Photos

JG Domestic in pictures

POSTED: Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 5:24 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Chef Salad | Openings | Photos

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Dropped into JG Domestic, Jose Garces' latest on the ground floor of the Cira Centre (2929 Arch St.), for a quick snap sesh yesterday afternoon. The new restaurant, officially opening this Friday, Oct. 15, has taken the space that was Rae and turned it on its head the open-air dining area when you first enter, surrounded by a mean green "living wall" of plants, is flooded with sunlight, and it leads into an enclosed, slightly cozier bar area abutted by several additional dining rooms, including a nook for a chef's table right behind the glass-framed open kitchen. Around 175 guests can be accommodated, all told. We shared a few prelim details on chef Dave Conn's exclusively 50 states-sourced menu last week, and yesterday we also got an opportunity to peek at the beverage program named to honor American railways, the bar's signature cocktails are largely inspired by can't-improve-upon classics. Our favorite sips included the Empire Builder (a Four Roses Bourbon single-barrel batch distilled exclusively for Garces, plus Averna and housemade coffee bitters) and The City of New Orleans, a bit of a softer Sazerac with rye, Peychauds bitters and an absinthe rinse.

Adam Erace

Posted 2010-10-12 16:10:17

Oh JG fancy huh.

danya

Posted 2010-10-12 19:31:13

Thank you for that astute critical commentary. Perfect.

Foobooz » Tale of the Tape: JG Domestic

Posted 2010-10-14 11:23:19

[...] Garces Gets Domestic [Metro Philadelphia]  Photo Sneak Peek: JG Domestic [Restaurant Club] JG Domestic in Photos [Meal Ticket] An Exclusive Look at JG Domestic [NBC [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:24 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Biba in pictures

POSTED: Friday, October 8, 2010, 9:22 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Menu Time | Openings | Photos

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Biba (Left Bank Building, 3131 Walnut St.) officially opened to the public today at 4 p.m. Here's a quick peek inside the laidback wine/snack bar from the owners of Tria. There's no traditional table seating inside guests can pull up a bar stool, share a perch along a centralized communal table or even stand around a couple of casks that double as high-tops. (No TVs or WiFi, either, but y'all knew that already.) The wine and beer lists, plus the light food/cheese menu, are focused on value; you should definitely try the truffled egg ($6), in a teeny cast-iron skillet with potatoes, a bunch of different mushrooms, spinach and fontina cheese, and the sliced in-house lomo. Co-owner Jon Myerow says they're working on installing their outdoor patio, looking out onto Walnut, and should have it up and running soon.

Mike M

Posted 2010-10-10 17:54:06

18 bucks for a 12 oz glass of russian river?  they are out of thier minds.

Collin

Posted 2010-10-24 14:31:22

Mortons sells steaks for $50 and the grocery store has them for $8 sounds like a bad business model, only to someone who really just doesn't understand. Be happy to have a place so dedicated to providing you with more affordable alternatives to a great night.

| Under the Button

Posted 2010-10-08 16:35:24

[...] CityPaper’s Meal Ticket blog has some up close and personal photos, which you can check out here in case you needed more convincing for some reason.    Tweet Tags: Quick [...]

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, Oct. 4-8 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-11 13:28:11

[...] Oct. 13• Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, Oct. 4-8• Duck Week 2010 at Chifa• Biba in pictures• Two new pies at Zavino• Omakase October at Zama• Testing: Pub & Kitchen's [...]

Dan

Posted 2010-10-08 17:47:14

I'm not slamming this place, cause they're all the same, but a BOTTLE of the bele casel prosseco they have on their list goes for $15 or $16. Their price for a glass - $9.50.

The Segura Brut Cava Rose that goes for $7.50 a glass; well a bottle would set you back 9 or 10 bucks. 

Too much time on your hands waiting to leave for happy hour and internet access gets you a little punchy. But this is why, in large part due to the PLCB, this will never be a wine town.

Tom

Posted 2010-10-23 17:55:13

Hey Dan

Just a heads up from another restaurant professional, that is a completely normal price for a bottle that retails at that price.  Also, bear in mind that PA liquor law is not very kind to wholesalers.  

Also, you are paying for the space, glassware, and ambiance.  Not just the liquid.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:22 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Quick JG Domestic peek

POSTED: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 3:27 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Photos

Tipster BS kindly drops us these shots from inside the very complete-looking JG Domestic, whose food we dicussed a bit last Friday. The shelving containing all the greenery is being referred to as a "living wall," and will be stocked with various herbs and plants. Jose Garces' latest spot is slated to open to the public on Friday, Oct. 15.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 3:27 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NOW OPEN: Blackbird

POSTED: Monday, October 4, 2010, 6:49 PM

Filed Under: Menu Time | Openings | Photos | Vegan | Vegetarian

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Blackbird Pizzeria (507 S. Sixth St., 215-625-6660), the all-vegan operation from chef Mark Mebus and partner Ryan Moylan, opened quite quietly over the weekend, but that didn't stop a steady stream of vegheads from trickling in to check out what's been done to the long-running Gianna's space. It's been freshened up/reworked quite a bit, but Blackbird aims to feed the same modest price point crowd that their predecessors serviced with an approach all their own, of course. Mebus, who cooked here at Horizons before relocating to New York to put in work at a number of vegan joints, is starting with a lineup of signature pizzas, using Daiya cheese as well as meat alternatives like seitan sausage and barbecue baked tofu. (We grabbed of the "Nacho," with avocado, caramelized onions, jalapenos and cheddar Daiya.) For sandwiches, he'll offer his thin-sliced seitan cheesesteak, a marinated tofu Cubano and several other options. Full menus after the jump (they're still in soft-open mode, so not every item may be available just yet). One cool feature that will please no-impact types who also happen to love the 'za: If you take out your pie (delivery might be added down the road), you'll get it in a very rad, 100 percent recycled-material Green Box, the top of which breaks down to create plates. The bottom half then folds over and clicks together to create a conveniently sized leftover container for your fridge. (Peep the video demo.) Blackbird is open from 3 to 10 p.m. every day but Monday.


Click to enlarge

Michelle

Posted 2010-10-04 15:57:28

I can't wait to go back and try more!

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, Oct. 4-8 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-11 13:27:38

[...] Blackbird, serving an all-vegan pizza and sandwich menu, opens in the old Gianna’s space. [...]

Kathy L.

Posted 2011-01-24 12:05:42

Everything I eat here is out of this world.  5 Stars!  seriously.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:49 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Things we learned on the Philadelphia Pork Crawl

POSTED: Friday, October 1, 2010, 6:05 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food Events | Photos

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Last week, we were somehow invited (possibly via clerical error) to tag along on something called the Philadelphia Pork Crawl, a breakneck tour of our city's best swine-cooking venues organized by the National Pork Board. Our very own Jose Garces led a small group of out-of-town food writers, most of them contributors to restaurant trade publications, plus some reps from the Pork Board through an itinerary that included Osteria, Paesano's, Percy Street Barbecue, Cochon and Garces' Amada, plus an impromptu stop at Dim Sum Garden. A few gleaned nuggets after the jump. - Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud prepared housemade, egg-topped cotechino at the kick-off at Osteria; they also did thin-sliced testa, or headcheese, served with a really interesting walnut mostarda condiment they made with pure mustard extract basically the same stuff used to make mustard gas. Vetri put a latex glove on and walked the bottle around for everyone to whiff. - The visiting writers love-love-loved the Arista roast pork sandwich at Paesano's, flipping out about it to the always-welcoming Peter McAndrews. The chef revealed that the secret to the tender meat's deeply savory flavor is their process of brining the pork in anchovies. Who knew?! -The PST, or smoked pork belly/slaw/pickled green tomato sandwich at Erin O'Shea's Percy Street, was also a huge hit. It's more like a Texas banh mi than you'd think. - There was a trolley taking the group around, but everyone decided to hoof it to Gene Giuffi's Cochon from Percy Street. A wise decision, as the meat-loving chef dropped an amazing big-boy plate of ribs, crispy skin, a mini cassoulet and grilled pork heart on us. No mercy at Cochon. - Garces loves Dim Sum Garden the little neon-lit Chinatown dumpling spot on 11th Street right next to the best Wawa in the city so he decided to veer off the tour path for quick tastes of their soup dumplings, pan-fried pork/chive dumplings and sliced/marinated pork served cold. "You again?" one of the staffers asked the Iron Chef when he approached the counter. He'd been there the night before, too. - Couldn't help but ask Garces how pork would play into his upcoming Frohmans Wursthaus, set for a 2011 opening at 208 S. 13th (formerly Letto Deli). He says it will not be an exclusively Teutonic operation plenty of German brats and whatnot, or course, but the concept in general will celebrate forcemeats from all over the world, meaning the menu will feature sausages from South America, Greece, Asia and the like. - Garces' second cookbook will come out in the fall of 2011. Unlike Latin Evolution, which was designed for the (extremely) ambitious home cook, this new tome will features individual chapters focused on the cooking traditions on various Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico, Peru and Garces' native Ecuador. - The cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) at Amada is straight ridiculous. (That's chef MacGregor Mann killing it on the cutting board above.) Now want to garnish everything with chicharrones and scallions a la plancha.

JG Domestic dish details :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-01 17:14:41

[...] book signing Meal Ticket• The 20-Pound Watermelon Dilemma: Part 3 of 3• New menus at XIX• Things we learned on the Philadelphia Pork Crawl• Saturday: Midtown Village Fall Festival• Get Whipped this afternoon• McGillin's [...]

rachelburgos

Posted 2010-10-01 14:21:28

this rules so hard

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-10-04 21:47:48

Let me clarify  the Wawa on 11th in Chinatown features the highest concentration of crazy and awesome patrons and therefore is my pick for premier Wawa in Philadelphia.

xtian

Posted 2010-10-04 20:50:14

RE:  "Garces loves Dim Sum Garden  the little neon-lit Chinatown dumpling spot on 11th Street right next to the best Wawa in the city"

Is it really your opinion that this is the best Wawa in the city?

Meal Ticket’s 2010 in pictures: October :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2011-01-01 16:23:52

[...] - Things we learned on the Philadelphia Pork Crawl [01oct10] [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:05 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Watkins Drinkery in pictures

POSTED: Friday, September 24, 2010, 11:11 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Menu Time | Openings | Photos

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Watkins Drinkery, from Jonn Klein of The Dive, is officially open to the public as of 5 p.m. today, but we dropped into a soft-open dinner service last night to snag a few photos for y'all. Sitting right on the corner of 10th and Watkins (near Morris), Klein's bar is the product of nearly-three-year, red tape-laden struggle chalk it up to the property's sordid past as a cocaine distribution hub, plus some heavy doses of Philadelphia Bureaucracy, the most trusted name in bureaucracy. He's done a bunch of changes to the space, but points out that it's mainly stuff you can't see (electrical, tap system, plumbing, kitchen renovations, etc.), meaning the Drinkery still holds that South Philly neighborhood tappie vibe. Just take a look at the light-up starscape ceiling panels above the bar, a holdover from the Bella Rosa II that Klein actually paid to get back into working order. (Klein can't wait to for February to roll around, as he plans on organizing a tongue-in-cheek "Valentine's Day Under the Stars" event.) The interior, dotted with photos Klein took throughout his travels of Europe, has been given a fresh start, especially the second-level floor, which features a dart board, billiards table and a 40-games-in-one 1980s arcade machine the floor up here is the beautiful original oak, but Klein had to rip up something like five layers of crappy board and linoleum up to actually find it. John Morris, a Dive regular who's cooked all over the place, in and out of the city, is the Drinkery's head chef, and he's put together a selection of atypical bar food (see full food/drink menus here) that's priced extremely well (top price: $9.95). What we ate, in order (food till 1 a.m. nightly):

Ostrich carpaccio with micro arugula
Grilled vegetable salad (zucchini, corn, asparagus, etc.) with a vanilla vinaigrette
House-cured duck prosciutto and buffalo mozzarealla sandwich with beef tomato
Rabbit sausage sandwich with pickled jalapenos
Fish and chips (beer-battered mahi mahi with malt vinegar mayo)

Another big selling point for this brand-new spot will be its happy hour, running seven days a week from 5 to 7 p.m. half off everything on draft.

Miss Fidget

Posted 2010-10-22 15:29:26

WOW, I can not fricking WAIT to check this joint out. A much welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Giant Congrats John!

Adam Erace

Posted 2010-09-25 11:08:18

Dope. So glad this deal finally got done.

Foobooz » Quick Bites

Posted 2010-09-28 12:14:35

[...] Meal Ticket takes a look inside Watkins Drinkery taking photos of food, pool tables and the starscape ceiling. [Meal Ticket] [...]

Watkins Drinkery?

Posted 2010-09-27 18:26:43

[...] with pickled jalapenos * Fish and chips (beer-battered mahi mahi with malt vinegar mayo)    Watkins Drinkery in pictures :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper    "It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past" Jonathan [...]

Meal Ticket’s 2010 in Pictures: September :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2011-01-01 12:02:31

[...] - Watkins Drinkery in pictures [24sept10] [...]

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

Philadelphia Chutney Company in pictures

POSTED: Friday, September 17, 2010, 10:03 PM

Filed Under: Menu Time | Openings | Photos

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Earlier this week, we told you a bit about the soft-open Philadelphia Chutney Company (1628 Sansom St.), but now we have some more details about the operation. Taking over the space that was Remedy, PCC is an all-vegetarian operation owned by partners Nirav Mehta, an attorney and IT specialist by trade, and Baldev Singh, who owns Aman's in East Norriton and Aman's Bistro in Chalfont. The duo says the Chutney Company fills a void in quick-service Indian food in Philly; the South Indian-style menu features a big selection of dosas, which are basically paper-thin crepes, anywhere from 12 to 14 inches across, stuffed with fillings like seasonal grilled vegetables, cheese (paneer and otherwise), vegetarian chicken and veggie tuna. They also do uttapas, which rely on the same batter as dosas, but are griddled thicker, resembling more of a pancake. Elsewhere, there's wide of chutneys and condiments (that's the curry chutney above), and side snacks like medhu wada (fried lentil cakes); idli (steamed lentil cakes) and spiced potato samosas. Mehta says they'll start delivery service in about a month; for now, stop in Monday to Thursday between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. till late (maybe 2 a.m., depending on demand). They're closed Sundays. The Chutney Company's grand opening is set for this coming Wednesday, Sept. 22, when they'll offer 30 percent off the entire menu.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 10:03 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NOW OPEN: Hop Angel Brauhaus

POSTED: Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 6:51 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Menu Time | Openings | Photos

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We schlepped it up to quaint Fox Chase yesterday afternoon to grab some photos of Hop Angel Brauhaus (7980 Oxford Ave.), the just-opened revamp of the Blue Ox Brauhaus from Mike "Scoats" Scotese and Patrick McGinley of the Grey Lodge Pub. The partners acquired the business from Tekla Grund, whose clan had run a brauhaus at this location for decades before turning over to new owners, who converted it into a bistro, several years ago. (The site's lineage as a bar, however, dates back centuries.) Scoats and McGinley intended on relaunching the bar as a traditional Teutonic watering hole from the beginning after all, "the architecture demands it," as McGinley says. The 80-seat space's dark wood rafters and ceilings, vintage light fixtures and intricate wood carvings really do give it that barrel-chested, basement-bar-scene-in-Inglourious Basterds feel the partners cleaned the interior up drastically and made some aesthetic/layout tweaks to open up the room for a flow of lively customers. The beer program here, Scoats says, won't be quite as elaborate as it is as Mayfair's Grey Lodge this is a German drinkery, yes, but it's also a Philadelphia bar, so expect to see Oktoberfest and otherwise Deutsch-inspired beers from local breweries on the 12-tap system, in addition to traditional German beers, at any given time. (Knowing these guys, though, they'll definitely offer some solid out-of-town American craft choices, as well.) The food is skewing traditional, too chef Matthew Hartnett, most recently of Center City's Slate (and the sickkkk short rib-stuffed burger), is overseeing a huge menu that centers on all your known-and-loved German meats and sausages (schnitzels, sauerbraten, wursts, roasted pork shoulder, etc.). Scoats adds, though, that Hartnett does extremely well with Alsatian-style food, so don't be surprised if flammekueche or other traditional dishes from the region start appearing on the menu in the coming months. Here are Hartnett's lunch menu and dinner menu in PDF format. Pictured above are two prime beef burgers off the chef's bar/late-night menu one comes topped with King Ludwig beer cheese, while the other is stuffed with pickled shallots and oozy Butterkase; both come with crispy fries and a side of curried ketchup. The Hop Angel is still is soft-open mode, so they're starting by offering the dinner menu (5-10 p.m.) and late-night bar eats (till midnight, and till 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday), with lunch launching soon.

squeak

Posted 2010-09-23 16:07:30

Frikadeller are Danish fried meatballs which are amazing with rugbrød (akin to schwarzbrot). I've never seen a big one. Sounds... scary.

June

Posted 2010-10-31 14:05:07

My husband and I were at the Hop Angel last night. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed the meal. We were seated right away (around 7:00) The drinks were great too.My husband had one of the beers from Germany( I think Munich) and I had the warm cider drink with Bourbon.Also enjoyed the decor,really gave you the feeling of being in Germany. We will be back!!

And at our backs we always hear, Krispy Kreme’s bad-ass glaze-dripping apparatus, drawing near :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-09-30 12:47:09

[...] on Nov. 9, when it opens a new location at 7855 Oxford Avenue in Fox Chase, about one block from the just-launched Hop Angel Brauhaus. Though the Southern-based brand plans on opening upwards of 20 locations in the region between now [...]

Johanna

Posted 2010-10-05 10:14:21

had a 5pm reservation was not seated till 5:30...not able to handle large groups...NO KIDS MENU! and when you call up making a reservation stating you need high chairs you think they would mention there is no kids menu...food was very bland...beer was warm...very very disappointed...will not be returning...

kay

Posted 2010-10-27 19:32:57

Johanna-
Why is that you felt the need to write the same review on at least 3 different review sites......the restaurant is brand new, give them a minute to work out some of the kinks.  You act like waiting 1/2 hour for a table is the end of the world, sometimes things like that happen.  Do me a favor - let me know when you are going to open your own business and I'll make sure to trash it all over the internet.

Marie

Posted 2010-10-01 11:29:12

I went to the Hop Angel Brauhaus the second week it was open and the food was great.  I had the Sauerbraten and my husband had the Wiener Schnitzel - we both enjoyed the dishes and look forward to going back to try the rest of the menu.  The service was fine - orders taken quickly and the server was attentive.  The food came out pretty quickly. We went on a weeknight.

anna

Posted 2010-09-27 21:27:36

I've been reading about this joint with my mouth watering, and I can't wait to check it out. We will be getting down there this coming weekend. I plan on eating and drinking myself silly. In response to the above review, hey...the food was good, so if I were you, I'd give it another shot in a few weeks. It's only been open a little over a week, so there are still going to be kinks to work out...obviously the servers here are the kinks. Some may need work or need to be replaced but at the end of the experience, for me at least, good food cancels out bad service.

diane

Posted 2010-09-27 22:36:23

Sad that you didn't enjoy your experience or the food.  I've eaten there several times already and the food has been perfect--it comes out of the kitchen hot and very tasty.  Remember that they just opened this place up.....I bet it will be better in a few weeks!

Disapppointed Foodie

Posted 2010-09-27 08:02:58

Bad Saturday restaurant experience with a new German restaurant - Hop Angel Brauhaus.  After a long wait got to our table and I had to track down someone to get us bread as we were starving no food was on the horizon.  After a very long wait our entrée's arrived. One was cold and the other one was the wrong one.  Granted the food was good in the end, but the service was abysmal and they lost my business in the future.  Someone needs to know how to run as restaurant.

Foobooz » Quick Bites

Posted 2010-09-16 11:00:27

[...] Meal Ticket has a slideshow of the now open Hop Angel Brauhaus in Fox Chase. [Meal Ticket] [...]

Jake

Posted 2010-11-14 09:54:47

I love hop angel, my friends and I go in almost every saturday. The food is great, best beer around and our bar maid has a great personality. All thumbs up from us!

Arterial Terrorism: The Burgermeister Meisterburger at Hop Angel Brauhaus :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2011-02-07 15:00:38

[...] Matthew Hartnett, chef at Fox Chase’s Hop Angel Brauhaus (7980 Oxford Ave.), sent us word on the newest arterial terrorist to join his menu  the [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:51 PM Permalink | Post a comment

The Lola Bean opens Saturday

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

Filed Under: Coffee | Openings | Photos

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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

NOW OPEN: PBandU

POSTED: Monday, August 30, 2010, 8:43 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Photos

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Last week, Meal Ticket stopped by PBandU (163 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 484-367-7799), which we first mentioned a few weeks ago. Officially open since this past Friday, the kid-friendly eatery is owned by Mercury Amodio, a CAPA grad who has left the music biz to open this concept. Yes, this is quite literally a peanut butter restaurant. They're doing four varieties of PB in-house: creamy, super chunky, "homestyle" (grittier/crunchier) and one blended up with chocolate. On the menu: sandwiches (toppings include cream cheese, Nutella, Fluff and honey, plus savory stuff like bacon, cheddar and pickles), "pizzas" (peanut butter and various toppings on pizza-dough shells) and peanut butter "fondues," to which you can add ingredients like M&Ms, potato chips, pound cake, raisins and celery. For Villanova kids with the munchies who love peanut butter, they're offering a "college pack," four PB&J sandwiches for $10, the perfect snack for a blunt cruise through Gladwyne the perfect snack for a study group. PBandU is open Mon.-Thu. from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Michelle

Posted 2010-08-30 17:48:22

The PB, cheddar and pickle sandwich was oddly delicious

Frances

Posted 2010-09-09 15:54:03

I wanted to offer this review of helpful advice:

They really need to just streamline the whole deal, although it has a lot of potential. I noticed they have free wifi, so that's a step in the right direction, but besides that it just feels like a bunch of kids got tired of the lemonade stand and so, set up a peanut butter shop. Although, business was very good when I was there- mostly moms and their kids, but still, they were making money. It's all very rudimentary right now, however. They need to make it look more professional and as I said- streamline it. I mean, I ordered Ants on a Log and had to turn my head away to keep from laughing as the poor guy held a celery stick between two (ungloved) fingers, placing the raisins one by one. I felt like I should have jumped back behind the counter and helped them make my food. Take Subway for example- even if the prep process is pretty much the same, there's just a pizazz to seeing the long buffet of a toppings-filled silver steel banquet behind the counter. PB&U literally has store-bought jars of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff scattered behind a glass window, butter knives poking out of them at odd angles. It looked like my kitchen.

They also need to be a bit more creative. I mean sure, Peanut Butter Fondue sounds like a cup of peanut butter that you dip odds and ends into.....But that doesn't mean it really should be a cup of peanut butter that you dip odds and ends into. Even Cheese Fondue isn't just......Cheese. It's cheese and beer and cream and spices. They could at least warm the PB and mix it with chocolate or nutella or cream and add cinnamon or ginger or cayenne pepper or.....all of the above. I dunno....

Even the atmosphere needs some revving up. Sure, the wallpapered jumbo FedEx Kinkos printouts of various PB-themed snack foods is cute, but really? That's it? It reminded me of this Rice Pudding place in NYC, only lacking something...There's not much to that place either, but somehow it still manages to have a vibe. This place needs a vibe. They should make it more like a Gryphon place with art, or Silver Spoon Cafe with its European feel...I don't know, it just seems very hurried. It's a great start, but they really need to MOVE IN, you know? Maybe pull a Milkboy Cafe and have live music sometimes...I don't know....

I want it to last, but they need to up their game a bit- though they are off to a good start, don't get me wrong. The novelty of the place is awesome enough, breaking up an otherwise colorless and mundace stretch of road known as "downtown Wayne." Here's to routing for the underdog!

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:43 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Vetri opening in the Navy Yard, plus a nod to Le Bec
The Lite Choice Opens Flagship Store on 16th Street between Walnut & Locust
Dolcissimo! Pastry classes with Le Virtu's Angela Ranalli
Gone Fishin'
Free stuff for Father's Day

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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@mealticket | @carolinerussock | @adamerace

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