Archive: June, 2010

SNACK TIME: Patton Oswalt talks eats, think before you litter in a urinal, Sikora peaces out, allergy-friendly eats hitting Mt. Airy, Fancy Food can come in a jar too

POSTED: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 10:43 PM

Filed Under: Snack Time

The Stew/Chicago Tribune

Every Wednesday, Meal Ticket pokes around the food blog world to see what's simmering. - The Stew, the Chicago Tribune's food blog, has a great Q&A with comedian/food lover Patton Oswalt. He shares his opinions on molecular gastronomy, the Double Down, Emeril Lagasse and chefs serving the Ratatouille star ratatouille. - Tipster JC passes along this extremely sobering bathroom sign posted by an anonymous bartender somewhere. - The Insider notes that Bryan Sikora, formerly of Talula's Table, has already left his post as culinary director for Daniel Stern. - Gluten Free Philly has word on Food For All Market, an upcoming Mt. Airy spot that'll carry "a focus on catering to health-conscious customers and those with celiac disease and food allergies." - Over on Pub & Kitchen's blog is info on the July 4 "Dune Burger" event at their sister operation The Diving Horse out in Avalon. - Marisa of Food in Jars shares some sweet pictures of, well, food in jars at this past Monday's Fancy Food Show in NYC.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 10:43 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NOW OPEN: Cups & Chairs Tea Cafe

POSTED: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 9:59 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Tea

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Thanks to trusted Meal Ticket tipsters JC and DO for simul-sharing word of Cups & Chairs' opening with us. (We first mentioned it back in March.) The tea-centric cafÃ©, located at intersection of Fifth, Passyunk and Monroe (701-03 S. Fifth St., 215-238-8TEA), is the brainchild of Kylie Tsai, a tea fanatic who left a career in IT to open the shop. (Former co-worker Jen-rung Lai designed the spacious interior.) The 30-seat shop carries 59 varieties of looseleaf tea sourced from around the world — Japanese matcha (aka ceremonial green tea; Tsai's greatest love/specialty), African rooibos, South American yerba mate, etc. — plus tea drinks (the "Before Sunrise" is matcha floated over orange juice), home-steeping accessories and a simple menu of sandwiches, salads, pastries and light bites. Tsai also showed us an outdoor courtyard that she hopes to have up and running in a few months' time. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

danya

Posted 2010-06-30 18:44:34

Who's making the food?

vance

Posted 2010-07-01 12:05:11

Ooo. yum. matcha. can't wait.

michael

Posted 2010-07-02 17:53:56

Love their Before Sunrise special - a delicious blend of OJ and matcha.

michael

Posted 2010-07-02 17:59:45

Don't know who makes the food, but the sandwiches and salads were unique, fresh and tasty.  I have to sample some more.

Terry Bell

Posted 2010-07-04 16:51:09

Kylie!  Congrats on your opening.

Erin

Posted 2010-07-06 12:33:58

Yay for matcha! Thanks for the early tip on this post, Drew. Any luck in me buying straight matcha powder from there? Or any suggestion where? Dying to make a matcha finishing salt!

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-07-06 13:58:18

Erin, yes, I believe you can buy any of their teas looseleaf, and I don't see why that wouldn't include matcha.

Natalie

Posted 2010-08-19 12:21:55

You can buy loose matcha at the tea place on 4th and monroe (around the corner - across from Essene).  it's $10 an ounce.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:59 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Friday: Get hoppy at Philly Beer School (and win tix to a future class!)

POSTED: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 6:50 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Contests | Food Events

Photo | Michael T. Regan

This Friday, July 2, at 7 :30 p.m., the Philly Beer School (a relatively new branch of Philadelphia Wine School at 20th and Fairmount) is offering an exclusive class covering everything you need to know about super-hoppy beers. Collin Flatt, local foodie and beer connoisseur, is heading up the session. "The first hoppy beers were German pilsners," Flatt says of the origins of the big, bitter, often high-alcohol beers that have spread in popularity in the U.S. "Originally, it was a German beer law that you needed to use a certain amount of hops. Hops are used as a balance for the sweetness — but now they are [also] used for flavor." Super-hoppy beer varieties like India Pale Ale, now standard fare for craft breweries, has origins in extended ocean voyages, where heavy hopping was required to preserve the beer. ("It seems like IPA is that first gateway [hoppy] beer into trying other crazy things," says Flatt.) During this class (tix available here), students can pick up much more than just a cursory history of hops. In addition to covering how hop-centric German and English brews made their way to America, they'll talk about East vs. West Coast hops and the difference between the wet and dry hopping processes. Of course, there'll be samples aplenty on hand for tutored tasting. âWe will have Exit 4 from Flying Fish, West Coast hoppy IPAs [and] local ones as well, hoppy pilsners, Belgians, crazy hoppy versions of traditional new world IPAs, and styles that don't usually use hops," says Flatt. By the end of the class, students should be able to identify fruity elements and floral end notes through the up-front hoppy flavors of these beers. Philly Beer School will be holding beer-centric classes all summer long; future sessions will center around topics like Belgian beers and home-brewing. The PBS folks also want to offer a chance at two free tickets for a future class to all you Meal Ticket readers. Want 'em? Write one sentence about why you should win and email it to drew.lazor@citypaper.net. Good luck!

Posted by Stephen Rose @ 6:50 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Free Percy Street?! OK.

POSTED: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 5:44 PM

Filed Under: Dealage

Photo | Drew Lazor

Last night, we got down at Percy Street Barbecue (900 South St.) for the first time in a minute — hi, burnt ends! — and we were very pleased. Now comes word that the South Street 'cue emporium will be giving away a bunch of free meals the week of Monday, July 12. Starting on that day and running through Friday, July 16, Percy will feed the first 20 diners in the door gratis grub — they open up at 11:30 a.m. daily. (In addition, everyone who lands a free meal will be entered into a raffle to win free lunch once a week for a year.) The five-day giveaway coincides with the restaurant's recently implemented "all-day" menu, which has combined all Percy's meats, sides, sandwiches, desserts and so forth into one accessible-anytime spread.

Tweets that mention Free Percy Street?! OK. :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-01 13:36:32

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by A Food Coma. A Food Coma said: RT @mealticket: A week of free @percystreet barbecue coming in July: http://bit.ly/drShOL [...]

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly recap, June 28-July 2 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-07-03 19:06:50

[...] Free Percy Street Barbecue? Tell us more … [...]

Reminder: This is the week of free Percy Street :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-07-12 11:45:26

[...] Street Barbecue (900 South St.) is giving away free lunch to its first 20 lunch diners, starting today and running through this Friday, July 16. They open their doors at 11:30, so [...]

If you see this man, make him buy you lunch. :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-02 15:24:14

[...] won the “free lunch for a year” drawing at Percy Street Barbecue (900 South St.) that we mentioned back in June, a promo to launch their “all-day” menu. You lucky brisket-eating mofo.   If you see [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:44 PM Permalink | Post a comment

July 20: Second Annual Pig Dinner at MÃ©mÃ©

POSTED: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 4:28 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food Events

David Katz's MÃ©mÃ© (2201 Spruce St.), whose sweet summer deal we alerted you to just the other day, is hosting its second annual all-swine Pig Dinner on Tuesday, July 20. The first-ever installment, held last July, was a hit, and they're bringing back a few of 2009's participants, namely Pierre Calmels of Bibou, Mike Solomonov of Zahav and Peter Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette. New faces this year: Jennifer Carroll of 10 Arts and Terence Feury of Fork. (Katz and his crew did some pre-first-course cocktail party-type bites — still pork-based, though — last year.) The five-course dinner will have two seatings and will cost $75 a person. UPDATE: Few more details. Seatings, which'll be capped at 30 diners each, will be at 6 and 8:45 p.m. Reservations required. Beer/wine is included in the price; pairings will be handled by Michael Madrigale, sommelier of Bar Boulud on the Upper West Side. There'll be an afterparty at Xochitl.

Tweets that mention July 20: Second Annual Pig Dinner at MÃ©mÃ© :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-01 10:28:40

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Michael Madrigale, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Second annual @MemeRestaurant pig dinner is July 20. Some new faces this year (yo, @TopChefJennifer!) http://bit.ly/9Qd5Zg [...]

Still Full: Pictures from MÃ©mÃ©’s Second Annual Pig Dinner :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-07-22 18:34:54

[...] Julia Koprak was lucky enough to land a seat July 20’s MÃ©mÃ© Pig Dinner, which featured chefs Pierre Calmels of Bibou, Michael Solomonov of Zahav, Peter Woolsey of Bistrot [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:28 PM Permalink | Post a comment

HAPPY HOUR HOPPER: Xochitl

POSTED: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 11:10 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Dealage | Happy Hour Hopper

Happy Hour is a place to vent daily frustrations and unwind, a time to reconnect with friends and coworkers you don't mind seeing beyond the boundaries of Cubicle Land. It's is also the ideal time to score a deal on your favorite gustatives and gulpables. For this feature, Team Meal Ticket hops to happy hours across the land and files a report every Tuesday. Let's delve into it at Xochitl.

WHERE YOU AT? Headhouse has plenty of highlights — Pizzeria Stella, Bodhi Coffee, pubs like the Artful Dodger and the Dark Horse — but we're of the opinion that Xochitl (408 S. Second St.), with no disrespect to CafÃ© Nola, put the Second-and-Lombard square on the map as a dining destination. The Mexican restaurant, which even predates the wildly popular Headhouse Square Sunday farmers market, was a smash under chef Dionicio Jimenez — but he left in February to helm El Rey, and owners Steve Cook and Mike Solomonov took the opportunity to revamp both the interior and the food. New chef Lucio Palazzo now cooks a menu that's more casual than the O.G. incarnation, in a space that's a touch less stuffy and a touch more kitschy (peep the "loteria" El Diablito and El Gallo playing cards stenciled on the wall).

WHAT'S THE SCENE? Plenty of Xochitl happy hours we've hopped into in the past have been packed, but yesterday the joint was a ghost town (ciudad fantasma?) at 5:30 in the evening. Servers decked out in their dope Numero Diez futbol jerseys (where can we get one?) traipsed across the floorboards while oldies ("Can't Hurry Love," "The Wanderer") wafted through the peaceful bar side; a crestfallen and thankfully muted Andy Roddick whined about another Wimbledon failure on the TVs. A few other folks drifted into the restaurant while we were there, but we had the high-backed bar stools mostly to ourselves for this particular happy hour.

WHAT'S THE DEAL? The restaurant offers an evening happy hour every day from 5 to 7 p.m. — draft beers come down to $3 (they're typically $5) and house margaritas will set you back $5 instead of $8. (They also do a late-night happy hour Thursday to Saturday, from 10 to midnight, in the cozy downstairs lounge.) Xochitl's draft system was down for maintenance yesterday, so they applied the same $3 deal to cans of Modelo Especial (usually $4). Xochitl's bartenders make some of the best 'ritas in town (the speed with which they juice the living hell of limes is slightly hypnotic), so that should be your main focus here. Our only disappointment with this HH is the lack of a food component (how about $2 off tacos or something like that?), especially considering how good Palazzo's grub is. Peep the octopus/morcilla sausage skewers, plated atop a smear of jawsome black garlic mole.

Jesse C.

Posted 2010-06-29 21:37:49

"Peep the octopus/morcilla sausage skewers, plated atop a smear of jawsome black garlic mole" Holy crap, that looks amazing! I hope they step up their food HH game real soon. Last time I checked Aki offered 1/2 price apps and 1/2 price specialty cocktails, and select bottles of wine for HH. The apps were solid, but I would skip the rolls.

poncho

Posted 2010-06-30 11:52:47

They def should offer happy hour deals on food.  It's kinda lame they call it a happy hour and only feature 2 "deals"

Notes from the Weekend: July 12 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-07-12 14:37:02

[...] (408 S. Second St.), site of a recent Happy Hour Hopper hit-up, was poppin’ off early Friday evening — sat at the bar with a few folks for margaritas and a [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 11:10 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Notes from the Weekend: June 28

POSTED: Monday, June 28, 2010, 9:43 PM

Filed Under: Notes from the Weekend

Notes from the Weekend is a Monday feature that sees the members of Team Meal Ticket compiling all the food/drink highlights uncovered during prime eatin' time, Friday to Sunday. Consider this a place for good deals, great dishes, wicked cocktails, recipe triumphs (and tragedies), bizarro conversations and more. We're eager to share our notes, but especially excited to read yours. We encourage you to leave notes from YOUR weekend in the comments. Have at it! (View past NFTW installments at citypaper.net/notes.)

Friday: Took care of an out-of-left-field hankering for South Street Souvlaki (509 South St.) — grubbed up some octopus, some htipiti, a Gyro platter and a couple bottles of Mythos, a Greek beer we ordered because our very sweet server Phyllis mysteriously identified it as "Greek beer" when rattling off her available brew selections. Why we don't hunker down at SSS more often is beyond us — cheap, quick, tasty.

Do you need a part-time job? Do you have the ability to drop off a resume? Lastly, are you lovable? If you answered yes to all three of these questions, you should work at Chapterhouse (620 S. Ninth St.). They have a really cool ceiling fan inside, by the way.

Ended up at Southwark (Fourth and Bainbridge) Friday night, and kept our hands busy with some great clams, some great oysters and some ridiculous scallop crudo. Got our gin on (couple Last Words, couple Corpse Reviver Nos. 2), but the most interesting booze-based development of the evening occurred when a bottle of Art in the Age's not-yet-released SNAP materialized in the crowd. We all got little tastes; it quickly proved to be a stratifying product, not unlike its big bro ROOT. Some folks hated it and weren't shy about saying so; others loved it and cracked big smiles the second the 80-proof liquid gingerbread hit the back of their throats. Interested to see how this is implemented in a cocktail — hot applications like Toddys seem like job one, but Oyster House's Katie Loeb, who happened to be sitting at the bar, suggested it might make an intriguing swap-out for Cointreau. Don't sleep on quickie hoagies from May's Gourmet CafÃ© & Deli at 19th and Christian — nothing too fancy, but they're cheap and do the trick in a hunger-pang pinch.

Saturday night: On-a-whim dinner at Han Dynasty (108 Chestnut St.) turned into a bit of a production because we forgot Old City would be a crowded mess thanks to the pre-4th fireworks show. After finally copping a parking spot, we ended up ordering a richer-than-rich steamed pork belly with preserved vegetables (a bit left in the fridge), and fish and soft tofu in hot sauce, garnished with deep-fried soy beans (A LOT left in the fridge). Han Dynasty is one of a select group of places in this city that lives up to every iota of its own food-nerd hype. Go there.

Sunday: Cooked at home for the first time in a minute! Aren't you proud? Did a crazy-refreshing, tiny-bit-spicy chilled cucumber soup — real simple, as the recipe was from Real Simple — and some shrimp sautÃ©ed in olive oil with lemon, scallions, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Not sure if Duane Sorenson would punch us for doing this or not, but Stumptown's Indonesia Gajah Aceh makes awesome iced coffee if you brew it in a French press and stick in the fridge overnight.

Dare you to find better giant softy chocolate chip cookies than the ones from Ants Pants (2212 South St.).

danya

Posted 2010-06-28 17:03:30

Totally proud of you for cooking at home, Drew!

After a not-pleasant train-bike trip to NJ (got shouted/honked at 3x... is bicycling on the road illegal in Cherry Hill now?), treated myself to lunch at Las Bugambilias, my fave high-end Mexican.

It's not so high-end that it's expensive, though: the Crema Mixta soup is half cream of poblano pepper and half cream of huitlacoche, and is less than $7! Add the free (excellent) homemade tortilla chips & salsa, and I was super-satiated for under $10. Midtown Lunch, if you can make it down to 2nd & South, take note.

Tweets that mention Notes from the Weekend: June 28 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-06-28 17:06:19

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Drew Lazor, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Latest edition of NOTES FROM THE WEEKEND is live. Check it out and leave your own notes in the comments! http://bit.ly/aOz7lD [...]

jason

Posted 2010-06-28 17:14:36

In a last minute ditch-the-city weekend I traveled (past broccoli mountain)to the charming drunken town of State College PA. on the way I stopped at a quaint roadside eatery called "burger king" and ordered one internal parasite and a large Coca~Cola, I'm pretty sure I saw Roy Orbison while there. 
on Saturday I ate a smoked pork sandwich out of a strangers garage, then drank some yards brawlers while I watched the USA unsurprisingly blow it to Ghana. For dinner we ate homemade pizza on the grill and some bbq chicken, followed by the most giant delicious ice cream cone from the Penn State Creamery (I had the "peachy paterno" but the lady had "bittersweet mint" which kills it).
Sunday breakfast I tried the legendary Grilled Sticky, which is grilled, sticky, and also legendary. Then we drove back past broccoli mountain to finish the weekend with some PBRs and PPJs in PHL.
tres classe.

Molly Eichel

Posted 2010-06-28 17:17:14

I love a good chain restaurant and was pleased as punch to go a Texas Roadhouse somewhere in New Jersey on the way down the shore. It was so salty that it was hard to eat, but everyone was freakishly polite and they had huge beers for $4 (we're talking Oscar's-sized), which I figure is awesome for everywhere but Oscar's. Plus, you haven't heard "Yeehaw" until you've heard it with a Jerz accent.

lizzy

Posted 2010-06-28 17:21:07

jason can't forget we also ate at the "red rabbit" outside harrisburg.. http://tinyurl.com/269y28g !

Tweets that mention http://citypaper.net/blogs/mealticket/2010/06/28/notes-from-the-weekend-june-28/#more-15534?utm_source=pingback -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-06-28 17:35:05

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by . said: [...]

Felicia D'Ambrosio

Posted 2010-06-28 17:52:12

I preface this NFTW with: Judge not, lest ye be judged and all that. 

I took in a perfectly delicious parking-lot hummus-and-falafel wrap in the (figurative, it was blazing hot) shadow of Campbell's Field on Friday evening, having slaked my thirst at good Steve Mashington's Phish tailgate just prior. I followed that up with a Kahlua-spiked iced chai (with soy milk! In a PARKING LOT!) before streaming with the rest of the circus into the venue, to dance and freak out the squares. 

Saturday was nil for food due to the relentless time-wasting of Ghana, who had otherwise played quite brilliant football, which made me lose my appetite for lunch.  Harumph.

Snuck in on a Sunday night dinner my parents hosted for a gang of my dad's former colleagues, who wanted to know if I showed up at the dinner because I knew there would be a lot of young, single doctors there.  I matter-of-factly, and truthfully, replied I stayed for the food.

Marie DiFeliciantonio

Posted 2010-06-28 18:17:15

Friday I cooked ALL day for the family-party-filled weekend. Fruit salsa, green beans with cripsy shallots and almonds, roasted pork and gravy with peppers and onions, corn salad and a few mexi-inspired layer dips. Lots of work but always fun to get it cracking in the kitchen. I can see Drew enjoyed it, too! Scrimps are looking good!

Before heading into said weekend we girded our loins at one of our standby sushi joints - Lotus in Marlton, NJ - on Friday night. Pretty standard as far as sushi goes but friendly service and house-brewed soy sauce is what keeps us going back. The soy sauce is combined with sugar then reduced until it's two stages away from a legit syrup. Totally untraditional but so good.

Saturday and Sunday were totally eclipsed by the dueling graduation parties.  In situations such as these I feel it's best to drink heavily, and so I did.  I also schooled some youngins in beer pong for one more lesson post-graduation. You're welcome, kids.

Marie DiFeliciantonio

Posted 2010-06-28 18:29:48

Molly, that's my hood. Next time, drive to the next shopping center and stop at Wild Ginger if you like sushi/asian food. It's yum (crab pad thai, rangoons, tuna trio roll) and byo so you can stop in the Roger Wilco next door and bring it on in. Not that I'm condoning drinking then driving down the shore. Just sayin.  And I'm betting you'll like the way they say "yeehaw" in here much better.

kibby

Posted 2010-06-29 08:43:39

Friday night I had delish oysters and cocktails at Oyster House and then some not so delish entrees. We got the clam bake for two, which included potatoes, corn, mussels, lobsters and clams.  The clams still had the weird, tough foot-thing attached. Yucky.  Can anyone explain why they do that? Am I missing something? 
On Saturday I tried KooZeeDoo for the first time and it was so great.  We got too many things to mention but I think my favorite was the cuttlefish and black eyed peas appetizer. Try it!!
Woke up early on Sunday and made the trek up to the Golden Nugget Antique Market which is awesome if you are into junk like I am.  They have a little car-racing themed food stand in the middle of it that serves hot dogs, burgers, egg and pork roll sandwiches and really good fries.  Sunday night we were exhausted from a long weekend. I cooked a roast chicken (zuni style) and we ate it with a cherry tomato salad while watching crazy-ass True Blood.

Steph

Posted 2010-06-29 10:25:01

On Sunday I had the BEST fried chicken in existence at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn (of course). If you ever get the chance, it is totally recommended. Perfect crunchy spicy skin with super juicy meat. I'm planning on going back to NY just for more.

Marc Steel

Posted 2010-06-29 11:06:39

Friday night I had a critically timed "heady vegan burrito" from some hippie chick, and it was awesome.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-06-29 11:09:33

Marc, please elaborate on the contents of a heady vegan burrito.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-06-29 11:10:33

GRILLED STICKIES! Love those things...

Marc Steel

Posted 2010-06-29 11:19:41

Beans, rice, cilantro and a few other ingredients, with a little bit of a kick, wrapped in perfectly chewy white flour tortilla. I couldn't hear all the ingredients because we were talking about how awesome the Also Sprach Zarathustra with Michael Jackson medley was.

Joy Manning

Posted 2010-06-29 11:37:15

I also visited Han Dynasty. It was my first time there, which for a spicy food fanatic like me is inexcusable. The spicy crispy cucumber was more delicious than any pile of raw vegetable has a right to be. The cumin crusted lamb and dry pepper style pork were both so good I couldn't wait to have the leftovers for lunch the next day. I'm now a little obsessed and I can't wait to go back. In fact, I already made reservations for the chef's dinner on Monday.

John Tarng

Posted 2010-06-29 16:36:00

I too had a grilled sticky ala mode at the Ye Olde College Diner in State College on my way to Cleveland. I would have bought ice cream on the way back home, but alas my barely-closing chest freezer is jammed with six different Creamery half gallons. I did manage to consume a plethora of Great Lakes Brewing products while in Cleveland: Eliot Ness Amber Lager, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Holy Moses White Ale, and the very awesome Lake Erie Monster (unfiltered imperial IPA). Many of which made its way into the trunk of my car for the ride back.

danya

Posted 2010-06-29 18:02:54

"a few other ingredients..."

mmhmm

barry eichner

Posted 2010-06-30 06:47:33

A great weekend in NYC! 
Friday Night - an evening of Wingz @ Moriarity's in Philly!  Foodrulez.com is having hold the Philly Wing Warz.  Top 10 wings in the city
Saturday was lunch @ Eatery in Hellz Kitchen - Cantaloupe Gazpacho!  So good it inspired me to make make it myself - http://bit.ly/aBvzYN
Sunday was brunch at Sarabeth's on the Upper West Side on 80th!  Crab cake eggs benny!

poncho

Posted 2010-06-30 11:59:52

What is a grilled sticky??!!!

poncho

Posted 2010-06-30 12:01:41

Joy, I LOVE the cucumber dish!!! I could honestly eat it every day.

Joy Manning

Posted 2010-06-30 18:04:04

I have certainly been wishing for it everyday!

Art in the Age’s SNAP hits state store shelves :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-07-26 14:17:54

[...] in local Wine & Spirits stores, just a little bit ahead of schedule. The booze, which we snuck a taste of back in June, is an interesting beast indeed — it combines elements both sweet (blackstrap molasses, brown and [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:43 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Want two tickets to Thursday's Jersey Shore dinner at Zahav?

POSTED: Monday, June 28, 2010, 7:08 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Contests | Food Events

Who's excited for Thursday's Down the Shore chef's collaboration at Zahav? We sure are. So much so that we've got two tickets to the event that we want to give away. All you have to do is correctly answer the six trivia questions below — they're all based around food as it pertains to MTV's Jersey Shore. Email the answers to drew.lazor@citypaper.net with the subject line "COME AT ME BRO." Good luck, and remember, it only takes nine pounds of pressure to break a nose. UPDATE [2:23 p.m.]: It's all over, folks. Marcos of the blog Fidel Gastro burned y'all, getting all six Jersey Shore questions correct. Congrats! Answers after the jump.

1. What's Snooki's favorite food? (C'mon, this is a gimme!)

2. Which national food chain did DJ Pauly D partner with after the conclusion of Season 1?

3. Name the three theme nights The Situation bans Sammi Sweetheart from after they get in an argument about cleaning up after dinner. 4. Complete this Ronnie quote: "Mike would bang a _______ if it had a pulse at this point." 5. In one episode, JWOWW leaves the club early because she doesn't want to cheat on her boyfriend. She returns to the house and indulges in a specific meat product and a specific beverage — name them! 6. Name the five ingredients of the smelly concoction The Situation hides under Vinny's bed in retaliation for Vinny hating on him.

1. Snooki's favorite food is pickles. 2. DJ Pauly D stumps for Baskin Robbins. 3. The Situation bans Sammi Sweetheart from surf 'n' turf night, ravioli night and chicken cutlet night. 4. Ronnie thinks Mike would bang a Gatorade bottle if it had a pulse. 5. JWOWW rocks ham and water after she returns from the club. 6. The Situation's "Haterade" concoction consists of grated parmesan cheese, milk, Caesar dressing, mayo and some of Snooki's pickle juice.

Tweets that mention Want two tickets to Thursday's Jersey Shore dinner at Zahav? :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-06-28 14:42:37

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper and Meal Ticket, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Beat our "Jersey Shore" trivia challenge and win two tickets to this Thursday's Down the Shore dinner at Zahav! http://bit.ly/cMLC1t [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:08 PM Permalink | Post a comment

The Spice Corner is back; Teri's finally liquored up

POSTED: Monday, June 28, 2010, 6:25 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Food News | Openings

The LCB and L&I can be unusually slow beasts. The Spice Corner on Ninth Street in the Italian Market got shuttered in the winter due to supposed L&I violations (to say nothing of some violations being against the former address owner), but finally reopened this past weekend during the swelter. And now, after what seems like two years (at least) since the renovated Teri's (1126 S. Ninth St.) — a breakfast nook turned into white linen (OK, off-white) BYOB dinner spot — put in for a liquor license, it finally got it. They celebrated this past weekend with the start of its weekly Friday night New Wave '80s pop party with Jacquin's Pink Pussycat drinks, and its Saturday funk jam, with Bacardi Purple Pimp Shoes cocktails.

Tweets that mention The Spice Corner is back; Teri's finally liquored up :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-06-28 14:26:45

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by italianmarket, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: News from the @italianmarket: Spice Corner reopens, Teri's lands liquor license http://bit.ly/avIK6k [...]

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What's pouring tonight at Oyster House's meeting of the bartendy minds?

POSTED: Monday, June 28, 2010, 5:45 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Food Events

We recently told you about seven Philly bartenders' plans to form like boozy Voltron at Oyster House (1516 Sansom St.) on June 28. We just got the official cocktail list for the event, which runs tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. The 'keeps will hop behind the bar in groups of three to mix up these signature tipples, which will run $8 a pop. Preston Eckman (Adsum): Love City Blossom (hibiscus and rosehip-infused Plymouth Gin) Phoebe Esmon (Chick's): The River Man (Beefeater Gin, Caramelized Leek Shrub, topped with Vinho Verde) Christian Gaal (Noble): The "Paint It" Black Velvet (Fernet Branca, Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout, sparkling wine) George Costa (Southwark): El Viejo (reposado tequila, yellow chartreuse, Lillet, lemon juice, egg white, grapefruit bitters, salt rim) Al Sotack (The Franklin): The Second Labor (gin, tomato- and sage-infused dry vermouth, salt, lemon oil) Andy DeGiulio/Katie Loeb (Oyster House): Royster's Cup (gin, muddled cucumber & celery, Pimm's, lemongrass, egg white)

Tweets that mention What's pouring tonight at Oyster House's meeting of the bartendy minds? :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-06-28 12:54:05

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by A Food Coma, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Full cocktail list for tonight's bartender's collaboration at @PHLOysterHouse: http://bit.ly/cnBBHE [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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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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