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THE GOOD WORD Vol. 14: Kirsten Henri of Grub Street Philadelphia
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THE GOOD WORD Vol. 14: Kirsten Henri of Grub Street Philadelphia
The Good Word is a weekly Meal Ticket feature where we ask Philadelphia food people questions. We�re going to start by highlighting the city�s many excellent food writers and bloggers, with eventual plans to extend beyond the scribeosphere. The questions will be different every week unless we come across a really sweet one we want to reuse. Want to nominate a future Good Word candidate (yes, you can nominate yourself), or submit ideas for questions? E-mail drew.lazor@citypaper.net.
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In this installment of The Good Word, we�re chatting with Kirsten Henri, editor of Grub Street Philadelphia. Kirsten, who reviewed restaurants for the Philadelphia Weekly from 2005 to 2007, worked with Foobooz editor (and fellow Good Word-ian) Arthur Etchells for about a year and a half before signing on for the national expansion of New York's Grub Street blog this past July. Kirsten's notoriously camera-shy, so the picture she submitted is her grandmother brandishing a plate of cookies.
If it wasn't writing about food, what would it be?
Hmmm. If I wasn't writing about food, I'd probably still be serving it. HA! Do you mean "still writing, but not writing about food in particular?" In that case, I'd say I really like interviewing people, especially surly ones, so I think writing profiles of public figures would be fun. Observational essays might be in my future? Love notes to Rick Nichols for writing such beautiful articles?
If you mean "not writing as a job anymore," I have no idea. Judging from my employment history, I clearly seem to be incapable of any other work. If I were a few years younger and less terrified of $150,000 worth of debt, I would probably go to law school. I love to debate � some might say argue � the merits of just about anything, so I think that would be a more lucrative use of those skills. Plus, lawyers all become food writers anyway (see: Jeffrey Steingarten, David Snyder, the guy who writes the Gluten-Free Philly blog). See, if you're a lawyer first, you can a) afford to eat out with the frequency necessary to develop your palate and b) save up the money to sustain yourself when you realize that writers are paid crap. Also, I think getting paid $400 an hour gives you an inflated sense of self-esteem, which is a handy skill to have in general and one which most writers lack.
My dream job is kind of doing what I used to do at Foobooz with Restaurant Yenta, which is essentially picking out plum locations and matching them up with the right concept and/or restaurateur. I don't know if this job exists � I don't want to be a commercial realtor because I don't really traffic in numbers � but I think it would be really fun and it may be one of the few things I have a knack for. I'm a big believer in the transformative power restaurants/bars have on a neighborhood, in both a positive or negative sense.
You've reviewed and reported on plenty of amazing food. But is there a dish you make at home that could never be replicated at a restaurant the way you do it?
Me? No. I'm happy to be outcooked by any chef. But my Grandmom Fiorella? Absolutely. I grew up with her � in her house � and she pretty much cooked for me since I was a baby. She's territorial around her stove � I kind of have to force her to show me how she cooks things because she's not all that interested in teaching me how to do it. It would rob her of the pleasure of cooking for me if I knew her methods. I know that sounds insane, but it's totally true and who am I to rob a 5-foot-tall 83-year-old lady of her pleasures?
So, to answer the question, her food is impossible to replicate in a restaurant, and it's kind of impossible for me to replicate, either. One specific dish is what we call potato pizza � it's sort of like this focaccia situation, but it is flaky and has potato and onion involved and it will make you cry it's so good. Also, she makes these little stews in winter � like with chunks of potato and zucchini and maybe some egg beaten in there � in this shitty banged-up pot that I think she got at the dollar store or John Wanamaker's or something. They have some sort of magic mojo in them that can elevate your spirits and cure a cold and fortify you to do battle with whatever.
We're not related to the Italian Market sausage Fiorella's, but we come from the same tiny town in Puglia where there are like three surnames to go around. I will say that Fiorella's sausage also has that magic mojo, so I have a theory it has something to do with the specific town. I can't tell you the name because after I become a lawyer I'm going to back there and buy up all the real estate and turn it into an agriturismo hotel and charge people thousands of dollars to visit and harvest my olives for me. I'll be able to do that because I will have such high self-esteem then.
What's the best cocktail you've had lately?
Being indecisive and not able to follow directions well, I'll pick three. Colin from The Franklin made me something off the menu and I can't remember what is in it right now, but it's very, very delicious. I wasn't drunk, mind you, I was just not working so I didn't feel obligated to write anything down. I also had a Modern at Village Whiskey that I enjoyed a lot. And George Costa from Southwark makes me this Americano on the rocks with Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, which is pretty much the perfect drink for all occasions as far as I'm concerned.
Without naming the place, tell us about the single worst dining experience you've ever had at a restaurant.
I can't really say I've had one single "worst" experience � I guess I've been lucky or good at reading the warning signs and getting out before things head south. For example, I went to one place where we didn't stay to have a dining experience because when we got to the door, the waiter who greeted us was covered head-to-toe in what were either angry hives or furious blisters. He looked like Robert the Bruce's father in Braveheart � the one who hides up in that tower because he has syphilis or leprosy or something. Whatever it was, someone should have taken him off the floor even if he wasn't contagious, because half of dining out is visual. I still get grossed out thinking about that when I pass by the place.
LOL at the photo... first read this in gReader on iPhone, so mostly just saw the title & the photo. Literally sat there for a while thinking, "gee, I really thought she was younger..." But it's Kirsten's Grandmom Fiorella, instead! Nice interview.
I love that Kirsten never poses for photos. I think I have one, but it's of her back, she turned around, but Arthur looks good. It was the first time I met them both. It's probably why I can never remember who she is 'cause I don't know what she looks like.
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