We got to the Headshouse Square Farmers' Market very late last week, but Picky brought along a big camera to take some portraits of some of the farmers. He's borrowing Kathleen Connally's (the incredible woman behind the fantastic photoblog A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania) Hasselblad 503CW for a little while. Kathleen's one of the best photogs around and he's immensely thankful for her generosity (and busy schedule preventing her from using this beauty!). Above is a shot of Tom Culton of Culton Organics who grows a bevy of heirloom produce. He called Picky over to his truck and said, "You wanna see a chicken?" Here, he's holding (we think) a Sussex hen he picked up while in town. Gorgeously brown and gold.
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 joined Nick and Theo, partners in crime behind The Food Experiments, at Local 44 last night for some awesome Brooklyn Brewery brews. We really enjoyed the newly released Main Engine Start, a 6% ABV Belgian singel which feels like a nice session brew. They are traveling around the country pitting some of the most inventive amateur chefs against each other in battles of tacos, pork, booze and—in Philly—cheese. Sunday's Philadelphia Cheese Experiment at World Cafe Live will be a four hour long cheese-based feastival [tickets $10].
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.
On the ground floor of the Cira Center, one of Philly's newest gleaming glass and steel skyscrapers, is a gem in and of itself. JG Domestic is Iron Chef Jose Garces' seventh and newest eatery in Philadelphia (he has one location in his hometown of Chicago as well), and his first farm-to-table spot. As firm believers in eating locally, we were thrilled to find JG Domestic's menu was fully domestic, with an emphasis on the mid-Atlantic region. Our trip to JG Domestic was back in November (backlog much?!), and while this place has had it's share of ink, here's our two cents…
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.
Let's get ready to ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmbbbbbbbbuuuuuulllllllleeee.
June 5th will mark the day Philly battled over cheese at the Philly Cheese Experiment. Founders of The Food Experiments Nick and Theo are bringing the Experimental tour to Philly. They've been to Austin, New Orleans, and DC, and they're headed to Boston in July and then back to Brooklyn in September. But Sunday, it's Philly. The event will be at World Cafe Live and costs $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. so there will be ample time to give your body a lactose-laden, artery-clogging jolt. Or thud. Growing up, Picky's family owned a Carvel ice cream store so he has the uncanny ability to eat massive amounts of dairy with no ill effects (he's a freak!). But the rest of you, be forewarned.
We predict mac n cheese, quiches, cheesecake and sandwiches will all be well represented. But what will be the surprises? Will there be cheese-based drinks? What will unexpectedly be stuffed with cheese (and wrapped in bacon?!)? Who will pair it with something out of left field? Will Limburger make an appearance?!
All kidding aside, this event is going to be great. Winners will get a very cool prize pack and proceeds are going to local food non-profit The Food Trust.
Week by week, the spring wraps her fingers around what's new good and plucks them for market. Oh wait— those fingers actually belong to the bevy of hardworking farmers from the region. Somehow, through all this rain we've had over the last month, these awesome farmers have managed to bring salad greens, radishes, turnips, herbs and more to market. Above is a shot of the cool contraption Weaver's Way Farm has to sell their herbs ($2 bunch). We saw thyme, a couple varieties of mint, oregano, chives, and chive blossoms (make vinegar!) for sale.
Red beauty radishes are hard to resist. If it weren't for the bunch of radishes we had at home, we would've picked some up from Blooming Glen Farm.
Here are some sweet globes of hakurei turnips. Behind them, you can spy some pints of strawberries. We couldn't resist and picked up a juicy pint ($3.50) which were picked that morning.
Over at Three Springs Fruit Farm, our friend Ben Wenk still had some great tasting, crisp Fuji apples. He's gotta have quite the operation at his place to keep them so incredibly fresh. We wonder if he has one of those cool refrigerated, vacuum rooms with no air, just nitrogen, to keep the apples fresh. We'll have to ask him next week.
We didn't need any more radishes, but when Picky sees Easter egg radishes, he just can't resist. Just look at them, could you say no? We picked up a bunch ($3) from Weavers Way along with a bunch of baby tatsoi (think sweeter bok choi).
We're looking forward to what the market will bring next week. Too bad a whole lot more rain is in the forecast between now and then.
A set of photos from this season's Headhouse Square Farmers Market
Keith Wallace, President and Founder of The Wine School of Philadelphia, invited us to head over to their Grand Opening Gala celebrating the opening of their new Rittenhouse Square HQ. We, of course, said yes. Rubbing elbows with wine lovers of Philly: yes please!
Along another wall was a trio of the sweet stuff. There was a Riesling and a couple others, one that was so incredibly sweet, even Messy couldn't take it. We can't remember all of the wines at this point — honestly, we have no idea how people can go to wine tastings, sip hundreds of wines and remember all of the subtle differences down the line. We're gonna have to talk to our good buddy David Snyder who used to teach at The Wine School.
Here's Keith, black blazer, toting three or four bottles of wine around the room. He was holding court and pouring out glasses all along the way. We didn't get a chance to say hi, introduce ourselves and say thanks for the invite, but we think we'll be by again at some point for a class (they're pretty affordable and you get to drink wine!). And remember, they have beer classes as well.
The lines stretched the length of the entire back room as people were talking to the patient folks behind the bar. They answered all kinds of questions thrown at them. They guided us through some wines we might like after prodding about what we've had before. Messy learned that she likes bright, high acid wines, while Picky prefers wines that are dry and assertive. We didn't find one particular wine that really jumped out that evening, but we're sure they would've been more successful in a less hectic setting.
Nothing equals the joy of the drinker, except the joy of the wine in being drunk. French proverb
The wine was poured…
And poured…
We had an excellent time and walked into the night with a nice buzz going. Thank you Keith and crew for a fun time!
The Wine School of Philadelphia
127 S 22nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Whoops, we forgot to post some photos from Week 2 of Headhouse Farmers Market so they're included in this week's recap of Week 3! Last week our friends at Root Mass Farm had a similar stock as the week before: not much. Such is life when the rains clog up their clay-heavy fields. They did have these super cute, super thin and tiny stalks of asparagus there. They were much thinner than a pencil and super tender. Instead of selling it, Landon and Lindsey offered them to us and some friends.
Here's Gil from Philly Market Day talking up his delicious canelé. They're so incredibly awesome. Well worth the $5 for 2 large ones or a sleeve of minis.
Dad and daughter taking a break by the food carts.
We finally sampled the goods from Los Taquitos de Puebla. Messy had the squash blossom quesedilla ($6) and Picky had the tacos al pastor ($7). We sat down in the sun with Landon and Lindsey for a nice little picnic post market. And in case you were wondering about the difference between al pastor and carnitas (as Picky and Lindsey were), here it is: al pastor is marinated and cooked on a vertical rotisserie; carnitas is pulled pork shoulder which is then roasted in a shallow pan for crispiness.
Week 3 brought in another produce vendor into the mix: Blooming Glen Farm. They brought with them a mountain of radishes along with other early spring goodies. The soggy, drippy weather didn't keep away the crowds— it actually seemed a little busier than the previous two weeks. Picky was riding solo as Messy was out of town for the weekend.
Weavers Way Farm was stocked with bagged salad greens and herbs.
Picky stopped to talk with Sue from Birch Run Hills Farm about the DiBruno Brothers fermentation dinner which Madame Fromage attended and wrote about. Sue had a great time and recounted the awesome bites she had through the night. She also said that wheels of the new Tired Hands Brewery washed Tired Cat will be available around Beer Week time. Picky loved her Brawling Cat she had last year using Yards Brewery's fantastic malty session brew Brawler.
AT Buzby Farm had more plants for sale, tomato plants in the foreground. But what's that behind?
A long line of quarted strawberries! They're not quite at their peak sweetness yet so Picky held off from getting a quart ($6).
Our friends at Root Mass Farm had a lot more to offer this week. Loads of green garlic and loads of herbs. Their lemon balm makes for some awesome iced tea!
Picky didn't grab post-market eats at Headhouse this time around as he was headed to a birthday lunch afterward in Chinatown, but Honest Toms made their Headhouse market debut at this week.
Picky even took home (that's our new tiny open kitchen in the background) a prize from the market by correctly describing what was going on in this photo via the Root Mass Farm blog. A nice bunch of green garlic.
Photos from the 2011 Headhouse Farmers Market season in this flickr set.
