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Notes from the Weekend: July 12
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Notes from the Weekend: July 12
Filed Under: Notes from the Weekend
DL: Drew Lazor RB: Rachel Burgos
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
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| Photo | Rachel Burgos |
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| Photos | Drew Lazor |
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| Photos | Drew Lazor | |
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| Photo | Rachel Burgos |
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Friday: Before a late-night movie at the Bourse, we hit up Amada and sat at the bar (sorta ... we had corner seats with no counter space due to the gigantic meat slicer sitting there). Drank two tinto sangrias and split artichoke/mushroom flatbreads and some soft cheese that came with homemade nutella. Yessss. Saturday: Responsibly ate at home except for an early-ish dinner at Viet Phuong at 11th and Washington. No. 61 -- bun with char-broiled pork and spring rolls -- is crazy, crazy-good. Sunday: Grabbed bagels and crazy-strong-ass coffee at Bodhi before weaving through the insanely-packed Headhouse Farmers Market. Scored some squash blossoms which I don't quite know what to do with. Later on grabbed sandwiches at Paesano's -- the Chicken Diavlo is still my favorite, tho the namesake sam almost beats it out.
i cant even talk about anything i ate this weekend before SUNDAY! I was blown away by George's Place @ Beach & Perry in Cape May, NJ. It was the best Greek food I've ever eaten. I'll post a review of it tonight at Foodurlez.com
FRIDAY: Pizza for brunch? Why not, especially if it includes the Tartufo (egg!) at Pizzeria Stella and if it's with the fun Alex & Aki of IDEAS IN FOOD. Split 5 pizzas between the three of us, with a tiny bit of help from their 2-year-old daughter. A quick espresso at Bodhi Coffee still left room for an afternoon visit to Percy Street BBQ, where the man and I were treated to a late lunch. The buttery cheddar-jalapeño cornbread is cooked to order in a mini skillet, but it pales in comparison to the PST sandwich - that's smoke pork belly, slaw and pickled green tomatoes. Ribs are tasty, too, and we were told a real wood-burning grill is coming in the near future. SATURDAY: Bought NY Strips and a hunk of American cheese to put my new home food-slicer to the test. The homemade cheesesteak (wit) was the best I have EVER eaten. SUNDAY: I'm now the proud Foursquare mayor of the Headhouse Farmers Market! (Cred? Loss of cred?) Either way, the abundance of great fish, veggies, fruit, meats and herbs is becoming overwhelming. I never bring enough bags.
Stuff them with fresh ricotta and maybe some herbs. Then egg wash, dredge em in flour and sauté until crispy and brown in olive oil/butter. Better yet, stuff them with a mixture of ground pork, shitake mushroom, little garlic, Ginger, fish sauce, cilantro and a soy sauce. Cook them same way described above. Now I'll have to go harvest blossoms from the back yard. Yum.
Finally, Friday and a night filled with food and drink splurges were in order for a decade's worth of amorous dedication. XIX is a great spot for romance unless there are obnoxiously drunk, been-there-too-long patrons. We snatched a seat at the bar, away from the rowdy crowd, and were promptly ignored by bartenders. Would've loved to stay for more than one glass of champagne but I was seconds away from laying a verbal smackdown on the 'tenders and we hit the road towards dinner at Vetri. It was an over-the-top dinner and an over-draft of funds but worth every cent we barely had. Foie gras pastrami, baby goat, spinach gnocchi, sweet onion crepe. AHH. Be nice and the sommelier may supply you with an extra wine flight. Cheers. Saturday I ate at the dreadfully commercial Garden State Park Shops at new (?) Kabuki. Not bad sushi spot and definitely a change in culinary scenery at the Shops. You can also eat hibachi, but you gotta make up your mind. It's either sushi in the dining room or hibachi at the hibachi. Got it? Another dose of the Vetri clan at Amis on Sunday night. Between bites of mortadella mousse bruschetta (yeaaaaa), pork jowl buccatini (yea yea yeaaaaa) and marinated lamb (yea yeaaaaa) I noticed a house for sale across the street and thought that realtor has and ace in his/her pocket with Amis as a neighbor. I'm considering it myself.
Drew, the mention of bacalao in your Xochitl post made me miss one of my Abuela's (grandma's) specialties. Thanks to that reminder I will beg her to whip up a dish, and maybe just maybe get her secret recipe off of her and attempt to make it myself. Carolyn & Rascal b. Schuylkillian: you have inspired me to seek out some squash blossoms and make something AWESOME with them. Thanks!
Stuffing squash blossoms seems to be the jam lately! James stuffs them with ricotta as Rascal suggests...Sam from Sycamore stuffs them with ricotta then tempura-fries them. Intense. The pork prep Rascal mentions sounds dope...
At the Talula's Pop Up , they didn't stuff the blossoms with anything. They served them with a green tomato ketchup that gave you the experience of fried green tomatoes when you put it all together. Something along those lines would be fun to try and replicate.
I was in San Francisco for some Yelpish training last week, so these are a bit far away but most definitely worth a hit if you are ever on the Left Coast. Knocked off work Friday afternoon and took in the scene at Dolores Park. Unfortunately did not come across the fabled Pot Truffle Man. Headed back to SoMa to grab a drink with former Philly Yelp CM Monica, who suggested we try Foreign Cinema for dinner. Though they said no ressies available until 10 p.m., we rolled the dice and were seated inside ASAP. Cocoa-crusted steak with wilted romaine and leeks ringed with butterbeans was the biggest winner of our dishes; plus The Song Remains The Same cocktail with muddled lemon and 12-year old Scotch lived up to the legendary album. Spent Saturday hiking in Muir Woods. Stunning redwoods and ferny gullies followed by a lackluster sandwich with a stellar view in Sausalito, proving true the theory that the better the view, the worse the grub. Stuffed face with a gross Special K protein bar in the a.m., then feasted on some wonderfully fatty-crisp bacon fries at Broken Record in SF, a dive bar with a killer kitchen hidden in the back, while watching Orange fall apart with fouls during the World Cup Final. Hopped on a plane after having my Bobble water bottle taken away by TSA and wasn't even offered free peanuts. Damn you United.
Zama for mom's bday and thought it was a lot of money for sushi I could have had other places. The halibut appetizer was delish though. Cashed in a gift certificate to Friday Saturday Sunday on the latter day and stuffed myself with amazing crab cakes. They seated us in the Tank Bar and there was no one there, which was perfect for date night, but a little creepy otherwise.
Catered Christening party for Baby Gastro. Trolley Car Diner's fried chicken and pasta salad made people jealous of our charmed life. Also realized that Fleur de Lehigh tastes like mustard. Delicious boozy mustard.
Totes agree on how you feel about Zama - I'm sticking with Vic!
You have a better chance of getting drunk off shots of jack Daniels mustard then fleur de lehigh.
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