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The Public Record • April 15, 2010
Page 18
Breslin’s buffet, Belgian brewski bash by Len Lear If you’re into Belgian beers, which are some of the best in the world, you may want to visit the third annual Belgian “Bierfeesten” (Beer Festival) this Sunday, Apr. 18, starting at 1 p.m., at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street. The hip split-level operation is also one of the city’s best live-music venues and may just have the
city’s best sound system. The festival will give attendees the opportunity to sample the offerings of over three dozen Belgian breweries. And executive chef Michael Breslin will prepare a Belgian buffet to pair with each sudsy brewski, including “waterzooi” (creamy chicken and vegetable stew), blood sausage, mussels, Belgian fries and much more. The festival will be held downstairs, and visitors can arrive until 3:45 p.m. Tickets are $50
for all the food and drink. To order tickets in advance, call (215) 222-1400 or visit www.worldcafelive.com. My newest hobby is checking out food blogs for comments by recent customers about local restaurants, and I enjoyed this observation on yelp.com by “Jim H. of Folsom” about World Cafe Live: “I recently went to World Cafe Live to see Brian Aglira and my friend Michael W.’s brother, Scott, play a show, and they were fantastic. From Southern Rock cover tunes to blues to original material on a number of different instruments, these guys were musically on point. “Seems I’ve forgiven World Cafe Live for a previous transgression against me. Years ago, in the early aughts, a younger, more streamlined version of myself tried to get a job there, when it first opened. Needless to say, I wasn’t cool enough to score employment at such a hip establishment, so I hightailed it out of the city, never to return.
Len Lear “Until now.... My loss. World Cafe Live is a wonderful music venue. Very intimate with great acoustics. You have to love a venue where you can see the stage from the bar or be able to have pork chops brought to you as you rock out.” Speaking of beerology... You probably never heard of it, but there is actually a Philly Beer School at 2008 Fairmount Avenue, right next to the Wine School in the Art Museum area. If you have a good head on your shoulders (and in your glass) you can get a degree in beer, followed by a degree in wine, or vice-versa. The school, which is
almost one year old, offers courses in “Beer and Homebrewing,” “The Hophead Class,” “Beer Wars: Old World vs. New World Brews,” “The Ultimate Beer Class,” “Welcome to Belgium, Philadelphia,” “A Beer Journey to the Other Side” and more. The school’s president and founder, Keith Wallace, plans to offer a certification program for homebrewers that will be the only one of its kind in the nation. The program will most likely debut during Philadelphia Beer Week in June. For more information, call 1-800817-7351 or visit www.thebeerschool.com. Nonprofessional diagnosis I am not a doctor, and I don’t even play one on TV, but when an overweight drunk began getting a little obnoxious at Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, I told him that he needed a triple bypass. In other words, I told him to bypass bars, restaurants and bakeries. Fergie’s does have some terrific live entertainment most nights of the week, though, and
a great open mic on Mondays, starting at 8 p.m. And Quizzo every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30 p.m. For more information, call (215) 928-8118 or visit www.fergies.com.