Red Meat

The Philadelphia streetscape has tilted toward the corner of 17th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard in the last few months. And it's not just the weight of the glass-and-steel skyscraper Comcast built there that did the trick. It's the gravity of hunger it triggered that has electrified this once-dead zone on the Center City grid. The lunchtime masses now pour into the tower's sleek new underground food court for paninis, sushi, and $1 espresso shots with their mini-cannolis. Thousands of Comcast employees and their privileged guests, meanwhile, dine in the clouds at Ralph's Cafe, the rarefied 42d-floor cafeteria where sesame-seared tuna steaks come with a soaring view over the city's tallest spires.

The ranks of vegetarians are growing. All you have to do is pick up a newspaper or magazine and read all about it. Or flick on the television. And we're all becoming more health-conscious when it comes to eating. You can read about that, too. So why are steak houses popping up like corks at a champagne gala? Easy question. Red meat is hot. Or so goes the slogan at the Palm Restaurant at the Bellevue. So hot, the restaurant, in conjunction with Temple University Center City, will be gourmandizing on the subject of red meat at a night course this spring semester.

Red meat, booze, and sports are not exclusively manly domains. But let's face it: A serious Guys' Night Out usually lands somewhere in the vicinity of those key ingredients. Here's my list of in-the-know spots to sate the craving for one or all of the above: OLD GUARD HOUSE INN (THREE BELLS) 953 Youngsford Rd., Gladwyne 610-649-9708; www.guardhouseinn.com The varnished-log dining rooms festooned with antlers, muskets, and pewter mugs give this Main Line institution the Ye-Olde-School manly look, as the volunteer firefighters hanging at the clubby bar can attest.

Concern about fat and cholesterol may be leading health-conscious Americans away from red meat, but beef, pork and lamb from the United States are more popular than ever overseas. U.S. red-meat exports have nearly tripled in the last 10 years, from 527 million pounds in 1981 to 1.47 billion last year, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. And the U.S. Meat Export Federation, meeting in Philadelphia yesterday, today and tomorrow, is exploring ways to fatten that calf. Targets include Japan, which is by far the biggest importer of U.S. red meat, plus the Commonwealth of Independent States, especially the Russian Federation, and the European Community, which has proved to be a pesky trading partner.

A recent Agriculture Department report says there have been dramatic changes in the mix of foods consumed by Americans since 1970, but some inconsistencies, too. Of all the meat consumed in 1986, two-thirds was red meat, mostly beef, pork and lamb, compared with three-fourths in the early 1970s. "Instead, we ate more poultry, fish, grains and cereal products," the report said. "We also cut back on whole milk, while consuming more low-fat milk and yogurt. Fresh fruit and vegetable consumption rose as well.

Behold the ostrich. Taller than an NBA center, faster than a greyhound, leggier than a showgirl, leaner than a chicken. Leaner than a chicken? Yes, and lower in calories. Ostrich - there's no euphemism like "veal" or "venison" - has been popping up on the lists of specials at local restaurants, despite the price, which can be as high as $30 a pound. (That translates to over $25 as an entree.) "I was a little bit leery at first," said Louis Imbesi, chef at Catelli Ristorante in the Main Street Plaza in Voorhees.

To find out more about how Bernard Hopkins is still fit enough to fight at age 46, the Daily News sent fitness columnist Kimberly Garrison to get the details on his diet and exercise routine. WHEN I WAS asked to interview Bernard Hopkins, I admit, I went in with my preconceived ideas and stereotypes about boxers. You know the stereotypes, boxers are "uneducated with poor character. " Well, I was dead wrong. The 46-year-old Hopkins, who's up for possibly his biggest fight ever on Saturday in Montreal for the WBC light-heavyweight championship against Jean Pascal, is part professor, preacher and philosopher.

As if we needed another reason to eat our veggies, here's one: According to a new Harvard School of Public Health study, eating red meat increases your risk of early death. OK, here's one more: Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization, recently warned that antibiotic resistance could bring about "the end of modern medicine as we know it. " In other words, if the hamburgers don't kill you, the superbugs spawned on factory farms will. Analyzing nearly 30 years of data collected from 121,000 participants, the Harvard researchers found that people who eat red meat regularly are significantly more likely to die prematurely from various causes, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Faced with the problem of what to cook when the Queen of Italy assigned him to feed everyone at the palace, Raffaele Esposito of Naples came up with a now-legendary recipe for pizza in the colors of the Italian flag. His Pizza Margherita - topped with red tomato, green basil and white mozzarella cheese and named after his royal patron - is the hallmark of Naples around the world. That happened 100 years ago this week. To mark the anniversary, the city's Association for Real Pizza has teamed up with local politicians to lobby for a law that would protect Esposito's method.

WHY IS IT that people don't eat meat during Lent? Is this such a sacrifice? Jesus gave up his life and died on a cross, yet people who follow a religious tradition feel they are being challenged by not eating roast beef? But they can eat fish, which I consider a treat! What makes not eating red meat but eating a lobster a sacrifice? A real sacrifice would be to show some true faith by dedicating your religious beliefs not only on the holidays, but throughout the entire year.

As if we needed another reason to eat our veggies, here's one: According to a new Harvard School of Public Health study, eating red meat increases your risk of early death. OK, here's one more: Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization, recently warned that antibiotic resistance could bring about "the end of modern medicine as we know it. " In other words, if the hamburgers don't kill you, the superbugs spawned on factory farms will. Analyzing nearly 30 years of data collected from 121,000 participants, the Harvard researchers found that people who eat red meat regularly are significantly more likely to die prematurely from various causes, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

The more red meat you eat, the greater your disease risk Eating red meat is associated with a sharply increased risk of death from cancer and heart disease, according to a new study, and the more of it you eat, the greater the risk. The analysis, published online in Archives of Internal Medicine, used data from two studies that involved 121,342 men and women who filled out questionnaires about health and diet from 1980 through 2006. People who ate more red meat were less physically active and more likely to smoke and had a higher body mass index, researchers found.

LOS ANGELES - Blame the potato chip. It's the biggest demon behind that pound-a-year weight creep that plagues many of us, a major diet study has found. Bigger than soda, candy and ice cream. And the reason is partly that old advertising cliche: You can't eat just one. "They're very tasty and they have a very good texture," said obesity expert F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, of the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, in New York. "People generally don't take one or two chips. They have a whole bag. " What we eat and how much of it we consume has far more impact than exercise and most other habits do on long-term weight gain, according to the study by Harvard University scientists.

To find out more about how Bernard Hopkins is still fit enough to fight at age 46, the Daily News sent fitness columnist Kimberly Garrison to get the details on his diet and exercise routine. WHEN I WAS asked to interview Bernard Hopkins, I admit, I went in with my preconceived ideas and stereotypes about boxers. You know the stereotypes, boxers are "uneducated with poor character. " Well, I was dead wrong. The 46-year-old Hopkins, who's up for possibly his biggest fight ever on Saturday in Montreal for the WBC light-heavyweight championship against Jean Pascal, is part professor, preacher and philosopher.

It's hard to believe that Philadelphia officials - notably, Managing Director Richard Negrin - ever agreed to the silly decision to strip Christmas from atop the German-style Christmas market set up each year just outside City Hall. Fortunately, Mayor Nutter came to his senses late Wednesday and reversed the decision, saying he took time for "personal reflection. " Negrin said he'd received complaints from the public, so he ordered the name change on Monday. It was supposed to be changed to "Holiday Village," but the village operators later decided to take it down altogether.

Rep. Joe Sestak said Sunday that he wouldn't commit to supporting Sen. Arlen Specter if the incumbent won the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, a sign of how bitter their race has become as well as a fresh worry for party leaders hoping to hold the seat in the fall. In contrast, Specter declared that he would endorse Sestak if things did not go his way Tuesday, quickly adding that he was confident of a win. The two combatants spoke back to back on CNN's State of the Union With Candy Crowley less than 48 hours before the polls open, and as both men barnstormed the state to make their final arguments.

Rep. Joe Sestak said Sunday that he wouldn't commit to supporting Sen. Arlen Specter if the incumbent won the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, a sign of how bitter their race has become as well as a fresh worry for party leaders hoping to hold the seat in the fall. In contrast, Specter declared that he would endorse Sestak if things did not go his way Tuesday, quickly adding that he was confident of a win. The two combatants spoke back to back on CNN's State of the Union With Candy Crowley less than 48 hours before the polls open, and as both men barnstormed the state to make their final arguments.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Under an ornate brass chandelier, Sarah Palin looked out into the swank hotel ballroom and a legion of double-breasted and leopard-topped fans - some who'd paid $349 for the 55-minute privilege - surrounded by plates of half-eaten chocolate mousse, and made a declaration: "I think America is ready for another revolution . . . " Palin then rebooted her improbable climb from the foothills of Wasilla to the slippery mountaintop...

Red meat, booze, and sports are not exclusively manly domains. But let's face it: A serious Guys' Night Out usually lands somewhere in the vicinity of those key ingredients. Here's my list of in-the-know spots to sate the craving for one or all of the above: OLD GUARD HOUSE INN (THREE BELLS) 953 Youngsford Rd., Gladwyne 610-649-9708; www.guardhouseinn.com The varnished-log dining rooms festooned with antlers, muskets, and pewter mugs give this Main Line institution the Ye-Olde-School manly look, as the volunteer firefighters hanging at the clubby bar can attest.