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Last weekend, a bunch of my family got together down in my home stomping grounds of Harford County, Maryland. Yes ma’am, we ate crabs — but we were also able to throw together a starter version of my favorite summer treats: halo-halo (hah-low hah-low), a Filipino dessert that consists of shaved ice and condensed/evaporated milk mixed in with any number of sweet, fruity-ish bits, from papaya, plantains and kiwi to ice cream, tapioca, flan, yam, mung and kidney beans and pretty much anything else you can imagine.

The only place in the city where you can get halo-halo currently is Manila Bay up in the Northeast. While we highly suggest you get up there, you should also follow the jump to learn how you can piece together a simple version at home.

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Just heard that Stephen Starr’s Parc — A.D. Amorosi interviewed the man himself about the Rittenhouse Frenchie back in July — will roll out breakfast, potentially within the next month. (Right now, they do lunch, brunch and dinner.) A logical and welcome development, given the restaurant’s bistrofied airs and the cutthroat popularity of its outdoor tables.

In classic SRO style, details are scarce, but we’ll share more as we get it.

Aaron Moselle has put together a great roundup of happenings at this year’s GreenFest, from eco-y fashion shows to a lady who will give your kids organic henna tattoos. But here’s a reminder that yours truly will be joining Kate Jacoby of Horizons and Brett Mapp of Whole Foods to judge the Sweet Green Organic Pastry and Dessert Contest, going down this Sun., Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. at Second and South.

I will try my best to avoid dropping my usual constructive criticisms, two of the most common being “not enough butter” and “more bacon.”

Check out the full details here.

See you Sunday!

Oysters in Portland, OR

Photo | Drew Lazor

Every Wednesday, we poke around the food blog world to see what’s simmering.

- Let’s just get this shameless self-promotion bit out of the way up front: Read my eatin’ travelogue of Portland, Oregon.

- Michael Dolich of Philly’s Four Worlds Bakery shares an exhaustive list of every ingredient he uses for every one of his bready treats. Check citypaper.net/food later today for my profile of this mystical dough wrangler.

- Food Girl Friday Kelly White checks out the veggie options at the brand-new Privé in Old City. (We told you about it here, remember?)

- Frequent CP food contributor Amy Strauss has started her own blog: Apples and Cheese, Please. It’s named after her Top 5 from October 2007.

- After a blogging hiatus, Wild Thyme Kitchen is back, reminding us that Ramadan is just as much about the grub as it is about the fast.

- Hot Knives guarantees I’ll try their balla’naise recipe with this gem of a lead: “Talk about mangia, mangia, mangia, mannnn. On a recent herby Sunday
afternoon, we popped a bomber of ale and picked some fresh basil and
got the hankering for a sloppy trough of pasta.”

- beXnlog takes a “mega Pick Your Own” trip to Highland Orchards in West Chester and shows us how to make jam!

Photo | Drew Lazor

In November of last year, Nick Norlen interviewed Anthony Bourdain in support of a reading appearance at the Free Library. The No Reservations star was his usual blustery self when questioned about the relevance of Philly as a great food city (”My first impression was that W.C. Fields was right — the place was fucking closed”). But one quote in particular jumped out and stuck with me — Bourdain’s declaration that Portland, Oregon possessed “the greatest chef culture in the country.”

Ever since then, Portland’s been high on my list of culinary destinations. My girlfriend Michelle and I finally decided to take the PacWest plunge in late August, spending a week eating and drinking everything we could get our grimy East Coast paws on.

Is it really the greatest chef’s city in the nation? I’ve never been one for blanket superlatives — but I strongly suggest you book some plane tickets right now.

Thoughts and pictures after the jump.

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Bar 210, the new feature at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse that we first reported here, will make its official debut later this month. Official-sounding details after the jump.

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“The latest fast-food concept is so absurdly simple, self-indulgent and reflective of one’s inner child that, well, how can it fail?”

That quote, from USA Today’s Jerry Shriver, appears on the Web site of Cereality, the national cereal bar chain that opened at 3631 Walnut St. in the fall of 2004.

Call the number, though (215-222-1162), and a prerecorded message informs you that the West Philly branch is no longer open for business.

But how could it fail?!

1. THEY SERVED NOTHING BUT CEREAL

2. See above

The Penn State location (the brand’s owned by Kahala Corp., which also owns Cold Stone Creamery) bid adieu this summer, too.

We will now have to delete the “Cereal” category in our restaurant database.

Thanks to crit Trey Popp for the tip.

Want to buy a book from Philly’s Latin Emeril? Want to hang with the man who just slammed a can of whoop-ass (a nicely laminated can touched by notes of chocolate and thyme) on Bobby Flay so to win Iron Chef America two weeks ago?

Just in time for National Spanish Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) comes Chef Jose Garces‘ first cookbook, Latin Evolution, with a muoy special luncheon with Garces on Saturday, September 20, at 12 noon. For $85, you can can hang with Chef Garces at his Amada (217-219 Chestnut Street, 215-625-2450), and nosh on dishes prepared by Garces and included in the book. Plus, you’ll get a copy of Latin Evolution that he’ll sign before he hits you with that gorgeous can.

You’ll need a reservation. But check what you’ll get:

*Amada’s homemade sangria

*Ceviche de Salmon, ivory king salmon with mustard cream, mint and orange 

*Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with cucumber salad and crispy yellow tomato chips

*Olive Oil Poached Halibut with chorizo croquettes and saffron emulsion

*Madre e Hijo, sous vide truffled hen breast with fried egg, rosemary fingerling potatoes and truffled chicken jus;  *Ceviche de Alcachofas, confit artichoke with smoked marcona almond powder; 

*Crema Catalana, vanilla custard with frozen strawberry gelee, sangria reduction, almond and cocoa nib praline, canella sticks and Grand Marnier whipped cream.

*the book

Do this, dummy

Hi, folks. So I’m still technically on vacation, but I just couldn’t stay away any longer. (Check back later this week for my full report on all the eating and drinking I did out here in Portland, Oregon.)

You might remember the springtime uberdrama surrounding the head chef position at Jason and Delphine Evenchik’s Time. Now comes word of a new face behind the line: Josh McCullough, an old coworker of Jason’s from his days at Le Bec-Fin.

McCullough, who’s been running the ship for about a month now, left LBF to open Gayle with Daniel Stern and later landed at Blackfish out in Conshy. He most recently ran a Main Line-based private chef service called Five Star Gourmet.

Former Time chef Keith Murphy, who originated at the Evenchiks’ Vintage, is relocating to New Hampshire, says Jason.

The new menu isn’t on Time’s Web site just y