The menu for the night with donuts donated by Krispy Kreme:

• Original Glazed Donut with PBC's Joe Porter in a classic breakfast staple inspired mash up
• Cinnamon Bun Donut with Yards' Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale
• Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut with Weyerbacher's Verboten, a Belgian style pale ale

The pours will be 8 oz. each with more on tap if you like what you're having.

Devil's Den has quickly become our new favorite neighborhood hangout. Why? They have an awesome beer list with 17 rotating taps and a gigantic bottle list. Happy Hour (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) means half off all drafts which normally range from $4 to $8. (Um, $2 to $4 for a really good beer? We are so there!) Their higher ABV brews get the 10.5 oz treatment. Also, it seems to be our demographic—seriously, every one in that bar seems to be in the same ten year age span— it's lively but no one is there to get hammered. The jukebox is usually rocking some awesome 90s music. The food is tasty and well portioned (except for the figs, don't get the measly figs!) with the giant cheese plate holding down the best deal spot so far from what we've sampled. Also, there's a fireplace!

The good people at Neff Associates, who have invited us to the event, suggest making a reservation to what they bill as Philly's first beer and donut pairing event. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. so there will be plenty of time at lunch, after work, before dinner, after dinner and before bed to come on by!

Devil's Den
1148 S. 11th Street @ Ellsworth
215.339.0855

Whoa, that Whole Foods is crazy. The aisles in there were literally wide enough to fit a Jeep into them, especially the frozen foods aisle. As you can see, we came away with a nice haul. Several bags full of goodies to keep us going along with a box of six wines our fantastic friend Lindsay gave to us. The wine gift basket was from My Wines Direct and yes, they do ship their CA wines to PA!

Picky just happened to have a relatively clear schedule during the promo and went on a few adventures while Messy was toiling away in her office. With his smart phone loaded with music and plugged into the sound system, he rolled through some parts of North Philly in search of graffiti. He found a few good walls, but this was his favorite spot after backing up the Jeep onto the sidewalk and next to an abandoned lot. He couldn't figure out what exactly that loading dock-like structure was for in the background. While tempted to put the Jeep into full 4×4 and storm the lot, he moved on.

Way down in South Philly is FDR Skate Park, one of those spots photographers flock to like a moth to a flame. Every once in awhile, you just gotta drift down there. With the Jeep, Picky was able to hit a lot of spots around town quickly as opposed to the usual combo of foot/bike/SEPTA. It was midday and the place was fairly empty other than a small photo shoot and a handful of kids. The half pipe stands a few yards from the main run. An imposing sight for most. For a little fun, Picky dropped the Freedom Drive II into full-time 4WD and gunned it through the rough dirt lot full of who-knows-how-deep fresh puddles. With 19" of clearance, it has enough to get over most things. You can cruise over the biggest of speed bumps without a hitch.

Before picking up Messy, he stopped off at another South Philly landmark, Frangelli's Bakery at 9th and Ritner Streets. They make delicious yeasty donuts. They're more like a layer of condensed croissants than a Dunkin Donuts cake donut. Fantastic. The donuts were so good that he went back a few days later only to see that they had just shuttered their doors for the rest of the summer. But rest assured, they've reopened their doors as of today, September 8th.

For a special treat, we went up to North 5th Street into Koreatown. A place nearly inaccessible to car-less Center City residents. Sure, you could take a bus up there, but that would take forever. While it's still a trek from Center City in a car, we made it out there and chowed down at Jong Ka Jib, a soft tofu soup specialty house. Highly recommended by everyone who had ever eaten there, we walked in with high expectations and out with extremely full and content bellies.

Over the weekend we took a last-minute trip to the beach with some friends. We buried our feet in the sand, swallowed enough seawater to remember our childhoods all too well and took in some mid-summer sun.

On our way back from the shore, we had to take a pit stop at Weber's for some root beer floats. One of our passengers mistakenly asked for out drinks to go so we didn't get the full drive-in experience, with the frosty mugs in a tray clipped to our windowsill, but such is life. We still enjoyed our floats! (Weber's also sells their awesome, slightly spicy root beer in 1 gallon glass jugs for those who want to enjoy it at home.)

The Jeep was plenty roomy for the two of us and three of our friends. There was enough room for a run to IKEA to get some much needed shelving for Messy's records (now hanging in our living room!). The city gas mileage lingered at around 14mpg which was abysmal. The 2.4L I4 DOHC 16V engine seemed to like the highway much better where the mileage jumped up to the rated 28mpg.

During our test drive, we clocked nearly 800 miles in the pouring rain and the searing heat. The Jeep handled any puddle we threw at it and the dual-climate AC worked like an ox at all times. And finally, a quick clip showing off one of the very cool features of this fully loaded model: remote start!

We thought maybe we'd take a look at their special happy hour menu [above] and order an app or two to nibble with our drinks. Yet somehow we ended up having a full-blown meal at the bar after our man behind the bar, Kip, handed us the full dinner menu packed with seasonal delights. For drinks, Picky ordered up his prized Bitches Brew (a steal at $6/glass for the 5p – 7p happy hour) and Messy left herself in the hands of Kip who suggested a Corpse Reviver #2 as a pick-me-up (gin, cointreau, lillet, lemon, absinthe, $11). By the time we finished our first round, the management had to send a server outside to serve as doorman as the space was at capacity. Everyone wanted a piece of the Dogfish + Southwark action. We got there just in time.

Picky ordered up the chicken liver terrine with beer bread [$5 happy hour special menu]; he's become a fiend for anything offal-y in the past two years. Dollops of vinegary whole grain mustard adorned the plate. The whole grains were a strong textural complement for the medium-rare, soft (but deliciously heavy in taste!) liver.

Messy went with a tried and true favorite, the roasted potatoes with fresh herbs and roasted garlic aioli [$6], which always make us happy. Chef Sheri never skimps on the accompanying dips— you never need to ask for a second one and if you don't feel like you need it, nobody's holding a gun to your head, so put it aside. After Messy was finished with her cocktail, Kip offered up a delicately rose-tinted Pinot Gris (Prentice "Ramato" 2008 Victoria, Australia). The color comes from the skins being left on the grapes after pressing for awhile to meld with the juice, Kip informed us as he gave Messy a taste.

Red and gold beet carpaccio and ricotta fritters with gigante bean and lettuce salad [$19].

It's just not right to pass up ribs with a bourbon mustard glazed baby back ribs, kidney bean and potato salad, spicy greens [$23], right? That's exactly what Picky thought. A delicious crispy exterior with a just too dry interior. Picky likes his ribs super succulent (but not just sauced). He wasn't complaining though. He was too busy licking his fingers to sip down the mocha-scented, rich Brew. Some say that the summer is not the time for a Russian imperial stout; Picky licks his thumb at thee.

Post carnage: Picky's a good eater.

Dessert was a difficult choice. The always awesome homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich with homemade chocolate shortbread cookie [see here] was on the menu, but so was a ginger pound cake with lavender caramel [$7], strawberry-rhubarb profiterole with fresh whipped cream [$10] and then their homemade ice cream offering of strawberry and peanut butter swirl [$6]. After some guidance by George, the GM and barman as you can see up top, we settled on the ice cream. Another Bitches Brew was needed to round out the night and what a perfect pairing with ice cream! (Normally, we would have ordered up more cocktails, like Picky's favorite Old Fashioned in town, but it was a special night for a special brew, which will hopefully see the light of day once again in the future!) As the sundae glass made its way over to us, one of the servers, Laurie, said she was a fan and thought it tasted like a PB&J. Spot on. It was like an ice cream PB&J, but not like anything you grew up with. The hunks of peanut butter didn't swirl uniformly, but it left for delicious chunks at odd bites amidst mouthfuls of creamy vanilla bean caviar-speckled ice cream.

Sheri came out to say hello and we gushed over the awesomeness of the ice cream (and everything else we gobbled up). By 7.15p, the happy hour was over and there was some breathing room at the bar once more. Sheri said it was a nice beer week with a bunch of special events. We heard the Country Time pork night went well Thursday night and PBC night was a packed house the night before.

And here are two of the hardest working people in Philly, Sheri and Kip Waide taking a breather after the rush. Kip's old boss, Fergie, was at the bar having a few brews with the Dogfish Head crew along with Curt from Nodding Head. As chance would have it, we sit in these seats at the end of the bar pretty much every time we're here. It's a great place to observe the inside workings of the restaurant, and a great place to say hi to all the folks who stop by. Picky had to introduce himself to Dogfish's Wendy, whom he followed around, event after event, for the week. After nearly three hours at the bar, we took off for home, fully stuffed after a fantastic meal with the added flair and madness of Beer Week added onto it. It being mid-June, it was still light outside, which made the night that much more awesome.

Southwark
701 S. 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215.238.1888
Food: Tu-Th: 5.30p-10.30p
F-Sa: 5.30p-11.30p
Su: 11a-5p
Bar: Tu-Sa: 5p-2a
M: Closed

Pics from Philly Beer Week 2011

Playing loose versions of themselves, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reprise their hilariously fictionalized roles from TRISTAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY and reunite with acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom (24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE) for an acerbically witty, largely improvised ride through the English countryside. Tapped by The Observer to review fine restaurants throughout the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, Steve (Coogan) finds himself without a traveling companion after his girlfriend decides not to go at the last minute. After being turned down by everyone else he knows, Steve extends an invitation to Rob (Brydon), and together the pair attempt to navigate the winding back roads of rural England, impersonating popular celebrities such as Michael Caine, Woody Allen and Liam Neeson (among many others) and bickering along the way. Over the course of six different meals at six different restaurants, the ultimate odd couple tests the limits of their friendship, questioning what is most important to them and along the way discover the limits of what they are and are not willing to give up for fame.

The trailer…

So here's the deal: the screening is on June 14th at 7.30p at the Ritz East (125 S. 2nd Street). Leave a comment below, with your email in the proper field (don't worry, nobody will see your email except for us), about why you think the Brits are funny, or a funny Brit, or even somebody who does a funny impression of a Brit. We'll pick fifteen, yep, fifteen, winners at random and they'll be notified by email on Monday. The cutoff will be Sunday at 11.59p. Each winner will be able to bring a guest to the screening.

A note on the screening: while your name will be on the list, it is a fist come, first served event so you'll have to get there a little early to check in and get in line (or as NY Picky would say, "on line") to get a decent seat. Another note: they will be checking for any recording devices and that includes phones with cameras.

Here are the most hardcore cheese lovers who showed up nice and early for the event. The line zig-zagged up the staircase and out the door. (That's Messy checking her phone in the blue shirt near the top!)

Here are the members of The Notorious Pie.Ro.Gi entering World Cafe Live's main floor.

Kasey Esposito cutting up samples of her Summertime Savory Cheesecake which brought Picky back to the Chevy Food Crawl, where he first had crab cheesecake at Marsha Brown's.

One of Picky's co-workers, Paul Lawler, was manning the cheese table with the Chester County Cheesemakers.

A solid pierogi they prepared. Good enough to go on to win top prize from the judges.

Here's the contestant we think was robbed! Came Here 4 the Science's entry was a Cherry Marscapone Ice Cream. It was delicious and scientifically displayed in a bath of dry ice. It let the marscapone shine through (the cheese flavor in some of the other contestants' dishes was sometimes a little too muted). Apparently the world of ice cream making is new to this contestant (unfortunately, we didn't catch her name), but if she keeps at it, her friends will live like kings. Keep it up, Came Here 4 the Science! We'll be your biggest fans!

Judge's #3 pick was Alyssa Lees and her Strawberry Rhubarb Cannoli. The Limoncello cannoli was an interesting twist on the traditional cannoli, but we thought strawberry-rhubarb overpowered the sheep's milk ricotta. A great tasting cannoli with the prettiest display of the afternoon.

Here's Cheese en Place with their Coconut Cheesaroon; their super creative take on a East meets West (remember Ming Tsai?!) dish which tasted strongly of Chai.

None of this would've been possible without the support of Brooklyn Brewery. A big thank you to them for producing some quality brews since 1988. Thank you for sending Nick and Theo across the country eating and drinking their way through cities filled with food fanatics spreading the joy of the home cook. Wait, no, we're totally jealous of them—send us!

Here's Theo snapping a cellphone shot just as people are starting to come into the main event. His last moment of calm for the afternoon, for sure.

Up on stage were the judges. Each contestant brought up a plate full of their most prized bites.

The duo behind Unconstitutional Ravioli in costume. Their quail egg, ricotta, provolone and broccoli rabe filled ravioli finished third in the audience vote.

Second place in the audience vote went to Cat Attacks and their Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese with gazpacho.

One of the many plates full of food. People most definitely differed in their approach to having all of the samples. There were those who went one by one down the line and ate along the way. Some went in pairs and had entire plate fulls to take back to a seat to try at once. Others ditched their plates all together and took samples one by one.

Here are girlfriend and boyfriend competing against each other and right next to each other. Bragging rights would surely be an issue by the end of the afternoon. Both dishes were great—they must make some fantastic meals together! Messy especially loved, loved, loved this mac and cheese!

A shot from the stage of the massive crowd which took up the entire floor and the balcony above.

Here are the Flying Yoshis! with their Steakcheese, a grilled cheese with cheesesteak beef inside.

A shot of one more very full plate.

The prizes decorated with a snaking rope light. Le Cruset fondue pots for all the winners!

Here's Theo with the official Philly Beer Week Hammer of Glory. He raised it above his head like he was the WWF champ from back in the day.

Here's the Judge's third place winner Alyssa Lees for her Strawberry Rhubarb Cannoli.

Judge's second place winner Kasey Esposito for her Summertime Savory Cheesecake.

Theo hoisted a very heavy prize pack from DiBruno Brothers before handing it off to…

The Notorious Pie.Ro.Gi

The prize for Pluckiest Assistant, the assistant who went above and beyond during the call of duty went to Unconstitutional Ravioli.

…Who also took home third prize from the audience.

Second place from the audience was awarded to Cat Attacks for their Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese. They took home some of the new, sought-after, champagne bottles of some schmancy Brooklyn Brews.

The audience picked Phondoody for their The Philly Dip Shits, a French Dip with gruyere fondue as the dip. As the winner, he got to wield the sacred Beer Week Hammer of Glory. He also got some awesome prizes and a chance to compete in the finals in Brooklyn later this year against all the other regional winners. Hope he takes his girlfriend and her awesome mac and cheese making skills along with him!

Theo took the sacred Beer Week Hammer off stage to show off to some of his Philly-based friends. We think he looks quite happy with it. We took our cheese-filled stomachs home and bid adieu to a great new event which we hope will return for a bigger and badder run next year. We got to meet some more of Philly's blogging scene including the duo behind 22nd & Philly [their post on the event] and the Philly editor of Midtown Lunch.

The full set of 1200px wide photos in the flickr set below

Victory is one of the big success stories in craft brewing in the area and the country and it's great to see their continued growth and success. We'll be there, chilling at The Four Seasons, during the 4p – 8p par-tay and hope to see you there too.

The Four Seasons Hotel
1 Logan Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 599-3837

Here's Gil of Market Day Canelé striking a pose as he was packing up for the day. His fanciful pastries are the best in Philly.

Here's Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm. Over the years we've become friends with Ben and we love to talk shop when there's a lull at market.

When his cider rolls out in the fall, you'd have to be certified insane to not pick up at least a half gallon a week (we go through a full gallon in about four days). He's got some fun new things up his sleeves for the coming season too. Stay tuned!

Here's Dave Garretson of Beechwood Orchards. Last week was his first market of the season and we could tell he was just itching to get back to the grind. He had flat after flat of sweet and slightly tart strawberries for sale. Dave's apples make you sad you ever bothered to buy some waxed junk with a sticker on it.

Here's Karl who is deeply tied into all things food-related in Philly. He's been working with Dave for several seasons now.

Here's a market worker's bike loaded up with her haul for the day. She was off packing up the last of the stuff that needed to be hauled onto the truck so Picky snapped off a frame.

Picky hasn't shot with a Hasselblad in a little while so this roll of ancient Ektachrome 50 (expired July 1990) wasn't the best set of frames he's shot, but slowly, he's getting the hang of it again. It's like riding a bicycle. A very awesome, supercharged bicycle.

Photos from the 2011 Headhouse Farmers Market Season

We met them earlier today on their Philadelphia Sandwich Crawl: 12 sandwiches in six hours. First stop: Picky's favorite sandwich in Philly: DiNic's. 10.15a we met them. Oh yes, you gotta start early if you want to eat all this food. We had to wait until 11a to get the famed pulled pork so we started with a rare roast beef with horseradish, sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. Here's Theo getting nostril deep into the juicy sandwich.

When the clock struck 11a, Theo rushed to the line. We got the first pulled pork of the day. Here's Theo and Nick with Theo's longtime friend Alain (sp?) and the Italian pulled pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe.

Here's Theo with a wet juicy bite of the sandwich.

Here's Nick about to take a ginormous bite out of the king of sandwiches (in Picky's humble opinion).

We parted ways and bid them well on their journey across Philly. Hopefully they will not have exploded by Sunday.

The gigantic, airport waiting area-sized atrium in the Cira Center is a bit off-putting to say the least. It works as an entry to a gigantic office building, but for the entrance to a restaurant, it's kind of weird. We were seated right at the front of the space (in the first photo we were seated to the right of the entrance under the trellis) even though we had a reservation and the place had ample space on that Tuesday night. The rest of the space felt more like a standalone eatery, but where we were seated just felt plain strange. Our seating aside, the details in the space were great, from the different tones of wood down to the whole black peppercorns in the candle holders (pictured below) which gave off a very faint roasty smell.

We started off with a couple drinks. Picky had an old fashioned, which wasn't as spicy as he likes it. It wasn't watered down, but it tasted a bit weak. He has since forgotten the whiskey used, but he probably should have opted for the rye instead of the bourbon the server suggested. Messy enjoyed a lovely glass of Zinfandel.

From our seats, we gazed out on the Philly skyline through the large atrium's windows and dug into the freshly baked dinner rolls brought out in a piping hot cast-iron skillet. They had the delicate layers of a croissant, but the density of a nice loaf. We were off to a great start.

The little square of apple gelée (we think that's what it was) was a nice, little, not-too-sweet touch to the rolls.

The square cast iron pan was too cute.

Messy's course included cranberry bean soup with in-house chorizo (eaten by Picky), and brussels sprouts. The soup was surprisingly light, with flavors that were both delicate and intense.

Picky went for the pig trotters, which came with a chunky cranberry compote and Dijon spots to dip into. The trotters were reminiscent of an upscale scrapple, a local hearty pork meatloaf of sorts.

The servers gave us ample time to soak in our drinks while letting our minds wander about the following courses. Next up for Messy was some delicious kabocha squash with sautéed black kale, shaved sheep's milk cheese and candied squash seeds. Messy, who was dealing with some frustrating food allergy diagnoses at the time, was bummed to have to order such a seemingly boring dish. Squash and kale doesn't really do it for her. And yet, somehow, this dish was utterly phenomenal. And filling. She could eat it every single day if given the opportunity. And she'd like to be given the opportunity—Messy is a huuuuge Garces fan!

Then out came a wild boar rack, which was more like a giant Frenched chop, with mustard glaze and creamy maple grits. The boar's deep flavor melded well with the lump of house-made vinegary whole grain mustard. Forkfuls of delectable grits and garlicky greens quickly followed each other. Each plate was garnished with edible baby sprouts which added color—no clumps of useless parsley were in sight.

To finish up the night, we went back to the snack menu and ordered a bowl of phenomenal hickory-smoked pecans with maple and bacon, followed by a dessert titled simply "Bourbon." The pecans were the surprise hit of the entire meal. They were soft but not mushy, and packed with so many levels of flavor in each single nut. Savory brunoised bacon bits clung to the delicate folds of the pecan's sticky glaze. This bowl of pecans was the most incredible thing Picky ate in all of 2010. He was reduced to a series of "umms" and "aahhhs" and "this is [expletive] phenomenal" between hurried bites, as if scared our server would whisk it away when his back was turned.

"Bourbon" included New Orleans style beignets served with a vanilla mousseline—think thick, whipped, luscious ice cream—and a Maker's Mark butterscotch dipping sauce. The alcohol was most definitely forward on the palate, offering a sharp contrast to the creamy mousseline and warm beignets.

The large, airy space had plenty of open seats on the rainy, windy and cold Tuesday night when we ventured out, but word will surely get out quickly, so jump on a reservation before it's too late! If there's one person who can make this out-of-the-way location behind the overpass and 30th Street Station work, it's Philly's Iron Chef Garces (sorry, Chef Morimoto, but you're just not in town as much anymore; we miss you, come back!).

Messy ****1/2
Picky ****

The final word: Does Chef Garces and Co. have what it takes to get people to come to this odd location behind 30th Street Station for years to come? Yes. Yes. Yes.

JG Domestic
Cira Centre, Ground Floor
2929 Arch St
(215) 222-2363
Lunch:
M-F: 11:30am-3:00pm
Dinner:
M-Sa 5pm-10pm
Happy Hour:
M-F: 3pm-7pm