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All January long, enjoy Jones' famous monkey bread with a different inventive spin each weekend. (Photo courtesy Jones)

Anyone who has ever brunched at Jones (who is anyone who loves brunch) knows that the signature monkey bread is the pièce de résistance of the meal.

Now comes cause to rejoice, because Jones has christened January the “Month of Monkey,” meaning that every weekend this month during brunch service (Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.), Pastry Chef Adriana King will be not only serving up the restaurant’s signature Monkey Bread, but also a different tasty version of the delecetable dish.

This first weekend, January 7-8, diners can expect a special Chocolate Chunk Monkey Bread. To find out what future January weekends hold in store, you’ll just have to head to Jones.

Call (215) 223-5663 for reservations.

Jones
700 Chestnut Street
www.jones-restaurant.com

Want to make dessert as good as the ones that cap off a delectable meal at a Jose Garces restaurant?

You’re in luck. Adriane Appleby, who launched the pastry programs at Garces flagships Amada and Tinto, has started a series of hands-on instructional baking courses called “Oh, You Bake.”

You can sign up for individual classes, or an entire semester. There are two levels, Level 2 requiring initial attendance of Level 1. Appleby hosts the classes in the kitchen at Green Line Café in West Philly.

Experienced and novice bakers alike will enjoy the instructional classes, and learn something about not only how to sift flour, how long to stir and what kind of flour to use for what consistency, but also about the chemistry of baking.

The schedule includes cupcakes, cookies, pies, jam, cakes, French pastries, scones, coffee cakes and more. Check out the full schedule here.

“Oh, You Bake” Classes
www.addymaes.com

via Former Garces pastry chef launches series of hands-on baking classes [City Paper]

In honor of Center City Restaurant Week, going on now through Friday, September 23, the Center City location of Krispy Kreme is getting in on the dining deals with an even sweeter supplement.

Just bring in your Restaurant Week receipt to get six original glazed donuts free when you buy six.

For those that are participating in Restaurant Week, you can get a delicious treat as a second dessert, or else to start your morning off right the next day. Receipts are valid one week after purchase date.

Click here for a list of all the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week so you can plan out the most direct walking route from dinner to dessert.

Krispy Kreme: Center City
16th & Chestnut Streets
www.krispykremephilly.com

Expect breakfast pastries, light fare-salads, sandwiches, Illy coffee, cakes and — naturally — fresh bread. (Photos courtesy Art of Bread)

The legendary Chef Georges Perrier of Le Bec-Fin is shining his culinary and business acumen on the Main Line, with a new bakery and pastry shop, The Art of Bread, opening in Narberth June 1.

Expect breakfast pastries, quiches, light fare-salads, sandwiches, Illy coffee, cakes and — naturally — fresh bread. Bread will be made on site twice daily, and all of the pastries will come from the pastry kitchen of Le Bec-Fin. They’ll be prepared by Executive Pastry Chef, Cedric Barberet.

Specific menu highlights include: Tartines, open faced sandwiches served on toasted sourdough bread; the River Deli: smoked salmon, made Ruben style with gruyere cheese, sauerkraut and grain mustard; and Croque Madame: goat cheese, caramelized onions and gruyere with an egg on top.

The Main Line will welcome a new place for breakfast, lunch and desserts; plus you’ll be able to order special occasion cakes, candies and other treats, or catering for up to 250 people. Call (610) 660-8222 to order.

Georges Perrier received the city’s first Culinary Visionary Award this past April; this latest venture of his is a great testament to that honor.

The Art of Bread
920 Montgomery Avenue, Narberth, PA
www.artofbreadbygp.com

The 'Jack and the Beanstalk'-themed art on the walls pays tribute to the bakery's clever title.
(Photo courtesy Cake and the Beanstalk)

Longtime Philadelphia baker Daniel Klein has officially fulfilled his dream of running his own bakery, with the opening of Cake and the Beanstalk in Flying Monkey Deuce’s former space.

Having cut his teeth in the pastry departments of Striped Bass, Circa, Morimoto, Le Bec Fin and Twenty21, Klein also gained front-of-house experience working for City Tavern and Moshulu.

But all the convincing you need lies in Klein’s freshly baked desserts, made daily, including cookies, cakes and a variety of other sweets. His specialty: Banana Chocolate Walnut Cake glazed in chocolate. Swoon. They also serve locally roasted Chestnut Hill coffee, and are looking to add paninis (using Le Bus bread) and salads to the menu.

A few more reasons you should enter Cake and the Beanstalk into your bakery/cafe rotation: they accept dessert suggestions; the decor includes hand-painted Dr. Seuss-themed chairs done by Klein’s fiancée; and they offer a coffee “happy hour,” $1 coffee for two hours at varying times/days (follow them on Twitter for the info).

But we had you at Banana Chocolate Walnut Cake, right?

Cake and the Beanstalk
1112 Locust Street
www.cakeandthebeanstalk.blogspot.com

Pastry chef Monica Glass's motto: 'A day without love, laughter or dessert is a day wasted.' (Photo courtesy 10 Arts)

“I wanted to create an immense, whimsical candy land,” 10 Arts pastry chef Monica Glass said of her new Dessert Bar, available now every Saturday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. We think she nailed it.

The dessert menu, a permanent addition to 10 Arts’ standard bill of fare, includes plum ginger yogurt panna cotta, s’mores tarts, macadamia nut brittle, white chocolate pomegranate cupcakes and pumpkin macaroons, to name a few. Guests choose five items for one fixed price of $20. Special dessert packages will also be available, pairing a medley of desserts with a complementary beverage like hot cocoa or champagne.

The ideal afternoon treat for holiday shoppers, Avenue of the Arts theatergoers, and other visitors to The Ritz-Carlton, Sucre provides a sweet complement to Top Chef All-Star Jennifer Carroll’s delectable food.

10 Arts Bistro & Lounge
Broad and Chestnut Streets
www.10arts.com

Capogiro's new With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® Philly Cheesecake Flavor (Photos GPTMC)

It’s time for another delicious With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® collaboration, this time with Capogiro Gelato Artisans.

You already know about Victory Summer Love Ale, our With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® beer, made by our friends at Victory Brewing Company.

Well, now we’d like to introduce you to the new With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® gelato flavor, made by our friends at Capogiro: Philly Cheesecake swirled with luscious Amarino cherries.

The totally original new gelato flavor — one of more than 375 flavors produced by Capogiro since they first opened in 2002 — is crafted from scratch in small batches each morning using the most fresh, natural and seasonal ingredients.

To stay true to the artisan method of traditional Italian gelato, Capogiro remains devoted to using local hand-picked produce and milk from grass-fed, rbST-free cows.

Bonus: authentic gelato is infinitely richer and creamier than ice cream, while containing about half the fat and calories.

So indulge away!

The With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® Philly Cheesecake gelato flavor will be available at all four Capogiro locations on a rotating basis — Rittenhouse, Midtown Village, East Passyunk and Penn’s Campus.

You can check Capogiro’s website daily to see what flavors are available at what location that day.

And remember: if you’re craving a little something sweet to top off your summer evening, check out one of Capogiro’s Center City locations, open until midnight on weekends, for a scoop of artisanal gelato or sorbet made from Lancaster County fruit and herbs. And look out for the With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® Philly Cheesecake flavor.

You’ll be happy you did!

The bustling Capogiro location in Midtown Village is

Capogiro Gelato Artisans [Visit Philly]
What Heaven Tastes Like [Capogiro Blog]

Photo via Phillyist

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, and that only means one thing to me. Free water ice at Rita’s.

Stop by any Rita’s tomorrow to score your free cup of sweet, sweet water ice. According to Phillyist, Rita’s is dishing out a new, bright yellow “Peeps” ice, flavored like those delicious, marshmallow candies.

You can find your closest Rita’s, here. I suggest visiting the Rita’s on 15th and Spruce, and strolling over to Rittenhouse Square to people-watch.

Free Water Ice Day @ Rita’s
Saturday, March 20th, 2010

[ via Phillyist ]

Philly Cupcake

It’s official; Philadelphia has turned into a cupcake town. Nowhere is this more apparent than the recent opening of Philly Cupcake on 12th and Walnut. Philly Cupcake, also known as “The Cupcakery Boutique,” is sure to delight even the most discerning of Philadelphians with its assortment of sinfully-sweet, moist cupcakes.

The store, which opened in December, serves traditional cupcakes like chocolate, vanilla and red velvet along with more unique confections such as cinnamon swirl coffee, banana, Jewish apple strudel and the ever-popular Reese’s chocolate-peanut-butter-massacre cupcake. Each and every cupcake features a beautiful icing design by Philly Cupcake’s talented artisans that will make you want to wait until the very last possible minute to bite into this little bit of edible art.

You can take a box of cupcakes home or enjoy them in the pink confines of the store, which owners Michael Lewish and Johnny Columbo decorated with cupcake-print wallpaper and various antique fixtures, including a few gorgeous turn-of-the-century chandeliers. Down a cupcake with some organic chocolate or vanilla milk or pick up some La Columbe Coffee, homemade hot chocolate, or Tazo Tea to accompany your sweet treat.

The store also sells an assortment of chocolate-covered creations that make great gifts for you or your sugar-loving friends.

Philly Cupcake
1132 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 625-4888
www.phillycupcake.com

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

Last month, Chaddsford Winery featured a cheese and wine pairing event every weekend. For the month of February, instead of local cheeses, they are highlighting local chocolate from Éclat Chocolates, based out of West Chester, PA.

Pairings are held at 1pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm at the Winery. Admission is $25 per person and reservations are required. Be sure to give them a call, and ready your sweet tooth.

Chaddsford Winery
632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
(610) 388-6221
www.chaddsford.com