West Philly Runners are sponsoring and participating in the annual Cobbs Creek Park race on Saturday, April 21 (see flyer below). This is the official West Philly Runners race, but everyone is invited to join them. This event will also feature a 1 mile walk – a great opportunity for families to get out and explore the park. Click here to register.

Registration fee is $20 and all funds raised from this event will go to benefit kids’ recreational activities in the Cobbs Creek Park. But there’s more to it. Alon Abramson, who organizes West Philly Runners, sent us this information:

“Philly Parks and Rec, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and PA Environmental Council are putting on the ‘Run for the Kids of Cobbs 5K’ race for the 2nd year. The goal of the race is first and foremost to bring people back to the park and encourage some ownership of this shared space. Cobbs Creek sat forgotten and abandoned for years and the city is making a concerted effort to reverse this trend. If you’ve been to the park recently, you will be pleasantly surprised to find it well utilized by the community with picnic areas, and paved and unpaved recreational trails (it is absolutely beautiful). Proceeds from the race go towards outdoor recreational programs for kids in the area. Get people to come to the park and support kids programming…win-win, right?

I am the organizer for West Philly Runners, a local running group, now in our 2nd year. We have been growing alongside this initiative and we have been heavily involved in planning the event from the start. In fact, I created the race website this year (www.cobbscreek5k.com), I am working on promotion and I have been involved in trail work in preparation for the race, which is mostly a trail run. For us, it is THE race of West Philly and thus THE race of the West Philly Runners. I’d love to get the word out to the West Philly community so that runners (and walkers) take advantage of this opportunity to (re)discover this amazing park in our back yards.”

If you have questions about the race or West Philly Runners, you can email Alon at alon.abramson [at] gmail.com

This Friday night, allow yourself to be carried back in time to the days when the movie-going experience always included live music accompaniment. The silent film from 1920 features Douglas Fairbanks portraying the romantic, swashbuckling Zorro, but this special evening will feature an original and live score by West Philadelphia Orchestra member Brendan Cooney, who’s taken his blend of silent classic films and new exciting live music on the road under the name “Not-So-Silent Cinema.”

“I try to bring together players from different corners of the music scene who don’t usually play together to create unique musical collaborations,” says Cooney, who told Metro reporters that this project is a “faux Latin-flamenco-tango-mariachi ensemble.” “The film’s full of adventure, bravura and romance, so I wanted the music to capture that, but also be a little over the top.” Cooney’s band brings together several mainstays of the West Philadelphia music scene including Patrick Hughes, Alban Bailey (Octomonkey), Josh Machiz (TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb), and Nezih Antakli.

Catch “The Mark of Zorro” this Friday, April 13, at 8 p.m. at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). $10.

– Emma Eisenberg

Renovations have begun on the storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave., which will be the location of a controversial Subway restaurant. Judging by the sign above, some people are still not happy about it.

Reader Oxana Miron wanted to make people smile in this cool rainy evening and asked us to post this beautiful photo she took on a very pretty and sunny day around 48th and Osage. Thanks Oxana.

Send your photo of the neighborhood to editor@westphillylocal.com.

Stephan Heuer submitted this photo of a rainy day in West Philly. The photo was taken between 47th and 48th Streets, next to Vietnam Cafe.

Send your photo of the neighborhood to editor@westphillylocal.com. Please don’t forget to include your name and photo’s title or caption.

Il Rimedio (4443 Spruce Street) adds something new to the West Philly scene. The menu offers luxe flavors and a slightly more sophisticated approach to brunch. The food is delicious and carefully prepared, and although the dark wood and white tablecloths bring a more formal feel to the room, the service is friendly and not pretentious in the least.

Two friends and I (with a two-year-old in tow) visited Il Rimedio last week for the Saturday brunch. We each ordered an item from one of three menu categories: Benedicts, Crepes, and Grains. The house smoked trout, grilled asparagus, and wild mushroom hollandaise sauce Benedict ($10) featured perfectly poached eggs anchored by a generous portion of firm, subtly smoked yet fresh-tasting fish. The wild mushroom hollandaise sauce was smooth and infused with flavor. The same sauce accompanied the crepes with egg whites, sauteed spinach, pecorino cheese and turkey bacon. The Parisian among us noted the authenticity of the crepes, which, like the poached eggs, require a close eye and a deft touch.

Although the mascarpone polenta ($6) looked good, from the Grains section we ordered the stuffed Italian bread French toast with whipped molasses cream cheese filling, black currant maple syrup, and honey walnut compound butter ($10). Being skeptical of the concept of “stuffed” french toast, and not a big fan of a sugary breakfast, I expected something beyond my control. Instead I was happy to find that the sweetness of the syrup and molasses was nicely balanced by the salty nut butter and the tangy sesame/sourdough flavor of the seeded Italian bread. Each of the dishes came with a side of herbed new potato hash, which was fine but not remarkable. The side of pork belly ($4) was a disappointment, because I expected something crispier. On this point I defer to those more familiar with the preparation of pork bellies. Next time I’ll opt for bacon ($4) instead.

Il Rimedio is a grown-up place featuring adult tastes, although children might appreciate the crepes with Nutella, fresh strawberries, mascarpone, vanilla bean anglaise, and mint coulis ($8), or the Greek yogurt, berries, and honey ($6). While the staff was certainly pleasant and family-friendly, the acoustics and the set-up are not. Chef Dan Freeman is happy to adapt dishes to meet different dietary requirements, and encourages you to make a request if something doesn’t meet your needs. At this early stage of the business — only a month in — some changes may occur, but the quality of the food and the skill of the chef will no doubt establish Il Rimedio as a strong option for a festive morning meal. We have yet to try dinner, but based on the brunch, our hopes are high.

– Jen

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