|
|
|
Archive: February, 2010
 |
It was just announced that Garces Trading Company (1111 Locust St.), Iron Chef Jose Garces' gourmet market/café, will open to the public next Tuesday, Feb. 16. (Garces shared some preliminary details on the project with Meal Ticket back in September '09 , and Jamie of Midtown Lunch recently poked her head in for some in-the-works photos.) The space'll act as a shop for Garces-branded food products (cheese accompaniments from Amada; Garces' own roasted coffee beans; house-cured charcuterie; house-baked bread; "GTC at Home" heat-and-serve dishes) as well as a sit-down to grab fresh-made sandwiches, cheese plates, housemade pasta dishes (pappardelle with lamb ragu; fusilli alla carbonara with guanciale â cheektastic!) and comfort-food-y daily specials (Monday will be "coq au vin day," for example). GTC wil be open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the café will serve from 11 to 10 daily.
Perhaps the most noteworthy (and controversial) aspect of GTC is its PLCB-leased wine boutique, which'll feature more than 200 international wine and spirits selections. This partnership between a restaurateur* and the state-run Liquor Control Board is the first of its kind, and it's been met with protest by a number of local bar/restaurant owners who feel the union creates an unlevel playing field. The issue is discussed further on the Web site of the PA Restaurants for Fair Competition coalition.
* This post has been edited to properly reflect the nature of Garces' partnership with the PLCB.
First of its kind? There was a PLCB boutique in Food Source at rt 1 & 202 (back when it was still open). I thought that was just one of several in a pilot program.
Livia: The wine boutique at Garces Trading Company is the first example of the PLCB's initiative involving the Board teaming up with local chefs/restaurateurs. The PLCB boutique in the Food Source was a "One Stop Shop," aka a Wine & Spirits operating out of an existing grocery store, as opposed to a free-standing location. Sorry for the confusion. I've edited the post to make this more clear.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by citypaper: RT @mealticket Feb. 16 is the day for Garces Trading Company: http://bit.ly/arstCr...
[...] morning. We’ll have more soon, but for now, peruse what’s up above and check out our previous coverage. Garces Trading Company’s [...]
Meal Ticket just touched base with hospitality investor Bob DeBolt, who just took over the long-running Doc Watson's (216 S. 11th St.) with partners John Dunfee and Greg E. Dodge for a new concept called Sherlock's Tavern. (The trio, known collectively as Vesper Hospitality LLC, also own the recently opened Zavino.)
Doc Watson's as we knew it closed last Wednesday; as of right now, the team's cleaning/reorganizing a bit before reopening in the next week or so â as Doc Watson's. The plan is to operate the pub as is on the ground floor while they renovate the top floor. Once that's done â DeBolt's saying "mid-May" â they'll shut down the ground floor for renovations and funnel business upstairs. The plan is to be completely done with Sherlock-ifying the space no later than Sept. 1.
Changes will include an English stone facade, honey mahogany bookcases for bar shelves, a white marble bar and a 24-tap draft system (Doc's had 12). DeBolt adds that there'll be a standing discount at the bar for all Jefferson employees.
No word on whether Sherlock's plans to engage in intellectual fisticuffs with criminal mastermind fellow bar Moriarty's, located just down the street.
[...] Doc Watson’s will transform into Sherlock’s Tavern in stages. First the upstairs and then the downstairs by September 1st. [Meal Ticket] [...]
[...] Was treated to a peek of the remodeled Doc Watson’s, set to re-open as Sherlock’s Tavern in early summer, on Friday evening. The ownership team (also behind Zavino) teased it had another [...]
 |
| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
Order up the the fudge brownie sundae at the Standard Tap (901 N. Second St.) and Tap owners William Reed and Paul Kimport will donate $2 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
You can check out other ways to contribute (and eat) on the CHOP Foundation Web site.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amanda and JACKIE, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Eat ice cream at Standard Tap to support CHOP: http://bit.ly/atnQh4 [...]
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by amandanitti: RT @mealticket: Eat ice cream at Standard Tap to support CHOP: http://bit.ly/atnQh4...
 |
| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Maru (206 Market St.), the sushi spot that just took over for Anjou in Old City a little more than a month ago, has already closed, a loyal tipster reports. We called the restaurant but the phone rings and rings; a walk-by reveals a darkened dining room.
Maru is not to be confused with Maru Global Takoyaki, the Japanese street food spot that opened on 10th Street recently.
[...] Maru didn’t last long. The former Anjou has closed after just a month. [Meal Ticket] [...]
 |
Aaron Ultimo over at Ultimo Coffee (1900 S. 15th St.) already has some pretty bad-ass branding â but now he's looking for someone to submit a design for a new T-shirt. All designs must contain some form of the eagle logo (above), the words "Ultimo Coffee" and can use a maximum of two colors. Send your design in .jpg format to aaron[at]ultimocoffee.com by Feb. 17. If your design is picked, you'll get one of your tees, plus a $100 credit at Ultimo. That's alotta Counter Culture!
And here's an update on the liquor license saga of Brew, Ultimo's boozier half. Last time we checked in, Brew's owner John Longacre told us that they were on course to start offering their mix-a-six craft beer selection on Jan. 30. Well, that didn't happen â 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 operation, and its intent to have an ID-swiping verification machine on the premises. The Board passed on a request to an LCB lawyer to draw up the document, but Longacre is unsure if it'll be ready for the LCB's Feb. 10 meeting. In other words, yet another flaming hoop. "Mind you, I'm president of the Philadelphia Tavern Owners Association," says Longacre, "and I've never seen anything so ridiculous."
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Design a tee for @ultimocoffee while you wait for Brew's liquor license to arrive: http://bit.ly/b9xrlz...
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Savoir Faire, Zeb Olsen, Joe Burton, Meal Ticket, XCLUBCAFE and others. XCLUBCAFE said: Design a tee for Ultimo Coffee while you wait for Brew's liquor ...: Aaron Ultimo over at Ultimo Coffee (1900 S. 1... http://bit.ly/cu7SCu [...]
 |
Though more than one St. Valentine was martyred before the fourteenth century fad for courtly love turned them into a lace-edged cliché, it doesn't have to be all blood and roses now. The Dark Horse Pub (421 S. Second St.) will host Philly's first-ever Vegan Valentine's Dance and Drinks on Sat., Feb. 13, complete with DJ, $1 off all drinks and vegan appetizers making the rounds in two connected private party rooms.
One hundred percent of the $10 cover will benefit The Humane League of Philadelphia and aid them in their work advocating for animals. Doors open at 8 p.m.; vegetarians welcome.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vegan Cooking, KevinMinott, Meal Ticket, Meal Ticket, forkspoonknife and others. forkspoonknife said: I love Philadelphia. RT @mealticket Would you be my vegan Valentine? http://bit.ly/9VraxI [...]
 |
| SauteOnline.com |
Sauté (775 S. Front St.) is celebrating their box-fresh liquor license with a new, $35 chef's tasting menu, offered Sun., Tues. and Wed. nights. Unlike standard prix-fixes where each guest chooses from a limited menu, chef Nicholas Cassidy will cook in the traditional manner of chef's tastings, taking the table on a seasonal tour of flavors while honoring dietary limitations and special requests; vegetarian and gluten-free menus are available. The restaurant teases that each course may even be different for each guest at the table.
The new beverage menu includes house wine by the glass ($6) and bottles ranging from $28-$35; beers begin at $4 for Yeungling Lager and top out at a $15, 25-oz. bottle of Sly Fox Saison Vos. Download a .pdf the beverage menu here.
Since Sauté began as a BYOB, guests are still welcome to bring their own bottles for at $1 corkage fee per bottle.
[...] by Dr. Christine DiNicola of SPP. Cochon’s in, as are Bistrot La Minette, La Fourno, the newly liquor-licensed Sauté, Mustard Greens, Salt & Pepper and Trattoria La Costiera. For rezzies, call the restaurants or [...]
 |
[...] Tuesday I got a chance to check out the new specials over at Oyster [...]
Open for about two weeks, Red Cup Café (400 W. Fairmount Ave., 267-773-7812) is brewing Italian coffee and espresso in NoLibs, right down the street from the recently opened Lafayette Bistro. Sicily native Marjola Como, who's been in the States for about four years with her husband Rick, owns the spot. They're doing Miscela d'Oro drip coffee and Le Cafferia espresso, the latter of which has a brick-and-mortar base here in Philly. They're carrying Bindi desserts (that's a purveyor, not the 13th Street restaurant) and also offer a small selection of panini with Italian meats (slicer on the premises).
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 6 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
 |
 |
| Photos | Drew Lazor |
Gah, I know it's that diner on the corner of 4th and Spring Garden but I can't remember the name. Win/Fail?
OK Jess, you win! It is called Spring Garden Restaurant and it is both tasty and shockingly cheap. Screw you, 20-minute weekday lunch wait at Honey's.
Yay! Glad to hear this because I live nearby and have been wondering how it is. I love me some hot roast beef.
- barstool scientist
- Booze
- Brew Revue
- Chef Salad
- Closings
- Coffee
- Contests
- Dealage
- Dirty Dishes
- Don't Front
- Eat This Immediately
- Field Trip
- Food and Art
- Food and Holidays
- Food and Movies
- Food and Music
- Food and Politics
- Food and Sports
- Food and Web
- Food Blogs
- Food Books
- Food Events
- Food News
- Food TV
- Gifted
- Happy Hour Hopper
- How-To
- In Print
- Interview
- Meal Ticket
- Menu Time
- Not So Quickfire
- Notes from the Weekend
- On Wheels
- Openings
- Patio Drinking
- Philly Beer Week 2010
- Photos
- Private Chef POV
- Product Placement
- Recipes
- Snack Time
- Stiff Drank
- SUPPER
- Tea
- Testing
- Ticket Stubs
- Top Chef
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Video
- Weekly Candy
- Weird Regional Foods
- We're Here to Help
- Where'd We Eat?
- Drew Lazor's Ill-Advised Rant Factory
- Pregame
- Ill-Advised Ranting
- The Week Without Meat
- Philly Beer Week 2009
- Real Big
- Where'd I Eat Last Night?
- Top Chef Masters
- The Good Word
- Next Iron Chef
- Arterial Terrorism
- Food and Radio
