Eats Beat

* Rich Landau and his wife/partner Kate Jacoby have expanded their horizons with their new vegan restaurant, Vedge (1221 Locust St., 215-320-7500), which is serving now but opens officially on Monday. The setting - formerly Deux Cheminees and long before that, the tony Princeton Club - retains its dark moldings, parquet floors and tiled fireplaces but has been lightened with white marble and brighter walls. Judging from a tasting preview this week, the uptown move (from their former Horizons in Queen Village) has not diminished Landau's artful way with vegetables or his wife's wizardry on dairy-free desserts. The restaurant and bars - cocktail and vegetable - will be open 5-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

* Soup's on and then some. The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia has invited local chefs to share a personal soup recipe for a $10 donation toward putting holiday meals on struggling local families' tables during the annual Red Kettle campaign. Participants are: Terence Feury (Fork, 306 Market St.), Walter Staib (City Tavern, 138 S. 2nd St.), Mitch Prensky (Supper, 926 South St.), Peter Woolsey (Bistrot La Minette, 623 S. 6th St.), Eric Yost (White Dog Café, 3420 Sansom St.) and Hugh Moran (POD, 3636 Sansom St.). Donate at participating eateries or a Center City Red Kettle.

* Charcoal BYOB (11 S. Delaware Ave., Yardley, 215-493-6394) chef-owners and brothers Mark and Eric Plescha have earned a reputation for pushing the techy boundaries of food-prep without losing touch with diners' comfort (food) levels. They've brought their approach to lunch with The Snack Shoppe - sandwiches, snacks, desserts and salads priced from $2.50 to $7 and served at the riverside restaurant from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Try the Sous Vide Cold Fried Chicken with House Ranch, Sriracha, Artisan Greens. Also new, a "Chef's Counter" tasting dinner, six courses for $50.

* Firecreek Restaurant & Bar. already in Downingtown (20 E. Lancaster Ave., 610-269-6000), has opened at the Town Center in Voorhees, N.J. (Somerdale and Burnt Mill roads, 856-344-7901). The 160-seater does hearty, grill-centric American cuisine for dinner daily, with lunch weekdays and Saturday, plus Sunday brunch. Live jazz Thursdays and Sundays.

* Chef Marc Vetri will discuss his new book, Rustic Italian Food, in a free talk at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Parkway Central Library (1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341). The South Philly native and winner of the 2005 James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic Award trained in Italy before opening his restaurants Vetri, Osteria and Amis here. His newest cookbook advocates a back-to-the-basics approach.

* Women, soup and Warhol are among the subjects of the exhibit "Campbell's: 142 Years of Design" at the Art Institute of Philadelphia (1622 Chestnut St., 800-275-2474) through Dec. 11. There's a free gallery talk from 5 to 7 tonight on "Creating the Flavors We Love."