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Archive: May, 2009
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The Gold Standard Caf� (4800 Baltimore Ave., 215-727-8247) quietly opened its doors earlier today.
The restaurant, which is owned by Vincent Whittacre and Roger Harman (formerly of Abbraccio, which they sold in late '08), is actually two concepts in one � one side is a caf� with coffee, breakfast and lunch, while the other is a dining room where patrons can tuck into chef Joey Balaaldia's comfort food menu from Wednesday to Sunday. The name is an homage to the original Gold Standard restaurant Harman and late partner Duane Ball ran at 47th and Chester.
We posted some menu highlights on Meal Ticket back in March, and Harman says the sneak peek is still an accurate representation of what they'll be serving. (The dinner menu will change weekly.)
Current hours of operation: Mon.-Tue., 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
My little brother just got a job over there. I may have to go check it out now. Haven't been down to UCity for food in a long while.
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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) � ABC is teaming with British chef Jamie Oliver and Ryan Seacrest for a new series that gives healthy makeovers to an entire city.
Oliver will travel to the unhealthiest places in America and find ways to use nearby resources to improve local eating habits. The network has ordered six hours of the project from Ryan Seacrest Productions.
The series is loosely inspired on Oliver's acclaimed school lunch project in the U.K., where the chef set about to improve kids' nutrition. His effort to improve one school's offerings, documented in the 2005 series "Jamie's School Dinners," shamed educators into passing new measures to ban certain junk foods.
A recent Men's Fitness poll says we're currently the 20th least fit city in the United States, a significant improvement from 1999, when we were ranked number one in overall fatassery. Will this affect our chances of getting Oliver in the 215?� Let's hope he and his crew realize that � numbers be damned � we are obese in spirit.
(Thanks Monica)
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Four of Philadelphia's most venerable scientific institutions are bringing bigger brains to the people in the people's favorite venue � the pub.� Science On Tap is a continuing series of free, brief presentations by experts in their fields, followed by lively group discussion, all over a pint.
Science On Tap convenes the second Monday of every month at National Mechanics, with each of the four institutions (The Academy of Natural Sciences, the American Philosophical Society Museum, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science) rotating speaker responsibilities.
Tonight, the American Philosophical Society Museum hosts Scott Gilbert, professor of biology at Swarthmore College and a leader in the field of evolutionary developmental biology. Gilbert will present �How The Tortoises Got Their Shells And The Finches Got Their Beaks: The Role of Evo-Devo in Solving Darwin�s Dilemmas."
Ponder Darwin's finches quietly over 22 ounces of Lagunitas Zappa Lumpy Gravy IPA, or see if you can start a nerd riot by leaping onto your table and howling, "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, pencil-necks!"
Science on Tap at National Mechanics, Mon., May 11, 6 p.m., 22 S. Third St., 215-701-4883, nationalmechanics.com
[...] in May ‘09, we first touted Science On Tap, a joint venture of scientific discussions held every second Monday of the month at National [...]
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| All photos l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
| Tuna tartare on a fried wonton, Cape May Salt oyster with watermelon and carbonated Meyer lemon, smoked salmon with cr�me fra�che. |
On Friday we previewed Blackfish Stone Harbor, the coastal efforts of James Beard-nominated chef Chip Roman. Friday's soft opening, featuring tiny versions of the dishes on the a la carte menu, gave guests a chance to see the transformation of the formerly dark and dingy space and try out Roman's progressive cooking.
Meal Ticket was especially stoked on the separate bar menu, featuring classics like French onion soup, steak frites, a hefty "beach burger" and clams casino.
General Manager Kip Phelps�was gearing up for the intense Saturday night ahead � for their first dinner service, they already had 125 on the books and had closed reservations.
Peep the interior, and more importantly, the food, after the jump.
Blackfish Stone Harbor, 9628 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, N.J., 609-967-9100,� blackfishrestaurant.com
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| L to R: Amanda Roman, manager Kip Phelps, partner/owners Dr. John & Denise Sprandino, manager Ashley Hess, chef/owner Chip Roman. |
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| The center dining room of the only white-tablecloth restaurant in Stone Harbor. |
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| Asparagus soup |
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| A shiny shortrib |
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| From the bar menu: NY strip steak frites |
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| Beignets with raspberry sauce and coconut cr�me anglaise |
Luciano's Restaurant also is a white table cloth restaurant and has been established for at least 6 summers. The idea of a white table cloth is not new to Stone Harbor.
I love Chip Roman and think he is one of the best chef's in the area, but trying to transfer the magic or even quality of Blackfish to 250 seats is going to be a HUGE challenge. I think he may be able to do it, but this looks like it could go either way for me. I look forward to trying it out this summer, whats the dress code?
[...] Blackfish Stone Harbor is open as the town’s only white tablecloth restaurant. If that sounds too stuffy, you’ll be happy to hear there’s a bar menu with classics like French onion soup, steak frittes and a “beach burger.” [Meal Ticket] [...]
I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful event sponored by Blackfish Stone Harbor this weekend. The restaurant has been transformed into a cozzy dining spot enabling customers to experience fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere. The food was an experience in itself....the drinks were fabulous and the dessert scrumptious with impeccable presentation! Staff superb! Good Luck in Stone Harbor...Spread the word. John E.
Best of luck to Chip Roman, John and the entire Balckfish staff! The meal I had was superb, the dessert was the best I've ever had and the staff was professional and ever so friendly. What more can one ask for??? Thanks to you all for a wonderful weekend opening! I will spread the word. Clare D.
The food was amazing, and the restaurant looks NOTHING like the old Henny's restaurant site. I am curious to go back and try the bar menu this summer, as everything on it looked so delicious. If this is a taste of the entire Shelter Haven project on the bay, then I'm sold. Wonderful! Best of luck this summer!
My mom, sister and I dined Sat. evening May 16th at Blackfish. The wait staff was extremely "on" and attentive (The water girl refilled my glass before I had even taken a sip!). However, we found the menu to be fairly limited (if you don't like fish - you don't have a lot to choose from). I had the house salad as a starter and was surprised to find it consisted of mixed leaf lettuce and dressing (nothing else, no tomato, no onion, na da and hardly any dressing too boot). My mom and sister both got the steak and fries and I had the Escalar (butterfish). The best part of my meal was the rice and peas and the curry sauce (they were REALLY good). The fish itself was on the dry side. My mom was not thrilled with her steak. I took a taste and found the sauce a little too much. My sister's was over cooked. The fries were also not the best. For dessert I ordered the Creme Brulee which was also just OK. Comparatively we ate at Ristorante Luciano (one block away) the previous evening and had an incredible meal and incredible dessert (Limoncello). The bill at Blackfish was $235 compared to $112 at Luciano's (however, we did bring the wine). Finally, the thing I will miss most about Henny's is that Blackfish is not a family restaurant - it is more of a fine dining occasional restaurant (given the prices). And given the prices (and that I have a young family) I will be unlikely to frequent it the way I did Henny's. But I may visit the bar - as that is nice (assuming it doesn't break the bank to have a few). Oh and the interior, understandably given they are demoing the place in a couple of years, looks pretty much just like Henny's minus the booths and a new paint job.
I love Blackfish! The restaurant itself is so nice. The service and food was excellent! Chip Roman is an awesome chef. He and John Sprandio are great partners and I think Blackfish will do very well this summer. I have dined there twice and both experiences were great. I also visited the bar, which is really cool and the music is awesome. Keep up the good work Chip, John, and all the staff at Blackfish. This is going to be a great summer!
Read all of the reviews, heard great things, but..my husband and I were quite let down. We know that it may only be a temp space; however it looked just like Henny's painted white. Made reservations. Arrived and seated on time yet it took over 15 minutes until our very pleasant waitress took our drink order, and asked if we were ready to order dinner at the same time. More wait for drinks, asked twice for water. Took the first sip of our martinis and our appetizer was on the table. So much for leisurly vacation dining. Crab salad app was delicious! My main course was "surf and turf".....a wonderfully tender palm size portion of a braised short rib and two scallops.....along with a few spoons full of much too sweet parsnip puree for $3o ish John's entree was "bouillabaisse"...a plate with a handful of clams, mussles, and shrimp and whatever fish was sitting around the kitchen from the weekend.....seriously, he had a turkey sandwich when we got home because he was still hungry! $30ish Desert was a molten chocolate cake....itlooked and tasted like the very same cake that is bought in bulk frozen and served at every chain around except there was a tiny bit of malt under the vanilla ice cream. A big disappointment! Try Quahogs....you won't get a linen napkin but you will get more pleasant service, the most delicious clam chowder in Stone Harbor and right-from-the -pier fish that's really worth the cost!!
i used to work for chip in conshohocken. i thought the blackfish there was good i can not belive how stoneharbor is turning out. this summer i will deffinatly come down to vist and have dinner if these reviews keep comming in! all the best chip GIORGIO
The Blackfish Stone Harbor is truly a great place to dine!
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| Photos | Drew Lazor |
Taqueria Veracruzana??
Richard: You got it! Grubbing on campechanos tacos above â mix of steak and chorizo. Mmm.
We used to go there often. Liked the chile relleno tacos and the fresh watermelon juice. So many great taquerias now as compared to 10 years ago. Combined with all the great beer in/around Philly and the World Series, it's almost too good to be true.
Those tacos are making me drool.
AMEN: I KNOW, same. See you over there.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
If you attended ScrappleFest back in March, you probably spotted local artist Leah Mackin's table hawking all manner of scrapple-related swag, including these excellent tees. A few weeks back, Mackin sent out an alert letting those who desire to wear their love of pig parts on their sleeve that she had replenished her online supplies on Etsy. We checked today, and if this counter is correct, there's but one left in stock! Get on this now or go shirtless until she can reup again!
Scrapple has everything but the OINK.it has pig parts that would not look too tasty,however grind it all up till it looks like gray mush.then cook it and put ketchap or musterd on it and enjoy.
Very cute. The maker of those should put them up on Search4tshirts.com They are a t-shirt search engine that puts up independent desingers t-shirts for the world to see and buy if interested. They would be a great fit.
two.one.five mag's Ben T. Levy caught up with Jose Garces for an interview. One of the topics he asked about was the chef's thoughts on taking home a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic earlier this week:
First off, obviously, congratulations for your James Beard Award (for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic). You were nominated twice before; do you feel these things give you more creative leverage?
Winning is fantastic, even better than I imagined, but I don�t know about creative leverage. Generally, I think that the work a chef does in his or her restaurant is what allows them to take any next step in their career. But awards certainly help, and it�s incredibly rewarding to be recognized for what you do by others in your field. These awards are like the Academy Awards for chefs, the most coveted in the industry.
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| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
| Custom stained-glass transom |
Plan to swarm the newest Capogiro Gelato Artisans location, in half of the former RoseLena's space at 1625 E. Passyunk Ave., as early as Tuesday, May 12.
The homey Victorian vibe, along with RoseLena's original moldings and fixtures, have been preserved by Capogiro owners John and Stephanie Reitano. URBANSPACEDEVELOPMENT, the design/build firm who built out both the 13th and 20th Streetyeah locations, put in new white hexagonal tile floors and remade the old-school space without Capogiro's signature slick Euro stamp.
"We wanted to preserve the original feel of the house," says manager Nate Hopkins. "This is more of a Capogiro scoop shop."
The white marble bar has four stools that have a view of the scooping action, but the gelato case hides the 12 to 18 daily-changing flavors from greedy eyeballs. About 10 tables will live in the sky-blue dining area, with a few more on the blooming back patio Capogiro shares with neighbor Michael's Caf�. For those without time to linger, a cone service window at the front of the shop will provide fast gelato infusions.
The P'unk Ave. location will serve La Colombe espresso drinks and drip coffee in addition to gelato. The classic "rocket ship" espresso machine is a Victoria Arduino Venus Century, number six of a limited edition of 100.
Opening hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays. On Friday and Saturday nights, the Capogiristas will scoop until 1 a.m.
Capogiro Gelato Artisans opens early next week (May 12, as of now) at 1625 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-462-3790, capogirogelato.com
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LIES! I went. I waited! Not open yet - no sign! I wait with bated breath!
[...] Paper’s Meal Ticket blog has a first look at Capogiro’s new outpost on East Passyunk. They mention a target opening of Tuesday, May 12th, but a waiter at [...]
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| Blackfish Stone Harbor |
| Pea shooters |
As we speak, the staff at Blackfish Stone Harbor is preparing to open for the frenzied summer season down the Shore. Chef and owner Chip Roman has taken over the former Henny's Caf� waterfront space in the swank resort town, transformed by Stokes Architechture (Buddakan, Continental Mid-town) into a 5,000-square-foot restaurant seating 200. On Saturday, May 9 they will swing open their doors to lure the Lily Pulitzer locals away from the fried flounder and broiled scallops that comprise standard Shore dining.
Like Blackfish in Conshohocken, Roman's menu will play with progressive American dishes, and put the ample local produce and fresh seafood to good use. Think Cape May Salts oysters with carbonated Meyer lemon, watermelon and pink peppercorn for small plates; a bouillabaisse of seasonal fish with saffron broth, crusty bread and rouille for entr�es. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch and late-night menus will be served. Accompanying the fare will be a specialty cocktail list featuring this year's Philly-come-lately drink trend, vintage cocktails.� Moore Brothers Wine Company has created a wine list emphasizing values from small, family operations in Europe and California.
If you can't make it to the beach just yet, Roman has shared his recipe for Chilled English Pea soup exclusively with Meal Ticket. The simple recipe embodies the best qualities of summer cooking � no heat is required, the flavors are clean and fresh and the vibrant green soup is impressive-looking enough to serve to your most discerning company.� Recipe after the jump.
Look for photos of the brand-new Blackfish Stone Harbor this Monday on Meal Ticket.
Blackfish Stone Harbor, 9628 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, N.J., 609-967-9100,� blackfishrestaurant.com.
Chilled English Pea Soup
Chip Roman, Blackfish Stone Harbor
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 Cup frozen English peas (petite pois peas are best)
2 Cup vegetable stock
Dash Salt and pepper
1Tsp white balsamic vinegar
2 Tblsp cr�me fra�che (available at Whole Foods)
Lemon oil for garnish (available at Whole Foods)
4 Snow pea shoots for garnish
Method:
Thaw peas
Blend peas with vegetable stock (use vita prep or blender)
Add salt, pepper, cr�me fra�che and balsamic vinegar
Pass through fine strainer or chinois
Let sit in refrigerator for 2 hours until flavors blend (should be an Intense green color)
Adjust seasoning to taste
Serve in bowl and garnish with drops of lemon oil and pea tops or snow pea shoots
[...] T-Shirts• two.one.five Q&A with Jose Garces• FIRST LOOK: Capogiro goes P'unk • SUMMER SUPPER: Chip Roman's chilled English pea soup• IN PRINT: City Paper Food and Restaurants, May 7• PATIO DRINKING: Ch
I made this recipe and it is fantastic! It didn't look as good as the soup pictured, but I'm also not a chef. I tried to click your link to the restaurant on this page, and the link appears to be broken. I typed it in and it did work though. Just thought you should know. I recommend this recipe though!
Luke J: Very happy to hear you liked the recipe. Thanks for the heads up re: links; all should be fixed now.
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| Photo | Jessica Kourkounis |
- First things first: Peep our cover package this week, where Pat Rapa tells you about the city's food co-op scene, provides an exhaustive list of local farmers markets (and their opening dates) and tells the tale of the UglyRipe tomato. Fresh.
- Lauren F. Friedman introduces you to Eli Massar and Emily Pollack (above), the founders of Philly Kitchen Share. Upstart independent catering and cheffing businesses can rent out time in the licensed share-duse kitchen on South Street to do their thing, all while keeping costs to a minimum.
- I visit Frank's Old Philly-Style Sandwiches underneath the Comcast Center to see what's good on the grill.
- In Feeding Frenzy, I have details on Newbold's brand-new Brew, the mini Thai Singha House near Rittenhouse and speakeasy-style Grey, coming soon to Old City.
- If the eatin' itinerary is looking scant as of late, check What's Cooking, where Lauren Fleming fills you in an Israeli wine dinner at Zahav, Mother's Day destinations in the burbs and more.
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