It's a Friday, the week before Christmas, and Leslie Bilotta is busy. So are her longtime staff members who help create the food that Bilotta and her husband, Andy, sell to a hungry clientele in Doylestown. On this particular day, they were catering several Christmas parties. And the front case was chock full of the fried chicken for which their business has been famous for decades. But don't try to weasel the recipe out of them. The Bilottas use the same recipes at Gross' Gourmet that the Gross family pioneered - and they guard them jealously. "We keep them in a safe," Leslie told a visitor…

A Doylestown restaurant has received some prestigious praise. Zagat's blog set out to list the Top 10 best Italian restaurants in the Philadelphia area. And Doylestown's own Domani Star didn't just make the list - it came close to topping the list. Zagat blog readers voted the eatery on West State Street as the third best Italian restaurant in the Philly area. Here's what the blog had to say about it: While the meatballs may be “to die for”, “every dish on the menu is a hit” at this “convivial” Italian BYO in Downtown Doylestown, where the “fresh”, “tasty” fare is “served with a smile” and “…

Can you whip up a Bearnaise sauce to die for? Are you the one your friends all call to plan their holiday menus? If you've got serious kitchen chops and a good dose of personality, mark Thursday, Nov. 8 on your calendar. That's when the Food Network will be in Philadelphia holding an open casting call for season 9 of Food Network Star. "Essentially, we are looking for those with a captivating personality who believe they’re at the top of the culinary game and want to inspire a Food Network audience through their passion for food and cooking," according to Kristen Damiani, a casting associate …

When Iron Chef Jose Garces' taco truck visited the Ottsville Farmers Market in May, some people were disappointed. The truck ran out of food before everyone had the chance to sample the specialty tacos. So now, they're returning, with more food. Garces' taco truck, Guapos Tacos truck will return to the market north of Doylestown on Friday, June 15. But market organizers warned would-be foodies to get there early. "Each time they visit Ottsville, they bring more tacos but please plan to arrive early, 4 - 6 pm to enjoy specialties from our favorite Philadelphia food truck," they said in an …

  If Green Chile Chicken, Carnitas, or Chipotle Short Rib tacos sound tasty, set your course north of Doylestown. Jose Garces' taco truck, Guapos, will return to the Ottsville Farmers Market Friday night. The truck will be serving tacos out its window from 4 to 8 p.m. at the market on Rt. 611. The Iron Chef, who owns a farm near Ottsville, appeared at the market last September. His appearance attracted quite a crowd, and lines grew long. Guapos launched last spring, bringing "modern Mexican street food" to Philadelphia. The truck is covered with 45,000 bottle caps arranged in a geometric …

By the time diners are settled into one of the Freight House's 200 seats, the folks in the kitchen will have been working for hours to prepare for one of the biggest nights in the restaurant business. Valentine's Day rivals Christmas Eve and the night before Thanksgiving as one of the busiest nights of the year for the restaurant near Doylestown's train station. This year, executive chef Joshua Homacki wanted to try something special. He crafted a menu loaded with love - literally. "Everything on here is an aphrodisiac," he said one recent afternoon, while assembling ingredients in the …

Steak lovers have a new option for dining. KC Prime, a steakhouse in Lawrenceville, NJ, has opened a second location on this side of the Delaware River - and it's just a few minutes south of Doylestown. The new restaurant is now open in the former Houlihan's at 1580 Easton Rd., Warrington. It is open for lunch and dinner, as well as Sunday brunch. The menu includes appetizers such as seared Ahi tuna ($12), sandwiches such as a French dip ($15) and entrees such as KC Prime NY Strip ($38). For more information and complete menus, see the restaurant's website.  

The latest entry to the menu at a Peddler's Village restaurant includes a secret ingredient: liquor. The shopping and dining destination in Buckingham on Friday announced the winners of the Cock ‘n Bull Birthday Cake Recipe Contest. The “Tipsy Tavern” Pound Cake, created by Diane Decembrino of Sewell, New Jersey, won first place and will be featured on the Cock ‘n Bull menu from February 14 through December 2012, according to Peddler's Village officials. Three dozen contestants competed on January 21 at the Cock ‘n Bull for the chance to have their original cake featured on the menu in honor …

Karen Tancrede of Doylestown Township has high expectations that someday soon, she’ll be able to take her grocery shopping list to a place nearby that will carry fresh fruits, vegetables and products all produced by farmers and small business owners in the local community. Now, especially, since she and husband Serge hope to open a “fast-casual” restaurant in the borough. They want to make it a gathering place for families – have a pool table, electronic and board games and provide good, healthy food with a Caribbean flair reminiscent of the cooking from Serge’s native country of Haiti. The …

If you're still putting the final touches on your Thanksgiving menu, try slipping in a new recipe from the health experts at Doylestown Hospital. This month, the hospital shows you how to make a delicious, healthy Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish. With the easy, healthy Thanksgiving recipes and tips on their website, you’ll learn how to roast a turkey, whip up healthy mashed potatoes and create a beautiful, low-calorie pumpkin pie dessert in minutes. Other recipes include comforting Cornbread Stuffing with Chestnuts and Figs, sweet Fresh Cranberry Sauce and tasty Caramelized Onion …

Did you know that thicker-skinned winter squash last longer than their thin-skinned cousins? Do you know the difference between a speckled hen, pac man and baby boo? You would if you were part of the standing-room only crowd recently at Use Your Gourd: a Winter Squash Tasting. The Bucks County Foodshed Alliance hosted the program November 3 at the Doylestown Mennonite Church. Fourth-generation farmer Brenda Slack showed off more than a dozen of the 27 varieties of winter squash she grows at Milk House Farm, her family’s former dairy farm in Upper Makefield Township. Slack, a member of the …

Food doesn't come from the grocery store. It comes from farms and artisanal producers -- both of which are plentiful right here in Bucks County. And now, thanks to Bucks County Food Tours, residents can get an inside look at some of the area's best agriculturual operations. Lynne Goldman, creater of the website BucksCountyTaste.com, has long been a resource for Bucks County’s locavores to find the area's best food. Goldman is also an administrator for the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance, a nonprofit organization with a goal of fostering and expanding the local sustainable food supply in Bucks …

They streamed in steadily, drawn by the appetizing scents wafting between the stalls. Men and women lined up, crunching the gravel beneath their feet, eager to try a taste of Mexico served up Iron Chef style. Jose Garces, one of seven Iron Chefs on the Food Network show Iron Chef America, runs seven restaurants in Philadelphia, but it was his taco truck, Guapos, tantalizing the taste buds in Bucks County north of Doylestown Friday. Guapos usually trundles the mean streets of Philadelphia on weekend nights - think bar crowd - or at lunchtime in Center City. On Friday, it headed north past even…

The Bucks County Foodshed Alliance presents the final event in its immensely popular summer series of farm evenings on Wednesday, September 7, with Snipes Farm & Education Center, a CSA and “outdoor classroom” operating on the historic family-owned and operated farm in Morrisville, Bucks County. The summer farm evenings feature a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by the 7:30 p.m. farmer-guided tour of one of the area’s premier small farms. Gates open at 6:00. There is no charge and no need to register for the event, but please bring a picnic dish to share and your own beverages, eating …

Originating in South America, the tomato's popularity spread across the world after the Spanish colonized the Americas. The word tomato is believed to derive from the Aztec word, tomatl, or “swelling fruit.” The Supreme Court classified tomatoes as a vegetable in 1893 as a way of taxing the sale of the product. At the time, vegetables were taxed but fruits were not. Sound familiar? Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family. It is estimated that there are over 7,500 varieties of tomato. They are classified into two groups: determinate or indeterminate. The determinate or bush tomatoes grow…

A record-breaking crowd that spanned all ages feasted on summer dishes and learned about organic farming just north of Doylestown on Wednesday. From the tiniest infant carried in its mother’s arms to a lively mix of teenagers and adults to a nonagenarian farmer from Morrisville, all ages were represented at the Pipersville farms of Just One Seed and Purely Meats. It was the second in a series of Summer Farm Evenings organized by the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance. The nonprofit organization’s goal is to raise awareness of local food production and the farming economy while connecting those …

Now that summer’s officially here, foodies everywhere are in heaven with all the farm-fresh produce that is available for their dinner tables. Living in a rural area of Bucks County offers residents a wealth of choices when it comes to picking up some locally-grown fruit or veggies during the growing season. To help scout out the region, Bucks County and the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service have produced a 30-page booklet called “Fresh From Bucks County Farms.” The publication, also available online, is a guide to where you can stop and pick up some of the seasonal products offered. …

The local food movement emphasizes supporting local farmers and buying fresh, locally grown food. So perhaps it is no surprise that a major organization working to preserve those farms - along with open space, wildlife habitat, historical structures and more - is planning a fundraiser with a "farm to table" theme. The Heritage Conservancy's third annual From Farm to Table fundraiser will be held August 6 at Lindsay Farm in Warminster, the group announced Friday. "This event offers the unique opportunity for guests to enjoy delicious local food while also enjoying the beauty of a preserved …

Vehicles started rolling up the long Tussock Sedge Farm driveway from Souderton Road before 6 p.m. Singles, couples, families with kids of all ages tumbled from their cars and trucks to ogle the small herd of Red Angus who were grazing with their calves in a field next to the big barn. A welcome breeze blew away most of the oppressive heat as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Gradually, the long tables behind the barn filled up with platters, bowls, casseroles, baskets and trays of homemade foods of all kinds. Tussock Sedge grass-fed sirloin tip steaks on the grill were destined to become …

The Singing Waitress will be waiting tables Sunday for a good cause. Devyn Rush, of New Hope, who competed on American Idol this season, will be a celebrity waiter at the fourth annual Celebrity Chef & Waiter Gala. Held on Sunday at the Doylestown Country Club, the event is a major fundraiser for the community organization CB Cares. The idea for the gala was conceived by CB Cares director Kimberly Cambra, who came to the Doylestown-based community group after an extensive background in the food industry. A foodie at heart, Cambra wanted to put her passion for dining together with her love of …