Archive: December, 2010

Mitch and Jen Prenskys old-school cereal bar: Kid-tested, Supper-approved

POSTED: Friday, December 10, 2010, 8:07 PM

Filed Under: Arterial Terrorism

Courtesy of Supper

our kind of buffet

Weve always got this rep of being really serious, but were really not, says Mitch Prensky says of he and wife Jennifers restaurant Supper. When you boil it down, Im just an idiot who serves hot dogs and cereal. I dont know about idiot, but dude does do hot dogs and cereal, the latter during brunch, when the dining rooms handsome hutch becomes a buffet of sugar-frosted goodness. Jen and I are sugared-cereal freaks, says Prensky. These are the things you usually outgrow when youre an adult, but weve never outgrown it. Were like Seinfeld; in our house we have that one kitchen shelf completely filled with cereal. At Supper, brunch-goers can expect a selection of Lucky Charms, Alphabits, the Capn entire line (sporting throwbacks these days), General Mills monsters, Crunchy Os and vintage finds like Quisp and King Vitaman that we are far, far too young too be acquainted with. Seven bucks earns all-you-can-eat status, and while you gorge on delicious HFCS and Red #9, let the knowledge that at least the milk, sourced from the grass-fed cows at Trickling Springs dairy, is good for you. And if sweet cereals aint your poison, the adult brunch menu is a trove of house-made sage-scented breakfast sausage, dreamy Anson Mills grits and regal red velvet waffles with whipped cream cheese and cherries. Get at it. And make reservations; last time we popped in on a whim, the hostess politely informed us the restaurant was booked. Sat at Suppers bar instead. I could think of worse places to be on a Sunday afternoon.

Rock Colors

Posted 2010-12-13 10:42:47

Would be nice if you could also get a bowl or two for $2 or $3. We didn't feel like spending $7 for a few bowls of cereal instead of the full brunch we ordered. But a bowl of Captain Crunch to kick it off would have been perfect.

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, Dec. 6-10 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-12-13 08:33:05

[...]  [...]

Posted by Adam Erace @ 8:07 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Furthering the quick/healthy trend: Sweetgreen opens in Ardmore next week

POSTED: Friday, December 10, 2010, 6:02 PM

Filed Under: Openings

Though we've got the fattiest mcfatty reputation around, there sure have been plenty of calorie-conscious openings in Philly as of late. First was Rocco Cima's Fuel (1917 E. Passyunk Ave.), which just debuted its Center City location (1225 Walnut St.); Loving Hut, the all-vegan operation at 742 South Street; Freshii, which should open soon in the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton; and Pure Fare, the high-tech/healthy cafe we just told you about yesterday. Now comes word that Sweetgreen, a three-year-old healthy/environmentally friendly concept from three Georgetown grads, will open at Ardmore's Suburban Square (68 Coulter Ave.) this Wednesday, Dec. 15. In addition to sourcing food locally (with help from Fair Food) and serving food (signature salads and yogurt) in recyclable/compostable packaging, the eatery will be powered with solar panels. This will be the eighth overall location for the Sweet Green brand; the rest are in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Sweetgreen opening in West Philly :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2011-02-08 11:46:53

[...] houses Capogiro and City Tap House, among other eateries. The growing healthy-grub chain, which opened its first area location in Ardmore in December, should be opening in about three months’ time, according to the DP.   Sweetgreen [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:02 PM Permalink | Post a comment

All that sparkles at JG Domestic

POSTED: Friday, December 10, 2010, 4:53 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Chef Salad | Food Events | Food TV

On Dec. 5, Food Network's Iron Chef America aired its "Battle Sparkling Wine" episode, one that featured Philly's Jose Garces edging out Mike Lata of Charleston's excellent FIG 70 to 67 in a bubbly-based clash. (We ate at FIG recently and can confirm that Lata, a James Beard winner, was a more-than-formidable opponent for our guy indeed! Eater has clips.) Now, for the first time since landing the Iron Chef gig, Garces is making one of his multi-course meals available to the general public. Visit JG Domestic (Cira Centre, 2929 Arch St.) between now and Dec. 30 and you can eat like an ICA judge; Garces' five-course sparkling dinner will be available for $65 ($25 upcharge for beverage pairing). Check out what that entails after the jump. - Champagne and Blinis with various garnishes: prosecco-marinated artichoke with parmesan espuma, hackleback caviar with champagne-chive cream and cava-cured salmon with baby fennel and fresh goat cheese - Champagne-Poached Oysters with champagne-sorrel broth, hot potato-champagne espuma, pickled chanterelles and guanciale - Seared Diver Scallops with sparkling wine hollandaise and sparkling wine soubise - Prosecco-Braised Rabbit Leg with roasted rabbit loin, gnudi and tomato-prosecco fondue - Honey Cake with manchego mousse, cava gelee, cava honey, cava-macerated strawberries and strawberry bubbles

seriously?

Posted 2010-12-13 02:29:47

This is what you sit there worrying about?

Tweets that mention All that sparkles at JG Domestic :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-11 15:50:13

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by cynthia mcneill, Becky Carter. Becky Carter said: All that sparkles at JG Domestic: 5, Food Network's Iron Chef America aired its Battle Sparkling Wine episode,... http://bit.ly/et1yDo [...]

barryg

Posted 2010-12-11 13:58:04

Doesn't serving Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco violate the "domestic" theme?

Tweets that mention All that sparkles at JG Domestic :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-10 12:15:05

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Food and Drank and ProfilePR, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Eat like an Iron Chef America judge this month at @chefjosegarces' JG Domestic: http://ow.ly/3nete [...]

barryg

Posted 2010-12-13 09:47:25

Yes it's been bothering me all weekend.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:53 PM Permalink | Post a comment

WEEKLY CANDY: Coconut Pocky

POSTED: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 11:07 PM

Filed Under: Weekly Candy

Photos | Drew Lazor

Once a week, Team Meal Ticket shares its latest sugar-laden fixations. Do not tell 0ur dentist. IN QUESTION: We've discussed Pocky before here on Meal Ticket in particular, Men's Pocky, which is for MEN (back off ladies!). But Coconut Pocky deserves its own shine. Crackery, not-so-sweet cookie sticks coated in toasted coconut bits and chocolate. The coconut haters in your life are gonna hate. Let them. More Cocopocks for you. AVAILABLE AT: Where the hell else? Hung Vuong Supermarket at 11th and Washington! Best candy aisle in the city, hands down. (See also the Cookie Crunch and Almond Pocky varieties, which are both killer but not quite as good as Coconut.) HOW MANY DO WE TYPICALLY EAT IN ONE SITTING?: Pocky usually comes in convenient individual packages containing four sticks. In a perfect world, we'd say that this is the ideal serving portion, but come on, you know we're ripping through multiple four-packs on the reg. What the hell else are we supposed to do when a Law & Order: SVU marathon is on, eat baby carrots? FINER POINTS: While higher-profile coconut-based treats such as Almond Joy and Mounds get most of the attention stateside, these Pocky deserve love because they don't overwhelm you with that gumming-up-your-teeth synthetic chewy coconut experience. They also make for a lovely swizzle stick in a glass of Dr. Pepper and bourbon.

ThadS

Posted 2010-12-10 11:37:30

When you want the best, get the salt pocky. 3rd and Oregon. Rock salt under chocolate. The best.

Suzy

Posted 2010-12-13 10:37:17

A mere 3 blocks away. I'm going today-soon-maybe before noon. I can't remember the last time I read about something and felt the need to have it this instantly.

thanks!

danya

Posted 2010-12-09 18:09:55

Coconut Pocky's are my favvvvvvvorite.

danya

Posted 2010-12-09 18:10:55

*Pockys

Apologies to apostrophe nazis (including myself). Got a bit too excited there.

Tweets that mention WEEKLY CANDY: Coconut Pocky :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-09 21:47:38

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by NIMBY EXPERTS, 4allcooking. 4allcooking said: WEEKLY CANDY: Coconut Pocky http://bit.ly/erPlag [...]

Michelle

Posted 2010-12-09 23:53:51

Coconut pocky tastes like the Girl Scout Samoa cookie minus the caramel.  Upon first read you may think this sounds preposterous, but it is mighty incredible.

Tweets that mention WEEKLY CANDY: Coconut Pocky :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-09 19:26:47

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mysteriously Unnamed and M Marisol, Mysteriously Unnamed. Mysteriously Unnamed said: WEEKLY CANDY: Coconut Pocky http://ow.ly/3mPcn [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 11:07 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Healthy fast food of the future at Pure Fare, opening in January

POSTED: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 10:37 PM

Filed Under: Openings

Horrible Photoshop | Drew Lazor

Brother/sister team Kunal and Kriti Sehgal are working on Pure Fare, a healthy-eating concept with a very innovation-savvy twist, in what was for years 21st Street Gourmet (119 S. 21st St.). Pure Fare's calorie-conscious menu items, most of which will be sourced from local farmers/purveyors, is being vetted by Karen Dolins, a professor of nutrition education at Columbia University. "She's making sure the menu adheres to proper nutritional practices," says Kunal, a New York native/resident (his sister went to UPenn and lives here). "[And we're] making sure that it's healthy, it's tasty and there's enough variety there." Then there's the very cool Minority Report-ian aspect of the café, which will have roughly 20 seats and serve coffee from San Fran's very popular Blue Bottle. Pure Fare customers will have access to an opt-in database that stores vital health data like age, BMI and exercise schedule, which will be used "to benchmark what you should be consuming on a daily basis," says Kunal. A personalized page is designed to record, in detail, what a customer eats, both at Pure Fare and elsewhere, culling from an existing database of nearly 40,000 foods, including restaurant dishes, off-the-shelf grocery items and eats from local businesses. The system will help customers track their consumption habits, and allow Pure Fare to offer eats specifically calibrated to one's dietary needs. "If we have a salad or sandwich that has a certain breakdown of carbs, proteins and fats that matches the main daily balance on your profile page, you can order that item through our e-commerce platform [for delivery]," explains Kunal, who assures that the system is very visual and user-friendly, even if it might sound a tad complicated on paper. Future food! Pure Fare is aiming for a mid-January opening.

Michelle

Posted 2010-12-11 12:54:11

Awesome photoshop!

Tweets that mention Healthy fast food of the future at Pure Fare, opening in January :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-09 18:58:50

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mysteriously Unnamed, Paul C, living on the vedge, Mysteriously Unnamed, Meal Ticket and others. Meal Ticket said: Minority Report-ian healthy food in store at Pure Fare, opening in January: http://ow.ly/3mOnL [...]

poncho

Posted 2010-12-09 23:55:32

This is a great idea

fresh healthy vending

Posted 2011-01-17 11:02:28

Fresh Healthy Vending is the only vending franchise company that offers locations 100% juices, fresh vegetables and fruits, smoothies, and yogurts in every one of its healthy vending machines. potato chips and low fat popcorn like Pirate's Booty.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 10:37 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Name Jake's new sandwich, win ... sandwiches

POSTED: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 8:37 PM

Filed Under: Contests

Courtesy of Jake's

Jake's Sandwich Board at 12th and Sansom is looking for name ideas for its latest creation, which is available through Christmas:

We start by slathering brown mustard on the freshly-baked roll and then add layers of fresh sliced, grilled ham and thick slices of Brie. We top it off with our spicy house sriracha-mayo and a panko-breaded and fried, crunchy pineapple on top!

And if they pick yours, you'll win 12 free sandwich cards. Shoot your entry to info@jakessandwichboard.com or post it on their Facebook.

Tweets that mention Name Jakes new sandwich, win sandwiches :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-09 20:21:32

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jakes Sandwich Board, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Name the new sandwich at Jake's (@gotpig), win a bunch of free sandwiches! http://ow.ly/3mKpU [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:37 PM Permalink | Post a comment

IN PRINT: City Paper Food and Restaurants, Dec. 9

POSTED: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 6:30 PM

Filed Under: In Print

Photo | Neal Santos

- Adam Erace is into the meaty portion of the menu at U-City's Baby Blues BBQ, but he finds that pretty much everything else is lacking. If you're a "sides" person, you might have some trouble here. - Carolyn Wyman chats with Amanda Hesser, creator of the very cool food52 and author of the Essential New York Times Cookbook. Hesser's appearing at the Free Library tonight. - Plenty of opportunities to get your eat/drink on in this busy holiday season Rachel Burgos details some upcoming tastings and beer events (Mad Elf!) in the latest edition of What's Cooking. - We detail three brand-new Philly spots in Feeding Frenzy: 1 Shot Coffee, Kokopelli and Cookie Confidential.

Tweets that mention IN PRINT: City Paper Food and Restaurants, Dec. 9 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-09 14:18:58

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper and Dish Trip , Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: What's in @citypaper's food section this week? http://ow.ly/3mFLf [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

The name of Stephen Starr's pub

POSTED: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 4:15 PM

Filed Under: Openings

We told you about the English pub that Stephen Starr's putting in at 18th and Sansom, and plenty of you have seen the crazy pace at which his construction team is putting the project together. Now we've got the official name: the concept, helmed by British-born chef Robert Aikens, will be called The Dandelion. Though we've heard a couple opening dates being tossed around, we're certain it will open before Christmas Day. More soon.

Tweets that mention The name of Stephen Starrs pub :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-09 11:43:13

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Drew Lazor, Jim McMenamin, Corie Moskow, Nancy, Meal Ticket and others. Meal Ticket said: The name of Stephen Starr's upcoming English pub at 18th/Sansom: http://ow.ly/3mzw0 [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:15 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Philly Chutney Co. enrolls

POSTED: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 3:38 PM

Filed Under: Food News | Openings

philadelphiachutneyco.com

Nirav Mehta and Baldev Singh, owners of vivacious Indian quick-serve Philadelphia Chutney Company (1628 Sansom St.), aren't wasting time. In an interview yesterday for our upcoming review, Mehta mentioned he and his fellow dosa doctah are in the throes of construction on a Temple location, with outposts at UPenn and University of Delaware in negotiations. (Yale and Rutgers have also been floated.) "Our focus is urban areas and universities," Mehta said. "We already get so many students who come over from University City and West Philly." The push toward college campuses (campii?) is a natural for Chutney, a business whose model is built on being as fast and cheap as a Tri-Delt. The Temple location is slated for spring; in the meantime, acclimate yourself with their American fusion of South Indian dosas and uttapas but don't miss the buttermilk mango lassi, perhaps the best in town.

Tweets that mention Philly Chutney Co. enrolls :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-12-13 17:11:40

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philadelphia Places, Lars Kerstein. Lars Kerstein said: Philly Chutney Co. enrolls at Temple U http://bit.ly/i8tAiw [...]

Foobooz » Quick Bites

Posted 2010-12-13 14:01:38

[...] Temple to get its own Philadelphia Chutney Company. [Meal Ticket] [...]

Sara

Posted 2010-12-09 15:43:19

I'm now a reg and can attest to the awesomeness of their dosas, roti wraps, and that awesome mango lassi, so congrats to them!

Posted by Adam Erace @ 3:38 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Drew Lazor nominated for Philebrity's "Phoodie of the Year." Awwww!

POSTED: Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 10:35 PM

Filed Under: Contests | Meal Ticket

Congratulations are in order for our very own Drew Lazor, who has been nominated for "Phoodie of the Year" in the 2010 Philebrity Awards. He has some stiff competition (I'm looking at you, cupcake lady ... ), but am confident that this award was made for someone like him. When he isn't eating food, he is talking about it. When he's not talking about it, he is cooking it. And when he's not cooking it, he is on a quest to find some. Don't let my little puff piece here sway you: I honestly feel he deserves this award. You don't have to tell me who you pick, but you can vote here. Good luck, Drew!

Morty

Posted 2010-12-08 22:49:58

Vote already. He's not exactly in first place!

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, Dec. 6-10 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-12-13 08:32:47

[...] Show some love to Meal Ticket in the second annual Philebrity Awards. [...]

Posted by Rachel Burgos @ 10:35 PM Permalink | Post a comment

« PREVIOUS | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

First Gigs: Jeff Ziga, Little Baby's Ice Cream
If you don't know Nutella is bad for you and your kids, then you are a total idiot and a bad parent.
An edible guide to Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
Bar Crawl: What's new at Ortlieb's
Afternoon Snacks: Richard Blais's Ikea Burger, Waffle "tacos," Coffee nerdery, The U.N. wants you to eat more bugs
Hell's Kitchen casting in Philly
Notes from the Weekend: May 20
Extra! Extra! Lobster openings, chocolate closings and lots of free stuff
Spike TV's "Bar Rescue" turns Swanky Bubbles into Sheer
Frozen Drinks Alert: Water ice cocktails at Noir

About this blog

Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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