"JoseGarces" news and stories

• There's a hot salsa competition in Trolley Square -- and they don't mean dancing.
• Wilmington's annual St. Hedwig's Polish Festival is all about the pierogi.
• Which restaurant got the highest Zagat rating this year?
• Iron Chef Jose Garces's fame has spread far beyond Philadelphia.

It took a transpacific flight, but finally last night, "The Next Iron Chef" deviated from its status as a "Top Chef" also-ran and finally started getting ... weird. Or maybe it was just the goofy opening montage of our four remaining cheftestants standing in the busy rain-slicked streets of Tokyo, crossing their arms in slo-mo and acting all alpha-dog dominant.

In any event, the show is finally getting down to its high-stakes, high-drama Japanese roots after an extended period of trumped-up, low-stakes challenges in Los Angeles. Our trio of alternately grumpy and spunky judges have come along for the ride, and eyebrow-cocking "Chairman" Marc Dacascos is no longer beamed in via satellite to bark oblique commands to the chefs -- now he can do so in person!

This week's mission was the pursuit of umami, the Japanese concept of a so-called fifth flavor -- something beyond savory -- that seems to be everywhere these days. The word was mentioned about a zillion times in the course of last night's episode, and -- surprise! -- it just happens to be the current marketing catchphrase of "TNIC" sponsor Kikkoman, whose umpteen varieties of soy sauce were littered around the challenge kitchen. The umami theme also allowed host Alton Brown a moment to do what he does best: Explain all the geeky details of how soy sauce is made.

That food chemistry lesson out of the way, it was up to our remaining pro chefs to get down to the flavor at hand, a challenge made all the more confusing in the Hattori Nutrition College kitchen, replete with weird can openers, stoves operating in celcius and ice cream makers that seemed to deep-freeze their wares to a glacier-like consistency. Asked to fill five spots of a bento box each with a different rice-based dish, the foursome didn't need to engage in the usual reality-show sabotage -- the people who arranged the kitchen seemed to do that for them.

• Just in time for Valentine's Day, dishes that serve two are popping up at restaurants all over town.
• Is the Hershey's Kiss over-exposed? Rick Nichols explores the puckery chocolate smack.
• The Market Basket is overflowing with Burnt Caramel Almonds, hand-painted teapots and reduced fat potato chips.
• Perfect for these chilly winter days, a basic bean soup that can be spruced up four different ways.
  
• Tips on cooking beans from scratch (and some advice on how to avoid the resulting gas).
• Jose Garces is opening his latest spot this week, called Chifa, it will call 707 Chestnut Street home.
  
• The Rush Hour Gourmet dish of pistachio-encrusted turkey burgers started out as a mistake and then turned into a happy accident.

• Rosh Hashanah starts on a Monday this year, which means it could be a bit challenging for working folks to get a festive meal on the table. Try some of these do-ahead tips to make your holiday run smoothly.
• Jose Garces and Marc Vetri are inspiring a new wave of chefs in Philadelphia and making their mark with multiple restaurants and now, new cookbooks.
• Marc Vetri has worked to bring true Italian cooking to a town that has thrived on red sauce and meatballs for years.
• Iron Chef winner Jose Garces has made latino food cool in a city that was ready for a break from French and Italian cuisines.
• This week, you'll find a mortar and pestle, Annie's cucumber yogurt salad dressing and square, Moroccan-style dishes in the Market Basket.
• The Rush Hour Gourmet is cooking up Sauteed Scallops With Honey-Onion Chutney.
• Rick Nichols checks out the Oktoberfest menu at the City Tavern and ponders the dearth of German restaurants in a city that was home to the first German settlement in the New World.

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• Cynthia Wahl imports teas, but she's not a purveyor, she's a tea sommelier and she wants Americans to eschew the bag for loose leaf.
• If you want to give up the tea bag, here are some local spots to buy loose leaves, a primer on how to brew your new tea and a piece about Japanese tea ceremonies.
• Le Bec Fin, the restaurant widely acknowledged to have started Philadelphia's restaurant revolution in the early 1970s, is remodeling.
• Maria Yagoda takes us on a tour of University of Pennsylvania lunch trucks, and admits that it's better eating in the summertime, when the lines aren't so long.
• In 'Good Tastes' Karen Heller briefly reviews Jose Garces' newest spot, Distrito, and calls it a winner.