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These Easter specials from Shake Shack (2000 Sansom St.) are a little on the nose, but that's OK, because Easter is kind of an on-the-nose holiday. There are really only three acceptable shapes for anything (ovoid, bunnyoid, chickoid) and one acceptable meat (...it's ham). So if you want to pregame your Sunday meal of ham and eggs and egg-shaped candy, consider an Easter HAMburger, topped with Niman Ranch ham and pickled shallots, and maybe a Shackbury Easter egg concrete—vanilla custard with caramel sauce and milk chocolate chunks. Both are available right now and will be on the menu through Sunday.
Last night we had the pleasure of checking out the soon to open Cheu Noodle Bar (255 S. 10th St.), the pop-up come to life from Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh and we've got to say that after sampling a sizable portion of the menu we're pretty stoked. The space is gorgeous, with a wall of ramen noodles, sleek bar seating and graffiti-inspired murals.
But eye-pleasing aesthetics aside, the menu is killer. Off the vegetables list we tried crisp broccoli with Vietnamese sausage, soy and peanuts and brussels sprouts with XO sauce, radish and a perfectly poached egg. Barley congee with smoked tofu, mushrooms and pea was a hearty take on typically delicate rice porridge and raw scallop with pickled rhubarb, cardamom and avocado was bright and elegant.
Off the noodles menu we checked out the hand town noodles with lamb neck and pickled mustard greens and cumin with just a touch of sweetness lent by dates. And since it is still officially Passover, we went for the brisket with egg and matzo balls, awesome. There are all sorts of additions for the noodle menu including some very serious scrapple (A+) and house-fermented kimchi.
Cheu is soft opening this weekend for friends and family and opening up shop to the public on April 1st at 3 p.m., we suggest you go there immediately.
In this week's South Philly Review Phyllis Stein-Novack hits up South Street newcomer Ralic's (119 South St.), a place that she happened on simply driving around the 'hood. After checking out Ralic's website, PSN and husband Edward made it in just in time for happy hour.
A round of martinis and Rob Roys were ordered ($10 each, the right price) and the menu was perused. Large and straightforward, PSN was pleased with the lack of gimmicks and trendy dishes.
The duo started off with a happy hour-prices plate of fried calamari served piping hot with just a few hot peppers.
White wine and garlic mussels were free of grit and sand and served in a very generous portion considering the price point.
Things started to go down hill with a bowl of New England clam chowder made too sweet by the inclusion of carrots. PSN swapped it out out for a bowl of Manhattan that fared much better.
Edward's fried seafood combo, a childhood favorite from the days of eating at long gone Fisher's on Broad, was seriously lacking in the salt department.
The underseasoned theme continued with a retro plate of crab-stuffed broiled shrimp and spinach in need of garlic and herbs.
A glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc was priced right at $8.
All and all a pretty luke warm two tips of the toque for Ralic's.
Yesterday we rounded up all sorts of important Easter news covering wide-ranging topics from candy making to brunch options and today we've got even more Easter intel for ya. If you're looking to get a little weird this Easter Sunday head over to Fair Food (51 N. 12th St.) at Reading Terminal and pick up a few of their over-sized emu eggs.
No need to dye these beauties, they're already a gorgeous shade of green, But they are great to cook with, one egg equals approximately a dozen chicken eggs and they're lighter in texture making for fluffier stratas, quiches and fritattas,
If you're in the market for other odd eggs, Fair Food also has duck and goose eggs on hand in colors ranging from beige to pale blue.
Wood-themed birthday parties, Drew Lazor gives Spam its due, Francis Lam talks weeding, and Saveur rounds up the best of Passover, all on today's Afternoon Snacks!
Is it just us, or does the crew at Devil's Den (1148 S. 11th St.) take time out to celebrate wood awfully often? Between their wood- and smoke-themed fireplace parties and their upcoming wood-themed fifth anniversary party, if you were to concoct an absurd analogy that re-imagines Philly as the whole of Europe, the Den would be our Norway. And who doesn't love Norway? So make a note to drop by on Sat., Apr. 6 to help them celebrate the momentous 5-year mark with price breaks ($1 off all drafts from 1-5 p.m.) on an awesome list of barrel-aged brews. They'll have a firkin of Round Guys' bourbon barrel-aged K-I-N-tucky Saison, which you won't have another chance to taste anywhere until Philly Beer Week hits—and you GoT fans will be happy to hear that the day's taplist will also include Ommegang Iron Throne.
Check out the full taplist, plus Spam, foraged foods, and Passover recipes, after the jump! »
Eater's caught word that one of our favorite cheesesteak spots, Chink's (6030 Torresdale Ave.) is becoming Joe's Steak + Soda Shop as of April 1st. The name change makes more than a little sense considering the comment thread that it sparked when their steaks were featured on Serious Eats back in '11.
Aside from changing the shop's kinda-offensive-depending-on-how-you-look-at-it-name, Eater is reporting that owner Joe Groh is planning on keeping the rest of the shop as-is, from the steaks to the milkshakes, pickles and tabletop juke boxes.
Continuing their efforts to educate Philadelphia craft enthusiasts in the ways of Italian beers, this Tuesday Alla Spina (1410 Mt Vernon St.) is welcoming two collaboration beers from Brooklyn Brewery and Amarcord, an Italian craft brewery located in Rimini i.e. Fellini country.
AMA Bionda, a blonde brewed with Sicilian orange blossom honey and and AMA Bruna, a brown ale with notes of caramelized sugar and toffee are making their Philadelphia-area debut. Amacord's Andrea Pianini will be on hand to chat and both brews will be served with a complimentary paired plate.
On today's Afternoon Snacks we've got all of your Easter eating plans covered from Creme Eggs to brunch options and basket stocking tips.
The good folks over at Food52 are forgoing foil-wrapped drugstore offerings in favor of making their own Cadbury Creme Eggs. Here's what Not Without Salt contributer Ashley has to say about this favorite seasonal candy: "Like congealed cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, I hold it sacred even though it is laden with ingredients I can’t pronounce, and I eat it one overly sweet bite at a time."
If you're not feeling the DIY vibes this Easter reserve a table at Le Bec Fin (1523 Walnut St.) for their fancy-pants three courser featuring special occasion brunch dishes like black truffle scrambled eggs, king crab and uni emulsion poached sole plus dessert bar and customizable bloody marys.
If you're looking for something a little more rustic Russet (1523 Spruce St.) is celebrating Easter Italian-America style with a menu of motherland classics like fire-roasted baby goat and torta alla pasqua along with regional brunch plates like hot cross buns and house-cured ham biscuits.
And if you're looking for impressive Easter basket stocking options (or even just eye-pleasing visuals) head over to Old City's old timey candy wonderland Shane Confectionary (110 Market St.) where they've got everything from real eggshell truffles to pastel-hued jordan almonds, glistening glass candy Easter bunnies and white chocolate crosses.
Editor's Note: Hello and welcome to Ask Meal Ticket, a new column were we try our best to answer all of life's greatest food and drink related queries. Got a question? Send it our way and out team of experts will get to the bottom of it.
Dear Meal Ticket, I received 2 gift cards to Garces Restaurant Group for my birthday that total $90. Which restaurant should I go to get the most for my money?
Jeanette
Well, Jeanette, first off a belated happy birthday to you! There are plenty of ways to stretch those Garces bucks. Both Amada and Chifa have killer happy hours with wine and cocktail specials and plates that come in under $5. Garces Trading Company is another great spot to get the most out of those gift cards. Monday through Friday they run lunch plat du jour specials for $12, we suggest stopping by on Wednesday for steak frites with bearnaise, plus you can save a few bucks by picking up a bottle of wine at the in-house spirits shop. Or if you're looking for a little get away you can always head to AC and spend your Garces dollars at any of his places at Revel. We're particularly fond of the tacos from Distrito Cantina.
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