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Archive: November, 2009
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Brew/Ultimo Coffee opened at 1900 S. 15th Street in Newbold in May 2009, serving amazing Counter Culture coffee from proprietor Aaron Ultimo. Back then, we believed it'd be less than a month until the second half of the operation � a 500-bottle craft beer selection � got off the ground. Unsurprisingly, they hit delays, so they began shooting for June.
Tomorrow is Dec. 1, and there's still no beer inside that vintage cooler system. Why?
According to Brew owner John Longacre, who also owns South Philly Taproom and numerous other properties in the Newbold neighborhood, "one single individual resident has held up this process for 10 months." The developer says that a single near neighbor has spoken out against Brew's liquor license, and that's been enough to delay its implementation with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board up until now.
"Six hundred eighty-three immediate residents have signed a petition for Brew," says Longacre, characterizing the other side of the argument. "They want it to happen. ... We have councilmanic support, civic association support, community support, CDC support and [state senator] Larry Farnese support."
According Section 4-402 (b) of the state liquor code, "the board shall permit residents residing within a radius of five hundred feet of the premises to testify at the hearing." Though Longacre says the dissenting individual lives on 16th Street,� more than 600 feet from Brew, technically rendering the protest erroneous, he is still organizing a PLCB-sanctioned public hearing to allow the individual to voice concerns in an official context. The meeting is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m., and will be held at the old Strawbridge's at 801 Market Street (entrance at Marshall's). The purpose of the meeting is to give the resident "the opportunity to show up and put out a rational explanation," explains Longacre.
The Brew team is seeking community support, particularly from Newbold residents, at the hearing. If you are interested in attending, you must submit your name to SPTR bar manager Kathryn Hague at 267-971-2698 or kathryn@southphiladelphiataproom.com. The deadline to sign up for the meeting is this coming Fri., Dec. 4.
UPDATE [01dec09]: After the publication of this post, Jim Resta, president of the Newbold Neighbors Association, contacted Meal Ticket to take issue with John Longacre's claim that he possessed "civic association support" for Brew's liquor license. While he stressed that a majority of the NNA's members are in favor of the project, he stated in an e-mail that the "Newbold Neighbors Association never weighed in on the liquor license application at Brew, so it's not accurate to say that Brew has civic association support."
Tapped for a response, Longacre produced a letter of support from Lynda O'Leary, president of the Newbold South Civic Association. Dated June 8, the letter clearly conveys the non-profit organization's support of Brew to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
it's funny that john wants support from newbold residents for this, yet he asked none of us about his planned drexel school project before getting plans drawn up and starting a website for it. just sayin. ultimo coffee rules.
i'm interested to hear about the civic association support. not saying that people in the neighborhood aren't supportive of Ultimo and Brew - they are. But don't go saying you got civic association support when you never even asked them for the support in the first place.
Thank you to the City Paper writers for sharing the information about Friday's open hearing. I personally welcome any comments or questions about Brew (or any other Newbold projects). Please feel free to contact me on my cell phone (267-304-6658) at any time to share your opinion. John Longacre
I love coffee and I love beer. Now let's bring them together!!!!
will it be cheaper than Foodery or Hawthorne's? The city needs a reasonably priced bottle shop.
I really hope that this goes through!!
I live less than 500 feet from Brew and I want to see beer on sale there. Good luck on Friday.
I can't beleive that one person can hold this project up. In a way, it's comforting to know that an individual can make a difference. But in a more specific way, this individual is most likely assuming that beer will bring nuisance, and for anyone who regularly spends $5-$10 on one premium beer, this is hardly the case. I live 4 blocks away in EPX, and can't wait to see this come to fruition. Good luck!
A letter from Newbold South means nothing as Passyunk is that group's northernmost border. Brew is 3 blocks north of Passyunk in Newbold(proper) - different neighborhood, different civic association. I am a resident and homeowner in Newbold and am for them getting their liquor license, however I question John's reasoning for not seeking support of the civic association (Newbold Neighbors Association) that represents residents in the community where his businesses are. To go to another neighborhood for a letter without approaching the local civic association is kind of a slap in the face of the people who are working to improve the quality of life in the very community he is invested in. John, if you want civic association support from the actual neighborhood we are talking about, why don't you just ask? You'd probably get the same letter of endorsement you got from Newbold South, except it would actually be relevant.
Kind of off-subject, but I think we owe John a lot for giving us something to do west of Broad Street. I mean, smelling the Melrose and watching the St. Agnes parking garage is fun and all, but we need options every now and then.
I think the new development in the Newbold neighborhood is great, and SPTR has been a part of it. Brew will continue this, and is a good thing. My only regret is that every bottle shop in town seems to charge $4-5 for a 12oz beer. Some large bottles (24 oz maybe?) are $25. I may as well just go to a bar. I love craft brews but do bottle shops REALLY have to charge that much??
[...] For the full rundown on Brew’s liquor license controversy and the overall purpose of this meeting, check out our Nov. 30 post. [...]
I have a theory on why John Longacre did not seek a letter from Newbold Neighbor's Assn: It is not *entitled* to a say in the neighborhood. With the number of signatories and level of support for his business plan, I am not convinced at all that this group and its opinion is relevant or important to this discussion here. It would be in the group's best interest to concentrate on the real problems of the neighborhood, the language and cultural barriers, the crime and trash, rather than whether or not businessman Longacre is properly quoted or whether he gave them the satisfaction of asking to be part of thier fifedom. And you *wonder* why he sought a letter from NSCA instead.....
So...what happened at the hearing?
Lew: Anecdotally, John Longacre told me that the meeting went really well. He's preparing an official statement on it. We'll have more details on what the plan is for Brew going forward very soon.
@ NativeSun - fiefdom? really? Aside from having your chronology backwards there are a few other problems. Not engaging neighbors from the beginning and instead working the political levers to get things done behind the scenes isn't a little pot calling the kettle? The problems of the neighborhood do include trash (improving) and language barriers. Crime has become much less of an issue here in the last 3 years thanks to the hard work of a lot of individuals who make up. . . oh, yeah, the civic association. If people like you were around, living here AND working on those problems, you'd also know that the issues are just as big on the zoning front. The corner stores and takeout places are where most of the drug retailing in the neighborhood takes place. The rubber stamp zoning changes and license issues that continue to happen are part and parcel of the problem. Saying that someone shouldn't have to do what everyone else does because "he's a good guy" is about as old school philly politics as it gets. Fiefdom is just a tad ironic. You are right in one regard. Brew has already demonstrated that it has neighborhood support. I signed their petition too. So, civic association or not, why not start with a petition? Why not follow it up with a public meeting? Why wait til 5 or 6 months after you went out of the neighborhood for a letter?
[...] An official hearing addressing the up-in-the-air liquor license of Newbold’s Brew (1900 S. 15th St.) took place more than a month ago, and owner John Longacre tells Meal Ticket the meeting went well, with many individuals expressing support for the license. (For all the details on why the bottle shop/coffeehouse, a co-venture with uberbarista Aaron Ultimo, still cannot legally dispense the good stuff, read this. It’s kind of a long story.) [...]
Foodery and Hawthornes is expensive.. i hope this place is cheaper... I usually go down to Veritas Wine and spirits in Delaware to load up on good beer.
[...] on Jan. 30. Well, that didn’t happen � even though everything is in order with Brew’s neighborhood approval, the PLCB has requested they submit a signed document stating Brew’s official hours of [...]
[...] stocking stuff this Friday, but won’t be at full strength until the following weekend. Head here and here to revisit this saga of sagas. Brew has its liquor license! We repeat, BREW HAS ITS [...]
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| Photos | Drew Lazor |
Wanted to snag a pint or two before dinner at Sang Kee last night, so figured it was a great opportunity to pop into the brand-new Drinker's West (3900 Chestnut St., 215-397-4693), in the former O'Hara's Fish House. Open for a week, this cavernous 4 Corners space is probably the most beautiful out of all of the Philly boozy conglomerate's locations � soaring ceilings, wide-open booth and stool seating, lots of dark wood, neat vintage-lookin' tiled floors, bars on both the ground level and the 100-head mezzanine.
The menu is big, featuring the finger foods served at the other Drinker's locations, an affordable sandwich/taco lineup (topping out at $8) and a small collection of 12- or 16-inch pizzas. You can build your own pie or order up one of four signatures (taco, buffalo, spicy pulled pork or cheeseburger). A dozen beers on tap, including Lion's Head � haven't seen that on draft in a minute! After the jump, the full menu and a rundown of daily food and drink specials.
Drinker's West is open Tuesday to Friday from 5 to 2 and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2.
NOTE: This post has been corrected � though the working name the space was originally Tom Drinker's West, it is now officially known as Drinker's West.
Drink Specials
Mon.-Fri., 7-9 p.m. and Sat., 8-10 p.m.: $1 Select Draft Beers, $4 Select Pitchers, $3 Three Olives Drinks
Every day: $2.50 Bud Light Drafts, $1 Rolling Rock Ponies, $1 Pabst Rip Cords, $3 Soco and Lime Shots, $6 Heineken Keg Cans, $3 Miller High Life and High Life Light bottles
Food Specials
Monday: 1/2 Priced Pizzas
Tuesday: $1 Tacos all Night
Wednesday: $.35 Wings All Night
Thursday: $1 Sliders All Night
Friday: 1/2 Price Nachos till 9pm
Saturday: 1/2 Priced Nachos till 9pm
Sunday: $10 All You Can Eat Tailgate Menu
$1 Tacos & $1 Hot Dogs during any Philadelphia sports game
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The menu looks like it has some awesome add-ons to the drinker's pub menu + new pizzas (they very good at Noche so I assume they are great here too.) I got to try the fish tacos when they were experimenting in the kitchen at the pub and they were AWESOME. and the only bar out of the six with salads as a main course. Very cool. To think I am still excited about the food after eating it on a weekly basis when I work.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Met up with a few CP staffers yesterday evening for drinks to celebrate the factory-fresh nuptials of news editor Jeffrey Billman. (Congrats!) So where'd we all hang?
Mission Grill
Elad: Geographically you're just a few blocks away, but this place is far different in approach that Mission Grill. Think badass draft list...
The Kite and Key, looks like to me.
Resurrection Ale House
Kite & Key?
Diego edged Art out by a mere minute with the correct answer � Kite & Key on Callowhill. Beer heads should definitely check out their current draft lift because it's sick ... we were sipping on Bell's Winter White(s) and Bear Republic Red Rocket Rye(s).
I've never been inside either Mission Grill or Kite & Key. Which is sad cause I live 3 blocks from Kite & Key and have been meaning to go for a while.
The food at K&K sucks
Kite & key makes for a nice and casual beer-sipping time. Resurrection, however, has failed to make me a happy guest the 4 or so times I have been in. Just saying
Meal Ticket dropped by Sang Kee's brand-new location for a quick dinner last night. Located on the ground floor of the University City Sheraton (3549 Chestnut St., 215-387-8808), Michael Chow's third restaurant (he's got the venerable original at Ninth and Vine, as well as the more upscale bistro in Wynnewood) is designed with collegiate crowds in mind, with ample seating (place was slammed when we ate), warp-speed service and a sleek approach to the d�cor. Pull up a swivel seat at the polished-granite noodle bar, facing a bustling open kitchen, and you can enjoy a little TV with your noodles and broth � yeah, we watched a little AFV last night, so what?
The menu is huge, featuring noodle dishes, rice bowls, traditional entr�es and a big selection of drinks, including bubble tea. (Check it out in full here.) Prices top out at $16. We rocked out with some classic can't-lose soups � roasted duck with egg noodles and shrimp dumplings with egg noodles � plus crispy coconut shrimp with a creamy mango dipping sauce.
Chow's further targeting the student crowd with lots of dealage, including a half-off coupon if you sign up for the restaurant's mailing list and a $8-$9 three- or four-item lunch deal.
Opening hours: Sun.-Thu., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
[...] @ Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, 11/21 Meal Ticket• Where'd we raise a celebratory glass?• NOW OPEN: Sang Kee Noodle House• IN PRINT: slow-cooked pasta, the vanishing food stamp stigma, a sustainable dining hall for [...]
[...] Meal Ticket has some photos of the new Sang Kee at 3549 Chestnut Street. [Meal Ticket] [...]
While the rest of us were stuffing face and then lying on the floor groaning about how Mom overfed us, hard-bitten food feature editors were still at it. Check out the highlights from the holiday weekend broadsheets:
Mark Bittman goes all Minimalist on an staple ingredient we thought couldn't get any simpler: pasta. His recipe for gemelli with chicken and mushrooms is slow-cooked by additions of stock, just like risotto, a process that liberates the pasta's starch to create a creamy, multi-dimensional sauce.
Elsewhere in th Times, The Safety Net continuing series takes a look at the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ne� food stamps, a program once labeled "failed welfare" that is now assisting more than 36 million people, including one in eight adults and one in four children.
The Inquirer investigates last week's locally sourced sustainable Thanksgiving dinner at Philadelphia University's� Raven Hall, an example of the growing movement of agricultural awareness and interest in local colleges.
Fond is bestowed a friendly two-bell review by an unnervingly jolly Craig LaBan, who lovingly describes his highlight dishes (like the thrice-cooked pork belly) and picks a few nits over dessert and an overdone chicken. With the ownership staff's average age at 27, looks like plenty of room for this BYO to grow on the Avenue.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Seem to have missed this one when it went down: Ted Manko, a Philly native who's been at Lacroix and more recently put in work in kitchens up in NYC (including a gig for Alain Ducasse), has been chef at Oyster House (1516 Sansom St.) since opening chef Greg Ling departed in October. The menu at the Mink family's hit seafooderie has stayed largely the same, save for a few tweaks.
(h/t Adam Erace)
Micro Management will have Ted Manko on the quit list soon enough.
[...] the original post: New chef at Oyster House :: Meal Ticket :: Philadelphia City Paper … By admin | category: event printing ticket | tags: aidan-baker, cold-sweat, [...]
[...] Ling left the chef gig at Oyster House (1516 Sansom St.) in October, but not before getting a good look from our Trey Popp and [...]
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| WineEnthusiast |
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Here it comes, an entire month of trying to figure out what the people you love really want in a gift. Hint: They all want cash. Despite this good advice, I know you're going to hunt around for neato things under $50 to stuff in their stocking. First up: the Vinturi Wine Aerator.
Vinturi claims its device, which is meant to allow red wine to open up without using a bulky decanter, will "mix just the right amount of air with your wine at the precise moments ... results are a better bouquet, enhanced flavor, and a smoother finish. Perfect aeration in the time it takes to pour a glass."
I was introduced to this innovation on family vacation, when the parents purchased the thing on a sodden bus tour of California wine country. To my taste, it did soften any sharp edges apparent in young red wine straight out of the bottle ... but was it a $39.95 difference?
Keith Wallace, founder of The Wine School here in Philadelphia, lent his expert opinion in an e-mail.
"Well, I know the product, and people rave about it. It works, but no better than pouring the wine into a carafe and sloshing it about for a few minutes. Personally, I use a $4 glass Ikea pitcher. However, most folks into wine LOVE to spend money on gadgets. Their is a new one every three or four years. One year, it was a glass straw you drank from, another was a mini decanter you put on the top of the bottle, another year it was a magnet you placed under the bottle. This one has been out since '06, so I expect its about to jump the shark and a new one will captivate the wine drinking audience. Who knows? Maybe next year everyone will be hooking up jumper cables to their bottles of wine and supercharging the tannins ...� Yes, I am a curmudgeon."
Delicious or Suspicious verdict: We already have a $4 Ikea pitcher, so we find the defendant Suspicious. Just spend $40 on a gift-able bottle of Bordeaux and tell your lucky giftee to pour it into a mixing bowl.
My buddy swears by his Vintori, and yes the wine does taste a bit more aerated but the sound it produces (think whoopee in a bath tub) alone is worth not buying. Is a decanter really all that bulky and time consuming? No.
I tend to agree that Vinturi is probably not a great value. You and your readers may be interested in an article I published recently. It's an in-depth test of various methods of aeration, including Vinturi. "Do Wine Aerators Work & Are They Worth the Money?" http://bit.ly/2VUO0s
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by jeffal66: Delicious or Suspicious: Vinturi Wine Aerator :: Meal Ticket :: Philadelphia City Paper :: http://bit.ly/8ky8zi...
I like my Vinturi. It works much better with young tight wines, I just pour the entire bottle through the Vinturi and into the decanter. For most cheap wines (wines under $10) it doesn't seem to have any effect though.
Posted a video on my site recently of this device in action - have to say I wasn't convinced. Watch it at http://www.simonwoods.com/2009/10/29/vinturi-wine-aerator-put-to-the-test/
[...] love to death this story in the Philadelphia Citypaper by Felicia D’Ambrosio that investigates whether this dumb [...]
Last Monday we noted a job posting for a Latin chef for a forthcoming Stephen Starr project, and guessed that it had something to do with Starr snagging the old Midtown IV diner on Chestnut Street. SRO has just confirmed as much to us, but no further details at this time in terms of what specific style of cookery they'll be pursuing for the new restaurant. What, aside from frequent Meal Ticket haunt El Fuego, goes on Latin-wise in this general vicinity? You've got�Tinto, Mission Grill, frequent Meal Ticket haunt El Fuego, and you should probably also count Starr's Alma de Cuba and�the nearby�Tequilas on Locust. Should we assume that this new spot will stand alone from the aforementioned sit-downs? Gotta wait and see. We'll keep you posted.
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| Photo | Jessica Kourkounis |
- Trey Popp is impressed with the cooking at the revamped Meritage, where chef Anne Coll is putting out refined, Asian-inspired food at neighborhood-friendly prices.
- Felicia D breaks down Lucid Food, a new eco-conscious cookbook from New York caterer (and Philly native) Louisa Shafia. She also caught up with the author for an extended Q&A you can check out here.
- All sorts of tidbits in Feeding Frenzy this week, from pho and burgers to word on forthcoming Szechuan, beer bistro and Japanese concepts.
- Over in Opinion, Bruce Schimmel chats with Buddhist chef/author Edward Espe Brown, who shares tips on how to keep peace in the kitchen on Thanksgiving.
damn, that looks soooo good.
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You might've already read Felicia D'Ambrosio's review of Louisa Shafia's new Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life in this week's food section. Here, she touches base with the Philadelphia native, who runs her own green catering business in New York, to talk about her new book, urban foraging, locavore elitism and the joy of the farmers market.
Why was now the time to write this book?
I went to cooking school in New York, and had to do an internship somewhere to graduate. I went off to San Francisco to a pretty well-known vegan restaurant, Millennium. As it happened, someone got fired as soon as I got there and they offered me a job right off the bat!
I ended up spending a year and a half there, and it really influenced the way I thought about food and cooking � the process of producing food. This was a place where we composted everything � it was no big deal to chuck things in the compost bin rather than the trash. All the food came from local farms, and we really tried to cook with seasonal ingredients.
When I came back to New York and the East Coast and eventually opened my own catering business, I brought those green principles to doing events. Like, no bottled water, no waste events, seasonal menus, composting everything � it seemed like no one in New York had had access to that style of entertaining. It was happening in restaurants to some degree, but not going on in the world of fine entertaining.
People were so excited that they could have an event with elegant food and not create any waste. So I thought, I�ll write a cookbook, and touch on these low-waste entertaining concepts.
Is it possible to be an ecologically conscious consumer without being a true vegan or vegetarian?
This book isn�t either of those things, though I�ve been both. I still don�t eat a lot of animal products, but if something crosses my plate, especially when I am a guest in someone�s home, I will eat it.
Look, if we all cut meat out of our diet we would definitely release less carbon dioxide and pollutants into the world. But the truth is, it isn�t realistic for a majority � or even a minority � of people. I�m thinking it�s beside the point to suggest everyone become a vegetarian.
I do suggest, in the book, that you eat much less meat. Also, buying humanely and responsibly raised meats makes a huge difference. There are lots of things you can do short of being a vegetarian.
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The locavore principles have filtered down from "seasonal" and "farm-to-table" restaurants and taken hold in the food-interested population. Do you think this kind of eco-conscious diet will ever have mass appeal in America?
It's happening, I think because of all the food poisoning scares getting more frequent across the country. They are mostly resulting from food that comes from a factory and is then distributed all over the country, which makes the outbreak hard to track. People are getting more curious about where their food came from, and seeking reliable sources. It's so much safer to eat local, because if something is tainted it is only going out amongst a small group of people, and is sooner detected and recalled.
Shopping at farmers markets and this sort of eating is often criticized for being elitist. Is this diet attainable for those of more modest means.
I don�t know about Philadelphia, but farmers markets in New York accept food stamps. Though not as cheap as the average crappy supermarket, a farmers market is definitely cheaper than convenience markets. I feel like eating fresh, local food is pretty affordable � the cheeses and meats are more expensive, but cutting down on those products in the quantity that you eat and buying higher quality solves it.
Also, I discuss in the introduction of the book how buying local keeps money within the local economy and provides local jobs. It�s important for the health of the local economy to buy local. Iit�s a longer-thinking strategy.
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In your book, you discuss foraging for food to supplement your diet. Is that something you can do in NYC or any other big city?
You know, it�s not a totally normal thing to do! I mean, I mostly shop at farmers markets, but it�s just a lark to go foraging. I�ve found quince, apples and all kinds of herbs in Central Park, and berries and wildflowers just outside the city. It�s a wonderful way to get in touch with nature. At the farmers market, they are selling a lot of wild-foraged things � ramps, wild mushrooms and sorrel.
There are things like gingko nuts that there are a lot of in Philly. People are harvesting these in the fall. They are good, healthy nuts with a lot of fortifying qualities, besides being tasty.� There are so many things that immigrants are so attuned to that Americans have lost touch with. We don�t remember where our food came from. It�s like having a mulberry tree when you are a kid. People walk by these in full fruit every day and it would never occur to them to pick one and eat it. It�s about getting in touch with your food source.
What is the first step for someone who wants to eat more responsibly?
Go to the farmers market. The products are beautiful and if you are concerned with price, you will certainly find something in you price range. Thanksgiving is coming up � look for the gorgeous sweet potatoes or cranberries. Seeing something beautiful and bringing it home to experiment with � you will get inspired. The farmers market is a fun place to go! It�s got great energy and people are excited to be there.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Check out our interview with @lucidfood author Louisa Shafia: http://tr.im/FMZV...
Well expressed Louisa. I like the balanced approach you have to advising how people could eat better without getting to extreme. We need to have these more realistic and fun options so the mainstream can feel safe to change some pretty ingrained eating habits. CSA's are an even better way to get local food and support the local economy and you probably mention that in the book anyway. We will get the book for our library Cheers Robert Australia
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