Festive, quick-hit fare for the final shopping surge

All the smug, organized people have their presents wrapped and are warming their feet by the fireside, but for us procrastinators it is the seven-day countdown of terror.

Clearly we don't have time for a sit-down meal in a restaurant, but despite all the panic-buying we still need to find time for a bit of nourishment and a break from the long lines of other procrastinators.

You can multitask at the Christmas Village on the west side of Dilworth Plaza at City Hall and simultaneously eat and shop.

This is the second year the German Marketing Society has brought this German tradition to Philadelphia. During Christmas, every town in Germany creates a village of small wooden structures and it becomes a town-square gathering place for the holidays. The custom is to meet up, shop and - most especially - warm up with food and drink.

We began by warming up at the mulled-wine stand hosted by Chaddsford Winery. Seven dollars buys you a cup of wine plus the ceramic souvenir mug. I preferred the spicier Holiday Spirit over the sweeter Spiced Apple. Both were served too tepid to be truly warming.

The Grill stand offers authentic dishes from knockwurst or brockwurst sandwich ($5 each, $1 extra for sauerkraut) and they come from Reiker's, the well-known purveyor of German meats.

There is a businessman's lunch special during the day ($6) and the final week features Leberkase, a poor man's version of pate, if you will. Warm up with a bowl of hearty Goulash ($4) that was more like a stew and rich with vegetables.

For the sweet tooth, there is a Waffle and Crepe stand. The sautéed apple waffle ($5) came recommended by passersby. The waffle itself was outstanding - great texture and flavor. We discovered the texture comes from a little buckwheat flour in the mix.

The fruit topping was overly sweet and gooey for the taste team and the whipped cream came out of a can. Still, I'd go back and try the chocolate crepe.

There's also a stand with German Christmas treats. What caught the eye of my German taster were the Roasted Almonds ($4) and the Marzipan ($3). Both added to the authenticity of the village and the almonds were absolutely addictive.

The sleeper hit was the imported Bavarian pretzels ($2.50.) The obvious joke here, of course, is that importing soft pretzels to Philadelphia is like carrying coals to Newcastle.

These came frozen from Germany and have a vastly different texture from our soft pretzels. Bavarian pretzels have a crunchy exterior with an airier, yeastier interior.