango Moon
4161 Main Street, Manayunk
www.mymangomoon.com

The newly enhanced Andrew Wyeth gallery contains approximately 40 watercolor, dry brush and tempera paintings from various stages of his career, some never before publicly displayed. (Photo by Rick Echelmeyer for Brandywine River Museum)

Recent changes in the Andrew Wyeth Gallery at the Brandywine River Museum include many works rarely on public view, as well as two paintings and seven studies that have never before been exhibited.

Wyeth’s technical mastery is obvious in superb watercolors and egg tempera paintings that show his deep investment in the visual and tactile world and his life-long endeavor to recreate his personal experiences through art.

The new works include Roar (2002), a work that beautifully captures the “roar” of the flowing Brandywine River; Upper Dam (1956), one of the earliest watercolors of Wyeth’s neighbor Allan Messersmith; and Cornflowers (1986), of 86-year-old neighbor Anna raking the driveway behind the house.

Insider tip: museum admission is free on Sunday mornings (except May 29 during the Annual Antiques Show) from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The current assemblage will remain on view until mid-June 2011.

Brandywine River Museum
U.S. Route 1 and PA 100, Chadds Ford
www.brandywinemuseum.org

The building's green roof capture and absorb rain, slowing the surge of stormwater to the drainage system and reducing ambient summer temperatures. (Photo by Paul Meyer for Morris Arboretum)

The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania has been awarded Platinum Level LEED® Certification, the highest rating of the U.S. Green Building Council, for its new $13 million Horticulture Center at Bloomfield Farm, across the street from the Arboretum’s public garden.

LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the national standard for recognizing green buildings and businesses. The Horticulture Center is the first LEED Platinum certified building for the University of Pennsylvania, and only the second in the state of Pennsylvania.

The newly created 20,840-square-foot facility provides flexible work space for the Arboretum’s horticulture, education, maintenance and facilities staff, creating invaluable infrastructure to help staff manage the Arboretum’s 167 acres of property. The new complex is not open to casual visitors, but is available for scheduled tours and special events.

Importantly, the Horticulture Center is an exhibit of the best sustainable practices of our time. It utilizes a slew of modern energy and water management technologies, and also purchased ten years’ worth of “green power,” which ensures that it will not have to draw on Pennsylvania’s coal-fired electricity grid for its operating needs.

Even more Mother Nature-friendly: one of the two garage roofs was planted by hand with an experimental mix of plant species that are well adapted to seasonal hot and dry conditions.

See below for the comprehensive list of other eco-conscious efforts being practiced by the center.

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Bobby Flay comes to Paesano's for a cook-off. (Photo by M. McClellan for GPTMC)

Tonight’s episode of Throwdown! With Bobby Flay spotlights Italian Market sandwich shop Paesano’s in a grinder-vs.-grinder cooking competition.

Paesano’s Chef Peter McAndrews puts his famous “Paesano” grinder – beef brisket, horseradish mayo, roasted tomatoes, pepperincino, sharp provolone and fried egg – up against Bobby Flay in a championship throwdown.

You can check out McAndrews’ recipe here and Bobby’s recipe — for a Beef Brisket Grinder with 3 Peppercorn Glaze, Steak Sauce Mayo and Cheddar-Scrambled Eggs — here if you want to stage your very own throwdown.

Throwdown! With Bobby Flay: Paesano’s
When: TONIGHT, February 23, 8:30 p.m.
More info: www.foodnetwork.com

Penelope Menchaca hosts Telemundo’s 12 Corazones. (Photo courtesy Telemundo)

[This is the fifth installment of our ¡Philly Te Ama! Video Series that spotlights noteworthy Latinos with a connection to Philadelphia in order to learn more about why they love it here.]

This week for our weekly Philly Te Ama® video series, we talk to someone who isn’t originally from Philadelphia but soon fell in love with it after arriving.

Penelope Menchaca is host of Spanish TV network Telemundo’s 12 Corazones (12 Hearts). The dating show revolves around the twelve Zodiac signs that identify each contestant. Through a series of interesting events, twelve contestants eventually turn into one happy couple and with the help of Penelope, they are bound for love.

In October 2010, Telemundo held its first ever Feria de la Familia Hispanic community event in Philadelphia. Thousands of people gathered to learn more about community organizations, win prizes but also get to meet our latest star.

Menchaca visited Philadelphia then for the first time, but it wouldn’t be her last. During her entrevista (interview), below, Penelope talks about her proud Mexican heritage, what she wants to do during her trip to Philadelphia and, excitingly enough, what Zodiac sign she would give our city.

Note: the video is in Spanish.

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On April 3, have brunch with Chef Gabrielle Hamilton at South Street’s Pumpkin Restaurant. The James Beard nominated chef and esteemed author will discuss her up-and-coming book, Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef. This event will be Hamilton’s only Philadelphia stop on her book tour. Tickets go on sale today!

Chef and Pumpkin co-owner Ian Moroney will fashion a menu inspired by Chef Hamilton’s unpretentious culinary style. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, Rick Nichols, will introduce Hamilton, and the inspiring journey that shaped her highly-anticipated memoir. The event is sponsored by First Person Arts and Philly Homegrown.

Gabrielle Hamilton has risen from plate-scrapper to world-renowned chef and restaurateur. Her book covers that territory, from her childhood (in a restaurant family) outside of Philadelphia, to her decision to pursue an MFA in writing to her ballsy choice to open New York’s now-beloved Prune. In addition to running her restaurant, she also writes for esteemed publications like The New York Times and Food & Wine.

Edible World: An Intimate Brunch with Chef Gabrielle Hamilton
Where: Pumpkin Restaurant, 1713 South Street
When: Sunday, April 3, 11 a.m.
Cost: $55, $42 for First Person Arts Members
More Info: www.firstpersonarts.org

Chef Guillermo Tellez is teaming up with Chef Susanna Foo and you get to reap the benefits. (Photo courtesy Square 1682)

It’s rare to be able to experience firsthand the collaboration of two such big-time chefs. Square 1682 at Hotel Palomar will host an unforgettable evening, Sunday, February 27, as Chef Guillermo Tellez teams up with legendary two time James Beard Award winner Chef Susanna Foo (of her eponymous restaurant in Radnor) to serve an exclusive Penns Woods wine dinner.

For $65 plus tax and gratuity, enjoy a reception complete with local wine and four varieties of canapé (yes, Susanna Foo’s epic dumplings are on the menu: the wild mushroom and truffle, specifically); followed by four additional plates, two from each chef, each paired with a wine; then dessert.

10% of all proceeds will go to public schoool charity Philadelphia Academies.

Any of the following sound good to you? Lobster spring roll, tea smoked duck with star anise duck sauce, seared halibut with truffle sweet potato, Valhrona chocolate crunch bar with green tea macha ice cream. We thought so. Call (215) 563-5008 for reservations.

Penns Woods Wine Dinner
When: February 27, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Square 1682, 121 S. 17th Street
Cost: $65 plus tax and gratuity
More info: www.square1682.comLobster spring roll

Beginning this Friday, February 25, Acclaimed Israeli artist Ilana Shafir’s mosaics will appear at nonprofit arts center Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens in a new exhibition, Of Heaven and Earth: The Artworks of Ilana Shafir.

The exhibition features lush mosaic and painting landscapes populated by plants, birds and other natural elements. Shafir’s delicate aesthetics immerse viewers in the beauty of the natural world and create an interesting dialogue with the Magic Gardens’ bold, whimsical works by host artist Isaiah Zagar.

The opening reception for the exhibition will be held February 25, from 6-9 p.m. Shafir, a dynamic speaker (despite her age — 86!) and life-long educator featured at conferences worldwide, will offer a lecture about her work on Friday, March 4, from 6-8 p.m.

Of Heaven and Earth: The Artworks of Ilana Shafir
Where: Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, 1022-24 South Street
When: February 25-May 1
Cost: Adults $5, Youth 6-12 years $2, Kids 5 and under FREE; Additional cost for guided tours
More info: www.phillymagicgardens.org

PPL Park on the Chester Waterfront is an amazing place to watch soccer. (Photos courtesy Philadelphia Union)

Soccer returns to Philadelphia next month when the Philadelphia Union kick off their second MLS season with their home opener on Saturday, March 26 at 4 p.m. at PPL Park on the Chester Waterfront.

The Union’s regular season schedule extends from March through October, consisting of 17 home games at PPL Park.

That means you have 17 opportunities to catch a match at the brand new stadium. And you should really try your best to make sure you do.

The game experience at PPL Park is awesome. The stadium can hold 18,500 fans and features seating as close to the field as FIFA regulations allow, so you’re right on top of the action when you’re there.

And the fans really get into it — the supporters section (the River End of the stadium) will stand, cheer, sing and chant for all 90 minutes of the match.

Want a teaser? Check out the Union’s excellent new “DOOP” commercial below.
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