What's Cooking

Get Out!

by Erin Mae Szrankowski

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Slow Food Dinner at Koo Zee Doo
Wed., Dec. 16, 7 p.m., $45 (including tax and tip)

Koo Zee Doo owners Carla Gonçalves and David Gilberg will whip up a five-course feast featuring dishes you'd traditionally find in Portugal during the winter months. Check out Açorda de Cogumelos (bread soup with mushrooms), Peixe Frito com Arroz de Favas (fried whiting with fava rice), Cozido Minhoto (a boiled assortment featuring chicken, sausage, cabbage and potatoes) and more. The dinner is cash-only; mention Slow Food when making your reservation. Koo Zee Doo, 614 N. Second St., 215-923-8080, koozeedoo.com.

XFest
'09 Fri., Dec. 11, 6-9 p.m., $45 ($55 at the door)

Held at the Penn Museum, Xfest will feature seasonal beer treats from breweries in Germany, the U.K., Belgium, Scandinavia and the U.S.; samples are numerous and unlimited (there'll be food, too). Check out options like Weyerbacher Winter, Tröegs Mad Elf, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Jenlain Biere de Noel and more. Tickets can be purchased on the Web for $45 or at the door for $55. Admission is just $15 for designated drivers. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St., phillybeerfests.com.

French Christmas Dinner Menu at Bistrot La Minette
Dec. 16-23, $65 ($100 with wine pairings)

This five-course Christmas menu will pluck you out of the Philly holiday hubbub and drop you into a fire-warmed farmhouse in the French countryside. Dive into Little Shemogue oysters, escargots, terrine of foie gras and venison medallions in a red wine/butter emulsion. For dessert, there's Büche de Noël, the classic yule log cake with vanilla ice cream. Wine pairings are available for an additional charge. Bistrot La Minette, 623 S. Sixth St., 215-925-8000, bistrotlaminette.com.

Radicchio Festival at Reading Rerminal Market
Fri., Dec. 11, 11-11:45 a.m., free

Radicchio di Treviso and Radicchio di Castelfranco are uncommon varieties of the leafy veggie we don't get too often in the U.S., so RTM is celebrating their import by hosting a radicchio cook-off featuring chefs Nunzio Patruno (Nunzio Ristorante Rustico), Andrea Luca Rossi (Cichetteria 19) and Luciana Spurio (Le Virtù). Radicchio samples will be available to shoppers all day at Iovine Brothers Produce. Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-922-2317, readingterminalmarket.org.