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Notes from the Weekend: January 30
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: January 30
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
This weekend started off meaty as hell. First, impromptu Friday lunch at Pho Le (1620 W. Passyunk Ave.), which AE mentioned here in November. There's some really incredible not-your-average Viet cooking here; enjoy on a rickety stool at the foldout table pushed against the far wall. Hooked up with scintillating garlic chili paste, bun bo hue was filled with more beef and pork than a chubby butcher's lunch pail; also obsessed with the shortribs soaked in turmeric-crazy yellow curry. After my mouth cooled, met up with a buddy at The Trestle (339 N. 11th St.), where we made whiskey disappear and split a "Snack Pack," a $9 after-school plate for drunk adults that features bison meatballs, pigs in a blanky, deviled eggs, ants on a log (preach!) ... and a decidedly grownup "surprise." Can you tell what it is in the pic? —DL
Handsome Man (henceforth referred to as HM) came to visit this weekend and arrived Friday night, just in time for turkey tacos my roommate and I were making for dinner. HM brought a bottle of Bourdeaux with him that we came with us to a friend's place after dinner to hang out and watch VHS workout tapes. —AW
In the moment, stockpiling summer fruit, though a valiant locavore endeavor, seems like the most tedious task on earth. "I'll never use all these strawberries/peaches/melons," I'll invariably tell myself halfway through vacuum-sealing a bushel. "The fuck am I doing?" But months later, in the dead of winter, I'll break the seal on a bag of black raspberries and wind up with something like this bowl of fuchsia oatmeal I ate Saturday morning. Then, all that work is worth it. —AE
Friday: H and I hung out with our friends' kids while they went out for dinner and a show. Easiest gig ever — plus free al pastor at Tres Jalapenos (744 Christian St.). We made sizeable banana splits back at the house with whatever sweets we could find and looked for a movie that fit our preferred genre: action-packed comedy. We went with Spy Next Door, starring Jackie Chan and Billy Ray Cyrus. —KL
Saturday brunch was at Honey's (800 N. Fourth St.), so of course there was a wait. We got coffee at Higher Grounds (631 N. Third St.) to kill some time. I ordered eggs benedict (but you knew that already) with a side of latkes — the only ones I'll eat that aren't my mother's. HM had a spinach, feta and tomato omelette. —AW
Took a ride to the Shore with C on Saturday afternoon to pick-up bridesmaid dresses (things guys do for love) and stopped at the Hamilton Mall on the way home for bridesmaid jewelry (growing a uterus). I escaped to the food court, where I crushed this surprisingly delicious griddled-then-flame-grilled cheeseburger. —AE
Saturday was dumbbb. I ate and drank too much and I blame it squarely on an afternoon visit to Ikea, which always tosses me into a self-medicating tailspin because I tend to get lost in there while breathing in that weird synthetic Swedish air that makes you feel like you're tripping. (Also I ate the meatballs.) After we bought shit with umlauts, stopped at a packed-at-5:30 Tapestry (700 S. Fifth St.) for Bell's Hopslam and Iron Fist on tap. Later, High Lifes at my baby Locust Rendezvous (1415 Locust St.), beer/shots/jawsome souvlakia/ceviche at Opa (1311 Sansom St.) ... then, somehow (?), Stir Lounge (1705 Chancellor St.) for the largest Maker's rocks in the universe. I love you Stir, I am your hetero ally for life. At the end of the night, pickup from The Quick Fixx (1511 South St.) — flatbreads and a pasta bowl whimsically named "The Smoky Roman." It consisted of penne, cheesy cream sauce and a bunch of bacon. Thx! —DL
Got a call from Friend of Meal Ticket CW Saturday afternoon telling me she was in town and at Frankford Hall (1210 Frankford Ave.). Walked the convenient 1.5 blocks to meet her and another old friend for beer and mulled wine. Tried a little bit of everything food-wise — pretzel, fries, burger, spaetzle, salad and potato pancakes. —AW
Split a Rude Elf with a friend after wedding planning made me tense and moody. The beer ,plus a church potluck, relaxed me in time for my friend’s 30th birthday karaoke party. I made cinnamon-sugar pretzels and added them to the jam-packed dessert table. I also gave her the gift of performance — "Redneck Woman" and "Son of a Preacher Man" got mad applause. —KL
Saturday night was the best night. I had told HM about the Brand New-inspired cocktails at Ela (627 S. Third St.), so it was imperative we go. Disappointed to see that they swapped out some of the Deja-flavored ones for more Your Favorite Weapon- and Daisy-flavored ones. I had a Sowing Season and HM had a Sink. Headed to Bistrot La Minette (623 S. Sixth St.) for dinner. On DL's recommendation, split the escargot, I had the cassoulet and HM had the chicken. It's fucked up how good the food is there. After, met up with roommate at the Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.), where we ruined the fancy things we previously ate/drank with Citywides. —AW
Saturday dinner: EKTA! This is their fiery-as-hell vindaloo. The best. —AE
New end-of-weekend morning afternoon ritual: Heading to Belle Cakery (1437 E. Passyunk Ave.) for Jessie Prawlucki's croissants. She only does them on Sundays and they are serious. Varieties rotate, but yesterday she had three: straight-up, chocolate and speck/emmenthaler, which, as Felicia D. astutely pointed out, is basically a triller, Frencher version of a Stogie Joe's stromboli. Eat these on a Sunday immediately! —DL
Sunday: H and I ate fried chicken again this week, and I made coleslaw to go alongside. Chopped red cabbage, red onion and cilantro dressed with Marzetti's is my special recipe. I prefer it with fried chicken, seafood, hushpuppies, cheeseburgers, and ... is there anything left? —KL
Love noodles like a sister (see Friday lunch), so made it a point to try for a table at Sunday's Roundeye pop-up at Matyson (37 S. 19th St.). Showed up shortly after the 4 p.m. kickoff and was told there'd be an hour wait; not bad! Felicia D, Friend of Meal Ticket JC, M and myself cooled our heels/drank next door at Smiths (39-41 S. 19th St.) before we got the call. Seated fast, ordered fast, fed fast — this has gotta be the best-run pop-up I've ever been to. Memorable elements for me were the broccoli/sausage starter and the crispy pork belly and proper egg ballasting their hakata-style soup. Prices were on point, too. Hope to see/eat more from Roundeye's Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh in the near future. After this we sat at the rarely-vacant bar at The Franklin (112 S. 18th St.) for drinks from bartender Christina R., one of the coldest in the game! Cocktail-wise I mean, she's very nice. —DL
Sunday night, there was a benefit for Kevin Neary at North Bowl (909 N. Second St.), so we went and showed our support by drinking Yards. Plenty more info on Neary's story and upcoming benefits for him at kevinneary.com. —AW
Cooked at the crib for Sunday dinner. Veal burgers, roasted sweet potatoes and this killer cabbage slaw I threw together on the fly — cabbage, grated apple and cuke, kumquat, raisin and a spicy mustard/cider vin dressing. In the vinegar versus mayo slaw battle, the former always wins at my house. —AE
I wanted to go to the Roundeye pop-up SO BAD but I kept having visions of the ramen pop-up at the Khyber and hyperventilated about it.— aweiss- It was so damn smooth, AW. They did a great job. I'm sure they'll host others in the near future. — Drew Lazor
- Friday night my wife and I did nothing. It was amazing, and very much needed.
Saturday afternoon was coffee and a crossword at Beauty Shop Cafe. A weekend ritual on one or both days, and a very relaxing way to begin the day (read: afternoon.) I always get two mugs of coffee and never finish the second one. Saturday evening we walked from G-Ho to Passyunk and a visit to the packed-to-the-walls P.O.P.E. to meet some co-workers. They arrived as we were leaving (oh well), but we polished off the night with a few beers at Grace. I really appreciate the proximity of Grace to our apartment, because it's a great late evening spot and so incredibly walkable.
Sunday was a slow day in, a little cleaning, a lot of Dexter watching, and drunken noodles from Circles.— LouPerseghin - 30 rocks, KL! I'm hoarding those leftover pretzels...— coujones
- Two mentions of slaw in this weekend's edition, two very different versions. Recipe face-off, KL?— AdamErace
- So I saw that chicken vindaloo then I had to order it for lunch. True story. It was fiery.
On Friday I tried out American Sardine Bar with a buddy and ate a lot of food at near midnight: DL we did your pork and Boursin thang and it was awesome, the tomato mac & fries & pickle dip.
On Saturday, vacationed in Chestnut Hill and had to eat a Schmitter at McNally's (I actually got a Tobias - basically a Schmitter with salami, which was killer), then some beers at the new-ish Iron Hill Brewery, which felt too stuffy compared to McNally's.
I found the one thing that Circles does wrong: sticky rice. It didn't ruin the rest of takeout dinner from there (drunken noodles & veg dumplings), but still, disappointing.
And on Sunday, I roasted a whole black sea bass from Ippolito's and ate one of the eyeballs. I'm really proud of both those things. There was this recipe in last week's Times that made it look mad easy, and it was: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/dining/whole-fish-with-lime-salsa-verde-recipe.html— jreyes
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