What, you didn’t know that wild rice grows in New Jersey? Me neither. But our friends over the bridge at Flying Fish are apparently up on their wild rice trivia, as they just released this new double IPA made from 1,200 pounds of wild, brown, and white rice. Named for the Turnpike exit in the Meadowlands, an area where zizana aquatica rice can be found, Exit 16 is a follow up to the brewery’s Exit 4 American Trippel (the first in the Exit series, and the one that got MADD all up in arms over connecting drinking to driving), Exit 11 Hoppy American Wheat, and Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout. It was going to debut at McGillin’s last week, but thanks to the big hubbub over “unregistered” beers, they had to wait until Monday so that their paperwork was all square with the kindly folks at the LCB. You can grab a glass of the 8.2% brew at McGillin’s (1310 Drury Street) or the Swift Half, or tonight at the Standard Tap, when Flying Fish brewer Casey Hughes will tap a firkin at 6 p.m.

For the professional concierge, making reservations is a true art form. My rules of thumb: Know the best times to make the call (2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. during the week); know when not to (steer clear of the 4 p.m. team meeting and the 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. dinner rush); know which gatekeepers to forge relationships with; and have an understanding of how the all-important cancellation list can work in your favor.

Here’s a peek inside my own Little Black Book (actually, it’s a little Blackberry) for my best contacts.

Amis
Telephones: Answered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Contacts: Lindsey, who often picks up the phone, is establishing herself as one of the city’s most influential gatekeepers. Greg answers often, as does Ben (GM).
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Taken one month to the day
Tip: I suggest calling before trying to book online. Amis sets aside tables you won’t be able to land via OpenTable.

James
Telephones: Answered from noon to 10 p.m. weekdays; noon till 11 p.m. on weekends (closed Mondays)
Contact: The James crew is helpful, especially Kelly, a manager who is well versed in the reservation book.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted three weeks in advance
Tip: Last-minute cancellations occur on weekends. Walk-ins may luck out with a prime-time table.

Chops (Center City location)
Telephones: Answered from 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, and 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday
Contacts: Alex, the managing partner, is The Man at Chops. Karen (event coordinator) is very helpful, too.
Cancellation List: No
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted anytime in advance
Tip: Try calling between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. during the week, a slower period at Chops.

Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
Telephones: Always answered, even by the front desk during overnight hours
Contacts: Four hosts and several managers; Jill (weekday host) is a wonderful resource.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted one year in advance
Tip: Lacroix makes confirmation calls 48 hours prior to a booking, so try phoning Thursday afternoon if you’re suddenly thinking about dinner there on Saturday night.

Amada
Telephones: Answered every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Contacts: Ashley is a favorite go-to person of mine; also Emily during the weekday shift and Gina at various evening shifts. A slew of managers and hosts are constantly staffing the phones.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted two years in advance
Tip: Lunchtime (believe it or not) is actually a good time to call; the restaurant dedicates a staffer to grab phone lines during the 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. time period.

10 Arts
Telephones: Answered from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 7 a.m. to noon Sunday
Contacts: Elizabeth, a weekday hostess, is a charming representative for 10 Arts. All other hosts and managers seem to get real joy from assisting callers, too.
Cancellation List: No
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted two months in advance
Tip: For human contact, don’t call too early, too late, or during lunch/dinner — you’ll probably get transferred to a voice mailbox.

Buddakan
Telephones: Answered weekdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday
Contacts: Alexis and Dina Marie both work Monday through Friday daytime shifts; they’re two of the most notable gatekeepers in Philly.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted two months in advance
Tip: Be nice to this crew and they will be your best advocate for that hard-to-get table.

Blackfish
Contact: Michael (GM) answers often.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted two weeks in advance; three weeks out for larger parties
Tip: Note those maximum reservation times above, and heed them — this one can be a tough weekend table to land.

Blackbird
Telephones: Answered Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday (closed Monday)
Contacts: Owner Alex Capasso holds the reins.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: blackbirdnj.com
Reservations: Accepted six months in advance
Tip: When the place is booked, I occasionally get lucky by going through the Blackbird website with my reservation.

R2L
Telephones: Answered weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays (closed Sunday)
Contacts: Lila is the ever-friendly reservations manager. Alison, her coworker, is also helpful, as is the rest of the staff.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Accepted one month in advance
Tip: If fully booked, try dining in the lounge. The full menu is served there, and the views are as tasty as the food.

Savona
Telephones: Answered from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends
Contacts: Whitney works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week; Libby also answers the phones often. Both are super sweet.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Tip: When the weather’s nice and if the restaurant is booked inside, ask for an outdoor patio table. It’s a pleasant area and there’s usually less of a wait.

Nectar
Telephones:Answered 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week and on Saturdays and noon till 9 p.m. on Sundays
Contact: Henry is a long-running resource at this popular eatery.
Cancellation List: Yes
Online Resource: opentable.com
Reservations: Can be made anytime
Tip: Ask if owner Scott Morrison and say hello. No one is as consummate a host as he.

Ken Alan is Vice President of Concierge Services for BPG Properties, and he is a founding member of the Philadelphia Concierge Association. His motto is: Nothing is Impossible. Impossible simply takes a few more phone calls.

The journey began more than a quarter century ago with a down-home neighborhood pub called Platzer’s in the Poconos. When the first P.J. Whelihan’s opened in Allentown in 1994, a small empire was born. Today, the P.J. Whelihan’s Restaurant Group — headquartered in Haddonfield — has more than a dozen locations from the mountains all the way down to the South Jersey. P.J.’s has become so popular, in fact, that their chicken wings are the official extremity of that most hallowed institution: Wing Bowl.

But owner and founder Robert Platz and his staff weren’t happy representing only the messy wing/cold beer crowd (of which I am proudly a member). The past decade has seen the PJW crew expand their small but burgeoning empire to most corners of the American food scene. The Chophouse, in Gibbsboro, is an upscale steak and seafood joint opened in 2002 that has become extremely popular with Philly athletes who call the Jersey ‘burbs home. Westmont’s The Pour House, with 18 craft beers on draft (and 125 more by the bottle), is what PJW’s chief operating officer Jim Friss calls “a better beer bar.” And most recently, late last year, Treno opened in Haddon Township as a pizza, wine, and pasta bar. There are more than 30 wines that can be ordered by the glass or the bottle, with options for both the lowbrow drinker and the more refined palate. The pizza ranges from familiar — house-made sausage and peppers — to experimental — a fig pizza with prosciutto and gorgonzola, apple pie with bacon and onion.

Of course, P.J. Whelihan’s, with 13 locations in the area, is still the big grosser, according to Platz. While the last decade has seen the PJW Group grow exponentially, the recent economic downturn has convinced them to stick to their roots: Friss says any new ideas are currently on hold, but they are exploring the possibility of opening another P.J.’s or two.

P.J. Whelihan’s, 13 Locations in the region; pjspub.com.
The Chophouse, 4 Lakeview Drive South, Gibbsboro, NJ. 856-566-7300.
The Pour House, 124 Haddon Avenue, Westmont NJ. 856-869-4600.
Treno, 233 Haddon Avenue, Haddon Township, NJ. 856-833-9233.

Not very long ago we mourned the loss of chef Erin O’Shea at beloved foodie haunt Marigold Kitchen. O’Shea and restaurateur/owner Steve Cook pulled out of the West Philly BYOB to open Percy Street Barbecue on South Street. And now, even more changes in the Cook Empire, but this time at Xochitl. Gone is chef Dionicio Jimenez, who will be cooking at Stephen Starr’s unnamed Mexican restaurant at 20th and Chestnut. In his place is chef Lucio Palazzo (who has cooked at Zahav and was most recently the sous chef at Percy Street), and a more casual, small plates menu of tacos and tortas.

The space, too, is different. The removal of the wall that separated the bar from the main dining room has opened up the tiny spot — a change we can get behind. The lively bar and its must-order margaritas now seem to be Xochitl’s strong suit. In fact, the two new happy hours — a daily HH from 5 to 7 p.m., and a late night one on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays — boast some of the most enticing bar deals in the city, including those margaritas for $5 and the $6 “Guero Special” (a shot of tequila and a can of Tecate).

The new menu, however, at this early stage, falls flat. The baja tacos, with mahi mahi and fresh pineapple and avocado, were light and refreshing, but also tired and uninspired. And the flank steak in the falda de res torta was so tough that as we struggled to eat it, the table across from us gave up and sent it back. Thankfully, the much praised mixed grill remains, but gone are lamb and blood sausage in favor of more accessible meats like duck and pork belly. With chef Jimenez at the helm, Xochitl’s uncomplicated and authentic Mexican cuisine was unrivaled —so we can’t help but see the new taqueria menu and its Americanized flavors as a definite loss for the city.

From dining specials to contests and classes, all the food-related things you need to know and do this month.

BRUNCH NOTES
A few new places around town have added brunch to their normal service hours.

Distrito started serving brunch last weekend, and the menu is filled with mouthwatering small plates like the torta de huevos (eggs, queso Oaxaca, bacon, beans), chicken enchiladas, and morning-friendly cocktails.

BYOB Sonata in Northern Liberties now serves up an affordable version of this morning meal on Sundays. Items like eggs and French toast and salads and sandwiches make up the menu. Don’t forget your booze — Bloody Mary mix and OJ will be on sale.

Downingtown’s Firecreek has a Sunday buffet brunch that starts at 10:30, with lots of cold and hot food, carving stations, and desserts. It’s $20.95 for adults, $8.95 for kids.

NIGHTLY SPECIALS & PRIX FIXE
Old City’s Fork: etc. is adding an affordable nightly $15 plats du jour to the mostly sandwich-and-salad menu. We’ll be heading there on Tuesdays for the fried chicken with slaw and biscuits, on Wednesdays for the seafood stew with thyme sea salt crackers, and on Sundays for the duck confit with baby arugula and rosemary shoestring potatoes.

Mertiage is offering a prix fixe dinner for two on Tuesday nights. The dinner will change monthly, and this month includes a whole roasted chicken with parsnip purée, Brussels sprouts, and Chinese sausage with chicken jus for $30. (That’s $15 each. Great deal.) Add a bottle of wine (selections rotate weekly) for an extra $20.

NEW MENUS, ROOMS, AND PROGRAMS
Zento in Old City recently added a new chef/owner to the roster — Sam Ho, a former sous chef at Morimoto. He’s created some new menu items like salmon nachos, Kobe beef negimaki, and the rather interesting salmon sushi nigiri with roasted tomato on top.

Pub & Kitchen has just — finally! — opened up their upstairs dining room. Same great food and booze — now there’s just more room to enjoy it.

Metropolitan Bakery has started an ingenious Bread of the Month Club. Great for gifts or yourself, no? Three months costs $70, six months is $135, and a year is $250. Prices include overnight shipping. April is cracked wheat, May is organic miche, June is organic spelt. Click here for more info.

EVENTS
What: Canal House Cooking book signing and tasting
When: Thursday, March 11, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Terrain
Cost: $10
Info: Gourmet and the New York Times have sung their praises for this beautiful series of self-published cookbooks celebrating the authors’ (Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer) favorite recipes dreamt up in their Lambertville home. Price includes food samples from the books and complimentary wine. Authors will be onhand to sign books.

What: Philadelphia Steak Month
When: Sundays through Thursdays in March
Where: Eight of the city’s steakhouses: Davio’s, Delmonico’s, Morton’s, Palm, Prime Rib, Saloon, Smith & Wollensky, Union Trust
Info: Get a three-course meal at each of these steakhouses for $50 on Sundays through Thursday throughout the month.

What: “A Year in Provence” dinner
When: Sunday, March 14th
Where: Gilmore’s
Cost: $48 for five courses
Info: The West Chester restaurant will create a five-course dinner based on Peter Mayle’s bestselling memoir A Year in Provence. Think pâtés and terrines, salmon with Sorrel sauce, pork with truffles, and chocolate cake.

What: Oyster-shucking contest
Where: Oyster House
When: Saturday, March 27th
Cost: $5
Info: The region’s professional oyster-shuckers will compete against one another for a $200 first-place prize. After that, aspiring pros can join in on the fun (sign up ahead of time) and compete for a $100 gift card. The five-buck admission is for spectators. The Inky’s Rick Nichols and Grub Street’s Kirsten Henri will be judges.

What: Sixth Annual Brewers Plate
Where: Penn Museum
When: March 14th from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $65
Info: Get tons of food and beer pairings from the likes of Varga Bar, Southwark, Fork, Flying Fish, Dogfish and Victor, to name a few. Proceeds benefit Fair Food Farmstand. Get tickets and more info at thebrewersplate.org.

What: Wine classes at Old City’s Pinot
When: Throughout March and April
Info: Pinot is rolling out a bunch of spring classes. Topics include: Essentials of wines, developing your wine I.Q., and beyond Chianti, to name a few. Taught by local experts. More info at pinotboutique.com

What: Regional dinner at Bistrot La Minette
When: March 24th
Cost: $35 for four courses, $50 with wine pairings.
Info: Chef/owner Peter Woolsey has started hosting monthly dinners exploring different regions of France. This month he’ll highlight the French and German tastes of Lorraine. Menu includes braised boar and smoked sausage.

When the guys at The Franklin — the classic cocktail lounge that’s become the most cutting-edge bar in town — decide it’s time to change things up, they don’t just make a few tweaks. They create an entirely new menu, sometimes unveiling as many as 34 new drinks. For the past month, they’ve been focused on getting the spring menu, the bar’s third, up and running. And as I discovered at a recent tasting session, in some ways this is the one the staff — a handful of passionate, cooperative, proud bartenders —is most proud of, because this menu is entirely theirs.

I’ll explain. Before The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company opened last year, they contracted Alex Day, cocktail-maker extraordinaire from NYC’s trailblazing Death + Company, as a consultant. Day helped the crew at The Franklin define what they were going to be: A low-key bar dedicated to the art of the pre-Prohibition (a.k.a. classic) cocktail and modern iterations of it. It would come to be known as the bar that doesn’t serve vodka (a spirit that didn’t make the cut since it came into popularity in the States only in the 1950s), the bar where you’ll have a drink like you’ve never had before, and the bar that banned Arthur Kade.

Day collaborated heavily on the bar’s first two menus, but for this third one, the bartenders — notebooks in hand — experimented with different spirits, herbs, syrups, bitters, and juices to create their own drinks. This kind of work at The Franklin isn’t extra credit — it’s expected. In fact, managing partner Michael Welsh explains that the bar has an R&D budget: “When inspiration hits, I want them to act on it,” he says. The payoff? New drinks that inspire the crew, please their customers, and maybe even break some national cocktail ground.

[DOWNLOAD THE FRANKLIN'S NEW MENU HERE!]

During the two-day final menu tasting to decide which of the new concoctions would make the cut, Day joined Welsh and the crew to offer feedback and guidance. Hearing this group talk drinks — the day I sat in, head bartender Al Sotack and colleagues Colin Shearn, Kate Linck, and Nick Jarret were among those in attendance — is like listening to NASA engineers land a spaceship. I had no idea what they were saying — atomizer quantities, chilling vermouth, ice size, double straining? Someone is reading a text book called Sensory Evolution Techniques. They do what any experts in their fields do — they keep up on national and international trends, they take notes, they work with ingredients and collaborate on ideas. They talk about drink ingredients as if it was details of the healthcare reform: very seriously. “Really, we’re all just geeks,” says Shearn.

After some housekeeping, they take to the bar and start to mix up what they’ve been working on for weeks. (To illustrate how obsessive these guys are about their libations, they hand-chip ice made from spring water and delivered from Malvern every day.) Shearn whips up an elegant pink number with Gewürztraminer, gin, St. Germain, and dry vermouth, which thanks to Peychaud bitters has a hint of rose. Maybe too floral? He tries another version. This one, A Dangerous Woman, made the new menu cut.

Some drinks everyone agrees are perfect as is — no-brainers. Others need a tweak here or there. One was good, but the feedback is that maybe it’s out of season, maybe not right for spring and summer. Out of season? A drink? In a subterranean vortex of a bar where it could be noon or midnight, February or July, and one would never know?

“It’s very much a culinary approach to cocktails,” says Welsh. “There’s balance, simplicity, meshing of flavors and ingredients. I don’t mean to take away anything from chefs, but that’s how we look at it.” And once you read the menu or taste the drinks, the care and thought is obvious. The new Blues Explosion is a perfect example: Tennessee Whiskey, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, maple syrup, and a more than healthy dose of Angostura bitters creates a fresh, deep, and not overly saccharine drink that will henceforth be my drink of the summer.

There’s another change for this menu: It’s reorganized. Before, the drinks were arranged by spirit — think Gin Lane, Bubbles, and Scotch Rampant. But this time, the bartenders wanted the drinks listed by genre. While they excel at matching a drink to a customer, sometimes, on a busy weekend night, they can’t spend the time going through the menu with each person like they would hope. So, organizing the menu by tastes will make the process a little easier for the customer. Now imbibers can choose from Sweet & Vicious (sweeter drinks), The Flowing Bowl (punches), and Booze in a Glass (hardly any mixers). “We wanted to make it more user friendly,” says Welsh. “Forty or 45 drinks might be too much for a customer to take in in one sitting.”

It’s something only a bartender on the front lines would know. But Day reminds them: “When you write a menu, it’s got to be more than a sum of its parts; categories need to fit within the whole thing. Your target demographic is pretty educated.” They take cocktails this serious for a reason: “It’s our best interest to keep people guessing, to help evolve our cocktail culture and to educate there customer,” says Welsh. “There are some people who constantly want to be challenged.” We’ll take that challenge, Mike.

The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company, 112 18th Street, 267-467-3277; thefranklinbar.com.

As we recently noted, 2009 was a lousy year for Del Frisco’s, the mammoth steakhouse at 15th and Chestnut. Union woes. Lawsuits. Bus crashes. (Really) bad reviews. And, of course, the Dumpster wars. But 2010 sees a new GM and, just maybe, a glimmer of hope for the restaurant. After a surprisingly good dinner at Del Frisco’s, I gave Rich Furino a call to see how he was going to play the hand he’s been dealt.

What’s your industry background?
I grew up in Hoboken. My parents owned a little Northern Italian restaurant there, and my dad operated a very busy hot dog cart two blocks from the Holland tunnel. And today, 50 years later, my brother owns it. It’s a landmark. I grew up in the industry and I don’t know much else.

And how long have you been with Del Frisco’s?
I’ve been working on the Sullivan’s side since 1998. At Sullivan’s King of Prussia – our most lucrative location – I was one of the original servers, then shift leader, then I worked in the wine program. Eventually, I wound up as the main broiler chef for two years. I did it all. And then I went on the road and started opening Sullivan’s around the country before heading back to KOP.

By any account, the restaurant has a troublesome start, from the lawsuits to, most recently, the bus crash, and …
[Laughs] Yes, the bus crash. The bus hit the corner of the building. If you walk by there, all you will see is a scuff mark. It came across like a huge accident. I was getting calls left and right that the door was demolished, smashed in. It was. But it wasn’t Del Frisco’s door. It was the bus’s.

Fair enough, but still a troublesome year. How do you recover?
We repair the relationship with the city. The union people. That’s all behind us. We took the high road and paid twice for some of the work that was done, but right now, it’s all done. It’s a fresh start. It was a tough road for Shang [Skipper, former GM]. He had a lot to fix.

You must feel like LaBan and some of the other reviewers are out to get you.
It’s hard to say, hard to know what’s going through their minds. We’re not perfect, but we’re getting better every day.

Do you find any legitimacy in the negative reviews?
Sure. And there are things we improved on. I think he said something about the onion rings. We’ve changed them.

What are the biggest changes you’ve made thus far?
We’re making it more value-oriented, more approachable to the average guy. $35 prime rib on Sunday – actual prime meat, not just something called “prime rib.” And Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday we’re doing a $5 bar menu — that’s one third of the price. Just to build energy and get the momentum rolling at the beautiful bar.

You’re really talking mostly about lowering the prices. But what about the complaints over the quality of the food?
I’m really happy with my culinary team here, and they’ve stepped up their game tremendously. And when a guest has a suggestion or a critique, we take it to heart. Like your issues [Rich is referring to my main complaints about a recent dinner there – which, for the record, was by far the best meal I’ve had at Del Frisco’s. The only oyster available: Bluepoints. The only vermouth: Cinzano], now every night we will have at least one West Coast and one East Coast oyster on the menu. And we’re looking into getting some other vermouths in the house, though we’ve never really had a request for that. But if there’s one request out there, I want to address it.

What have you done about the trash situation?
We have four Dumpsters on Sansom Street. There are nine out there. I made a commitment to building management that I will have a team at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day to make sure our four are maintained, and I also told him that if there’s trash along other Dumpsters, we’ll take care of that, too. Just because it reflects on us. I’m not about to get in a war over trash. I have bigger fish to fry. When I heard that story, I couldn’t believe it. It’s just silly.

Yeah, that was a crazy situation with Shang.
I mean, please.

In the end, don’t you think that perhaps there are just one (or two) too many steakhouses in the city?
In the white-tablecloth sector, the people who are showing genuine hospitality are making a comeback. Is everyone going to last? I don’t know. But we’re here to stay.

What do you think? Can Furino turn the tide for Del Frisco’s or is he fighting a losing battle? Leave your comments below.

If you were watching the morning news, you’ve heard it by now: Mayor Nutter is announcing a plan today that proposes taxing sugary beverages to help fill the city’s budget holes — and also help us trim down in the process. Labeled as the Healthy Philadelphia Initiative, starting in January 2011, everything from soda and iced tea to sports drinks and chocolate milk will run an additional two cents per ounce, 32 times Pennsylvania’s state beer tax — easily doubling the price of many sweet beverages.

The tax is set to rake in a pretty hefty sum — over $77 million for the city each year. Though $20 million of it will be earmarked for the creation of new health-minded programs for the city and the rest will keep more government jobs from being slashed, it’s still a hard amount to swallow — especially when you realize that you could soon be paying for a six-pack of soda what you pay for a six-pack of beer.

Keep in mind, though, that, as of 2008, 57 percent of children and 64 percent of adults in Philadelphia were overweight or obese, and childhood obesity jumped to nearly 70 percent in African-American and Hispanic communities. And with diabetes rates skyrocketing across the nation, perhaps looking at a glass of soda like a cigarette — an item that has also seen a tax hike this past year — might be the best thing for us.

At the very least, sugar-laced drinks would certainly lose their stamp as an inexpensive sweet treat, especially in low income areas where the tax would be felt the most, and where diabetes rates are often higher. And perhaps marketers would have to work a bit harder to convince us just how much we need to guzzle their sodas and sports drinks and whatever other sugar-water they’re selling before we shell out an extra $1.35 for every two-liter bottle we buy.

Though the health-minded among us may see it as a great way to curb consumption and prompt our city’s youth to start opting for water or a diet drink in lieu of a sugar-riddled, pancreas-shocking, say-hello-to-diabetes 20-ounce Coke on daily Wawa runs or corner store stops, is it a fair way to ease the city’s budget crisis? Are you already formulating plans to bus your daily sugar hit across city lines should City Council give the okay, or do you think the tax is the best thing for us and hope to see other cities across the nation follow suit?

In Monday’s Meal Ticket, a fascinating detail was revealed in Drew Lazor’s account of a dinner at South Philly’s Stogie Joe’s: if you get cash out of their $2.50-surcharge ATM (which you probably will, since they don’t accept credit), you can exchange your receipt for a pint of cheap beer (I’d go for the High Life). Of course, you’ll probably want to make sure you scratch out your account info and balance.

Forty-nine bucks can buy you a lot of things: five gift subscriptions to Philly Mag; a pair of slutty, plastic-smelling high-heeled boots from Payless; Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii. But on April 12th at Morton’s Philly location, it will score you a Glenlivet tasting, led by the Glenlivet Ambassador himself. Along with some tasty hors d’oeuvres (think salmon pinwheels, broiled scallops, and, of course, beef), you’ll get to sample the 12-, 15-, 16-, and 18-year versions of the venerable brand of single malt. And the price includes tax and gratuity, which is sweet.

And don’t forget about Morton’s steak deals, running through the end of March: the $79 classic combo promotion and the $99 dinner for two. Bikini season is still far enough away.