Archive: July, 2010

Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Ethical Toothpicks

POSTED: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 12:04 AM

Filed Under: Food TV | Not So Quickfire | Recipes | Top Chef

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If youre a food nerd like me, you cant watch Top Chef without screaming obscenities at the contestants while peacefully pondering what youd whip up for Transcendently Beautiful Padma each episode. If a case of backseat cooking is what ails ya, dig this fresh weekly column featuring recipes based on each Top Chef Quickfire challenge. This weeks Quickfire had the crew creating meals on toothpicks, ethical Capitol Hill eating for senators. Or lobbyists. Or lobbies, Im still not sure. Dandy-dressed Illinois Congressman Tony Romo Aaron Schock explained these stick-speared morals with all the clarity of, well, a politician. So what I did for you today is an all-beef (dont tell my grandmom) meatball shot through with fennel pollen and blue cheese and set between "buns" of basil- and olive oil-macerated heirloom cherry tomatoes. This recipe will work just as well with low-fat ground chicken or turkey if you, like Schock, have abs to think about.

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs on Heirloom Tomato "Buns" (makes 20)

Go Get This: 1 lb. ground beef 20 heirloom cherry tomatoes 2 shallots 1/2 lb. blue cheese, slightly frozen 1 jalapeno (seed it to dial down the spice) 1 egg 1 tsp. fennel pollen (or ground fennel seed), plus a sprinkle Drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil Handful of fresh basil Salt and pepper to taste Now Do This: Rough-chop shallots. Separate basil, leaving small leaves intact; roughly tear or chop large leaves. Separate egg yolk from white. Thinly slice jalapeno. Dice blue cheese. (It's helpful to pop the cheese in the freezer, both before and after dicing, for a few minutes.) Make the meatballs: Combine beef, shallots, basil, fennel pollen, yolk and salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Use your mitts to combine. Working one at a time, grab golf ball-size chunks and roll between your hands to form a sphere. Use your thumb to create a depression in the meat and place on a plate. Repeat until you have 20 balls (you'll have extra meat). Pull blue cheese from freezer and tuck a piece into each depression. Pinch tops of the balls closed around cheese. If necessary, add beef and re-roll so balls are smooth and even. Refrigerate meatballs for at least half an hour. Meanwhile, prep the tomatoes: After washing, remove any stems. Using a serrated knife, slice a small "foot" off the bottom of each tomato so they'll stand up straight. Cut each tomato in half around its equator, creating top and bottom "buns." Arrange on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with fennel pollen and small basil leaves (or torn large leaves). Chill. Now, cook the meatballs: In a deep-bottomed skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove meatballs from the fridge and place in the hot pan (you should hear a sizzl)e. Sear on one side until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Flip and reduce heat to medium; cook an additional 10 minutes. Transfer meatballs onto a plate lined with paper towels to blot up any extra oil. Finally, put it together: Take tomato top and thread it onto a toothpick, followed by a jalapeno slice, meatball and tomato bottom. Stand up straight.

Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Off to the races E-races :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-16 14:52:12

[...] liked this column a lot better when I was making food on toothpicks. Organizing a four-person Quickfire relay race identical to the one on Top Chef D.C.’s [...]

Felicia D'Ambrosio

Posted 2010-08-02 11:34:25

Lobb-a-licious!  Now where's the bill that benefits myself and my constituents!

danya

Posted 2010-07-30 20:43:18

Have y'all trademarked "transcendently beautiful Padma" yet? Because a google search for the term leads to a few observations:

1) Pretty much all the first page is links to your posts. Or, links to links to your posts (USA Today's got your stuff?!)

2) Babynamewizard.com says: "'Padma' means 'lotus' in Sanskrit. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol of purity and TRANCENDENCE, its beautiful blossoms floating above the..."

3) The first two links for me are Viagra-MealTicket-posts, but such is life...

Also, recipe sounds delish.

Tweets that mention Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Ethical Toothpicks :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-30 21:44:01

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bobbie Hayes and Adam Erace, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Check out @adamerace's #TopChef Not So Quickfire recipe for Blue Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs on Heirloom Tomato "Buns": http://bit.ly/9zb8sj [...]

Posted by Adam Erace @ 12:04 AM Permalink | Post a comment

Top Chef D.C. Episode 7: Schock therapy

POSTED: Friday, July 30, 2010, 8:45 PM

Filed Under: Food TV | Top Chef

Pea puree pea puree pea puree pea puree pea puree pea puree pea puree.

"For your Quickfire challenge, Congressman Schock is going to perform weird 'tickle play' acts on all the male cheftestants, then roundly deny it in the press. Your time to run begins NOW!"

Quickfire: The cheftestants are visited by Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Illinois), who would totally be played by a sun-kissed Patrick Wilson in a biopic:

Weird thing about this pic: Patrick Wilson is clothed. That dude is ALWAYS NAKED

Congressman Schock explains that quasi-recent Capitol Hill ethics reform has resulted in a rule barring lobbyists from excessive wining-and-dining of lawmakers all food at hob-nobby functions must be able to be served on a toothpick and eaten while standing, so the chefs have to whip up a dish-on-a-stick to impress a guy who, despite his unwitting/awesome status as a gay icon, doesn't think gay-bashing should be considered a hate crime.

Lil' Arnold Face in drag for ya, Schock! Eat it! On a stick!

At the bottom: the increasingly villainous Alex, whose bacon/scallop/strawberry/basil is too busy and cannot be saved by a patriotic stars-and-bars toothpick; Greatest-Generation Ed, who uses a Polynesian cocktail umbrella (!) for his duo of tuna; and Kelly, who's informed her scallop/watermelon stick lacks flavor. At the top: Our dude Jersey Kev gets a nod for his grilled pork kabob, Angelo "brings back" the cucumber cup and provides the Schockster with "fireworks in my mouth," and a confident Stephen impresses dude with a rich scallop/beef/bernaise trio (There's a lot on that stick, I really enjoyed that!" says the politician. hahah). Angelo, though, wins immunity and $20K for his cuke cup, quite possibly the largest-gapped low-risk/high-reward victory since they gave the American Idol belt to that kid who mows my lawn instead of that coiffure eyeliner sex robot guy.

"Hmm, which of these sexy mesclun mixes would I rather bang..."

Elimination: The chefs must prepare a "power lunch" at the Palm D.C. gonna go ahead and assume they have slightly more credible wall caricatures than our Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane heads using a random meat/seafood. Tasters include Joe Scarborough, why-hell0-there NBC White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie and now-extremely-skinny guest judge chef Art Smith. Jersey Kev, who was chef de cuisine at the Grill at the Ritz-Carlton in the pre-10 Arts era, knows all about the challenge, as he cooked for John Street and crew once a week back in the day. Amanda, on the other hand, admits she's never cooked a porterhouse before, and proceeds to take all the meat off the bone, which means it's not really a porterhouse anymore. She also forgets to bring salt and pepper (?!), so she runs around on some "you can't spare one square?"-type mission for awhile. Ed gets down ripping apart lobsters with his bare hands, while Alex raves about "dinosaur-style" salmon portions. Tiffany finds time during all this to proclaim that she and Ed and not, I repeat not, shacking up on some Top Chef love stuff. "I got a man!" she exclaims. Which of course makes me think like:

Ed's Big Daddy Longstroke and your man's Pee Wee Herman!

Then there's the pea puree. Ed makes one for his lobster dish, but it goes mysteriously missing ... around the same time a pea puree materializes on Alex's salmon plate. Everyone whispers and chats and theorizes about where Ed's puree went off to on some Double P is for Pea Puree Sue Grafton type shit, and some people suspect Alex but no one says anything to him! What's the worst is that Alex and Ed, along with Tiffany, end up in the top three and Art Smith ends up giving Alex the W and raving about the puree like crazy. Rough, Positive K Ed! Of course, we're not provided with a lick of actual evidence implicating Alex as pea puree thief but it's certainly curious. Good job Top Chef, you made pea puree interesting! At the bottom: Jersey Kev, who overcooks lamb; Kelly, who way oversalts her porterhouse steak (at least what she served was a porterhouse, though!); and Andrea, who chooses to top swordfish with a crazy-sounding vanilla bean mustard beurre blanc that just sounds disconcerting. That wacky sauce, as you might imagine, gets her the boot.

Top Chef D.C. Episode 8: Planet rock :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-06 13:22:36

[...] God Top Chef decided to start this episode by revisiting the English pea puree scandal that so rocked the competitive cooking show world last week! I haven’t been able to sleep. But pea puree theft victim Ed, disappointingly, [...]

Top Chef D.C. Episode 10: The hour-long kiss goodnight :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-21 10:55:06

[...] all suspected, this is Alex’s week to go home. He packs his knives, taking the truth behind the Great Pea Puree Scandal of 2010  a national security issue if I’ve ever seen one  with him.   Top Chef D.C. Episode 10: [...]

Molly Eichel

Posted 2010-07-30 17:06:57

Dearest Tiffany,

You are a sass factory like no other and you can cook the shit out of some swordfish. Let's become BFFs.

Love,

Molly

Kendall

Posted 2010-07-30 18:09:51

I can't stop laughing at the second Positive K pic, dying over here.

Tweets that mention Top Chef D.C. Episode 7: Schock therapy :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-30 18:37:16

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper, Drew Lazor and Adam Erace, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Top Chef DC Episode 7 recap  read, comment! http://bit.ly/cocm2M #topchef #topchefdc #tcdc [...]

Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Ethical Toothpicks :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-07-30 19:04:58

[...] until November; have a dance party anyway• NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Lilith Fair edition Meal Ticket• Top Chef D.C. Episode 7: Schock therapy• Adsum launches brunch• Grubbin' at this weekend's DooWop Car Show• EAT THIS [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Adsum launches brunch

POSTED: Friday, July 30, 2010, 7:00 PM

Filed Under: Menu Time

Chef Matthew Levin's very-buzzy Adsum (Fifth and Bainbridge), which we toured you through a few weeks ago, is launching weekend brunch tomorrow, July 31. Brunch will run Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Peep full menu after the jump. Chorizo corn dogs! First Cashew Granola parfait, dried fruits, honey yoghurt, peach sorbet 7 "Bloody Mary" gazpacho, fried oyster, horseradish whip 8 Ricotta beignets, vanilla, strawberry marmalade 6 Smoked sturgeon lox, not so traditional garnishes 12 Romaine salad, "Toad in a hole" smoked onions, lemon- parm dressing 10 Mains Chorizo corndogs, fried hen eggs, black beans, cilantro crema 15 Wild Maine blueberry pancakes, pistachio-bourbon butter, cardamom ice cream 14 Mascarpone and strawberry stuffed French toast, basil, black pepper maple 12 Poached eggs, Smoked ham, shallot-potato hash, hollandaise 12 Heirloom Tomato omelet, chimi churri, farmhouse cheddar 11 Sides Apple wood smoked bacon 5 Breakfast sausage 5 Home fries 3 Toasted bagel 4

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, July 26-30 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-02 08:02:39

[...] Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Ethical Toothpicks• Top Chef D.C. Episode 7: Schock therapy• Adsum launches brunch• Grubbin' at this weekend's DooWop Car Show• EAT THIS IMMEDIATELY: Caprese sandwich at [...]

poncho

Posted 2010-07-30 14:18:23

Yum chimichurri!

Tweets that mention Adsum launches brunch :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-30 17:05:28

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lindsay Hicks and Gumppette, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Brunch starts this weekend at @ChefLevin's @adsumrestaurant: http://bit.ly/cCgAka [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Grubbin' at this weekend's DooWop Car Show

POSTED: Friday, July 30, 2010, 5:51 PM

Filed Under: Food News

East Passyunk will be holding its molto-popular DooWop Car Show and Street Festival this Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., from McKean to Dickinson. Along with more than 100 classic cars, DJs, live music and stuff for the kids, many Punks restaurants will take to the streets and/or open their doors for food and drink all day. After the jump, some quick info on who's serving what. Brunch will be served at P.O.P.E., Cantina Los Caballitos and Lucky 13; DaVinci will serve an Italian-style brunch with frittate. Mamma Maria will serve $5 bites, including homemade gnocchi Al'abruzzese, sausage and pepper sandwiches, chicken marsala sandwiches, string beans and potatoes and Mammas homemade tiramisu. Le Virtu will offer $5 timballo on the street; they will also be char-grilling pork belly, lamb chops, calamari, shrimp and housemade sausage in their outdoor garden. Grilled fare, which will be served with sides like farro and cannellini beans, will run $8. Signature drinks and house red and white wines will run $8 and $7, respectively; craft beers, call drinks and rail drinks will range from $4 to $6. Paradiso is cooking smoked BBQ brisket, pulled pork, baked beans and cole slaw. Izumi, Paradiso's sister restaurant, will do chicken or pork Japanese hoagies, plus their full sushi menu. Fuel will pour fresh fruit smoothies and banana whips. El Zarape will do grilled Mexican specialties. Adobe Café is hosting an all-day happy hour $1 off all drinks, $4 margaritas and $1 Cuervo shots with any beer; for food, $2 nachos or mini quesadillas and 30-cent wings are among the deals. Chhaya Café isn't even open yet (check out more info), but they'll be providing sneak previews of their baked goods at 1823 E. Passyunk. Avenue Cheese Shop will be dishing out roast pork sandwiches. Tre Scalini will have its full menu available after 2 p.m.

Tweets that mention Grubbin at this weekends DooWop Car Show :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-30 16:07:28

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lindsay Hicks and PhiladelphiaScooters, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Where and what should you eat at this weekend's East Passyunk DooWop Car Show? Our roundup: http://bit.ly/bIPOyy [...]

Posted by Anthony Sica @ 5:51 PM Permalink | Post a comment

EAT THIS IMMEDIATELY: Caprese sandwich at Ultimo Coffee

POSTED: Friday, July 30, 2010, 3:49 PM

Filed Under: Coffee | Eat This Immediately

Photo | Adam Erace

This summer marks the second for Ultimo Coffee, the caffeinated half of Newbolds scrappy Ultimo/Brew (1900 S. 15th St.), as well as the reprisal of their perfecto Caprese baguette. "As soon as local tomatoes were available, the sandwich went back on the menu," says owner and coffee swami Aaron Ultimo, who served as judge at the most recent Thursday Night Throwdown barista competition. Pairing tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil is nothing new, but layering it on a split Four Worlds baguette takes the Italian-flag-colored trio to another plane. "People say bread makes a sandwich," says Ultimo. "In this case, its really true." Baker Michael Dolichs slender roll possesses that elusive balance of exterior crunch and inner chew, an ideal foil for the sliced Lancaster tomatoes, petals of Claudio mozzarella and torn basil from Ultimos back yard. So which of the cafes rotating Counter Culture coffees make the best match for this $6 summer lunch? An iced Finca el Puenta from Marcala, Honduras has sweetness to counterbalance the tart snap of the sandwich," says Ultimo. "Its nicknamed the 'Purple Princess' for its plum, grape and lavender notes. Icing the brew according to the Japanese school coffee's brewed fresh at double strength in a press-pot and poured hot directly over ice "intensifies all that sweetness and nuance. Eat this immediately.

poncho

Posted 2010-07-30 13:02:20

Oh man, this post is reason why I should never read Meal Ticket on an empty stomach...

kitchenplay

Posted 2010-07-30 14:26:39

I was totally coveting these about two hours ago.

Posted by Adam Erace @ 3:49 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Recapping: Konstantinos Pitsillides' Kanella pop-up at Washington Square

POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 9:44 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food Events | Photos

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The second installment of Stephen Starr's Washington Square pop-up restaurant series, featuring Konstantinos Pitsillides of Kanella, wraps up this evening, meaning tonight's your last chance to check out the chef's Levantine-style menu. We popped by the pop-up last night (we didn't have reservations, but were easily accommodated at the outdoor bar highly recommended) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Starr and Pitsillides might seem like an odd pairing, but the mogul is something of a regular at Kanella Starr says his youngest daughter will always pick the BYO (10th and Spruce) over any of his restaurants when given the option to choose a place for dinner. Pitsillides saw the three-night run as a challenge, as well as an opportunity to test out a slew of Eastern Mediterranean recipes he doesn't typically cook at his fiercely traditional Cypriot restaurant. Unlike the recent Talula's Table pop-up, which saw duchesse de fromage Aimee Olexy floating about the restaurant hob-nobbing with diners, Pitsillides stayed in the kitchen to oversee his team of SRO chefs, who cranked out plates at a quick pace for the no-frills, when-it-comes-it-comes dinner service. That really worked with this style of food, which was so hearty and shareable that it didn't really matter that entrées came before or after or during apps. What we had, in order (here's the full menu):

Keo, a Cypriot beer
Lahana, a salad of sautéed nettles, wild mushrooms and Vlahotiri cheese
Pan-roasted duck livers, Moroccan carrot salad
Grilled sardines (all bones in, eat 'em with your hands!) wrapped in vine leaves with pickled cauliflower
Grilled quail with chickpeas, figs and Spanish goat cheese
Spetzai-style red snapper, spring onion and tomato crust
Codfish cakes with purslane salad
Fresh figs with Greek yogurt, honey and walnuts
Lavender mousse with mixed berries

Starr's next pop-up, scheduled for September, will feature Angelo Sosa, chef at Xie Xie in NYC and a current contestant on Top Chef D.C.

Menu for Scott Schroeder’s Starr pop-up :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-09-17 11:46:36

[...] third and final* chef to sign on for Stephen Starr-organized pop-up dinner, joining Aimee Olexy and Konstantinos Pitsillides. Scheduled for Tue., Sept. 28 and Wed., Sept. 29 from 6 to 9 p.m., the pop-up will take place at [...]

Tweets that mention Check out photos from the Kanella pop-up. Tonight's the final night! -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-29 18:24:14

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper, Drew Lazor and Drew Lazor, mealticket. mealticket said: Check out photos from the @StarrRestaurant Kanella pop-up. Tonight's the final night! http://bit.ly/bnQ37I [...]

Anthony Sica

Posted 2010-07-29 23:00:15

I love this idea as much as I love that space.  I am stoked for Angelo's and am hoping for some testicle marshmallows.

kitchenplay

Posted 2010-07-30 14:25:00

I was there last night and had an awesome time. And Chef Pitsillides visited my table upon hearing from our server that myself and my companion are Armenian/Lebanese and Israeli, respectively. It was a nice treat. 

We dug into the...
# Armenian Beef Salad with four kinds of onions (yes, I'm still tasting it today)
# Codfish cakes with purslane salad
# Grilled quail with chickpeas, figs and Spanish goat cheese
# Braised Octopus, black eyed peas and charmoula
# Fresh figs with Greek yogurt, honey and walnuts
# Lavender mousse with mixed berries

The quail and mousse were definitely my favorites. Plus the Arak was some of the smoothest I've ever had. Overall, a great night out.

BarryG

Posted 2010-07-30 15:04:44

kitchenplay, if you look on your bill you will see the arak was Ashkelon brand arak.  Ask your Israeli friend about it--it is a very pedestrian brand in Israel, going for something like 10 NIS (less than $3 USD) per glass.  This is not to take anything away from the meal or the cocktails; I attended as well and loved everything.

kitchenplay

Posted 2010-07-30 15:44:15

BarryG... hah, yes, my friend did have sticker shock for paying $9 for the glass of Arak that he was drinking just a few weeks ago for so much less in Israel. I just know that sometimes Arak kills my throat and this was so much more drinkable. I actually stuck to the Greek white wine, the name of which I'm forgetting. Glad you enjoyed your meal!

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:44 PM Permalink | Post a comment

IN PRINT: City Paper Food and Restaurants, July 29

POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 7:30 PM

Filed Under: In Print

Photo | Neal Santos

- Elisa Ludwig checks out the Wishing Well in the Italian Market. She digs some of the pub's eats (like the Indo-inspired calamari above), but finds that much of the menu including the signature, scrapple-topped SHAME burger ain't up to snuff just yet. - Quickie Q&A with Adam Erace, CP's new restaurant critic and Meal Ticket contributor. Adam doesn't start until next week, but that doesn't mean he can't drop a True Blood reference or two while we're waiting. - Feeding Frenzy notes two openings (choux-tastic Tutti Frutti and Crocodile Philly) and one huge closing (the recently-announced shuttering of Le Bec-Fin). - Eric Henney's got lots of goodies in What's Cooking for you this week, including a Johnny Brenda's clambake, an AC celeb chef shindig and word on a crabby coupla days at fish. - Though it deals more with the spot as a performance space as opposed to a beer bar, definitely check out Brian Howard's cover story on The Khyber, which will permanently pull the plug on live music after this weekend. It's a cool oral history featuring opinions and remembrances from all over the Philly music community.

Tweets that mention What's in food section this week? -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-29 16:33:37

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper, mealticket. mealticket said: What's in @citypaper's food section this week? http://bit.ly/cBgFGC [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

South Philly Food Co-op well on its way

POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 6:45 PM

Filed Under: Food News

SPFC on Facebook

The South Philly Food Co-op (SPFC), a project that's still in its infancy, is currently looking for investors, potential future members and volunteers to bolster its various committees. The SPFC, which does not yet have a set-in-stone geographic location for the co-op they hope to bring to the area (think Weavers Way, but below Washington Avenue), wants to create a hub for food-centric education and outreach in addition to founding a commercial space providing locally sourced foods. For now, peep the SPFC's website to join the mailing list, get involved or just get more info.

Mary Beth Hertz

Posted 2010-07-29 14:33:39

Hi Drew,

Thanks so much for featuring us! We are really excited by the amount of interest and enthusiasm for a food co-op in South Philly.  We will have a table at the East Passyunk Doo Wop Car Show on Sunday if people want to meet us.

http://www.visiteastpassyunk.com/events.htm

Thanks again!

Mary Beth
South Philly Food Co-op Steering Committee

We Were Featured in the City Paper | South Philly Food Co-op

Posted 2010-07-29 14:44:16

[...] City Paper  Posted on July 29, 2010 by marybethhertz   Thanks to Drew Lazor who featured us in his latest Meal Ticket blog post over at the City Paper!  We are so excited by the enthusiasm and support we’ve gotten from [...]

Tweets that mention South Philly Food Co-op well on its way :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-29 15:09:29

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Landon & Lindsey, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: South Philly's own food co-op is well on its way. How to get involved: http://bit.ly/avfIYZ [...]

David

Posted 2010-07-30 07:50:10

And folks in Kensington have been at this for over a year and are now one step closer as they recently incorporated! http://www.kcfoodcoop.com/
Philadelphia has a growing food co-op community with these two start-ups and the Mariposa expansion in the works in West Philly.

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, July 26-30 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-02 11:39:11

[...] Kanella pop-up at Washington Square• IN PRINT: City Paper Food and Restaurants, July 29• South Philly Food Co-op well on its way• SNACK TIME: DIY PBJ OMG, the muffin man's a snitch, octo-riffic, curd is the word, a new [...]

SNACK TIME: It’s a-meeee, veggie Mario!, Musical TwEATers, sorghum beer here, You should “like” this co-op, Taco Tuesdays has a new home :: Meal Ticket :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-12 16:01:50

[...] interested in the South Philly Food Co-op. I have participated in their many meetings and events, all in the hopes of making this dream a reality. Are you a “friend” of theirs on Facebook yet? I promise you they don’t [...]

Tonight: South Philly Food Co-op happy hour at SPTR :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-12-07 14:58:23

[...] her latest What’s Cooking column, but here’s a friendly reminder: The team working on launching the South Philly Food Co-op is hosting a fund-raising happy hour tonight at South Philly Tap Room (1509 Mifflin St.) from 7 to [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

SNACK TIME: DIY PBJ OMG, the muffin man's a snitch, octo-riffic, curd is the word, a new perspective on watermelon

POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 5:26 PM

Filed Under: Snack Time

Grathio Labs via Serious Eats

Every Wednesday Thursday this week, Meal Ticket pokes around the food blog world to see what's simmering. - Behold what could possibly be the greatest do-it-yourself dessert ever imagined: the PBJ-Cream Cone with strawberry ice cream. Serious Eats (via Grathio Labs) gives you a simple step-by-step to create this fantastic-looking treat. - Finally, food beef worthy of its own Law and Order episode! Phoodie delves deep to give us the scoop on an ex-Thomas' English Muffins employee who wanted to get a gig at Hostess. I am honestly more interested in this story than Lohan's jail stint. Just sayin'. - DoughGirl titled this post "Oops," but I would've called it "woah!" I see a gorgeous photo essay of her eating adventures, including this bad-ass picture of a grilled octopus dish she made. Yo DoughGirl, right on! - Oh, Madame Fromage, what can't you do? Here, she shares 12 ways to jazz up curds, including this perfectly in-season arugula-wrapped and cherry tomato-topped rendition. - Here is an awesome video of a baby eating a watermelon from the inside. Admit it, you would absolutely do the same if you could.

Posted by Rachel Burgos @ 5:26 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Today: Twice, fried chicken

POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 5:03 PM

Filed Under: Dealage

Photo | Drew Lazor

Today, crispy skin-craving friends, you have the opportunity to eat two very good and very different renditions of fried chicken at two very good and very different places, separated by just a few blocks. For lunch, stop by frequent Meal Ticket haunt Mémé (2201 Spruce St.) for David Katz's once-a-week lunch $11 gets you a drumstick, a thigh, a flakyflaky biscuit, a side of special dipping sauce and a drink (iced tea, lemonade or High Life get the High Life, duh). For dinner, pop into Meritage (500 S. 20th St.), where chef Anne Coll just launched her Thursday Korean fried chicken night. Pony up 25 bones are you'll get chicken and sides (plus a big can of Sapporo) for two.

Tweets that mention Today: Twice, fried chicken :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-07-29 13:28:57

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Meal Ticket, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: You should eat friend chicken for lunch AND dinner today. Where to go: http://bit.ly/clTWb1 [...]

daytime drinker

Posted 2010-07-30 10:08:09

Drew Lazor must not know much about beer
Duh I would get the lemonade
Here are some comments from ratebeer website on High Life

"Warning: Must drink ice-cold to distinguish from urine."
"The aroma is of dirty burnt toast, with corn and cardboard. The flavor is of corn syrup and sugar"
"Aroma of corn, metallic, and chlorine (swimming pool). Flavor of cereal, corn, and chlorine with a watery mouthfeel."
"Smells like a pool with metal sides that a sweaty soccer player just took a dip into. Tastes...slightly better than that. Only slightly."

It's amazing to me that great chefs and restaurants continue (in the best drinking city in America) to offer shitty macrobrew beers
They use great local ingredients, high quality meats and seafood, great wine lists, stellar cocktail programs, great decor and service and then they roll out shitty beers with adjunct and cheap as dirt ingredients. It makes no logical sense. I realize that this has become the alternative to PBR for many ( i didn't say that word that rhymes with dipster) but it might be the worst beer i have ever had in my life
Another example of following the herd mentality, and how effectively big  beer marketing and advertising is.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-07-30 10:15:05

daytime drinker:

Your next High Life's on me, babe!

Philly Son

Posted 2010-07-30 10:30:16

YO, DD. SAD.

Justin Manne

Posted 2010-07-30 12:24:48

Wow... easy daytime drinker... don't get out much do we... little thing we in the real world like to think of as a sense of humor.

poncho

Posted 2010-07-30 14:30:17

You sound like a pretentious douche.

More High Life for me!!!!

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:03 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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The Lite Choice Opens Flagship Store on 16th Street between Walnut & Locust
Notes from the Weekend: June 17
Rock Star cheese dinner at Di Bruno's
Free stuff for Father's Day
Vetri opening in the Navy Yard, plus a nod to Le Bec
Gone Fishin'
Happy National Beef Jerky Day!
Summer of Riesling Dinner at P&K
Afternoon Snacks: Party Pizza, Empellon joins tumblr, Giant bibimbap (!), Snickerdoodle cobbler
Now Serving: IndeBlue

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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