Also this issue: Greece Is the Word What Zorba's lacks in flash it makes up for in authenticity and flavor. -Maxine Keyser

January 23-29, 2003

food

offthemenu

by Frank Lewis

Eat out, in: Considering options for Valentine's Day? Consider staying home. Personal chef service Rent Your Chef's gourmet dinners for two start at $225. See www.rentyourchef.com for more information.

French blend: French cabaret star Annick Cisaruk headlines Spectacle de Cabaret, Feb. 9, at Bistro St. Tropez (fourth floor of Marketplace Design Center, 2400 Market St.) The $85 ticket also buys a three-course, bistro-style dinner and French wines. Call 215-569-9269. Crepe capital Beau Monde (Sixth and Bainbridge) has opened a lounge, L'Etage, on its second floor. Light French fare and "serene" music are planned.

Center City stuff: The Marathon Grill at 2001 Market St. has opened The Commerce Lounge, offering beer, wine by the glass and cocktails. Trust (13th and Sansom, www.trustrestaurant.com) has created a prix-fixe "Neighborhood Lunch Menu," with $8, $10 and $12 options.

Art and the meal: In honor of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Degas and the Dance, opening Feb. 12, London Grill (2301 Fairmount Ave., www.londongrill.com) introduces Make an Impression Lunch -- three courses, $24 per person -- and Dinner á la Degas -- three courses, $45. Call 215-978-4545 for details.

Get a clue: If you've got $50 and you're willing to get your hands sticky, Blue Pacific (The Plaza at King of Prussia) will teach you how to make sushi. Call 610-337-3078 to register. Sommelier Marnie Old plans a series of monthly wine dinners, beginning Feb. 9, at Pif (1002 S. Eighth St.), and Monday evening wine classes, starting Feb. 3, at Panorama (Penn's View Hotel, 14 N. Front St.). Visit www.marnieold.com for prices and registration details. Numerous hands-on and demonstration courses are available at Sur La Table (www.surlatable.com) in Marlton, N.J., and the Viking Culinary Arts Center (www.vikingrange.com) in Bryn Mawr.

O’verload: The (relatively) recent opening of Tir Na Nóg Bar & Grill (in The Phoenix, 1600 Arch St., www.tirnanogphilly.com) brings the number of Irish joints in Center City offering traditional music sessions to at least five. Still riding the Celtic wave are the Plough & the Stars (Second and Chestnut, www.ploughstars.com), The Bards (2013 Walnut, www.the-bards.com), The Blarney South (328 South, www.theblarney.com) and Fadó (1500 Locust, www.fadoirishpub.com/ philadelphia.html).

Warm thought for cold days: " [W]e are serious about our drinking, and our drink selection and specials reflect our dedication to intoxication."

--Shawn, locations manager for Tom Drinker's Tavern (124 Market St.), in the newsletter for Drinker's, Lucy's and SoMa