Notes from the Weekend: Feb. 14

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Notes from the Weekend: Feb. 14

POSTED: Monday, February 14, 2011, 10:31 PM

Filed Under: Notes from the Weekend

Notes from the Weekend is a Monday feature that sees the members of Team Meal Ticket compiling all the food/drink highlights uncovered during prime eatin' time, Friday to Sunday. Consider this a place for good deals, great dishes, wicked cocktails, recipe triumphs (and tragedies), bizarro conversations and more. We're eager to share our notes, but especially excited to read yours.We encourage you to leave notes from YOUR weekend in the comments. Have at it! (View past NFTW installments atÂ citypaper.net/notes.)

Adam Erace: AE Erin Finnerty: EF Drew Lazor: DL Adrian Pelliccia: AP Laurel Rose Purdy: LRP



Photos \| Adam Erace

I spent the weekend â well, the week â on vacation on Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where I practiced my appalling Spanish and ate more ceviche than is likely recommended by the FDA. Want some pictures? Of course you do. âAE [Ed.: I hate this dude. âDL] After work on Friday two women and I up happy hour at El Rey (2013 Chestnut St.). Two words: DOLLAR TACOS. âEF I was a beef and beer virgin until this past Friday, when I trekked up to Harrington's in the Great Northeast (7226 Frankford Ave.) for a B&B fundraiser benefiting my good friend's mom, who's recovering from breast cancer. (Get well soon, Donna!) Ate roast beef/horseradish on rolls, shrimp ziti and chicken fingers and swilled lagers while plotting how to best win the gift basket filled to overflowing with bottles of vodka. I was feeling lucky but didn't win. Also, re: the 50/50 raffle, you kinda HAVE to kick your winnings back to the cause, right? Has anyone ever kept that shit? âDL On Friday, I did the stay-at-home housewife thing in lieu of going to the 2,000 restaurants I'd planned on visiting. Baked a batch of simple, soft gluten-free sugar cookies. They were disgusting. Drank some 2006 Rioja and sang Black Keys songs at the top of my lungs. SautÃ©ed some fresh Brussels sprouts with carrots and raisins â Trader Joe's ingenious "JUMBO" raisin medley â a nothinginthefridgetoeat combination that worked so, so well. âLRP Saturday morning: brunch at Royal Tavern (937 E. Passyunk Ave.) with a friend. I ordered the tater tot scramble because it's pretty much impossible to order anything else in the presence of a menu item called tater tot scramble. âEF

Photo | Drew Lazor

Found myself at Le Pain Quotidien (1425 Walnut St.) for a meeting midday Saturday â scarfed most of a smoked salmon/scallion omelette and tried not to knock into anyone's coffee while navigating the packed-the-eff-in dining room (crowded!). Then I wandered over to The Dandelion (18th/Sansom) for a proper pint of Fuller's ESB (and to admire the classy men's room art, of course), only to return later in the evening for a glass of Bombardier Bitter on draft (I like it on cask better!). âDL Bottle of Cava in tow, I met a few of my favorite brunch companions at Kanella (1001 Spruce St.) on Saturday afternoon. We filled up on some killer hummus, the English Breakfast (complete with lovely housemade baked beans and grilled tomatoes) and a savory crepe filled with creamy Manouri cheese and swimming in carob syrup, among other dishes. Between course one and dessert, we ordered a side of fried haloumi, just because, and doused it in this incredibly tangy Greek steak sauce whose name is escaping me. âLRP Got my sugar rush on after a visit to Sweettooth (630 S. Fourth St.) where I picked up a bag of sour blue raspberry and cherry cola gummies and some cherry jelly beans. When it comes to bulk candy, I know what I like. âEF

Photo | Drew Lazor

I got this menu for Liberty Steaks stuck in my door the other day, and after thorough examination I determined that there's no actual address printed anywhere on it. Oops. I called though. It's at Sixth and Oregon. âDL Saturday: After meeting up with my parents at Hudson Beach Glass (26 S. Strawberry St.) for their second annual vodka/caviar tasting, we headed to Hoof + Fin (617 S. Third St.) for dinner. The restaurant was packed with preemptive V-Day pairs (and some groups), all of whom were taking their time to move home for the most important part of the eveningÂ (we spent a while waiting). I started with the pappardelle with braised short rib, and opted to split the asado, a mammoth meat marathon special for two, with my ma. What came out was a chopping block covered in the following: lamb chops, chorizo, blood sausage (clear standout!), sweetbreads, veal and two cuts of beef. There was a little salad thrown in there, but no one noticed. âAP Hey AP, I also enjoyed a parental dining sitch Saturday night: Took my parents, visiting from MD, to their favorite Philly place, Oyster House (1516 Sansom St.). Though they can never remember what the place is actually called ("What's that oyster house we like?" is a mom question I've fielded a number of times), they tore up the menu, with shucked shimbumis and Beau Soleils and a big ol' clam bake for two (mussels, clams, lobster, linguica, etc.). Me, I got the fisherman's stew and downed a Rhino Tooth (reminder: drink that immediately!). âDL

Photo | Drew Lazor

After OH, headed to the home of Friends of Meal Ticket RB and KR for some Maker's. Didn't sip any of out of their slutty cocktail glass collection, unfortunately. Next time. âDL Dinner with the bf Saturday night at South Street Souvlaki (509 South St.) where I enjoyed a garlicky, bready, cheesy meal of spreads and dips. Upon returning home after dinner, said bf presented me with an engagement ring and the shock of a lifetime. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! Went out for a celebratory brunch at Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) on Sunday morning. I went for the huevos rancheros, an abundant bowl of spicy, eggy goodness. Afterward, headed deeper into town for a helping of my favorite Capogiro gelato duo: sea salt and pistachio. âEF

Photo | Drew Lazor

Badly needed Italian Market shopping fuel on Sunday morning, so I walked into George's (900 S. Ninth St.) for a roast pork sandwich â sharpies, rabe, one long long hot.Â Ate it while listening to the Eye-talian guys in the table up front talk shit about their girlfriends. âDL Sunday: I spent most of the day digesting my dinner from the night before in the library, but when hunger pangs started setting in, I ran home and made an inaugural order at the (now soft-opened) Kitchen (4529 Springfield Ave.). I got the West Philly Banh Mi, punched up with house-pickled vegetables and a heapin' helpin' of some sweet chili-glazed meatballs. Sadly, there was no cilantro. âAP

Photos | Drew Lazor

Stops at Talluto's, Esposito's, that one seafood place, Target (unrelated; for cat food) and the always-stressful South Philly Ack-a-Me led to one sick Sunday dinner: a four-hour ground beef/ground pork/hot Italian bolognese sauce (recipe courtesy of the Inky's Michael Klein) over fresh spaghettini, oven-roasted oysters with gremolata (thx Ripert), and salmon with a creamy mustard sauce (thx Bromberg Brothers). Friends of Meal Ticket LP and GT escaped with a bolognese doggy bag. Thank God, as I woulda finished the pot like I usually do. âDL My new fiance and I went for a preliminary V-Day dinner at Vietnam (221 N. 11th St.), an old favorite. Sat near a man who, at the inexplicable prodding of his wife, refrained from using the ramekin of tasty sauce on his vermicelli bowl then belly-ached about it being dry. Amateur hour! âEF

juliana

Posted 2011-02-14 18:01:40

Congrats EF! Meal Ticket is all about marriage these days. Very cute. 
And, LRP - I've been drinking rioja and belting The Black Keys this whole week. Weeeird.

Saturday, finally tried the tacos at El Jarocho (1138 S. 13th), chorizo was great, obv, but the killer was the lengua. Later, drank lots of Root and Maker's (at times, together, with root beer).

Last night did an early V-day thang at Bistrot La Minette. Somehow the boyfriend always make better choices than me -- his terrine was amazing. Big fan of the different flavored kir royale over there, tried both the ginger and the peach and it felt a little bit like being in Paris. 

Drew- Michael Klein recipe please? And the couple next to us at La Minette were talking about how they read about the cassoulet on MT (and then proceeded to order it).

Tweets that mention Notes from the Weekend: Feb. 14 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2011-02-14 17:51:45

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Cephood

Posted 2011-02-14 20:00:55

Went to the 943 Agentinian/Italianplace that opened in Italian Market...awesome empanadas, excellent octopus and great food from the grill.

Check out pics and more over here http://cephood.blogspot.com/

Smellody

Posted 2011-02-14 19:04:08

I spent Saturday afternoon at City Tap House for the Yards Karma Factor 2011 Homebrew competition, where I entered a cask conditioned ESA and drank many beers.  The beer was good, but we didn't place. Alls well though and we headed to my neighborhood hangout Kennett Resturant for kale salad, porchetta and margarita pizza and more beer. Started my Italian Market run Sunday morning not like Rocky, but at Sam's Morning Glory Diner where a Gardenkeeper fritta set the world right, as did coffee and the biscuit and homemade jam. Strolled the market where it was still just chilly enough for trash can fires, to get San Roman tortillas, DiBruno fare, some pork, some veggies and some blood oranges.

Posted 2011-02-14 18:16:26

Checked out Resurrection's brunch and was pleasantly surprised by the fritatta with sweet onions and fresh greens and the super spicy bloody mary (I like 'em like that), but I'm cheap so thought the price tag was a bit steep for future, non-fancy brunches. 

Me and the Man checked out Tinto for an "Oh shit I forgot to make me a Valentine Day's res, so let's eat out on Sunday" dinner. The duck canapes were insane and I was a huge fan of the sea bass, but the artichokes were just ok and I wasn't really feeling the prawns. Good, but not wowed. Kind of wish we had just gone to the South Philly Taproom.

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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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