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Notes from the Weekend is a new Monday-morning 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!
FD: Felicia D'Ambrosio
MD: Marie DiFeliciantonio
AH: Alexandra Harcharek
DL: Drew Lazor
We were two sandwiches, a square pizza and way too many drinks into the night at Stogie Joe's (1801 E. Passyunk Ave.) when we learned that the bar did not accept credit. But we didn't mind using the on-site ATM: They have it worked out so you get a free pint of Coors Light or High Life if you show the bartender the receipt. If you're gonna drop $2.50 on a surcharge, don't do it thirsty. —DL
At Los Amigos (461 Route 73 North, West Berlin, N.J.) on Friday, I quickly ditched my appointed seat on a long banquette for a bar stool after realizing a scary ex-boss and his catty wife were snacking on pre-dinner chips and salsa next to me. This put me in prime position to receive fear-numbing margaritas. —MD
Grabbed an early bite at the bar at Meritage (500 S. 20th St.) on Saturday, where we learned that based on popular demand, they'll begin offering their Korean tacos as a special every Wednesday. Also tried a crazy-good new menu item: a fresh crab and papaya salad served with pomegranate-seed-studded avocado purée, passion fruit sauce and fried lotus chips. —DL
The misreading of a biscuit recipe left me with a Stoli bottle covered in sticky dough (I really need to buy a rolling pin) and the post-bake realization that nowhere did the recipe instruct to "roll out the dough." It's a good thing that virtually any bread project can be saved with butter and honey. —FD
We hit up the Vintage Brunch at Cantina Dos Segundos on Saturday, where we watched people paw through racks of dresses from Sweet Jane while DJ Kyle Miller spun reggae and soul. In between bites of berry- and caramel-topped hot cakes, friends fought over whether Dos Segundos' bacon-infused Bloody Mary or blood orange Mimosa was superior. In the end, though, it was a guava-infused margarita that won my heart. —AH
Not sure why this hasn't earned more fanfare, but chef Mike Stollenwerk has rolled out his infamous $28 Sunday tasting menu, a staple at Little Fish (600 Catharine St.), at his newer, boozier fish (1708 Lombard St.). Pretty convinced there's no better deal in the city. The highlight of the five-course meal for us was a perfect carrot bisque poured tableside over chilled mussels and citrus segments. So orange, so good. Make reservations. —DL
Sunday was spent learning how to make the anthracite coal-miners' cure for anything that ails you, Boilo. My mom taught me this recipe that her grandmother used to make with local moonshine in Mt. Carmel, Pa. Lacking homemade hooch, we purchased two gallons of 190-proof Everclear and earned much ribbing from the liquor store staff. My favorite line from the hand-written instructions: "at this point in the recipe the Boilo may explode." —FD
Prior to Snoop Dogg at the TLA on Sunday, delivery from Los Jalapenos at Bob and Barbara's. Fish tacos and the enchilada were excellent. Other items in the platter less memorable. But two of us for $22 (including delivery tip) + $3 for a Pabst and Jim Beam is a fine night out.
Had lunch this past Saturday at Ants Pants Cafe on 22nd and South. It's a neat little place that gets a lot done with a small space. The food was cooked well, I had the Bacon Stack which consisted of wheat toast, bacon, arugula, two eggs sunny side up and a sprinkle of Pecorino on top. Creme Brulee french toast and sweet potato fries are also highly recommended.
Went to Hoof + Fin on Sunday. It was delicious, well priced and super cute inside. The beef empanada, however, tasted just like taco bell. Not so awesome. Also, I discovered that whiskey and birch beer when put together tastes like cough syrup. I do not recommend.
Had the foie gras scrapple at Silk City finally. Enjoyed, but I'm not the biggest scrapple guy. The root vegetables with it were delicious, as was the homemade bacon on the bacon/parsnip salad my girlfriend got. Took the extra bacon home. Making bacon + PB sandwich tonight. Am excited. Also bought some neck bones and other ingredients from Spring Garden market and made our own pho for the first time. Broth wasn't clear (I didn't simmer at the right temp), but man was it good.
Saturday - Had a glass of chocolate milk from Green Aisle - then headed to Reading Terminal to pick up my first pan pudding piece (had to preorder it from one of the Amish farmers) - told it was like "liquid scrapple" and it is! Took the hunk over to Zavino - the chef made us a pie with it, topped off with two eggs and caramelized onions OMG! For dinner, a visit to Zahav to try the new duck kebab, and I think for the first time, didn't order Hummus (regretted it later) Yesterday - Turkey Melt from Paesano's (with Tuna salad, argula, roasted tomatoes and sharp prov on long roll) and sushi at Izumi for dinner.
I promise to have less chain-y meals to report on in the future, BUT: After we got back from a weeklong vacation in a developing country, all I wanted was a gigantic, head-sized burrito. (Chipotle, natch.) We headed up to the Main Line location, and what's notable (other than how delicious my barbacoa/corn salsa/guac-on-the-side 'rito was) here is that the staff, perhaps through some new HQ-mandated politeness initiative, was CRAZY NICE. Like, asked-me-how-I-was-doing nice. Paid-attention-when-I-asked-for-just-a-little-hot-sauce nice. Came-to-our-table-to-see-if-we-needed-anything nice! It was weird. And nice.
Spent the weekend making gravlax from the One Day Deal for wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillet I purchased at Whole Foods. Couldn't pass up the $7.99/lb special. First time making gravlax, so hopefully it will turn out good.
Went on a pizza/beer crawl with my high school friend who came down from NYC. Hit up Stella/Zavino/Slice/Osteria/Tacconelli's. My favorite is still Tacconelli's white. His was the Kennett at Zavino, followed by the Tartufo at Stella. Beer is pretty much good wherever you drink it, but the Kwak on Sunday School special at Tria was a highlight.
Dinner on Friday: Sang Kee at 36th & Chestnut. Big (BIG) bowl of broth noodle soup with roasted pork, and some steamed soup dumplings on the side. Still dreaming of it!
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by citypaper: RT @mealticket: New feature: NOTES FROM THE WEEKEND, where we round up our Fri-Sun food/drink highlights. Share yours in the comments! http://bit.ly/9XoJvg...
@ Andy and Jennie: Whoa. Big weekends! Thanks to everyone for commenting! This is shaping up to be a fun regular feature. Tell all your overeating friends.
[...] salad; homemade pumpernickel bread. Using Felicia’s alcohol-bottle-as-rolling-pin method (see last week’s NftW), I made Earl Grey shortbread cookies for dessert, which we munched on once the party inevitably [...]
[...] Monday's Meal Ticket, a fascinating detail was revealed in Drew Lazor's account of a dinner at South Philly's Stogie [...]
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