OMG no way! Yes way! At uwishunu, you have until September 10 to enter to win a pair of tickets to our new fundraising event, FEASTIVAL! Have you seen the list of all the restaurants that will please your pie hole? It's a good one! I exclaim! Go enter!
--Nicholas Gilewicz
You may not realize this, but the dining scene in Philly was pretty bleak in the 1980s. Outside of the hoagie and cheesesteak and Bassets Ice Cream, there were only a few bright spots--the Commissary, Ribbit, the Rib Crib, a few joints in Chinatown, and of course the forever amazing Le Bec Fin, but basically your choices were dry beef with tan gravy and mash potatoes made from chopped up cardboard. Well, the Philadelphia History Museum at Atwater Kent (formerly Atwater Kent Museum--hello strategic planning!) presents Three Decades of Dining in Philadelphia: the 80s, 90s and 00s, at Reading Terminal Market, 6–7 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2010, so that you can learn just what happened to make this city such a foodie destination.
Philadelphia Inquirer food columnist Michael Klein moderates a panel of Philly's top restaurateurs: Jack McDavid of Jack's Firehouse, Ellen Yin of Fork Restaurant & Bar and Fork:etc, and Steven Cook of Xochitl, Zahav, Percy Street BBQ, and formerly Marigold Kitchen. Together they will reveal how this city's culinary scene has been redefined these past 30 years from backwater to the frontlines of yum. (Ellen Yin and Steven Cook will also be participating in FEASTIVAL on September 15, the Live Arts and Philly Fringe fundraiser featuring food from some thirty of Philly's top cooks.)
Three Decades of Dining in Philadelphia: the 80s, 90s and 00s
Reading Terminal Market, 6–7 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2010. Admission is free to Philadelphia History Museum members and just $5 for the public. Contact Jennifer Pratt at 215.685.4825 or jennifer.pratt@philadelphiahistory.org for more information and to reserve tickets in advance.
--Josh McIlvain
Photo of Ellen Yin of Fork.

Open this month's issue to Brooke De La Villanova's
High Society column in the "Pulse" section, and here's what you'll find:
High Society: February 2010
By Brooke De la VillanovaHow I love artsy people! Restaurant glamour-puss Audrey Claire threw a launch party that drew power couple Sharon Pinkenson and Joe Weiss, legal eagle Bernie Munley, entrepreneur David Grasso, Memphis Flats developer Greg Hill, Fringe-y Nick Stuccio, and Stephen Starr, among others. Being launched: Feastival, which despite its Seinfeldian name promises to be delish. On September 15th, 25 top chefs will whip up edgy fare in Northern Liberties to raise money for the edgy Live Arts and Philly Fringe festivals. Bon appetit, munchkins. ....
"High Society", indeed. For more info on this star-studded evening,
Click Here!
From Philly Metro, Thursday, January 28, 2010:
"Reasons it was fun to live, work, and play in Philly
Why have we all had such a good time in Philly over the past decade? Here's just 10 of the reasons for it
#1 Tables turned: Thanks to powerhouses such as Stephen Starr; Marc Vetri; Jose Garces and Michael Solomonov, not even New York can pretend we don't have a dining scene to reckon with these days.
...
#3 Philadelphia Live Arts/Philly Fringe festival: This gigantic gathering of local, international, amateur and professional artists has been kicking since 1997, but it gets a little bigger, a little weirder, and a little more can't-miss every year."
But here's what the Metro doesn't know (yet!): Those powerhouse restaurateurs are in partnership with this year's festival, to bring you
Feastival.
For more info on what will be the #1 reason it's fun to live, work, and play in Philly in 2010,
CLICK HERE