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Archive: November, 2009
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| Food In Jars |
| Food In Jars answers the question, what the heck do I do with these pretty things? |
Every Wednesday, Meal Ticket pokes around the food blog world to see what's simmering.
-- Now that Thanksgiving is pretty much in the bag, you can start worrying about Christmas. Lucky thing Food In Jars is showing you how to create an apple-cranberry jam suitable for gifting.
-- How's this for a game of Telephone: PhilaFoodie tweeted that Rick Nichols made it into this year's edition of Best Food Writing (Perseus) after he saw the author breakdown on Eater; Foobooz picked it up and now you're seeing it on Meal Ticket.� Will someone tell Rick we all say congratulations?
-- Vegas must have had a line on Jose Garces winning The Next Iron Chef... maybe they can give us a spread on Marc vs. Jose?� Our two local superstars (plus their respective kitchens) take to the football field tomorrow morning for the Vetri-Garces Turkey Bowl 1, reports The Insider.� Click over to see who's on the offensive line and who's playing wide receiver/safety.
-- The Beerlass bites into some Lancaster County 14-grain English muffins from Ric's Breads and immediately dubs Thomas's previously unchallenged version "The Bud of English muffins."� We'd like to add that Ric's also makes the premier raisin-less cinnamon swirl bread, also available at Green Aisle Grocery (1618 E. Passyunk).
-- Main Line Today's Bocconcini blog taps a few suburban executive chefs for sandwich-eclipsing recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers. If you can take another dose of tryptophan on Friday, check out turkey pot pie with dill biscuit topping, turkey spring rolls and BBQ turkey and pepper jack on brioche with Brussels sprouts slaw.
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| Photos | Drew Lazor |
UPDATE [1:45 p.m.]: Tough one today, eh? OK, we've added a pic of their signature spicy lentil fritters as a clue. And the Singha beer is a red herring � this place is not Thai. Who knows now?
Barry: It's fish in a tomato-based curry sauce. Definitely tasty but I wish it was a little spicier.
Kibby: Yes! You win. Cannot get enough of those spicy lentil fritters...or Singha.
Lentil fritters are a giveaway. What dish is that above them?
Is it Rangoooooooooon?
Thanksgiving is so close we can almost smell the stuffing, but we know there are plenty of non-cooking types out there who prefer to steer clear of the kitchen and hit up a restaurant. Don't fret � even though hot spots like Supper and London Grill are already booked solid, there's still ample opportunity to get your table-service turkey fix this Thursday.
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| Courtesy of Ted's Montana Grill |
The reservations at Smith & Wollensky (Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square) are going fast � their prix-fixe menu features plates like butternut squash pur�e, lump crab cakes and a roasted beet, fris�e and upland cress salad as appetizers. Diners have the option of either cornbread/sausage stuffing or cranberry/orange relish to go with their maple-roasted turkey. Sides are family-style � green beans with walnut butter and blue cheese; or Brussels sprouts with applewood-smoked bacon, pearl onions and dried cranberry, to name two. The cost is $49 per person and $20 for children under 12, not including tax and tip.
Ted's Montana Grill (260 S. Broad St.) is getting into the spirit, too, with an all-day menu. They'll do traditional roast turkey with dressing (see photo), and sides like garlic mashed potatoes, squash casserole and country-style green beans. Just $14 a person. The regular Ted's menu will be available, too.
terra (243 S. Camac St.) is cooking up a special Thanksgiving Day menu featuring homey specialties like spinach and sweet cranberry salad; roasted butternut squash; roasted turkey with herbed pan gravy; pecan chorizo stuffing; green bean casserole; green chili and cheddar mashed potatoes; and finally, apple and pumpkin pies. (Full menu here.) The dinner costs $30 per person, with tax, gratuity and drinks not included.
Thirteen (Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market St.) is doing buffet-style service from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The hotel restaurant will put out eats like corn and crab chowder; roast turkey with giblet gravy; hand-carved ham and roast beef; and pan-seared sea bass. Sides'll include candied yams and mac 'n' cheese. It's $32.95 for adults and $16.50 for kids 10 and under. After the buffet closes, they'll serve similar stuff family-style from 5 to 9 p.m.; that'll be $21.95 for adults and $11 for children 10 and under.
There's another numerical restaurant going the buffet route, too � Nineteen in the Park Hyatt (Broad and Walnut) will put out their opulent spread from 1 to 6 p.m. It's $65 for adults and $32 for children, and the restaurant is still taking reservations for parties of five or fewer.
Out in NoLibs? Darling�s at The Piazza at Schmidts (1033 N. Second St.) is serving up all the classic dishes we all know and love. If you want to take your meal to go, Darling�s is taking orders for ham or turkey platters (with all the fixins), starting at $19.95 for two people. They'll serve from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
And for those who want to get started a little early, Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St.) is kicking off the holiday party on Wednesday, Nov. 25 � all day long, draft beers will be flowing for just $3. They're closed on Thursday, but head on back to Fishtown on Black Friday to check out brunch from noon to 3 p.m. as well as Franconian firkins aplenty. There's still one day left to get a Thanksgiving pita stuffed with turkey, stuffing, cranberry, grilled onions/mushrooms and mayo from Pita Pit (1601 Sansom St.), which'll be open till 5 p.m. tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget the Wednesday-night deals at Varga Bar and Valanni that we mentioned earlier today.
If you know of any other Thanksgiving deals or events in and around Philly, drop us a line or leave a comment. Otherwise, have a safe and happy holiday!
WAIT. Smith & Wollensky makes you choose between cranberry sauce and stuffing? That just ain't right.
Thank you for your resource .. great site !
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| greatlakesbrewing.com |
| "Don't give up the sip!" |
Great Lakes Brewing is peddling its wares tonight at Devil's Den (1148 S. 11th St.), where the Cleveland-based craft brewer will offer four beers � Commodore Perry IPA, Elliot Ness Lager, Burning River Pale Ale and Dortmunder Gold � in both buck-off pint and flight format.
We've only had the hefty 7.5 percent ABV Commodore Perry IPA (after asking for an Admiral Perry, much to the amusement of the staff) but it was a tasty, grapefruit-y IPA that could hold its own next to Bell's Two Hearted, our gold standard for the style.� You can familiarize yourself with the four brews on Great Lakes Web site, and get to Devil's Den tonight between 7 and 9 p.m. to taste it for yourself.
Sister establishments Varga Bar (941 Spruce St.) and Valanni (1229 Spruce St.) plan on accommodating y'all drunk fools on the biggest bar night of the year with some dealage for tomorrow evening. At Varga, they're offering $2 cans during a power hour of sorts from 11 p.m. to midnight; there'll also be Kilo Kai Spiced Rum samples flowing, and food specials from chef R. Evan Turney. Up the street at Valanni, they're kicking off specials at 10 p.m., with an hour-long open bar in there somewhere (they're being a lil' coy about it and wouldn't tell us exactly when), and $5 Ketel One cocktails. Drinkkkkk.
[...] Moon, Blinded by the white and more Meal Ticket• Tonight: Great Lakes Brewing at Devil's Den• Varga Bar and Valanni want you to be drunk tomorrow• Help our reader: Thanksgiving day brunch? • Philly farmers markets open tomorrow for [...]
A Meal Ticket reader just checked in with the following holiday query:
I'm coming down to Philly to have brunch with my family on Thanksgiving Day. Do you happen to know any places (not near the parade) that have brunch on T-Day? Or just a good brunch spot in general, that's moderately priced ($15 per person)?
So what do you think, Meal Ticketers? A family-friendly Thanksgiving Day brunch-style meal that won't break the bank? Our first thought was that Morning Glory fits the criteria perfectly � except they're going to be closed on Thursday. Whatcha got?
Maybe Nam Phuong at 11th & Washington would work. I don't know for sure, but they are probably open. They have a full (and cheap) bar along with all those crazy Asian drinks.
BarryG: Good call. I actually ended up there last Thanksgiving, now that I think about it.
Hey- thanks for the feedback. I agree -- seems like brunches are booked, and that most people are doing turkey stuff (which isn't really what we're looking for). Dim Sum, or Mexican for lunch might be a more viable option. Preferably a place where drinking is encouraged, though. As I mentioned to Drew, we could spend more than $15, but the original destination was the Aramingo Diner, which is on the cheap side. But I'm open to suggestions.
I know National Mechanics will be open at 5pm. I realize that's late for brunch, but that pub is delicious.
We have been working on concierge requests for our customers for over a week. Quite honestly, I am surprised how few places are open this year. The places that are open are booked. For brunch at this point hotels would be the best bet but may be cost prohibitive for a $15 target. I have moved some people towards Dim Sum if that might be an option.
Six different Food Trust farmers markets � big-boy Headhouse among them � will be running tomorrow, Nov. 25, for any and all last-minute shopping needs for your Turkey Day meal. After the jump, check out the location rundown and hours of operation for each.
Broad & South Farmers' Market
Broad and South streets
1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Clark Park Farmers' Market
43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until vendors sell out
Cliveden Farmers' Market
Chew Avenue and Johnson Street
2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Fairmount Farmers' Market
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until vendors sell out
Haddington Farmers' Market
52nd Street and Haverford Avenue
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Headhouse Farmers' Market
2nd and Lombard streets
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until vendors sell out
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| pgc.state.pa.us |
| Hunting can help provide protein-rich meals to food-insecure families |
There are a little less than 12.5 million people living in Pennsylvania. Since the early 1900s (first clearcutting and then suburban sprawl chased away their natural predators), approximately 1 million white-tailed deer live in the Commonwealth, as well, doing significant damage to agriculture ($70 million/year), forests ($70 mil/year) and motor vehicles ($80 mil/year).
Managed sport hunting, divided into consumptive (hunters concerned with number of deer they can harvest) and non-consumptive (hunters seeking large bucks) has been the most effective method of controlling deer populations in PA.� Revenue from issuing hunting licenses exceeds $655 million annually, money which is used to purchase and maintain open spaces for public use, as well as protect other wildlife.
Now hunters have an opportunity to feed families in need by contributing to PA's Hunters Sharing the Harvest program. Hunters can donate a portion of, or their entire deer, to one of several participating meat processors in PA, which will turn the deer into ground venison to be distributed to food banks, churches social service feeding programs across the state. The program was launched in 1991, and more than 200,000 meals have been donated since then. Last year, hunters shared over 100,000 pounds of venison.
Kendall Hanna, executive director of the Pennsylvania Food Bank, was quoted in a release saying, �Across Pennsylvania, more than 1.3 million people are at risk of hunger. Hunters Sharing the Harvest provides food that is lean and protein rich. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of hunters and their decision to participate in a program that supports Pennsylvanians in need.�
Visit the PA Game Commission's Web site at pgc.state.pa.us and click on "Hunting," then "Hunters Sharing the Harvest" for a list of participating meat processors and county coordinators.
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Thanks to the Meal Ticket tipster who spotted a sign reading the following in the window of Kibitz in the City (703 Chestnut St.):
Kibitz in the City is closed for business. Thank you to all of the loyal customers over the years. A new delicatessen concept will be opening shortly. We look forward to joining the neighborhood. Check back here periodically for more information and updates. Thank you.
KITC was opened in 2003 by Russ Cowan, who at the time owned Kibitz Room in Cherry Hill. He eventually sold both and took over Famous 4th Street, which now has a second location; Cowan's former manager Neil Parrish now owns both the original Kibitz Room and the newer one on Locust, which opened in April. (We know, we know.) Perhaps the relatively high profile of the newish Center City Kibitz necessitated a conceptual change, or at least a name tweak, for KITC's owners? We'll be sure to keep you posted as we learn more.
Maybe because it was a Jewish deli owned by Asians? (No offense.)
[...] Kibitz in the City has closed at 703 Chestnut Street. A sign on the door says to look for a new deli concept coming soon. [Meal Ticket] [...]
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| bravotv.com |
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Eli, eh. He was OK, but never my favorite. Bryan is next on the chopping block (can you say battle of the Voltaggio brothers?). Final three prediction: Kevin, Jen, Mike. Team Jen all the way!
Eli was too prissy to go the distance in this competition. And what is wrong with Benevolent Bryan? Why would you help your strongest competitor do ANYTHING? He defeated himself right there.
Tom was actually apologetic someone had to go home--didn't know he was such as softee. I think I shouted "nooooooooo" when Padma told Eli and his knives to hit the road. Just think, last year at this time, Carla hi-dee-ho'd her way to the Final 3. This season's final 5 was no doubt the strongest cast to date. Jen has been awesome and the V-Bros are studs (in a chef, hetero way) but Kevin has dominated the competition, so my money's on him taking the title--he gets it that simple, well-executed food is what wins and he's followed that formula. Sadly, only one more episode of Top Chef and three more episodes of Dexter...how many days til pitchers and catchers?
Drew: you were the best damned dish washer Smitty's Pub has ever seen. However, the JV squad was not really for you.
I can't believe Kevin won 30k! Maybe now he can treat his grandmother to a nice breakfast instead of knocking her door down every morning for food. I kid, I love Kevin and hope he wins.
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