Last night Ralph and I went to fish for their Maine Event, a seven course meal featuring fare from Maine in each dish. Each course was served with an Allagash beer (also from Maine). There was not one bite that wasn’t outrageously delicious. The first dish was clam chowder, which was so perfect that it got me ready for the other delights that I was about to eat. I don’t know if there was a sea creature that I didn’t eat last night! A few highlights were the peekytoe crab dish that had avocado and a bright citrus notes, the scallops with beef cheek and red beet (and I don’t even like beets!!), and the blueberry buckle served with honey ice cream. I’m angry at how fiendishly incredible that meal was; I wish I were eating it right now. I didn’t even take any photos because I was in a food trance. Go there immediately.
I had a delicious weekend! First on Saturday afternoon, we did a little harvesting of green beans and one jalapeno (we were too excited to try the pepper and pulled it before it was entirely ripe). I did a light saute of the beans and chopped pepper in olive oil and threw salt on. It was simple and perfect.
Later that night Ralph and I attended my friend’s wedding, which was lovely and she looked fabulous. The (food) highlight of the evening was the mini cheesesteak bar. They had a person frying up the meat and onions to order and they had whiz, pickles, American cheese and other fixins. I thought that was just the cutest idea and it was a hit.
Sunday, after a very rough start (I may or may not have drank all the wine in Philadelphia), I grabbed some food at Parc. I had the quiche lorraine and haricots vert, both were rich and tasty. The quiche was cooked beautifully; still moist and soft and filled with cheese. I didn’t order a bloody mary, but I did have a sip of Ralph’s and it was really good with just the right amount of spice. It came with a lime, mini pickle wrapped in a paper thin carrot slice and an olive. Next time I go, I’ll definitely be ordering one.
Except for brussel sprouts, I’m down with German foods. It’s in my blood I can’t help it. So when a coworker brought me a baby packet of German candy, Brause-Stabchen, I was thrilled. At first bite of the cola flavored stick, I thought it was good, but then it delighted my tongue with fizzing action very similar to Zotz centers (thank you sodium hydrogen carbonate). It has 5 flavors: apple, orange, lemon, cola and himbeer (raspberry?!) You can buy them at a German Deli, once they restock on my new favorite treat.
I went to visit the Kate-N-Gabe this weekend in NYC, which was awesome and they rule all the schools. They just so happen to live right next to Doughnut Plant, who make the most amazing donuts (I like to spell it donut, not doughnut, even though that’s the more proper spelling). We had an assortment, but my favorite had to be the coconut cream, which is a cake ‘nut and not a yeast-raised one. Maybe that’s why it was so good albeit dense (the yeast donuts have a lighter texture if dense isn’t your bag). Also, the cream distribution was really good in the coconut cream; evenly deposited throughout the donut, not just a big gooey wad in the center. My favorite part about the experience was when a woman asked for a Boston Creme donut and the DP guy said, “You’re in New York, no Boston Cremes.” Haha, nice work, Doughnut Plant.
My aunt, Beans, got me some chocolate from a recent trip to New Hampshire/Maine and I finally tried it. It’s called Coastline Confections and it’s really quite good. I have tried the River Mill with Maine Sea Salt and Morning Loon with Espresso, both are good, but I prefer River Mill. I’m sure it’s just made out of some guy’s basement with its generic “May contain any of the following” label (with every type of chocolate and inclusion the company makes listed) on the back of each bar, but good is good. I won’t question it. (It is also labeled “all natural,” goodie!!)
My Poppy and Fran just got back from a German vacation and they brought me back some chocolate (I love that people see chocolate and think of me!!) They chose a milk chocolate by Feodora, which is fatty and European and heavenly. They add butterfat to it, which makes it smooth, soft and luxurious in the mouth and the flavor is that sort of cheesy dairy note typical of European chocolates (I also detect a hint of hazelnut, but that could be they way it was stored). Nice work, ‘rentals!
My last new love is Yogi Tea, I know I wrote about it before with the “Uplift St. John’s Wort” flavor. I’ve now tried about 4 other kinds (4 of about 85 million) and they are all delicious. My favorite so far is Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut, which I have been brewing at night and dipping ginger snaps in as a bedtime snack. To be more accurate, I’ve been dipping Sweetzels Spiced Wafers into my Yogi Tea, which can only mean one thing; it’s fall in the greater Philadelphia area. Go Eagles!
I just tried Yogi Tea for the first time today, specifically their “Uplift” flavor with St. John’s Wort. Even though it’s caffeine free, I feel a little buzzed from it. And by “a little” I mean “quite.” I like the flavor because it reminds me of the tea Marianna would prepare for breakfast every day when I would visit her (this is when I lived on Crete), except that this has licorice in it, which has been stuck in the back of my throat all day. It’s all organic and I like the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, fennel seed, etc) in it, but the “uplift” is almost too much for me, I feel a touch shaky, but that could be a different issue altogether. I’d say “Uplift” is pretty good, not great, but I’ll probably keep drinking it.
Back to Marianna for a second; she makes the most amazing teas and tonics from herbs she harvests from the Greek mountainside. If you’re ever in Crete, you should absolutely stop by her workshop, which is located in the stunning village, Maroulas, only a little ways from Rethymno. Definitely worth a trip.
Today’s the day you’ve all been anxiously awaiting; the live launch of Delish.com!! And more importantly, my blog on it. Check it out, read my thoughts on Ace of Cakes and live forever!!!!!!!!
I went to NYC this weekend and went to the Astoria Beer Gardens, which totally ruled and I love the outdoor grill/drinking experience. They had brats and “klobasa” and beer, beer, beer. Of course I enjoyed it. It’s apparently the oldest outdoor garden in the city, so really you can consider it an historic site, not just a place to get sh*t-canned.
The other highlight, besides seeing all my fabulous friends, was brunch at Alias on Clinton & Rivington. I had a meat I’ve never had before: Goetta. Pronounced “gedda.”
This is made from the steel cut scraps of meat, then blended with oats. They made a thin patty out of it and fried it until it was crispy. Sort of like a cross between Hagus and Scrapple. It tasted like a meat granola bar — delicious, but I’m not sure how much of it I could it at a time. But with my cheddar-smothered grits and over-easy eggs with biscuits, it was absolutely perfect. Nice work, Alias.
In the spirit of hotdog month, I’d like to let you know about the wieners of my youth; the wieners that still have my heart. I’m of course talking about Yocco’s “The Hot Dog King.” This is a regional Lehigh Valley chain, which may be why you’ve never heard of it before. My favorite part about it is that they serve Mrs. T’s pierogies, deep fried to sizzling-golden-brown-crunchy-on-the-outside-soft-and-fluffy-on-the-inside perfection.
Of course I adore their dogs as well; they serve them with “special sauce,” which is essentially a poor man’s chili, mustard and onions; pure heaven. That’s the standard, but of course they have other options for y’all fussy budgets. You can also pick up a “doggie bag” that has 12 buns, uncooked franks, some “special sauce,’ mustard and onions. Whenever we go up to Live-Free-Or-Die New Hampshire to visit my brother, we have to bring him a doggie bag (amongst other regional favorites). I’m drooling over the thought of Yocco’s good thing I’ll be up in Allentown on Sunday to get me some….
Friday night, I had dinner with the Smith sisters at Bonjung Sushi in Collegeville. I was surprised at how good it is! Let me just say that it has taken me a while to warm up to sushi; it started with inari as a gateway, then I moved up to actual rolls. I’m still not into the sashimi or sushi jawns, I’m more of a maki/temaki kinda gal. Bonjung is a BYO, which is one of my favorite things about PA, the prevalence of the BYO. We started off with a Mudslide Roll, tuna & avocado topped with a mix of crunchy miso & spicy sauce, and a Rock n’ Roll, shrimp tempura, cucumber, spicy sauce with tobiko outside. (I read a little about tobiko and it sorta grossed me out, of course not enough to stop eating it).
We moved on to a variety of sushi, which I avoided. Keels brought some mini cupcakes, which we noshed with some green tea. I forget where she picked them up, but the bakery in question had pretty good red velvet (a rarity that I cherish). I highly recommend Bonjung; it’s the best sushi I have found in this butt pile of strip malls and fast food chains I call home.
