Philly Homegrown is once again working with the Restaurant Week organizers to bring locally produced items to the menus. Items with a little red tractor next to them on a menu include locally grown, produced or sourced ingredients.

I already have my Center City District Restaurant Week reservations that I made on Open Table. To make sure you don’t get shut out of the restaurant you want to dine at, make your reservations early.

Where are my reservations? I’m not going to tell you unless I absolutely love the place. If I do,  you’ll hear about it here. If not, I’ll keep my mouth shut.

When I take a look at the list of participating restaurants, it’s no surprise to see many of them on there. I know that many of these restaurants are the ones that support our local food producers, help to raise funds for food banks, and probably also donate their time, money and resources to other local charities. If you choose to dine out at one of these restaurants Thursday night, you’ll not only be raising funds for autism, you’ll also be supporting the restaurants that truly get involved with and support their communities.

You’ll also be giving a show of support to a couple of South Jersey’s faithful local foodies and bloggers, John and Lisa of Eating in South Jersey. John wrote about the event last week and shared with readers why this event is personally important to his family.

When I first heard about Cook, I was intrigued. Cook opened early this fall in the Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia. It’s a collaborative kitchen where chefs and other food and drink experts offer classes in an intimate, 16 seat setting. The classes are varied – some are demonstrations, some are hands on.

I had the opportunity to attend an event at Cook a few weeks ago sponsored by Mavea Inspired Water (I’ll be writing about Mavea for MNN later this week), and I loved the entire experience. Chef Massimo Bruno treated us to an evening of authentic Italian cooking – eleven courses of some of great food along with Italian wines. Chef Massimo cooked for us the way he cooks at his Italian Supper Club at his Kitchen Studio in Toronto.

It was hard to get a shot of the full space, but this is the kitchen of cooks with 16 seats around the counter. Not too big, but intimately fabulous.

You need to take a look at Cook’s class schedule to really get the gist of what goes on there. Classes can range from $60 to about $175 with classes in the evening that end up being full meals or those featuring chefs from restaurants like Le Bec Fin or The Capital Grill ranging on the higher end. Afternoon classes are definitely more affordable and usually would be of most interest to the DIY/Locavore crowd like bread making or canning.

Cook is small, but it manages to not only have a 16-seat collaborative kitchen but also a small store with kitchen gadgets, specialty food items and a whole wall of cookbooks. I was immediately drawn to the books for sale, and tried to see how many of the books the experts at Cook thought were worth selling were in my home collection (only 5). The shelves to the left are in a small nook behind the kitchen. It’s really no bigger than what you see there.

After the holidays, I hope to get back to Cook with my husband for one of their evening dinners so he can experience the food and the atmosphere of Cook. I want to thank Mavea, Chef Massimo and Cook for such a great evening.

If you’d like to check out Cook at one of their less expensive classes, let me suggest this Saturday’s Cooking With Tea Featuring Alexis Siemons of Teaspoons & Petals. She’ll teach you tea basics (different types of tea & proper steeping methods) and also how to infuse tea into simple sweet and savory dishes. Alexis served us tea after our meal at Cook, and I had no idea that I would enjoy milk oolong tea or green tea with lemon grass and ginger, but I really did.

My camera didn’t take the best photos, but if you’d like to see more of my evening at Cook and Chef Mossimo’s creations, take a look at the gallery below.

If you want a great view of the city from high up (and a view of William Penn’s backside), you need to head to the top of Liberty Place to R2L. I experienced the amazing views from Chef Daniel Stern’s restaurant last Saturday when I attended the Philly Area Food & Drink Writers Meetup in Center City. Wendy Kirby (La Phemme Phoodie) and Philly Homegrown did a bang up job of organizing the event.

Servers with trays of champagne glasses greeted area food writers as they entered the restaurant located on the 37th floor. After chatting with Wendy for a few minutes, I was drawn to the windows that surrounded the perimeter of the restaurant’s walls. The views of the city are incredible from the wall-length windows, and I spent some time with Lee (who I had met previously at the Philly Swappers event), of Feed Me Lee, admiring the architecture on the top of some Center City buildings and trying to figure out what various parts of the city were.

Chef Daniel Stern of R2L came out to greet us before heading into the kitchen to do what he does best.

Delicious appetizers were passed around so we could sample Chef Stern’s cuisine. If you ever have the chance to dine at R2L, you have to try the  Fried Risotto with Truffle Aioli if it’s on the menu. It’s scrumptious. That’s the only word I can use to describe it. And, I was introduced to a new (well- new to me) drink – The Sidecar.

The meetup wasn’t all food & drink, though. We were given a food photography tutorial by freelance photographer Eric Mencher who gave us tips on working with kitchen, dining room, and restaurant lighting, looking at food from various angles, and more. After his tutorial, he graciously looked at individual’s cameras and gave each of us who asked specific tips. I had to stay reserved when he showed me that I can change the way my camera takes in light so I didn’t look like a complete idiot, but in my head I was screaming “Maybe I didn’t buy one of the most expensive crappiest camera. Maybe I really have no clue what I’m doing!” I miss film.

R2L's dessert tray. Don't you want to dive right in?

After Eric’s tutorial, several plates of R2L’s menu items were made available for everyone to photograph. I’ve seen some great photos from the day (none of them mine – I have a lot to learn), and I’m going to send  you over to A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis to take a peek at his photos of the afternoon.

Visit Philly also had a few words to say about Foodspotting. Philadelphia is the first destination to work with Foodspotting. There are 21 themed food & drink lists on Visit Philly’s Foodspotting site that lead hungry and thirsty people on tours to find mouth-watering hoagies, cocktails, hot dogs, coffee, breweries, burgers and more. One food tour that you’ll only find in Philly is the Tastykake-Inspired tour that leads you to restaurants that serve dishes like Tastykake Bread Pudding and Tastykake ice cream.

If I hit the Patco trains at the right time, it takes me less than a half hour to get into Center City once I leave my front door, and I love Philadelphia. I want to thank Chef Stern for opening up his restaurant to our group, Eric Mencher for his tutorial that helped me change the way I think about my camera, Caroline and Alethia from Philly Homegrown (Visit Philly) for helping to organize, and especially Wendy for taking the lead with the Philly Area Food & Drink Writers meetups.

If you’re a Philly area food or drink writer, professional or casual, and you want to know when the next meet-up will be (probably sometime in early spring would be my best guess), you need to follow Wendy on Twitter and watch for when she puts out a general announcement. Tickets to these events are on a first come, first serve basis.

Straight from the press release from South Jersey Hot Chefs, the group that brings us the great Farm to Fork week in the summer.

The South Jersey Independent Restaurant Association (better known as the SJ Hot Chefs) is spicing up their traditional bi-annual restaurant week this fall as they host their first ever Fall Harvest Week from October 30th through November 4th. Over 30 of South Jersey’s finest independently owned restaurants will offer special farm to table inspired menus created from the autumn harvest of local farmers and fishermen. For just $35, ($25 at select restaurants), guests will have the opportunity to enjoy specially prepared four-course menus, each with a fall flair.

“Coming off of an extremely successful Farm to Fork Week, we are thrilled to bring the community yet another opportunity to discover everything that South Jersey has to offer in local dining,” said Fred Kellermann, president of the South Jersey Independent Restaurant Association and Chef/Owner of Elements Café in Haddon Heights, NJ. “Autumn in South Jersey is a unique time for food and this gives us the chance to share some of our favorite seasonal specialties.”

As a thank you, guests who dine at any of the SJ Hot Chef members’ restaurants or sign up for the SJ Hot Chef monthly newsletter by filling out a comment card after their meal will receive a $10 gift certificate redeemable at any of the participating restaurants.

Set aside a date on your calendar to visit one of the participating restaurants that will be supporting our local producers.

Yesterday, Alli from All I Eat Food and I went to the Moorestown Kitchen Kapers to meet Emeril Lagasse and have him sign copies of his latest cookbook, Sizzling Skillets and Other One Pot Wonders. I’m looking forward to delving into some of the recipes. It looks like a great fall/winter cookbook.

As usual, I’m glad it’s Friday. I’m looking forward to the farmers market tomorrow, and we’ll be having dinner with friends at the fabulous Tortilla Press Cantina tomorrow night. There’s lots going on this weekend if you’re looking for something to do.

• The 28th Annual Chatsworth Cranberry Festival is Saturday and Sunday, the 15th & 16th from 9am to 4pm. The Cranberry Festival is a celebration of New Jersey’s cranberry harvest, the 3rd largest in the United States, and offers a tribute to the Pine Barrens & Local Culture.
• Cooper River Park in Pennsauken will be the site of the 2011 Columbus Italian Cultural Festa. They’ll be food, games and wines from Hamonton’s Plagido’s Winery.
• It’s a bit of a hike up to Morristown, but if you have the whole day Saturday or Sunday free, it will be worth it for the Grand Harvest Wine Festival that features twenty NJ wineries offering nearly 250 locally-produced wines, food, crafts vendors, live bands and the opportunity to experience one of New Jersey’s significant historic farms.
• Hop the Patco from New Jersey and head into Philly for the Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival tomorrow. They’ll be hayrides, live bluegrass, a pie eating contest, and of course, lots of food.
• If you’ve ever thought about starting your own food blog or have but you’re not sure what direction to take it in, there’s a food writing/blogging workshop being held tomorrow at Indie Hall in Philly. Tenaya Darlington (Madame Fromage) and Marisa McClellan (Food in Jars), both engaging food writers, will instruct. It starts at 10am, so if you’re interested click on the link and snag your tickets to the class now.
• If you’re looking to get out of town for a bit, check out the regional harvest festivals that Visit Philly has information about.
• This is perfect for American Cheese Month. On Thursday, October 20th, they’ll be the  Tasting and Tales of Farmstead Cheese. The head cheesemaker from Cherry Grove Farm will be on hand for an evening of conversation and a tasting of his farmstead artisan cheeses at Whole Earth Center in Princeton. Free, pre-registration requested.

Enjoy your weekend!

If you’re feeling a little more social than I am this weekend, there are some things to do.

• Tonight at Toscana’s Restaurant in Mullica Hill, there’s a Craft Beer Tasting hosted by Joe Canals.
• Audubon is having a town yard sale on Saturday the 24th. Yard sales are great for adding inexpensive fun, funky pieces to your kitchen and dining areas.
• American Towns has a list of all of the apple picking orchards in New Jersey where you can spend a few hours picking the freshest apples.
• Heritage Winery is having its Grand Finale concert this weekend with wine (of course), beer from Flying Fish, and food from Barnesboro Inn. This is a rian or shine event.
• If you were planning on attending the Grand Harvest Festival at Alba Vineyard this weekend, you’ll have to wait a week. Because of the rain, they’ve rescheduled the event for Oct 1 & 2.
• Slow Food Philadelphia is offering several fall seminars you might be interested that are held within walking distance of the 8th & Market Patco stop.
• There’s a great piece on NJ.com about how agritourism is a booming business in South Jersey.

That’s all for now. I’m gonna go put on my yoga pants. Enjoy your weekend!

One of the great things about the area I live in is that even though I’m from South Jersey, Philadelphia is truly part of my locavore region. Heading into the city is a quick Patco trip.

From September 12-16 and 18-23, Philadelphia’s Center City District Restaurant Week is a great reason to hop on Patco and cross the Delaware. Participating restaurants are partnering with Philly Homegrown to offer at least one locally sourced dish on their menus. Locally sourced dishes will have a cute little red tractor icon next to them on the menu, making it easy to support local restaurants and local producers at the same time.

During Center City District Restaurant Week, restaurants will offer three-course dinners for $35/person. Some of the restaurants will also be offering three-course lunches for $20/person. Price does not include beverages, tax or gratuity. The list of participating restaurants is long and mouth-watering.

Organizers are making it as easy as possible to gain access to information and reservations during the event.

• There’s a mobile website so that you can access information easily from your phone. This isn’t an app; it’s a site that’s been specifically designed to be easy to navigate from your phone’s web browser.
• You can follow @PhilaRestWeek on Twitter for up-to-the minute information.

Are you planning on heading into the city for Center City District Restaurant Week?

• The Jazz It Up Wine Festival is this weekend at Allstaire State Park in Farmingdale. Saturday and Sunday Sept. 3 and 4, from noon to 5 p.m. 25 New Jersey Wineries will have tasting tents, there will be food, and of course, jazz.
• Congratulations to The Collingswood Farmers Market for coming in first in the state in Americas Favorite Farmers Market contest. It’s my favorite farmers market in the region, and I think it deserves it’s first place status!
• Sustainable Cherry Hill kicks off the fall schedule with Green Drinks at PJ Wheelinhans in Cherry Hill on September 7. Check out their full fall calendar of events on their website.
• The Cape May Forum will host a ten-day event titled “Guess What’s Coming for Dinner? The Politics of Food in the 21st Century.”
• Head to the mushroom capital of the world the weekend of September 9-11 for the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival. They’re going to have mushroom ice cream!
• Join Chef Mark from Tortilla Press at Duffield’s Farm on September 17 for Fiesta on the Farm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Camden Children’s Garden.

I’m off to enjoy my weekend! I hope you do the same.

It’s Kids Restaurant Week at both Tortilla Press and Tortilla Press Cantina. $9.99 for three courses for kids, and not a chicken nugget in site. The event runs through Friday, September 2.

and

The 4th Annual Troubadour Tomato Taste Off will be held this Friday, Sept. 2nd. 6pm to 9 pm at Bogart’s Books in Millville. There are 2 main contests …Best Tasting Tomato Dish, and Best Tasting Tomatoes. Everyone eats and everyone votes. Come help us “Celebrate the Jersey Tomato” !!!!!!! (Thanks to SJL Facebook follower Kevin for bringing this to my attention)

Told you it was quick!