Root Beer

Zoe Daly may be only 3 years old, but she knows exactly what she wants. Blue-eyed and cherubic, Zoe leaned forward from her perch in the front seat of the dark-green minivan, and with a beaming smile stated her one desire: "A grilled cheese sandwich. " It was this kid-sized craving that brought Zoe, 18-month-old Kane, and their extremely pregnant mom, Diane Daly, from Riverton yesterday to Weber's Drive-In. The creamsicle-colored hamburger and root beer stand, whose spinning orange sign has been a harbinger of spring for almost 50 years, raised its flaps yesterday for the first time this year.

Question: Years ago, I found in a dump an empty light-blue glass bottle marked in raised letters "Hires Root Beer" and "Manufactured by the Charles E. Hires Co., Philadelphia, Pa. U.S.A., Makes Five Gallons of a Delicious Drink. " It's about 5 inches high and has a squared-off base. How old and valuable is it? Answer: The book to check is the new Root Beer Advertising and Collectibles by Tom Morrison (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., $24.95), which illustrates about a dozen amber, aqua and clear glass Hires bottles like yours, from the 1880s and 1890s.

Nothing beats a frosty mug of freshly pumped root beer hanging off a car window tray at one of South Jersey's genuinely old-school Weber's Drive-Ins. And few things could make me happier than the resurgence of more artisan renditions of root beer, which has suddenly become the country's hottest liquid flavor du jour. Among the best local examples is a crisp non-alcoholic draft from Downingtown's Victory (on tap now at Varga bar), and an herbaceously homemade brew at Chifa, which gets poured over horchata ice cream for an exotic Nuevo Latino float.

State Sen. Hank Salvatore has been in the Legislature for a quarter century, so he knows something about politics. But does he know anything about root beer? For the last 18 months, Salvatore has had the audacity to market a root beer with his name on it, Hank's, in Philadelphia, the birthplace of root beer. We wondered, can Hank's go toe to toe with Hires? And why would a town full of Democrats drink root beer made by a Republican? To answer these questions, we arranged a sitdown yesterday between the heads of the warring factions.

Dear Anne and Nan: I have a freezer that has a fishy smell. It's really bad! I've tried everything I can think of and nothing helps. Can you help me? I am desperate! - Rosalie Kisner, Salem, Ohio Dear Rosalie: After emptying your freezer, wipe down the walls with vanilla. Be sure that you wipe the door seals and around the fan area at the back of the freezer as well. Rinse with plain water. When you replace the food, put one or two saucers of instant coffee crystals in the freezer compartment.

Some annual rites of spring: Getting your car detailed. Filling out your bracket in the NCAA office pool. Pining for an old love. And chugging down a root beer at Weber's. Sunday marked the official first day of spring. But until the orange balls of Weber's, South Jersey's time-honored root beer stand, crank into motion along Route 38, everybody knows spring isn't really here yet. "I saw those orange balls going," said Jayne Farkas of Oaklyn in between bites of her cheesesteak, "and I told my husband we have to stop and have lunch here.

The West Chester Public Library threw a 100th birthday party for itself last Sunday. Members of the Friends of the Library showed up in Victorian costume and served goodies such as root beer, pretzels and gingerbread cookies. Among the items on sale were lace bookmarks and lace sachet. The event kicked off a series of events this year to mark the library's centennial. Next month, there will be a talk on authors from West Chester. A gala centennial celebration will be held in June, a talk will be given on the library's stained-glass windows in November and an open house is planned for Christmas.

The Frosted Mug drive-in on Route 130 looks straight off the set of a Hollywood movie. First, there's the scene - the jukebox, the friendly car-hops, the red vinyl booths and the Formica counters. Then there's the food - grilled juicy burgers on fresh-baked rolls; crisp, salty fries, and frothy mugs of the sweetest root beer. Owners Dan and Joan Biviano of Pennsauken hope such a scene takes you back to your childhood - or perhaps the childhood you wish you had. So far, their plan has drawn considerable crowds.

They are a throwback to the 1950s. Elvis Presley. Root beer floats. Drive-in movie theaters, and smooching in the backseat. Ah, nostalgia. The drive-in hamburger joint. Sonic, which calls itself the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, has come to a neighborhood near you - six in metropolitan Philadelphia, including Bensalem, Levittown and the Northeast, as well as Audubon, Camden County, and Hainesport. The latest Sonic opened Feb. 1 in Feasterville on Bustleton Pike, at County Line Road.

What kind of place is Weber's Drive-In on Route 38 in Cherry Hill, N.J.? It's the kind of place where you don't have to feel pressured if you're not ready when the waiter or waitress arrives to take your order. And it's the kind of place that if you remember something you want after the waitperson leaves, that's OK too. If you're big on cheerful service, not too choosy about menu selection, wild about root beer and enamored of al fresco dining - Weber's could be your kind of place.

LET'S PLAY a few bars. Y'know, beer-drinking songs - the kind of music that gets the crowd dancing with a bottle raised in the air. You take a gulp, grab a girl and start a little movement in your sacroiliac. If you don't know how to do it, Chubby Checker sang in his timeless "Hucklebuck," man you're out of luck. Lou Capozzoli was wailing the tune on his sax last weekend with the Rage Band at Ray's Happy Birthday Bar. The Passyunk Avenue joint was swinging, and I was reminded that there is no more sublime pleasure than drinking and singing.

Red Sox starters will have to wash down their fried chicken with soft drinks this season after new manager Bobby Valentine established dry ground rules for the clubhouse and road trips. The team will ban alcohol in the clubhouse and on the last plane flight of trips, Valentine announced at the team's training camp in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday. The move comes as a result of last season's September collapse, a tailspin that included reports of starting pitchers drinking beer in the clubhouse on their off-days rather than joining their teammates in the dugout.

Chef Arthur Cavaliere, a vet of El Vez and Amada whose last gig here was as executive chef at Parc, has landed in East Falls with In Riva (4116 Ridge Ave., 215-438-4848, www.in-riva.com ), a Southern Italian specializing in wood-fired pizzas and antipasti. In Riva - as in "by the river," playing off its location off Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill - is a partnership with developer Mark Sherman. Interior designer Shannon Willis has done a smashing job with the first floor, which has a high ceiling, cinderblock walls, and a concrete floor.

LIKE DINOSAURS, the dodo and disco, some beer goes extinct, too. It's a result of evolution, of course: The fittest survive while the weak disappear. Typically, the lost ones were obscure regional varieties that fell under the weight of widely distributed brands. Others were best-sellers that simply lost favor as tastes and customs changed. Dortmund Adambier, Pennsylvania Swankey, Grodziski, Broyhan, Kentucky Common - one can't help feel a bit of nostalgic regret for the forgotten names.

They are a throwback to the 1950s. Elvis Presley. Root beer floats. Drive-in movie theaters, and smooching in the backseat. Ah, nostalgia. The drive-in hamburger joint. Sonic, which calls itself the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, has come to a neighborhood near you - six in metropolitan Philadelphia, including Bensalem, Levittown and the Northeast, as well as Audubon, Camden County, and Hainesport. The latest Sonic opened Feb. 1 in Feasterville on Bustleton Pike, at County Line Road.

Nothing beats a frosty mug of freshly pumped root beer hanging off a car window tray at one of South Jersey's genuinely old-school Weber's Drive-Ins. And few things could make me happier than the resurgence of more artisan renditions of root beer, which has suddenly become the country's hottest liquid flavor du jour. Among the best local examples is a crisp non-alcoholic draft from Downingtown's Victory (on tap now at Varga bar), and an herbaceously homemade brew at Chifa, which gets poured over horchata ice cream for an exotic Nuevo Latino float.

An Unser driving for A.J. Foyt at Indianapolis . . . for longtime Indy car fans, it doesn't get any better. Foyt is a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner. The tempestuous Texan collected the most Indy car wins ever (67). Al Unser Jr. is a two-time Indy 500 winner. His father also won the prestigious race four times. That Al Jr. is back behind the wheel of a race car that travels more than 220 mph is both heartwarming and scary. Al Unser Jr. is an alcoholic, who only recently stopped drinking.

What are the boys on the tour bus drinking? If they're the boys of Fall Out Boy, who bring the Nintendo Fusion Tour to the sold-out Electric Factory tomorrow and Monday, the drink is probably root beer. Three of the Chicago band's four members, all in their 20s, are straight-edge. Pete Wentz, FOB's bassist and lyricist explains: "A lot of my friends were into punk- rock and drinking. At some point, I realized America is frat-boy culture. There's even one in the White House.

The 700 people yawning on the hard chairs of the Cape May Convention Center early yesterday will sell the trinkets, wait the tables, check the beach tags, and clean the hotel rooms for the tourists who will pack the Jersey Shore this summer. And the man in front of them, leading the "Shore to Please" Customer Service Training Program, preached the gospel as sponsored by New Jersey's Casino Reinvestment Development Authority: Smile! Stand up straight! Be kind to those people who pump $32 billion into the state's economy annually!

Brews, beers and fountain delights were the focus of much of the opening weekend of the 21st edition of the Book and the Cook. Walk-in waves of locals and tourists, many with toddlers in tow, savored root beer floats and other soda fountain treats at the retro Franklin Fountain on Market Street on Saturday. Youngsters eagerly lent helping hands to crank fresh mango ice cream made from author Lari Robling's cookbook, Endangered Recipes: Too Good to Be Forgotten. Robling baked her own buttermilk pies for the event, to complement the fountain menu.