Wine Bar

WHEN IS Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk not a Boardwalk? This weekend, when it will be transformed into the world's largest wine bar. Tomorrow and Sunday, the Great Wood Way will be an oenophile's fantasyland as the first Do AC Boardwalk Wine Promenade is staged along the oceanside pedestrian thoroughfare. "We have created a really unique event that celebrates the beauty and excitement of the Boardwalk through the lens of food and wine," offered Leslie Sbrocco , the TV wine expert ("The Today Show," PBS' "Check Please!"

WHEN I walked into Paris Wine Bar, the newly opened adjunct to London Grill at 23rd and Fairmount, it was as if I'd walked into a wine bar in another, parallel dimension. You see, Paris Wine Bar is a wine bar that serves no wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Chile or even California, Oregon or Washington state. "All of our wines are from Pennsylvania," Cristina Tessaro, the bar manager, informed me. I looked around for hidden cameras to make sure I wasn't being punked.

Ever since the bagel shop closed many years ago, this tiny boutique of a space just south of Rittenhouse Square has struggled to find an enduring tenant. How about the small-plate appeal of Venetian cichetti and a wine bar? Former gondolier Andrea Luca Rossi, also a veteran of Girasole and numerous Boston restaurants, is giving the concept from his native town a try - and I like the early vibe. Out with the fussy white leather couches and marble of the old Italian wine bar. In with more rustic woods and casual buzz of the small-plate cantina.

  JILL WEBER, 41, and her husband, Evan Malone, 42, of Fitler Square, are co-owners of Jet Wine Bar and the restaurant Rex1516, both on South Street near 15th. The former opened in November 2010 and the latter in March 2012. When Weber is not overseeing the wine bar, she spends much of her time on overseas archaeological digs. We spoke with Weber.     Q: Tell me about your archaeological background. A: I've worked mostly in Turkey and Syria. I'm an animal-bones specialist, so I go from site to site and analyze animal bones that are found.

Chef Roberta Adamo, one of many Philadelphia-based proponents of cooking with fresh, seasonal foods from local sources, will lead "Shop, Cook and Dine" classes on Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at Penne Restaurant and Wine Bar in the Hilton Inn at Penn, 3600 Sansom Street. The sessions ($30 each) are set to begin at 10:30 a.m. with a trip to a neighborhood farm market. There, Adamo will guide students in selecting ingredients for, and planning, the day's class menu. On returning to her pasta lab, the chef will give step-by-step instructions for preparing the meal.

Want to learn about wine really quickly? Everybody will tell you that the learning is in the tasting: If you want to know about wine, you have to taste it. The deeper secret is that if you want to learn quickly, you have to taste pairs, trios or whole groups of wines together. (In the wine world, a group of wines tasted together is called a "flight. ") When you taste wines side by side, you notice the differences between them, the small features that separate one from another. Your wine savvy goes up enormously any time you do comparison tasting, but you'll make the best progress if the wines are closely related to each other.

WAY BACK in the Paleolithic era of American Wine Drinking — a time coinciding with leisure suits, fern bars and the Carter administration — sweet wines ruled. People loved their cheap Mateus and Blue Nun and Andre Cold Duck. Then, all of a sudden, everyone got all sophisticated and savvy and demonstrated this by eschewing sweet for dry. Basically, you were a moron or a rube if you liked sweet wine. Or at least that's what we were told. I know something like this happened in our home when I was growing up. As a kid, I vaguely remember a moment when my parents started opening bottles of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.

It happens to almost everyone. You look up from an interesting project or conversation only to discover that time has flown and most restaurants have stopped serving lunch for the day. Ah, but with Restaurant Taquet near at hand, there's no need to miss the meal. Because hours at the Wayne restaurant's wine bar run nonstop from opening to closing, diners here have a chance to enjoy Taquet's extraordinary food all afternoon. That's good news for late lunchers as well as for those who'd like dinner before an early-evening appointment.

L uca Sena, 62, of Society Hill, owns Penn's View Hotel and two restaurants, Ristorante Panorama and Revolution House, all in Old City. Born in Naples, Sena was 17 when he moved to Philly with his father in 1967. The rest of the family soon followed. The Sena family's first restaurant, La Famiglia, on Front Street, opened in 1976 and now is run by Luca's brother, Giuseppe. Q: Panorama opened in 1990 and you're still doing well. What's the secret to your longevity? A: I always kept an open mind, surrounded myself with younger people, having two sons [Carlo and Luca Jr.]

Catelli Ristorante enjoyed an almost-17-year run in the Main Street Complex in Voorhees before the swish Italian destination closed in July 2011. Times had changed. Owners Jan Talamo, Linda Rosanio, and chef Lou Imbesi went back to the drawing board and came up with Catelli Duo , an industrial-chic osteria/wine bar tucked into Voorhees Town Center (12101 Town Center Blvd., 856-751-6069). The menu allows dining at a variety of price points. Imbesi says patrons will be asked if they want "social" (smaller)

WHEN IS Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk not a Boardwalk? This weekend, when it will be transformed into the world's largest wine bar. Tomorrow and Sunday, the Great Wood Way will be an oenophile's fantasyland as the first Do AC Boardwalk Wine Promenade is staged along the oceanside pedestrian thoroughfare. "We have created a really unique event that celebrates the beauty and excitement of the Boardwalk through the lens of food and wine," offered Leslie Sbrocco , the TV wine expert ("The Today Show," PBS' "Check Please!"

  JILL WEBER, 41, and her husband, Evan Malone, 42, of Fitler Square, are co-owners of Jet Wine Bar and the restaurant Rex1516, both on South Street near 15th. The former opened in November 2010 and the latter in March 2012. When Weber is not overseeing the wine bar, she spends much of her time on overseas archaeological digs. We spoke with Weber.     Q: Tell me about your archaeological background. A: I've worked mostly in Turkey and Syria. I'm an animal-bones specialist, so I go from site to site and analyze animal bones that are found.

IT'S no accident that Lady fell hard for the Tramp over a shared plate of linguine in the classic Disney movie. The very act of nibbling pour deux can be enough to get a body in the mood for romance. Although Valentine's Day is one reason to canoodle with your favorite dining partner, chefs around town are hip to the aphrodisiac power of shared deliciousness any time of year. "It's sexy to share," said Patrice Rames, chef/owner at Bistro St. Tropez in Center City. He offers a dessert duo meant for two, an airy Gran Marnier souffle and a chocolat chaud , or molten chocolate cake (see recipe)

L uca Sena, 62, of Society Hill, owns Penn's View Hotel and two restaurants, Ristorante Panorama and Revolution House, all in Old City. Born in Naples, Sena was 17 when he moved to Philly with his father in 1967. The rest of the family soon followed. The Sena family's first restaurant, La Famiglia, on Front Street, opened in 1976 and now is run by Luca's brother, Giuseppe. Q: Panorama opened in 1990 and you're still doing well. What's the secret to your longevity? A: I always kept an open mind, surrounded myself with younger people, having two sons [Carlo and Luca Jr.]

There's a sweet-wine revolution going on, and it's happening in restaurants, in people's homes, and in wine shops. More and more patrons are asking for riesling, moscato, ports, and sherries at local restaurants and bars, and sweet wine is being mixed in cocktails at sophisticated Center City spots like a. kitchen, as well as older establishments like William Penn Inn in Ambler. Demand for dessert wines, such as Madeiras and ports, jumped to 210,000 cases in the last year, a 10 percent increase over the previous year, according to Matthew Schwenk, director of product selection for Pennsylvania Wine and Spirit stores.

Catelli Ristorante enjoyed an almost-17-year run in the Main Street Complex in Voorhees before the swish Italian destination closed in July 2011. Times had changed. Owners Jan Talamo, Linda Rosanio, and chef Lou Imbesi went back to the drawing board and came up with Catelli Duo , an industrial-chic osteria/wine bar tucked into Voorhees Town Center (12101 Town Center Blvd., 856-751-6069). The menu allows dining at a variety of price points. Imbesi says patrons will be asked if they want "social" (smaller)

WAY BACK in the Paleolithic era of American Wine Drinking — a time coinciding with leisure suits, fern bars and the Carter administration — sweet wines ruled. People loved their cheap Mateus and Blue Nun and Andre Cold Duck. Then, all of a sudden, everyone got all sophisticated and savvy and demonstrated this by eschewing sweet for dry. Basically, you were a moron or a rube if you liked sweet wine. Or at least that's what we were told. I know something like this happened in our home when I was growing up. As a kid, I vaguely remember a moment when my parents started opening bottles of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.

Chef Peter McAndrews has added the Old World-elegant Popolino , in Northern Liberties (501 Fairmount Ave., 215-928-0106), to his collection of Italian-themers ( Modo Mio , Monsu , Paesano's ). Working with Four Seasons alumnus Steve Flis, he's put an antipasti bar - tavole calde ("hot table") - in the middle of the dining room. (It's not self-service; staff does the portioning). Cuisine is moderate-priced Roman rustic - 10 appetizers and 10 entrees, plus house-made desserts.

Paris Wine Bar 2301 Fairmount Ave. 215-978-4545 www.londongrill.com Tria Cafe * Rittenhouse Square 18th and Sansom streets 215-972-8742 http://triacafe.com * Washington Square West 12th and Spruce streets 215-629-9200 Tria Wine Room 3131 Walnut St. 215-222-2422

WHEN I walked into Paris Wine Bar, the newly opened adjunct to London Grill at 23rd and Fairmount, it was as if I'd walked into a wine bar in another, parallel dimension. You see, Paris Wine Bar is a wine bar that serves no wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Chile or even California, Oregon or Washington state. "All of our wines are from Pennsylvania," Cristina Tessaro, the bar manager, informed me. I looked around for hidden cameras to make sure I wasn't being punked.