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Notes from the Weekend: March 8
Notes from the Weekend: March 8
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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
Was treated to a peek of the remodeled Doc Watson's, set to re-open as Sherlock's Tavern in early summer, on Friday evening. The ownership team (also behind Zavino) teased it had another restaurant project coming up, but we were too distracted by our no-rules game of shuffleboard to ask prying questions. —FD
Locust Rendezvous (1415 Locust St.) is so slept-on as a neighborhood joint. And the servers there navigate a bar crammed full of rowdy beer swillers, all while juggling dozens of full pints, better than any staff in the city (also up there: our peoples at The Sidecar). —DL
My favorite part about home entertaining is menu planning. As I brainstormed a menu of small plates for six friends, I uncovered a tasty combination for stuffing dates: goat cheese, pecans and roasted butternut squash. —MD
One of the keenest things about The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. (112 S. 18th St.) is the staff's willingness to mix up whatever you want. You just have to know what to ask for. Friday night, we requested the "Improved Genever Cocktail," off the brand-new menu that launches today. Head bartender Al Sotack's riff on the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail is potent — genever (that's the malty Dutch take on gin, closer to whiskey than most top-shelf botanical bombs), maraschino liqueur, absinthe, sugar and orange bitters — and drinkable as hell. —DL
Cocktails singing in our heads, we found ourselves helplessly lured toward dry-aged sliders at Barclay Prime. A superlative bartender armed with powerful Armagnac put us to bed on a heady note. —FD
Could probably eat about 90 of those Philly cheesesteak balls at Maru Global Takoyaki (255 S. 10th St.) — shaved sirloin, caramelized onions, cheddar sauce, toasted sesame seeds. Can't even deal. —DL
While wandering around University City Friday night, a random dude stopped us on the sidewalk to recommend White Dog Café (3420 Sansom St.), "because it's, like, the best food in West Philly, yo." How could we resist? I'm glad we didn't: the spicy lamb bolognese and pan-seared ahi fennel and roasted vegetables did not disappoint. —AH
Sour Cream 'n' Onion Chex Mix exists. Fuck yes. —DL
Saturday, I threw a vegetarian dinner party for five girlfriends. On the menu: pesto-dressed barley with roasted portobello mushrooms and halloumi; shaved celery root and apple 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 devolved into drunken Chatrouletting. —AH
Where do you take grandparents, babies and food writers out to dinner in Lancaster County? One word: Carraba's. —FD
The "Mar y Tierra" tacos at the new-look Xochitl (408 S. Second St.) are a tremendous snack for sodium fiends like us: scarily tender chile-braised beef brisket, a heaving spoonful of bacalao and pickled fennel, all on fresh blue corn tortillas. Twelve bucks for three — not bargain-basement, but you won't be disappointed. —DL
Spent the weekend snacking on grass fed burgers at the Piazza Farmers Market Saturday followed by volunteering at the Philly Craft Beer Festival at the Navy Yard. Sunday granted me outside beers and snacks at New Wave Cafe, while the sun was hitting that side of the street at least...then home for dinner from Saturday's market.
Friday: High Seas "Holy Sheet" über abbey ale at the Khyber; stronger than anticipated. Drunken Maoz visit — I have less shame about this because it's (sorta) healthy (kinda). Had dinner with friends Saturday night at Lovash on South Street — crazy-eager service, super-fresh samosas and killer chicken tikka masala. Also, complimentary papadum. Yum. Sunday brunch at Green Eggs Cafe at 13th and Dickinson — surprisingly packed, but worth the wait for smoked salmon omelette topped with a dollop of cream cheese and a rosemary sprig, plus multigrain bread in its own cute little metal carrying case and some fruit for good measure. Will go back, regularly.
Saturday night, 9-11pm at Noche. Great drink specials, $4 nachos (not too great) but half off pizzas and they are awesome. The veggie and the buffalo chicken being standouts. Advice to all pizza places that have buff chix pizza: put slices of celery on that shit!!! Wings come with celery and blue cheese for a reason, because its effing delicious. I'll go back routinely, until I'm kindly escorted out because I've had a few too many $4 Stoli and clubs.
Although Giorgio on Pine's grilled calamari appetizer stuffed with spicy shrimp & scallop was very tasty, they tried to bring it out to me 3 different times during our meal (I had ordered an app as a main course.. mon dieu!). That was offset by the discovery that the Coppola Black Label 2007 Merlot I brought along is entirely worth the $20 the PLCB charges. And also by the fact that the next evening I made hugely successful sriracha-semolina crusted fried chicken.
Oh! And how could I forget, Friday night take out from Jose's on N.10th Street. Definitely my favorite spot for really cheap and authentic tacos, tostados, chile rellenos etc. All delicious and essentially everything on the menu is under $10.
Tried out Distrito's new brunch. I was pretty bangerang. The man himself was in the house too.
Bangarang, Peter! BANGARANG!!!
I received an edible education of cheesemaking from a few licensed craftsmen (and women) of Chester Springs. On Saturday morning, at the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture, I dabbled in Birchrun Hills' young baby blue, Yellow Springs' black walnut and red Sycamore tree-wrapped goat cheeses, and Highland Farm's variations of their delectable sheep's milk blends. All the fromagers do sell around the city at various farmers' markets and cheese shops, and they are all most definitely, worth the sampling.
Friday: Las Bugambilias for the best soup in town (kermit-green crema poblano), proper shrimp ceviche and chocolate-cajeta crepes served on pretty hand-painted earthenware dishes. At home, Stumptown Anniversary blend. Saturday: Homemade chili capped with greek yogurt (better than tradish sour cream), washed down with the last bottle of summer's Sunshine Pils (still good) in an effective tribute to the weather. Sunday: Aunt's gravy, followed by steakhouse review in the dirty Jerz, not as chaintastic as expected. I'd go back for the blue cheese mashed potatoes.
Friday - dinner at meritage, where I dined on some of the new menu items, like the kobe beef carpaccio, quail salad, pork buns, and artic char with my girlfriend. Everything was exceptional. The pork buns are off the charts and totally worth a stop in by themselves! I'd eat those jawns anytime of day. Forget mass-produced tony lukes steaks, I want mass produced meritage pork buns so I can get my nom nom on anytime of day. As a side note, I had previously tried the korean tacos at meritage and just recently I stopped in at ladder 15 for a beer and korean tacos. Not only are the korean tacos at meritage a much better value at $3, they are much more delicious. The korean tacos at ladder 15 were sloppy, greasy and poorly engineered. The amount of grease pooled in my plate was enough to make me not want to finish them. The kimchi, while authentic, was just 2 giant peices of pickled cabbage which detracted from the functionality of the taco and basically meant the ingredients were not equally distributed across each bite. I had two mouthfuls of excessively cold spicy korean pickled goodness, and four bits of greasy slop. Admittedly, the pork belly variety at ladder 15 were better, they weren't good enough for me to ever order them again.
There is a small bodega on 17th and wharton. I watched the owner and cook, Jimmy, take over 15 orders, never writing anything down, and deliver each one to perfection. My Turkey Bacon BLT light mayo and an over easy egg was delish. Not 4 Bell cuisine but 4 Bell service. Thanks Jimmy.
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Friday night: Yards ESA on the Khyber beer engine, Tröegs' Nugget Nectar, Boaks Two Blind Monks, Laphroaig 10 year, followed by Maoz falafel. Saturday: Lovash lamb vindaloo and vegetable pakora; then to Devil's Den for Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter and Pretty Things Baby Tree. Sunday: Calzone from Marra's then, at the Oscars party, chevre from Green Aisle, snax from Trader Joe's.
Friday night: Heavenly cassoulet at Bistrot La Minette. Saturday: An orgy of goodies from Green Aisle Grocery, including Zahav's hummus, chili from Cafe con Chocolate, Ekta's chicken korma, a Wild Flour baguette, various cheeses and one of E's whoopie pies. Sunday: The gym.
Saturday's dinner was a Maoz falafel with sweet potato fries. The fries were SO GOOOOD, first time I've had nice crispy sweet potato fries. and yum for their garlic mayo
Saturday lunch: Tonkatsu, cabbage salad, and pickles (big enough to share) at H-Mart (technically right on the border of Philly on north 611)
Adam - Fully agree that the poblano soup at Las Bugambilias is incredible. Love that spot. Best Mexican in Philly.
Just to note, Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co's use one mammoth (hand-chipped) ice-cube in some of their drinks rather than their tray-formed cousins. Adds also to the underground London pub motif, clocking in around WWII, if I had to choose an era. At one point, I'd say that Apothecary, known also for their ingredient-rich libations, would have stood rival to FMIC, but Apothecary paired down their drink menu significantly if I remember correctly.. Next time you go into FMIC, ask to try some of there more uncommon spirits/liqueurs neat. Whole other world; it's almost as if they want you to have a part of your palate specifically reserved for them, which I have no problem doing.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Here are Team Meal Ticket's eating/drinking Notes from the Weekend. Add your own in the comments! http://bit.ly/bCkI07...
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