If you ask us, there are few greater joys in life than picnicking, and on the darkest of winter days, we often dream of sitting outside with a spread of delicious foods. Lucky for us, summer is here, and Philadelphia is full of parks perfect for laying down a blanket and feasting on whatever vittles you’ve brought. From now until we are ready to admit that it’s just too cold to eat outside, we will bring you a weekly post (just in time for the weekend!) on what sort of picnic fare you can find around your favorite local park.

First up is Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown, and more importantly, right on the Delaware. Somehow, it’s managed to stay somewhat uncrowded, although we don’t understand how, what with the beautiful view of the river and the bridge, not to mention the lovely breeze coming off of the water. In any case, this is good news for us (and now for you!), because it means more prime picnic real estate to choose from, be it in the sun or under a shady tree.

• If your idea of a perfect picnic is a spontaneous assortment of as many different treats as possible, Quince Fine Foods is just the ticket. The shelves are stocked with artisanal breads and imported cheeses, and one can’t go wrong with the “Quince Special,” which is lomo, manchego, and quince paste on a French baguette.

• Maybe though, your picnic is part of a courtship and something slightly more sophisticated is in order. If that’s the case, provisions from Bar Ferdinand, which serves a wide array of mouth-watering tapas and Spanish food, are sure to win over even the most serious eaters. Close your eyes while you bite in to the pixin con pancetta (a skewer of monkfish, pork belly, and rosemary) and you might find yourself transported to Spain – but is that really necessary when you’re in so nice of a spot already?

[Photo: bendystraw/flickr]

We're pretty thrilled about the 19th Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival in Reading Terminal Market, which starts today. There isn't much that tops pie, donuts, dairy products, and fruit and veggie preserves on our list of food loves, which (as far as we can tell) are basically the cornerstones of Amish cuisine. The festival runs today through Saturday, and based on previous years, we can safely predict that it will be a wonderland of Pennsylvania Dutch eats.

As excited as we are about this festival, once it's over, we'll have to face the prospect of waiting a whole year for the next one. Trouble is, going to one food-related festival always whets our appetite for more, so in preparation for the hole in our lives once the Pennsylvania Dutch Festival is over, we started looking into other Philly-region food festivals. Okay, so some of these are less "Philly-region" and more Pennsylvania, but we couldn't bring ourselves to omit a garlic festival.

• August 30-31 is the weekend of the Pocono Garlic Festival. A day trip to the Poconos sounds pretty alluring, because sometimes, you just need a little nature. If that's not compelling enough, we should tell you that in previous years, offerings have included garlic roasted pork, garlic ice cream, and garlic funnel cakes.

• The 3rd Annual Midtown Village Fall Festival will be happening October 4th. Look forward to sushi, cupcakes, beer, and so much more!

• Even urther in the future is The Book and The Cook: A Collaborative Culinary Adventure, spanning nearly a week in October. Slated restaurants include Fork, London Grill, and Bar Ferdinand, plus a whole crew of cookbook authors.

Fork [MenuPages]
Fork [Official Site]
London Grill [MenuPages]
London Grill [Official Site]
Bar Ferdinand [MenuPages]
Bar Ferdinand [Official Site]

• The ne plus ultra of tea services is probably that at the Ritz, if only because it’s at the Ritz.

• That said, afternoon tea at the Rittenhouse Hotel in the Mary Cassatt Tea Room is just as ritzy, and the room is truly magnificent.

• For those keen on going to tea, but unsure about something so extravagant, T-bar is a lower-key (and lower-cost) bet.

Coffee suddenly seems a little bit less special, no?

Mary Cassatt Tea Room [MenuPages]
Mary Cassatt Tea Room [Official Site]

[Photo: Lumpy Golightly/flickr]

We hope you got a chance to check out the May article about Greensgrow Farm in the New York Times, because it was a really terrific read. We were happy to see Greensgrow get credit for all of their success, but it’s worth noting that while they may be the most famous and commercially successful farm in Philly, they are by no means the only agriculture happening within city limits.

In fact, Philly is something of a pioneer when it comes to urban gardening, because in addition to the multitude of community gardens throughout the city, we also have quite a few farms. It’s a victorious and commendable blend of grassroots activism, greening of the city, reclamation of abandoned lots, and for our purposes, yummy organic vegetables - grown locally, of course.

Some of the other top-dog farms include Somerton Tanks Farm, Mill Creek Farm, and Weaver’s Way Co-op Farm. Our winner for “Farm Most Likely To Be Made Into An Inspirational Movie” is The Seeds for Learning: Martin Luther King High School Farm, which operates out of MLK High School. The farm employs student workers who learn about sustainable growing practices and entrepreneurship. Not only do all of these farms grow sustainable crops and encourage community participation, they also all operate farm stands, so that anyone in Philadelphia has access to their crops of tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and much more.

Where Industry Once Hummed, Urban Garden Finds Success [NYT]

[Photo: Andrew Morrell/flick]

Until you read about his death, did you know that Aleksandr Soltzhenitsyn was alive for the better part of 2008? Yeah, neither did we. We read A Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich in 9th grade English, and don't remember much about it except for general bleakness.

Oh, and of course, the food. Since the book was a description of one single day, it really got down into minutiae, and this involved lengthy descriptions of food and its importance. See, not only were the political prisoners starving, food also had an awesome power as currency. If a prisoner had the will to conserve their rations, they could use the food they had squirreled away to get what they wanted out of fellow prisoners.

Anyway, although Soltzhenitsyn used many words to describe it, gulag grub was actually nothing to write home about. From what we remember, it consisted of watery soups, stale bread, cabbage, and gristly, bony fish heads. Hardly the stuff of (food) dreams! Still, in memorial: some thoughts on where to get Russian food. (We are cheating and going to places that are palatable. Don't be mad.)

• Restaurant X.O serves big Russian, banquet-style meals. Feel part of an extended Russian family as you takes bites from assorted flavorful smoked meat and fish platters.

• A giant spread of Russian food is also possible at Golden Gate, although you will have to BYOV (bring your own vodka). Feast on blintzes and pierogies, all while thanking your lucky stars that you've been spared oily fish head soup.

Go, eat, drink, be contemplative! If not for yourself, then for Ivan Denisovich.

Restaurant X.O [MenuPages]
Golden Gate [MenuPages]

The best date of our life involved pizza on South Street, then a concert at Swarthmore College, followed by a dance party at Transit, but many years have passed since then, and we tend to seek out more grown-up date spots these days.

Center City has myriad great restaurants for whatever kind of mood you are trying to set, be it high romance or carefree fun, but it’s not the only game in town! Even If you didn't make it during University City Dining Days, we recommend checking out Marigold Kitchen in West Philadelphia for a chic-but-not-fussy meal. Although off the beaten path, there is something immensely appealing about making a night of it in West Philly, probably because it is quieter and more laid back, and not in spite of it.

Continue reading "Date Night: West Philadelphia Is For Lovers" »

A lot of the time, we can get pretty selfish about our food and easily forget that many people don't have the same access to food that we do, in terms of taste, quality, nutritional value, and variety. Then, articles like today's Inquirer piece about Philadelphia's homeless population come along, and snap things into sharp focus.

Apparently, the city of Brotherly Love kind of lives up to its name when it comes to homelessness, which is heartening! Where other American cities are dealing with rising homelessness by outlawing associated activities (loitering, sleeping on benches, etc.), Philly has taken a more laissez-faire approach, and doesn't treat homelessness as a crime. So. We're very glad to hear that our city isn't implementing draconian edicts that don't do anything to solve the problem. That said, once our moment of pride had passed, we got to wondering: if Philly is relatively tolerant of the homeless, what, if anything is going on to help feed them, as well as the just plain needy?

After the jump, the very, very tiniest tip of the iceberg.

Continue reading "Who's Hungry? (No, Really)" »

Of the many joys of summer, we find that there is one in particular that reigns supreme. Is it hot dogs and baseball games you might ask? Not quite, although those two things together are beyond great. Outdoor and rooftop dining? Mmm, while we do love eating and drinking alfresco, that's not exactly what we mean either. So, it must have something to do with farmer's markets and the abundance of fresh produce, right? (Right?) Well, we might as well just come clean with it: although food is usually first in our heart and mind, as far as we're concerned, the frivolous summer movie is one of unparalleled thrills of the season. That off our chest, it's time for confession #2, which is that we saw Mamma Mia! last night and loved it. The music! The dancing! The breathtaking shots of the glittering Aegean sea! It was enough to make us want to burst into song as we left the theater.

Everything always ends up circling back to food for us though, and this morning, we found ourselves pondering that sparkling sea, and not just because of its beauty. No. We started pondering the wealth of seafood right below the surface, and how much we could go for Greek seafood tonight. Fortunately, there is no dearth of terrific Greek restaurants here in Philly, and our craving can be satisfied pretty easily.

• New BYOB Kanella has been getting raves right and left, and with good reason. The restaurant serves truly authentic Cypriot fare, and the owner is fastidious about quality and freshness. The fish changes daily, so it's hard to point to a specific dish, but if the dorado is the fish of the day, it shouldn't be missed. We haven't had the chance to try it yet, but by all accounts, it's grilled to perfection.

• Effie's is a tried and true option for excellent Greek food in the city. If we were going tonight, we would ask to be seated in the patio garden, and order the armonia (sauteed shrimp, mussels, calamari in a spicy tomato sauce over pasta). The lack of a sea breeze, and definitely not the food, is what keeps us from feeling transported to the Greek Isles, instead of a garden in Philly.

• Lastly, we feel that no round-up of superlative Greek seafood joints would be complete without mention of the Dmitri's on S 3rd. We tend to get evangelical about this place, both around people who have been (it's a chorus of ringing endorsements), and those who haven't (we fear we might get overly pushy). The fare is the picture of simplicity: grilled fish, octopus, shrimp, and so on, with very little by way of embellishments other than olive oil and lemon juice, but with food this good, there is no need for more.

Effie's [MenuPages]
Effie's [Official Site] Kanella [MenuPages]

[Photo: Foodaphilia]

Alright. Time warp. When we first moved to Philadelphia back in the halcyon days of 2001, Shola Olunloyo's Studiokitchen was the big goddamn deal in Philly dining circles. The idea was simple: Shola was a mad genius chef with a house on the fringes of University City, a stone's throw from Manuta. You'd go to his house with friends and eat whatever the mad genius prepared. Olunloyo is the kind of guy who, just for kicks, will make menus like this:

Coriander Scented Red Lentil Soup, Grilled Pandan Leaf Shrimp w/Argan Oil.

Rabbit Confit and Maui Onion Ravioli, Fennel Caramel, Almond Praline

Oil Poached Halibut with Sweet Pea and Clam Stew, Horseradish Emulsion

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder, Parsnip Foam & Grain Mustard Jus

Pineapple Ginger Ravioli, Almond Black pepper Croustillant, Lemon Brie Ice Cream, Basil Oil.

BRIE CHEESE ICE CREAM, PEOPLE. In any case, we just ran across this interview with Olunloya. Among many other things, the man understands that molecular gastronomy is a joke:

"Molecular gastronomy is neither legit nor fad. It’s just plain silly. ALL cooking is considered “molecular gastronomy”. If you blindfolded your 10 year old sister and told her to drop an egg in boiling water, everything that happens after that egg hits the water is “molecular gastronomy”. My point is that the term itself is meaningless.

Attaching it to hypermodern cuisine with challenging or jarring combinations does not legitimize the definition. 85% of the time, most things that have had that term actively attached to it just don’t taste that good. Interesting yes, creative definitely, but delicious mostly not. In many ways, it ends up being like not seeing the forest for the trees. Liquid nitrogen does not make you a better cook, its just pandering for attention."

The good news? He's opening a restaurant. Stay tuned for more info.

Studiokitchen Redux [Phoodie.info]

[Image via Studiokitchen]

When we picked up our copy of the Daily News this morning (well, when we looked at it online), we could hardly believe there was an article on Mister Softee. That's because everyone's favorite ice cream truck company is going after bootleg Mister Softee trucks. The Mister Softee company, based in Runnemede, NJ, is taking court action against multiple faux-Softees:

"Everybody acts like it's not that big a deal, or say, 'Oh, it's just ice cream,' " said Jim Conway Jr., the company's vice president. "My cousin and I paid millions to buy Mister Softee. It's more than just ice cream."

Last month, Mister Softee filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit in federal court against three ice-cream vendors operating out of New York and New Jersey.

The suit is one of about 15 that Mister Softee has filed in the past eight years to protect its 400 franchise dealers against copycats. It has never lost a case."

With that said, let's just add that it's unbelievably awesome that you can rent Mister Softee trucks for parties.

For Mister Softee, it's not just ice cream [PDN]
Mister Softee [Official Site]

[Image via A Brooklyn Life]

Robble robble. A Pennsylvania thief is stealing pipes and sewer covers from Philadelphia-area fast food restaurants. Metal commodities are reaching near record highs — copper sold two weeks ago for a staggering $4.06 a pound — and criminals are looking for easy sources of metal.

The same McDonalds in Upper Gwynedd was hit twice. After first being robbed on May 2, it was robbed again in May 5. Several Burger Kings were allegedly hit as well.

The first recent incidents were in May at four Montgomery County fast-food joints, East Norriton Detective Jean Morrison said. After targeting a McDonald's in Upper Gwynedd on May 2, the brazen thief apparently went back to the same place three days later and stole the replacement piping. Only the plumbing for toilets and urinals in men's rooms has been targeted, Morrison said. "He'd probably draw attention to himself if he went into the women's room," she said. "Or maybe not; you never know." Police believe that fast-food restaurants are targeted because a thief can get in and out quickly without being noticed.

The scrap metal thiefs, many of whom are in the "business" to subsidize their drug habits, have also been stealing everything from manhole covers to copper wiring to whole-house-unit air conditioners around the Delaware Valley in recent months.

Pipes, sewer covers swiped as price spikes [Inquirer]

Yesterday we bought you the heads of America's presidential candidates rendered in hummus form. Today we bring you something a bit more local from the Fancy Food Show — a complete list of Delaware Valley and environ businesses who showed up. We added reps from the Poconos and Amish country as well, cus hell... they're our hoagie eating cousins too, right?

Here's who we encountered:

• Acapella Foods (Berwyn)
• Asher's Chocolates (Souderton)
• Bewley Irish Imports (West Chester)
• The Bread Dip Company (Philadelphia)
• Brittle Bark Company (Mechanicsburg)
• Chocolat Michel Cluizel (Pennsauken)
• Curdelicious (Lititz)
• Dutch Gold Honey (Lancaster)
• Fox Run (Ivyland)
• Foodworks International (Blue Bell)
• The Glenroy Group
• Grand Specialties (Lampeter)
• Herbal Water (Wynnewood)
• Keller-Charles (Philadelphia)
• My Boy's Baking (Allentown)
• Schiff Ribbons (Quakertown)
• Real Chef (Bryn Mawr)
• Savello (Wilkes-Barre)
• Simpson Imports (Jenkintown)
• St. Dalfour Et Cie (Philadelphia)
• Stichler Products (Reading)
• Twin Hens (Atlantic City)
• Wolfgang Candy Company (York)

In other words, a damn fine turnout from the Philly area. Of course, by the time we got back from the Fancy Food Show we were weighed down by tons of samples. So it goes.

Additional highlights from the show tomorrow because we're playing it out for all it's worth.

Fancy Food Show [Official Site]

Starbucks announced late Tuesday afternoon that they are closing 600 of their stores in the United States, as previously mentioned in our newsbrief. All stores closed will be from the company-operated market (meaning that privately operated locations such as those inside bookstores, universities and highway rest stops are uneffected). The closings will start now and will stretch throughout 2008 and into the first half of the 2009 fiscal year as well.

As many as 12,000 employees are expected to lose their jobs.

Here's CEO Howard Schultz's spin on it:

"Throughout the history of the company, we have always aspired to put our people first. This makes our decision to close stores difficult, because it is disrupting the lives of the people who have worked so hard to deliver superior service to our customers. We sincerely thank each one of them and are very proud of their many contributions to the company. At the same time, we recognize that it is necessary to make decisions that will strengthen the U.S. store portfolio and enable us to enter into fiscal 2009 focused on enhancing operating efficiency, improving customer satisfaction and ensuring long-term value for our partners, customers and shareholders."

In real world speak, well... Schultz is explaining that rising gas prices and the resulting economic fallout is kicking the company's butt. Over at Jim Romenesko's excellent Starbucks Gossip site, company employees are weighing in. It turns out that employees who lose their jobs will be given a lump sum severance fee and that there's a secret internal store closing manual that was given out to managers over the past year.

But we're more interested in what this means to Philadelphia. Although Starbucks has not released a list of the coffee shops they are closing yet, it's inevitable that some Delaware Valley locations will be on it.

So which Starbucks do you think are headed into the dumpster? Send us an e-mail and weigh in with your two cents. Hell, we'll be here.

Starbucks Press Release [Y! Biz]
Starbucks to close 600 underperforming US stores [Sbux Gossip]

Here's a story for you:

The New York City Food Film Festival kicked off on Saturday night at Water Taxi Beach in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City. Now, remember Saturday night?

It was raining hard. It was raining two animals of each species hard. So we didn't go, given that the films were being screened outside and all. We figured it would be cancelled.

So we stayed home. That meant we missed the New York premiere of This is My Cheesesteak. It also happened to be the film that kicked off the festival — and we heard from reliable sources that reps from, among others, Tony Luke's and John's Roast Pork traveled to New York for the premiere.

It turns out that we were mistaken and the proceedings took place under an "enormo-tent." That's life, right?

But anyway... If you'll be in the neighborhood, there's a full schedule of upcoming festival flicks. Shows wrap up on Friday, but here are some of the upcoming films we're stoked about:

• Best of the Wurst: Dir. Grace Lee - Lee takes you on a journey to find the best Currywurst - Berlin's beloved street food. (2007 NYC Food Film Festival selection that was rained out last year)

• Donut Day: Dirs. Amy Levine & Dhera Strauss - A day in the life of a Michigan donut shop.

• The Sloppiest Burger in Malaysia: Dir. Adly Rizal, Mohd - Malaysian gonzo food reportage to the max. Watch out Bourdain.

• Holy Smoke Over Birmingham: Dir. Max Shores - A solid overview of the barbeque joints of Birmingham, Alabama.

• From The Ground Up: Dir. Su Friedrich - Director Friedrich follows the production of coffee from the trees of Guatemala to the street vendors of Queens, NY.

A clip from Cheesesteak is shown above.

New York City Food Film Festival [Official Site]

Sad (but expected) news — Rick's Steaks is leaving Reading Terminal Market.

Inquirer: " Olivieri, whose family has operated from a prime window location on the market's 12th Street side since 1982, said he would reopen at another Center City location, though nothing was definite.
Kevin Feeley, spokesman for management at Reading Terminal Market Corp., said the settlement ended "a very difficult time for all the people involved. . . . Our motivation was always what was best for the market."
Feeley disputed Olivieri's claim that the eviction was retaliation for Olivieri's work as president of the 74-member merchants' group, with which he was involved in difficult talks on a new master lease."

Daily News: " After a meeting with a judge yesterday, Rick Olivieri, chief cook and bottle-washer of the legendary Rick's Philly Steaks, agreed to vacate his venue in the Reading Terminal Market by October. He had been engaged in a year-long fight with the market management, which had been trying to evict him since last summer in a dispute over a long-term lease. "I'm not happy," Rick said yesterday. "But it's a relief in a way. My family has been tortured by this for over a year now."

The last day of business at RTM for Rick's will be on October 31, 2008 and Oliveri is reportedly scouting locations near Broad Street & Arch Street. Business will continue as usual at the Rick's location inside Citizens Bank Park.

Rick's Original Philly Steaks to leave Reading Terminal [Inky]
Rick Oliveri agrees to vacate Reading Terminal steak shop [Daily News]
Rick's Steaks [MenuPages]
Rick's Steaks [Official Site]

We've been covering the closing of Center City's Wawas for a while. Some interesting speculation on the reason for the closing of the 20th and Chestnut, Rittenhouse and other locations just showed up in the comments of a previous post:

I have been involved with wawa corporate for a project lately. I used to work in the city and loved the one at 17th an walnut, i was absolutely pissed off when it closed. But heres whats appearently going on. The rent is nasty and they're losing profit margins on shortie hoagies at the moment because of rising costs. The city of philadelphia is giving price breaks to, "boutique" stores inside of center city. It's essentially driving out the wawa's, funny thing is they don't want to leave. The guy i sat next to was as pissed off as me that they were leaving. But to them they are losing money because the city is screwing them over tax wise in a 20 block radius, they're building outside of that radius in the city, but inside of it taxes are killing them.

Is there any truth to this? Does anyone have any extra info to contribute? Let us know.

Wawa [Official Site]

This past weekend, we hopped up to Bart Blatsein-land (aka Liberties Walk) for dinner at Bar Ferdinand. The weather was nice and people were out, so it seemed like a good time to check out the goods. Along with a guest, we ordered jamon croquetas (awesome), a crab/asparagus flan (good, though distinctly lacking in crab taste), patatas bravas (good, though noticably unspicy) and the pechuga de pollo ahumado.

That last item is our new favorite Philadelphia sandwich. It's seared chicken on a baguette-like roll topped with:

• San Simon cheese
• Chorizo
• Bacon
• Steamed swiss chard
• Paprika aioli

The little chunks of cut-up chorizo interacted perfectly with the crisp bacon, the tart greens and the chicken cutlet to create one hell of a sandwich. People, we're talking about a pork explosion here.

And, hey. It looks like the Philadelphia Weekly likes them too.

Bar Ferdinand [MenuPages]
Bar Ferdinand [Official Site]

[Photo: via bocadillos/Fotolog]

The folks at the Daily News, aka the 'People Paper', asked a selection of Philly restaurateurs for their hamburger secrets:

Nick Tsolous, Goodburger: 83 percent meat, 17 percent fat mix. "It should be to the taste[...] Not too much fat, but it needs just enough to cook right."

Chad Williams, Amada: "The ratio is important. We go to Esposito's [in the Italian market]. Lean meat is not delicious. You want some fat there to keep it moist and juicy."

Ellen Yin, Fork: "There's nothing like a homemade brioche roll for a burger. You need that - and some crispy fries."

Be a burgermeister [DN]

[Photo: Lance Silverman of Sabrina's via Alejandro Alvarez/Daily News]

File this under things we didn't know: In Pennsylvania, you can spend your benefits at the beer distributor. Says KYW:

"David Reed (R-Indiana County) says the state Liquor Control Board already prohibits the use of welfare electronic benefit cards at state liquor stores, but he thinks the law needs to go further.

Now, the House Liquor Control Committee has approved a measure, sponsored by Reed, that would expand the ban on the use of welfare benefit cards at state stores to include child support payment cards, and would also prohibit the use of those benefit cards to buy alcohol at bars, restaurants, and beer distributorships:

“This was brought to me by case workers at my local county assistance office who had started to notice a growing trend of -- especially with the child support payment cards -- those being used inappropriately at state stores.”

Reed says the benefits are intended to give adults a second chance and to provide for children, and should not be used to purchase alcohol."

Err, alcolicious?

News [KYW]

Thanks to Mac & Cheese, we learned that a firm called Sarah's Savories makes a vegetarian scrapple. It's called, yes, Vrapple:

Vrapple is a delicious non-meat breakfast treat that the vegan and carnivore can both agree on!

It makes those early morning protein struggles obsolete. Though it tastes eerily like it’s ‘meaty’ cousin, it is one-hundred percent meat-free.

Primary ingredients are seitan, locally grown & milled cornmeal, locally grown & milled buckwheat, organic vegan stock, organic canola oil, organic cane sugar, sea salt, and spices - but don’t think it’it does have a little back pepper kick!

If you want to try it for yourself, Vrapple is on the breakfast menu at Milkboy Coffee in Ardmore.

Fakin' It Like A Loca [Mac & Cheese]
Sarah's Savories [Official Site]
Milkboy Coffee [MenuPages]
Milkboy Coffee [Official Site]

If there are two things we can appreciate, it's pizza and crazy art school kids. That's why we were kinda sorta thrilled to see how two MFA students at the University of the Arts just wrote (drumroll)...

The Pizza Book: An Illustrated Guide to Philadelphia's Best and Worst Slices.

The authors of the book, Gregory Pizzoli and Ansley Joe, will be appearing on Saturday, May 10 at UArt's Gallery One for a one-day t-shirt exhibit called The Kids Are Uptight.

According to the Philadelphia City Paper (whom we just learned about it from):

"The guide — nay, bible — reviews the actual slices, as well as factors such as service, bathrooms and beverage options. Its handwritten pages and occasional sadistic tomato doodles lend it a pizza diary feel."

All we know is that anyone who likes pizza and The Who is alright with us. Because we really like pizza too, y'know?

The Pizza Book [Gigposters.com]
Doctor Pizzoli [Official Site]

A former assistant manager of the Striped Bass who was shot in 2003 was stabbed on Wednesday in what the New York Post says was a mafia-related incident.

The man in question, George Atterbury, is currently general manager of popular New York restaurant Grayz. According to the Post:

"Atterbury, general manager of Grayz restaurant on West 54th Street, told cops he was hailing a cab when three men drove up in a black SUV, got out and stabbed him in the abdomen and slashed him in the face with a boxcutter or razor."

NYPD sources told the paper Atterbury had ties to the Philadelphia mob. Funnily enough, Atterbury had just been interviewed by the popular New York food blog Eater.

We wish Mr. Atterbury a swift recovery.

Mob Stabbing [NYP]
The Gatekeepers: Grayz's George Atterbury [Eater]
Striped Bass [MenuPages]
Striped Bass [Official Site]

Indian pizza is one of our guilty pleasures. Bred in the corner pizzerias of Jackson Heights, Queens, it's a spicy fusion of pizza topped with cheese, masala powder, onions and lots of hot peppers. Mouth-searingly delicious? Hells yeah.

We first noted its arrival in Philadelphia back in January, when we found "Bombay-style Pizza" on the menu of Great Northeast joint Royal Pizza. Now we're equally pleased to have found, thanks to our latest Northeast Philly menu runs, that it's also on the menu at Villagio Pizza and Salvito's Pizza Palace. Northeast Philly pizza has officially gotten arond 10,000x tastier.

Royal Pizza [MenuPages]

Villagio Pizza [MenuPages]

Salvito's Pizza Palace [MenuPages]

[Image via Heckasac]

The confluence of dining and the 2008 Presidential race is a curious one. Here in Pennsylvania, Barack Obama has been spending a heavy amount of time campaigning in both the fading industrial cities of Northeastern Pennsylvania and in rural central Pennsylvania (aka "Pennsyltucky.")

Too bad eBay's the newest variable in the equation. We just got word that Barack Obama's partially eaten breakfast of sausage and waffles from a Scranton diner has been put up for sale on eBay.

On Monday, April 21, Obama stopped by Scranton's Glider Diner, a 24-hour institution in the NEPA city, for a campaign breakfast. Shortly after, his breakfast turned up on eBay. Here's the description from the seller with typos intact:

"THIS IS BARAK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S BREAKFAST FROM THIS MORNING, 4-21-08 AT THE GLIDER DINER IN SCRANTON, PA. WINNER GETS HIS USED DINER PLATE WITH HIS USED SILVERWARE AND UN EATEN PORTION OF HIS WAFFLE & SAUSAGE LINK. IT WAS WRAPPED WITH SARAN WRAP IMMEDIATELY AFTER HIS DEPARTURE AND IS NOW IN THE FREEZER AWAITING THE LUCKY WINNERS BID!!! THIS IS 100% AUTHENTIC AS YOU CAN SEE HE WAS AT THE DINER BY THE PICTURE AND IT WAS ON ALL LOCAL NEWS STATIONS. THIS PLATE WAS WRAPPED BY THE WAITRESS THAT SERVED HIM. GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC, HIS DNA IS ON THE SILVERWARE. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT!!!! HAHA"

Obama's breakfast is selling, as of 12pm Tuesday, for $76 with six days left in the auction. Seller dixpea has a 99.6% positive eBay rating.

As for the Glider Diner, food gurus Jane and Michael Stern recommend the hot roast beef sandwich with gravy.

Barack Obama's Campaign Breakfast [eBay]
Glider Diner [Official Site]
Glider Diner [Roadfood]

It's primary day in Philadelphia. The news trucks are all parked outside of Independence Park, the pundits are pontificating and everyone is kind of anxious to see how the election will turn out. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been holding PR blitzes for their past campaigns over the past two weeks...

But what we can't get enough of is the fact that Chelsea Clinton has become the Clinton campaign's unofficial emissary to the LGBT community. Moreso, that she spent Friday night doing a bar crawl of Philly's gay bars. With, err, Ed Rendell and Rob Reiner.

So here's the story. On Friday the 18th, Woody's and Bump hosted a "pub crawl through Philadelphia with Chelsea Clinton, The Governor, Rob Reiner, Dan O'Donnell along with Michelle Clunie and Robert Gant from "Queer as Folk." You know — an event to lure those all-important urban LGBT votes away from Barack Obama (making, we bet, Mark Segal real happy).

How did it go? NBC's Matthew Berger was there:

Led around the neighborhood by Gov. Ed Rendell, Chelsea was mobbed by local gays and lesbians, as she walked from one club to the next. They ran up to hug her, posed for pictures and certainly invaded her personal space.

“I grabbed her ass,” one young woman exclaimed to her friends after snapping a picture with her arm around the former first daughter.

“Chelsea, the gays love you!” one fan exclaimed, as she took the microphone at Bump, a restaurant and bar that was her first stop. “Oh, gosh, I don’t know if everybody loves me,” she responded.

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton ate at the Continental on Sunday night.

Woody's [Official Site]
Bump [MenuPages]
Bump [Official Site]

Poor Barack Obama just made the biggest PR error possible when visiting Philly (in primary season!) — he didn't try a cheesesteak. During a half-hour tour of the Italian Market, Obama visited Claudio Specialty Food and DiBruno Brothers, where he tried a $99.99 jamon Iberico ham. Afterwards, he told a crowd of supporters at the Penyslvania Convention Center that "I'm going to get a cheesesteak next time I come."

But political analyst Larry Ceiser thinks the cheesesteak omission was intentional:

"I think some of the places that were must-stops, aren't must stops any more [...] "I think some of the places that were must-stops, aren't must stops any more. I think that the Kerry experience was certainly a bad experience and I think the candidates look at that. Also, I don't think they want to take the chance of the immigration issue."

For those with short memories, John Kerry committed a major food etiquette faux pas by ordering a cheesesteak with swiss cheese back in 2004 that gave some pundits ammo. That stinks, friends. If cheesesteaks can't stay apolitical, what can?

Obama: "I'll try that cheesesteak next time" [Daily News]

[Image via Associated Press]

We normally write about restaurants, dining and chefs here at the MenuPages blog. The opportunity to write about orange anal leakage... Well, it does not come up very often.

Enter Philadelphia magazine writer A.J. Daulerio. Moonlighting over at Radar, A.J. just wrote a piece about escolar a.k.a. butterfish, Hawaiian walu and the "Ex-Lax fish." You see, escolar causes uncontrollable orange diarrhea in nearly 40% of people who eat it in entree-sized portions. Take, for instance, the tale of poor Main Line resident Tom Duffy:

Soon after consuming the fish, disaster struck again: The trouble returned, this time in more substantial, uncontrollable bursts. The next morning before work, his wife asked him why his pants were all wet. He decided to take a sick day. Home from work and running back and forth to the shower, Duffy did some minimal online research and found out the ugly, messy truth about the fish he'd eaten: Sometimes it makes orange oil shoot out of your ass.

We just interviewed A.J., who came upon the story after making a very unfortunate purchase at DiBruno Brothers (whose fish selection, btw, we unironically love). Convo after the jump.

Continue reading "The Hawaiian "Ex-Lax Fish" Hits Philly" »

Food blog Slice has put together an amazing (and thoroughly detailed) guide to American regional pizza styles. Here's what they had to say about two Philadelphia regional styles:

Trenton Tomato Pies

In the capital city of New Jersey, pizza does not exist. Here, they're known as "tomato pies." As Slice correspondent Rich DeFabritus wrote in his review of the two dueling DeLorenzo's there, "There is a body of myth and lore attempting to distinguish tomato pie from pizza. The generally accepted explanation is that a tomato pie is built as follows: dough, cheese, toppings, and then sauce." Trenton tomato pies would then seem to have much in common with a sauce-last grandma pie or a Detroit-style pizza, but tomato pies are round.

Old Forge–Style

I know the least about Old Forge–style pizza but am including it here in the interest of providing a wide range of styles. On Pizzamaking.com, user IlPizzaiolo describes it thusly: "My friend studied a type of pizza from Pennsylvania that sounds close to what they are talking about. It is like a medium-thin Sicilian dough, the pan oiled with peanut oil, so the dough sort of got a fried consistancy like pan pizza from Pizza Hut. The cheese [was 100% Wisconsin white cheddar.]" I think I need to take a three-day weekend and investigate Old Forge pizza.

If you like pizza, we recommend you give it a full read. It's good.

A List of Regional Pizza Styles [Slice]

[Image via Slice]

A Chinese restaurant just opened in Baghdad. That Baghdad.

The "Chinese Restaurant," located in the upscale (though war-torn) neighrbohood of Karrada, is operated by Chinese emigrants Yan, Tsao, Lo and Wo. Tsao, a native of Yunnan province, has been in Iraq for two years. Yan is his wife and Lo and Wo are friends whom he persuaded to move to Iraq with him.

As for the food, menu items are limited due to the difficulty of obtaining supplies in the middle of a warzone. Guests can choose from dumplings, fried chicken, Chinese breads and sweet pepper and chicken salad. But ultimately, it's not that much different from here in the States:

"This is the only Chinese restaurant in Baghdad," boasts Tsao in the few Arabic words he knows.

The furnishings are simple -- plastic tables and chairs, with small Chinese red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Two posters on the pink walls show film stars Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee in fighting poses.

The cooking is done on a small raised platform in front of customers, who can either eat in or order a takeaway.

Wo, a black woollen hat on his head, prepares dumplings and spinach on a gas cooker. The impressive chef expertly dips a fritter in a pan of sizzling oil.

The dishes of the day are displayed along a plastic rack on cheap crockery. On the menu: "Dumplings, fried chicken legs, Chinese breads, and sweet pepper and chicken salad," recites Tsao.

Under the rack, two bowls of salad are arranged beside a pile of dried sardines. On a stool is the inevitable rice pressure-cooker.

Cooking pots are piled up in the corners between mounds of plates, cleaning cloths and boxes of paper napkins.

Wearing sneakers with built-up heels, Yan washes the dishes in an imposing art deco washbasin that stands out amid the scruffy decor.

The wife of the patron has the hardened hands of a country woman, and she scours the pots and pans with vigour.

"The menu is limited for the moment but it will improve," says Tsao reassuringly. "Like security in Baghdad, it will get better."

The last Chinese restaurant in Baghdad closed two years ago due to violence.

Baghdad gets taste for Chinese Takeaway [Middle East Online]

[Image via Middle East Online]

An interesting Associated Press article concerning French foodways made its way into the Daily News. Philippe Gauvreau, chef of Lyon's Michelin-starred La Rotonde restaurant, hosts monthly food nights for children. Each month, his children join 30 other kids to watch chefs prepare a traditional meal and, of course, eat it. This being France, the lessons tend towards things American children would never be allowed to try:

During the lesson, chickens that were to be ground into sausage lay - intact - on the stainless steel counters, their unplucked necks bent at an alarming angle. The younger children blinked in disbelief as Gauvreau deftly relieved a chicken of its appendages: Off came the claws, the wings and finally, with a flourish of the glinting knife, the white feathered head. Brandishing severed drumsticks, he explained how to distinguish healthy chickens from hormone-filled factory farm varieties. If the meat sticks to the bone, it's a free-range bird that built muscle through exercise, not hormones, he said. He passed around a leg and the kids pushed and pulled. The meat resisted their prodding. For Gauvreau, such awareness is more important than teaching techniques for chopping onions or whisking cream. "We're giving the kids the tools they need to make decisions about what to put onto their bodies," he said. Gauvreau doesn't dumb down his repertoire for his young students, and there are no simplified, kiddie variations on his recipes: He and his assistant chefs teach the children to prepare the dishes just as they would for the restaurant's clients. And it can get complicated. Boudin blanc sausage requires dozens of steps, and one misstep can turn a dessert's caramelized bananas into a sweet goo. Perhaps it's for the best, then, that lessons are taught in the old-school French style: The instructor demonstrates and pupils look on. Gauvreau delegated certain tasks - separating egg whites, grinding bread into crumbs, slicing chicken breasts into food-processor-friendly chunks - but the show remained decidedly his.

Ultimately, France deals with bad food just like America does. Homegrown fast food chains are everywhere, and, alas, they love mediocre white bread just as much as we do. The children attending Gauvreau's classes also have parents who can pay the steep tuition and come from a mostly middle-class background. That means they're among the ones who are least likely to survive on a diet of cheeseburgers and greasy kebabs. But still.

Not so fast [Daily News]

[Image via AP/DN]

Los Angeles Times op-ed columnist Joel Stein had an interesting idea for a column: Take an anti-immigration politician to a Mexican restaurant.

So he met up with dark horse Republican candidate Tom Tancredo for a Mexican meal while on the Iowa campaign trail. The original plan? Have dinner at Mami's Authentic Mexican Food in the town of Muscatine, IA. Yup, we never heard of it either. But it turns out that one of the restaurant's owners marched in the massive Day Without an Immigrant in 2006.

Instead, they went to a restaurant named (yup) Carlos O'Kelly's Mexican Cafe. We'll let Stein take it from here:

Carlos O'Kelly's makes the finest Mexican food with an Irish flair of any chain restaurant in Iowa. The enchiladas came with a sort of hollandaise sauce that constituted a greater insult to Mexicans than anything Tancredo has ever said. Tancredo, who is a very likable, polite man, gave the food a very generous C+. "I was sick we couldn't go to Mami's. I heard it was good," he said. "But if they're going to boycott America, I'm going to boycott Mami's." Looking at my enchiladas, he sighed. "For all I know, this place is owned by a big liberal." A big liberal who hates food.

[...]

Before we left, I asked Tancredo: Instead of struggling with the problems that stem from illegal immigration, why don't we just let more people in legally? "Just so I can have a good Mexican restaurant?" he asked. How a man who ate the same meal as me can even ask that question is beyond my understanding.

My taco with Tancredo [Los Angeles Times]

He might look like a mild-mannered journalist, but Bill Buford is the man. Not only did he write the best book on soccer hooligans ever (Among The Thugs), but he's all the author of the book Heat. In it, he chronicles how writing a food story in the New Yorker led him to work as an unpaid "kitchen bitch" in Mario Batali's kitchen and, from there, to apprentice with an eccentric genius of a butcher in Italy's rural boondocks. There's even a mention of Philadelphia's food scene in the book (which we'll get to tomorrow).

But in the meantime, Buford just did another New Yorker piece on the ethics of meat eating and how butchers view their craft. However, the best part is Buford's genius for painting a picture with words:

For Fearnley-Whittingstall, it seems, the most compelling meat comes from a cow, and, to this day, one of the great meals of his life is a standing rib roast he ate four years ago with his family on Boxing Day, the first that had been carved out of an animal he had fed and looked after himself. But meat from just about every other animal is discussed as well—the obvious quadrupeds, domestic and wild fowl—plus various pieces of offal, including lungs (“lights,” in British butcher parlance), brains (a nightmare to extricate and, besides, one animal’s taste pretty much the same as another’s), and the other bits between nose and tail (“I usually have a cooked ear or two in the freezer”). Most of this is photographed—illustration is an essential feature of the book—but so, too, are the meats as they are being consumed. Fearnley-Whittingstall, it’s evident, is still messy. We see a half-eaten steak, the fat congealing; a cassoulet after everyone has helped himself to it; a plate rim smeared with grease; a sideboard stacked higgledy-piggledy with dishes, cutlery, leftovers, and wineglasses cloudy from finger smudges. There is a dog: licking fat that has dripped from a table where a pig has been carved up or sitting on a bench with Fearnley-Whittingstall, having just had a bite of his homemade pork pie. Advocating the flavors of bird jelly—the juices that set after a chicken has been cooked—Fearnley-Whittingstall tells us about the happy “discovery” of the roasting pan “a day or so later” and eating up its unwashed, solidifying, crusty remains. I found myself wondering, Doesn’t anyone do the dishes down there at the cottage? Fearnley-Whittingstall’s occasional efforts to explain butchery, like boning a leg of lamb (encouraging his readers not to bother with a professional but to do the “hatchet job yourself—it’s quite easy to improvise”), reveal a tolerance for chaos (“It’s a bit tricky to explain”) that may be without precedent among people who make a living from preparing food.

In another words... it's a long read, but recommended.

Red, white & bleu [New Yorker]

You know... you never think about it, but brunch is primarily an American thing. It's almost underheard of in Europe, not to mention in Asia. But South Koreans are getting into brunch in a big way: Almost 200 restaurants in Seoul offer or specialize in brunch. Why? It all has to do with South Korea's increasing affluence and (yup), Americanization:

The unaccustomed free time has also meant that South Koreans can start indulging themselves like the young New Yorkers they had been watching in syndicated television sitcoms like “Sex and the City,” whose characters always seemed to be whiling away enjoyable hours over brunch.

Now, on weekends female friends, male buddies, couples, parents with toddlers and three-generation families all line up outside crowded brunch restaurants like Suji’s, Butterfinger Pancakes, Tell Me About It, Flying Pan Blue, Stove and All Day Brunch. Some restaurants are so packed that reservations must be made days in advance. Once inside, if they can get inside, people spend two to three hours chatting away.

“Before the five-day workweek started, we were always tired after drinking until late, because nighttime was the only time to socialize,” said Suh Yang-ho, a 29-year-old who was having brunch with a colleague one recent Saturday at Stove.

“I think it’s healthier to relax like this over home-cooked-style food in the late mornings,” said Mr. Suh, who works at Credit Suisse in Seoul.

Man, you really can blame Carrie Bradshaw for everything.

A New Lifestyle in South KOrea: First Weekends, and Now Brunch [New York Times]

[Image via New York Times]

No restaurant is an island. That goes doubly for Rangoon, Philadelphia's only Burmese restaurant.

In case you haven't been following the news on CNN, Fox News, the Inquirer, the Times or whatever your media of choice is... Well, in Myanmar (aka Burma), the military junta that controls the country has been brutally repressing demonstrations by Buddhist monks. Yes, monks.

With this chaos back in the motherland, Rangoon has become a social center for expats trying to figure out exactly what's happening back home:

The discussion turns to the old days in Burma, before it was renamed Myanmar by the military government: Rangoon's main cook had operated a large Chinese-Burmese restaurant 20 years ago in Mandalay. Gyaw herself had studied law and run a video store and coffee shop. Solomon had come with her mother at age 9 in 1990 when schools were shuttered after the last mass uprising. A fried Burmese "won-ton" is offered, the shell stuffed with minced pork, then halved and oozing syrupy, sweet coconut milk. After I leave, Mya Solomon calls to tell me she won't be around the next morning if I need to reach her. Rangoon would be closing for the day so they could travel to New York to protest on behalf of their friends far away and the families they would never forget.

Rangoon [MenuPages]

Road from Mandalay [Inquirer]

There's this old cliche that goes along the lines of Washington DC "combining Southern efficiency with Northern hospitality." We don't know if it's true... but it is a city that's lacking in homegrown cuisine. Besides half-smokes, well... we can't think of any. Maybe that's why Congressman Bob Brady brings good ol' Philly Italian food from DeNofa's in the Northeast down to DC for meetings of the House Administration Committee:

Here's U.S. Rep. Bob Brady on Wednesday laying on a spread of veal and peppers and cold cuts from DeNofa's on Torresdale Avenue. We're in the Longworth House Office Building, next to the Capitol. We're inside the office of the House Administration Committee, which Brady chairs. A sign in the hallway says, "No eating or drinking in committee rooms." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Most Powerful Woman in America, is here. Here for the mortadella. "This is one great day for us when he brings the food," Pelosi says, between interruptions by House members asking for this or that. [...] "Look at this," says U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., picking up a delicate pastry. "This is sfogliatella. My grandmother had a pastry shop in New Haven."

Yessir. Politicians like free food.

Building goodwill, one sfogliatella at a time [Daily News]

For Cresheim Cottage Cafe owner Donna Robb and her partner Lizza, there's not much seperation between work and home. They live in the apartment above the restaurant. The Inquirer just did a trend piece on them:

Now, Donna Robb can slip downstairs in her pajamas, before the restaurant opens, to repair a butcher-paper bracket in the kitchen. Spencer can flit through the dining room, delaying bedtime by saying goodnight to all the customers. And Lizza, a graphic designer who works from home, can find the ideal balance between solitude and company.

"We were intimidated by moving into such a small space," Lizza, 31, says after a quick tour of the family's living quarters: sitting room, master bedroom, Spencer's room (with the former wine closet converted to a sleeping nook), a tiny office and tinier kitchenette (previously a servers' station).

"Then we found we were actually small-space people, and we loved it. Also, Mount Airy was a great compromise between the city and outdoors. We knew this could be home."

Living above store? Works for them [Inquirer]
Cresheim Cottage Cafe [MenuPages]
Cresheim Cottage Cafe [Official Site]