Uwishunu.com

The following is an excerpt from a blog post by local restaurateur and caterer Steve Poses. This is one in a series of features he’s running on area farmers’ markets. To read the full text on his blog, click here.

Rittenhouse Square has a rhythm of the seasons and the days. This is the backdrop to Saturday’s Rittenhouse Square Farmers’ Market which both borrows from, and adds to the energy of the square. There is an abbreviated market on Tuesdays with shorter hours. The Farmers’ Market both benefits from and contributes to that rhythm and the success of the square.

The Rittenhouse Square Farmers’ Market is sponsored and managed by Farm to City, one of two principle organizers of Philadelphia’s neighborhood farmers’ markets. The market runs along Walnut Street adjacent to the square. Nineteenth Street is generally its end point. This year, as more stalls have been added — there are about 25 — the market wraps around on to 18th Street. Saturday hours are 9:30 AM to 3 PM, though on busy days by 3 PM pickens’ are slim. Tuesdays it runs from 10 AM to 1 PM.

At the top of the market at 19th Street is a large and comprehensive stand run by Rineer Family Farms of Lancaster. They also offer grass fed meat and poultry.

The Rittenhouse Square Farmers’ Market is the market I know best. I shop here nearly every Saturday. It is where I look forward to asparagus in the Spring, tomatoes and peaches in the summer and apples in the fall. It helps me know where I am in the world. While I worked on At Home, the Saturday farmers’ market provided a weekly jolt of seasonal inspiration.

Next door to Rineer is the Fahnestock Fruit Farm, one of two fruit specialty stands. These folks, from Lititz in Lancaster County, specialize in tomatoes, peaches and apples. That’s it.

Beechwood Orchards is the other fruit stand with a far wider selection of fruit and berries as well as some specialty produce on a side table.

Here are Beechwood’s Santa Rosa plums and Doughnut Peaches and Elephant Heart Plums. Don’t you just have a try a plum named for an elephant’s heart? Who even knew that there was an Elephant Heart plum?

In the foreground is something I first saw this year. They are variously called husk tomatoes or ground cherries. Under the husk, which you discard, are a little berry-like tomatoey fruit. I have tried them a few times and so far I’m not convinced they are anything but a novelty. But try for yourself.

Not many farmers’ markets have a dedicated mushroom grower. Kennett Square, about 45 minutes west of Philadelphia in Chester County is the “Mushroom Capital of the World.”

A recent discovery for me — and one of my favorite stands is Cherry Grove Farm. They produce world class cow’s milk cheeses in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Can the town that named Philadelphia Cream Cheese embrace a cheese as fine as their Toma Primavera? They also offer grass fed beef and lamb and certified Berkshire pork as well as organic eggs.

Click here to continue reading this post at Just in at Homegrown.

Steve Poses is founder of Frog Commissary. A local restaurateur, caterer and author, it’s his goal to increase home entertaining. Steve’s latest book, At Home by Steve Poses: A Caters Guide to Cooking and Entertaining, was released in 2009. It’s the inspiration for At Home Online, a website and blog designed to make home entertaining as easy as possible with tips, guides and recipes. Click here to subscribe to his e-newsletter. Steve can also be found on Twitter as @SPoses. Click here to follow him.

More exciting news.

Just a few days after learning about Stephen Starr’s new restaurant opening this weekend at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, now comes word that Wolfgang Puck — the world-renowned master chef and restaurateur — will be coming to Philadelphia to open a new restaurant at the Kimmel Center.

It’s part of a plan to enliven the city’s central performing arts hub.

While the Kimmel Center’s old restaurant, Cadence, was located off street level on the Kimmel’s balcony level, Wolfgang Puck will develop an entirely new restaurant and it will be located on ground floor on the Spruce Street side of the Kimmel, where the gift shop is currently located.

The new restaurant won’t open until fall 2011, but Wolfgang Puck will begin consulting on the Kimmel’s catering offerings this fall, both in the former Cadence space and in the plaza cafe in the Kimmel’s lobby.

More from The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Puck’s presence comes through an existing partnership with Restaurant Associates, the Kimmel’s current food-service vendor, which continues its relationship with the Kimmel and be a tenant in the Kimmel’s basement kitchen…

[Kimmel president Anne Ewers] said that the new restaurant, as yet unnamed, will be open for lunch and dinner, and open all the time, unlike Cadence, which was open only around Verizon Hall performance days and times.

The Kimmel Center will also be adding a new high-definition, digitally-animated, 7-foot x 7-foot video cube at the northeast corner of the building, at Broad and Spruce Streets.

Click here to read the full report from the Inquirer.

Kimmel Center to liven up its street look [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Traditionally, many of our area museums close their doors to the public on Mondays. However, over the course of the last year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has been bucking that trend on Mondays that happen to coincide with national holidays, in order to give people who are off from work an additional opportunity to enjoy the museum.

This Monday, September 6 is no exception. The PMA (both the main building and the Perelman) will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday also happens to be the final day to see Late Renoir, the museum’s current special exhibition. It’s a gorgeous show that we highly recommend! To see a few preview pics from the exhibition, check out our post from June.

How old was Cleopatra when she died? What is the current capital of Egypt? Who recorded the #1 hit song “Walk Like an Egyptian?”
 
How much do you really know about Egypt and its legendary queen?
 
On Friday, September 10, put your Cleopatra knowledge to the test at “Quizzopatra” — a special night of Cleopatra-themed trivia, fun and revelry at the Franklin Institute.

Quizzo master Johnny Goodtimes will be host, challenging you with questions about Cleopatra, Marc Antony, the Bangles, and so much more.

The event will take place in the Fels Planetarium, where you’ll also get to see a ceiling show, before competing to win tickets to the blockbuster exhibition, Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt.

The evening is free with advance registration and features a cash bar — so mark your calendar and enjoy a Friday night celebration of Cleopatra’s partying.

Quizzo-Patra: Cleopatra-themed Quizzo hosted by Johnny Goodtimes
Date: Friday, September 10
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute
FREE with advance registration, please call 215-448-1254.
Cash bar available.

Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt [Visit Philly]

Granite Hill will be the name of the new Stephen Starr-operated restaurant at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The new restaurant is replacing the former, very literally-named Museum Restaurant, and is scheduled to open on Friday, September 3rd.

Back on August 1, Starr Events took over the day-to-day food and catering operations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and its four main eateries: The Museum Cafe, the Balcony Cafe, the Perelman Cafe, and the Museum Restaurant.

While the three cafes have been open for business, The Museum Restaurant (the Museum’s signature dining destination) has been closed since August 1 to allow for the transition and a new concept.

And now Starr is ready to debut the new restaurant.

Beginning on September 3rd, Granite Hill will be open for lunch on Tuesday through Sunday, dinner on Friday evenings (starting on September 10), and Sunday brunch (starting on October 3).

Granite Hill will offer upscale, irreverent twists on approachable French fare. You can expect menu items like Fried Wianno Oysters, with Madras curry remoulade, petit vegetable slaw, & preserved lemon; a Le hot dog on brioche: a D’Angelo Bros chicken boudin blanc sausage with toasted gruyere, onion confit, tarragon mustard & house made kettle chips; a Filet Frites, with Merlot tarragon butter, twice-fried Kennebec potatoes, Minus 8 vinegar; and entrée-sized salads such as the Warm Shrimp Salad with Mesclun greens, avocado, & lemon beurre blanc.

Granite Hill is intended to be the pinnacle of Starr Events’ European vision for all the museum’s eateries (they’re operating all four) and will inspire seasonal menu items at the other Museum cafes. Starr Events wanted the restaurant to have a vibe that feels like a café at Harrods in London or Barney’s New York.

We’re definitely eager to check it out.

Museum Cafés Get the STARR Treatment [Philadelphia Museum of Art]
Earlier:
Stephen Starr’s Reign at The Philadelphia Museum of Art Begins, French Influences Abound in New Cafe Menus

This Saturday, August 28 the Upper Merion Farmers Market will host its first annual Family Fun Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Market patrons of all ages are invited to race in the Zucchini 500, a just-for-fun test of summer squash speed. The race starts at 10:30 a.m. and the fastest cucurbits will receive a bit of UMFM Money, which is accepted by all market vendors. The UMFM Committee will also name the best decorated, best use of vegetables, most colorful, funniest, and unique zucchini racers, so come prepared to make your zucchini stand out.

Registration is $2. For that, you’ll receive a set of two wooden axles, 4 wooden wheels, and 4 wooden axle caps. Register at the UMFM Committee tent on Saturday before 10:15 a.m. If your backyard doesn’t contain an overgrown squash plant, appropriately sized zukes can be purchased from several of the UMFM vendors on race day. Rules and regulations for the Zucchini 500 can be found here.

In addition to the race event, the market will offer face painting for children. The folk and Americana sounds of Fiorenza-Dowlin will accompany the Family Fun Day events.

The Upper Merion Farmers’ Market is found at 175 West Valley Forge Road in King of Prussia. The market is located at the back of the Township Building in the Township Park.

The Norris Square Gardens are one of the more magical spots I’ve experienced within the city of Philadelphia. Founded in 1986 by a group of neighborhood residents as a way to erase blight and fight crime, the gardens now stretch across six different locations throughout this North Philly neighborhood. Part community garden, part tropical oasis, the urban environment drop away when you cross over into the gardens.

The gardens are run by the Norris Square Neighborhood Project, which is an organization based in an old rowhome across the street from Norris Square. They focus on improving the community environment and bringing cultural education to the children and families in the area. Recently, in partnership with the Food Trust, they brought a new Thursday afternoon farmers’ market to the park. Small though it might be, it has made a significant improvement in the area’s food access.

The gardens are open to the public, although since they’re almost entirely run by volunteers, the hours aren’t entirely dependable. However, mark your calendars for Sunday, September 12. That day, all the Norris Square Gardens will be open from 4-7 p.m. for their annual Festival de Flores. There is a suggested donation of $10, but if you can’t pay, you are still welcome to visit the gardens.

To see more pictures of the garden, check out the slideshow from our tour last week. It’s embedded after the jump.

(more…)

 
Art of the American Soldier brings a never-before-seen collection of soldier artwork, 100 years in the making, to the National Constitution Center this September.

What can art tell us about the experience of being a soldier? Since World War I, both soldier and civilian artists have been commissioned by the U.S. Army to create a visual and historical record of military conflicts around the world. Wielding paintbrushes as powerful as their weapons, these soldier-artists have captured the human dimension of war in a way no newsreel or photograph ever could.

Today, the U.S. Army has collected more than 15,000 paintings and sketches created by over 1,300 American soldiers in the line of duty. With no national museum to display this impressive collection, these works have remained in curatorial storage in Washington, D.C. for decades, seldom made available for public viewing.

Art of the American Soldier at the National Constitution Center brings this previously unseen collection into the spotlight for the first time. The exhibition explores how soldier-artists have portrayed moments of soldier life, duty, and sacrifice in military conflicts spanning the past 100 years.

Through these unforgettable images, visitors to the exhibition will connect with the soldier experience and discover insights into the men and women who have answered the Constitution’s call to “provide for the common defense.”

The exhibition has a great new website, complete with an interactive gallery and timeline where you can preview some of the art as it was created over the last century.

Art of the American Soldier
September 24, 2010 through January 10, 2011
National Constitution Center in Philadelphia

Art of the American Soldier [National Constitution Center]

Well, this is it. We’ve reached the final week of the “Phanatic Around Town” photo submission contest. You’ve submitted hundreds of awesome photos with the various Phanatic statues over the past 19 weeks and it’s been our pleasure to send out t-shirts to all of the the lucky winners.

On that note… let’s go out with a bang!

This Week’s Featured Phanatic Around Town Location: All of Them!

Only one Phanatic statue remains to be featured: “Phanatic Phans” at Philadelphia International Airport. We understand that attempting to get a photo with this particular statue (located at the food court between terminals B and C) is a daunting task, so in celebration of the conclusion of the contest we’re requesting you send us your absolute best photo with ANY of the Phanatic statues around town.

This week, send us your most clever, creative, interesting, etc. photo with any one of the 20 Phanatic statues and we will select FIVE winners to each receive a Phillies t-shirt. Click here for the full list of Phanatic locations.

To submit your photo, upload it to our Visit Philly Facebook fan page or share it on Twitter using the hashtag: #Phanatic. Click here for all the details.

Statue Removal and “Phanatic Walk” at Citizens Bank Park

The Phanatic statues will be removed from their current locations the week of August 30th and relocated to Citizens Bank Park where all 20 will be on display along the new “Phanatic Walk” inside the Third Base Gate, beginning September 3rd through the end of the Phillies season.

On September 11th from 12 noon to 4 p.m., Citizens Bank Park is opening its gates for the public to enjoy the statues on “Phanatic Walk” without needing a game ticket.

Last week’s winners after the jump.

“Phanatic Around Town” Summer Promotion [Visit Philly]

(more…)

This Labor Day weekend, honor the strength and spirit of hard-working Americans at the National Constitution Center. Throughout the weekend (September 4-6), visitors will have the opportunity to participate in an array of special activities about the history of the holiday. All the Labor Day events at the NCC are included in the museum’s general admission.

The special programming includes an interactive program that will repeat at at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. each day. You’ll learn about some of the leaders in American labor history, such as labor union head Samuel Gompers and Cesar Chavez. They’ll also highlight landmark events like the Pullman Strike and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 191. There’ll be crafts for the kids, including a station where they can make patriot hats.

National Constitution Center
Independence Mall
525 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 409-6600
constitutioncenter.org

Last summer, the Funsavers blew our minds by offering half price season tickets to a number of area theaters. Well, it worked so well last year that they’ve expanded the offer and are doing it again.

They’re selling season tickets to more than 20 area theater, dance and music companies for half price. That means that you can get tickets to the four-show season at the Interact Theater Company for just $64. An even $100 will get you into five Arden shows. The Walnut Street Theater season is the most expensive, ranging from $135 to $175 for five shows, but that package includes musicals by both Irving Berlin and Kander & Ebb. Even at that price, it’s still a bargain!

Click here to check out the list of participating theaters. The deals are good through Friday, September 3rd. But don’t wait, they will sell out. Get ‘em while they last!

 
This is a video we created for the Phanatic Around Town program, in which we traversed the city to visit all of the statue locations in a single day.

The day begin at Philadelphia International Airport and culminated with a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, stopping at a few major landmarks along the way.

Remember that there are now only two weeks remaining for you to visit the Phanatic statues before they are collected and put on display for the remainder of the season at Citizens Bank Park.

And make sure you take pictures and share them with us on Facebook.

Phanatic Around Town Video Tour [Visit Philly]
Phanatic Around Town [Visit Philly]