What's Cooking

Get Out!

by Claire Bullen

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For the third year in a row, University City restaurants are teaming up to offer diners inexpensive prix fixe menus in three different price brackets. With 21 participants, the choices are diverse. For $15, hit up Vietnam Café or Marathon Grill; shell out $25 to pay a visit to Bubble House or World Café Live; or spend $30 to choose from restaurants like Pod, White Dog Café and Marigold Kitchen. Various locations, 215-243-0555, ucityphila.org/diningdays.

Chestnut Hill is closing down a block of East Highland Avenue for this Christmas-in-July-themed block party. The Restaurant Association of Chestnut Hill will provide hot dogs, hamburgers and other grilled meats, and, in addition to ice cream, it's rumored that Christmas cookies will appear. Beer and wine will be available for adults; kids can converse with a Hawaiian shirt-clad Santa Claus. East Highland Avenue (corner of Germantown and Highland avenues), Chestnut Hill, 215-247-6696, chestnuthillpa.com.

If you always thought the primate house would be more entertaining with a buzz going, Brew at the Zoo is for you. Tables will be scattered all across the zoo grounds, representing breweries like Dock Street, Philadelphia Brewing Co. and Magic Hat. There's no limit to how much ale you can sample, and Sessano Café and Deli will provide sandwiches for roving attendees. All proceeds go to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave., 888-317-8633, umdf.org/batzphiladelphia.

For this promo, Old City's finest are providing their own interpretations of the classic "surf and turf" combination. At Amada, the theme is given a tapas-style makeover with grilled prawns a la planxa and beef brochettes. Campo's and Philadelphia Fish & Co. are doing cheesesteaks, but also consider some of the more adventurous options, like Tin Angel's marinated buffalo and shrimp kabobs served with papaya rice pilaf. Various locations, oldcitydistrict.org/DelicaciesUnite.php.

Visitors will meet at Brazilian steakhouse Chima before taking a trolley bus through Center City to gawk at Philly's most famous murals (an experience that can only be improved with a glass or two of Champagne). After an hourlong excursion, the vehicle will return to Chima, where there'll be Brazilian hors d'oeuvres and caipirinhas aplenty. Chima, 1901 JFK Blvd., 215-685-0754, muralarts.org/events.