• Meal Ticket has the low down on the opening of SPRAGA — which opens Saturday, October 15 in the Symphony House at Broad & Pine. Looks great!
• Despite some initial delays, Birra at Passyunk & Morris is set to open by the end of the month. They’ll be participating in the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District Witch BEER Crawl on Tuesday, October 25. No word yet on Stateside a few blocks away on the Ave.
• Kristian’s on 11th Street will re-open as Kris — casual Italian — this month. Grub Street’s got the deets.

Have a Philly food tip you’d like to share? Email phillygrub (at) gmail (dot) com or tweet @phillygrub.

While you wait for the Willow Grove location to open, why not drop into the 3401 Walnut Street location for some margaritas or beers. Hell, wait until October 24 for when the Gobblerito (right) makes its return — it’s a whole Thanksgiving feast stuffed in a tortilla!

Turkey, mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, corn and gravy stuffed in a tortilla with cranberry sauce on the side!? UM, YES PLEASE!

Go ahead and Like Mad Mex Willow Grove on Facebook.
Do Follow Mad Mex Willow Grove on Twitter.

Tell ‘em Philly Grub sent ya!

Alouette Cheese (based nearby in New Holland, PA) will be providing samples at this year’s event. Visitors to the wine-tasting area can savor Alouette’s Bries, Spreadables and Crumbles while sipping on fine international wines. Alouette Corporate Chef Gable will be present to help educate attendees on which cheeses pair well with particular wines. He will also hold a chef demonstration to share simple ways to make favorite dishes.

They’ve provided me with this great appetizer recipe that I hope to try soon!

Baked Alouette® Garlic and Herb Brie Wedge with Wild Mushroom Panko Topping

Makes: 6-8
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Alouette® Garlic and Herb Brie wedge
2 sliced wild mushrooms
2 Tbsp. panko
½ tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Place Alouette® Garlic and Herb Brie Wedge on a flat surface.
• Using a wire cheese slicer to remove top rind.
• Sauté the wild mushrooms and arrange the mushrooms on the top of the Alouette® Garlic and Herb Brie Wedge.
• Mix the panko, chopped parsley, garlic and olive oil.
• Top prepared Alouette® Garlic and Herb Brie Wedge with the panko mixture.
• Bake in oven for 6-8 minutes until bread crumbs are crisp.
• Remove from oven and place on cutting board to rest for five minute. Serve with your favorite breads or crackers.

Formerly on 2nd Street in Pennsport, this well-known, award winning shop (three-time gold medal winner at the South Philly Review’s annual Pizza Olympics), sits in a very unassuming spot — 1 door in from the corner — home of the former “Friends & Family Cafe”.

When you step inside, you’re smack dab in a tiny dining room. Its a basic, cozy space. There’s no counter, so if you’re taking out, you simply tell the server your order and wait for it. Which is what I did.

There is a Risotto special and Pizza special every day.

I was also informed by the courteous server that starting today, all day, and every Monday and Wednesday is All You Can Eat Mussels for $11.95. I’m not a fan of mussels, but for those of you who are — sounds like a sweet deal!

Since pizza is a no-no for me, I opted for a Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad with honey mustard dressing. It was sufficient and tasty.

In addition to their award-winning pizza and yummy salads, they’ve got  stromboli, calzones, steak sandwiches, burgers, hot sandwiches, chicken cutlet & eggplant sandwiches, wings, pasta, chicken, veal & eggplant, and seafood dishes too.

Next time you’re in the area, try Adriana’s Restaurant & Pizzeria on for size for dine-in or take-out. They also deliver. 267-909-8525 or 267-909-8527.

The crazy idea to make a watermelon salad came to me. It’s really not so crazy. I’ve seen it on menus before. In fact, most recently I read something about Opa’s watermelon feta salad. I’m sorry, but as much as I love Opa and would love to eat there again, I took matters in my own hands.

I actually made one version yesterday; it turned out to be more like a watermelon guacamole because HELLO I had to add avocados to it. I totally forgot to buy baby spinach, though. No biggie. Watermelon, avocado, red onion, and Bulgarian feta. Seriously satisfying and hit all the right flavor notes.

Wait, back up… let me tell you about the Bulgarian feta. Actually, scratch that. I have nothing to say here except that it is now my new cheese obsession. I don’t know how I lived without this cheese in my life before. UNF!

Thank you Matt at Di Bruno Bros. on 9th Street for insisting I get it. Actually, he didn’t insist. He simply said it was the only feta they had. But extolled its virtues to me. Thank the heavens! (Read a review that does it justice, Madame Fromage‘s take on Bulgarian feta.)

Anyways, getting back to the salad. For today’s version, I remembered to pick up some baby spinach. In a large bowl went the baby spinach and  thinly sliced red onion. I dressed it lightly and gently with a simple vinaigrette – freshly squeezed lime juice, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Threw in chunks of avocado and lightly tossed. Then I began building the ultimate simple, yet mouth-quivering salad.

In a salad bowl I laid down one layer of salad topped with small cubes of watermelon & crumbled Bulgarian feta. Repeated that a couple more times until it was a glorious mixture of greens, watermelon, and feta.

Sorry no pictures. I’m still camera-less. And didn’t feel like futzing around with my webcam.

Even though National Watermelon Day has passed. You must try this salad. Don’t skimp on the feta either! Go to Di Bruno’s or Whole Foods or wherever you can find it and get the Bulgarian feta. You’ll thank me.

This is mostly the case with Santucci’s. I made a point to stop by today. My first impressions are “It’s good and I will go back.”

When I walked in the door, I was welcomed in a friendly manner by a server. I indicated to her that I was taking out, and she handed me a paper menu. The young man at the counter quickly asked if he could take my order. I told him to give me a minute so I could read the paper menu. In less than a minute, I made my selection; before he rang up my order, I asked if they take cards yet. They do not accept credit cards at this time, but said they should be getting their card machine as early as “sometime next week”.

As he was ringing up my order, I repeated that it was to-go. I paid the bill, collected my change and receipt, and told him that I was going to sit down at one of the tables to wait. The decor isn’t ultra fancy, but it’s definitely a step up from your typical pizzeria type place. They’ve got candles on the tables, a large plasma tv on the wall, wine glasses and buckets that can be filled with ice if you should BYO. A plus in my eyes.

There was only one seated customer in the place which didn’t strike me as odd at 3:20PM. It’s that dead zone between lunch & dinner after all. After waiting for nearly 15 minutes, though, I was starting to get worried. Did they forget about me? Then right before I was considering standing up to ask if my sandwich was ready, I saw the cook place a wrap sandwich on a plate at the server area. I overheard him tell one of the cashiers “I have a wrap sandwich here.” but they didn’t seem to respond. I stood up & told them that it was supposed to be to-go. The cook (not the young man who took my order) apologized, put it in a plastic container, bagged it, and handed it to me.

A mild service hiccup if you ask me. I could tell they’re still figuring things out as they go. Which is to be expected when a new place opens up. No biggie!

By the time I got home my hunger took over and I ripped the bag open quickly. I hadn’t eaten all day so I was hoping it would be worth the wait and the extra wait at the restaurant.

Well, much to my elation, it was! Not only was the wrap quite substantial in size,  but it came with a good bit of hand-cut fries (at no extra charge). You have your choice of regular hand-cut fries, hand-cut sweet potato fries, or side house salad. Since I had sweet potatoes yesterday, I opted for the regular fries. They were perfect!  There’s just nothing like hand-cut potatoes. Frozen fries be damned to Hell!

As for the sandwiches, you can choose from a variety of breads: Italian roll (white or whole wheat), wrap (white or whole wheat), Burger bun (brioche or whole wheat) or Panini style with house-made Focaccia bread. The Grilled Chicken comes with provolone, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, & mayo.

For $8, it’s a lot of food! A very satisfying late lunch/early dinner (“linner”?). With prices and quality like that, I’m sure they’ll do great business. I hope as time goes on they get a little more organized because I’m sure to be a repeat customer. Damn, I love this ‘hood!

Picture borrowed from Meal Ticket.

1) Tell us about Brulee Bakery. When did it start? What was your inspiration? 
I graduated culinary school and had a great job as the Pastry Chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering. After being injured in an auto accident a few months ago, I was unable to stand for long periods of time and keep up the hectic schedule and long hours required when working for a high volume caterer. So this is when I decided that in order to really continue to create in the way that I wanted to I would have to open my own business. This was always my long term goal, but I guess this was the universe kind of pushing me to do this sooner. My inspiration is fresh, seasonal flavors and incorporating traditional French techniques with my own spin on flavor profiles.

2) Philadelphia bakeries featuring cupcakes & cookies are all the rage these days, tell us what will set Brulee Bakery apart from all the others? 
Brulee Bakery is different in many ways from your average cupcake or cookie bakery. First, I am the “Anti-cupcake”. I see the allure of cupcakes; they are cute, small, remind you of your childhood and all that. And I see how they can be blank canvases for many flavors, however I feel that they are overdone.

What sets us apart: Brulee Bakery uses the highest quality, local, farm-fresh and organic ingredients to give our customers a unique flavor experience. For example, we use whole wheat flour in all of our pastries so even though you are eating a dessert, you are still adding whole grains into your diet (and you would never know the difference taste-wise). And by using ingredients grown right here in our local area, we are supporting our community and our farmers while using the freshest eggs, dairy and fruit available.

As for what we offer that is different from other bakeries in the area – we will offer some old stand-by’s like a chocolate chip cookie, but it will have Valrhona Chocolate chunks, with organic pecans, and whole wheat flour. We will also have fancier desserts such as an Almond Elderflower Cake with a lime zest glaze – this one is gluten free for people with those sensitivities.

We also are mostly internet based for now until we can get a brick and mortar location. So we deliver pastries right to your home or office!

3) Tell us more about your culinary background. 
I went to the French Culinary Institute in NYC. Being from Philly with my husband and house here…I commuted back and forth to NY a few times per week for school. I have worked for The Food Network and also have interned at a few prestigious restaurants around Philly such as Buddakan and 10 Arts at the Ritz. Then I was hired to work for Wolfgang Puck.

4) Besides ordering online, where else can we find your baked treats in Philadelphia?
I am currently working out the details of this, but other than online, we are looking to appear at different Farmers Markets in the area. Stay tuned for details on that. I will offer online ordering for mail order in the whole US in the future, but for right now, I will be focusing on delivery and catering in the local Philly area.

5) When you’re not baking, where do you like to eat? What are your favorite Philadelphia restaurants & why?
When I’m not baking? I think I am pretty much ALWAYS baking…but when my husband and I go out to eat I absolutely LOVE Silk City…they have what I like to call ‘elevated pub grub’. And for really haute cuisine I love JAMES in South Philly (which is unfortunately now closed). Every detail in their food is well thought out and amazingly executed. Not to mention their service is phenomenal.

Check out what Chef Lila has to offer on the newly launched, but in progress Brulee Bakery website. I can vouch for the deliciousness of her goods. I received samples of the spiked cinnamon pecan sticky buns & Valrhona chocolate chip cookies and they were exquisite.

Brulee Bakery is on Facebook and Twitter, too. Tell Chef Lila Philly Grub sent ya!

Are you someone in the local Philadelphia food scene who would like to be featured in a future interview? Drop me an email with some info.

As Philly foodies, we know Philadelphia has the BEST sandwiches! Here’s your chance to try even more great Philadelphia sandwiches.

Today’s Save is $5 for $10 worth of bagels, spreads, sandwiches and more at Bagel Junction Deli in Newtown, PA.

Who doesn’t love a good bagel sandwich?! Tell me what your favorite bagel sandwich is in the comments and I’ll pick 2 winners. Each winner will get 1 Save ($10 value) and $5 in Save Rewards from Eversave Philadelphia.

If you’re too shy to post in the comments, then simply email me your favorite bagel sandwich – just make sure the subject line says “Favorite Bagel Sandwich for Giveaway”.

Looking for a competitive edge? Increase your chances of winning by tweeting “I want to win free sandwiches from @EversavePHL and @phillygrub!”

After you’ve entered, be sure to like Eversave Philadelphia on Facebook and follow Eversave Philadelphia on Twitter.

Enter now! I will choose the winners at 5pm today! Good luck!

UPDATE (7/26/11): Winners have been selected & will be notified & Save will be sent.

Click flyer for RSVP.