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Archive: October, 2011
- Remember when I warned you to get out there and pick up your pumpkin early? Good news! So far it looks like the canned gourd purée business won’t be affected by the pumpkin shortage. That means you won’t have to go after it all violent like moms went after Tickle Me Elmo.
- Jen and Jon of Home Speakeasy have developed their own recipe for hot spiced cider. My two cents: Use Three Springs Fruit Farm's cider and you might end up with the most superb stuff yet.
- Jonesin' for a cheesesteak? How about some cocaine? If you've been to Jim's Steaks in the last 15 years, you’ve probably seen former manager Andre McMillian. Turns out he's been selling drugs inside Jim’s for some time. We can only hope he never accidentally dosed unsuspecting tourists.
- France is trying to clean up its school food and preserve its cultural food identity by banning ketchup. Children have taken to putting it on all kinds of things (beef bourguignon!), but are now, by law, forbidden to do so. If they do, do they go to jail or just get detention?
- While the French attempt to get healthier, we're busy making taco shells out of Doritos. Can you imagine eating a pile of unrecognizable meat nestled comfortably in the crook of a nacho-cheesy taco shell? Why is this only available in California?
- Here's an article about a guy who works in the lost and found department for Oktoberfest. They find stuff like electric wheelchairs, a Viking helmet, and dentures.
"How many half chickens do you think we'll sell on Monday?" Mike Solomonov wondered aloud during a Thursday test-frying sesh at Federal Donuts (Second and Federal), which he, Steve Cook, Bobby Logue, Tom Henneman and CP/Meal Ticket contributor Felicia D'Ambrosio will open in less than 72 hours. My guess was in the triple digits, which shot a slight shudder through the room. Perhaps that's a lofty estimate for a little shop that'll only operate from 7 to 8 (chicken starts at 11), but based on the thermonuclear fat-kid anticipation FedDo has cultivated, I was simply hedging my Southern-fried bets.
A precisely jiggered mixture of off-kilter spirits and smirking literary and musical references characterizes the latest cocktail menu at The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co. (112 S. 18th St.). Masterminded by Franklinites Colin Shearn and Al Sotack, the list has a recognizable fall focus, with new tipples like the A Song of Fire and Ice-inspired Red Wedding swizzle (applejack, El Dorado 12-year rum, lemon, mulled wine syrup, orange, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters) and the autumnally dizzying Samhain (cognac, applejack, house pumpkin syrup, Fee's aromatic bitters, Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters). Peep the menu in full here (PDF).
Photo: Doug Keith
Nicole Rossi told you about it in What's Cooking, but here's a reminder to check out this Sunday's High Steaks Chefs' Showdown on the block outside Square 1682 (Hotel Palomar, 121 S. 17th St.). As you've likely gathered from the name, the competition will involve a roster of Philly chefs — 1682's Guillermo Tellez, R2L/MidAtlantic's Daniel Stern, Paradiso's Lynn Rinaldi, Fish's Mike Stollenwerk and defending champ Peter Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette among them — handling a deceptive task: whipping up interpretations of the cheesesteak. Which direction they'll go with their renditions is TBD, as there are no real rules in place regarding how classic or how nouveau each chef can go — should be interesting. I'll have the great pleasure of sitting on the judges' panel along with folks like WMMR's Matt Cord, GPTMC prez Meryl Levitz and Pat's owner Frank Olivieri Jr.
Proceeds from the event, which runs from 3 to 5 p.m., benefit Philadelphia Academies Inc. Admission is $20 and includes cheesesteak samples (Victory will be selling beer on the block); tix are available here.
Last night's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was a love-lost flashback episode centered on Frank (Danny DeVito) and his coke-fueled exploits in the '60s and '70s club business with his long-estranged brother Gino (Jon Polito). Their rift, of course, was over a woman — a lounge singer named Shadynasty (SHUH-dynasty), played by Naturi Naughton, aka Lil' Kim in the Biggie movie and the 3LW member who got KFC thrown at her.
Frank opens a nightclub ("An integrated place, where blacks and whites can get along — no Orientals, though") featuring his girl as both headliner and namesake, leading to a quick gag where a patron mistakenly reads the neon sign as "Shady Nasty's." If that sounds familiar, you're likely a fan of Old City's Han Dynasty (108 Chestnut St.), whose Twitter handle (@handynastyphila) and website (handynasty.net) are constantly being interpreted as "Handy Nasty," much to the amusement of owner Han Chiang. (He fond of telling people, including food critics, that it's his porno name.)
Pure coincidence? Sure could be, but it's not unrealistic to think Handy Nasty inspired the joke, as Sunny stars Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson have their Mac's Tavern right down the street.
Thanks to screencap/animated GIF king and "Best of Philly" tweeter Dan McQuade for the image.
Yesterday we shared a handful of details on Sbraga, chef Kevin Sbraga's much-anticipated restaurant opening Saturday in the Symphony House at Broad and Pine. Today we've got a look inside the space — a dramatically different look and feel from its predecessor — plus the opening menu.
Every trace of the flashy, shortlived Chew Man Chu is Chew Man Through, but Sbraga held onto a few of the design elements for practical purposes — for example, that restaurant had a slew of odd goldfish sticker-adorned plates affixed to the wall behind the bar, which the chef was able to remove, strip, clean and save. (They're perfectly good plates, after all.) In fact, something like 80 percent of the materials Sbraga used to revamp the corner restaurant are repurposed. Philly-based firm AP3C Architects saved the Douglas fir slats you see dressing the dining room pillars and panels from a defunct textile mill in Fishtown, and the marble topping the bar and and open kitchen line was salvaged, as well.
Sbraga isn't following any particular culinary path where the food's concerned — "The only discipline is that it tastes good," he says. French, Italian and Southeast Asian influences are represented in careful stead on the menu, set up as a four-course prix-fixe for those at dining room tables and a la carte for bar denizens. Check it out in full after the jump (click to enlarge). Sbraga opens to the public this Saturday; 215-735-1913 for tables.
Clue: This is right outside city limits, in an area known for amazing ethnic restaurant options.
Yong Chi, owner of Center City's popular Giwa (1608 Sansom St.), is aiming at late 2011 for the opening of his second Philly restaurant, Rice & Mix, a quick-service Korean concept specializing in build-your-own rice dishes. Located at 1207 Walnut, along the same strip as Marabella Meatball Co. and the upcoming second location of Yogorino, R&M will be about three times the size of the teeny Giwa, with room for about 50. The experience, Chi says, will be comparable to ordering your lunch at a Chipotle, just with a Seoulful twist; customers can choose meats, veggies and sauces for custom bowls, or simply order up trusty menu items like bibimbop or Korean tacos. "I don't think anybody has approached Korean food in this business model," says Chi, who has long-term plans to franchise. Look for it to open in the latter part of December.
- Adam Erace sidesteps language barriers and standoffish ownership to get deep into the food at Chinatown's Red Kings, uncovering plenty of dishes worth a return trip. Kinda have to, since the menu has more than 200 items on it (!).
- Toast, award-winning British food writer Nigel Slater's memoir, has been turned into a movie starring Freddie Highmore and Helena Bonham Carter. Stick to the book.
- In Feeding Frenzy: Word on new openings Barcade, Isabel and Chewy's, plus quick hits on Federal Donuts, Stateside and more.
- In What's Cooking: A cheesesteak cookoff at Square 1682, oysters galore at Fork, Yards drops a brand-new beer and more.
Photo: Neal Santos
Yes, that Fluid (613 S. Fourth St.) — tonight's Hispanic Heritage Month-themed Tropicalismo, the monthly party that runs from from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (RSVP link), will have a dope food tie-in. South Philly/Italian Market types might already know Primas Tacos (above), the truck that slangs right outside Prima Pizza Taqueria Mexicana (1104 S. Ninth St.) most late nights. They'll be posted up outside Fluid while visiting acts Quantic and Pernett join resident DJ Juanderful (aka Village Whiskey barkeep Juan Bustamante) in spinning all things Colombiano. But this South American influence will spread to the eats outside, too — Bustamante has prepared a bunch of traditional Colombian arepas (his own family recipe) that will also be available at at the Primas window. The truck will be in full swing for the duration of Tropicalismo.
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