By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Belle Vie Photography

Ooka’s teppanyaki keeps patrons of all ages entertained during the popular Hibachi show.

The word Ooka (Oh’-kah) means cherry blossom in Japanese-and is a fitting title for one of the region’s most prosperous suburban restaurants. Fine Japanese dining in Montgomery County is here to stay and the buzz around Ooka Montgomeryville-which opened this summer-is palpable and purposeful. Duck consomme, Cajun tuna tataki, roasted Scottish salmon, raw maki, avocado sashimi-Ooka Montgomeryville’s menu reads like a wish list for lovers of sophisticated Asian cuisine.

Owners and brothers Benny and Lenny Huang, along with executive chef Shuji Hiyakawa and manager Skyler Strouth (both formerly of Center City’s Morimoto), have given Montgomeryville one sophisticated dining gem. Ooka restaurant opened in 1997 with a 35-seat fine dining restaurant in Doylestown. Since then, the Huang family has expanded to Willow Grove, Riverside, CA and now Montgomeryville. Benny and Lenny’s success is based on the fact they have relationships with the best seafood vendors in the world. “Because we resource from the world’s best, we try to be as authentic as we can get on the sushi side in the suburban area. Our goal is to offer new ideas and unique variety to our customer but keep our prices fair and reasonable. The variety of sushi and the sake list we offer is superior,” said Benny Huang.
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Todd Zimmerman

The area’s top culinary talent will be on hand at the Wachovia Center for Appetite for Awareness on September 30th.

You’ve probably heard the term ‘gluten-free’ by now, or, most likely know someone who is not able to include gluten in their daily diet. Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that involves intolerance for the protein found in wheat (known as gluten), affects 1 in 133 Americans. And through their annual event, an Ambler-based nonprofit is working to make Philadelphia one of the top cities in America dedicated to raising awareness and education about celiac disease.

Tonight, September 30th, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness will hold its annual Appetite for Awareness: A Gluten-Free Cooking Spree. Top chefs and doctors will be assembled into teams at the Wachovia Center in a challenge to create the best gluten-free dish. Guests will enjoy sampling gluten-free creations from over twenty-five of the area’s preeminent restaurants, gluten-free beer, wine, and products from over fifty of the nation’s finest gluten-free vendors.
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By AML Publisher
Photos by Life Art Imaging

Beckham, a die-hard Phils fan, is the owner of Rittenhouse’s upscale Gastropub, Alfa Bar.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and for Center City restaurant owner and bachelor Joe Beckham, the opportunity came knockin’ in the form of our new summer singles column with AroundMainLine.com. We’ve been putting feelers out with our connections and friends and when Beckham’s name surfaced not once but four times as a top single in the city, we had to give the Wyndmoor native a call. So, we are excited to highlight Beckham as the first eligible and sensational single-in what I know will be a well-received series.

The 36-year-old baby-faced entrepreneur is 6’3”, with brown curly hair, soft blue eyes and a sensational personality to match. Beckham resides in Fairmount but you can find him most Sundays at home having dinner with his family in Ambler-parents, sister and grandmother included. The next lucky lady who gets to wine and dine with Beckham and the ‘rents’ better come prepared for a sophisticated dinner experience. “We are a family who loves conversation. There is nothing idle about our family chitchat. It’s like the McLaughlin Group -my mother will lead the charge on politics and my father on religion. I try to play the devil’s advocate, and my sister is the voice of compassion. Dinner at the Beckham house is not for the faint of heart. You have to know your history, your vocabulary, and your rhetorical skills must be honed. Otherwise you can probably get by if you can do a funny accent that will make us all laugh,” Beckham explained.
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By Kailyn Finnegan
AroundPhilly.com

Chula es Puebla is Philadelphia’s newest Mexican taqueria, whipping up some delicious entrées off an extensive and flavorful menu. Located on 1356 North Second Street, this eatery offers everything from the common Mexican dishes, such as nachos and quesadillas, to the more sophisticated plates such as campechanos and mole poblano. Next time you have a craving for some tasty tacos, sculpted with the freshest ingredients, be sure to grab a few friends and a six-pack of Dos Equis and head over to Que Chula es Puebla for an unforgettable meal.

Whether it’s going green or cutting out the carbs, social trends dictate the lifestyles we lead. For restaurant, XIX (Nineteen) at Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, it’s health-conscious drinks and smoothies that are the buzz. Brazilian Nutritionist, Patricia Teixeira, developed the tasty beverages with the intention to help travelers recover from travel stresses and exhaustion. Each smoothie specifically targets certain areas in the body. Patricia Teixeira’s Healthy Smoothie– made with banana, orange juice, strawberries, mint leaf, soy milk and almonds–was created to reduce heart tension. Try out each smoothie variation for $10.

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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Bernadette Uzcategui

“It's always a great party with fantastic food and sophisticated music. We look forward to it every year,” said Tak Papariello, General Manager of Main Line Land Rover and Jaguar. Pictured are Papariello and Jazz Fest Co-Founder Jennifer Bailer

Call it the ‘sixth’ year itch. Organizers of the annual Main Line Jazz and Food Festival knew this year it was due time to change up the format of their popular June event. The past five years the festival has been held on a Sunday afternoon in early June, along Wayne’s North Wayne Avenue. Jennifer Bailer of Main Line Jaguar and Land Rover, one of the original founders of the festival, said they wanted to change up the approach to keep the party atmosphere fresh. “We had always envisioned an evening event, under the stars with the Jazz Fest. Our sponsors, restaurants and guests’ feedback have confirmed that’s the way to go! Due to the heat and always having it on a Sunday, not being able to stay for the fabulous headliners, it’s now clearly a natural progression,” explained Bailer.

That ‘progression’ has been the talk of the Main Line since word has gotten out all restaurants on North Wayne Avenue will be serving alcohol (and food) outside all day long for the first time ever. North Wayne Avenue will be closed off starting at 7am the day of the event, Saturday June 13th, to allow the dozens of local businesses who are exhibiting to set up. All restaurants located on Wayne’s restaurant row will have tables and dining areas outside starting at 11am, in lieu of the previous five years where patrons were confined to a beer tent. “We’re hoping that holding the festival in the cool of the evening will garner bigger crowds and make performing a little more comfortable for the musicians, too. It helps that township regulations on outdoor dining changed, in our favor, last year. Now the restaurants on the street can put out tables and offer an enticing respite to concert goers,” explained Laura Munich, a local musician who is part of the exciting lineup and a Jazz Fest cofounder. “We’d always hoped to include some evening concerts and are thrilled that everything has come together to allow us to create an evening event. We envision the 100 block of North Wayne Avenue transformed into a European piazza, with bistro tables and umbrellas, friends and neighbors sharing delicious food and conversation under the twinkling lights strung across the street.”
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By K. Kittles/Main Line Meow columnist
Photos by BUP Photography

AML staffer K. Kittles is spearheading Main Line Meow, a new column bringing all the latest suburban business and people news to local desktops. Have a compelling tip for Kittles? Email him at: kittles@aroundmainline.com.

They say curiosity killed the cat. Well, not in my case. Let me introduce myself to the few of you (Main Liners most especially) who do not know me. My name is Kittles, K. Kittles, and I’ve been around these parts for the better half of eleven years. I’m a lucky little feline if you ask me. Besides my brilliant owners being hard core Villanova basketball fans (thus my clever moniker), they are pretty terrific people. Over a decade ago, I was hanging out at a local SPCA shelter waiting for someone to fall head over heels in love with me. At the time, I was still developing my looks and this handsome mug of mine—but I was pretty darn cute at five-months-old. So, a little coercing on my part behind the bars of my cage and a few coy little poses, and before I knew it I was whisked up, kissed an inordinate amount of times and on my way to my new forever and fabulous Main Line home.

Fast forward to today, May of 2009, and I guess you could say I’m a local celeb. There aren’t many people who don’t know me, or recognize my gorgeous green eyes, soft gray and black striped fur or sensational, confident strut. And, after ten years of hitting the streets (and I mean the streets), I pretty much have my paw on the pulse of what’s going on around these suburban Main Line parts.
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By Caitlin Connors
AroundPhilly.com

I don’t know how many of you, dear readers, live in Glen Mills, and therefore, do not know how many of you will be going the grand opening of The Fresh Market. I would hope you read about it on our site and already wrote it in that cute littler planner you bought at Staples to help with your New Year’s resolutions.

The grand opening is going to have an outdoor barbecue (you know, the kind you want to have in the city, but don’t have the money or space for) with professional chefs (you know, the kind you see in the movies but never get to meet because you are not Craig LaBan, who, by the way, I think is a bit overrated), chef demonstrations, free bags of coffee to the first 1000 attendees and food-sampling stations. Oh and ribs. Lots of baby back ribs…

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By AroundPhilly.com Staff Writer

Meme Owner and Chef David Katz

There are two things people wonder about when it comes to Meme.

1) How do I pronounce it?
2) How do I get in?

So let’s get this out of the way. It’s pronounced MAY-may. And you need to enter on 22nd street through the side door; don’t even think about using the corner door that seems so perfect for entering–you’ll be met with stares from diners and your own serious embarrassment.
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Bernadette Uzcategui

Bock beers pair best with sausages, schnitzels and cheeses like Gruyère or a smoky gouda. Beer and cheese parties are all the rage around the Main Line and an innovative way to introduce Bock beers to your friends and family.

I recently sat down with two of the Main Line’s top beer connoisseurs, Matt Guyer and Andy Dickerson, to learn about the fascinating history behind Bock beers. After an afternoon of tasting close to twenty of these intriguing ales, Guyer and Dickerson picked their elite eleven below–with a little input from the Bock beer novice, yours truly! If you are looking for the perfect seasonal lager to enjoy on your back porch on a lazy spring weekend, serve at your très chic beer and cheese cocktail party or pair up with mom’s Wiener Schnitzel, look no further than this great selection below.
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Bernadette Uzcategui

Bock beers were historically brewed by German monasteries during the Lenten season to offer rich nutrients to offset a time of fasting.

Two of my good friends, the Beer Yard’s Matt Guyer and Andy Dickerson, owner of the suburban Belgium sensation Teresa’s Next Door in Wayne, emailed me a few weeks ago to invite me to their upcoming April 19th Bockfest. Andy and Matt are quite the dynamic duo, in more ways than one. They are the nicest guys I know, super knowledgeable and enthusiastic about beer and so much fun to hang out with! So a Monday afternoon invitation to Teresa’s (the restaurant is closed for lunch on Mondays) to learn about Bock beers in anticipation of their event was an offer I simply could not refuse. We chatted, tasted a few samples (ok, about sixteen) and talked about what Bock beers Guyer and Dickerson recommend for the Spring 2009 season.
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