Contests
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[...] vote out for APO's Preston Eckman• Zama commits to the world's only sustainable bluefin tuna• May 1-2: Restaurant Weekend at the Piazza at Schmidts• Amuse Bistro debuts May 6• Early word on Tweed• Giving amidst decadence at the [...]
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| KingDesignLLC |
| Parc's offerings at the 2009 fest |
[...] City Paper [...]

Director David Lynch has said that the coffee and milkshakes at this fast-food chain have helped him develop many of his best ideas. Name the chain!
UPDATE: We have ourselves a winner! Congratulations to Meal Ticket reader Jackie M. for landing the book with the correct answer: Bob's Big Boy.![]() |
| Screen capture from DonQ.com |
| The Don Q range |
Glad to see RUM popping up in tasting and judgings more and more around the country. It truly is the spirit of the gods.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
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| Photo | Big Rye on Flickr |
Don't ask us how we procured it, but Meal Ticket recently got its hands on an unopened bottle of Jeppson's Malört. If you're not familiar with Malört, here is the deal: It's a Scandinavian style of schnapps derived from wormwood. It's available only in Chicago and its surrounding area. And it is really gross. Characterized in an April 2009 Chicago Reader article as "a tool of cruel pranksters or a test of one's appetite for punishment," Malört, to us at least, tastes like some combination of rotten grapefruit, fermented earwax and a jab to the solarplexis. It is so bitter that it makes bitters taste like rock candy.
The go-to spirit for Chitown natives who enjoy screwing with friends visiting from out of town, Malört is so notoriously not fun to drink that there's an entire Flickr group dedicated to compiling photos of the terrible faces people make after tipping back a shot. (personal faves: 1 2 3)
It is for all these reasons that Meal Ticket would like to issue a challenge to Philadelphia's bartenders: Make us a Malört-based cocktail that tastes good that doesn't make us want to die! We don't have a prize to speak of at the moment, but you will surely earn the people's ovation and fame forever. And we'll buy you a bunch of non-Malört drinks maybe?
That same Chicago Reader article cited above is about this very subject. In the Chi, bartenders dropped everything from Drambuie and Amaro Montenegro to triple sec and Tabasco into their Malört cocktails. So, Philly drink slingers: Do you have a Malort drink in your repertoire? Or do you have a good idea for one? E-mail drew.lazor[at]citypaper.net and we'll bring the pain to you personally.
Fermented earwax. It tastes like fermented earwax.
Not gonna ask how you know what fermented earwax tastes like. But I'm totally down to be one of the taste-testers. I like bitter drinks...
[...] St.) to visit barkeeps Christian Gaal, Colin Shearn and Al Sotack, all of whom took us up on the Jeppson’s Malört Challenge we wrote about last week. (We’ll be posting about the surprisingly palatable results throughout this week.) Non-Malört [...]
[...] week, we challenged Philly’s best bartenders to come up with a tasty cocktail using Jeppson's Malört, a notoriously disgusting Chicago-based spirit. The first person to take us up on the challenge was [...]
[...] The subterranean spirit stirrers at The Franklin (112 S. 18th St.) seemed to be equal parts intrigued and concerned by the introduction of Malört to their bar, easily one of the best-stocked in the city. “So you got some gross shit for me?” Shearn, a self-proclaimed bitter-stuff enthusiast, asked when we surfaced with the goods. Yes we did. (Just to recap, Malört is an only-available-in-Chicago spirit that is well-reputed for its crass undrinkability.) [...]
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| oysterhousephilly.com |
In this week's What's Cooking, Alexandra H. told us about Oyster House's (1516 Sansom St.) first annual oyster shucking competition this Sat., March 27. We caught up with third-generation restaurateur and O.H. owner Sam Mink to find out more.
Mink tells us he will shut down normal service for a few hours to make room for the two-part event. In the first segment, pros (including raw-bar rapiers from Oyster House, Snockey's and Union Trust) will be timed shucking two dozen medium-sized oysters as Kirsten Henri (Grub Street) and Rick Nichols (Philadelphia Inquirer) keep a watchful eye from the judge's table. Careful fellas, detached meat and cracked shells knock a few points off your score and there is a hefty prize to be wonâ¦200 clams, er, dollars.
Think you can shuck with the best of them? Sign up at the door for the second leg: the amateur shuck-off. With Henri and Nichols still grading, novices will shuck a dozen for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Oyster House.
Admission to the 2 p.m. event is $5 - not a bad deal considering the competitors' newly ajar oysters will feed the crowd. The kitchen is closed, but pints of Dock Street West Pale Ale straight from firkins will be sold at the bar to wash down the bivalves.
[...] SATURDAY: Oyster House's first annual shucking competition :: Meal … [...]
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You haven't lived until you've experienced the joy of kegs and eggs in the a.m. This luxurious combo, however, carries the stigma of being something one only enjoys within the confines of a college campus or post-grad communal living space.
Keg-n-eggers: Feel shame no longer.
Mat Falco, co-founder of Philly Beer Scene magazine, along with Hawthornes (738 S. 11th St.) has organized a beer brunch recipe contest for which participants can enter beer-infused dishes under four categories: bread/biscuit, egg dish, pancake/waffle dish and dessert. (If you have a brunch-y idea outside of these categories, send it anyway). Submit your concoctions by March 3rd so judges can deliberate and solidify a four-course menu (equipped with beer pairings) for the Beer Geek Brunch at Hawthornes on March 14. Winning entries will also be featured in the April-May issue of Philly Beer Scene.
The ultimate dish will be decided by brunch attendees. May the best handy-in-the-kitchen beer geek win.
Why is this being posted 4 days after the due date?
The entry date has been extended to March 3rd. Have a recipe that doesn't quite fit a category but is still brunch worthy, feel free to submit it. All submissions should be sent to brunch@beerscenemag.com
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Local brew mag @PhillyBeerScene is hosting a beer brunch recipe contest along with @hawthornes: http://bit.ly/aeGSUM...
I wish beer scene would get better photos and writing. I love the enthusiasm but the pics and articles are average at best. Wish those guys the best and i will continue to read it.
It is a competitive contest. So great!
[...] D told you about Philly Beer Scene’s beer brunch recipe contest back in February â readers were encouraged to submit beer-infused breakfast/brunch recipes, the [...]
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Today marks the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and in true Philly fashion, five local bars have joined forces for a timely competition in the name of both charity and wanton drunkenness. The "Barstool Olympics," as it's being called, will involve the five watering holes named above â New Wave Café, South Philly Bar & Grill, *smiths, Swift Half and Kite & Key â duking it out to see who can sell the most $3 Molson bottles, as that prominent Canadian brewery calls 2010 host city Vancouver home. The competition, which runs through last call on Feb. 28, will end with (yes!) a medal ceremony for the gold, silver and bronze bars. Along the way, each spot will offer Canucktastic food specials, including Canadian bacon sliders (!), poutine and maple-glazed salmon salad.
A portion of the overall proceeds from the Barstool Olympics willl benefit the Fraternal Order of Police Survivors Fund, which provides support for the families of fallen officers.
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