Don’t miss the last chance to tour Mariposa Food Co-op‘s new store (4824 Baltimore Ave). It’s six weeks into construction and is on track to open in January. This Sunday, Oct. 16, everyone is welcome to attend the final in a series of open houses that will include visiting the new co-op building, checking in on construction progress, chatting with members and staff, and some seasonal snacks. The open house hours are from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. For more information and RSVP visit this page.

Next Sunday, Oct. 23, Mariposa invites neighbors to celebrate Food Day and enjoy a delicious three-course dinner with seasonal and local ingredients, prepared by La Nena Cooks‘ guest chef. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and all proceeds will go towards the Mariposa expansion. Space is limited so RSVP here: Food Day Dinner for Mariposa.

Judging by the buzz on community listserves, Sabrina’s Cafe‘s new location at 34th and Powelton already has fans in the area. The two older Sabrina’s locations – the Italian Market and Fairmount/Art Museum district – get rapturous word of mouth (and many 4-star reviews by Google users). Except among those who hate waiting for Sunday brunch, Sabrina’s has a reputation for delicious, vivid, and generously portioned meals.

Last Thursday at noon, it appeared that the new Sabrina’s Powelton location had already become a Drexel faculty favorite. Amongst the student/advisor pairs were larger groups of research teams or faculty committees. On the pleasant enclosed wrap-around porch, service was brisk, friendly, and professional.

I ordered the Islander sandwich ($12.99), grilled Ahi tuna on brioche. The generous portion of fresh tuna was perfectly cooked to order (mine: medium rare), and topped with balsamic-spiked caramelized onions and wasabi mayo. The brioche was fresh (breads are by LeBus and Sarcone’s). I substituted polenta fries (additional $1.79) for the usual potato fries, and found they were no crispier than average fried polenta, and more fork- than finger-food. The slaw was strictly for show: colorful but underdressed. My companion’s Southwest Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad (large: $14.89), dominated the table with its spicy buffalo garlic chicken on a mountain of fresh veggies – including hot jalapeno slices – tossed with chipotle blue cheese dressing. After a bite of that exploded on my palate, my wan polenta fries faded into obscurity. The Southwest salad exemplified the Sabrina’s aesthetic: bright colors, intense flavors, and an almost overwhelming volume of food. Expect leftovers (or order the small version for $9.99).

All-day breakfast is another Sabrina’s thing. At one point a waiter swept by with plates of stuffed French toast the size of nine-inch layer cakes. My son and I made a repeat visit the following Saturday to try it. Until a regular brunch crowd coalesces at Powelton, the full brunch menu with the Phillies-themed specials will not be available — expect just the daily breakfast menu, plus two specials. We ordered the thick-cut Challah french toast ($11.95) stuffed with cream cheese, caramel, cinnamon bun pieces, orange preserve, pecans, and butterscotch chips(!), served with peach-honey syrup. It was magnificent. The cinnamon bun pieces were MIA (or maybe mushed up in the filling?) but so much was going on that we hardly missed them. The other special was pumpkin pancakes topped with raspberry pound cake topping and crumbled golden oreos, served with raspberry-cinnamon butter and berry orange syrup ($11.94). I was temped, but I had to dial it back. The small fruit cup ($3.99) of fresh-cut pineapple, cantaloupe, and supermarket strawberries provides a decent place-holder for dieters, sharers, and minimalists.

Overall, the kitchen and waitstaff are attentive and careful, the dining areas are clean and cheerful, and the menu is amped-up diner food with fresh ingredients and a touch of whimsy. It’s comfort food: if you are not worrying about your waistline or fretting about the politics of consumption, you will love your experience at Sabrina’s.

There’s two-hour street parking, but you’d be better off biking or taking the Green Line followed by a short hike through the Drexel campus. Also note that they don’t take reservations but they do provide daily call-ahead seating, which bumps you to the front of the line when you arrive. Also, unlike the other two locations, the Drexel location doesn’t allow BYOB, so leave the bloody mary mix at home. Two minor requests to management: round up the prices (I know it’s a $13 sandwich — skip the 99 cents nonsense) and don’t forget to water the hanging plants!

– Jen

• The Philadelphia Tribune and WHYY’s Newsworks site both have stories about the innovative high school program located in the Navy Yard called The Sustainability Workshop, which has deep West Philly connections. The school, which teaches students to solve real-world problems, is run by West Philly resident Michael Clapper, a former teacher at West Philadelphia High School and until recently an education professor at Saint Joseph’s University, and Simon Hauger, who gained national attention as the director of West Philly High’s Hybrid X Team. The program gives about 30 seniors from West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia and Furness high schools the chance to spend a year focusing on energy efficiency, climate change and other issues.

• Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer includes a story about the efforts of the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) to keep school libraries open. The organization has helped reopen 10 libraries at schools in West Philly that were or would have been shuttered due to budget cuts. WePAC supplies volunteer storytellers and librarians and has donated a heap of books. We have also reported on WePAC’s good work.

• The City Paper‘s online restaurant blog Meal Ticket alerts us to the opening of Chewy’s food truck, which slings sandwiches, burgers, hand-cut fries and “tater tots tossed with buffalo sauce, Whiz, bacon crumbles and ranch dressing.” Meal Ticket reports that they also have an “Apples to Apples” BLT that includes Granny Smiths and cider mayo. The truck is a joint venture between Charlie Sokowski and Terence Jones, an old street food hand. The truck operates between 34th and 35th streets on Market from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Cedar Park Neighbors is hosting a neighborhood Meet and Greet event tomorrow night at Aksum (4630 Baltimore Ave.). Don’t miss the opportunity to say hello to your neighbors and spend some nice time in their company while enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres served by Saba Tedla, Aksum owner and Cedar Park resident.

The meet and greet will begin at 6 p.m and go on until 8 p.m., unless, of course, you want to stay for dinner. To RSVP go to the event’s Facebook page.

The Baltimore Avenue restaurant scene expanded this summer when the Mediterranean restaurant/cafe Aksum opened near 47th Street.

Its beautifully remodeled dining room and exterior bring a welcome touch of color and diversity to this already lively location. The atmosphere at this BYOB restaurant is conducive to free-form conversation, and the menu of “small plates” encourages guests to linger and share. The setting is pleasant, and the staff is friendly and accommodating. These qualities are assets, but they can also be liabilities, and we hope that the place can work out a few kinks and become a success.

My first visit to Aksum was a low-key birthday celebration on a weekday night. My friends brought wine and a bottle of bubbly, and our server promptly supplied us with wineglasses and champagne flutes. From the small-plates menu, the Stuffed Grape Leaves ($5) were good but unsurprising, and the Avocado and Tomato salad ($9) was fresh but not remarkable. On the other hand, the “Angry” Baby Eggplant Salada ($10) was delightfully spicy and perfectly portioned for sharing, and the Grilled Calamari ($9) were outstanding. The Mahi Mahi Pita Wrap, however, didn’t fit the flavor and style of the other offerings. The aoli was tasty, but overall the dish was a little bland and awkward to share. We also ordered the Orzo Arrabiata ($11) and found it used the same sauce as the eggplant. It’s good sauce, but we would have liked more variety. Once we’d secured some pita, which was not as forthcoming as it should have been, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The chairs got more comfortable, the people-watching got better, and our server become friendlier; by the time we opened our third bottle of wine, she’d practically joined our party.

Toward the end of the evening, we reached an impasse: we wanted to finish our wine, but there wasn’t anything else we wanted to order. There were a few empty tables, and no-one was waiting for ours, so we decided to stay a while longer. The very friendly server and staff made us feel at home and didn’t rush us. It will be curious to see how well Aksum handles the problem of turnover as their popularity grows; without a liquor license (and no corkage fees) the restaurant becomes a very attractive low-cost place for folks to hang out and enjoy the evening without spending much money. I suppose we should have smoked an after-dinner hookah — perhaps next time.

About a week later, a friend and I tried the weekend brunch. Things were busier – the dining room was full, with families on hand (young children with their parents, and college students with theirs). Choices such as the Egg Mezze Platter ($9) and the UCity Breakfast Wrap ($11) looked great on the menu and on other people’s tables. We ordered Sweet Corn Griddle Cakes with blueberry compote, eggs, and turkey sausage ($13) and the Salmon and Spinach Omelet with delicious tiny twice-fried tomatoes ($12), both of which arrived beautifully presented, but slightly cold.

What we’d experienced as a leisurely pace at night became an bothersome delay at brunch. In the evening, we’d been happy to lounge, but at the start of the day, people have places to go. For lunch, brunch, or dinner, the food is basically good and the decor is unique and comfortable. Although the service can be slow, the staff is very friendly. You might not enjoy Aksum if you are on a schedule, but if you want a casual, cozy meal capped with a leisurely spell at the hookah lounge, this is the place for you. I think in the end Aksum’s success will hinge on how well they can match the tempo of service to the mood of the clientele while continuing to turn a profit. We wish them the best, and thank them again for a very pleasant birthday evening.

– Jen

It always seemed too good to be true. The experiment in buying wine at special kiosks in grocery stores around the state, including one at the Fresh Grocer at 40th and Walnut, is over.

The Pronto Wine Kiosk program which included around 100 kiosks across various Pennsylvania locations is being shut down due to some monetary disputes between the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) that runs the kiosks and the machine supplier, a Conshohocken-based company Simple Brands L.L.C. The PLCB claims to not have been reimbursed by Simple Brands for over $1 million in expenses it incurred from the kiosks wiring and stocking. Simple Brands were supposed to supply the machines at no cost to PLCB, while sharing the profits.

The kiosks had all kinds of age verification technology and even a built-in Breathalyzer (important for the one at 40th and Walnut streets, which is surrounded by students). But customers often said the kiosks were difficult to operate.

Penn’s student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that the Fresh Grocer has expressed disappointment over the kiosk closing. It quotes Carly Spross, the Fresh Grocer Marketing Director, who said that this service brought “convenience” to the Fresh Grocer’s customers and “helped bring in additional foot traffic to our stores.”