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Archive: July, 2011
The Aksumite Empire, the ancient traders' nation based in northeastern Africa, is the inspiration for Saba Tedla's new café/hookah lounge Aksum (4630 Baltimore Ave.) set to open within days in West Philly. (We first mentioned it in March.) Although she considers herself a local, Tedla's lineage ties to the historical kingdom and country of Eritrea are inspiring her recipes, which she describes as healthy, light and authentically fresh. "I have a passion for good food, and I really wanted to present more options for our neighborhood," says Tedla." Something with a chic vibe."
By working with the neighborhood, for whom she provided a series of experimental tastings, Tedla gained feedback to create a menu of small and large plates meant for sharing. Favorites include a fresh strawberry/avocado salad as well as a fattush salad, a mix of fresh veggies and spices. Other items will include homemade hummus, a spicy pulled chicken wrap, lamb stew and seared mahi mahi. In addition to serving brunch on the weekend, Tedla is keeping the spot open until 11 p.m. most nights. While Aksum doesn’t have a liquor license just yet, Tedla encourages all to bring a bottle, grab some bites, smoke some sheesha and enjoy both indoor and outdoor seating.
Photos: Nicole Rossi
Though we’re still a year away from the London 2012 Summer Olympics, lucky Philadelphians get to experience the next best competition tonight at Penns Landing Caterers (1301 S. Columbus Blvd.). From 6 to 9 p.m., the South Philly Review will host its third annual Pizza Olympics. (Last year's event was featured in Drew Lazor's Philly July 2010 pizza story "Waiting for Good Dough.")
For $10, you’ll be able to taste an unlimited assortment of slices from more than 15 of Philly’s top pizzerias and vote on your favorite in a number of categories. There will also be discounted beer and drink specials, music by DJ Russ Ferrante and raffles for prizes, including gift certificates to AmeriKick, Macy’s, McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park, Wondergy and more. All proceeds from the raffles will go to the Katie Kirlin Fund, which provides financial support for children participating in wheelchair sports for children throughout the Philadelphia area. This is the one event where pigging out just means you’re taking your judging position seriously, so eat up. A full list of participant pizzerias after the jump.
As Mother Nature ratchets up the heat index to hellish highs this week, Meal Ticket is looking for new ways to chill out. We may have found it on Monday, when a post on a.kitchen's blog clued us into a new bottled iced coffee from J.P. Iberti and Todd Carmichael of La Colombe. Today, Carmichael confirms the icy, inky beverage, dubbed Pure Black, is no passing caprice: "It's been a labor of love for me," he says. "It went public just last week."
The Colombe guys have been working on perfecting their cold-brew for a while. "[Our] cold-press method is very different from any other cold-press process," says Carmichael. "The grind steeps 16 hours in a stainless-steel wine tank, oxygen-free. Then [it’s] pressed, then the brew is gravity-fed through two filters, then bottled without oxygen."
But the most crucial factor in the realization of Pure Black has nothing to do with how it's prepared. "[It's] my wife's patience," Carmichael says. "For three months, I used everything at the house for cold-press experiments, from vases to pressure cookers, everything in the kitchen all full of steeping brews, plus a full-sized liquid nitrogen tank and O2 meters next to the fridge."
The result is a brew with freshness and clarity that tastes strong but not muddy, and certainly not watered down. And you don’t have to wait to try it. Says Carmichael, "A fresh batch will be delivered to both Philly cafés later today."
- At Fairmount's green-friendly Fare, the aggressively healthful ethos of the food is distracting from the restaurant experience.
- Big-beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev recently filed trademarks for 15 American area codes — including Philly's 215. Will this affect regional craft breweries and their bottom lines?
- In Feeding Frenzy: Sawatdee, a.kitchen, Scott Dogs, lunch at Opa and new owners at Xochitl.
- In What's Cooking: Where Bebe's Barbecue is popping up, a Christmas-y Feast of the Seven Fishes in July and more.
Photo: Neal Santos
Screw your stupid Ford Mustang — the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, is, without question, America's vehicle. That's why I, a red-blooded tubesteak fanatic with more than 27 years of hot dog-eating experience on my CV, nearly convulsed with exultation when I was offered a chance to put my whole body inside the most iconic wiener in this great country's history. (This idiot has sullied the name. FOR SHAME.)
It didn't take very long for the Shank's Original storefront at 15th and Sansom to usher in a new tenant. (Citing a need for more space, Shank's owner Phil McFillin is currently hunting for a new Philly space that's 2,000 square feet or larger.) Open since Friday, Enzo's is a new operation owned by Maria Pistorio; she's named the sandwich stop after her husband, realtor Vincenzo Tagliente. For now, Pistorio says, she's running a Shank's-style menu (breakfast sandwiches, chicken cutlet Italiano, sausage, meatballs, etc.) to keep regulars well-fed, but teases that she'll roll out a more signature menu when it gets closer to Labor Day. One thing of tasty note: They're one of a handful of Philly venues to carry the original Levis Hot Dogs, which are available here plain, Chicago-style, New York-style, as a Texas Tommy or as a classic Philly "Surf & Turf" (frank and a fishcake — the timeless 215 combo revolutionized by Abe Levis himself).
Enzo's is currently open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check out their current menu after the jump (click to enlarge).
Chip Roman's Mica (8609 Germantown Ave.), which opened as a BYO in March and earned a solid nod from our Adam Erace along the way, has finally secured its liquor license. They're doing beer and cocktails, but wine's the real sell up in Chestnut Hill — bottle prices on the internationally inflected list range between $32 and $110, but most hover in the modest $40ish range; glasses go from $8 to $12. If you still want to tote along your own, note that Mica's running a $25 corkage fee.
Photo: Neal Santos
Most of us know that sushi is defined not by the use of uncooked seafood but by the presence of vinegared rice. Sliced raw fish sans rice is called sashimi; rolled up with rice and bound it's maki; draped over a rice clump it's nigiri; we could go on and on till Thursday so we'll stop. Typically it's a wise idea to stay within the bounds of accepted sushi definition, lest you end up eating something ridiculous dressed with glowstick-and-Goldschläger sauce or whatever — but sometimes you find yourself wanting sashimi and maki in one bite. (Just us?) At the risk of angering the Japanese Sushi Traditionalist Gestapo so much that they bum-rush Philly on a fact-finding mission, let us introduce you to the oxymoronic Sashimi Roll at Vic Sushi (2035 Sansom St.) Quite simply, it's shards of fresh sashimi, plus avocado, rolled up over shredded daikon radish (usually just a sad garnish) instead of rice. That's it. If you're feeling hungry and contrarian, eat this immediately.
Photos: Drew Lazor
Recently, Twitter had a collective heart attack about the fact that I don't like mayonnaise. Every single person that follows me pounced on me about my disdain. (Total exaggeration: It was mostly Drew Lazor and Scott Schroeder of South Philly Tap Room, plus two or three others.) I did everything I could to defend myself, but they would not relent. It was terrifying.
I actually ended up trying some mayo from SPTR (see right) — Schroeder had his grandma's tomato/mayo sandwich on the menu, and after his mayo-based rage, I thought it best to try and appease him. I just couldn’t get into it. The flavor of this particular mayo was so much better than the jarred stuff, but the texture was nearly the same.
As I sat there, wondering how I had brought this upon myself, I realized how unfair it was. I know plenty of people who have weird dislikes. My boyfriend hates mushrooms (I think that's insane). Adam Erace strangely dislikes olives (seriously, Adam?). I could not let this fly. So I sent an email to the Meal Ticket staff to find out what foods they hate the most, also asking for any stories or reasons behind the hatred.
Back in February, we told you about the "New German Cooking" chef Jeremy Nolen was putting down Thursday through Sunday at Brauhaus Schmitz (718 South St.). The Teutonic beer hall has just rolled out a new menu with a dedicated section of "Spezialitäten," or chef’s specialties, that's available every day. Think grilled pork chop with Optimator onion jam, bacon-wrapped quails and (mmm) spaetzle with calf’s liver and egg.
Gotta note, the new menu is quite nice visually, too. It's clean, spacious, well-organized, with an appealing "To Share" section of cheese, meat, fish and pickle boards, improved explanation of the wursts and little icons denoting vegetarian and gluten-free choices that look like point-earning snacks from Bubble Bobble. Grab it here in PDF form.
Photo: Drew Lazor
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