George Sabatino's Instagram Is A Constant Reminder Of Why Philadelphia Rules

As you might have noticed from our year-end recap, Team Food Republic has been on the Philadelphia beat for some time. This weekend I made the short trip down 95 to sample some incredible hummus and participate in the Philadelphia Chefs Conference, organized by the Drexel School of Culinary Arts and Food Science. Unlike most stuffy academic settings, the leaders at Drexel place a strong focus on application as well as linking students with the city's culinary community. Participants included chefs Kevin Sbraga, Jeremy Nolan and reps from the city's big restaurant groups (Vetri, Cook N Solo, Garces).

Noticeably absent was George Sabatino, chef-owner of Aldine, the well-regarded Rittenhouse Square restaurant that recently launched a tasting menu earlier this month. Noticeably absent meaning Sabatino was likely on Instagram. Or, more likely, cooking. No fewer than six people told me that he runs the "best" and "coolest" and "most badass" Instagram account in the city. And, true, it's pretty impressive. Here are some our my favorites posted over the past week. Yes that's seven days. What were you doing over the past seven days? Philly, doing it right once again. Follow him: @gwsabatino

Octopus terrine v 2.0 is awesome and going on this weekends tasting menu.[/caption]
Orange powder for scallop crudo setup in my new favorite kitchen tool.[/caption]
Pappardelle, lamb ragu, blue basil, yolk.[/caption]
Mise en place for Sloppy Joes.[/caption]
Sourdough Parker w/ coffee salt tester.[/caption]
Caramelized apple fruit roll up.[/caption]
Toasted oat + coconut butter in the works for tomorrow w/ Parker house rolls.[/caption]
Tempura fried pork rillettes : mike's fermented cabbage.[/caption]
Tis the season for lamb ragu making.[/caption]