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Show your support for lions worldwide by visiting the Philadelphia Zoo's Big Cat Falls.
(Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC)

National Geographic Entertainment and the Philadelphia Zoo have joined forces to focus on seriously declining international lion populations.

The famous lion statues at the entrance to the zoo will “disappear” temporarily when they’re covered in a bright yellow tarp starting today, February 22. The lions will then be re-introduced in a ceremony on February 28 at 10 a.m., when the zoo’s curator of carnivores will share some of the alarming facts about this decline and what the Philadelphia Zoo is doing to aid in this cause.

For example, 50 years ago there were as many as 450,000 lions in the wild. Today there are as few as 20,000. The decline is attributed in part to human encroachment, over-hunting and illegal poaching.

The event precedes the screening of a new National Geographic theatrical documentary movie, “The Last Lions,” in Philadelphia next month. The film follows the life of an ostracized lioness and her cubs as they fight to survive.

“The Last Lions” opens in Philadelphia at The Ritz 5 Theater on March 4. Proceeds from the movie are re-invested in the future of lions in the wild with contributions to the Big Cats Initiative.

Bonus: every time ”The Last Lions” trailer is viewed on YouTube, National Geographic donates 10 cents to big cat conservation in Botswana, up to $100,000.

Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W. Girard Avenue
www.philadelphiazoo.org

SquareBurger, which will open for the season April 1, has two popular Tastykake-infused desserts on their menu.
(Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC)

Philadelphia’s love for Tastykake is no secret; the support for the company that has surfaced lately since it made headlines last month has been impressive.

According to the Inquirer, even acclaimed haute cuisine restaurateur Marc Vetri is “a Tastykake lover who spent $1,000 shipping Tastykakes to his brother’s 40th-birthday party in Los Angeles.”

Philadelphians’ fierce hometown pride for these baked confections, plus the fact that they just taste really good, has resulted in chefs around town flexing their creative culinary muscle in order to incorporate Tastykakes into dishes both savory and sweet. In fact, deconstructed Tastykakes of all sorts have been popping up across the city for the past few years. But of late, the inventiveness has been dialed up a notch.

Here are our top picks for Tastykake-inspired dishes on menus throughout Philadelphia:

• Midatlantic Restaurant and Taproom: To make the Philly-Style Butterscotch Bread Pudding, Chef Daniel Stern removes the icing from Butterscotch Krimpets, melts it down into a glaze and bakes it with the cake as the “bread.” The dessert is topped with butterscotch sauce, and served with a vanilla bean and scotch syrup on the side.

• SquareBurger: Stephen Starr’s burger shack at Franklin Square whips up a variety of Tastykakes and vanilla ice cream into milkshake form, a.k.a the Cake Shake. Chunky gooey goodness. Also on the menu: the Butterscotch Sundae, with Butterscotch Krimpets, butterscotch sauce and heath bar crumbles.

• Adsum: The Kandy Kake Sliders that Chef Matt Levin introduced last week feature house-ground brisket patties sandwiched between Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, vanilla sponge cake lined with peanut butter and enrobed in creamy milk chocolate. Each slider is topped with American cheese and Sriracha-cherry jam.

• 10 Arts at the Ritz-Carlton: Pastry chef Monica Glass’ epic malted Tastykake ice cream served over her dark chocolate, caramel and peanut tart is no longer on the standard dessert menu, but she hasn’t ruled out rolling out a similar dish in the future. How could she, when even this gluten-free gal has a favorite Tastykake? (Peanut Butter Kandykakes.)

• Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant: To make the TastyKake bread pudding, the chef uses half stale bread and half Tastykakes dried out in the oven. Both are soaked in egg custard, baked and topped with whatever sauce (caramel, blueberry) suits the Tastykake flavor du jour. It could be Butterscotch Krimpets, Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, Coconut Juniors, Pecan Spinwheels or seasonal Pumpkin Krimpets.

Enjoy four courses and four wines, plus complimentary champagne.
(Photo courtesy Lacroix)

On Friday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m., Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel is hosting an Argentinian La Serre Wine Dinner.

The event, hosted by Sommelier Eric Simonis and Executive Chef Jon Cichon, invites guests to experience a taste of Argentina’s eclectic cuisine as Chef Cichon prepares a delectable four-course meal, each course expertly paired with select wines from different regions of the country.

Enjoy a complimentary glass of sparkling wine upon arrival. Then, dishes include Goat with Nigella Seed, Saffron and Coconut; Octopus with Chimichuri, Mozzarella and Eggplant; Asado Beef with Coffee, Plantain and Quinoa; and for dessert, Flan De Té with Galletas de Dulce de leche.

For reservations, call (215) 790-2533.

Argentinian La Serre Wine Dinner
Where: Lacroix, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square
When: Friday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $95 per person (plus tax and gratuity)
More info: www.lacroixrestaurant.com

The Beauty of Xiaohe mummy was preserved 3,500 years ago. (Photo by Sabina Louise Pierce for The New York Times)

This weekend’s New York Times tipped its hat to the Penn Museum’s Secrets of The Silk Road exhibition.

The writer commends the “remarkable” and “astonishing” objects that comprise the exhibit, from the bundled infant mummy to silk pillows and robes.

One of our favorite quotes: “[V]isitors can only react with something like awe at how much there is still to learn from what is buried in the sands, and what an enduring impact ephemera can have.”

From now to March 15, Secrets of the Silk Road will be presented with the original artifacts and mummies from China for a limited time only. From March 17-28, the exhibition will continue with all the artifacts but without the two headlining mummies.

Another Stop on a Long, Improbable Journey [New York Times]

Secrets of the Silk Road Exhibition [Visit Philly]

Philadelphia’s largest Broadway style drag show, “Dragapalooza: Broadway Divas,” is on stage at Voyeur Nightclub, March 12.

The show includes a diverse selection of 18 large group and individual numbers from Broadway’s most popular shows, including Wicked, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, Aida and many more. The pieces have been choreographed in the style and spirit of the original Broadway production.

Dragapalooza will feature Carmen Carrera, one of the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 3, as well as an amazing cast of drag personalities from around the Northeast.

Tickets are are available online.

Dragapalooza: Broadway Divas
When: March 12, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m.
Where: Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James Street
Cost: Tickets range from $25-$45
More info: www.nightlifegay.com

Chef Jose Garces and longtime design collaborator Jun Aizaki are partners on the new taco-centric food truck.
(Photo courtesy Guapos Tacos)

Chef Jose Garces and longtime design collaborator Jun Aizaki are proud to announce Guapos Tacos, a new food truck serving modern Mexican street food, set to start roaming the streets of Philadelphia this spring.

Guapos Tacos will serve eight varieties of Chef Garces’ popular tacos along with guacamole, tamales, quesadillas and other Mexican treats.

Some taco highlights: Adobo Chicken, white onion, radish, cilantro, cotija and lime; Carnitas, smoky black beans, pineapple-habanero salsa; Mahi-Mahi, pickled red cabbage; Desayuno, scrambled eggs, chorizo, poblano rajas and salsa Mexicana; and Duck Barbacoa, radish kimchi, togarashi aioli. Prices will range from $3 to $7.

The quirky design theme includes a colorful mosaic of over 45,000 beer bottle caps, assembled by hand, and collected by the staffs in Garces’ restaurants as well as in bars in Brooklyn near where Aizaki resides.

The truck is available for private events, from birthdays and anniversaries to weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs or any occasion people want to celebrate and can be reserved through the special events department at Garces Restaurant Group.

Follow the truck on Twitter @GuaposTacos for location information.

Guapos Tacos [Twitter]

Greek-American brother-sister team George and Vasiliki Tsiouris are behind the restaurant.
(Photo courtesy Opa)

New Modern Greek restaurant-bar Opa is officially open in Midtown Village.

“Opa” is a traditional Greek exclamation of glee, used to express the carefree aura that embodies the Greek spirit. To that end, the restaurant evokes the warm Gazi neighborhood of Athens, featuring an expansive 24-seat bar made of river rock, dramatic wooden birch-branch canopy and an intimate banquette area, the perfect setting to feature the kitchen’s fresh interpretations of traditional Greek fare.

Opa’s menu includes finessed versions of traditional family recipes. Among the dishes are Gyros served slider-style with grilled lamb, yogurt sauce, cucumber, onion and tomato; Zimi, a baked pita filled with feta cheese; Pastitsio, made with semolina pasta, ground sirloin and béchamel, baked individually in a cast iron pot; and Bifteki, a feta-stuffed local grass-fed burger topped with a tomato, dill, cucumber relish and served with oregano fries.

Bonus: Executive Chef Andrew Brown’s strong relationships with Lancaster County farmers result in consistent procurement of fresh organic, locally grown foods.

The signature beverages at Opa make use of Greek-inspired flavors such as the refreshing Antho made with cucumber vodka, lemon and dill; and the succulent Kerasi made with bourbon, lemon and cherries. The wine selection focuses on Greek varietals designed to complement the flavorful dishes.

Check out the full menu, below. And click here to listen to Opa restaurant owners brother-sister team George and Vasiliki Tsouris talk about modern Greek food, the changing community, and running a business with your sibling.

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The “Il gran Mogol” score is a lost part of series of concertos by Vivaldi. (Photo by J. Griffin for Philadelphia Orchestra)

The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi’s Flute Concerto in D minor (“Il gran Mogol”) on March 4, 5 and 8 at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.

The previously unknown score of this Vivaldi work was discovered in the National Archives of Scotland last year. The program also includes the world premiere of a flute concerto, plus two orchestra classics: Ravel’s sun-splashed Rapsodie Espagnole and Strauss’s quasi-autobiographical orchestral showpiece Ein Heldenleben.

Tickets are available online.

Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivaldi’s Flute Concerto in D minor
Where: Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce Streets
When: March 4 at 2 p.m., March 5 at 8 p.m., March 8 at 8 p.m.
Cost: Tickets range from $20-$130
More info: www.philorch.org

 
First up, the popular pig popcorn appetizer at Barbuzzo with Chef Marcie Turney. Then it’s the decadent Pied de Porc — braised pig feet stuffed with foie gras — at Bibou with Chef Pierre Calmels. And finally it’s an impressive whole wood-fire roasted pig’s head at Osteria with Chef Jeff Michaud.

Bold. And delicious.

The Ultimate Pork Round Up [1st Look TV]

Tomorrow marks the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's historic visit to Independence Hall in 1861.
(Image courtesy INHP)

On February 22, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln stepped outside Independence Hall on a cold, winter morning, said a few inspiring words, spat on his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and raised a 34-star flag — with the newly added star for the new State of Kansas.

Wish you had been there? Well, now you can. Join the National Park Service, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Flag Day Association, Historical Society of Frankford, The Union League of Philadelphia, and the Civil War History Consortium of Greater Philadelphia as they re-enact Lincoln’s historic visit to Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Tuesday, February 22, 2011, at 8:00 am.

The reenactment of Lincoln’s inaugural journey, from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, DC, from February 11-23, 1861, is part of the National Park Service commemoration, “Civil War to Civil Rights: Experience Your America: 2009-2015.”

Visitors to INHP can learn the story behind Lincoln’s visit to Philadelphia, then visit other park sites to learn about the significance of icons like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell for the development and growth of the civil rights movement.

Here are some additional ways to commemorate Presidents’ Day in Philadelphia.

• Presidents’ Day Weekend celebrations including a costume contest at the Betsy Ross House

• Presidents’ Day Weekend activities at the National Constitution Center

• National Liberty Museum Activities

• Dine on a presidents-themed menu at City Tavern

And take a look at a present day photo of Independence Hall below.
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