US – Tuesday, March 16
The Grid
The week's releases
Metro staff reviews the latest CDs, DVDs and books for your reading pleasure.
 
My Books
The return from being a ‘Runaway’
Cherie Currie’s name may not be as immediately recognizable as Joan Jett’s, but with this week’s release of “The Runaways” movie —which stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning — a new generation is sure to learn at least one thing: Madonna wasn’t the first blond bombshell to don a corset while rocking the mic. Currie did it first.
 
My Books
When history books really do suck: Old Abe meets the vampires
Although it strikes most people as an usual combination, vampires and Abraham Lincoln seemed like a perfectly natural pairing to “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” author Seth Grahame-Smith.
 
My Books
The return from being a ‘Runaway’
Cherie Currie’s name may not be as immediately recognizable as Joan Jett’s, but with this week’s release of “The Runaways” movie —which stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning — a new generation is sure to learn at least one thing: Madonna wasn’t the first blond bombshell to don a corset while rocking the mic. Currie did it first.
 
New York Arts
Valerie Harper gets ‘Looped,’ dahling
Tallulah Bankhead was as much of a character as she was an actress. Although she set the screen on fire in such films as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat” and garnered rave reviews on Broadway, her scandalous personal life — and her witty take on her indiscretions — made her a legend. Valerie Harper takes on Bankhead in her twilight years in the new Broadway production of “Looped.”
 
Shakey Lyman has the blues
Michael Lyman’s mother started calling him “Shakey” — meaning little Shakespeare — after the 16-year-old showed a precocious interest in poetry. It stuck. And it’s hard to imagine the longtime Philadelphia blues troubadour with any other handle.
 
New York Going Out
Warming up with a chef for all coasts
Poor Jonnatan Leiva — he moved here from San Francisco right before our snowy winter. But although he might be cold, his kitchen is heating up the New York restaurant scene. Since arriving at 10 Downing Food & Wine in October, he tells us he’s revamped the menu to make “90 percent of everything in house to focus on back-to-the-basics food.”
New York Going Out
NYC brunch becoming brazen
Plain ol’ scrambled eggs coupled with a mimosa for brunch? Too uninteresting for some local restaurants that are spicing up their brunch menus with dishes that go beyond the normal pancakes and coffee.
 
Philly Going Out
Get comfortable with the special
If it’s Thursday, it must be bouillabaisse. A growing number of restaurants are offering “plats du jour” that go beyond the standard menu items with traditional dishes of yesteryear. Just match up the night with your nostalgic hankering, and you can have a meal that takes you back in time as you satisfy your tastebuds of today.
New York Going Out
Gin, meat and one full night
Gin and meat. If that combo makes your inner-Brit all tingly just thinking about it, attend next week’s Gin and Meat seminar at Brooklyn Kitchen Labs. Join butcher Tom Mylan and Bombay Sapphire’s master mixologist, James Moreland, as they pair and discuss meat dishes (from porterhouse steaks to chorizo-stuffed duck hearts) with classic and contemporary gin
 

New York Going Out
Stinky cheese festival
Menus tend to avoid the adjective, but for the next week, “stinky” will take top billing at nine NYC French restaurants during the Annual Winter Cheese Festival (www.tourdefrancenyc.com).
 
Philly Going Out
Pushing the limits of grilled cheese
The grilled cheese is a simple and fulfilling sandwich that is as uncomplicated as they come. But that doesn’t mean that it cannot rise to great heights.
New York Going Out
Playing the numbers game
General manager Bryan McGuire has been at the ‘21’ Club for 23 years and is around to witness their 80th anniversary (we know, that’s a lot of numbers). We spoke with McGuire about the famed dining institution (it has hosted every president since FDR — except for W. — and hundreds of celebrities) to give you a little cheat sheet about the former Prohibition speakeasy turned pillar of New York culinary culture.
 
 
 

Photo: RIKARD LARMA/METRO
Philly Going Out
Bring some joy back to happy hour
Happy hour seems like such a great idea on paper: discounted drinks, half-price food, a perfect way to blow off some steam after work. In reality, unfortunately, you’re looking at the same boring special of aluminum bottles and gross mozzarella sticks. But not every happy hour has to be packed with people you were tired of eight hours before.
 
Going Out
Where to go and what to do
Julieta Ballesteros is a mole master
In praise of bread baskets
Valentine’s Day dining made easy
Top 5 romantic places to propose
For a really good time, call ahead
Can you keep up, Cupids?
Chef with a mastery of meat
Where to watch the big game and drink a big drink
Where to go and what to do
Going Out
Crushing on the can
Out with the old Restaurant Row
Restaurant Week Truck gets soupy
Stepping up to the cheese plate
Drink like Don Draper — and your grandfather
Grown-up pizza and beer — a love story
New sounds, new look for a UCity venue
To do in 2010: Find the best Thai food in Philly
Finally, a Hot Chef for all four seasons
Have a happy New Year’s Eve — and skip the lines
 
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Music
MMMpod
The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.
 
 
 
Metro Life Panel
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