Archive: April, 2010

VIDEO: Felicia D's Dinner Party Part Deux

POSTED: Friday, April 23, 2010, 4:34 PM

Filed Under: Recipes | Video

Last year, Meal Ticket's Felicia D organized an $11-a-head winter dinner party. This time around, she shows you how to shop for and prepare a super-easy dish for a get-together.

Cuseman77

Posted 2010-04-23 11:57:27

They look so easy to make.  I can't wait to try them, I mean make them.  That pizza hanging off the spatula looked good too.

rascal

Posted 2010-04-23 12:16:53

the cutest food blogger on the interwebs.

Mom

Posted 2010-04-23 21:49:31

Great job!

Janina A. Larenas

Posted 2010-04-23 22:36:44

Awesome video! Baked dates... mmmm...

Quincy

Posted 2010-04-25 11:23:14

the countdown to her own Food Network show is on.......and, yes, I am stealing this recipe....

Denise

Posted 2010-04-25 16:55:50

fantastic video - you are fantastic! I will steal the recipe as well. 
let's not forget to mention that beautiful grilled pizza and the server!
Great job!

Shawn

Posted 2010-04-26 16:42:57

Looks amazing Felicia. I am now hungry from watching this and off to the to pick up these items to make my own.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:34 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Andy Farrell shares details on City Tap House's bestial beer program

POSTED: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 8:48 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Openings

Yesterday, City Tap House, the sprawling craft beer bar planned for the Radian (3945 Walnut St.) announced it would be opening to the public, with some 60 beers on tap to slake the thirsts of drinkers. Meal Ticket touched base with bar manager Andy Farrell (formerly of Bridgid's) to try to get a feel for what goes into such a behemoth beer approach. The Tap House will feature 72 total taps, with a dozen of those doubled up for high-volume macro brands like Guinness, Stella and Lager. For the remaining 60 taps, Farrell is looking at things "from a local level, a regional level and a global level," he says. About 60 percent of those taps will be dedicated to good-any-time-of-year craft beers — Dogfish 60-Minute IPA is one time-tested example Farrell gives, but also expect American craft and Belgian-and-otherwise standbys — while the remaining 40 percent be used to pour one-off specialty beers, harder-to-find regional selections, offerings from new breweries and so forth. They'll definitely look local first, though, with attention paid to seasonality. "With the amount of great crafts we have locally, there's plenty of room for representation for that," says Farrell. "From both the beverage and kitchen perspective, [we are mindful of] the 'buy fresh, buy local' movement." The Tap House also features a private 35-seat area with its own 10-tap system, meaning they could easily organize an exclusive Belgian beer dinner and tap a bunch of kegs specifically for the event. The bar will be purchasing its own firkins, and Farrell's working on building up relationships with breweries to get ahold of cask ales on a regular basis. They won't open with a takeout license for growlers or with a hand pump/beer machine, but both are in the works. Also in the immediate-future plans is a large-format bottle list that Farrell hopes Tap House guests will use in a similar manner as a wine list, purchasing a bottle to drink over a multi-course dinner.

City Tap House in pictures :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-05-07 17:54:31

[...] the beer: Farrell talked to Meal Ticket recently about his approach — he’s rocking 60 taps. Yes, he’s pouring a selection of what he [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:48 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Philly's Barcade is a go, but they ain't rushing

POSTED: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 7:57 PM

Filed Under: Openings

barcadebrooklyn.com

Pete Langway, one of five owners of Brooklyn's Barcade, just called Meal Ticket with a few preliminary details on the Philly location the partners have planned. The project, first noted by Brownstoner Philly yesterday, will bring the Barcade concept to a space at 1114 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown. "Philly was a no-brainer for us," says Langway, whose first experience with the 'hood was taking in a show at Johnny Brenda's. "A lot of people come into Barcade in Brooklyn [and say], 'It would be great to have a Barcade in my town,' including people from Philadelphia." He cites Fishtown and Williamsburg's comparable DNA and Philly's burly craft beer scene as the main factors influencing his team's decision to come to the city. A handful of folks in the neighborhood zoning meeting held earlier this week had heard of the concept, which brings together all-American craft beer list (all draft, no bottles) and '80s video games. (Numbers-wise, Langway ballparks that they'll pour 25 beers — 24 on tap, one cask — and stock about 30 games.) This Frankford Avenue space is slightly larger than Barcade's OG digs, and there's an adjacent lot that's included in the property that Langway says will be used as a small beer garden-type seating area. Philadelphians excited about this should note that this is a ways off — when asked to guesstimate an opening month for Barcade Philly, Langway didn't have an answer. "It's literally so early in the process that we don't know," he says. "I couldn't even give you a date. However long it takes."

Holly

Posted 2010-04-23 12:33:32

How about by July? Because I can't think of anything better then wandering back and forth between the Biergarden and the Barcade.

uberVU - social comments

Posted 2010-04-23 17:02:27

Social comments and analytics for this post...

This post was mentioned on Twitter by thecline: This cannot arrive soon enough. RT @mealticket: So @barcadebrooklyn's Philly location is a go, but it's a ways out: http://bit.ly/9stHoP...

Mike McCabe

Posted 2010-04-26 13:12:52

I'm glad that they picked fishtown cause fishtown needs new place's like this around here

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:57 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Twenty Manning Grill (and its food) in pictures

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 11:55 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Photos

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Last night was a good one for surreptitous debuts, no? While Cooperage peeked its head out of the Curtis Center, Twenty Manning Grill (259 S. 20th St.), the months-in-the-making redo of Audrey Claire Taichman's Twenty Manning, opened with a whirl, welcoming in passersby and neighborhood residents off the street. "Night and day" is a tired descriptive phrase for describing a dramatic makeover, but it's almost too perfect here: The original restaurant's sexed-up jet-black lounge vibe has been put out to roost in favor of a sunny, almost shorehouse-like feel: lots of white-washed wood paneling, white pressed tin ceiling, white tile on the body of the bar. Sunflower yellow Chesterfield banquettes (and actual sunflowers). Chalkboard menus. Taichman just feel like it was time for a change after 10 years in business; her Audrey Claire opened across the street four years earlier, in 1996. She'd been planning redo for some time, and got everything in motion this January. Taichman's longtime chef/business partner, Kiong Banh, has dramatically revamped Twenty Manning's original Asian fusion-style menu. Staples like his sirloin noodles and potstickers are still available, but he's now doing some pretty straightforward — and hearty — new American bistro food. Chef Banh was kind enough to cook us up a couple sneak-peeks earlier today.

Moules frites in white wine broth and bourbon remoulade
Seared scallops with pink grapefruit, spinach and yellow pepper olive oil
Pizza Margherita (dough recipe courtesy of Taichman's buddies, Zahav chef/owner Michael Solomonov and Art Institute chef/instructor Rocco Lugrine)
Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and peas
TMG Burger, 8 ounces grass-fed beef with secret "special sauce" (couldn't get any deets on that one), lettuce, tomato, onion, French fries, and a "good" pickle (this, very simply, is a very "good pickle" from Di Bruno's, one that reminds Taichman of the ones she ate as a kid)

The food's still in the "preview" stages — other dishes they've been testing out include ahi tuna burgers, turkey burgers, steak frites and Taichman's dad's best-ever brisket sandwich recipe. In the meantime, you'll have to drop by (they open daily at 5 p.m.) to catch more of the menu.

Tony

Posted 2010-04-21 21:53:42

Looks amazing!  I always loved Twenty Manning, but this re-do looks great.  Really sunny and fresh.  And the food looks fantastic.   I'm going to stop in this week and try it out.

Quincy

Posted 2010-04-23 08:44:55

The interior is very striking...and the food is decent. The prices and options on the menu seem to make this more of a competitor to Matyson than the gastropubs around (Pub & Kitchen, Ladder 15, etc...). Feels a bit like "dinner at the country club."

Michelle C.

Posted 2010-04-23 14:55:40

This looks great!  I've always wanted to try Twenty Manning but never got around to it.  They are going on my short list now!

Caroline - Philly Tourism

Posted 2010-04-23 15:06:37

I really like the freshness and the colors... I've loved walking past during the transformation. I'm excited that this classic spot is now super-fresh! (Though I never felt it was dated before.)

Meal Ticket's 2010 in Pictures: April :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-12-30 15:13:25

[...] - Twenty Manning (and its food) in pictures [21apr10] [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 11:55 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Tomorrow: Yards' Earth Day Empty Case Extravaganza

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 9:14 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Dealage

yardsbrewing.com

Have you been saving cases and six-pack sleeves after polishing off the contents? If so, that's impressive — skip ahead to Step 3. If not, do as follows: 1. Run out and buy some beer. 2. Stock your fridge with the beer. 3. Head over to Yards Brewing Co. (901 N. Delaware Ave.) tomorrow, April 22, between noon and 7 p.m. with the recycled (preferably Yards-branded) packs and you'll score some Earth Day discounts. Fill your empty case up with beer and you'll save $3; do the same with a sixer and you'll save a buck. There's a limit of four six-packs/two cases per customer; you can combine the two, as long as you don't exceed $10 in total savings. 4. Continue the Earth Day festivities at London Grill, where they'll have nine different Yards beer on tap.

Posted by Marie DiFeliciantonio @ 9:14 PM Permalink | Post a comment

SNACK TIME: fear the Super Torta, Peche Mortal with your Mortal Kombat, an edible rainbow of Jell-O shots, good advice on going out, cocktail throwdown

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 7:30 PM

Filed Under: Snack Time

Foobooz

Pig pile

Every Wednesday, Meal Ticket pokes around the food blog world to see what's simmering. - We have seen our doom, and its name is Super Torta. Foobooz reveals where their Street Team unearthed the fearsome (but only $13!) beast, loaded with so much pig-and-its-parts it threatens to be garnished with a curly little tail. - Brownstoner reports Brooklyn's video games-and-beer concept Barcade could be coming to a warehouse space on Frankford Ave.; principals met with Fishtown zoning committee members on Tuesday. - Two cute Fishtown girlies are behind the unexpected Jell-O shot recipes of gelatinous booze blog My Jello Americans. They've got Phoodie.info feeling giggly and jiggly. - Concierge king Ken Alan is back with his 10 Dos and Don'ts of Philly Dining for The Restaurant Club. Our favorite Do: "Get over yourself." - An Empty Fridge pits cocktail heavyweight The Franklin Mortgage & Exchange against Chick's CafÃ© & Wine Bar's admixtures and offerings. Click through for pictures and details.

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 7:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Where'd we pick up lunch?

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 6:40 PM

Filed Under: Where'd We Eat?

Photo | Drew Lazor

Can you ID this doorway?

adam

Posted 2010-04-21 16:07:42

Euro Republic?

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-04-21 16:15:28

Adam:

Not Euro Republic, but you're quite close geographically.

Emily

Posted 2010-04-23 11:04:07

House of Kabob?

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-04-23 11:22:49

Emily, you got it! AROMATIC House of Kabob to be exact, in case you were referring to another House of Kabob. Aromatic's kabobs, I think, have always been better than their main competitor's, In-No-Way-Fragrant House of Kabob.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:40 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Second Good Karma Cafe in the works

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 5:51 PM

Filed Under: Coffee | Openings

Photo | Drew Lazor

David Arrell, who opened Good Karma Cafe off 22nd and Pine two years back, is working on a second location at 928 Pine Street, formerly Ethnics Furniture. The space is about two and half times bigger than the original GKC, which'll allow for way more seating inside and out; there'll also be a separate "quiet room" available for studious types, book clubs and meetings. Arrell plans on taking the same green buildout approach here, using sustainable materials, reclaimed wood and no-VOC paints. The coffee and food approach will be pretty much the same, with a bit of potential expansion as far as lunch offerings go. Look for an early July opening.

Good Karma’s second location opens :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-05 11:13:19

[...] at 22nd and Pine, opened his second coffee house on Saturday. The new Good Karma (928 Pine St.), which we first mentioned in April, is more than twice the size of the original and features a separate quiet area for study or group [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:51 PM Permalink | Post a comment

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 5:32 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Openings

This Sun., April 25, cultish cocktail folks seeking chilled sips from the '40s and '50s will get their first taste of Stephen Starr's take on the speakeasy, the Ranstead Room (2013 Chestnut St.). Adjacent to the kitschy, Mexico City-themed El Rey (also opening April 25), the Ranstead Room will be a 36-seat Shawn Hausman-designed space (Chateau Marmont, The Standard, Parc, Butcher & Singer) replete with a gilded chandelier, wine-colored walls, vintage wallpaper, polished golden tiling and risquÃ© artwork, accessed through a discreet door marked with their signature "RR" off alley-like Ranstead Street. Sasha Petraske, the brain behind New York's Milk & Honey and Dutch Kills, was brought in to develop the liquid menu, a departure from his previous oeuvre of turn-of-the-century and pre-Prohibition recipes. Drinks like the Boulevardier (bourbon, Campari, sweet vermouth), Williams Fizz (cognac, Poire William, lemon juice, sugar, egg white) and The Sands Cocktail (gin, grapefruit and lemon juices, maraschino liqueur) will all be made with hand-cut ice, housemade mixers and fresh-squeezed juices.

Phyllis Stein-Novack

Posted 2010-04-21 13:15:07

I always thought I should have been born at the turn of the last century. I would have been a full-blown flapper with short skirts, bobbed hair and a taste for speak easies, sidecars, a flask of gin or scotch tucked into my garter and a strong penchant for jazz.

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 5:32 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Cooperage in pictures

POSTED: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 4:13 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Photos

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Yesterday, Meal Ticket dropped by the quiet opening night of Cooperage, on the Seventh Street side of the Curtis Center. (First mentioned the project back in March.) Jen Kremer, who's running the spot in partnership with Cescaphe Ballroom owner Joe Volpe, describes Cooperage's concept as a wine and whiskey drinker's haunt, complete with a menu populated by "Southern bistro fare" — blackened shrimp po'boys, NOLA muffulettas and buttermilk biscuits made from scratch using Kremer's Grandma Muh's recipe have a place, along with pecan-crusted catfish with black eyed pea ragout and buttermilk-battered gator bites with a smoked tomato/red pepper remoulade. (Had 'em, great bar eats.) They'll soon stick Southern boiled peanuts on the bar as a snack, adds Kremer, a North Carolina native. (Full menus after the jump.) To drink, Kremer has constructed a list of 40-some-odd whiskeys, which places an emphasis on harder-to-find small-batch bourbons. The vino side of things (Kremer was formerly sommelier at Parc) focuses on boutique wines out of Central and Eastern Europe. The slick DIE Creative-designed bar side serves lunch and dinner, but there's also a separate cafÃ© nook that does coffee, pastries, light bites and juices from morning to afternoon. (Outdoor seating is on the way.) The bar's tucked right inside the Curtis Center lobby on the western side of the building — to enter, head through the doors on Seventh Street just off the intersection of Sansom/Jeweler's Row. Hours: CafÃ© open Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-5 pm.; kitchen open Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., 4-10 p.m.; Sun., 4-9 p.m.


	Click to enlarge

nickfocus

Posted 2010-04-21 18:08:46

Gator! definitely gotta check this out.

spikerc

Posted 2010-04-23 13:39:43

Holy leek bread pudding, this place is awesome. Great menu, great atmosphere, and amazing drink selection. Run, don't walk.

Cooperage launches brunch :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-06-25 16:41:57

[...] Cooperage, the super-pretty chicken-fried whiskey and wine bar in the Curtis Center, has added weekend brunch hours to its operation. They’ll serve up brunch — the “Chesapeake Benedict,” with crabcakes, asparagus and creamed-corn  bÃ©rnaise sounds bangin’ — Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check out the menu in full after the jump. [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:13 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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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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