Next weekend boasts two big foodie events on the Main Line — it’s a shame they overlap!

As we mentioned previously, Friday night Feb 5th is Foodapalooza II in Haverford. Tickets are $12 in advance / $15 at the door.

In addition, the first ever Taste Local Festival will take place at the Desmond in Malvern on Friday night and all day Saturday. The main event takes place Saturday afternoon from 12-3:30 and will include a sampling of local food, wine and beer (featuring over fifteen breweries and wineries), plus several “Savor Sessions” where you get to learn and taste unique food and drink pairings. In addition, there are pairing dinners both nights, a chili competition and more. Tickets start at $35.

Main Line Dine will be represented at both events, so we hope to see you out next weekend!

More info:
- Foodapalooza
- Taste Local

MIXX, the sister restaurant to Azie on Main (and part of the WIN Signature Restaurant Group) opened on Friday January 29th in the downstairs space that used to hold Maia in Villanova.

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The Paoli branch of Fellini Cafe has closed for good. Hopefully we’ll see another restaurant fill that spot!

Update:According to Michael Klein, records in bankruptcy court show that Fellini filed for Chapter 7 protection. Basically, it means that if approved, the corporate assets are sold and it’s done.

Thanks to readers Dave and Kander for the tips.

NOTE (2/5/10): Foodapalooza II has been postponed until March 5th due to the impending blizzard.

First Friday Main Line is hosting the 2nd annual Foodapalooza event, which includes sampling of great foods from a variety of local restaurants and a chef’s competition judged by local food experts.

Come enjoy a taste from these great restaurants:
A La Maison, Auspicious, Cafe San Pietro/Positano, Khajuraho, McCloskey’s, Panera, Primavera Pizza Kitchen, Trader Joe’s, Verdad , Whole Foods Market and many more.

Also, there will be a wine tasting by Majestic Wine and Spirits and more.

Date: Friday, March 5, 2010
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Location: Haverford Estates, 731 Old Buck Lane, Haverford, PA

Tickets: $15 at the door or buy online $ 12, just choose Foodapalooza 2 as the Donation Type.

Several area restaurants have come together to raise money for “Restaurants for Haiti Earthquake Relief.” Each of these restaurants (listed below) have donated a $100 gift certificate to be auctioned on eBay. Proceeds from the auctions will be donated to the Red Cross for Haiti Relief and Development.

The auction runs through Tuesday, January 26th at 4pm.

Auctions for each restaurant can be viewed here. Bidding starts at $9.99.

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Many years ago, before the Wawa was razed and rebuilt, there was a Seafood USA store in a strip mall in the center of Paoli. When it closed (and the mall was torn down), there was no seafood store between Wayne’s Seafood USA and the Hill’s in Exton. Recently, however, Gadaleto’s opened in Frazer, bringing high-quality seafood to the Western Main Line for the first time in quite a while.

Now, Seafood USA is back in Paoli — they will be opening in the building just east of Fellini Café. No word yet on the open date.

For many years, our family has celebrated Christmas Eve with the traditional Southern Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes (Festa Dei Sette Pesci), also known as The Vigil (La Vigilia). The origins of this celebration are Roman Catholic — on Christmas Eve in particular, it is a commemoration of the wait for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus (Vigilia di Natale), and stems from the Catholic tradition of abstinence, in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products, on Fridays and specific holy days — but, as with many Americanized traditions, it is now celebrated by people of all backgrounds and faiths.

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Simple. Organic. Delicious. That’s the tagline for Clock Tower Natural Foods, a small cafe located in the Paoli Plaza shopping center (CVS) in Paoli. The cafe uses all organic foods, whole wheat breads, and no processed ingredients to make baked goods, soups and sandwiches. It’s a cute little cafe — very welcoming and warm, with friendly staff members.

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Well, the long-rumored Mexican replacement for Wayne’s The Freehouse has a name: Matador.

See thedogatemyhomework’s comment below for more info.

Big changes are coming to the Wayne shopping center that currently houses ACME (a.k.a Wayne Square). The space that once held Eckerd/Rite Aid will be split into two retail spaces, one of which will become Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, a Florida chain restaurant that is partially owned by Dan Marino. This appears to be their first location in the Northeast, though the website lists Delaware as another potential suitor. Though Wayne hardly needs yet another pizza joint, this appears to be a sit-down establishment that will have a bar (assuming their liquor license hearing goes well). Think Bertucci’s, before they started focusing on pasta and other dishes.

ACME will also be vacating this shopping center, when their lease expires in March 2011. Current plans are to remodel the entire space to house 9 smaller retail locations. No word yet on whether any of them will be restaurants.