Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

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Published: Aug 5, 2008

Competition's the soul of our existence. It's what drives a man to yank off his suit and pick up boxing gloves in combat against another (but not if I have to take off my Thom Browne!). It's why a woman will unstrap her heels (again, I'll leave mine on) and try to run harder and faster against another gal. Surely, that's what keeps us glued to the Olympics. And though the Beijing games might show us something fiercer than me in pumps and a swank suit (doubtful), nothing's more cutting than war in the name of foodie-dom. Chefs in a freakish flambé? Diners battling for Restaurant Week discounts? Blood-curdling! Some chow-competitions wind up with niceness for winner and loser — like on last week's Next Food Network Star where winner Aaron McCargo Jr. of Camden got a series (Big Daddy's House) and so did runner-up, Sout' Philly's Adam Gertler, the Smoked Joint co-owner who'll film Will Work for Food. Then there's the savagery of Iron Chef America. Jose Garces is Philly's first warrior-chef to hit Kitchen Stadium. "I was always waiting for my turn and hoping to get that call," says Garces. "It wasn't about raising my profile, but about competing and proving to myself that I

belonged in Kitchen Stadium." The Tinto/Amada owner has a new cookbook in September (Latin Evolution), a new Garces Group office on Strawberry Street and a new restaurant — the very-pink-inside Distrito, at the Hub on 39th Street. Like other Garces spots, Distrito tiptoes the line between traditional and modern. "This enables us to not compromise the initial intent of the cuisine while bringing that same cuisine into a contemporary format," says Garces when I mention how zestily mod his and his pal/chef Tim Spinner's tacos of tongue and kobe beef or his lamp chop are. Garces' fave Distrito meal? "Start with Veracruz red snapper ceviche and crab guacamole, then veal cheek tacos with esquites, then the hamachi taco and finish with the churros." It's not his last meal despite the fact that Aug. 17's Iron Chef finds him battling Bobby Flay. The weapons (ingredients) may be secret, but Garces had a strategy. "Flay's owned Spanish and Tex-Mex restaurants. Those cuisines are similar to what I practice, so my plan was to do what I do best. I felt confident I would do well by focusing on my strengths and sticking to my guns."

► After Conor Oberst wraps it up on the Troc stage downstairs Aug. 11, Needles Jones and Danny Ozark welcome master class hootenanny honeys Kenn Kweder, Moonfire Tower and the Yarrows' Pierce Backes to The Monday Night Club in the Balcony.

► Things you notice walking from Rittenhouse Square to Broad on Walnut: that the high-ceilinged Coffee Bar at the Warwick Hotel (run by the folks at Tavern 17) is open for caffeine-and-booze biz. That Ubiq was releasing the ?uestlove x Nike 1World Air Force 1 sneaker with a meet-and-greet on Tuesday. But who got there in time to get an ultra-rare Gold Toe version, of which only 25 pairs were made?

► So maybe JC Dobbs didn't host a Coldplay rehearsal (it was Chris Martin's opening act Santogold who was there) and maybe its principal booker, Marilou Regan, left her day-to-day responsibilities like I Clogged last week. But how bad can things be if Philly-rockabilly-king Charlie Gracie is playing Dobbs Aug. 9?

► I don't know how or why this got into the Delaware County Times first and who would care anyway but Velvet Revolver might get a new lead singer in ex-Spacehog Royston Langdon. And that's why we love DelCo.

► Psydde Delicious' Corseterie on Liberties Walk hosts Clowntastrophe! Aug. 9 with the clown art of Paul Palcko, some real-life big shoe antics from Mr. Clown, and Pavel the Accordion Player. The dilemma: I hate clowns but love accordions.

► Ze/Vango DJ Lee Jones celebrates his b-day at his Bubble House Sundae as if it's a battle between himself, Dozia, King Britt, Ursula Rucker and Tim Motzer. "It's a Sundae vs. Back2Basic block party," says Jones of the Aug. 10 affair, whose afterparty is at Vango.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Seattle's glass god Dale Chihuly visited the Rosenbach Museum with his wife, Leslie, and son, Jackson, to check out "There's A Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak." He left this quote with the staff. "The exhibition was far more interesting than I was anticipating. It had some of the most marvelous drawings I've ever seen. I only wish I could watch [Maurice Sendak] work." Diplo and his Mad Decent Mausoleum HQ hosted a mammoth bash with Brit dub-breaks boss Skream stopping by. Actor/MC T.I. made the most of his Paper Trail promotion by hitting up the West Philly Community Center on 35th and Haverford for some get-out-the-vote stuff.

► What's better than Metallica with vaginas? Nothing I can think of: Gina Randazzo's Clitallica debuts Aug. 10 at Silk City. There's no place else to be that night.

► Patty Leswing — singer for Robert Fanelli's GetArounds — has been an associate producer at Fresh Air for the past nine years. That is until she accepted a job as producer at Marty Moss-Coane's Radio Times. Air head Terry Gross played the first 40 seconds of the GetArounds' "The Ghost in You" to say bye.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

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