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Archive: September, 2009
Aida Mollenkamp, star of the Food Network's Ask Aida and editor at CHOW.com, though likely thinner, prettier and richer, is just like us. She's part of the 93 percent of women who report feeling a "slump" in the afternoon and crave a pick-me-up bite, according to the highly scientific �Yoplait Delights Snacking Survey.�
Mollenkamp, a graduate of both Cornell University's serious Hospitality Management program as well as Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, told Meal Ticket in a phone interview that she has "always been a yogurt lover. "Thus the chef is the fresh face of Yoplait Delights, a double-layered yogurt parfait in flavors like chocolate raspberry, triple berry cr�me, lemon torte and cr�me caramel.� The General Mills-produced treats are sold in packages of four, $3.99 at major grocery stores, and are 100 calories each � a major selling point.
Meal Ticket used its 5 minutes with Mollenkamp to talk about gender-specific marketing and how one can dessert at 3 p.m. without the wrenching emotional aftermath.
Meal Ticket: Why do you think yogurt, especially dessert-style items like Yoplait Delights, are marketed so specifically to women?
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Aida Mollenkamp: I think that there is that afternoon slump we all go through at 3 to 4 p.m. every day, and as women we want to choose something that is healthy. We have guilt if we choose the wrong snack. This is indulgent without the guilt. The texture is creamy and really rich, so you feel like "I'm having a snack but it's low-cal and low-fat, but it doesn't taste like it"... it's that good compromise.
MT: CHOW.com (where you are an editor) is all about cooking ... how does a product like Y.D. appeal to your readers and other serious cooks/food enthusiasts?
AM: I think that we all need to find that balance ... I come home and I'm still cooking dinner and all that ... I still want something for a snack that I don't have to prepare. I'm a big yogurt lover.
MT: Which is your favorite flavor?
AM: I've always turned more towards the berry flavors ... strawberry, triple berry, summery flavors.
what the eff is this???
WOMEN LOVE YOGURT. It's literally ALL I think about during my 3-4pm slump that I experience because I am a woman.
@kat - "this" is how to support good online journalism/blogging, instead of having users pay for it...
Who watches Ask Aida?
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| villagewhiskey.com |
It's true, it's really true � Jose Garces' whiskey bar (118 S. 20th St.) is tossing open its doors to the public just one day after the opening date they projected last week. Here�s the food menu, the dessert menu, the cocktail list and the whiskey list. Check out the links below for our coverage up to this point.
- More details on Jose Garces' Village Whiskey [15apr09]
- Village Whiskey in pictures [31aug09]
- More Village Whiskey in pictures (yes, this includes the burgers) [01sept09]
- Feeding Frenzy [03sept09]
[...] just opened Village Whiskey. How’s it unfolding so far? How many Whiskey King burgers are you [...]
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| bravotv.com |
Late pass, my bad.
Episode 3 of Top Chef was as well-intentioned as it was slow-moving. It did, however, provide us with a few fascinating insights, which I will now run down in bulleted list form:
- PREETI SAYS SHE BECAME A CHEF BECAUSE OF 9/11
- PREETI SAYS SHE BECAME A CHEF BECAUSE OF 9/11
- PREETI SAYS SHE BECAME A CHEF BECAUSE OF 9/11
- PREETI SAYS SHE BECAME A CHEF BECAUSE OF 9/11
There were a few other interesting aspects of this episode, but that really stuck with me for some reason. It's just a weird thing to say. But on a positive note, it opens up a world of possibility as far as pairing occupations with American calamities goes (new parlor game?).
- "I became a cobbler because of the Hindenburg."
- "I became a home appliance technician because of Columbine."
- "I became a occupational therapist because of the Kent State Massacre."
- "I became a Jiffy Lube franchisee because of the USS Maine."
Very fun, try it!
Quickfire: L.A. chef Mark Peel, who competed on Top Chef Masters, has the 15 remaining cheftestants to create a dish using potatoes. No one, not even the transcendently beautiful Padma (who came hard with it on this episode, right?), made a Peel/potato pun, and I was pleased about that. At the bottom: Eli, whose play on sweet potatoes and marshmallows was too sweet; Ron, who overcooked tuna; and the consistently not-good-at-this-show Jesse, who burned Peel's face off with too much cayenne in her soup. On top? Ashley, who executed gnocchi well despite Preeti dunking asparagus into her boiling water (terrorist!); Ash (co-dark horse nom with Ashley), who turned bad (sweet potato ice cream that wouldn't freeze) into good (sweet potato custard); and The Woman, Jen C, who won immunity for steamed mussels in a lemongrass potato sauce that featured three things I wish were conveniently transportable in one's billfold: duck fat, butter and creme fraiche. JEN C!
Other QF weirdness: Peel and Padma hated on Mike I's potato risotto � Peel said it was too salty, while Padma patronizingly reassured the chef it was still a "nice idea" � and dude started screaming favoritism on the Jen C-hearting judges' part. Jesse, who seemed aware of the heat her spice-based assassination attempt soup packed, yelled "Stupid me, I hate me!" and slapped herself in the forehead repeatedly.
Elimination: The chefs are told to cook a meal for 300 air men/women (the Thunderbirds) in a hangar in the middle of the desert. Mike V digs this, because he and Bryan's sister is enlisted in the Air Force. "Also," he adds, "who doesn't want to do something for their country?" Screw knife skills, patriotism is my new favorite desirable chef trait.
Mike I stops conspiracy-theorizing long enough to come up with a smart way to split up work � since his fairer-sex archnemesis Jen C has immunity, she's tapped to be boss, with the remaining 14 cheftestants pairing up to put together to cook a total of seven dishes. Jen C kills it in her supervisory role, maestro-ing the crappy kitchen space so everyone can cook and sticking it to Hector for chit-chatting. Top four: Mike I and Mike V, who teamed up to talk about tattoos/cook a bacon-as-pork belly dish that looked eerily similar to something I recently ate at Michael O'Halloran's Kong (theirs; his); and Eli and Kevin, who bonded "on a fat kid level" while prepping braised pork shoulder and potato salad. Mike V ends up winning (Gail deems the dish "super mega delicious," which I believe is Canadian for "good"), but I'm thinking his W is tainted based on the face-palm quotient of this Bravo Photoshop (I swear I'm not responsible for this):
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| bravotv.com |
Just so you know, this image comes from Mike V's bravotv.com Q&A, which features inspiring exchanges like this:
Bravotv.com: Tom LOVED your idea to cook the bacon as pork belly. What gave you this idea? Have you done this before?
Braised bacon ... enough said.
Bottom this week � Mike I, who was stuck here because the judges thought his salad contribution to Mike V's plate was weak; and Laurine and Preeti, who teamed up on a bland-looking pasta salad on Top Chef and thought that was OK.
Prior to judges' table, though, is where Preeti said her piece about how Osama bin Laden was indirectly responsible for helping her learn what a quenelle was. "We all experienced that day in many different ways ... the only thing that made sense was to cook," Preeti explains of 9/11/01, adding that she "went to culinary school a few years later." Yep, still a weird thing to say. Though it wasn't the reason Preeti was sent home this week (real reason: pasta salad foreal?), I'm going to go ahead and pretend it is.
Next week: Step 1: Learn you're cooking for Joel Robuchon. Step 2: Poop yourself.
I comment on food blogs because of Watergate!
I became a US Navy Diver because of the Oasis breakup.
"terrorist!" Really, Drew? I was a bit in awe by her 9/11 inspiration too, but quite ignorant to call Preeti a terrorist. Padma def bringing the heat this season, just not sure who's styling her in all those high-waisted belts. Eek! And so proud to see Jennifer kicking ass & giving Philly so much needed attention!
I became a food writer becuase of the French & Indian War
Erin: I meant she was terrorizing Ashley's gnocchi water!
Erin - I agree, someone needs to understand that Padma looks like a giant when you elongate her torso with a high belt. But Gail is looking like her boobilicious self so that's good. Padma seems to be upping the bitch this year. I'm certainly not complaining, I love it. Maybe should took a view notes from Toby Young?
[...] this page was mentioned by Barbara Zucker (@realestate_data), Las Vegas Locksmith (@lasvegaslock), A Food Coma (@afoodcoma), Drew Lazor (@drewlazor), Philly City Paper (@citypaper) and others. [...]
Jennifer has a good chance of winning. Jesse belongs on Ace of Cakes. That's enough Mattin. Hector, you stop it also. Preeti looks like Kumar.
Also, I became sign twirler for Quiznos because of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Where in the world did they find this sorry-ass group of chicks for Season 6? Other than bad-ass-hottie Jen, these girls suck and are flat-out intimidated by their male competitors. What up with the selection committee? Itâs gonna be 8 guys and Jen by week 9. Rule proposition: to keep people from continually sliding only because they just werenât the worst on that episode, but consistently barely survive each week, I say you are allowed a maximum of being on the chopping block no more than 3 times, or you are automatically sent packing. Jesse, you and your nasty-ass pierced lips would have just one more strike or you are kicked to the curb.
[...] there are only a few things on my mind at this point in the competition. First � remember when Preeti said she became a chef because of 9/11? That was [...]
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Meal Ticket's very own Felicia D'Ambrosio will be on the judges' panel at the very first "Pro" ChefAMe event, scheduled for Mon., Sept. 14 at Tavern 17 in the Warwick Hotel (220 S. 17th St.).
For those who don't know, Open ChefAMe (like "sesame") is a culinary open mic night of sorts that allows amateur/aspiring chefs to cook a real meal in a real restaurant kitchen � Felicia D. herself participated in the second installment, held in May at the Dark Horse. This time, though, our girl will be casting a critic's eye on three competitors, all of whom work in Tavern 17's kitchen (hence the "pro") � exec chef Ben Young, sous chef Christopher Spellman and chef Cathy Chambers. There are three rounds � scallop, chicken and beef tenderloin � meaning each diner gets to try a total of nine separate dishes. Victory is providing beer pairings.
Joining Felicia at the judges' table are KYW's Hadas Kuznits and P.Y.T./PaperStreet rabblerouser Tommy Up.
Tix are $40 and available here.
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This new below-the-street space, which most recently housed a restaurant called The Underground (ever eat there? us neither), is owned by Tavern's Stephen Carlino, who's got the entire building. The interior's dressed in earth tones (hence the name), and can accommodate about 34, not including a 10-seat bar.
Paraskevas' food will be New American � "simple, good food ... definitely not gastropub." The chef's still tweaking the menu, which'll feature nine starters, around 10 entr�es and five desserts; he teases items like a slider trio, burger and braised lamb dishes, housemade pastas and seared black cod served with an rosemary/almond pur�e. Paraskevas won't have much say with the wine list, but he's keen on building a reputable bottled beer selection, with local choices along the lines of Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot and Legacy Hedonism Ale.
It's been a blast, but CP's summerlong Moveable Feast happy hour is coming to close tonight, with the final installment of the season going down tonight at Misconduct Tavern (1511 Locust St.). Drop from 5 to 7 for discount Belgian brews and complimentary apps. Cheers!
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| Photo | Mark Stehle |
Haven't done one of these rundowns in a minute. Our bad!
- Trey Popp visits Tommy Up's P.Y.T. in the Piazza, and while he digs some menu items, he leaves unimpressed by the signature beef burger. Popp's opinions are already stirring up some controversy � so read the piece yourself, then check back on Meal Ticket tomorrow for The Good Word with the man himself.
- Felicia D. loves The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the book's signature cocktail, The Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. So she asked Katie Loeb, head bartender at Oyster House, to create her own interpretation of the fictional drink. Check out the recipe!
- Newly minted What's Cooking diva Erin Szrankowski breaks down the week in food events, from today's South Jersey grape stomp for Alzheimer's research to Memphis Taproom's intense Mystery Beer Weekend.
- Big week for big openings, as noted in Feeding Frenzy: Village Whiskey (tomorrow), Fond and Marigold Kitchen are all joining the Philly food fray.
Nobody (except youknowwho) can eat 50 eggs � but how about 50 shrimp dishes? That's what Caf� Nola (414 S. Second St., 215-574-1687) has got going till the end of September. Butterfinger Coconut Shrimp? Shrimp Cacciatore? Flamingo Shrimp? Spicy Voodoo Shrimp? Done. There are giveaways on tap, too � gift certificates, Mardi Gras swag, etc.
Check chef Nick Ventura's shrimp menu after the jump. It lists 39 dishes, but Nola hits that 50 mark by offering 10+ specials on a nightly basis.
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| Click to enlarge |
where are they getting their shrimp? I sure hope with all those wonderful dishes they are buying REAL Louisiana Wild-caught Gulf Shrimp. seriously.
Sometimes nothing at all is a real cool hand.
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| Philly Market Caf� |
| Local heritage alliums |
Every Wednesday, Meal Ticket pokes around the food blog world to see what's simmering.
- From lumpy, vari-colored tomatoes to grumpy, tasty pigs, everything we eat has been revived in a heirloom version. Now Philly Market Caf� throws out an ode to the heritage alliums available at Headhouse Square farmers market. Gaetano knows you can't cook without alliums, and local garlic is milder and sweeter than any trucked-in Cali bulb.
- Lew Bryson of Seen Through A Glass is unsurprised that the Heavy Seas Beer & Bacon Fest is selling out fast. Click over for the details on the Sept. 19 pig-and-pints event, and to see the Bacon Bra, if you haven't yet.
- Georges Perrier has a rep as a screamer, a tantrum-thrower and the godfather of haute cuisine in Philadelphia. Foobooz diagrams his influence with the Legion of Perrier graphic, visualizing the local chefs who have passed through the hallowed Le Bec-Fin kitchen over the years.
- The Insider reports that Tiffin owner Munish Narula is opening two more locations, both in the 'burbs.
- Food trucks are gettin' trendy, so you know Stephen Starr has to have one. The Illadelph examines Michael Klein's Inky story on the glut of casual, inexpensive concepts from big-name restaurateurs � possibly including mobile concessions from the depths of the Death Starr.
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The other day, we were thinking about the long-standing rumor, set off by this 2008 Philadelphia Business Journal article, that the UK-based Wagamama noodle bar chain was hunting for a Philly location. So we decided to drop the company, which currently has three U.S. locations in Boston, a quick line. Right now, a rep tells Meal Ticket, the restaurant is focusing on opening its fourth Stateside spot in Washington D.C. in May 2010 � no Philly news to report as of right now. They do promise national expansion in the near future, though, so udon heads should hold out hope.
NOOOO!!!! Wagamama was one of my favorite places to eat in the U.K. - their ginger cheesecake is DUH BOMBBB!
[...] Wah! No Wagamama for us, at least not yet says Meal Ticket. The next Wagamama is set for May 2010 in Washington D.C. [Meal Ticket] [...]
I can only hope the UK chains do a better job than tho ones in Boston. The Wagamama in Harvard Square was responsible for probably the worst meal I ate last year--just awful from start to finish. And expensive, to boot! I thank the stars Philly is being spared.
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