Small Bites
Little Vittles
Lack of space is a major roadblock for city dwellers looking to dip into home gardening. But green-thumbed residents know how to make it work — especially California's do-gooder Ben Swett and his team at Windowbox. The company offers three-packs of Windowbox Wonders sturdy heirloom tomato plants — including varieties like Stupice, Oregon Spring, Principe Borghese and Peacevine Cherry — all of which can be grown successfully in tiny places. Swett's idiot-proof measures, outlined in a how-to guide (arrives with the plants), help ensure that the low-maintenance seedlings will reap multiple healthy crops. Well, shoot — who wants gazpacho? Available at www.windowbox.com. —Amy Strauss
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Forget Bubbie's stale schnecken from last week's oneg: One bite of the chocolate chip rugalah at Steve Stein's Famous Deli (9359A Krewstown Road, 215-673-6000, www.ssfamousdeli.com) will assail you with a dose of intense choco ecstasy. These luscious golden-brown pastry spirals are lightly dusted with sugar out the outside and packed with loads of sweet chips on the inside. To be honest, no English (or Yiddish) words can fully describe their awesomeness, so just take a bite and enjoy. —James Saul
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In honor of its 10th anniversary (and warm weather), Brasserie Perrier (1619 Walnut St., 215-568-3000) wants to fill your summer Sundays with three-course goodness. The $33 prix fixe menu offers appetizers like seafood soup garnished with bay scallops and housemade cavatelli with tomato and pancetta. Follow up with sautéed Scottish salmon with Lyonnais potatoes or grilled chicken paillard with Parmesan risotto, and you'll forget about the existence of January. Did we mention it's also BYOB night? Cheers, sunkissed friend. —Monica Weymouth
Occasionally, good things come to the strip-mall-savvy. Tucked deep away in the Huntington Valley Shopping Center, White Elephant Cuisine de Thailande (759 Huntington Pike, 215-663-1495, www.whiteelephant.us) offers a $8.95 three-course lunch menu that beats the posh pants off your average Rittenhouse money pit. Lemongrass soup and tender satay with peanut dipping sauce get you started at this surprisingly elegant BYO; piles of drunken noodle, pad Thai and veggie green curry hit the table as main courses. If you dare, stop back for dinner and sit down with the "Evil Jungle Princes," a seriously spicy sautéed chicken. —MW
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While it probably won't pair well with peanut butter, Wills Valley Farm's one-of-a-kind concoction is just as tempting. After being burdened with a waterlogged crop of, um, watermelon last year, owners Tim and Anne Bock realized that they couldn't sell melons that kept splitting apart. So they decided to extract the seeds, turn the pulp into mush and add sugar and pectin. The rest — jelly history. Whoever said toast was boring obviously never spread this onto their multigrain. Available at the Swarthmore and Phoenixille Saturday farmers markets and at www.willsvalley.com.—Kelly White
Multiple-choice question: Is Philomel's season-ending June 3 event A) a musical happening; B) a food event; or C) a historic house tour? All of the above, actually. The venerable baroque ensemble will present a nice old-fashioned salon in a Wash West townhome (the Franklin Inn Club at 205 S. Camac St.), beginning with a light buffet and wine at 6 p.m. before segueing into a parade of delicious tunes from Handel, Bach, Vivaldi and Purcell. This combo is actually quite authentic, since coffee houses were popular places to trot out new tunes in the 18th century. There will, however, be one welcome modern touch: air conditioning. Call 215-487-2344 or visit www.philomel.org for more information. —Peter Burwasser
Also In This Week's Food Section
Roll Calling
Feeding Frenzy
You Ask We Answer
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