Archive: September, 2010

Sofitel's Liberté up for an October debut

POSTED: Monday, September 13, 2010, 5:40 PM

Filed Under: Openings

Center City's Sofitel (120 17th St.) will introduce Liberté, a new restaurant concept for the hotel, next month. Going into the lobby bar area, the "urban chic" concept is said to feature three seating options along an oval-shaped central bar, at lounge seating in front a working fireplace and in a more formal dining room, where they'll serve a straight-ahead French-inspired menu. Restaurant Chez Collette is staying, but will serve breakfast only/accommodate private events once Liberté gets going.

Menus for The Sofitel’s new Liberté :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-18 15:16:14

[...] Liberté, the new restaurant concept in The Sofitel (120 17th St.), is officially open. Here, in PDF format, are the lunch, dinner, all-day dining and cocktail menus. Entrée prices on chef Kevin Levett’s dinner menu top at $22 for a saffron- and tarragon-scented bouillabaise; same price for a winter-friendly duck cassoulet dish. Signature drinks, developed by mixologist Marc Yanga and thoughtfully paired up with food off the menu, include an Autumn’s Fashioned (Beam, ginger, pear, cranberry, sugar) and the Provence (Plymouth gin, Carpano Antica, maraschino liqueur, Provence bitters).   Menus for The Sofitel’s new Liberté [...]

Sofitels Liberté opens Monday :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-14 10:16:09

[...] restaurant concept in the Sofitel (120 17th St.), will officially open this coming Monday, Oct. 18, right on schedule. Aussie-born chef Kevin Levett will oversee a menu of polished, French-inspired dishes, including a [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:40 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Top Chef D.C. Episode 13 (Finale Part 1): Holy Asian Extravaganza!

POSTED: Monday, September 13, 2010, 5:11 PM

Filed Under: Food TV | Top Chef

This recap is so late because I've spent the last 96 hours staring at this picture of Angelo doing the lambada with Singaporean fruit. And just like that, Top Chef D.C. is one episode shy of calling it a season, a single judge's table away from taking its perch in the pantheon of Google Image Search randomness and confusing lunch-hour chatter ("Which season was it when the dude kept talking about having sex with his food? That was the one with Hung, right? No no, the funny Italian dude. No? Santino?"). Let's take a quick stroll down Mindless, Braincell-Killing Recap Memory Lane, shall we? Episode 1. Too many people. Na'Vi John goes home. Episode 2. Cooking for a bunch of brats. Jacqueline goes home. Episode 3. Pic-a-nic baskets/caskets. Tracey goes home. Episode 4. Baby food, foreal?! Arnoldface goes home. Episode 5. Crabs and farms. Tim goes home. Episode 6. This is probably the worst recap of the season. Tamesha goes home. Episode 7. Cooking for gay-hating cutiepie congressmen. Andrea goes home. Episode 8. Ethiopian and offending ethnic sensibilities. Stephen goes home. Episode 9. Restaurant Wars! Kenny Blalicchio goes home. Episode 10. Cooking for good-natured spies. Alex goes home. Episode 11. Feeding miserable Nats fans. Amanda goes home. Episode 12. Cooking for astronauts (and Bourdain). Tiffany goes home.

So that leaves us with a final four Angelo, Kelly, Jersey Kev and Ed (solid bunch) travelling to Singapore, Top Model style, for the finale. The cheftestants meet up in a food hawker's center (Kev's rocking a bucket hat; Ed asks him if he's about to embark on safari) and are soon greeted by Tom C. and the Singaporean food writer KF Seetoh, who is such an advocate for Asian street food that he has nary a poor word to say about the chef's food throughout the episode. He takes them to a bunch of stalls, where they get to grub on absolutely amazing-looking good like chili crabs (above). Ed takes every opportunity to stick it to Angelo because that's what Ed does best (did you really think mentioning your taste for black cockles would be a good look, Ang?) Everyone is smiling and having fun and excited to take in the local culture. Then ...

... the transcendently pant-suited Padma materializes! Though she's dressed as if she's about to dispatch a bunch of knife-wielding thugs with a bo stick, she's actually there to drop the penultimate ep's Quickfire: The foursome has to cook a street food-style dish with a wok, a tool that Jersey Kev has never actually tried out. Crazy twist, too: For the first time ever, winning this Quickfire will grant the cheftestant unfettered passage to the finale. Stakes is high! Angelo goes for a chili crab but switches it up to frog's legs at the last sec; Kelly does a seafood noodle dish; Ed, who "likes to wok it out on the weekends" at his house, puts together his own noodle stir-fry; and wok virgin Kev does up a curry with lobster, calamari and cuttlefish. Seetoh shows so much love to to the chefs that he stops just short of singing this song, but in the end, Hobbyist Wok Fiend Ed punches his ticket to the finals for "lifting up the entire street food sensation" for the dude Seetoh.

The transcendently plucky Stacey Carosi

Elimination: Dana Cowin, ever the diligent wine swirler, brings 80 or so of friends to a posh-ass beachfront resort to eat and engage in droll conversation while the final four freak the hell out in the kitchen because the waitstaff keeps writing their a-la-minute order tickets in Chinese. "The spark in the forest has been set, and those flames are going to be burning," declares Angelo. I feel like that's a combination of like five different sayings/ The servers are all wearing crisp polo shirts and have no clue what they're doing, one of several eerie similarities between this episode and the Malibu Sands Beach Club arc on Saved by the Bell. (Where is Stacey Carosi when you need her?!) The judges, who include Seetoh, Cowin and our girl Gail, are generally blown away by the quality of all the food put out (Gail yells the title of this post at judge's table, and immediately follows it up by dropping the term "taste-a-licious." Foreal.)

Tom C with Hissy, his trusted Cobra Bong

Angelo does a spicy shrimp broth, plus a lamb tartar with nice flavors ("It makes me want to eat it," says Cowin. Well, that's great!). Ed puts together a duo of sweet and sour pork, plus banana fritters Tom C describes as "the perfect stoner food," right before he burns a Backwoods, tosses in some eyedrops, aimlessly wanders into a Singaporean convenience mart and spends 27 Singapore dollars on Singaporean gummi bears. Kelly's cucumber/yogurt/bitter melon soup is well-received, as is her prawn-flavored red curry. Jersey Kev imrpresses, too, with a clam chowder starter and a well-executed tapioca congee porridge. So, just like the Tiffany elimination, it's down to nit-picking to decide who's shipped stateside and who gets to keep kicking it in the super-clean city-state. Kelly, who I picked in Episode 1 to get quite far, is sent home. Tears! She really rocked it out. Before we talk Finale Part 2, let me draw your attention to her crestfallen losing pic on bravotv.com:

Don't you think that could totally be her album cover shot if she quit cooking and decided to pursue a career as an adult contemporary singer-songwriter?

Sorry. OK Top Chef fans who's winning this season?! I would absolutely love to see our dude Jersey Kev take it home, but I for some reason have the sinking feeling that Angelo's gonna walk away with the chip, given his Asian expertise. Though in the previews it looks like he's stricken with dengue fever or something. Thoughts? Leave your pick and your reasoning in the comments!

adam

Posted 2010-09-14 09:55:31

So happy to see Stacey Carosi in this recap!

Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Wok-a Wok-a :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-09-13 13:31:44

[...]  [...]

Molly Eichel

Posted 2010-09-13 12:30:03

Greatest Generation Ed will take it all. And then he will sleep with Angelo's girlfriend ... again.

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, Sept. 13-17 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-09-20 08:01:32

[...] Recap of the penultimate Top Chef D.C. episode finds the final four battling it out in Singapore. [...]

Eat This Immediately: Pawpaws :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-09-14 14:35:17

[...]  [...]

poncho

Posted 2010-09-13 15:48:26

Gail always says the best shit.  Anyone else remember when she shouted "Super mega-delicious!!" during one judges' table?

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:11 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Want to win two tix to Feastival?

POSTED: Friday, September 10, 2010, 7:06 PM

Filed Under: Contests | Food Events

City Paper is a proud sponsor of the first-ever Feastival, a culinary bash benefiting the Philly's Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. (Check out our extensive Fringe coverage here.) Going down next Wednesday, Sept. 15, at the Festival Hub at Fifth and Fairmount, the evening brings together dozens of local restaurants and bars (full list after the jump), who'll feed and boozily lubricate hundreds of arts patrons looking to support the Fringe. This is a serious food lover's event, and there are only a few tickets remaining oh and lookie, Meal Ticket's got two that we'd like to give to you! All you have to do to win is answer these three questions about the event's co-hosts Audrey Claire Taichman, Michael Solomonov and Stephen Starr. Email your guesses to drew.lazor@citypaper.net. DO NOT LEAVE ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS! Good luck. UPDATE: Congratulations to Meal Ticket reader Jason P., who was the first to respond with the correct answers (check them out after the jump).

1. Before opening her first restaurant in 1996, Audrey Claire Taichman worked at which Center City restaurant?

2. In Michael Solomonov's Zahav, there's a huge wall photo (taken by former CP photog Michael T. Regan) of an Israeli market but it features a visible, prominent Philadelphia connection. Name it!

3. In 1996, Stephen Starr ran a Russian-themed caviar bar called Café Republic at 22nd and South. The address is now home to L2, a reference to the space's moniker in the '70s. What was its original name?

ANSWERS: 1. Wow, apparently Audrey worked at a bunch of places! The answer we were looking for, though? The still-going-strong Friday Saturday Sunday, just down the street from Taichman's Audrey Claire and Twenty Manning Grill. 2. The photo Michael T. Regan has up in Zahav features an Israeli guy wearing a Flyers yarmulke. Amazing! 3. L2 used to be called Linoleum. PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS INCLUDE: Adsum, Amis, Audrey Claire, Bar Ferdinand, Buddakan, Capogiro, Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar, Cooperage, DAngelos, Darlings Diner, DiBruno Bros., Eclat, El Rey, Fork, FruitFlowers, Garces Trading Company, Healthy Bites To Go, Jones, La Colombe, Lacroix, Le Bec-Fin, Le Castagne, Matyson, Max Brenner Chocolate by the Bald Man, Melograno, Metropolitan Bakery, MidAtlantic, Modo Mio, Nectar, Noble, Osteria, Oyster House, Parc, Percy Street Barbecue, Pizzeria Stella, Pod, Pumpkin, Ristorante Panorama, Reading Terminal Market, Rouge, Sampan, Supper, Sweet Freedom Bakery, Tweed, Twenty Manning Grill, Union Trust, Vetri, XIX, Xochitl, Zahav, Zama. PARTICIPATING BARS INCLUDE: APO Bar + Lounge, Fergies Pub, Snackbar, Tequilas Restaurant, The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., Tria.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:06 PM Permalink | Post a comment

2010 Restaurant Week starts this Sunday

POSTED: Friday, September 10, 2010, 3:15 PM

Filed Under: Dealage | Food Events

This Sunday, Sept. 12, marks the kickoff of fall's Center City Restaurant Week. Back is the $20 lunch option at various participating restaurants (Barbuzzo, Butcher and Singer, Lacroix, Le Bec-Fin and Sampan are among the daytime notables) in addition to the usual $35 three-course dinner. Also back this year is the double-your-pleasure Week 2, which will run from Sunday, Sept. 19 to Friday, Sept. 24. Unless you OpenTabled a month ago, you arent probably won't be walking into Amada or Buddakan on a whim, but experience tells us to keep checking OpenTable all the way up to the morning (if not an hour) before your desired dinner time. People often cancel close to their reservation, making openings easy to scoop up. Our attention for this Restaurant Week is focused on the newly opened Barbuzzo (110 S. 13th St.), which we recently featured here on Meal Ticket. Right now they have some solid openings and are offering a bonus fourth course on their Restaurant Week menu (check it out in PDF form here). Team Meal Ticket will be dropping picks for each day of 2010 Restaurant Week. Be sure to check back for the latest dealage, tips and updates.

poncho

Posted 2010-09-10 13:17:06

I hate restaurant week, it really sucks that it is 2 weeks long

barryg

Posted 2010-09-10 13:56:08

Yes this is a reminder not to dine in CC during these two weeks.  The "deals" are of dubious value and the service and cooking tends to suffer.

Posted by Anthony Sica @ 3:15 PM Permalink | Post a comment

American Blackboard aiming for late fall

POSTED: Friday, September 10, 2010, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food News | Menu Time | Openings

Tim McGinnis, culinary director at Philly Kitchen Share (1514 South St.), checked in to share the name for the restaurant he's planning right next to PKS: American Blackboard, a nod to the "ever-changing seasonal menu" that will celebrate "Lost American" culinary traditions like curing, smoking and cheesemaking. They just broke ground on at the space and hope to have it ready by November. For now, get a taste of McGinnis' food through his American Meats & Provisions sandwich brand (Facebook | Twitter), based out of Kitchen Share and available for catering and at Green Aisle Grocery (1618 E. Passyunk Ave.). Here's a PDF of AM&P's just-launched fall menu.

Recapping: American Blackboard preview dinner at Philly Kitchen Share :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-25 16:01:08

[...] Tim McGinnis was kind enough to invite us to his sneak-peek dinner for American Blackboard, the Philly Kitchen Share-affiliated restaurant project (1516 South St.) he and his cheffing partner/brother Jason Roberts are aiming to open in December. [...]

Michelle

Posted 2010-09-10 12:46:45

Awww man the Caponata Agrodolce sounds soooooooo good

barryg

Posted 2010-09-10 12:27:23

This place sounds good, but I think he is a little behind the DIY smoking and curing trend... has any new restaurant opened in the past few years that *doesn't* cure their own meats?

steve jenkins

Posted 2010-09-13 15:24:52

i am going to have to agree with barryg.

Lots of commercial space coming available...

Posted 2010-09-14 11:50:44

[...] there was talk about a restaurant next to Philly Kitchen Share.[/U][/B]    Speak of the devil... American Blackboard aiming for late fall :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper Exciting news.           Reply With Quote              + Reply to Thread      « Previous [...]

Oct. 23: Spinal Tapas presents an American Blackboard preview :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-09-29 11:55:32

[...] on Meal Ticket we’ve been following American Blackboard, the upcoming “Lost American” restaurant from Philly Kitchen Share culinary director Tim [...]

FrannyZooey

Posted 2010-09-15 00:23:58

Yeah it's not about chasing a trend, it's about sincerely caring about the process. Who cares if other menus featured housecured or housesmoked foods "first"? Like they were the first people to think about it or something? ha! It's not a race, it's about doing it well and doing it right.

yum

Posted 2010-09-14 23:54:58

It doesn't matter how late they are or how many might be out there...it depends on how GREAT they do it. Based on both Tim McGinnis' and Jason Roberts' experience(in the kitchen and in the FOH) and their love for food, they will kill it in Philly.

Foobooz » Quick Bites

Posted 2010-09-14 11:29:53

[...] Philly Kitchen Share’s Tim McGinnis is looking to open American Blackboard late this fall next door to Philly Kitchen Share. The menu won’t be New American but rather, “lost American.” [Meal Ticket] [...]

rum

Posted 2010-09-14 17:53:54

as a nearby resident, i don't care if he is catching the curve late - he is bringing it to our hood and it is a great idea. We need food - good food.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

IN PRINT: City Paper Food and Restaurants, September 9

POSTED: Friday, September 10, 2010, 12:25 AM

Filed Under: In Print

Photo | Mark Stehle

- Adam Erace visits the very swanky Tweed, where he's mostly impressed by chef David Cunningham's hyper-local cooking style at the "American eatery named for the cloth favored by English professors and librarian watchers everywhere." Look at that house-cured salmon trio! Bella. (Can you believe we made it through this entire blurb without dropping a single ill-conceived Top Gun homage?) - We review Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy's The Geometry of Pasta, an exhaustive A-to-Z cookbook that covers everything you ever needed to know about Italy's chief specialty. What makes it different? Hildebrand, a noted graphic designer, celebrates the many beautiful shapes that occur in pastacraft in the form of hypnotic, Op Art-style black-and-white illustrations. London-based chef Kenedy's recipes are fun and easy to follow, too. Rad. - What's Cooking? There's some good stuff coming up, including the launch of Linvilla Orchards' Pumpkinland (it's fall?!), the kick-off of Restaurant Week, next week's SNAP cocktail mix-off (we're judging!) and a Food Trust happy hour at SPTR.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 12:25 AM Permalink | Post a comment

Il Pittore on the move?

POSTED: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 9:30 PM

Filed Under: Food News

Chris Painter, chef and culinary director for Stephen Starr, recently dropped us a few details on his Italian restaurant Il Pittore, set to take over the old Ansill space at Third and Bainbridge. Yesterday, we got an interesting tip that Painter and Co. no longer planned to open the restaurant at that address, but we were unable to confirm as much with SRO. It's more of the same today while we hear there's been some internal discussion regarding whether the Ansill space is the proper fit for Painter's concept (casual/authentic, built around oven-roasted meats and housemade pastas), no official decision has been made to move the restaurant as of right now. (Painter is currently on a research trip in Italy.) Interesting! More interesting is The Insider's tease earlier today that another location ("a beaut") has entered the fray. Keep ya posted.

Mithras

Posted 2010-09-11 20:39:51

It also looks like the building has over $23,000 in liens on it for unpaid city taxes dating back to 2007. Do a property search at the BRT website for 627 S 3rd. and then click "view tax balances" on the page that comes up.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

The Lola Bean opens Saturday

POSTED: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 8:33 PM

Filed Under: Coffee | Openings | Photos

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

Erica Zito and Mary Button's super-bright, super-cute Lola Bean, at 1325 Frankford Avenue (215-634-LOLA), will open to the public this Saturday, Sept. 11. (We first mentioned the café in April.) They'll serve from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day and 7 a.m. to 4 pm. on Sunday before kicking off regular hours(6:30 a.m.-6 p.m.) on Monday, Sept. 13. The plan is to launch serving La Colombe coffee and espresso, plus Au Fournil pastries, and then roll out sandwiches, soups and whatnot in the coming weeks.

Michelle

Posted 2010-09-09 15:56:16

Adorable!

Posted 2010-09-13 14:51:06

Congratulations girls, looks super cute Duke & I will come for a visit this Saturday afternoon.

You both inspire me taking the plunge to open your own business.

Deb

Posted 2010-09-10 08:21:20

Love it!

Mark

Posted 2010-09-09 16:13:25

Looks awesome!  So excited to enjoy a cup of coffee at this new place!

New eats at The Lola Bean :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-12-03 11:56:08

[...] contender for more adorable-est café in all the land, has steadily expanded its menu since opening a few months ago. Mainstays like the vegan veggie hummus wrap (above; spinach zucchini, squash, onion, sun-dried [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:33 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Bodhi Coffee's Green Aisle pop-up shop launches today

POSTED: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 6:27 PM

Filed Under: Food News

Photo | Drew Lazor

In July, we mentioned the team-up between CP food critic Adam Erace's Green Aisle Grocery (1618 E. Passyunk Ave.) and Headhouse Square's Bodhi Coffee (410 S. Second St.). It's the first official day of the collab a smart shelving unit in the back of the café stocks all sorts of products you can regularly snag at GAG, including Mast Brothers chocolates, Fee Brothers bitters, San Marzano tomatoes, Pub & Kitchen barbecue sauce and plenty more. Bodhi's Tom Henneman says they'll tweak their stock based on demand.

Ellen Canapary

Posted 2010-09-09 20:00:15

What a great addition to Bodhi Coffee-San Marzano Tomatoes make the best marinara sauce.  I look forward to trying many other items.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:27 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Maru Global Takoyaki's new menu

POSTED: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 5:20 PM

Filed Under: Food News | Menu Time

Photo | Neal Santos

Tomorrow, the very tasty Maru Global Takoyaki (255 S. 10th St.), which opened this past February, launches a new menu that you can check out in full after the jump. Owners Ryo Igarashi (above) and his wife, Nicole, are still doing all the varieties of takoyaki you've grown fond of (orders now consist of eight balls instead of six more balls!), but they've seriously expanded their entrée/non-takoyaki selection. You can now dig into plates like a roasted quarter chicken (leg and thigh) in Igarashi's housemade teriyaki sauce, chicken katsu and hand-cut curry fries, which you can order topped with anything from cotija cheese to pickled daikon. "They are seriously physically addictive," says Nicole.


Click to enlarge

cat

Posted 2010-09-09 13:29:14

at least it's not papyrus!

Michael G

Posted 2010-09-16 10:59:53

Isn't Font envy something that Sigmond Fraud talked about?

kibby

Posted 2010-09-09 12:59:44

I really love this place and I have dreams about their Japanese curry, it's so delish.  I'm excited to try the crabcake balls, too.  However, it kills me that they seemingly chose comic sans for the font for their new menu.  Comic sans?!?! nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

Posted 2010-09-09 16:23:26

I only eat a restaurants that uses helvetica on their menus

Joe

Posted 2010-12-01 14:30:08

One of the best places to eat near center city. Better than just another god damn slice of pizza. This guys is so real and he really cares about the food!  Eat Maru or die.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:20 PM Permalink | Post a comment

« PREVIOUS | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

First Gigs: Jeff Ziga, Little Baby's Ice Cream
If you don't know Nutella is bad for you and your kids, then you are a total idiot and a bad parent.
An edible guide to Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
Notes from the Weekend: May 13
Bar Crawl: What's new at Ortlieb's
Afternoon Snacks: Richard Blais's Ikea Burger, Waffle "tacos," Coffee nerdery, The U.N. wants you to eat more bugs
Extra! Extra! Lobster openings, chocolate closings and lots of free stuff
Spike TV's "Bar Rescue" turns Swanky Bubbles into Sheer
Real Talk: 50 Things They Never Told You About Being a Chef
Hell's Kitchen casting in Philly

About this blog

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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