P.Y.T

I'm a little late jumping on the P.Y.T bandwagon, having missed the blogger luncheon that owner Tommy Up so smartly arranged last month. But I made my way to the new joint at the Piazza at Schmidt's before the ROOT Cocktail Competition and finally tasted the burger that has been - both literally and figuratively - on the lips of food bloggers around town.

I could just let the photo below speak for itself. Gooey melted cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, a soft potato roll and a perfectly medium rare patty. The creamy onion spread, which tasted more garlicky to me, was excellent. Can a burger melt in your mouth? The P.Y.T Burger can.




Since I was there by myself, it was hard to rationalize getting the burger, the fries AND a full alcoholic milkshake. But I really wanted one of those milkshakes! I wondered aloud if they ever made half-sized ones and they happily obliged. I selected the Jon Valdez: coffee ice cream, Kahlua and Patron XO. The alcohol wasn't overwhelming. It's a thick, delicious milkshake with just a hint of something adult in there. And though the menu only includes 4 varieties, 15 recipes exist. I eagerly await when the others will make their debuts.

From Tommy Up's active tweeting, word is that the menu is expanding to include a Cobb salad and Tempura (yes, fried) burger. I definitely want to check out the non-beef options on the P.Y.T menu, like the Calibunga Burger (seared white beans) and TLC (ground chicken burger).

Summer 2009 is the Summer of Burgers in Philly. The question is, where do I eat next? Squareburger? Newly anointed home of the best burger in town, Butcher and Singer? Personal favorite Good Dog? The nationally burger-famous Rouge? With so much awesome burger action, you'd almost forget that Philly is a cheesesteak town.

Circles Contemporary Asian Cuisine

Plan-Eat-Thai, with it's overwhelmingly long and ridiculously cheap menu, has morphed into Circles Contemporary Asian Cuisine. The menu is shorter, printed on much nicer card stock, and the prices a dollar or two higher, all signaling a shift into a slightly more upscale restaurant league. kitchenplay favorite, Drunken Noodles, is still on the menu. An addition that caught my eye is the P.E.I Mussels, mussels with lemongrass, basil and kafir leaves in curry and coconut milk. Plus they have a bunch of desserts now, like sticky rice custard and palm cake.

Alex got the pad thai the other night, which is how I learned of the change. I never loved Plan-Eat-Thai's pad thai, so the fact that it was underwhelming isn't indicative that the quality of food has changed along with the name. I'll be sure to order from there soon and let you know if anything has changed on the kitchen side of things.

The Barbeque Joint & Locopops

Part 2 in a series on food in the Triangle of North Carolina

I roused myself from a post-coffee cupping nap to join a group of our friends for BBQ and popsicles. Few would disagree: a trip to North Carolina isn't complete without a healthy dose of BBQ, but paletas, aka Mexican popsicles? Apparently, a trip to the Triangle isn't complete without a couple of those either, thanks to a local chain, Locopops.

But first, we stopped for lunch at the Barbeque Joint, a favorite in Chapel Hill. While on the BBQ border, we were still technically in East North Carolina BBQ territory, meaning a vinegar dressing as opposed to a thick tomato-based sauce. And with BBQ, the sides are just as important as the meat. Sydnor recommended the Brussels sprouts, cooked with garlic and bacon. Being the huge Brussels sprouts fan that I am, I ordered them. And a side of mac & cheese. And a pulled pork sandwich.


Can pickles be described as "fresh?" Because if so, these were the freshest pickle slices I've eaten, washed in brine rather than soaked. The BBQ itself was good, though not the best I've ever had. The meat wasn't as tender as I like and while I love vinegar, I'm just more of a West North Carolina BBQ gal. Give me a tangy, sweet red sauce with a bit of kick any day. The sprouts were delicious, as most things with bacon and garlic are, but needed a good mixing to give the vegetables a nice coating of their topping. The mac & cheese was a winner, with a nicely seasoned crust. I didn't sample them, but the fried green tomatoes looked awesome too.



From The Barbeque Joint it was off to Locopops, a local Triangle chain. I visited the first storefront years ago with Samara, just after it opened. The barebones decor, standard for paleterias it seems, didn't trumpet their tasty wares, in flavors like chili chocolate, all homemade with good ingredients. And I'll be honest, it's location, slightly off the beaten path in downtown Durham, neighboring a gun shop, didn't augur great success down the road.

Fast forward four years and Locopops is a foodie destination in the Triangle with four locations, even garnering national attention in a recent Bon Appetit article on the area. Fresh flavors, both juice and cream based, like Plum Black Currant, Tamarind Lemonade, and Thai Rice Pudding, comprise the menu. I sunk my teeth into a Grasshopper: white chocolate with fresh spearmint. It was like eating a refreshing white chocolate bar, cool and invigorating with each fleck of spearmint. If I hadn't just gorged myself on a three-course BBQ feast, I would have gone in for another one. Maybe Cookies and Cream... or Cherry Bergomot Truffle... or Berry Hazelnut... or...or... or...

Next up: a pre-wedding jaunt to the Durham Farmer's Market.

Carpaccio @ Girasole

Check out my latest post from uwishunu.com!

Italians are big teases, or so says Franco Iovino, owner of Girasole in the Symphony House at Broad and Pine. And no, he wasn’t referring to matters of amore, but rather his carpaccio, delicately sliced raw beef or fish that tickle your palate before melting in your mouth. The point isn’t to gorge yourself on the blue fin tuna with salty olives and sun dried tomatoes, or the filet mignon with crisp arugala and shavings of Parmigiano cheese, but to enjoy the moment, trusting that something else delicious is sure to follow.

“Mediterranean” is how Girasole describes its cuisine. It is decidedly Italian, with dishes touching upon multiple regions. Almost everything is made in-house, including their pasta, desserts, crudo and carpaccio. Their cheeses come from Claudio’s in the Italian Market. Dessert options change daily, and can include a mille crêpe filled with marron glacé sauce or zuccotto, a semi-freddo dotted with candied nuts and chunks of chocolate.

The carpaccio and crudo selections stand out on the Girasole menu. Il crudo refers to raw seafood “cooked” in marinades of citrus juice and olive oil, like ceviche. Girasole offers both caldo (warm) or freddo (cold) carpaccio, thin slices of octopus, blue fin tuna, bronzino or filet mignon. Capers, slices of fresh peppers or tiny bits of grapefruit or avocado serve as garnish.

Girasole is Italian for sunflower and the restaurant takes its name seriously, with fresh sunflowers dotting the bar and a painting of a sunflower field along one wall. Benches along the wall are swathed in ultra-luxe burnished gold Versace fabrics. More Versace fabric dressings hang from the ceiling. The bar greets you when you enter, with the dining room just beyond it. They are planning additional outdoor seating on Pine Street for the summer.

Taking advantage of its prime position on the Avenue of the Arts, Girasole caters to the theater crowd. They are open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, a perfect post-show spot for dessert or a cocktail. They also offer a three-course prix fixe theater menu Sunday through Friday. Thirty-five dollars gets you three courses, including coffee with dessert. This is in addition to their lunchtime prix-fixe, two- courses priced at $19.95.

And yes, the carpaccio freddo is available on the prix-fixe!

Photo credit by Albert Lee

Fancypants Grocer Coming to 1600 'yunk

South Philly news from Meal Ticket...

Philadelphia Weekly restaurant critic and Blogalicious blogger Adam Erace and brother Andrew announced today that they are entering the grocery game this September, when they debut Green Aisle Grocery on the 1600 block of East Passyunk Avenue.

Adam and Andrew are both serious eaters, and their broad range of edible interests will be reflected in Green Aisle’s stock. Think local and organic produce, free-range eggs, coffee, cheese, honey, pasta, loose-leaf tea and other tasties. Customers will be able to pick up a single lemon to supplement cocktail hour or a luxe Spanish olive oil to gild the dinner lily.

Prepared foods from the experts will make appearances, too; the Erace boys have already worked out a deal with James chef/owner Jim Burke to carry his intense mostardas and toothsome pasta.

Passyunk Avenue sure is a-changin’; we’ve got designer sushi at Izumi, our own Capogiro scoop shop and yet more access to local produce and craft food when Green Aisle opens. If we keep on behaving and stimulating the economy down here, can we get our street cleaning back?

I think this is awesome news, but as the neighborhood changes, I hope it doesn't exclusively cater to the gourmet-going crowd. The beauty of South Philly is its diversity: culturally, racial and socio-economically. Gentrification doesn't have to be a four-letter word; it can strike a balance between catering to the new money coming in and keeping things accessible to the original people of that neighborhood. It is exciting to see how quickly and, thus far at least, successfully East Passyunk has morphed from empty storefronts to a foodie destination. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the 1600 block of Passyunk doesn't become an alien land to the people who have been living around there for decades.

Breakfasting at Parc

I bike down 18th Street daily on my way to work and my favorite stretch is from Spruce to Walnut Streets. The beauty of Rittenhouse Square, the sidewalk café tables of Parc and the occasional trumpet scale wafting from the Curtis School of Music, makes me feel like I’m apart of a Demy film. All I need is a jaunty baguette in my bike basket.

Yesterday, rather than simply biking past Parc, I went inside for breakfast, my first visit since it opened last year. Daniel is leaving soon for a summer teaching gig in North Carolina, so we went out for an informal send-off. Seated near a window with a view of the park, lush and green on this rainy morning, it was a calming way to start the day.

The most commonly heard complaint about Parc (when you can actually hear each other) is that the acoustics are poor. As the large bistro gets crowded, and it often does for lunch and dinner, it becomes incredibly noisy. Arriving for breakfast at 8:30am on a Thursday, I encountered a practically empty Parc. Maybe 15 people were quietly chatting or drinking their coffees alone while reading the paper, so noise wasn’t an issue.

Daniel and I both dislike it when brunch places try to “tart up” their dishes. Why does French toast need to be stuffed with pineapple chunks in ricotta, covered with vanilla maple syrup plus peach compote plus candied nuts plus chestnut whipped cream? Now I know some of you kitchenplay readers like the sound of that, which is fine. I just prefer less complicated dishes, particularly when I’m still waking up in the morning…

The simplicity at Parc was refreshing. The menu offers an elegant selection of traditional egg and bread dishes. Pain perdu with apples and hazelnut butter caught my eye, but I am more of a savory person when it comes to breakfast/brunch, so I selected the ham and Swiss omelette. Daniel opted for 2 eggs any way (preferring sunny-side up) with a side of Nueske bacon. Both dishes came with Lyonnaise potatoes.

And the food was just fine. The ham and Swiss omelette was just that, eggs folded around chopped ham and melted cheese, adorned with speckles of parsley and chives mixed into the raw egg. Daniel liked his eggs and toast. And while his potatoes were fine, mine were a tad too salty. The bacon, from Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats, was nice and crispy, but a little too one-dimensionally smoky. The coffee was dark and strong and frequently replenished by our attentive server.

So the food didn’t blow me away, but like most of Stephen Starr’s ventures, it was the total experience that made the visit a lovely one.

Postlude: Later on I went to Happy Hour at the Continental Mid-town Roofdeck, one of my favorite spots in Center City. I noticed some changes on the menu, and apparently it was just updated this week.

But thank God the grilled octopus is still being served, just as oily and lemony and tender and delicious as always. I'm including it in this post just cause it's so pretty...

Two Stephen Starr spots in one day? He just might have to be my June Crush-of-the-Month.

RIP Merl's

Merl's South Philly Breakfast Spot, only recently featured in both kitchenplay and City Paper, is now closed. The exact circumstances are unclear, something about a new building owner, but the final result came swiftly and decisively. Merl's is no more.

Feldie and I heard rumors of a possible closing, so we went there for breakfast (and information gathering) this morning. Instead of being greeted by pencil drawings of the Obama family and a busy breakfast counter, we found shuttered windows and chairs for sale.

The possibility still exists that Merl will find another place to cook up her amazing pancakes and hash browns, but nothing is definite. If you are around 16th and Dickinson now, Merl and company are still there, tying up loose ends. Stop by and say thanks.

A Silk City Birthday

Ants pants is an Australian expression akin to the bee's knees, describing something as totally awesome. It's also a tiny brunch place in Philly. And it's an apt description for my birthday celebration this past weekend, which included a jaunt to Ants Pants Cafe.

The centerpiece of the weekend was Saturday night at Silk City. It was my first time there since they reopened under new management well over a year ago, with a more upscale menu and higher price point. To be honest, I was resistant to giving the new place a chance, missing the old days of 24-hour service and cheap-but-delicious chocolate bread pudding. But it's been getting great reviews (in just the past week it was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and a NYT article on Philly), and Silk City is one-stop shopping when it comes to wanting a night of food and dancing.

So six of my besties and I went there for dinner. Half of Silk City is a traditional diner car set up with booths and a long counter. The other half is a dark lounge and bar, with a dining area that morphs into a dance floor around 10pm. Since our party was on the larger side, we were seated in the lounge. Sadly, no pictures are available since our best camera was Eleanor's camera phone which lacks a flash. So you just need to trust that the food was great.

I got steak frites with parmesean truffle fries and shallot red wine butter. I'm not always a skirt steak fan, but it was very flavorful and not overly tough. I also got it rare, which may have made a difference. Other plates included the braised short rib sandwich, the grilled portobello mushroom burger (really super tasty), a pizza off the specials menu, and the Asian spiced tuna burger. Across the table, the french fries, even the basic version, were a hit... crispy outside, soft inside, perfectly salted. Daniel got the smothered chorizo string beans which were basically the texture of a crispy green bean but with the flavor of chorizo sausage. And they didn't disappoint on the dessert front, bringing out a warm brownie topped with chocolate ice cream and strawberry sauce (and yes, a candle) for the birthday girl. The drink highlight of the evening was the Jaded Ruby... grapefruity and alcoholic in a sugar rimmed martini glass.

And then we danced. Nonstop from about 1o pm till 1 am, ringing in my 29th year with the sounds of DJ DeeJay... a man with both a strong knowledge of the oeuvres of Michael, Madonna and Prince and the ability to do a mean split on the dance floor.

After not getting quite enough sleep and grabbing a coffee at Brew/Ultimo, I met up again with Alice, Melanie and Eleanor for brunch at Ants Pants Cafe. The Australian-themed spot is adorable (think more vegemite and less Crocodile Dundee) with some great smells coming from their microscopic open kitchen. It's known as a place with a long wait and good food (like practically every good brunch spot in town). The wait for a table wasn't so much a problem as the wait for the food, which did seem to take excessively long considering what we ordered and when we got it in relation to the other patrons. But everything was delicious. I ordered the dill scrambled eggs with feta, adding salmon. Eleanor went the salad route, with a spinach salad. Alice opted for an egg and bacon sandwich, on a croissant with slices of avocado. Melanie chose the spinach, goat cheese and caramelized onion omelette.
Highlights? The delicious balsamic vinagrette from Eleanor's salad that managed to have a thick, creamy consistency but still maintain a vinegary tang. The perfectly red and round slices of Roma tomato accompanying my thick slice of white feta and just-wilted spinach leaves. Alice's sandwich was a perfect storm of crispy bacon, soft avocado and flaky croissant. And we ordered a bowl of sweet potato fries for the table, crispy curls of burnt orange, served with sides of sour cream and thai chili sauce. I don't always like sweet potato fries for being cut too thick to crisp up properly, but these had a nice ratio of soft to crisp.

Between the dancing and the food, it was a perfect birthday.

Is Gelato the New Water Ice?

The next store in the Capogiro gelato empire is due to open this week on the 1600 block of E. Passyunk in South Philly, competing with neighborhood favorites like John's Water Ice for the crown of Summer Treat of Choice. Now, this may be heresy to some, but it took me a while to take to Capogiro's ice cream. I've spent a fair amount of time throughout Italy and can safely say I understand gelato. I use one flavor in particular to test the authenticity of a new type of gelato: yogurt. If the yogurt is more sweet than tart, forget about it. It needs to taste like fresh plain yogurt, just cooler and creamier. Unfortunately, Capogiro's didn't make the cut when I first tried it years ago. And their dark chocolate, while delicious, has a consistency more akin to tar than gelato. Plus, I found their attempts at exoticism to go a bit overboard- Rosemary Goat Milk Cream Thai Basil Peppercorn etc etc etc.

I have had shouting matches with Italians and non-Italians alike over the authenticity and deliciousness of Capogiro.

That said, in the name of peace, love and understanding, I would still go there from time to time. And it was on such a random occasion that I tried their Tahini flavor and a fan was born. Calling it Tahini is just a fancy name for sesame. It was subtle and nutty and creamy and delicious, and I decided to start sampling their wares with a more open mind. I still stay away from the multiple flavored gelati. I prefer the fun of making up my own combinations... yogurt and dark chocolate, pistachio and burnt sugar, lavender and crema...

So I am actually very excited for the new Capogiro, just blocks from my house. And besides, I don't like John's Water Ice anyway. (I'll address that little nugget of blasphemy in a later post. Promise.)

Updates: Capogiro E. Passyunk is now open. The West Philly shop is slated to open this Friday, the 22nd (featuring a bar and a non-gelato Italian menu). And Bon Appetit named Capogiro one of the top 10 ice cream shops in America. (5/19)

Brew/Ultimo Open for Business

I'm writing you from the newest addition to the Newbold landscape, Brew/Ultimo. kitchenplay readers know that I have been eagerly anticipating this opening. To my left is a smooth and delicious cup of coffee from the microlot of Ariel Pajoy. Farmers like Ariel bring their beans to the La Golondrina coffee project in Cauca, Colombia. The coffee beans that meet a certain standard are separated from the others and sold as separate microlots. Ariel's beans met that standard. Brew/Ultimo offers four other coffees that are hand-brewed when you order them. Co-owner Aaron Ultimo puts on a little show for you when he systematically runs hot water through the grounds in a beautiful ceramic filter.

The beauty of Brew/Ultimo is that it offers two of my favorite beverages under one roof: coffee and beer. The liquor license should come through in about a month. Till then, the row of industrial refrigerators stands empty. But when the license does go through, we'll have a great selection of boutique beers-to-go from which to choose, curated by John Longacre from SPTR.

Food options include simple baguette sandwiches and pastries from Four Worlds Bakery, brownies from B.T. Baking and chocolates from R + D Chocolate, all local businesses. I’m eating a triple crème brie and sliced apple sandwich on a soft and delicious baguette.

Good food and beverage aside, I am so excited to have Brew/Ultimo in Newbold. This neighborhood has a lot to offer, but it was missing a place like this, a place where people can congregate at all hours of the day, spend as little or as much as they want, and enjoy the neighborhood. Plus, it is clear that Ultimo brings a great deal of respect and love for what he is doing, where he is doing it and for whom he is doing it. I’ve seen a wide variety of people come in over the past couple hours and it seems I'm not the only one feeling the love.

It's good to be home.

6 Degrees of Separation and Angelo's BBQ

It's a small world. I can say this because one of my colleagues at Fort Worth Opera, Andrew, is the future brother-in-law of a non-opera friend of mine in Philadelphia, a friend who lives a mere three blocks from me in Newbold with his fiancee. Yes, it is a small world indeed.

Upon hearing of this new connection, our mutual friend told Andrew both about kitchenplay and Angelo's, a spot for some good old fashioned BBQ. Andrew made it there first and could attest that it was indeed a good place for some 'que. I rounded up some of our opera cohorts and we ate there last night. Overall, the place gets a big thumbs up for decor. Is there such a thing as "too much" taxidermy? I don't think so.

Much of the food came out on Styrofoam trays, the environmental consequences of which were perhaps cancelled out by the fact that the sandwiches came wrapped only in wax paper. The hit across the table was the ribs. They were fall off the bone tender and deliciously smoked. The BBQ sauce wasn't too sweet and heavy on the tomato flavor. I like a thicker sauce in general, but it still did the trick. The baked chicken looked delicious, with a golden brown skin.

I was disappointed by my chopped beef sandwich. The meat tasted good but it was dry, an aspect that could have been easily remedied with more BBQ sauce. I sampled all the sides, which included cole slaw, potato salad and baked beans. The beans were really nice with a strong chili pepper flavor. The potato salad was old-fashioned and eggy, while the cole slaw was remarkably fresh tasting despite how much mayo was in it.

In short, come for the ribs, stay for the taxidermy.

kitchenplay Event Tonight!

kitchenplay is hosting a night out at Angelo's BBQ in Fort Worth tonight. Angelo's is said to have some of the best BBQ in town, with a menu and decor that hasn't changed much since it's opening in 1958. And it looks like we'll have a good sized group, which means many tasting opportunities!

Fuzzy's Taco Shop and CJ Donut Palace

It's a place called Fuzzy's! Naturally I had to go there. Their Shredded Garlic Beef Burrito and Tempura Fish Burrito were super tasty, but the highlight had to be the hot sauce... more vinegary than spicy and a nice complement to the garlicky mayo sauce on the the fish burrito.

The ladies in the costume shop know a thing or two about eating. On multiple occasions someone brought in pastries from CJ Donut Palace, including a variation on pigs in a blanket (think bigger pig, bigger blanket, plus cheese). The donuts were of both the cake and yeast varieties and included a couple different delicious cinnamon roll-type things. The ladies also pointed me in the direction of Chef Point Cafe, a restaurant inside an old Texaco station. I don't know if I'll have the chance to eat there, but the combination of good food plus novel locale is very tempting.

My other favorite place for doughnuts around here is Shipley's. Their melt-in-your-mouth glazed doughnuts put Krispy Kremes to shame. I haven't had them this year, but they were a highlight of my birthday celebration last year.

Pancakes and Texas-Shaped Waffles

It's been a busy couple weeks down here in Ft. Worth, but I have made some time for eating out, like at the Ol' South Pancake House. There's a lot to like about Ol' South: the 24 hour service, the old men in trucker hats congregating over coffee and the sassy waitresses.

Sadly, the pancakes aren't one of those things, at least not the Spiced Apple German Pancake (pictured at right). What looked like an omelet was in fact a thick, eggy pancake, filled with average cinnamon spiced apples and overflowing with butter. At least they claimed it was real butter, but it tasted a lot like margarine. One of my friends ordered a short stack with fresh fruit (below, center) which looked much more appealing.















It also seems silly to stray far from my hotel's breakfast bar for my morning carb fix, especially when it offers something as fun as a Texas-shaped waffle.

Texas Musings

Life is starting to get busy busy down here in Texas. Rehearsals for La Cenerentola with Fort Worth Opera have been going well and Dead Man Walking rehearsals start on Friday, meaning this little ol' assistant director will soon be pulling double duty. That said, I still have some lofty eating goals.

Texas Monthly is a treasure trove of good food information. I learned of the publication when its journalists were nominated last month for a James Beard Award for its thorough research on the best barbecue in Texas.

The number one spot for BBQ in Texas? Snow's BBQ in Lexington. It's one of those places that's only open one day a week, Saturday, and is only open till the meat runs out, typically around 12:30. These are some of my favorite places to eat, where the point of cooking isn't about turning around a fast dollar; it's about the food. And Snow's is a two 1/2 hour drive from Ft. Worth, just past Waco.

Roadtrip, anyone?

More locally, Texas Monthly also pointed me in the direction of some good eats in Fort Worth, specific dishes that are delicious and under $10. It's a good representation of the diversity of food you'll find around here:

• Thai Tina's Chicken in Peanut Sauce
• Esperanza's Cafe's Caldo de Pollo
• The Fried Pork Chop Plate at Drew's Place
  

Since arriving last week, I've done a bit of good eating: beef brisket enchiladas with a side of queso at La Playa Maya, a delicious Italian meal at La Piazza during a FWO donor dinner and multiple margaritas at Blue Mesa.

Now when most people think of hard liquor in Texas, the first thought is typically tequila. But apparently this state has a lot of good vodka flowing. I am more of a gin drinker, but the 20+ times that Dripping Springs distills its vodka intrigues me. Apparently, the distillery (outside of Austin) burned down recently, meaning its been even harder to find in liquor stores than usual. I'll see what I can make happen...

The other big name in Texas vodka is Tito's Handmade Vodka, also from Austin. It's distilled six times and comes in big plastic jugs for next to nothing.

Texas just might make a vodka tonic woman out of me.

Merl's South Philly Breakfast Spot

Before heading to the airport this morning, I took my dad to Merl's for breakfast. Merl's is a breakfast joint just around the corner from me and it's become one of my favorite spots. Convenient location aside, Merl's has some of the best home fries and pancakes in town. The home fries (known as Merl's signature home fries) are crispy and salty, cooked with onions and green peppers. The server tends to ask if you would like the fries with onions and peppers. I can't imagine ordering them any other way.

The pancakes are best described by quoting the server. On my last trip there, my cousin told the server how amazingly crispy and soft the pancakes were. Her response: "I think it's all the butter." Or today, when I requested butter before digging in. She said, "There's already butter melted on the pancakes. But if you want more, I can bring some." Extra butter was definitely unnecessary.


My dad described the pancakes as the "perfect combination of wet and dry," which in chef talk just meant the dry ingredients didn't overwhelm the wet ones in the batter. So while the extra butter makes the outside of the pancakes super crispy, the inside is melt-in-your-mouth soft.

He ordered the pancakes and scrapple (Which he claims not to have eaten in two decades! I like to think he was inspired by all my recent scrapple talk.), and the scrapple came thinly sliced and deep fried, much to his satisfaction. I went with the p'cakes and pork bacon.

Merl herself came out at one point and checked to see how we were enjoying everything. When we praised the pancakes, she referred to her "secret recipe." I certainly hope I'm not revealing too much by saying they certainly benefit from copious amounts of butter.

Merl's South Philly Breakfast Spot
1543 Dickinson St. Philly 19146

NNA Fundraiser at Hardena

I don't know why I didn't think to publicize this on kitchenplay, but if it's good enough for Meal Ticket, it is certainly good enough for us!

The Newbold Neighbors Association (NNA) is hosting a fundraiser this Thursday, February 19th at Hardena (1754 Hicks St, the NW corner of Hicks and Moore). $10 gets you a mountain of great Indonesian food, with 40% of your contribution going back to the NNA. Things are starting up at 6pm and going till around 8.

Newbold Update

• For those of you following the opening of BREW, here is what coffee master Aaron Ultimo said in the kitchenplay comments section last Friday…
  
  “We're trying very hard to work with Michael Dolich (a.k.a. "Challahman") over at Four Worlds Bakery. If you haven't yet heard of him, you will. No one comes close to what he's doing in the city. His croissants and chocolate babka are to die for...”
  
  (In response to my question about who was doing their baking)

• Philly Weekly talks about a Caribbean food truck somewhere on West Passyunk, but doesn’t give an exact address. Anyone know the details?

Wallet Watch: PhillyCarShare Discounts

I recently posted a comment on Foobooz about the PhillyCarShare discount at Apamate and realized I should share it with all of you too!

If you are a member of PhillyCarShare, that means you also have a "key to the city," entitling you to various discounts at shops, restaurants, etc. around town.

That includes 10% off your bill at a great tapas place on South Street, Apamate, and all three Pumpkins, the restaurant, cafe and market. Check out the rest of their list through the link above!

Update: Foobooz liked the comment enough to write a post on the Key to the City discounts! Foobooz also picked up on kitchenplay's review of Plan-Eat-Thai today and gave us a shout-out in their Around the Web section. Thanks Foobooz!

BSD... Officially Dead (Almost)

According to Michael Klein... "Starr's Broad Street Diner deal, mired in environmental issues, seems to be dead."

Damn.

Can this place be redeemed? What are these environmental issues anyway? It's a good location, comes with parking, has a community that cares about the neighborhood....

Could Mark Bee of Silk City swoop in and save the day? Should the place be razed completely and built up as something else entirely? And if so, what?