FOOD . What's Cooking

The Week In Eats

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Published: Sep 18, 2007

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Center City Restaurant Week

Sun., Sept. 23-Fri., Sept. 28, $30/person (excluding tax and tip)

Twice a year, swanky Philly restaurants throw open their doors to the hoi polloi, offering $30 three-course Restaurant Week dinner menus. With 108 locations to choose from and discounted parking at many garages, this is your opportunity to impress that Louis Vuitton-toting princess you can't really afford to date. Just don't let her see you filling out the entry form for the Dinner for a Year contest when your server drops the check. Visit www.centercityphila.org for a complete list of participants.

Sly Fox Fresh Firkin

Fri., Sept. 21, noon-10 p.m.

Every third Friday, Sly Fox bartenders tap a spanking-new firkin — basically a mini keg — brimming with seasonal beer. Naturally carbonated and served at cellar temperature, the brew is hand-pumped out of the cask the old-fashioned way for happy guzzling. Sly Fox's Oktoberfest, a coppery lager with a healthy balance of hops and malt, will flow this week. Bail out of work early and raise a pint to your bartender's hot hand-pumping biceps. Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery, 519 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville, 610-935-4540.

Thai Taste Explosions

Wed., Sept. 26, 6-9 p.m., $89

This class will show you how to balance Thai's sweet and sour flavors, with a lesson on creating crispy spring rolls, chicken satay and red curry snapper. You'll also be shown how to make perfectly sticky jasmine rice and advised on where to find the best Thai ingredients. Viking Culinary Arts Center, Suite 100, One Town Place, Bryn Mawr, 610-526-9020, www.vikingcookingschool.com.

Sippin' by the River

Sun., Sept. 23, 1-5 p.m., $40

Swill your way into some good deeds when you drink to benefit the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Reds, whites, beers, gourmet food and cooking demos round out this long-running event. Old City wine-accessories store PINOT (227 Market St.) will shake up signature Pinot-tinis, a chilled blend of vodka and their own Cabernet-based chocolate sauce. There are also tutored tastings and a Wine 101 class led by grape guru Robert Peters. Penn's Landing Festival Pier, Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street, www.sippinbytheriver.com.

Lunch at Alma de Cuba

Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Alma de Cuba is bringing dinner items into the light of day with new lunch hours. Executive Chef Miguel Aguilar has conceived some lunch-only dishes, as well, such as Puerto Rican Pastelon (plantains layered with roasted tomato sauce and ground chicken) and a grilled Cubano sandwich (braised pork, ham and Swiss cheese). Prices for lunch entrées fall in the $10-$14 range. Alma de Cuba, 1623 Walnut St., 215-988-1799.