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Notes from the Weekend: December 12
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.
Notes from the Weekend: December 12
Notes from the Weekend is a Monday late Tuesday feature (sorry!) 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 at citypaper.net/notes.)
Adam Erace: AE
Drew Lazor: DL
Alexandra Weiss: AW
Friday: Some co-workers and I dragged ourselves across the street to Khyber Pass Pub (56 S. Second St.) for bacon grease popcorn and more than a few beers, including the dope Sparkling from Bell's. Once I made it home, dragged myself across a different street to American Sardine Bar (1801 Federal St.) for a real dilly (and real-dealy) bowl of Jewish chicken noodle and a chicken liver on rye sandwich, which they sell by the half for four bucks. Nice portion control, that. —DL
Went to the gym Friday after work, then ruined it all by eating cupcakes at Arcadia Boutique (819 N. Second St.). My friends Victoria Marion May and Mallory Anita Lawson were having an opening reception for their show, Space Junk. Because I'm predictable, we all went to El Bar (1356 N. Front St.) afterward. Please don't stalk me. —AW
Because some occasions just don't call for French-pressed single-origin beans, we started to decorate the Christmas tree on Friday with mugs of home-brewed Dunkin' Donuts mint mocha coffee. I say started because it became rapidly evident that there was no way we could tie strings on all 100 ornaments before passing out. Things my parents should have taught me: Ornaments do not come nicely double-knotted for you. We had about 14 of the gold and silver balls threaded, knotted and double-knotted before taking our sore and bleeding fingers to bed. What a bunch of sadistic dicks those elves are. —AE
Drove to Jerz for an a.m. screening of The Adventures of Tintin Saturday morning (it's great go see it; CGI Tintin looks like Clay Aiken, though), and found myself at Khyber Pass Pub again afterward to try out the new NOLA brunch menu AW posted about last week. Fiery, filling Creole Bloodys, Vieux Carres, a very hearty grillades and grits (slices of round steak awesomely drowned in Creole gravy) and my personal favorite NOLA specialty, PRALINE BACON. I wrapped bits of it up in the pancake they offer as a side — one thin-and-crisp flapjack, one dollar. Where else can you order that? —DL
Because I'm extremely predictable (and trying to save money), we went to The Abbaye (637 N. Third St.) for brunch on Saturday. Their Bloody Marys are only $3 and the best server with the accent is always working. I'm pleased to report that I think we're making progress in our friendship. Post-brunch, I went to a friend's house to bake cookies for a Christmas party. I helped by gossiping and watching Daria. —AW
On Saturday morning, we switched from the hair-fine gold thread to fishing wire for the ornaments, which sped decorating along nicely. Twirled the bannisters in garland, hung snowflakes in the window and stockings on the railing. The crib looked like a regular winter wonderland, but there wasn't too much time to sit back and enjoy it; we were in mad prep mode for a surprise party for C's parents' 30th anniversary we were hosting that night. Fifty people in a South Philly row home? You could say it was snug. Fortunately, nobody really noticed with lots of tomato pie and a glitzy mini wedding cake from Iannelli's (1155 E. Passyunk Ave.). —AE
Stopped by National Mechanics (22 S. Third St.) for a farewell party on Saturday night. It seems I (unintentionally) only drink Irish Car Bombs once a year with the same friends. Because I'm a lady and don't want to/don't know how to chug beer, mine got a little thick toward the end. My next stop was the aforementioned Christmas party. Ate some of the cookies I "helped" bake and warmed up in front of the yule log channel on TV. —AW
I was gonna cook something healthy on Saturday night but then I got mad lazy about everything (I blame praline bacon) and ordered delivery from Circles (1516 Tasker St.). They'll combine chicken and tofu in one curry if you ask nice. —DL
Had a goodbye dinner with those same friends from Saturday at Village Whiskey (118 S. 20th St.). A pal of mine works there and set us up with the deviled eggs and beets. Also got the Village burger with chevre and we all split the duck fat fries with cheese. The bartender, whom I met briefly years ago when he was serving at a Yelp event at The Franklin, remembered me and sent me a shot of Old Grand-Dad. Thanks! After dinner, we went to Yogorino (1205 Walnut St.) for a goodbye yogurt at my friend's insistance, despite the frigid weather. —AW
After posting about the new brunch at Khyber Pass Pub on Friday, I really, really wanted to try the cafe au lait and Bananas Foster french toast. I ended up splitting that and the Breakfast #5 (we got eggs over medium, whole wheat toast, Best Stop andouille and hash browns) with a friend. Service was a little slow, so while we were waiting we admired all the plaid in the joint. I think that you can tell how cool a place is by how many people there are wearing plaid. —AW
Did double diner duty on Sunday, first at the Melrose (1501 Snyder Ave.) for breakfast (cream chipped beef, extra-crispy hash browns and hot chocolate with the best whipped cream on earth), then at Suburban (14 W. Street Road, Feasterville Trevose) for a late lunch/early dinner with the in-laws. The chicken croquettes were killer with cranberry sauce, and their salad bar featured an enormous bowl of apple butter I mistook for applesauce and ate with a spoon. Oops. —AE
I did one of my favorite things on Sunday: made a long-overdue trip to Kanella (1001 Spruce St.) for their always-tremendous mezze. If you don't know, go — pay $30 or $35 (vegetarian or meat-and-fishified prices, respectively) and Konstantinos Pitsillides' kitchen takes care of the rest. Too many great little dishes to mention them all, but highlights for me this time were the lamb kofta over pomegranate salad, beet falafel (more on this soon), the grilled sardines (always a good look), the braised rabbit stew and the bulghur-stuffed cabbage, all dabbed with Pitsillides' homemade hot sauce. This is one of the best deals from one of the best restaurants in the city, no contest. —DL
Was in Trinidad for a friend's wedding. Stuffed myself on the local fare including doubles (that's one order), roti, and bake'n'shark. After my taste of Trinidad, I'm very excited to try the Mini Trini truck.— bje55- I order for circles too frequently...and it's become more frequent now that I, like drew, discovered the two proteins, one curry option.
I can't recommend the chicken/tofu in the extra spicy pumpkin curry enough. BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SEITAN SATAY??!?!?!— tjt - I learned that I missed a PSN visit to Sardine Bar when I was there Friday night, so I chose to drown my sorrows in two draft beers. Had I been hungry, I would have ordered the broccoli in cheese sauce, 'cause those 2 things are good.
Brunch at the Khyber was good stuff! I wish more menus offered one pancake for $1, and man that "big-ass biscuit" with the jam was awesome. An Americano from Bodhi post-brunch kept me from passing out after. I finally tried the tofu salad from Circles and it was great! That plus my fav crab pad thai and the order was a success!
Mezze at Kanella was so so so good. The baba ganouj there is unlike any other, and the sardines with tabouleh is awesome. I also loved the beet falafel and the stuffed cabbage. I feel like dessert at Kanella is highly underrated. We had this cake with almond panna cotta and pistachio ice cream that is one of the best desserts I've had in a while.— MLF - I hit the Kanella meze too.. beet falafel was amazing and I agree about the baba ganouj and the desserts.— BarryG
- Had takeout from my beloved Chabaa Thai in Manayunk on Friday-super spicy red curry with beef for him and crab fried rice for me. I am desperate to try Circles after reading about it so much on this blog-I'm sure they don't deliver to Manayunk but maybe when I have Harry Potter 7 date night with the best friend in South Philly we'll treat ourselves.
Saturday the boyfriend and I drove down to jeweler's row to go engagement ring browsing (I told him to just buy me a pony. He thinks I'm kidding) and we stopped at Jones for brunch. Monkey bread, mimosa flight, eggs benedict for him and buttermilk pancakes with turkey sausage for me. I had mentioned the new Khyber brunch but wasn't sure if it had started yet. Now I'm sad. That night we watched Gremlins and ate meatballs, mac and cheese, pierogi casserole, and feta dip at our friend's ugly sweater party.
Sunday...I can't remember Sunday, too much spiked apple cider and Mad Elf the night before. All I can remember is bacon.— JulieC
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