?uestlove hosts private cook-off Sunday

Roots leader Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and 25 invited guests will judge the cooking contest he launched recently, at a Sunday dinner at Vintage (129 S. 13th). 

Nine chefs will compete for the job of cooking for the Roots backstage at the group's annual Roots Picnic festival June 4 at the Festival Pier. 

The chefs will have one hour to shop for ingredients at Whole Foods (10th & South) and then three hours to prep their five-course meals.  

Chef Jennifer Zavala, a former "Top Chef" contestant and alum of El Camino Real, will compete, along with local chefs Eric Paraskevas of Terra (243 S. Camac), Kenny Bush, Scott Shroeder, Clara Park, Anthony Leo, Brian Tucker, New York's Elita B and Nick Wilson of Fitchburg, MA. 

?uestlove will be Tweeting the event live Sunday. He's @Questlove and is followed by more than 1.5 million people. @Cook4Quest will also be tweeting the event.

An Evening of Song with Tonia Tecce!

 

On April 1st, The Kimmel Center will be presenting An Evening of Song with Tonia Tecce Featuring A Special Tribute To Florence Berggren By Metropolitan Opera Star Diana Soviero & Temple University’s Boyer College Jazz Trio and Special Guest Perelman Theater will be presented at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts!

All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Florence Berggren Voice Scholarship Fund at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance

What: Various Performances

Were: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

When: April 1, 8-10 pm

Cost: $35.00

Hamlet -- Now Playing!

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre tackles Hamlet with panache, running now until May 15.
One of the world’s greatest tragedies penned by the world’s greatest bard, Hamlet is presented in Philadelphia in a way that it hasn’t been in hundreds of years: the title role is played by a woman.
Those who read Shakespeare in high school (or at least saw Shakespeare in Love) know that Shakespeare was no stranger to gender-bending: during his time, all of his characters regardless of gender were played by men. Director Carmen Kahn decided to cast a female to play the Danish Prince as a comment on the universality of the role.

Hamlet tells the tale of Prince Hamlet seeking vengeance for his father’s death at his uncle’s hand, the same uncle who recently wed Hamlet’s mother. This production focuses on the concept that “Hamlet is me” — the fact that we can all recognize a piece of ourselves in Hamlet.


This season at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, Hamlet is presented in repertory with As You Like It, providing a pleasant balance between tragedy and comedy.

Tickets are available online or by calling the box office at 215-496-8001.

Hamlet
When: Now until May 15
Where: The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom Street
Cost: Tickets are $20-$35, with student tickets available for $20
More info: www.phillyshakespeare.org

Want two tickets to the Phillies' Opening Day?

Well it's easy!


In honor of the much-missed partnership, Tastykake is running a “Phan Phrenzy” promotion:
1) Get a friend to “like” the Tastykake Facebook page as a new fan;
2) Ask that friend to then post on the Tastykake fan page wall, mentioning that YOU sent them;
3) You’ll both be entered to win two tickets to Opening Day!

You have until Wednesday, March 30 at 5 p.m. to enter.

Ritz Carlton is going lights out!

The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia and its restaurant 10 Arts Bistro & Lounge are holding a “Lights Out for Global Earth Hour” event, tomorrow, March 26 from 8:30-9:30 p.m.


Earth Hour, a growing global movement organized by World Wildlife Fund, challenges households and businesses to turn off non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour, in order to raise awareness for climate change.

Accordingly, the Ritz-Carlton is planning to turn off much of its lighting during Earth Hour (keeping within a level of safety). That means the hotel will turn off all exterior lighting and all non-essential public area lighting. As far as guest rooms, the hotel is leaving that up to the individual guests’ willingness to participate.
Lights will also be dimmed at 10 Arts, and during this special hour, guests will be invited to sip on a specialty cocktail in honor of the movement. The cocktail is, fittingly, called “In the Dark”: Finlandia Lime, muddled organic mint and lime, splash of Sprite ($8.30).

During last year’s Earth Hour (it was founded in 2008), a record 128 countries and territories joined in on the global display, including iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
You can participate in Earth Hour Philadelphia in your own home, of course. Click here for 10 ideas on how to spend the hour of darkness productively.

Lights Out for Global Earth Hour
Where: The Ritz-Carlton and 10 Arts, 10 Avenue of the Arts
When: Saturday, March 26, 8:30-9:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
More info: www.earthhour.org

Scrapple!

Love it or hate it, Scrapple is the quintessential Pennsylvania breakfast treat. Celebrate all things Scrapple at Scrapplefest! at Reading Terminal Market on Saturday, March 26th from 10 am to 4 pm. Local Scrapple brands will sample their products, chefs will prepare an assortment of scrapple dishes, and a panel of local celebrities will judge the best Scrapple dish in Reading Terminal Market.

Let Me Down Easy now playing!

Philadelphia Theatre Company continues its 35th anniversary season with the Philadelphia debut of acclaimed playwright and actress, Anna Deavere Smith, in her award-winning show Let Me Down Easy, beginning this Friday, March 18 through April 10 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.

Conceived, written, and performed by Smith, Let Me Down Easy is a virtuosic and moving exploration into the power of the human body, the price of health and the resilience of the spirit.

Based on more than 300 interviews Smith conducted with an eclectic mix of individuals on three continents, the show portrays the stories of more than 20 people as Smith takes an honest and deeply moving look at issues surrounding contemporary health care.

Let Me Down Easy blends Smith’s trademark journalistic precision and poignancy with theatrical art, social commentary and intimate reverie that make this performance one you won’t want to miss.
Tickets are available online.

Let Me Down Easy
When: March 18-April 10
Where: Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street
Cost: Tickets range from $25-59
More info: www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

Free food coming to Philly!

Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar (137 S. Seventh St., inside the Curtis Center) is starting a restaurant industry night on the third Monday of each month. It's applying the term "industry night" a tad loosely, shall I say, as GM Alex Bokulich is opening this event to anyone who works in or patronizes restaurants. Yes, open to everyone. Chef Ben Martin will put out comp food from 7 to 8 p.m. along with drink specials until closing at 2 a.m. The launch event this Monday (March 21) will include free roasted hog on Weck sandwiches, that Buffalo-area treat. After 8 p.m., the sammies will sell for $5 each. Martin is roasting a 75-pound hog and basting it with Rogue’s Bourbon Barrel-aged John John Dead Guy Ale.

102.9 WMGK Classic Rock Art Show & Sale TODAY!

The 11th Annual 102.9 WMGK Classic Rock Art Show & Sale comes to Suburban Square. This year's event features the largest collection of pieces in the show's history. Fans will be able to view and purchase photographs, paintings and drawings featuring a vast array of classic rock artists. Proceeds from this year's event will benefit Little Steven Van Zandt's Rock N Roll Forever Foundation

What: Art Show; Benefits; Pop; Rock
Where: Suburban Square Anderson Ave. Ardmore, PA 19003
When: Now until 7 p.m.
Cost: Free!

See The Saw Doctors Tonight!

Ever since opening for the Waterboys in 1988, The Saw Doctors have emerged as the most successful Irish rock band since U2. The Washington Post referred to The Saw Doctors as "one of the world's most appealing roots-rock outfits." Come see them TONIGHT, March 17th, at TLA! More info below

Who: The Saw Doctors
What: Concert Performance
Where: The Theater of the Living Arts (TLA), 334 South St
When: Thursday, March 17th at 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $30 advance; $33 day of show

Lookin' Pale?

This Saturday at ALL Hollywood Tans!


Find one near you here!

Star Chefs To Offer Free Coking Demonstrations Daily At The Philly Flower Show!

At this year’s “Springtime in Paris” themed Philadelphia International Flower Show, it won’t just be a gorgeous array of flowers transfixing attendees. Tying into this year’s theme, the Flower Show will also be featuring an international array of food and wine.
Free live cooking demonstrations will be given daily by the best chefs of the region, including:
• Pastry Chef Cedric Barbaret of Le Bec Fin
• Chef Daniel Stern of R2L
• Chef Peter Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette
• Chef Jason Goodman of PARC Brasserie
• Chef Guillermo Tellez of Square 1682
• Jean-Marie Lacroix himself of Lacroix
A demo will be held three times a day in Room 204C of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Click here for a complete schedule.
Plus: a trip to Paris just isn’t complete without a glass of wine. With this in mind, the PA Wine & Spirits Store will once again be hosting free wine tastings daily, highlighting a variety of wines from the world’s finest makers, including (appropriately) the vineyards of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine tastings will take place in the Grand Hall, located down the Concourse from the cooking demonstrations, on Sundays 1-4 p.m. and Monday through Saturday, 2-7 p.m.
2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets
When: March 6-13
Cost: Adults $25, Students $20, Children $15
More info: www.theflowershow.com

Mary Poppins soars into Philly later this month!

Mary Poppins herself soars into the Academy of Music from March 23 to April 17 as the next production in the Kimmel Center’s Broadway Series.

The adventures of the Banks children, the practically perfect Mary Poppins and a genial chimney sweep named Bert have enchanted audiences since the iconic Walt Disney film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke was released in 1964. The stage production opened on the West End and then Broadway to critical and commercial success.

Now, Mary Poppins comes to Philadelphia for a spell, singing songs such as “Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” and of course, the delightful “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
The show has been described as a “roof raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza,” sweeping up 25 major theatre awards around the globe.

Tickets are available online, by phone at (215) 731-3333, or in person at the Kimmel Center box office.

Mary Poppins
When: March 23-April 17
Where: The Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Streets
Cost: Tickets range from $25-$150
More info: www.kimmelcenter.org

Ella comes to Philly!

Celebrate the “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald when the highly-acclaimed musical ELLA comes to Philadelphia for a limited engagement, March 22-27 at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Featuring more than 24 hit songs, ELLA takes audience members on a stylish and sophisticated journey through the life of one of the greatest jazz singers of the 20th century. In her lifetime, Fitzgerald won 13 Grammy® Awards and sold over 40 million albums.

Broadway veteran Tina Fabrique captures the exuberance of the famed singer, performing memorable tunes like “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” “That Old Black Magic,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” The production follows Fitzgerald and her accompanying musicians and manager over a rehearsal and performance of one of the most pivotal concerts of her career, set in Nice, France, in 1966, when Fitzgerald was 51 years old.

Cool note: ELLA marks the first time the Annenberg Center has presented a musical as part of its theater series. Tickets are available online.

ELLA
When: March 22-27
Where: Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street
Cost: Tickets range from $20-$50
More info: www.pennpresents.org

Oyster House Hosts Its 2nd annual shucking contest!

On Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m., the popular center city bar and restaurant will be hosting its second annual Shucking Contest. Professional and amateur oyster shuckers from around the Philadelphia region will compete for huge cash prizes.

With $5 admission, you can watch the contest and enjoy the fruits of the competitors’ labor as shucked oysters are passed around the place between heats. Spectators will also have full access to Oyster House’s bar and a special firkin of a local craft beer (on a pay-as-you-go basis).

Where: 1516 Sansom Street
When: Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m.
Cost: $5
More info: www.oysterhousephilly.com