Food Blogs

Bistrot La Minette's travelogue

POSTED: Monday, August 22, 2011, 12:56 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food Blogs

Peter Woolsey, chef/owner of Bistrot La Minette (623 S. Sixth St.), is currently vacationing on holiday in France, visiting the colorful family of his Burgundian photographer wife Peggy and updating a very well-written blog on his restaurant's site. Head over to peruse Woolsey's musings on handmade couscous, prepared for him by his wife's sister's boyfriend's grandmother (above); the story of Peggy's parents, who ran bakeries for nearly 40 years; and his thoughts on why French folks simply understand food and nutrition better than Americans:

Kids are taught to eat well from an early age. not only are the school meals three courses with rabbit eel and calfs liver being part of the weekly menu but food is part of the curriculum. My wife learned about wine regions and production when she was in middle school as part of the basic curriculum. I learned about the food pyramid, the dumbest way of explaining food and proper nutrition. Why in the US can we not lead by example? No wonder rest stops are full of crap. Of course that is what you want to eat if you grew up with pizza, hamburgers, and chicken fingers.

Photo: bistrotlaminette.com

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 12:56 PM Permalink | 1 comment

Stirring things up with Home Speakeasy

POSTED: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 12:00 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Food Blogs

There’s a new booze blog in town: Home Speakeasy is Jon Kostesich and girlfriend Jen Killius' way of chronicling their amateur adventures in the world of craft cocktailery.

Both Kostesich and Killius were big spirits fans long prior to launching the blog: Kostesich spent his time drinking whiskey at Southwark (701 S. Fourth St.), his favorite neighborhood haunt, while Killius explored Columbus, Ohio, where she was living at the time. During their travels they discovered quite a few great cocktail bars, but all those $15 drinks soon began taking their financial toll. So the two started buying their own bottles and experimenting with their own original cocktail recipes.

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Posted by Esther Martin @ 12:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Win a copy of Matt Armendariz's On A Stick!

POSTED: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 11:48 AM

Filed Under: Contests | Food Blogs | Food Books

We've got a giveaway copy of L.A.-based food blogger/photographer Matt Armendariz's On a Stick! — published by Quirk, it's a gorgeous cookbook literally centered around fare stuck on sticks, from curry shrimp and pineapple skewers and chicken satay to deep-fried candy bars and adorably impaled Scotch eggs. You like, you want? Entering is easy: Before 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, leave a comment on this post describing a Philly-based dish you'd like to eat off a stick, and why. It can be a restaurant dish, something from a food truck, something your Armenian neighbor makes, anything — just tell us why you want to gnaw it off a stick, dude. We'll pick our favorite by the end of the day. Have fun!

UPDATE: Cheers to Meal Ticket reader bje55 for his inspired and locally logical food-on-a-stick suggestion:

Roast Pork a la Jack 'n Jill. I'm envisioning something resembling the famous Chocolate eclair and strawberry shortcake popsicles from childhood, but in mine the middle will be perfectly roasted pork held together with copious amounts of lardo. The outer crumble will consist of caramelized onions and roast garlic with a hard sharp provolone stick.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 11:48 AM Permalink | 8 comments

Cook gets into the blogging game; bacon and beer dinner (!) May 24

POSTED: Monday, May 16, 2011, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: Food and Web | Food Blogs | Food Events | Food News | Openings

Audrey Claire Taichman's Cook (253 S. 20th St.), which Meal Ticket first mentioned in February, has launched a food/drink blog called COOKbook to build up the brand a bit in anticipation of the collaborative kitchen/food classroom's debut, tentatively set for August. Posts come by way of Taichman herself, executive director Lily Cope and director of development Jackie Baik, and there are plans to feature the occasional guest post from local chefs and food writers. Here's an intro post from Cope.

In other Audrey news, her Twenty Manning Grill (261 S. 20th St.) is teaming up with Dock Street next Tuesday, May 24, for a four-course bacon and beer dinner. The meal, which runs $40 a head (seatings at 5, 7 and 9 p.m.), features porky goodness in multiple forms paired up with Dock Street beers. Menu after the jump; call 215-731-0900 for rezzies.

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Posted by Drew Lazor @ 3:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Speaker's Corner at The Dandelion

POSTED: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 4:01 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food Blogs | Food Events

ideasinfood.com

It's only been open for a few weeks now, but Stephen Starr's new English pub The Dandelion (122-124 S. 18th St.) is already branching out into unexpected territory. On Feb. 1 at 6 p.m., it'll introduce an ongoing lecture series aptly titled Speaker's Corner. The series will bring in food industry luminaries to participate in panels and discussions about their work, and best of all, it's totally free (if you grab a pint and some grub). The first two speakers are H. Alexander Talbot and Aki Kamozawa, authors of the exploratory food blog Ideas in Food as well as the brand-new cookbook of the same name (check out our review here). The panel will be moderated by food columnist Rick Nichols of the Inquirer, and should be a good opportunity to get to know the minds behind the book.

poncho

Posted 2011-01-19 13:28:19

Aaaaaaaaahhh, this sounds like my worst nightmare!

Tweets that mention Speaker's Corner at The Dandelion :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2011-01-19 11:21:37

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lisa Grimm. Lisa Grimm said: Interesting. RT @mealticket: The new Speaker's Corner series at The Dandelion will feature @ideasinfood: http://ow.ly/3GwH8 [...]

Posted by Adrian Pelliccia @ 4:01 PM Permalink | Post a comment

In search of the "super diet", feasting all the while

POSTED: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Food and Web | Food Blogs | Food Events | Vegan | Vegetarian

thethirteenthdiet.com

Daniel McLaughlin culminates each month's diet with a multi-course feast open to the public.

Daniel McLaughlin wants to free you from your food phobias, and that's why he's eating a different diet each month of 2010. "I was curious," he writes on his blog The Thirteenth Diet, "How can there be so many mainstream diets in our country where people can scientifically prove opposing theories and still be right?" From macrobiotics in January to Ayurvedic in August, Philadelphia resident McLaughlin takes to one prescribed way of eating (see all twelve diets here) each month, experimenting with recipes and techniques to make delicious meals meant to persuade doubters they, too, can live happy and healthy on diets perceived as restrictive. "I'm just a normal person, not some astrophysicist of food," says McLaughlin, who designs and builds furniture, as well as serving tables at Old City's Amada at night. "I give myself 30 days to really explore each diet and learn its inner workings. The end result is taking shape --I'm trying to form "the thirteenth diet"... that takes parts from all of these mainstream diets to create a 'super diet'." Self-educated in nutrition, McLaughlin was accepted to the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC last year, but ultimately decided it was not the right place for him. "I wanted to be a food therapist," he said, "but it seemed limited in scope. This project will allow me to reach a much broader range of people," he said, adding that he has plans for a book based on the yearlong project. To demonstrate the pleasure, rather than privation of eating according to a diet, McLaughlin cooks and hosts a feast in the last days of the month in his South Philadelphia home, dubbed Wharton Heights. April's Gluten-Free Feast, a single seating of 24 people, will happen this Fri., April 30 at 7 p.m. Interested parties may reserve a space for the five-course meal by filling out the contact form on The Thirteenth Diet's website, or by visiting their Facebook page. You can see the menu, which includes bread, gnocchi and other typically glutinous treats, here. Word-of-mouth buzz may make future feasts a harder ticket to come by; producers from WHYY's radio show "A Chef's Table" will be recording Friday's celiac-friendly event. When I suggest people may react negatively to his project based on the unfun connotations of the little word diet, McLaughlin responds with self-deprecating mirth. "You know, I saw that KFC Double Down commercial and I thought, 'the world needs me more than ever!' "We've been trained and marketed to to want extreme sweets and salts, but when you start eating right your palate adjusts and you don't want that anymore... in the traditional sense of the word, diet means the food you eat every day, as your way of life. Everyone should be on a diet."

uberVU - social comments

Posted 2010-04-28 12:40:14

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Daniel McLaughlin wants to free you from your food phobias. That's why he's eating a different diet each month of 2010: http://bit.ly/cFxfPA...

Tweets that mention In search of the âsuper dietâ, feasting all the while :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-04-28 13:09:55

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Allie Harcharek, Peter Passoli, Travis Marcal, tammy oslo, danica boxer and others. danica boxer said: In search of the âsuper dietâ, feasting all the while: Daniel McLaughlin wants to free you from your food phobias,... http://bit.ly/c5Cees [...]

Aug. 27: The Thirteenth Diet gets Ayurvedic with it :: Meal Ticket :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-25 13:36:53

[...] a different diet during each month of 2010 to produce his fascinating blog The Thirteenth Diet (check out our April post), is drawing summer to close with an Ayurvedic feast scheduled for Friday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. [...]

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 4:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Cheat Sheet: Container garden tricks from Plants On Deck

POSTED: Monday, April 19, 2010, 3:38 PM

Filed Under: Field Trip | Food Blogs

Plants On Deck

Support hose for melons

Growing up on 35 acres in southwest Michigan, Plants On Deck gardening blogger Char Vandermeer spent her childhood weeding and tending her mother's one-acre garden plot. "My mother is a serious gardener," said Vandermeer in a phone chat. "She canned, and that garden fed the three of us year-round." A longing for fresh, homegrown produce nudged her into lining the roof deck of her South Philadelphia row house with containers to grow tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, tiny melons, lettuces and other edibles. Vandermeer began blogging about her experiences in May, 2009. "I learned how to grow from my mother," she said. "But container garden is completely different. I'm self-taught, so I started the blog as a way to take notes on what works, and what doesn't." Vandermeer offers a few tips to novice container gardeners, after the jump. "Vegetables need full sun. At least six hours of direct sunlight every day, and eight is better. Containers need to be watered frequently, and that means every day." "Basil and mint are almost impossible to kill. All herbs are pretty hardy -- sage and thyme are easy. I've had good luck with little Thai eggplants and small cucumbers like lemon and Spacemaster varieties. Radishes and lettuces can go in the ground now, and you can replant lettuces until July (they don't like heat). I wouldn't suggest starting with tomatoes, which are the bane of my existence. Anything that can go wrong with plants goes wrong with tomatoes." Vandermeer also recommends checking out Penn State University's excellent horticultural extension, as well as the horticultural websites hosted by many universities, for more education on container gardening.

Marie DiFeliciantonio

Posted 2010-04-19 11:29:21

glad you posted this...I want to start a garden and this is a great jumping-off point.

uberVU - social comments

Posted 2010-04-19 13:13:48

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by brownthumbgirl: Cheat Sheet: Container garden tricks from Plants On Deck http://bit.ly/aO8DbD...

container vegetable gardening | Gardening Tips Online

Posted 2010-04-23 01:46:19

[...] Cheat Sheet: Container garden tricks from Plants On Deck :: Meal … [...]

Eileen O'Connor

Posted 2010-05-10 22:21:50

I love the tip on supporting the melon.   Please check out my article too!

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 3:38 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Food bloggers get charitable for the Great American Bake Sale

POSTED: Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 8:30 PM

Filed Under: Food and Web | Food Blogs | We're Here to Help

This Saturday, local bloggers will bring out their best goods for The Great American Bake Sale, which will raise money to aid nearly 17 million children in America (that's about one in four) without access to nutritious, high-quality food and resources. The proceeds benefit Share Our Strength, a national charity actively working to combat the problems through educational programs and financial support. To do your part, head to Liberties Walk outside of A Full Plate CafÃ© (1040 N. American Street) on Sat. April 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are also bake sales in Pittsburgh and Hershey at the same time. More than 20 bloggers have already signed up to donate plates of cupcakes, cookies, brownies and a few specialty treats. "We've even got gluten free and vegan foods," says organizer Julie DenOuden. "We're trying to appeal to all different diets, but then there's some things that are just plain yummy." Foodaphilia has compiled a short list of some of the projected offerings, which includes goodies like Carbomb cupcakes and burger-shaped cookies from Burgatory.

Posted by Alexandra Harcharek @ 8:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Check out Meal Ticket's Felicia D'Ambrosio in First Person Arts' Edible World blog series

POSTED: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Food Blogs | How-To | Meal Ticket

Photo | Felicia D'Ambrosio

First Person Arts has been gathering the family recipes of area foodies for their Edible World blog series, and today's post features our girl Felicia D. Check out the site to read her family's version of Boilo, the antracite coal-miner's cure for everything. FD says it's "akin to a hot toddy on steroids." Just what the doctor ordered.

Posted by Marie DiFeliciantonio @ 8:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Two new approaches to water bottles

POSTED: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 4:15 PM

Filed Under: Food Blogs | Product Placement

Two of our favorite non-edible blogs, Selectism and Philly Design Blog, have highlighted two new approaches to the same old reusable water bottle.

Left image: The Vapur roll-up water bottle, as seen on Philly Design Blog. Manufactured entirely in the USA, this BPA-free bottle stands upright when filled with water, when empty, it can be rolled up to fit in a pocket or bag, or even pressed flat between the pages of a book. $8.95; available at vapur.us.

Right image: The Bobble bottle by Karim Rashid, which we spied on Selectism, has a replaceable carbon filter built in that can purify 150 liters of water, is BPA-free, and only $10. It's also made in the USA of recycled PET plastic and is completely recyclable. Check it at waterbobble.com.

lavendar

Posted 2010-03-17 20:12:39

thank you for posting this!!!

uberVU - social comments

Posted 2010-03-17 22:26:33

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1 | 2

If you don't know Nutella is bad for you and your kids, then you are a total idiot and a bad parent.
Bummer: Grub Street Philly shutting down
Notes from the Weekend: May 20
Afternoon Snacks: Rachael & Guy do improv, Bacon hot dogs, Seasonal cocktails both posh and... less-so
Frozen Drinks Alert: Water ice cocktails at Noir
Now Serving: Jerry's Bar
Hell's Kitchen casting in Philly
Serious Eats weighs in on Questlove's fried chicken joint
Spike TV's "Bar Rescue" turns Swanky Bubbles into Sheer
Real Talk: 50 Things They Never Told You About Being a Chef

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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