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Archive: February, 2010
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| MouseHouseKitchen |
| Double the fat, double the fun. |
This spring, suburbanites and Chester County corporate-campus workers will have even more opportunities to harden their arteries when Five Guys "Famous Burgers & Fries" opens up in the Exton Square Mall at the intersection of routes 30 & 100 in Exton, PA.
The 828-square foot fast-foodery will be located in the mall's food court, which recently saw the opening of Ener Juice, a frozen yogurt and fresh-squeezed juice stand.
Five Guys flipped their first burgers in 1986 when their original shop opened in Arlington, VA; they now have over 450 locations.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Suburban arteriosclerosis: Five Guys is coming to Exton Mall http://bit.ly/9gj1yh...
[...] right. This Spring your favorite burger buds will be close to home. Get all the details from Meal Ticket. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Five Guys Coming to Exton Mall", url: [...]  |
| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
| Causa -- marinated tuna over saffron potatoes with avocado, egg and tomato |
Just before the mayhem of our most recent supersized Restaurant Week(s) in January, Jose Garces and chef de cuisine Chad Williams totally overhauled the menu of their Peruvian-Cantonese hybrid baby, Chifa (707 Chestnut St.).
Though the signature, glassine-skinned Chifa chicken and salt-baked fish remain, both the cold and hot sides of the menu now feature a number of dishes both brand-new and reimagined, many at lower price points than previous. The wildly popular pork belly buns with hoisin glaze, pickled daikon and togarashi mayo have acquired bao brothers -- duck, tofu and lobster. New noodle bowls include a bangin', bargain ($10!) pork belly ramen in smoky dashi broth with greens and a slow poached egg, as well as a beef brisket and kobe sirloin pho with crispy garlic, jalapeno and sprouts.
Peep the entire menu after the jump, and big thanks to the Iron Chef for the bites.
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looks yummie =p~
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| L.P. adventures in the refrigerator |
Around 6 p.m. each day, I begin to rummage through my cabinets and refrigeration units in search of little nuggets that I'll throw together and call dinner. Usually, I find fish filets, ground beef, chicken and a handful of veggies. On nights I am feeling particularly uninspired and burned out from cooking the larger part of an eight hour shift, I'll throw that ground beef in a pot and make chili. At first, pretty much the only thing standard about my chili was that I never used actually chilies. In recent attempts, I have found a combination that is savory, sweet, and spicy. Still no sign of chilies, but I love this rendition.
Hit the jump for the recipe.
1lb. ground beef (I usually buy 85/15 or 90/10)
2 tbsp. canola oil
½ onion, chopped (Vidalias are great, but plain white or red will do)
½ pepper, chopped (green peppers are the cheapest)
½ bunch scallions, chopped (chives are ok if that's what you have)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped (as finely or roughly chopped as you like)
2 large cans diced tomatoes in juice
½ cup honey
2 tsp. paprika
2tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. cayenne (add more or less if you like or don't like your spice)
2tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat the oil in a large pot. Once it is glistening hot, add the onions and peppers. Sweat the liquid out of those then add your garlic. Once the garlic is slightly browned add the beef and cook that a few minutes (Remember, you don't really have to cook the beef until it's completely done because it will continue to cook as it stews with the other ingredients).
Now, throw in the cans of tomatoes, cilantro and scallions. Let that reduce down until it's a bit thicker, then toss in all the spices, salt, pepper and the honey. At this point, the longer you let it simmer (on very low heat) the better it will taste and all the flavors will marry. It's up to you how long you feel like waiting to dig in.
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| blog.jagaimo.com |
| An example of okonomiyaki |
Doma, which opened last Fri., Feb. 12 at 1822 Callowhill St., is the second restaurant from Shiroi Hana owners Robert and Patti Moon. Manager Danny Kwon described the menu as "a mixture of Japanese and Korean" dishes, unlike Shiroi Hana's traditional Japanese approach. Sushi, sashimi, traditional Korean dishes and plates inspired by Japanese street food make up the menu -- we're stoked to try the okonomiyaki, a street-food seafood pancake with bacon, vegetables and traditional toppings like bonito shavings.
Doma will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon. through Sat., as well as dinner from 5 p.m.-9:30 on weekdays, with hours extending to 10 p.m. on Fri. and Sat., and will be closed on Sunday. Credit cards are accepted and diners are welcome to bring their own wine or beer. Robert Moon is currently overseeing the kitchen of the petite, 34-seat space until a suitable chef candidate is found.
The full menu is available for eat-in or takeout; we'll post it as soon as we receive it from Doma.
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| Photo courtesy McDonald's via Slashfood |
| This much actual food hasn't appeared in Mickey D's since the fifties. |
Every Wednesday, Meal Ticket pokes around the food blog world to see what's simmering.
-- McDonald's and three Olympian friends debuted two "Real Fruit Smoothies" in Strawberry Banana and Wild Berry in Vancouver this month. Slashfood has the deets on when the frozen treats will appear in the U.S.
-- Philadelphia was slapped on its wind-chilled cheeks this past week with record temps and snowfall. Joy Manning of Serious Eats and Oyster Evangelist reveals her eating survival guide.
-- Mark Bittman of NY Times takes us step by step through a simple dish with a high-maintenance reputation, aka polenta, for another versatile meal idea that helps combat the effects of tundra-like weather.
-- Martha Stewart Sirius XM radio goes pornographic with new show hosts Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert, says Grub Street New York. Warning to milquetoast Martha fans: âTurn and Burnâ may evoke Howard Stern.
-- Speaking of food porn, an orgy may commence involving Foobooz, Phoodie.info and Grub Street Philly over thoughts of Ann Suk Miller's Korean tacos at Meritage.
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| Photo l James Saul |
| "Simply Honest" with chipotle sauce and "Natures" with pesto sauce from Fino's |
Vegan pizza freak-out in Mount Airy! Fino's Pizza at Germantown and Carpenter serves four kinds of vegan pie, with three different sauces to mix-and-match: choose from pomegranate, chipotle and pesto. We got so stoked on it (and so snow-laden lazy) that we ordered two:
"Simply Honest" is topped with a mountain of roasted veggies: pepper, caramelized onion with flax seed oil, garlic, baby spinach, and cherry tomatoes. If you like spicy, get it with the chipotle sauce for extra chutzpa.
"Natures" is perfect for those in need of protein power, totally loaded with vegan beef and fresh veggies galore. We had it with the pesto, which is an impressive offering in terms of veganness vs. authenticity.
Fino's owner Robert Moezi is a longtime Northwest Philadelphian and has been vegan for 26 years. When asked about the vegan options on his menu, he says "At first, I did it just for me! But then I wanted to introduce this food to other people and show them that eating healthy is not expensive."
In addition to the vegan stuff, Fino's also has an expansive menu for all pizza lovers. Exotic selections like Poblano Corn and Seafood Gumbo can satisfy a whole range of palates.
Fino's Pizza, 6784 Germantown Ave., 215-844-1188
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Vegan pizza freak-out in Mt. Airy! Fino's Pizza delivers cruelty-free bites. http://bit.ly/a0JMwR...
warning...menupages can't seem to update menus in any timely way, so yet again, i got the wrong meal from a delivery place.....get it together or get offline...your advertisers are being had
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| Google translation of original article |
| CJ Corporations saw sales of snack sausages soar |
Finally, definitive proof Google Buzz is not utterly superfluous: my totally wired friend Janina Larenas turned her Buzz comrades onto this Clusterflock story about how sales of CJ Corporations snack sausages are on the rise in South Korea. Apparently the slim, meaty tubes, electrostatically speaking, are an excellent mimic of the human finger and useful as a "meat stylus" for gloved iPhone-users.
Google's sort-of translation of the original article noted the increase in sales during the glove-wearing winter months:
Max Peak 9 days CJ Corporation's main selling convenience store sales result of Sir Roy, had a special little despite two months from December to January last year, 11 billion revenue last year increased by 39% over the same period was.
A tasty treat and technological breakthrough in one neat package. Well done, CJ Corporation.
Girl, if you paid attention to twitter you'd've heard this story 3 days ago. Just sayin. ;P
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by DJRobertDrake: RT @mealticket: Too cold to take your gloves off to use your iPhone? Pick up a snack sausage to use as a "meat stylus". http://bit.ly/9Ds1at...
Yeah well it on Google Buzz Feb. 9 but I was lazy! Y'all are Twitter evangelists.
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| Photos l Drew Lazor |
Those little pots are pretty cryptic, so hit the jump for an interior shot then take your best guess in the comments.
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Modo Mio?
Not Modo Mio... think South.
Bistrot la Minette? I'm pretty sure they have individual escargot pots...
Diann, you got it. Good looks on those tiny escargot pots!
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| Taste and learn |
On Thursday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m., take-out craft beer destination the Foodery will convene the first session of the Foodery Beer Academy at Cantina dos Segundos (931 N. Second St.). The professional beer geeks who scour the festivals and man the phones tracking down the world's best craft brews will be teaching students how to describe the flavors that haunt them, with samples of 12 beers representative of major styles poured during three one-hour Academy classes, each $15 per person.
For those who can't play hooky on a weekday, the second class meets in West Philly at Local 44 (4333 Spruce St.) on Sat., Feb. 20 at 3 p.m.; the third will be in session at Nodding Head (1516 Sansom St.) on Sat., Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. Tickets are on sale at both Foodery locations (324 S. 10th St. and 837 N. Second St) and all participating bars.
[...] BREAKING: Snack sausages useful as "meat stylus" for iPhones• Where'd we eat rabbit legs?• BREW REVUE: Foodery launches floating Beer Academy Video Blog• Behind the Scenes with Kurt Vile• PSN Dodgeball Leagues• Tricking [...]
Forty-fourth senatorial district (MontCo, BucksCo) representative John Rafferty (R) has called today for changes to be made to Pennsylvania's "antiquated and unsafe" beer-sale laws. His legislation would make it possible for consumers to purchase beer in lesser amounts than cases and kegs from distributors, as well as allow grocery and convenience store owners to sell six-packs by purchasing existing liquor licenses for a "conversion" fee of $25,000 plus an annual payment of $2,500 -- monies that would fund statewide programs to strengthen enforcement of beer-sale laws.
From Senator Rafferty's Web site:
Rafferty's bill would allow consumers to purchases six-packs in grocery and conveniences stores as well as at distributors. It would also require 100 percent "carding" for all beer sales with electronic age verification machines to ensure that minors are not purchasing alcohol illegally....
More than four years ago, as chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, Rafferty conducted statewide hearings on underage drinking which focused on how minors obtained alcohol. Rafferty said that 100 percent carding for all beer sales works. Since Market Café Restaurants at Wegmans began selling beer in May of 2008, there have been more than 760,000 transactions with no violations. All sales are subject to the company's 100 percent carding policy.
gasp
[...] citypaper.net This continues on the story from last week out of Colorado. I like this from the standpoint of liquor stores having the ability to carry individual bottles. This allows them to have more of a selection and allows craft beer lovers to pick and choose what they want – and not getting burned by purchasing a case of expensive craft beer that they may not like. [...]
"IT IF AINT BROKE" I OWN A PUB. A GOOD PORTION OF MY BUSINESS IS SELLING TAKE OUT BEER, MAYBE 35%. I EMPLOY SOMEONE TO HANDLE THAT PART OF THE BUSINESS. I GUESS HE NEEDS TO FIND HIMSELF ANOTHER JOB. I PAY A 8% SALE TAX ON ALL THE BEER AND LIQUOR I PURCHASE AND AN ADDITIONAL 10% LIQUOR TAX ON EVERY BOTTLE AND CAN AND DRAFT AND LIQUOR DRINK SOLD. PHILADELPHIA AND THE STATE OF PENNA DO QUITE WELL THRU MY BUSINESS. THIS BILL WOULD KILL EVERY SMALL BAR BUSINESS THAT RELIES ON TAKE OUT SALES.WHY? HAVE THEY EVER BEEN IN BUSINESS? THE RENT GETS RAISED, THE ELECTRIC BILL GOES UP, THE CHAIN LIQUOR ESTABLISHMENT OPEN UP AROUND THE CORNER, THE STATE WANTS $1170 FOR RENEWALS FOR MY LIQUOR LICENSE EVERY YEAR AND AN ADDITIONAL THREE HUNDRED FOR "TAKE OUT" PRIVILEGES. IT NEVER ENDS. AND NOW THEY WANT TO SCREW UP A SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE WHERE EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN NITCH. ALL THIS TALK ABOUT MINORS DRINKING, DRUNKEN DRIVERS, YEA, START SELLING BEER IN SUPERMARKETS.
Mr. Wilson is right. It isn't broken and doesn't need fixed. From my side, my business is about 90% take out and we have Sheetz and Wal-Mart about 100 yards away. If these changes happen out goes 17 years of business, two families, 7 part timers and in comes Bankruptcy. I would bet there are a lot of my type of businesses that this, too, would affect. How about the Johnstown flood tax that is still imposed ? No one has tried to change that either.
So we should keep antiquated liquor laws because it would harm some small businesses? Adapt, find a new niche, execute a new business model and stop whining.
Read some of the above and recall the cries of buggy whip makers and typewriter manufacturers that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Progress is not represented only by better products. Wider availability of existing products improves ease of access and is more efficient. If we had applied the advice of Messrs Wilson and Johnson years ago, we would still be getting our groceries and laundry soap at a local stand-alone Market & Variety Store. Progress is a dynamic thing, always moving forward. Those who would stop it by refusing to go along will be left behind.
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