POSTED: Monday, October 25, 2010, 10:30 PM
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 eatinÂ’ time, Friday to Sunday. Consider this a place for good deals, great dishes, wicked cocktails, recipe triumphs (and tragedies), bizarro conversations and more. WeÂ’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.)
Rachel Burgos: RB
Adam Erace: AE
Drew Lazor: DL
Friday I dined over the bridge at a BYOB steakhouse that's capable of generating Meal Ticket comments like the Jets D does turnovers.
We posted about 505 Prime two weeks ago and the Jerseyans are more divided than Cherry Hill! (I thought the steaks, local and grass-fed, were excellent.)
—AE
Friday night, homeboy and I went to
Adsum (700 S. Fifth St.) and were told there was a 45-minute wait, so we went to visit a friend bartending at
Copabanana (344 South St). Fifteen minutes and htalf a can of Tecate later, we got the call and walked back over. We split the Landaff cheddar, apple butter and bacon fat biscuit to start — a treat so yummy I wish there was more of it. I ordered the burger, with farmhouse cheddar, pancetta-fondue onion and duck fat fries — delicious, and so big I didn't finish. Fries are the best I've had in a minute, too. I also tried some of homeboy's order of pierogies. Upon first bite, I felt like Anton Ego in
Ratatouille — I closed my eyes and was transported to my Polish nana's kitchen in Paterson. Bangin'.
—RB
Was also at
Adsum Friday night, but just for a couple drinks. Headed home and wrecked leftover
house fried chicken from Shiao Lan Kung (930 Race St.)
—DL
Saturday morning, got super butthurt when i found out
T & N Deli & Sandwiches (1820 W Moyamensing Ave.) is no longer — they were the truth on the cheap breakfast delivery hustle. So I called up
Cosmi's (1501 S. Eighth St.) to see if they made breakfast sandwiches, and the guy looked around the kitchen and gave a rundown of what was available, which I loved. Got a massive bacon egg and cheese on a hoagie roll (!) with some home fries.
—RB
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| Photo | Adam Erace |
Saturday, I felt it necessary to buy this 50-count sack of fun-size
Sour Patch Kid baggies. Had I not been so blinded by the SPK logo, I'd have noticed this giant bag of cavity creators was split with
Swedish Fish, a far inferior candy. Any trick-or-treater who comes to my house on Halloween is getting them. Later Saturday, drowned my Phillies sorrows in aforementioned Kids.
—AE
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| Photos | Drew Lazor |
Saturday breakfast/lunch, put together some scrambled eggs and
sugar-cured Virginia country ham that I copped during
my camping trip last week. Sooo salty and good.
—DL
Saturday night, met up with some friends at
Cantina Los Caballitos (1651 E Passyunk Ave.) for dinner; got veggie quesadillas and a margarita. After dinner walked over to
P.O.P.E. (1501 E Passyunk Ave) to watch the Phillies. I will leave it at that.
—RB
Saturday night:
the American Blackboard dinner, which you can check out here.
—DL
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| Photo | Rachel Burgos |
Sunday, went to
Devil's Den (1148 S. 11th St) for brunch and got the very hammy and cheesy croque madame. Something to note — they have $3 Bloody Marys and mimosas during brunch until 3 p.m. For a cheap Bloody Mary, it was pretty alright.
—RB
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| Photo | Adam Erace |
Checked into
James (824 S. Eighth St.) for Sunday Supper, their weekly three-course $40 pre-fixe. Deal! Sat at the bar, set with flickering votives, and sipped on an amuse bouche of pleasantly bitter endive-Champagne soup garnished with tarragon and salty bottagra. Next: a thick slab of sweet country pate, streaked with plum mostarda, followed by lush risotto —
Jim Burke is an Arborio wizard — inlaid with nuggets of lobster. Dessert was a tall toque of ginger cake with a scoop of beer ice cream. Love this place.
—AE
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| Photo | Rachel Burgos |
Went pumpkin picking at the scenic, rustic
Acme Market (1400 E. Passyunk Ave.). I know, I know, but since I don't drive and was feeling an odd mixture of inspired yet lazy, it worked for me. Spent the afternoon carving pumpkins, then later at night roasted the seeds with some salt, pepper and olive oil.
—RB
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| Photo | Adam Erace |
Sunday turned twoÂ
Headhouse grabs (
Aimee Olexy's hickory-smoked duck breast and frilly super-spicyÂ
Weaver's Way mustard greens) into a sick-ass restorative soup. I chopped and rendered the fat off the quack, added the washed and chopped greens, sauteed, added chicken stock, five spice and bay leaf and simmered for 15 minutes. Quick, easy, amazing. Polished it off with a slice of bright strawberry-rhubarb pie fromÂ
Linvilla Orchards. —AE
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Sunday, drove to West Chester to have brunch/lunch with my little sister and some of her friends. Landed at
Market Street Grill (6 W. Market St.), where I ordered the "Donnie Bennie," aka Eggs Benedict with cream chipped beef in lieu of Hollandaise. Not sure if that is an upgrade from a health perspective but it was damn delicious. Scrapple also.
—DL
Broke out the
Cuisinart Sunday to spin a batch of Halloween-hued kabocha squash ice cream scented with five spice and roasted ginger. Ate it with crumbled gingersnaps on top.
—AE
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
For dinner Sunday night, tested out a sample of coq au vin from
Garces Trading Co.'s "GTC at Home" line. Full report coming soon.
—DL
