Notes from the Weekend: February 4

POSTED: Monday, February 4, 2013, 4:45 PM

Filed Under: Notes from the Weekend

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. We'd love to hear all about YOUR weekend eating adventures in the comments. Go for it! (View past NFTW installments atcitypaper.net/notes.)

Adam Erace: AE

Caroline Russock: CR

Emily Kovach: EK

Zoë Kirsch: ZK

Friday kicked off with Maker's and lager happy hour at Sugar Mom's, an awesome set by Nothing at AKA Records and a brisk walk up to Vox Populi to check out a friend's opening (check it out, seriously, there's a flaming pineapple involved). After the opening we cabbed it back to The Khyber for all sorts of vegan junk food (hello, nachos and seitan chicken wings) followed by dancing at Medusa.—CR

On Friday afternoon, feeling unwarmable and tired, I fought the wind up 38th street to Sitar for an Indian buffet to sooth my Friday afternoon angst. I sat alone at a table reading and devouring piles of delicious food. I got a little mint chutney stuck between the pages of my book, but so it goes. The paneer and samosas especially hit the spot, as did a mug of spiced chai and gulab jamun, those amazingly sticky-sweet honey balls, for dessert. Later on, the fella and I went out for a Friday night date - first to Terakawa Ramen in Chinatown, a sleek but cozy spot that was pleasantly croweded at 8pm. We ordered Japanese sausages, crispy chicken buns and steamed pork dumplings to start, and Ry ordered the Tan Tan Ramen (a spicy chicken miso broth number), and I had the shrimp tempura udon. Full and high on sodium, we steered the car south, and pulled off at the Wawa on Delaware Ave. for sour patch watermelons and pretzel M&Ms before a late showing of Silver Linings Playbook at the Riverview.—EK

On Friday ventured several blocks into the bitter cold for a hot dinner at West Philly’s Pho Café Saigon. A reasonable $7.50 bought me a colossal bowl of noodle soup with mixed vegetables – broccoli, onion, green beans, carrot, cabbage, zucchini – and spongy fried tofu. The meal came with a pot of tea and a plate overflowing with all things green: sprouts, jalapeños, lime wedges, and a spray of basil.—ZK

On Saturday I headed out to University City for more research of all manner of Indian snacks for an upcoming piece in the paper. If you're not familiar with the wonderful world of chaat and pav bhaji, get ready, we're going to school you on Thursday.—CR

After a breakfast of bagels, pastries and granola from Four Worlds Bakery on Saturday, Ryan and I drove out to Cherry Hill, NJ with my mom to hit up a few stores, including both the Wegeman's Grocery and Wegeman's Wine and Spirits shop (where my sister works!) for Super Bowl Party supplies. We pulled off the highway for some mid-day hoagie fortification from Primo Hoagies, where the Veggie Diablo did me right, as it always does. That night, we got a quiet, putter-around-the-house kind of vibe going, and ended up making a simple dinner of mac and cheese and a big salad.—EK

Saturday night pre-gamed a Penn basketball loss under the neon lights at Distrito. My pal nursed a bourbon cocktail (with grapefruit, thyme, and bitters), while I found my escape from the midwinter doldrums in a chichi watermelon margarita. We polished off an umami-heavy hongos flatbread (forest mushrooms, black truffle, corn shoots, and cheese on a thin layer of huitlacoche – a fungal Mexican delicacy that sounds unappetizing but tastes unreal). Next up was a trio of mini langosta tacos, followed by a free side of spicy peanuts, which are zingy but don’t pack too much heat. The meal left our palates tickled but tummies only half full, so we stopped by Fresh Grocer’s budget section on our way home and snagged two slices of dollar pizza.—ZK

Honestly, I could couldn't care less about football but add promises of Dorito nachos and plenty of all-American light beer to the equation and yes, I will absolutely go to a Super Bowl party. Mac and cheese, spinach dip, the aformentioned Dorito nachos plus a billion cans of Miller Lite and Rolling Rock distracted from the I'm-pretty-sure-I'll-never-get-it- yelling at the TV.—CR

Not much going on this weekend, save for the SUPERBOWL aka excuse to eat junk food like nachos and wings. I classed up the former with kidney beans, fresh cilantro, jalapeños and a layering technique from Bon Appetit. The latter I tossed in red and green harissas, respectively, then roasted till burnished and brown. A second harissa toss after cooking and they were ready to eat. So good they could have knocked the power out. Oh, wait...—AE

Sunday was a day of supreme snacking. At a one-year-old's birthday party earlier in the afternoon, I sampled a whole table's worth of treats, including veggie pigs in a blanket, mini spanikopita, open faced chicken salad sandwiches and fudgy brownies. As soon as we got back home from that shindig, Ryan and I snapped into action, preparing a bunch of stuff for our own gathering later that evening. We worked in quiet unison, coming up for air only to flip the record or pet the lonely dog. A few hours later, we emerged triumphant with spicy black bean dip, chicken wings with a buttery, triple hot sauce glaze, a cruidite platter, tomato pie made with homemade dough and sauce, and a lemony goat and cream cheese cheese ball coated in pistachios. Friend brought over a bunch of good beers and we all cheered during the game, jeered at the commercials, and fawned like big softies over the Puppy Bowl.—EK

On Sunday my bestie and I honored Beyoncé’s knockout Super Bowl Halftime Show with a trip to Mizu. Their “smart roll” - sixteen pieces of four kinds of sushi for less than nine bucks – left me with solid leftovers and a happy wallet. The night wouldn’t have been complete without a sugar rush supplied by Insomnia Cookies.—ZK

Posted by Caroline Russock @ 4:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Comments (0)

The Lite Choice Opens Flagship Store on 16th Street between Walnut & Locust
Notes from the Weekend: June 17
Free stuff for Father's Day
Rock Star cheese dinner at Di Bruno's
Gone Fishin'
Happy National Beef Jerky Day!
Vetri opening in the Navy Yard, plus a nod to Le Bec
Summer of Riesling Dinner at P&K
Now Serving: Tiffin Bistro
Now Serving: IndeBlue

About this blog

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.

Follow team Meal Ticket on Twitter:

@mealticket | @carolinerussock | @adamerace

Search this blog:

Topics:

Blog archives:

June
May
April

March
February
January