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Archive: July, 2009
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Stephen Starr caught the attention of many a Philly meathead earlier this week when his org announced on Twitter that the Butcher & Singer burger � normally $16 � would be offered for a paltry $5.95 for a limited time. Team Meal Ticket said what the F and dropped by the Mad Men-y steakhouse (1500 Walnut St.) to check 'er out for lunch today.
First, it needs to be said that this promotion is sharp � every single seat in B&S was filled on our visit. (There's been plenty of speculation that the Starrship Enterprise concocted this promotion to combat the burger smack-talk storm brewed by Tommy Up of P.Y.T., though no SRO peeps are staying tight-lipped about whether or not that's the case.)
The burger itself � at 10 heavin' ounces, the makeup a blend of Indian Ridge sirloin and chuck � is no joke. Our mid-rare patty came out fast and cooked perfectly, topped with nicely melted English cheddar and saut�ed onions alongside a hill of fries. A B&S staffer tells Meal Ticket that the SRO higher-ups have not shared a specific end date for this promotion, which means it's running indefinitely as of right now. Get in where you fit in.
Holly: Very interesting. I'm curious to see what you base this off of, considering your many years of burger-eating/making/marketing expertise â why 6 ounces precisely?
I was just being generous. Four ounces is the ideal burger. That is one thing SquareBurger got right. Perfect weight, perfect thickness. A three to a pound burger (almost but not precisely 6 ounces) is pushing ideal, but still ok. From a recent thread I initiated on eGullet.org concerning restaurants forcing a high check average. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=125329&hl= "It may be that is what customers have been conditioned to expect - the bigger the burger, the better the burger. Few grill people can cook an eight ounce burger medium rare. Or to rush things along, because the burgers take so damn long to cook, the grill guy uses his spatula to press the burger to the grill. May cook faster but squeezes out any remaining juice. Eight ounce burgers more often than not are a travesty - slow out of the kitchen unless pre-grilled, cooked medium well when ordered rare, served on a bun that falls apart in one's hands, with a pile of glop on top that oozes out of the bun and onto one's shirt." Pub and Kitchen is about the only place in town where I have received a perfectly cooked medium rare burger. Even the Pub Burger, though magnificent in many ways is pretty much impossible to eat en masse. If I want eight ounces of hamburger, I'll happily order two burgers. Hardly any restaurant serves an four ounce burger anymore, because they believe they can't price it to return enough cash per sale.
Meant to say that Pub and Kitchen is one of the few places that consistently cooks a burger ordered medium rare, medium rare.
[...] New summer menu items at Alma de Cuba• Man v. Food does sweets at Franklin Fountain• About that Butcher burger ... • Today is National Cheesecake Day ...• Do you taste... Snap? The Sports Complex [...]
[...] around this time last year, Butcher & Singer (1500 Walnut St.) began offering its $16 steakhouse burger for a measly $5.95 during lunch service, a shot over the bow in what proved to be a hilarious passive-aggressive [...]
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... and your favorite terrifying-portion-size chain, The Cheesecake Factory, is offering up any slice of their titular treat at half price. Ths includes a brand-new red velvet cheesecake � and if you pony up for this variety today or any time throughout this year, they'll donate 25 cents to Feeding America. The Fac has locations locally in Cherry Hill, Willow Grove and KOP.
Nice deal and all, but I still don't think this tops Uncle Skeddy.
no it doesn't top uncle skeddy
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Saison Dupont, in addition to being possibly the finest, tastiest, classiest and most delightful beer in the known universe, has some pretty stylish graphic design and marketing material. Case in point: this set of educational coasters that invites the drinker to identify some of the elements of their brew.� We're feeling the Lemon Zest, noticing the Earthy Fruitiness and digging the Black Pepper... but what the hell� is Snap?
After the jump, one beer expert's tasting notes on Saison Dupont (pictured above, upside-down)
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A thrifty Meal Ticket reader tipped us off to this crazy-cheap lunch deal at Miel Patisserie (207 S. 17th St., 215-731-9191) � $5.35 gets you a sandwich, a bottle of water and a dessert bar. Miel owner Mark Giangiulio tells Meal Ticket the three to four daily sam varieties � as you can see, they're not stingy-sized, either � change frequently, but have included smoked turkey with brie and a veg option with hearts of palm.
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| Photo | Michael T. Regan |
The rest of the contestants, via the release:
The ten contestants include: Nate Appleman (Chef/Butcher, New York, NY), Dominique Crenn (Chef de Cuisine, Luce at InterContinental San Francisco, San Francisco, CA), Brad Farmerie (Executive Chef, Double Crown, Madam Geneva, PUBLIC and The Monday Room, New York, NY), Amanda Freitag (Executive Chef, The Harrison, New York, NY), Jose Garces (Executive Chef & Owner, Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Philadelphia, PA), Eric Greenspan (Executive Chef & Owner, The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles, CA), Jehangir Mehta (Executive Chef & Owner, Graffiti, New York, NY), Seamus Mullen (Executive Chef & Partner, Boqueria Flatiron and Boqueria Soho, New York, NY), Holly Smith (Chef & Owner, Cafe Juanita and Poco Carretto Gelato, Kirkland, WA) and Roberto Trevi�o (Executive Chef & Owner, Budatai, San Juan, PR).
To the food-TV-geek Meal Ticket readers wondering why Garces wasn't participating on Top Chef Masters � how do you think you think a nod for The Next Iron Chef stacks up to a slot on show? Let us know in the comments.
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| Photo l Michael Persico |
| Hot pop. |
Moxie, that 19th-century soda superstar, stole the whole food sidebar this week, pushing out other sugary worthies stocked by� The Franklin Fountain.� Since Moxie's noble lineage and herbaceous, medicinal flavors ate up my entire word count, scope the expanded, soda-centric Q&A below from Ryan Berley, who owns Franklin with brother Eric.
Meal Ticket: How do you find these obscure/old-fashioned sodas?�
Ryan Berley: We've traveled the country visiting old soda fountains & confectioneries.� While on the road, we're always looking for and asking about regional sodas.� Glassbottlesoda.org has a list of the bottlers for most of them. We buy pallets direct from the bottlers and have them shipped to us.
MT: Do you drink them yourselves?
RB:Yes, we do.� I like to have a soda with my lunch.
MT: Have you considered looking for "original" recipe sodas, that are made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup?
RB:We always are looking for sodas that use sugar instead of corn syrup, as that was the original way. However, corn syrup has its place in modern cooking and is actually less "sweet" that sugar so it works for certain recipes.� Corn syrup is not inherently evil as many have made it out to be. We do sell a Mexican-made Coca-Cola which uses cane sugar, and our fountain Dr. Pepper syrup comes from Dublin, TX where they are the last bottling plant to use cane sugar in the original way.
MT: Which is each of your favorite sodas?
RB: Mine is Moxie.� Eric likes the "Hot" Blenheim's Ginger Ale, and suggests it with a splash of raspberry syrup.
MT: Do you blend any of the sodas with cocktails?� I know you sell the Blenheim's Ginger Ale to Sassafras for a Dark & Stormy.
RB: Only in our off-time.� I like the Fentimans Orange Jigger with a spash of Bluecoat Gin.� And yes, the Blenheims is great in a Dark & Stormy or with Kentucky bourbon over ice.
MT: Besides a Moxie float with teaberry ice cream, do you have any other ice-cream soda pairing recommendations?
RB: Green River (lemon-lime) with Lemon Sorbet.� Manhattan Special Espresso Soda with Chocolate Ice Cream. Try the Nu-Grape soda floated with Vanilla Ice Cream, also known as a Purple Cow, something our dad made for us as kids.
I HEART Moxie!!!!
[...] Dealage: $5.35 lunch at Miel Patisserie• Jose Garces to demolish on Next Iron Chef• POP ON TOP: More old-timey soda fun at The Franklin Fountain• Avril in pictures• Still Full: Pictures from M
Earlier today, Meal Ticket dropped by Avril (134 Bala Ave.) the upcoming Bala Cynwyd BYO from former Daily News food editor/writer April Lisante and her cheffing husband, Christian Gatti.
Opening next Wednesday, August 5, the 48-seater's located literally less than a minute's drive from the corner of Bala and City Line Avenues. There's outdoor seating on both sides of the hearthy, dark wood-adorned corner space. Their linens � it'll be a white-tablecloth � arrived just as we were finishing up; the logo sign you see in the first picture will soon be mounted above the dining room. Main Line golf heads will geek out over the restaurant's branded tees, which Lisante's placing in the men's room.
The menu, split up between Northern Italian and Southern French traditions, features plenty of from-scratch bready elements � think refined presentations like profiteroles stuffed with lobster, foie atop brioche, corn pudding in a flaky round crust, etc. "People know their food nowadays, but not their pastries," says Gatti (White Dog, City Tavern, Audrey Claire), who hopes his plates will "demystify" the craft of baking � debunking the not-uncommon belief that pastry is most often heavy, filling and unhealthy. They'll start with dinner next week, and introduce lunch and brunch shortly thereafter.
"I've always said that our professions are very similar," says food scribe Lisante, who headed up the DN's dining coverage from 2001 to 2008. "Newsrooms aren't so different from kitchens. It takes a certain personality � and love, and adrenaline." She adds that she hopes to collaborate with Gatti on a cookbook in the near future.
For those that never leave the city- you have here, a pretty good reason to change that. Christian makes some of the best pastries I ever had. He made me fall in love with lavender (via creme brulee) in 2001. They're a special couple, and without even stepping into 134 Bala Ave, I know it'll be a special place.
[...] Avril in pictures [Meal Ticket] From Food Writer to Restaurateur with a ‘Hot Chefs’ Detour [Meal Ticket] Love at First Bite [Daily Candy] geopress_addEvent(window,"load", function() { geopress_makemap(104641,"Avril",40.0046477,-75.2321598,"google",Mapstraction.ROAD, { pan: true, zoom: 'small', overview: false, scale: false, map_type: false },15) }); [...] [...] the Bala Cynwyd BYO we told you about last week, officially opens for business tonight. Check out feature for background on the spot, and peep the [...]
Jews, Muslims and/or those squeamish about underappreciated piggy bits � STOP READING RIGHT NOW.
Team Meal Ticket was in the place for last night's all-star pork dinner at M�m� (2201 Spruce St.), a five-course pig-out featuring the work of some of Philly's best and brightest cooks. We managed to rattle off a few pictures when we weren't drooling/chewing/satisfiedly moaning in an unbecoming fashion.
Perhaps the coolest aspect of this dinner was the fact that it was easy to tell which chef was responsible for each course � Jonnymac of Pub & Kitchen's English blood pudding looked like it came straight out of a kitchen of a U.K. taproom; Zahav chef/owner Michael Solomonov used grape leaves to wrap up his tender St. Canut pork loin portions; Noble chef Steven Cameron stayed in-state to source the suckling pig for his delicate crepe starter.
It needs to be said that M�m�'s staff is among the best in the city � with so many moving parts, these kinds of events can easily fall into chaos, but the servers did an amazing job of keeping things going at a beautiful, not-too-rushed pace. Also worth noting: At $75 including gratuity and wine/beer pairing, the meal was an outright steal.
Bistrot La Minette's Peter Woolsey, who studded mini chocolate popsicles with bacon and filled teeny rhubarb pies with lardons for the dessert course, told us that there are more of these chef's collab dinners in the works. Can't wait to hear more.
Our favorite slideshow app doesn't seem to be working today, so you can either go to Flickr or hit the jump to check out the eats. (UPDATE: Flickr slideshow above.)
Photos, in order:
- Hors D'Oeuvres: crispy pork bread with lardo and cracklins, cheese/prosciutto croquette with minted cantaloupe, pig cheek terrine with foie gras (David Katz and Crew, M�m�)
- Green Pennsylvania Yorkshire Suckling Crepe: roasted huitlacoche, sweet corn emulsion, fresh coriander (Steven Cameron, Noble: An American Cookery)
- Braised Pig Foot: foie gras-stuffed, lentils (Pierre Calmels, Bibou)
- Black Pudding: soft scrambled eggs, "Noble" ketchup (Jonathan McDonald, Pub & Kitchen)
- St. Canut Poached Loin: seared scallops, black garlic (Michael Solomonov, Zahav)
- Summer BBQ Desert: rhubarb pie, orange raspberry jello, chocolate popsicle (Peter Woolsey, Bistrot La Minette)
- Cherrywood-smoked suckling pig and seared pork belly (David Katz and Crew, for after-party at Pub & Kitchen)
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| Photos | Drew Lazor |
Its not everyday you have 5 courses while smiling in delight; in my case I did just that. Thank you guys for an amazing dinner!!
[...] and Peter Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette. Each chef contributed a dish to the gorge-fest and both Meal Ticket and Phoodie were there, cameras in [...]
[...] July ‘09, five chefs came together in one tiny kitchen at M�m� to create a snout-to-tail dining experience that had team Meal Ticket and their fellow diners drunk on pork.� Now, four of those same five [...]
[...] La Minette recently told us that the next collaborative chef dinner he was participating in � the July 2009 pig dinner and April 2010 French bistro dinner were both big hits � would be a doozy, and the dude was not [...]
[...] 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 [...]
[...] list you can get yourself on, just give M�m� a call. Second best (or further torture?): Check out Drew Lazor’s photos and writeup from last year’s dinner.M�m�, 2201 Spruce St., 215-735-4900� This last one isn’t a tradition but you could make it [...]
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| Courtsey of Art in the Age |
Fifteen of the city's most notorious tenders bar took their talents to the mat last night for the Art in the Age ROOT cocktail competition.� ROOT, developed by Stephen Grasse and covered by City Paper's Trey Popp back in June,� is a liquid imagining of the direction American spirits could have taken had they not had their roll halted by Prohibition.
A distinguished panel of judges, including Art Etchells of Foobooz, Victor Fiorillo of Philadelphia Magazine, noted sommelier and author Marnie Old and Southwark general manager George Costa, evaluated the competitor's offerings on taste, presentation and originality.
Oyster House head bartender Katie Loeb took the day, winning a $400 Art in the Age gift certificate with her "Dr. Hadley's ROOT Restorative"--� a blend of ROOT with Laird's Bonded Applejack, Benedictine, Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters and freshening mint leaves and lime juice.�� Read Katie's winning recipe below; every contestant's recipe appears� after the jump.
Katie Loeb (Oyster House)
"Dr. Hadley's ROOT Restorative"
.5 oz. Demerara simple syrup
6 large mint leaves
1.25 oz. Lairds Bonded (100 proof) Applejack
1.0 oz. ROOT Liqueur
.5 oz. Benedictine
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
2 dashes Fee Brother�s Aztec Chocolate bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish:� Mint sprig
Muddle mint in simple syrup.� Add ice and other ingredients.� Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass.� Top with a spanked mint sprig.
Anders Larson (700 Club)
"unknown"
1 oz ROOT
1 oz clear rum
1/2 oz lemon juice
Mint, lemongrass, lavender, ginger, smoked tea.
Mint garnish
Lauren Phillips (Alfa)
�Bamba Shack�
1 1/2 oz ROOT
1/2 oz spiced rum
1 oz Creme Coconut
Pineapple juice
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
Fresh nutmeg
Shake all ingredients and pour into a Hurricane glass. Top with a dash more fresh nutmeg and garnish with an umbrella.
Robert Cutler (Chris' Jazz Caf�)
"Rootbeer Barrel"
2 oz ROOT
2 oz brandy or cognac
Tablespoon of Chantilly Cream
Splash of Creme DE Cacao
Dash of Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Shavings
Wash glass with Creme de cacao. Add root, brandy, Chantilly, and vanilla extract to a shaker of ice. Shake vigorously. Strain contents into cocktail glass. Garnish with Chantilly rim and chocolate shavings.
Colin Shearn (Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company)
"Dr. Maloney's Restorative Elixir"
2 oz. ROOT
1 oz. Punt E Mes
.5 oz. Campari
5 dashes Vieux Carre
3 dashes orange bitters
stir/strain/coupe
orange twist
Adrian Cane (London Grill)
"Dr's Orders"
1.5� oz ROOT
2 oz Cuvee de Cordoz from Brooklyn
4 drops orange bitters
2 oz Dr Pepper
1/4 oz Vieux Carre Absinthe
Rachel Brind (Mary Oaks)
"Steeped in Mystery"
1 pt. ROOT
1 pt. Jacquin's creme de cacao
2 pts. Godiva white chocolate liqueur
2 pts. Earl Grey tea (cold)
grated fresh ginger
Chilled and served up in a cocoa-powder rimmed martini glass with John & Kira's Ginger and Bergamot dark chocolate truffles as garnishes.
Dave Marks (N. 3rd)
"Ginger Root Sling"
1 oz ROOT
1 oz Blue Coat Gin
1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 Lime
Spl Angostura Bitters
Spl Grenadine
Served on rocks in a goblet, garnished with a lime wedge.
Christian Gaal (Noble: An American Cookery)
"Pennsyltucky Smash"
1 oz. ROOT
1 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
shaken on crushed ice with 7-10 smacked mint leaves.� Serve in rocks glass, garnish with mint sprig
Andres Sanchez (Positano Coast)
�Black Mamba�
1 1/2 oz. Square One
1 oz. ROOT
1.5 oz. Black berry Boiron puree
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. Black plum pepper syrup
Garnish with lemon thyme
Stan Butovetskiy (PYT)
�R.Y.T�-(Rooty Young Thing)
2 oz. ROOT
1/4 oz. Van Stoli
1/2 oz. Cointreu
3/8 oz. Bailey's
Dash of bitters
3/8 oz. Simple Syrup
Lemon twist
Adam Kanter (Rum Bar)
�Root Mango Lassi�
1.5 oz ROOT
1 oz El Dorado rum cream
4 oz mango nectar
.5 oz cardamon syrup
Fresh nutmeg to garnish
Indhira Torres (Silk City)
�Fresa Frisa�
1 oz. Root
1 oz. St. Germain
splash fresh lemon
splash sugar
1 Strawberries muddled
1 Lychee muddled
Splash of club soda
On the Rocks
Doug Fitz (Snack Bar)
�Root 76�
1 1/2 oz. Jim Beam
1 oz. ROOT
1/2 oz. Chartreuse
teaspoon brown sugar
3 to 4 oz of the combined teas (a little more of the caramel than mint)
Stephen Siebert (Village Whiskey)
�The Home Team�
1 oz. ROOT
1 oz. Pikesville Rye infused with German carafa malt and goldings hops
1/2 oz. fair trade cane sugar simple syrup
2 oz. heavy cream
2 barspoons Los Dazantes Mezcal
Dash chocolate mole bitters
combine all and stir in crushed ice to chill. Garnish with licorice stick and microplaned nutmeg.
Distinguished?!?! Ha!!!
[...] in the Age, into five courses. Complementing the food will be five of the cocktails featured at the recent ROOT mix-off at Silk City. The dinner’s just $35 a head; check out the full menu, with drink pairings, after the [...]
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| Photo | Brian Howard |
Uncle Skeddy, Spaghetti Warehouse's mascot, just showed up at CP headquarters with a gigantic pan of lasagna. Apparently, it's National Lasagna Day, at the local outpost of the Italian chain (1026 Spring Garden St., 215-787-0784) will be giving away free lasagna, so get the hell over there.
Uncle Skeddy has soft, supple hands.
UPDATE: Here's Spaghetti Warehouse's Facebook. And yes, we asked Uncle Skeddy to pose with a copy of the paper. He and Amanda Blank make a handsome couple, no?
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| Photos | Patrick Rapa |
send him down the street to meeeeee!
Food was good!!! Uncle Skeddy was the adorable!!!! I couldn't stop jumping around like a little kid! :)
Skeddy rocks. The lasagna is the best ever!
hey City Paper gang its uncle skedy or the guy in side of uncle skeddy. Your welcome for the food happy you liked it Alexis , who ever checks the reply's tell any one wants to contact uncle skedy directly my name is Colin Bauer send me a friend request on face book I'm in front of a race car in my picture O and thanks for up loading this to your web site I'm sure my dad (gm of the Philadelphia spaghetti warehouse) will be happy to, thanks again ~uncle skedy ( Colin Bauer )
[...] Full: Pictures from M
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