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Archive: October, 2012
Fall menus are being rolled out all over town in all of their butternut squash, apple and brussels sprout-y glory. Over at Magpie (1622 South St.), the newly opened South Street pie boutique they're taking fall very seriously with a menu of seasonal pies that goes way beyond your workaday pumpkin and apple filled crusts.
On the sweet side of the menu Magpie's got a Ginger Pear Oatmeal Crumb pie and a Butterscotch Bourbon Custard pie but it's the savory pies that have us really excited. A Black Bean Chorizo Chili Pot Pie is topped off with Fritos and cheddar and a Croque Monsieur is filled with Black Forest ham, Gruyere custard and cubes of baguette.
Back in July, the folks at Philly Beer Scene and Philly Tap Finder joined up to hold a bottle share at 943 byob. For the uninitiated, a bottle share is a fun solution to a problem that plagues many beer nerds: bottle hoarding. There are a number of reasons for this, most of which will sound Greek to your average beer fan on the street—but hey, it happens. You try something new, and maybe it’s a good bottle but not quite suited to your tastes, so the leftovers languish. You overbuy on one brew and simply get distracted by shinier, newer things, never getting the chance to work your way through the older stock. You’ve tried everything in your fridge and pine for something new, but feel a twinge of guilt spending more money on beer when you barely have room for your milk as it is.
But the fact you’re not drinking all of the bottles cluttering up your fridge doesn’t mean that someone else won’t want them. Enter the bottle swap. Everyone meets at a BYOB, bringing at least one bottle they’d like to offer up in trade. (Of course, you’ll be surrounded by geeks, so bring something that geeks will be enticed by.) Trade your wares, get your hands on something new, and eat some food. (The July swap had a $15 entry fee attached to it, which went to 943 to lay out beer-friendly fare for the group.)
Per Twitter, the 2nd installment of the bottle share is coming up. The capacity for the event will likely be on the small side, and the first one filled up easily—so if you definitely want in, keep your eye on the Tap Finder blog tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 10. Once the details go live, the event is open to the first 45 people who respond.
Notes from the Weekend is a feature that sees the members of Team Meal Ticket compiling all the food/drink highlights uncovered during prime eatin' time, Friday to Sunday. We'd love to hear all about YOUR weekend eating adventures in the comments. Go for it! (View past NFTW installments at citypaper.net/notes.)
Adam Erace: AE
Caroline Russock: CR
Emily Kovach: EK
This evening at the Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch Sts.), La Cucina is hosting a cooking demo and book signing with appearances from Kevin Sbraga and April White, author of The Philadelphia Chef’s Table. The event runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; while you’re at the Market, you might as well take a stab at guessing the weight of their giant pumpkin (above). You have to enter in person, and the closest guess will garner a $100 gift card to the Market. (They’re taking guesses until Sat., Oct. 20.)
In case you hadn’t heard, Jose Garces has a new cookbook out this month. The Latin Road Home has brought lots of fancy meals along in its wake, but now the Free Library is giving you the chance to hear Garces himself talk about the new book for free. This author event doesn’t require you to register beforehand, but it is first-come, first-served when it comes to seating, so you might want to get there a bit early for what’s sure to be a popular event. Chef Garces will take the stage at the Central Library (1901 Vine St.) on Mon., Oct 15 at 7:30 p.m.
One of our favorite blogs, The Gurgling Cod, has been posting these cringe-inducing One-Star Yelp Reviews of Michelin-Starred Restaurants, and we can’t get enough of them: here are Alinea, Per Se, Eleven Madison. NYT critic Pete Wells has floated the idea out there for someone to start a tumblr of same—but somehow it doesn’t yet seem to have materialized. Perhaps sandwich artist/Meal Ticket contributor/notorious Yelp foe Scott Schroeder could get on this? We seem to recall some rumblings about his colleague Mark Regan’s dream to become a food blogger…
Hometown and out of town chefs are going head to head this Sunday for the third annual Cheesesteak Challenge this Sunday. Hosted by Square 1682 this cheesesteak block party will see ten chefs including R2L's Daniel Stern, John Hunt of Alpha American Tavern and Chifa's Natalie Maranski serving up their takes on the iconic Philadelphia sandwich.
$25 gets you into the event where you can sample all of the chef's steaks and watch local cheesesteak aficionados like Tony Luke and Carolyn Wyman judge the competition. The cheesesteak action is happening on Sansom Street between 16th and 17th Streets from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on October 14th and proceeds from tickets sales are going to benefit Philadelphia Academies, a charity that helps ready area public school kids for employment and secondary education.
For discounted tickets to the cheesesteak party head on over to CityEats.
A cocktail party dubbed “Cuisine From the Collections” at the Academy of Natural Sciences (1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy) may not sound like a Halloween party at first blush, but consider further: you’re invited to wear a costume, and they will feed you worms. Et voilà! Thematic integrity!
The menu for the evening is “inspired by the 18 million specimens in the Academy’s scientific collections”—think a salt tasting to represent the Mineral collection, game like buffalo and rabbit that will bring to mind the museum’s famous dioramas, and some creepier, crawlier additions from the Entomology department. The museum’s in-house caterer, 12th Street Catering, will prepare the meal with the help of students and chefs from Drexel’s Culinary Arts program. And while it sounds like some safer options like chicken, steak, and sushi will be on offer, you’ll also get a chance to sample bites featuring snails, snakes, crickets, and worms.
It’s not exactly Noma, but it’s a hell of a lot closer. The party, inclusive of all your food and drinks, is $100 a head ($75 for members), and is scheduled for Oct. 27th starting at 7 p.m. Better yet: the dress code, which specifies “Halloween or cocktail attire,” is one of those vague enough to leave open the possibility that you may be treated to the additional entertainment of one sexy tiger baby or cheerleader floating uncomfortably in a sea of demure cocktail dresses paired with generic Venetian masks. Fingers crossed! You can buy your tickets right here.
Food & Wine magazine has put together a list of the top 49 pizzerias in the country and two local pies have made the cut. Joining the ranks of the legendary Di Fara's in Brooklyn and Frank Pepe in New Haven are the wood fired pies at Osteria (640 North Broad St.) and dough-reservations Tacconelli's (2604 East Somerset St.)
Osteria's Lombarda pizza won the hearts of the folks at Food & Wine with all of its sausage- and runny egg-topped goodness. Tacconelli's got the thumbs up for their tomato pie, a Philadelphia institution since 1918.
As of 7 a.m. this morning, the Graduate Hospital location of Ultimo Coffee (2149 Catharine St.) is officially open for business. For their opening day celebration, Ultimo will be offering up free treats to all of their guests: mini cupcakes from the shop's new neighbor, Betty's Speakeasy.
This is the second location for Ultimo, which serves up Durham, NC's Counter Culture Coffee, in addition to baked goods and accompaniments (make a note to check out the bagel spreads) from a handful of local and small-batch producers. This new spot also houses a coffee school upstairs—a Counter Intelligence training center, run by Counter Culture, will provide tastings and training to local coffee pros and curious newbies alike.
Monday, October 1
The Sansom Street location of Federal Donuts is open, line up ASAP for dill pickle fried chicken.
Tuesday, October 2
Washington West's Odd Fellows cafe is now YOLO, because why not?
Wednesday, October 3
Joe Beddia's pizzeria finds a home on Girard Avenue.
Serious Eats tackles the best campus eats at Penn.
Thursday, October 4
David Lynch is designing some pretty dramatic labels for Dom Pérignon.
Friday, October 5
Kevin Sbraga gets a nod from Esquire as one of the nation's best new restaurants.
The Mildred goes family-style with two dishes designed for sharing.
This weekend there are more than a few exciting thing to sip around town. Here's a look at a few of 'em.
Over at Shake Shack (2000 Sansom St.) they're blending Chai Tea Spiced Black and White Shakes made with Teaspoons & Petals chai blend. The limited time only shake is being served in conjunction with the World Tea East trade show that's happening this weekend.
Beer nerds take note: Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant (120 Market St.) has got their hands on a keg of Russian River's cult favorite Pliny the Elder and they're tapping it tonight at 8:30. Get in early to sample this elusive double IPA.
And in other rare beer news, South Philadelphia Tap Room (1509 Mifflin St.) is pouring Founders Breakfast Stout. With serious notes of chocolate, cinnamon and coffee this is the kind of beer that pairs beautifully with brunch.
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