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.

Here’s a summary of a few events going on in the hoods this weekend.

Sustainable Saturdays: The West Philadelphia Local Food Series

Where: Various locations When: Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 8 p.m.

The last in the Sustainable Saturdays series is tomorrow, Sept. 17, starting at 9 a.m. The theme is “Preserving the Harvest” and it includes workshops on canning and fermentation, the West Philadelphia Homebrewing Competition, a sneak peek at Mariposa Food Coop (4824 Baltimore Ave.), Apple Cider Tour & Tasting, and Philly Homegrown West Philadelphia Farm-to-Table Trolley Tour. Tickets are still available for the Homebrewing Competition ($7) and the Trolley Tour ($50). For more information and the schedule visit this page.

Clark Park Fall Equinox Festival & Uhuru Flea Market

Where: Clark Park “B” (43rd & Chester, around and in the Bowl) When: Saturday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The bi-annual Clark Park Music and Arts Festival (Fall edition) is also happening tomorrow, Sept. 17. The festival celebrates all things West Philly and offers a wide range of activities and entertainment, including live music (rock and non-rock), arts and crafts, kids activities, and popular food trucks and vendors. The music begins at noon. See the flyer for the full bands line-up.

This year’s last Uhuru Flea Market will be going on at the same time around the park’s Bowl. Check it our for some cool stuff, such as antiques, collectibles, ethnic arts and crafts, books, records, jewelry and more. If you want to help vendors unload or clean the park you can volunteer by calling: 857-233-7508 or email: philly [at] uhurusolidarity.org.

Mariposa Food Co-op is throwing open its doors a few times over the next month so that West Philly residents can keep tabs on the renovation of its new space ahead of the official opening in the fall.

The first of the three open houses is Sunday, August 28, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Others will be on September 13 (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and October 2 (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.). All three will take place at the soon-to-be Mariposa location at 4824 Baltimore Ave (see picture).

You can drop by the open house at any time and kids are welcome. Mariposa is encouraging people to RSVP here.

A group of West Philly youths have decided: If the people can’t get to fresh fruits and vegetables, they’re going to get the fresh fruits and vegetables to the people.

Starting tomorrow the Youth Urban Mobile Market (YUMM) will begin delivering fresh produce from 52nd to 60th Streets in a bicycle-driven cart. The cart will launch on Friday at the first ever Youth Growers Market at Malcolm X. Park (51st and Pine Streets) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  The YUMM cart will pedal the neighborhoods four times weekly, helping relieve the dearth of fresh food in many parts of West Philly.

The cart and tomorrow’s market are staffed by young folks from the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Students from a number of area schools are involved, including: Martin Luther King High School’s “Seeds for Learning;” Saul High School’s “Henry Got Crops;” the School of the Future; Pepper Middle School; the Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance; Earth Keepers; and Walnut Hill Farm.

If things go as planned a lot more people in Philadelphia will see mobile fruit and vegetable carts around the city. The YUMM cart is the first of the City’s “Healthy Carts” program. Twenty carts are planned to begin operating in low-income neighborhoods in 2011-2012 as part of the “Food Fit Philly” program.

For more information on the YUMM cart or the youth growers program, write Lan Dinh at: landinh89 [at] gmail.com.