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Archive: February, 2010
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big ass menu for 35 seat byo
great place, great food and great people!
thanks for the awesome food! we really need a good eatery like this in the area!
Thanks, CP, for the heads-up about this place. We went last night. It has a great vibe--a kind of Argentine speak easy--and wonderful food. We tried the oysters, mejillones, short ribs with papardelle and a tuna steak with a side of roasted vegetables and parsnips. Totally great! As much as I admired the fussiness and precision of Gayle, I think Hoof & Fin is a better formula for this space.
My name is Lucas Manteca, one of the chefs and one of the owners, I really appreciate all the support and good comments, we are working very hard to hit the spot and I am very thankful to hear all this great thoughts and comments, this is still a work in progress for us and we will try to get better and better, good rustic food from everywhere. Thank you Philadelphia, this is a place that I really enjoy eating and hope the same for you. Lucas Manteca. Chef/Owner
Had dinner here a few nights ago and was BLOWN AWAY by how good everything is. These guys know what they're doing. So great to have a place like this in the neighborhood.
My wife and I had dinner here last weekend and it was AMAZING. What a nice little find in that neighborhood. I had the steak and my wife had fish and a salad, and everything was just delicious. The service was really sharp, and we loved the atmosphere. I hope to come back soon and eat outside. What could be better than a plate of steak, a glass of wine, and the sunset? Thanks, Hoof + Fin. We'll be back soon.
[...] of people commented on the sheer enormity of Lucas Manteca’s opening menu at Hoof+Fin (617 S. Third st.) which started serving Argentinian-inspired grub in February. The chef [...]
Before joining Team Meal Ticket, contributor Marie "Lucky Porkchops" DiFeliciantonio worked as a private chef for a prominent area family. As you can probably imagine, she's got a few stories.
The recent snowfall reminds me of a particular blizzard two years ago. Let us turn the clock back roughly 730 days to find me sitting in the kitchen of an estate in the tri-state area, where I worked as a private chef. I was roasting tomatoes with olive oil, thyme, salt, pepper, shallots and garlic, preparing them to meet their fate in a large stock pot via immersion blender.
I kept peeking out the window at the elaborately fashioned stone bird bath in the center of the courtyard. Snow piled and piled. Even as the nasty winds blew, the height of the snow never seemed to diminish. Without realizing it, I began pacing, worrying about how I would possibly mount the steep, quarter-mile driveway before tackling the hour-and-change drive home in my old Honda Civic. On my tenth trip to and fro across the kitchen, I came face to face with Mrs. X.
"Maaarrrie, what arrrre you doing?" (She LOVED to accentuate the long "A" sound in my name and roll the "R" as though she were French. She was not.)
"Oh, I, uh ... I'm making roasted tomato soup for your lunch, Mrs. X. Oh, and I am chilling some hard-boiled eggs for the egg salad you requested. And I have just brewed some ⦠"
"That will no longer be necessary. The Captain [this was her pet name for her husband, as he was a champion sailor] and I will be leaving for the afternoon."
"Of course, Mrs. X."
With that, she turned and walked away. I wanted to ask so many questions. Where the hell were they going in this weather? Did they really think their luxury sedans would get them past the garage door? Was I done for the day?
Lesson one of private chefdom, at least in my experience: Never ask questions. So I continued pacing. I finished the soup, packaged it and brought it down to industrial freezer in the basement that held another 25,000 soup varieties, along with back-ups of Mrs. X's favorite bread, muffins, ice cream, cookies, and Cryovac-ed meats. (Perhaps, in the future, it would also house disobedient employees?) I returned to the kitchen, prepared the egg salad then left it in the refrigerator neatly wrapped and labeled in a pretty crystal bowl.
I puttered around the kitchen organizing drawers, researching recipes and cleaning crevices for about an hour or so. Later, as I started getting a few dinner items thawed and prepped, I kept peeking out at the bird bath. I noticed another few inches of accumulated snow and an open service garage door, minus Gardener's SUV. Interesting. Hopefully, Office Manager was still around. I found her frantically ruffling through papers on Mrs. X's desk. "Office Manager, Mrs. X left pretty quickly and I didn't get a chance to ask her what she wanted for dinner. Did she mention anything to you? " I asked.
"Dinner? They left for the weekend. Gardener took the X's to a hotel downtown. Captain has a meeting tomorrow that he cannot miss. Everyone is gone, what are you still doing here?"
This where my eyes got all wide and my voice got all high-pitched. "I wasn't aware they were GONE gone. It would have been nice if someone let me in on the plans" â especially since it was getting downright nasty out there. "I already started thawing the steaks and preparing the gratin for dinner. Mrs. X came into the kitchen and canceled her lunch. Would it have been so hard for her to add, 'By the way, Maaarrrie, we won't be back for supper'? What is with these people?"
Office Manager stopped ruffling for a second. "I'm sorry. You know how things change around here."
"I do. But apparently not as soon as everyone else knows about it." I turned and stomped down the long corridor back to the kitchen. As I passed pictures, statues and antique vases, I fantasized about knocking them all down with a swing of my arm. But then I would be tasked with cleaning all of that up, I'm sure.
I'll save that move for my last day.
I love hearing about these kind of stories because i can totally relate since I work in food service too, I look forward to more!
I look forward to more of these stories--the soup you made sounds good. Too bad no one eat it that day.
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Sweets slinger It's A CupCake, which has been operating out of 958 N. Second Street since this past summer, is getting ready to open a brand-new retail space at 219 W. Girard Avenue either this weekend or on Tuesday, according to owner Mona Wilson. She and partner Erica Adams will offer a full array of dessert cupcakes, and there'll also be a retail aspect to the store (formerly run as the boutique Homebody), featuring giftable items like baby clothes candles, glassware, toys and pet stuff (dog-friendly cupcakes are on the way). They'll be open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 to 6.
Since the new space is not certified at this time to handle extensive cookery, Quince Fine Foods, right down the block at 209 W. Girard, will be the exclusive retailer of IAC's savory cupcake lineup, which includes varieties like buffalo chicken, Southwestern (spicy corn base, tomatoes, onions, lime chicken black bean sauce) and "Sassy Salmon" (spicy corn base, smoked salmon, Champagne mustard dill sauce).
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During last year's crawdad season, which runs from Mardi Gras time till June-ish, Chris' Jazz Café (1421 Sansom St.) served 1,000 pounds of Louisiana crawdads to satisified crustacean-cracking customers. This year, Chris' owner Mark DiNinno plans on doubling that to 2,000 â yes, a ton of pinchy little critters for all y'all Fat Tuesday revelers.
Chef James Palmer, who'll be receiving live shipments of Red Swamp crawdads from a private Louisiana farm, cooks 'em up in a secret-recipe house boil (it includes potatoes and corn on the cob) and serves them by the 1.5- to 2-pound bucket for $10. They offer buckets of Coronitas to go along with the crawdads for the same price. Grab a bucket of your own weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and on Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Chef Palmer also has plans for dishes like crawdad mac 'n' cheese and crawdad mashed potatoes.
On Fat Tuesday this year (Feb. 16), Chris' will be doing a bottomless bucket deal for 20 bucks, as well as gumbo, Cajun beignets, King Cake and other NOLA specialties. Musical stylings by the Hoppin' John Orchestra, Philly's only "postmodern New Orleans-style brass band." Laissez les bon temps rouler, as they say.
[...] Jazz Cafe has been serving up fresh crawdads for a bit now and tonight they’re combining that with some excellent deals for their industry night. Live [...]
This coming Tuesday, developer Bart Blatstein will break ground on The Shops at Schmidts, the second phase of the Piazza at Schmidts complex he debuted last year off Second Street in Northern Liberties. Half of the 100,000-square-foot space (currently the empty lot where Piazza shoppers enjoy free parking) will be dedicated to a new-look Pathmark grocery store, a two-story destination that'll feature a prepared foods elements and what's being characterized as "a dramatic increase" in local/sustainable products. (Sounds like it'll shape up to be a regional competitor for the Mega Whole Foods that recently debuted in Plymouth Meeting.) A bank, a hardware store and other as-yet-unidentified retailers will also take up residence in the complex; there are also plans for 600 new residential units in three free-standing buildings, with a landscaped courtyard in the middle.
Northern Libertarians have lamented the lack of a proper grocery store for years, so this project, on paper at least, seems to be a major boost for the 'hood.
The Shops at Schmidts is projected to be completed in late 2010.
Blatstein is a repulsive pig.
This is great news for our area!
Next week, this half of Meal Ticket is digging out of the snow and escaping to sunny, beautiful SAN DIEGO for a few days. Since it's our first time, we would love suggestions for places to eat and drink, as well as suggestions for stuff to do in general. Nine thousand fish tacos are a definite priority, as are brewery visits to Stone, Green Flash and Ballast Point. But what else? Please leave any and all ideas in the comments. Thank you!
It's kind of a cliche and a bit of a tourist trap but it really does have the most amazing views in La Jolla (and they serve Stone and Ballast on draft). Try George's for happy hour or brunch http://www.georgesatthecove.com/ Also Babcock & Story bar at the Hotel Del in Coronado if you want to see where they filmed Some Like It Hot. There are also lots of little cafes in and around Coronado (don't eat at the hotel).
Pizza Port in Solana Beach. It's well worth the trip.
Zocalo in Old Town. Great mexican food.
Also, Prado in Balboa Park.
The Fish Market restaurant right off the marina http://www.thefishmarket.com/default.aspx
I 2nd the opinion that George's, though touristy, is worth a visit (although if it's too crowded Brockton Villa is a good, underappreciated 2nd choice). South Beach in OB has the best fish tacos in SD and usually has good beers on tap, and if you time your visit right you can watch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs a mile or so away. Pizza Port is definitely the best spot for beer in the County though. The Turf Club in North Park is a funky grill-you-own-steak place that's a lot of fun. I just moved back to Philly after living in SD for ~6 years, and I have a million ideas for you: Parkhouse Eatery for brunch... Amarin Thai... breakfast burritos at Kate Sessions park... people watching on Garnet in PB... Blue Point for seafood in the Gaslamp... a day trip to walk across the border into TJ for tacos, tequila, and beer...
Catch the train to TJ for some "authentic" Mexican.
Catch the train to TJ for some "authentic" Mexican.
Alesmith-there beers are coming to Philly soon- btu taste the freshest while your there
For a fabulous view of the San Diego skyline dine at Bertrand's Mister As. It's upscale and the food is great.http://www.bertrandatmisteras.com/ If you're into desserts, you must try Extraordinary Desserts. Dishes are beautiful and delicious. They're open quite late (like around midnight). I prefer their location near Balboa Park which is quaint & charming. http://www.bertrandatmisteras.com/ Prado in Balboa Park has excellent fish tacos. This is a unique upscale restaurant that is not a Mexican restaurant....but still, I love their fish tacos! Have fun in San Diego!
For the best San Diego has to offer, expect to not spend much money. High end dining is not its forte, but ethnic hole in the walls are unbeatable there. That said, if you want a good ocean view at lunch, George's in La Jolla is probably your best bet. For a real farm-to-table restaurant, check out the Linkery. Stay away from the sausages, in my opinion, but stick to things with lots of veggies or something, those are ususally the best. They also have good beers on tap. Their blogs and daily menus are online so check it out before you go, if you go. Tacos/burritos here should generally be Tijuana/San Diego style, not the mission style you might know better. That means no rice/beans. It's purely meat, salsa, and tortilla. For the best carne asada in the county, go to Rudy's in solana beach. Get their carne asada burrito or their california burrito (sub guac for the sour cream), which is a carne asada burrito plus cheese and french fries. For lamb barbacoa (yeah, a whole lamb cut into taco meat, amazing), go to Aqui es Texcoco in chula vista. The rib is what they describe as "greasier" which of course means better. Also if you're the adventurous type, get the cabeza. Its the head of the lamb, cheek tongue, brain included. Super Cocina in University City is a great place for Mexican stew-type dishes, and you can sample anything before you order it. For a fish taco, try to make your way to Mariscos German. Their smoked marlyn taco and their gobernador (shrimp with cheese) are the best. As far as a more common fried fish taco, theirs is good too, but I also honestly think Rubio's (the chain) has a really good one. And on tuesday's they're like $1.29/taco. Many people recommend the brigantine's fish taco, but those are too expensive in my opinion. Chinese is good here, but not better than what you can get in Philly's chinatown. Vietnamese I think is better in SD (try Pho Cow Cali and K's Sandwiches if you're interested), but it's also great here so I don't think it's worth necessarily going for. Korean is good, try the Convoy Tofu House (not the other tofu house!) for their delicious big bubbling pots of tofu stew, which I haven't found in Philly. The BBQ isn't better than what you get here. Japanese, on the other hand, is way better in SD. If you want ramen, there's Tajima and Santouka. And also this new place Yakyudori ramen that I haven't tried. Tajima also has izakaya food like okonomiyaki, gyoza, etc. Santouka I can't remember all that well aside from the delicious ramen. There's also the whole izakaya thing going on with Yu Me Ya up in encinitas (possibly the nicest group of people, ask them about their sake list and you get awesome stories about each sake/type/drinking traditions/etc.) and Sakura and Otan. For some of the best sushi you can eat anywhere, go to Sushi Kaito in Encinitas. You can get their freshly-delivered list on their blog and when you go, sit at the bar and tell them to give you whatever they want. I'm tired of typing now.
Don't miss the AleSmith beers while you're out there. AleSmith X (Extra Pale Ale) is as good as it gets... see what all the fuss is about!
Have a drink at the Top of the Hyatt on the 40th floor of the downtown Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. It is downtown's best view because it is on top of the tallest building on the West Coast waterfront. The panoramic views: to the west is over San Diego Bay, Coronado and the Pacific Ocean, south to Otay Mountain and the hills of Baja, Mexico, northwest to Point Loma and north to La Jolla's Mt. Soledad. In the foreground are the Gaslamp Quarter, Petco Park and the city skyline. www.ManchesterGrand.Hyatt.com (619) 232-1234 ext. 4914
I should also mention that Pizza Port, while purveying poor pizzas (okay they're not that bad but the alliteration was worth it), has great beers. I've seen the Pizza Port beers on tap around here quite often (especially at Local 44 for some reason), and the same guys also brew Lost Abbey beers. And I've gotten a pitcher of Pliny the Elder at pizza port for $12 (hooray local newspaper coupons!), so there's always thatâ¦
Urban Solace. Turf Supper Club. Red Fox Steak House. Bronx Pizza. Sushi Deli.
San Diego is a tricky city to navigate when it comes to eating. Lots of the best food is far and away from the downtown and beach areas, hidden in strip malls and neighborhoods that are a little less than scenic. Check out mmm-yoso for great out of the way recommendations, especially for Asian. For Mexican Mariscos German is a great seafood taco truck with multiple locations and incredible tacos and coctels. Super Cocina in Normal heights is a wonderful home style steam table place. Ba Ren in Clairemont is great - super spicy Sichuan, Chinese like nothing you've had in Philadelphia. Pomegrante is a Georgian place in North Park with incredible Russian food. Also in North Park The Linkery is farm to table place with uniquely Southern Californian lean and plenty of house made sausage. And if you feel like taking a drive down to Ensenada Laja is allegedly the French Laundry of Mexico.
For some great PRICES, perfect LOCATION and a laid back ATMOSPHERE, you can't beat La Puerta during Happy Hour (3-7pm) or during Sunday Brunch (10am-2pm). La Puerta 560 4th Avenue San Diego, CA 92101 www.taco619.com I love this place for the location and what makes it even better is the super low prices do not match the address. It's right in the middle of the San Diego Gaslamp (I still feel the "Gaslamp" is technically one block over, on 5th). I'm a San Diego native and love my town. Hope this helps. For more info on places to see and local pics, sites and more, check out my photography site: www.SanDiegoSouvenir.com (Shameless self-promotion) -Dave Christopher
is it too late? carne asada fries. you can try to get them at any taco place, but the best are at las ponchos in hillcrest (you can drive thru). seriously, get carne asada fries. roberto's for carne asada burritos, preferably at mission beach. you can get your food and eat it sitting on the sea wall. hodad's in OB for burgers and surfy vibes. the bacon cheeseburger has a patty of bacon (instead of strips). and if you are homesick, the tilted stick in OB is a philly sports-themed bar.
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Today marks the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and in true Philly fashion, five local bars have joined forces for a timely competition in the name of both charity and wanton drunkenness. The "Barstool Olympics," as it's being called, will involve the five watering holes named above â New Wave Café, South Philly Bar & Grill, *smiths, Swift Half and Kite & Key â duking it out to see who can sell the most $3 Molson bottles, as that prominent Canadian brewery calls 2010 host city Vancouver home. The competition, which runs through last call on Feb. 28, will end with (yes!) a medal ceremony for the gold, silver and bronze bars. Along the way, each spot will offer Canucktastic food specials, including Canadian bacon sliders (!), poutine and maple-glazed salmon salad.
A portion of the overall proceeds from the Barstool Olympics willl benefit the Fraternal Order of Police Survivors Fund, which provides support for the families of fallen officers.
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| Photo | Neal Santos |
- Trey Popp visits the third location of Han Chiang's Han Dynasty (it's the first in Philly), and discovers that the owner's hyper-opinionated approach to Sichuan cuisine is exactly what our Chinese food scene needs.
- Felicia D says screw a Whitman's Sampler: Impress your sweetie for real this year by organizing a chocolate tour around the city. She's got all the spots to hit up, from Zahav and Betty's Speakeasy to Mr. Martino's on East Passyunk.
- In Small Bites, check out info on two locally crafted chocolate beers just in time for V-Day, Stumptown putting down roots in NoLibs (along with first word on a big cafe expansion) and chatter about chaat in West Philly.
- Alexandra Harcharek runs down the week in eats in What's Cooking, including a canning class and a NOLA-tastic Mardi Gras party at Reading Terminal.
- For word on the latest openings, check out Feeding Frenzy, which details Fat Salmon, Falafel Factory, Xochitl's new plans and more.
- Outside the food section, in Loose Canon, Bruce Schimmel visits the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture convention and finds that the outlook for local farmers is brighter than ever before.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: What's in @citypaper's food section this week? http://bit.ly/9NygPD...
Meal Ticket video vixen Felicia D. spent some time at the venerable Jim's Steaks at Fourth and South to get some first-hand experience building a cheesesteak. Above, check out her spatula-wielding skills (not bad for a first-timer, according to veteran grillman Ali) and get schooled on some Jim's history by owner Abner Silver.
Wow nice job perk! Behind the counter at Jim's. Next time - Sat night rush.
Great job! Ali said it all, "You coulda done worser."
[...] ⢠Meal Ticket’s Felicia D. does it again, this time working the grill at Jim’s Steaks on South Street. There’s something about the clang of a metal spatula on a hot griddle… [Meal Ticket] [...]
Stephen Starr's Continental (138 Market St.), whose relevance to Philly's dining scene we've discussed here on Meal Ticket, has always been known for its martini list, but the restaurant has been getting into the beerier swing of things lately by introducing an eight-tap draft system. Check out the current lineup, which features local craft choices from the likes of Yards, Sly Fox and Dogfish Head, after the jump. (We're told Yuengling and Amstel Light will be the mainstays, with the rest of the lineup rotating regularly.) They're also offering flights for $9.50.
Yuengling Lager 16oz $4.50
Amstel Light 16oz $5.50
Yard's Philadelphia Pale Ale 16oz $6.00
Sly Fox Pikeland Pilsner 12oz $4.50
Dogfish Head 60 min IPA 10oz $6.00
N. Coast Brother Thellonius Abby Ale 10oz $7.00
Brooklyn Weisse 16oz $6.00
Bell's Double Cream Stout 10oz $5.00
Flights
Red Eye Flight 5oz Pours $9.50 * Sly Fox Pikeland Pils * Yuengling Lager * Dogfish Head 60 min IPA * Bell's Double Cream Stout
Connecting Flight 5oz Pours $9.50 * Amstel Light * Brooklyn Weisse * Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale * North Coast's Brother * Thelonious Abbey Ale
looks like steven starr prices. OVER RATED.
[...] The Continental in Old City has introduced an 8-tap draft list. The most interesting of the initial beers offered are North Coast Brother Thellonius Abbey Ale and Bell’s Double Cream Stout. [Meal Ticket] [...]
i agree with rascal... i don't like supporting a monopolizing corporation anyway.
short pours on 6% beers? maybe they are afraid the amstel crowd will get out of hand??
[...] a happy hour â until last Monday, when they quietly rolled one out. (Perhaps to get some use of their new draft system.) While the long-running martini bar’s kitschy, shoutout-to-Shag phosphorescent lounge-lizard [...]
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