Iron Chef

I recently lunched at Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's restaurant, Tudor House Miami. I was won over by his pea soup with lime marshmallows. This recreation, sans marshmallows. puts lime juice in the soup. Creamy Pea Soup with Roasted Garlic and Lime Makes 8 servings 3 large yellow onions, chopped 2 heads garlic Olive oil 1 pound frozen peas 1 quart chicken broth 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper slices 8-ounce container creme fraiche 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons lime juice Salt and ground black pepper 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Philly restaurants worth visiting, local chefs worth following - based on TV worth watching. 1. "Iron Chef" Jose Garces Philly's most televised chef won't be slowing down any time soon. But you can, at J.G. Domestic, his laid-back American joint in Cira Centre. 2929 Arch St., 215-222-2363, www.jgdomestic.com . 2. Good Dog Bar Locals love the cheese-stuffed burger. Guy Fieri of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" goes for the duck pot pie. 224 S. 15th St., 215-985-9600, www.gooddogbar.com . 3. Kevin Sbraga "Top Chef" season 7 winner wins again with his months-old rustic-chic bistro.

Hey, Bobby Flay, weren't you on Iron Chef last week? Television's heartthrob griller was trying to focus his attention on cooking duck breasts at last week's Fancy Food show in New York, hoping to push his "Private Harvest" product line rather than dwell on his ill-fated tangle with the Iron Chef. But the bright lights that illuminated his booth at the Jacob Javits Convention Center made him a hard target to miss. "So, Bobby, how did Iron Chef go?" "We lost," he said finally, looking up from the sizzling duck, unshaven and annoyed.

Tacky, tacky, tacky. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is doing everything in his power to maintain his present living arrangement - very estranged wife Donna Hanover in the bedroom, Giuliani in a guest room, and his "good friend" Judith Nathan slinking around in the hallways, trying to avoid Hanover. Earlier this week, the New York Supreme Court put the kibosh on that setup, banning Nathan from Gracie Mansion, and ordering her to keep away from Giuliani's children, Andrew, 15, and Caroline, 11. But yesterday, Giuliani filed an appeal seeking a stay of that order.

THEY may scream for ice cream in Paducah, Peoria and Pittsburgh, but here in the City of Quakers and its environs, water ice satisfies that summertime craving for something sweet and cold. As 17-year-old South Philly resident Brooke White insisted so simply yet eloquently during a recent visit to John's Water Ice, at 7th and Christian Streets, the frozen concoction is "the best thing in the world. " While that assessment is surely open to debate, there's no denying water ice is as much a part of our region's culinary DNA as hoagies and cheesesteaks, despite it not having received the same level of publicity those two edible icons have.

LONG WAY from Hollywood to the Hollywood Diner, but Anthony Michael Hall has been hanging out for weeks at the Woodbury Heights, N.J., restaurant. We're told that the Brat Pack actor, who appeared in "National Lampoon's Vacation," "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles," has been in the area visiting a girlfriend and has stopped several times at the bar. No word on whether Hall has gotten drunk and re-enacted his classic scene from "Weird Science" in which he shared a story of unrequited love for "this crazy little eighth-grade b----.

Willingboro's Kevin Sbraga - who's cooked at some of the hottest restaurants in the region - was named winner of the seventh season of the Bravo series Top Chef . Sbraga, 31, watched the taped final episode Wednesday at the North Philadelphia restaurant Osteria among a private party including his wife, Jesmary, and two children. His prizes are $125,000, a spread in Food & Wine magazine, and a showcase at the magazine's annual event in Aspen, Colo. The season, set in Washington, D.C., moved to Singapore for the last two episodes.

The stars have aligned for Dancing With the Stars . Anna Demidova, who won the Season 8 professionals' competition, will team with Philadelphia favorite - not! - Michael Irvin in the new season of Dancing , which begins Sept. 21. DWTS fans, especially those in Philadelphia, may remember how Eagles fans cheered when then-Dallas Cowboys star receiver Irvin lay motionless on the Veterans Stadium turf with a neck injury 10 years ago. He's all better now and raring to go with his hot partner, who has won more dancing championships than Dallas and the Eagles and even the Steelers, put together, have won Super Bowls.

* There's a beer-belly laugh or three in the spoof video about Philadelphia Brewing Co.'s new Broadcaster Brown Ale, a nod to David Dye and the WXPN-FM DJ's "World Cafe" show, celebrating its 20th anniversary. See it at www.philadelphiabrewing.com . * "Birdies, Beer & Booze" is the alliterative theme for a dinner pairing tonight at MidAtlantic Restaurant & Taproom (3711 Market St., 215-386-3711). Chef Daniel Stern's crew teams with Dock Street Brewery and Philadelphia Distilling for the event starting at 6 p.m. with a reception.

The half-dozen applicants for Philadelphia's second casino license touted the merits of their proposals Tuesday before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Flashy videos with images of the city's skyline, its iconic attractions, and its smiling residents were standard fare. The first four groups - led by local developer Ken Goldenberg, South Philadelphia businessman Joseph Procacci, a partnership between regional casino operators Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment Inc. and Cordish Cos., and gaming giant Penn National Gaming Inc. - gave it their best shot.