The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Lauren Fleming

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Published: May 13, 2009

There's no better time to stroll from Fitzwater to Federal than during the annual Italian Market festival. Local vendors will take their products to the streets, enticing the crowd with cheese, fresh meats and cannolis galore. Vendors taking part this year include Anthony's Italian Coffee House, Orlando's Meats, Isgro Pastries and more than 100 other local restaurants and producers. (Right: Mayor Michael Nutter checks out Anastasi Seafood's spread at 2008's Fest.) Apart from the eats, the festival will also have three spots for live entertainment — the Triple Play Sports Stage, Pat's King of Steaks Philly Mix Stage and the Comcast stage. WMGK will broadcast live from the street, with John DeBella in attendance making cheese and serving porchetta. Visit 9thstreetitalianmarketfestival.com for more info.

Take a weekend trip to the Mediterranean by attending the Upper Darby Greek Festival, sponsored by Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. Starting this Thursday, the fest will host an array of vendors offering authentic Greek pastries, wines, beers, food and more; expect traditional treats like moussaka, stuffed grape leaves, tourlou (a baked vegetable dish), pastitsio (Greek pasta layered with beef in a Béchamel sauce), shish kebab and gyros. Also check out live music, church tours and a $10,000 raffle. Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 229 Powell Lane, Upper Darby, 610-352-7212, saint-demetrios.org/festival.dsp.

Bistro 7's chef/owner is coming to Foster's for a free cooking demo this Saturday. O'Halloran is known for creative takes on American bistro cuisine that rely on fresh, local ingredients. Participants will learn some of the chef's secrets and figure out how to plan meals around seasonal produce from the area. The next time you step through Bistro 7's doors, maybe you'll have a little more insight into how that wild Burgundy escargot is prepared. Foster's Urban Homeware, 399 Market St., 215-925-0950, shopfosters.com.

Ever wonder what it's like to have a job that revolves around eating? Ask Inquirer food columnist Rick Nichols, who's inviting you to learn about the food writing profession. Taking place at the La Cucina demo kitchen in the Reading Terminal Market, attendees will gather 'round to hear Nichols share some of his best insights — as well as his favorite foods. Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-922-1170, readingterminalmarket.org.

This Saturday, World Café Live is hosting its second annual Belgian Bierfeesten, where more than three dozen Belgian breweries will offer up samples of their best stuff. Guests can browse from booth to booth, stealing sips ranging from raspberry beer to examples of the country’s famous lambics, which get better with age due to spontaneous fermentation. WCL exec chef Matthew Babbage will cook up food pairings, including mussels in Duchesse De Bourgogne ale and short ribs braised in Lindemans Cassis Lambic. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

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