What's Cooking

Get Out!

by Claire Bullen

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If your typical Thursday night consists of sitting at home, listening to Hot Rats and drinking heavily, you need to get out to the Sidecar tonight: Owner Adam Ritter's vinyl Zappa collection will be playing all night long and Zappa-themed food and drink will also be on offer. Try the selection of Zappa beers from California's Lagunitas (who's been releasing brews to coincide with the anniversaries of his album releases), as well as Peaches en Regalia arugula salads and Burnt Weeny Sandwiches. Expect a night of Dirty Love to follow. The Sidecar Bar and Grille, 2201 Christian St., 215-732-3429, thesidecarbar.com.

Unwilling to switch on your oven and turn the kitchen into a sauna this summer? This class, taught by instructor Anna Maria Florio, is one solution to that potentially sweaty problem. Learn to make icy granitas and put together a berry and citrus salad — they're sweet starters requiring no stovetop or oven preparation. La Cucina, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-922-1170, readingterminalmarket.org.

On the last Thursdays of the next three months, Tavern 17 will play host to the SPCA-sponsored Yappy Hour, an affair designed for dogs and their adoring owners. While you indulge in $3 beers and $4 glasses of wine, your canine friend can feast on a Hot Diggity Dog (pre-cut hot dog) or a Bow Wow Cluck (pulled roasted chicken) for $2.50 a pop. Tavern 17, 220 S. 17th St., 215-790-1799, tavern17restaurant.com.

Many home chefs struggle with one of the most basic aspects of cooking: how to properly wield a knife efficiently without inflicting any accidental injuries. Instructor Betty Kaplan will lead a class through the basics of blade skills, starting with how to hold and sharpen a knife and ending with the process of butchering and deboning a whole chicken. Foster's Homeware, 399 Market St., 215-925-0950, shopfosters.com.

This family-friendly outdoor fest, organized by West Chester's Compassion for Animals, Respect for the Environment (CARE), will feature an entirely vegan menu. After some good ol' face painting, exhibits and moon-bouncing, treat yourself to some green bean roll-ups, veggie kabobs with Thai spicy peanut sauce, and, of course, veggie burgers and veggie dogs. Hoopes Park, West Ashbridge Street and Hoopes Park Lane, West Chester, 215-813-2720, care4animals.org.