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Food News
This Sunday, March 29 marks the official launch of brunch at Headhouse Square's Xochitl (408 S. Second St.). Come through between 11 and 2 to peep chef Lucio Palazzo's Mexicano brunch dishes — classic huevos rancheros; cornmeal/black bean hotckaes with piloncillo syrup, seasonal fruit and whipped cream; fluke ceviche on tostadas with pico de gallo; or housemade granola topped with honey, chile/lime fruit salad and yogurt. Booze too of course: You can enjoy a Michelada, a trusty marg or Xochitl's Bloody Maria (blanco tequila, housemade bloody mix, chili-salt rim). Full food/drink menu after the jump.
Honeybees, of course. On Monday, three hives of nectar collectors were planted on the top of Lynn Rinaldi and Corey Baver's elegant ristorante (1627 E. Passyunk Ave.). Lucky bees; at three stories up, they’ve got Center City views.
Mitch Prensky's cooked plenty of offal preparations at Supper (926 South St.), but they haven't always sold well — guess there's only so big an audience for liver, tongue, sweetbreads and ears, aka all the bits cooks and food geeks love but the more squeamish members of the dining gen-pop tend to sidestep. Then the chef got a bright idea: Why not put together a selection offal-y eats on bite-size Le Bus brioche slider rolls? If you think about it, sliders, besides being ADORABLE (soooo small, must pinch top bun like it's a fat baby cheek!), are the ideal vehicle for this school of cookery — while a trepidatious eater might not want to stake his entire meal on a a large-format offal app or entrée that might not be to his liking, there's not much dietary (and monetary) commitment involved when you're dealing with sandwiches one could easily tuck into the breast pocket of a oxford shirt.
The shmance drunky emporium Farmers' Cabinet (1113 Walnut St.) is now doing brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 4. Chef Peter Felton is doing dishes like cornbread waffles with country ham and gruyere; key lime/apricot bread pudding; and a Full English-style "farmers' breakfast" plate with eggs, beans, fried pork belly and a cheddar biscuit. Not to be brunchily outdone, the bar is also getting into the act, supplementing its cocktail list with daylight-appropriate drinks like "Death in the Afternoon" (like a mimosa, but swap the OJ for abinsthe); the "Morning Glory Fizz" (bourbon, Cointreau, Champagne, bitters); and, if you're feeling hair-of-the-doggy, the "Morning Cocktail," equal parts cognac, whiskey and absinthe. Woof.
Those who wish they could transpose a Jose Garces dining experience to their homes and workplaces can now rest easy — Garces Catering is now a reality. Customized menus from each of Garces' restaurants are available, and for events with 150 guests or more, they've got a variety of different set menus. (Booze, however, has to be provided by the host.) Guapos Tacos, the fantastic Garces-owned taco truck, is in on the plan. You can charter the mobile tortilla filler for events that last more than an hour and involve 50 or more guests.
Audrey Claire Taichman's Cook (253 S. 20th St.), which Meal Ticket first mentioned in February, has launched a food/drink blog called COOKbook to build up the brand a bit in anticipation of the collaborative kitchen/food classroom's debut, tentatively set for August. Posts come by way of Taichman herself, executive director Lily Cope and director of development Jackie Baik, and there are plans to feature the occasional guest post from local chefs and food writers. Here's an intro post from Cope.
In other Audrey news, her Twenty Manning Grill (261 S. 20th St.) is teaming up with Dock Street next Tuesday, May 24, for a four-course bacon and beer dinner. The meal, which runs $40 a head (seatings at 5, 7 and 9 p.m.), features porky goodness in multiple forms paired up with Dock Street beers. Menu after the jump; call 215-731-0900 for rezzies.
Ah, Ashley Primis, Director of Special Projects for Stephen Starr Restaurant Organization (SRO), we hardly knew ye. Actually wait, we knew ye for quite some time, as the food editor of Philadelphia magazine, until you left that pub 14 months ago to start working for SRO. Once there, Primis talked to the press about upcoming Starr ventures like Route 6 on North Broad Street, the quiet buildup of the beer garden Frankford Hall (opening tomorrow), Talula’s Garden and Il Pittore and kept food fans breathless at the thought of a New Year’s Eve opening of The Dandelion. She built up momentum. She gave me the recipe for smoked trout paté. Now Primis is leaving her post at SRO — quietly, as she isn’t ready for any grand statement, pronouncement or major press release — at the end of this week. Who’ll take her post at SRO is anybody’s guess, as the spot seemed designed just for her. Where she’ll land is the Philadelphia Inquirer's food section, where she’ll tackle mostly non-restaurant, non-critical food coverage, like recipes and entertaining stories. Here's to a happy landing.
For those of us with unstoppable weekend brunching compulsions (please refer to each and every edition of Notes from the Weekend for the gory details), a joyous moment is upon us: Chef Jose Garces will be debuting a brand-new brunch menu this weekend at his flagship Amada (217-219 Chestnut St.) in Old City.
For the past four years, Shannon Dougherty and Liz Petersen of Liberties Walk's A Full Plate (1040 N. American St.) have thrown their wildly popular rib cookoff in September — but now the duo is entering the Crock Pot fray with the first-ever A Full Plate Chili Cook-Off, scheduled for Saturday, June 11 at the beautiful Liberty Lands Park (926 N. American St.).
Petersen says AFP employees and customers alike have discussed the idea of a chili cook-off for some time, but they finally decided to pull the trigger for 2011 — the competition, with both pro and amateur brackets, will precede the Northern Liberties Music Festival. (The rib-off, of course, is still a go.) Admission ($12 for adults, $6 for kids) will allow attendees to sample chilis in three categories: Classic Red, White and Vegan. Teams must pay $25 to compete, and there will be first- and second-place prizes in each category, in addition to a "People's Choice" award. They're still rounding up the judging panel, but as of right now it features folks like Anna Goldfarb of Shmitten Kitten, Taylor from Mac & Cheese, the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association prez Matt Ruben and yours truly.
To enter, you'll need to fill out the entry form after the jump (click to enlarge). For additional info, call 215-627-4068 or email info@afullplate.net. Deadline for registration is Friday, June 3, at 4 p.m.
The 2011 James Beard Foundation Awards go down tonight in NYC, and we here at Meal Ticket would like to wish the best of luck to Zahav's Michael Solomonov (up for "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic"), Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin (their flagship Vetri is up for "Outstanding Restaurant") and Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione (up for "Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional"). Get 'em, gents.
UPDATE [10:10 p.m.]: HUGE congratulations to Zahav's Michael Solomonov for taking home the "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" win! Here's a shot of him chillin' backstage, via the Beard Foundation's blog. He represents the Philly region's sole victory of the evening. The "Outstanding Restaurant" award went to Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park, while Dogfish Head's Calagione was beaten out by Julian P. Van Winkle III of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery for "Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional." Cheers to all the nominees for the honor, regardless.
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