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Notes from the Weekend: February 21
Notes from the Weekend is a 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: February 21
Notes from the Weekend is a 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 at citypaper.net/notes.)
Adam Erace: AE
Drew Lazor: DL
Katie Linton: KL
Alexandra Weiss: AW
My weekend got off to an early start on Thursday night, when C and I hopped a plane to Phoenix en route to Mexico. WiFi onboard helped make the flight bearable (+10 points for USAir), as did a bevy of carefully packed snacks: Goldfish, Kashi bars, beef jerky, cocoa-dusted almonds, etc. I can't say the same for the "Southwestern" grilled chicken salad I purchased from the inflight menu, a sorry compilation the Southwest would snub like a bastard child. Minus 20 points. —AE
I took the day off on Friday! This meant day drinking. First stop was Oyster House (1516 Sansom St.) for slurps and sips and to talk to Sam Mink about his short-lived modeling career. Then made a long-overdue stop at the bar at a.kitchen (135 S. 18th St.) for mas drinkos and a few plates, including this polenta in a squash consommé topped with maitakes (so pretty). Closed out a sweet day off with more drinks than necessary at American Sardine Bar (1801 Federal St.) with M's new work friends. —DL
Friday: My mom came up from Georgia this weekend to help me shop for a wedding dress. I stopped at OCF Coffee House (1745 South St.) to grab an Americano before picking her up from her hotel for our first appointment. I had an incredibly low-cal wrap at Sweet Green out in Ardmore — beets, cucumbers, and shrimp with curry lime dressing. That night we ate at Cheesecake Factory, which fully canceled out the healthy lunch. —KL
Flew down to Austin again for the weekend, this time with roommate in tow. We stopped at a café or two for coffee and to Google "happy hour austin cool hipster" and came up with Longbranch Inn. We pre-gamed a Shakey Graves show there with a whiskey Coke and some taxidermic animals staring at us. Post-show, we drove in circles for a while until we found Elizabeth St. Cafe. I had flank steak pho and roommate had pork banh mi. After we went to Shangri-la to drink Tecates and admire all the plaid in the joint.—AW
We didn't make it into Phoenix in time to check out the lauded Pizzeria Bianco, so threw together a dinner of snacks and oatmeal made with the coffee maker in our room at the Comfort Suites Tempe. Classy. Their free breakfast spread wasn't half bad in the morning, though; I particularly enjoyed the make-'em-yourself blueberry waffles, fuel for the two-hour flight to San Jose del Cabo. Upon landing in Mexico, proceeded directly to the bar for a Herradura reposado and soda. Vacation! —AE
Trudy's was the Austin spot for Saturday brunch. Bloody Marys were $2.50 until noon, so that was cool. I had the crabcakes benedict, two crab cakes topped with mini spinach frittatas and chipotle hollandaise on top. I found out do not like frittatas so much. —AW
Saturday: I breakfasted with two of my bridesmaids and my mama at Ants Pants early on Saturday morning before another bridal appointment — I ordered the caramelized onion/spinach/goat cheese omelette and cleaned my plate. We drank Champagne even though it was only 8:30 a.m. —KL
We went to Koriente for dinner on Saturday night with the girl we were staying with, on her recommendation. This place is tucked away in a little parking lot and it is awesome. I got almond bubble tea with my bibimbap, and was able to sub rice for japchae. We drove to Haddington's after dinner for a fancy cocktail made by a spectacularly mustachioed mixologist. —AW
Saturday: Few-days-early birthday dinner at one of the best spots, Cochon (801 E. Passyunk Ave.). Utterly slammed in there but that did not impede the arrival of my favorite ribs (pork spares with onion rings) and an inhumanely sized portion of suckling pig over Brussels. Topped with a poached egg, of course. I keep hearing people talk about Gene Giuffi's blood sausage scrapple for brunch, gotta peep that. Who's had it? —DL
Spent the next few days alternating between napping by the pool, reading by the pool and eating by the pool at the Grand Solmar resort at "Land's End," the point where the azure Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. There's no shortage of impeccable seafood here, though admittedly, Cabo's restaurants run more toward El Vez than Los Gallos. Highlights — scallop ceviche at Cocina y Cantina; corn soup swirled with chili oil and churros con cajeta at Hacienda el Coyote; fatty, crispy conchinita pibil panini at La Roca; and gooey queso fundido at Girasoles, at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar, where we spent the last night — along with hundreds of international delegates, including Hillary Clinton, as the hotel was hosting the G20 Summit. If I was an international delegate, I would get really mad if I had to fly all the way to Cabo just to stand around in a suit and watch people go to the beach. Good thing I'm just a writer. —AE
Sunday: I bought my dress! My friends and I celebrated near the shop in Wayne with lunch at Gryphon Cafe. I liked the feel of the place; even more, I loved the almond milk vanilla latte that I got on my way out. I wish I had bought a bag of beans since they roast their own. —KL
Why has been so long, Cafe Estelle (444 N. Fourth St.)? You're so warm and delicious and your well-dressed servers all look like they work at Anthropologie, except they're really sweet and don't leer at me like I'm a pervent when I step in the door. Yeah because I really get off to $125 aprons covered in hastily sketched cartoon aardvarks holding bouquets, Anthro. ANYWAYS screw that, let's talk about Marshall Green's meatballs. These things are serious. Copped them on an open-faced sandwich with side salad for brunch. Marshall is Jewish but rocks wears his Italian Nonna steez quite well. —DL
Drove around for a while the rest of Sunday to sight-see Austin and drink some chai at Flightpath Coffee House. When we decided we should probably eat dinner, we went to Ruby's BBQ. I got a small bowl of crawfish etouffee as a side to the ribs I ordered. It was more food than I expected, so I took some ribs home for dessert. —AW
Departed Mexico on Monday afternoon, but not without raiding the airport candy store. This shop was legit, specializing in all sorts of Mex confections, including sweet-and-sour tamarind balls rolled in chile and salt, sugared tres leches gummies, honey biscuits, peanut taffy and ornate caramel squares. (Don't worry, DL, I brought you some home.) I also scooped some jamaica (hibiscus) jelly I was really stoked about but it got swiped by airport security back in Phoenix. Serves me right for always complaining about people asking if they have to take their shoes off. —AE
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