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Notes from the Weekend: October 31
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: October 31
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 at citypaper.net/notes.)
Adam Erace: AE
Drew Lazor: DL
Jessica Leung: JL
Esther Martin: EM
Nicole Rossi: NR
A busy week had me ready for a low-key Friday, and by 5 p.m. I was ready to curl up with a blanket, a movie and some wine. Headed to Garces Trading Co. (1111 Locust St.) and picked a few bottles from the Loire Valley, a block of Reserva Mahon, baguette and garlic/dulce de leche spread to snack on between reading a new novel and watching the latest spooktacular episode of American Horror Story. —NR
Friday: I swung by AE's Green Aisle Grocery (1618 E. Passyunk Ave.) after work to cop some apples, Ric's "Black Russian" bread (dopeeee!) and to shoot the shiz with AE's brother, who is also AE. We talked about who is dead and who is not dead on the aforementioned American Horror Story, quickly becoming the Official Fucked Up FX Show of Team Meal Ticket. Then we rolled up on Pho Hoa (1111 S. 11th St.), where I enjoyed my usual No. 44 and M snagged a bowl with noodles but no beef or tripe or tendon. That's a good look for all you meat avoiders who still bang with meaty broths and stocks. —DL
On Friday we went to a comedy cabaret in the Northeast to see a friend of ours. After a couple funny (and some very unfunny) acts, we decided it was an appropriate time for a trip to Andy's Diner (2224 Roosevelt Blvd.). I got banana nut pancakes and bacon — amazing. They were moist with mushy bits of banana and crunchy walnuts. Oh and the bacon was good. How could it not be? —EM
Drained after a long day Friday, I stopped by The Foodery (324 S. 10th St.) to grab some beers for my night in. Got super-excited when I saw they carried my favorite: Samuel Smith Organic Cherry. Picked up three bottles. —JL
Braved the dark, creepy, winding roads of Newtown to help out at C's school's annual haunted-house bash at Thorpe Farm (371 Stoneybrook Road). By "help out" I mean roast marshmallows on campfires, scare little kids in corn mazes, agitate the raptor-like emus and do some after-hours shopping at the farm's market. Carried some of a pair of their pasture-raised bison Delmonicos and pan-roasted them for dinner on Saturday. Terrific. —AE
Sometimes, I moonlight as a flower shop delivery driver. On Saturday morning we stuffed the whip full of vases and hydrangeas and other things that smelled nice and shipped up to New Hope for an event. Counted on grabbing beers while we waited for the thingie to wrap up; didn't count on a Nor'easter Nor'eastah killing electricity in the entire town and turning Buxco roads into the consistency of a Sonic Lemonberry Slush. Good/pricey Bloodys and prematurely spooky Hallo-service at a power-lacking Mother's (34 N. Main St.) led to a wet-feet trudge toward pints of bitter at the equally powerless Triumph (400 Union Square). Then we couldn't make it back to the venue because a giant tree fell over the road in front of it. Next time I go to New Hope I'm dressing like this. —DL
Saturday morning was my first weekend morning off with Andrew in a couple months. In celebration, he made goopy creamed chipped beef. Together, we ate globs of it over biscuits (I admit, they were Pillsbury) while giggling over the fact that we had a whole day to do nothing together. —EM
Saturday morning, celebrated cousin M's impending 30th birthday at Green Eggs Cafe (1306 Dickinson St.) with poached eggs on golden pillars of smoked-salmon strada (kind of like a savory bread pudding). With the signature fried potatoes with peppers and onions, it wouldn't have been more than enough, but I had to order a side of my G.E.C. favorite: quinoa porridge. What? It's healthy. —AE
Made up for my snow-fortress-in-Inception New Hope experience with an early bite at the Barbuzzo bar (110 S. 13th St.) Saturday night. Great grilled sardines, a board featuring my favorite sci-fi alien larva vegetable romanesco, a loverly pile of swordfish puttanesca bucatini (above) and anti-grav tiramisu for dessert. I'd be happy with posting up at the bar for all subsequent Barbuzzo stops henceforth. —DL
Grabbed a masquerade mask (that was the extent of my costume) and joined a few friends at Bar (1309 Sansom St.) for a Sapphire martini before heading to the grand reopening of the Trestle Inn (339 N. 11th St.). Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, I'd never visited the Trestle before, but I was definitely digging the go-go dancers, '60s music, black/white films projected in the front room and the frothy whiskey sours. Spent the rest of the night listening to live bands and sporting my own bottle of Champagne at The Underground Arts Building (1200 Callowhill St.). —NR
Woke up Sunday morning to discover no more snow on the ground — in other words, a nice fall day. The BF and I ventured to our normal dig, the P.O.P.E. (1501 E. Passyunk Ave.), where I decided to take a gamble on the G'Morning Nachos (home fries, eggs, jalapeños and onions tossed in an oven and baked like a frittata). Was still hungry after, so we stopped by Pho 75 (1122 Washington Ave.) to complete our a.m. —JL
Sunday was a cooking day. Made one recipe out of the Serious Eats cookbook, coming out tomorrow (halal cart-style chicken and rice with white sauce ... sick!) and two out of NYC chef Anita Lo's Cooking Without Borders — kabocha and spaghetti squash ringed with a mole-ish bitter chocolate sauce; and barbecue squid and their fried tentacles over top an edameme salad (sub pepitas for peanuts — we kept finding gray grubs in the shells of the nuts we bought, eghhh). You'd be proud, I broke down all the squiddies myself and only got a little bit of ink on my shoes. —DL
Is that mole sauce or bbq sauce that is artfully smeared next to the squid?— redsonya75- It's hoisin with some other stuff in it, redsonya75 — Drew Lazor
- Sunday Funday. Two meals were more than enough. Got one of the last donuts at Federal Donuts (chocolate raspberry) then waited around for chicken. I split a half chicken of chile garlic glazed and a half chicken of harissa. I then digested for a few hours before moving onto the mezze at Kanella. After some quail, lamb sausage, shrimp, sardines, and fruit skewers I chased the whole thing down with some bud heavies at the Eagles game.— bje55
- Spent Sunday at The Twisted Tail. Had the steak and eggs byte steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the eggs were over medium just liked I asked. That's a hard one to get right. Also took advantage of the champagne special. $15.50 for a bottle and some orange juice. It was a nice day.— Kenyabates
- Gastrofest: 30th birthday edition was epic.
Thursday: Dinner at Sonata with my parents. Dad brought a bottle of 88 Mumms champagne we bought in France when I was 12. It had started to turn to vinegar. He denied that obvious truth and continued to drink it. I switched to a delicious Buoncristiani cab I bought years ago to prove to my dad that small producers >>>> opus one. It worked. Anyway, Sonata's butternut squash soup was deemed "best ever" by my mom (who is definitely knowledgeable about butternut squash soup) and Sonata pleasantly had the opposite of the appetizer problem. The apps were all good, but the mains were BETTER. Plus, that pear honey sorbet with pecan bar was ridiculous. Pecan bar alright (not my favorite dessert base), but sorbet was insanity.
Friday, lovely girlfriend snagged a table for two @ talula's garden. Seemed to be hitting a middleground between Osteria and Farm and Fisherman. It was good...the rosemary pasta with veal special was amazing...but i'd rather go to Osteria for pasta and Farm and Fisherman for farm-to-table fare. Plus, Starr makes his bartenders oversweeten every. fucking. drink. the black walnut bitters were great, until they were overpowered by whatever sweetening agent was in the drink i had that didn't need to be sweetened. RYE IS SWEET ENOUGH, STEPHEN.
Saturday the girlfriend really stepped it up, baking all day and picking up Smoke Truck/Bebe's for dinner for a gorup of about 15 of us. Brisket is as excellent as ever, I wish my blood were that sauce, and he gave us an extra tray of mac n' cheese just because Mark is an amazing human being. Love you, Mark, but man...you gotta charge more and give away less! I'd rather pay more and have you in business than pay less and keep having to go through long hiatuses between gigs.
Sunday hit up little fish to finish gastrofest. good grub. fantastic mahi mahi, but somehow the brown butter cake was the best part of that meal. epic win overall.— tjt - That's so thoughtful of your parents to bust out such an old bottle, tjt — vinegar juice or not, the intention is very sweet. I bet that tasted real bad though. hahah — Drew Lazor
- it had only really started to turn. so it wasn't too bad, but it definitely wasn't what it was supposed to be. lol.
the thought was sweet. hopefully their other old-ass bottle didn't go bad also (Dom. that would SUCK).— tjt - Friday lunch was the smoked short rib sandwich at Barcade. You can't beat their lunch deal of sandwich, chips and a beer for $10. Gorilla Warfare, Hibiscus and Warrior Hop were still on from the TH night Six Point event. Followed that up with some more beers and shuffleboard at the Corner Bar.
Sat dinner at Xochitl - queso fundido w/chorizo, short rib tamale, carnitas and chicken tacos. Maragaritas an Amarillo and 21st Amm IPA cans. All excellent.
Sunday was an armfull of assorted Primo Hoagies and a cooler full of beer for an afternoon of tailgating for the Union game. Great crowd, but disappointing result. Hopefully a better outcome on TH.— Sean Hamel - Sean, forgot to mention this last week but welcome to the NFTW fray! thanks for commenting. Was Primo's new Thanksgiving hoagie among your assorted armful? I'm fixin to get that this week. Why not — Drew Lazor
- Drew,
As do most MA natives, I take my "Turkey Terrifics" very seriously. For maximum enjoyment they must be homemade and the season runs from late night Thanksgiving until the leftovers run out - ideally the late Sunday NFL games.
While I am sure that Primo's does a great job of it, I'll stick to the Sharp Italian or one of the Diablos.
Thanks for the welcome.— Sean Hamel - GREAT food weekend: Started off Friday with a Neighborhood Frittata with added spinach from Morning Glory and lots of coffee. Ended the night with a slices of tomato pie and the Maladonna from Iannelli's. On Saturday, hooked myself up with the pulled BBQ chicken sandwich from South Philly Tap Room. It was the only thing I ate all day and I was so full it took me awhile to eat on Sunday. But don't worry, I got hungry and revisited Kanella's mezze, which was not as crowded as it should have been. People: This is the best deal in the city. Get on it.— molls to the wall
- Friday night went to the Brauhaus for happy hour and had a pretzel (of course), the schinkenplatte and several Warsteiners. A couple of hours later we moved on to Manny Brown's for some wings, which were pretty solid. Saturday night was dinner at the White Dog Cafe in Wayne, which was great. Kennet Square Mushroom soup, cold shellfish combo, a filet and cake had me stuff to the gills. Sunday was finally time to try FedNuts. I ate about half a dozen throughout the morning. Totally worth it. Finished off the weekend with some delivery from Sumo Sushi. That place is sometimes hit or miss, but they were definitely on that night.— Marc Steel
- Nothing like bowl of no-meat-pho to take the edge off a cold Friday night!
Saturday morning, I shared a toasted and buttered Supper bagel for breakfast on the way to New Hope. The snow was lovely (at first) but not really feeling New Hope itself. There was a good service outage in addition to the power outage...
Dinner at the bar at Barbuzzo was good stuff, love that vegetable board.
Ended the weekend with a great home cooked dinner and beer, hooray!
— MLF
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