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.
First, a disclaimer: although we are a food blog, this post will not be about the food. Yes, the Philadelphia Belle does serve brunch, lunch, and dinner, but the food is not the point. The experience is what it's all about. Cruising up and down the Delaware with the Philly skyline in view is awesome. Just awesome. We were so excited when the good folks at Vault Communications invited us to participate in a blogger appreciation night on the Philadelphia Belle. Messy, in particular, loves being on the water in any capacity. (In fact, she spent half of our honeymoon trying to convince Picky to take a paddleboat ride with her. She did not succeed.)
The Philadelphia Belle is a big, beautiful riverboat. It's the largest vessel of this type on the East Coast, accomodating groups of 20 to 1,000. (Check out floor plans and more here.) It's available for rental for special occasions. It also hosts regular cruises, including brunch, lunch and dinner options, sightseeing tours, and a midnight cruise. There is also a cruise only option. Prices range from $27.95 – $74.90 depending on day/time/food selections
Messy can't wait for the boat to get moving!
We were given some open bar wristbands for the evening so Messy started off trying one of the Philadelphia Belle's specialty cocktails. It was a mix of elderberry liquor and sparkling wine. Messy found it too sweet, but really, she should have known better. All of the drinks on the menu leaned towards the sweet and tropical. Picky knew better and ordered a standard Grey Goose and cranberry juice. He kept the night going with some Macallan 10 (the only single malt on board) neat and Messy kept the night going with vino.
Dinner cruises include entertainment. We enjoyed the classic covers from this group.
Starter plate was the Italian Market Sampler featuring roasted tomatoes, olives, dry sausage, fresh mozzarella and basil; roasted red pepper hummus with toasted pita; Philly cheesesteak spring roll with spicy ketchup
Lobster bisque with tarragon crème fraiche.
Duck Confit paired with mission fig compote, Roquefort cheese and micro-greens.
Center-cut filet of beef accompanied with roasted asparagus, potato gratin and finished with a red wine demi-glaze.
Rosemary and lemon roasted chicken breast served with asparagus, toasted Parmesan mashed potatoes and thyme-scented chicken jus.
Dinner desserts
While many people on our dinner tour stayed inside to enjoy the music and the bar, we took our drinks up to the observation deck and enjoyed the crisp March air.
Of course, there happened to be a sweet sixteen party going on inside. That was definitely not our scene. Twovideos of the dancefloor action on the Belle from that evening.
At some point during a party at Marisa's [@] house, Tenaya, aka Madame Fromage [@] and David aka PhilaFoodie [@] finally met. It was a food-loving match which should have happened earlier, but the numerous parties who know both of them didn't know they didn't know each other. They got talking to wine and cheese within seconds and a few months later they threw a party Chez Fromage. A cheese, wine, beer and preserves tasting. Providing the beer pairings was Ryan of In Search of Beer [@] and his wife-to-be, LeeAnne. Marisa brought several jars of delicious jams and chutneys to try with everything and we brought some treats along for dessert and an appetite for all the goodies. Above is a shot of the kitchen island which was piled full with sample glasses, beers and some white wines ready for an onslaught.
Tucked in the corner of the kitchen were les fromages coming to temperature. We had been looking forward to this evening for a few weeks and seeing everything laid out was absolutely tantalizing. The following will be a lot of photos of cheese. We didn't get to all the wines, but Picky may have had all the brews. Some details were most definitely cloudy after a solid four hours of feasting. We're going to have to rely on the collective knowledge for a full account of the evening—they'll be linked to in the future.
The cheese. Mme. Fromage brought out two hunks of cheese to warm up our palates. There was a Camambert: Moses Sleeper, from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. According to Mme. Fromage, this is an award-winning Camembert-style cheese with a bloomy surface, made from a small heard of Ayrshire cows. Accompanying the Camambert was one of our favorites, Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove in CA. It's just a pretty wedge to look at, non? This chèvre is made from pasteurized cultured goat milk. The vegetable ash line in the middle of the wheel is nowadays an aesthetic touch, but Picky was told it was once used to separate the morning milk from the afternoon milk.
Here are some of the little bites which were on the table to complement, contrast and cleanse the palate. Picky, not being the biggest fan of white wine, tried to stick to whites for the evening. He's slowly expanding his reach with wines, and whites are supposed to go better with cheese. He had a lot of the Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino which David brought to the party.
A shot of the carnage resulting from our appetites to the first offering. Humboldt Fog, Cypress Grove (CA, Goat): An American classic from Mary Keehn of Humboldt County. This young goat has a layer of ash to provide balance (and separate morning milk from evening milk). /via Mme. Fromage.
One of the first brews of the evening was so incredible Messy—who dislikes almost all beers—took a liking to it immediately: Schlenkerla Smokebeer. The beer has a salivating nose to it, but not like a strong hickory fire, but a smooth and mellow, deep smokiness. A meatiness to the taste of it. Picky was remiss and didn't photograph most of the beers tasted and none of the wines, so this is it for the beverages. David's first offering was a Sancerre he unabashedly described as tasting distinctively of "cat piss." And it did. But not in an overwhelmingly ammonia-like way. It was subtle, but his vino mind trick worked. Cat piss.
Paired with the smokebeer was the Ascutney Mountain (VT, Raw Cow) A semi-firm Alpine-style cheese with sweet vegetal notes — think peapods – from Gail Holmes at Cobb Hill in Hartland, VT. Raw Jersey milk makes this extra delectable. /via Mme. Fromage. This was Messy's favorite of the evening and just about everyone's favorite pairing.
A little piece of Humboldt atop Marisa's honey lemon marmalade. Oh marmalade, you're too often passed over by those not in the know. You are grand. You are tart. You are sweet. You are a secret best kept and shared all at once.
Ardrahan (County Cork, Ireland, Cow) A sensuous washed rind with a slight peanutty vibe – along with sautéed mushrooms and hay – from Mary Burns, a pioneering artisan. Mary raises her own Friesians and has made cheese for almost 40 years. Britain's premier affineurs handle the aging at Neal's Yard. /via Mme. Fromage. Picky was introduced to Ardrahan a month or so ago at DiBrunos 9th St while grabbing a hunk of M&P HQ favorite Berkswell (sublime!). This one's a stinker in all the best ways. According to one of Picky's co-workers at Fair Food, cheesemonger Paul Lawler, when you bring this cheese up in conversation or ask for it at a counter, you gotta say it with gusto: ARRD-ra-han.
Brigid's Abbey (CT, Raw Cow) A Trappist-style doozey from Cato Corner Farm, a small cheesemaking outfit run by mother-son team Elizabeth MacAlistair and Mark Gillman. They are well known for renegade stinkers like Hooligan, Drunken Hooligan, and Rappleree. This is a meaty, buttery cheese made from the raw milk of Jersey and Brown Swiss cows. /via Mme. Fromage. Picky thinks this is the one he kept having with Marisa's apple-pear chutney. He couldn't get enough of it and he kept reaching for the spoon every few minutes. Her green tomato chutney was a winner as well with a soy sauce like sweet-sour thing going. This was a nice change from the only other Cato Corner offering we've had, their Womanchego, which was underwhelming. Ryan paired the Abbey with an abbey-style ale: Gran Met from Voodoo Brewing Co.
Paired with the Ardrahan was Stone IPA from Stone Brewing Co. Ryan said it was the quintessential IPA, everything that's good about an IPA is shown in this beer. A perfect formula for something Picky would not like. He just doesn't like IPAs. He leans towards the maltier selections and away from the floraly, hoppier ones. More for everyone else!
Testun al Borolo (Italy, Mixed milk): A curious cheese from Piedmont that is packed in Barolo grape must and left to age in barrels for at least four months. Eating the rind, made of grape skin and seeds, is part of the appeal. The taste is grapey and complex, the texture crumbly. /via Mme. Fromage. Ryan paired this with a Saison Vos from Sly Fox Brewhouse. Crunching through the grape seeds was an odd experience. Picky couldn't get past the crunch of the cheese to concentrate on the flavor of the milk.
Montgomery's Cheddar (North Cadbury, England, raw cow) The cheese tastes sweet and brown buttery, in part because the cows pasture on lush wetlands. If you're into cheese, you know that all those little details are essential. /via Mme. Fromage who calls this the must-try cheese of 2011 for cheddar-heads. Picky's gotta agree with that assessment.
The cheddar wasn't mild, but it wasn't heavy, it was balanced. A cheese you would reach for at any time of the day. A gorgeously creamy color with rippled breaks throughout. With all the internal breakage, you might think this was crumbly, but it wasn't. There's just enough oil to hold it together nicely.
Pieces of the Testun and Montgomery's on Picky's plate chilling out. There was one standout wine, for Picky, from the entire evening and it was the Alvear Solara Pedro Ximinez 1927 which David suggested we have with each of the cheeses that evening. Magical. It went with everything. The thick wine was sweet and strong. It tamed the strong cheeses, it enhanced the softer nuanced ones.
Mme. Fromage brought out a simple, lackluster Black River Blue from Richfield, WI (her home state) to have a contrast in the range of American blues. It was a blue and that's about it. Next up was a treat. On the slate next to the blues were some dried figs, grapes and PICKLED WALNUTS. Good lordy – what?! We had never heard of them before. Get thee to Quince in Northern Liberties or somewhere similar and get your paws on some. Maybe DiBruno stocks them, maybe Jonathan Best in Reading Terminal. Maybe Whole Food. They're apparently a traditional English pickle. So weird. So interesting.
Bailey Hazen Blue (VT, Raw Cow) From the legendary Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro, one of the best blues in America. Spicy, grassy, with a hint of licorice, this natural rind cheese is made from the milk of Ayrshire cows, a smallish breed from Scotland. /via Mme. Fromage. One of Picky's favorite blues with intense bacteria marbling within. He recently gave a grapefruit sized hunk to a friend for his birthday (yes, if you're friends with Picky, you may get a gigantic hunk of cheese on special occasions). Ryan paired this hearty blue with Olde Gnarlywine from Lagunitas Brewing Co. which was plenty hefty itself.
To finish things off, we brought along some Market Day Canelé. We brought a mix of the large and small ones for the flavor and texture differences in these delicate pastries. The larger canel&eaucte;s have a harder shell and are more custardy at the core. They may have overtaken the #1 spot for bready dessert over tiramisù for Picky which is a monumental feat. . . Well, maybe it doesn't top the perfect tiramisù slab from Amis
We had such a wonderful time at this monumental feast. We think we came across a new tradition, but the next iteration has some large, deep, tasty shoes to fill. Ryan has his post up already and we'll add the other takes as they come online.
High up on our list of things that make us very happy: Opening Day of the Headhouse Farmers' Market! It was this Sunday, May 1st, and we had been looking forward to it for many months. While there are other markets around town which are open year round (Clark Park, Rittenhouse, Fitler Square), this one is the biggest of them all. We've been going to the market since its inception and Picky even participated as a vendor when he was working at PhillyCarShare many moons ago.
Here's a tour of some of the many awesome vendors at the market. We didn't even buy anything to take home—there wasn't much to buy anyway. It was more of a social visit to see our many farmers' market friends.
Here's the Happy Cat Organics stand with many varieties of heirloom seeds for sale along with some seedlings.
One of our favorite dairies, Birch Run Hills was there with a few offerings of Blue (which ranges in taste from Gorgonzola Dolce to Stilton), their Experimental cheese, beef sticks and spreads. That's Sue Miller in the black shirt. Picky had a spicy beef stick [$1] which was delicious and kept him going until lunch.
Patches of Star Goat Farm had yogurt, milk and chèvre, but Messy helped herself to a cup of Bing cherry goat milk ice cream [$3.75]. It's not nearly as creamy as cow's milk ice cream, but definitely no goaty tang to it. A refreshing treat on a nice spring day for sure.
Paradocx Vineyeard was there with their pails of vino (yep, pails!) along with traditional bottles for those who don't think they'll be consuming 3.5L at a time, heh. We haven't had any of their wine yet, but it's just a matter of time…
Buzby Farms from New Jersey had hanging baskets of strawberry plants. Oh strawberries, it's almost time for you!
Mushrooms and greens piled up.
This pooch was standing guard at Three Springs Fruit Farm. We spoke with our friend Ben Wenk for a good while and he let us know a few offerings to come in the next two months. All we'll say at this point is that they're drinkable. Very exciting! He also let us know what the difference is between apple juice and apple cider: it has to do with the bottling. Apple juice is bottled at 280°F and is shelf stable whereas cider is not. Good to know! They had some lovely asparagus for sale, but we had about 1.5lbs in our fridge already from Fair Food Farmstand!
Bennett Compost was on hand selling five gallon buckets [$10] of their compost. We're actually residential customers of Bennett. Tim's a great guy and we've hung out with him a few times over the last year. We're super happy to be using his service to help divert a ton of trash from landfills. Between single-stream recycling and composting, we've reduced our trash tremendously. We have a 32-gallon trash can which we fill up every six weeks or so. In contrast, we fill up our giant blue recycling bin weekly and we send off a few gallons of kitchen scraps each week to become compost. As a Bennett customer, we were eligible for 10 gallons of compost for free. We gladly took it and gave it to our friend Taylor who is an avid gardener. Unfortunately, we don't have any green space to work with in our new digs.
Our friends Landon and Lindsey recently started a farm in Oley Valley called support them shortly. They're putting together a City Picnic and a CSA-like Garden Stake where you can pre-pay and get a percentage bonus on your account for the entire season. We also hope to make it up to the farm for a visit/tour soon! (This goes for all of our farmer friends: we'd love to come and visit you this season! We had a great time touring farms last summer and want to make a point to visit most of the places where our food is grown!)
After a few hours of socializing, we needed some lunch. Enter Renaissance Sausage and their awesome truck. Their truck makes a few apperances around town during the market season. Their sausages are available at retail locations as well.
Messy went for the vegan sausage with fried onions and cilantro with Asian slaw on the side. Delicious!
Picky went for the keilbasa with house made 'kraut and spicy dijon and Siracha on top. Fantastic! Unfortunately, the keilbasa is not available for retail sale yet, although many other varieties are.
We had such a great time as usual. We caught up with vendors, welcomed a new one and saw a bunch of friends also enjoying the lovely weather and opening day at Headhouse. Until next week! 10a – 2p on 2nd St under the shambles between Pine St and Lombard St.
We are very lucky to get invited to a lot of events around the City and, more often than not, we fall behind in writing about them. The one place we've been feeling extremely guilty about not writing up sooner is Amuse, a new(ish) restaurant located in the trendy Le Meridien hotel at Broad and Arch Streets. We've been feeling guilty because not only was all the food phenomenal, but we got a chance to chat with the chef, Dan Black, and he was a really nice, funny and knowledgeable guy. Amuse is probably one of the best bangs for your buck in Center City. The portion sizes were simply humongous, and the prices were quite reasonable.
The eatery is small with a giant bar in the entryway and a long, communal table for 10 smack in the middle of the atrium of the hotel. A dining area, by the windows facing Arch St, seats 32. Fresh baked baguettes arrived wrapped in white paper along with a ramekin of room temperature herbed butter (Note: Picky loves when restaurants serve room temperature butter—the only way it should be!). The basil buds brought a sense of summer and thoughts of fresh bruschetta, but they weren't overpowering. An amuse bouche was brought out for each of us along with a signature Amuse cocktail. The champagne infused grape with aged balsamic and a basil bud tingled like fizzy champagne. It was the size of an overgrown olive, not like any grape we've seen. The smooth tinge of aged balsamic rounded out the feel of the bite and welcomed the rest of the meal.
The With Love cocktail [Ketel One, passion fruit syrup, lime juice, ginger liquor, champagne, and raspberry] was refreshing and cleaned off any of the lingering intensity from the amuse bouche. Then came the onslaught. We were ready for a small tasting menu, but what came out was just about everything from the menu; full portions of almost everything on the menu!
Taylor Bay Scallops [$8/$16], from Nantucket, with some petit scallops along with corn, peas, house made fresh chorizo over pappardelle in a bouillabaisse with crostini sprinkled with baby greens. Picky isn't the biggest seafood fan (and Messy stays away completely), he found the scallops nice and most definitely not the rubbery kinds many people complain about at other eateries. The prize was the chorizo. Juicy hunks of spice added an unexpected dimension to this seafood starter. The shells added an incredible dash of variegated color.
A large plate of heirloom tomatoes, house pulled mozzarella with opal basil and herb infusion made our hearts flutter. Note, this was back in November so heirloom 'maters were just about gone by now. Chef Black came out to talk about each course and he noted that they were the last of the tomatoes from the region and they tasted great. No mealy, flavorless globes from afar, but the real local flavor of summer. The bright colors played well on the white china. While the mozzarella didn't stand up to the gold standard of Claudio's in the Italian Market, it was great to see the extra effort put into the dish by the in-house staff. Going the extra mile in-house is a sign that a restaurant is searching for just the right thing all the time by tinkering behind the scenes in their own lab.
The pork shank and trotter ravioli [$9/$16] with mushrooms and chip of house cured pancetta was everything that is good about pork. It was saliva-enducing level of salty goodness. The thick, overstuffed ravioli and deeply earthy mushrooms added a nice range of flavor and texture to each bite. And without a moment for us to catch our breath, the next course was tabled.
The veal chop (Frenched of course), a cheese croquette (made with the delicious Fat Cat from Birch Run Hills Dairy in Chester County) with fried leeks and vegetables in a butter cream sauce was a visual meal in and of itself. It was the larges veal chop (Black Angus?) Picky has ever seen, approaching a foot in length.
The chop had an incredible presence as it was propped up at the bone by the croquette. It was pink and tender as veal ought to be with a hidden morsel of fat right by the bone.
A bouillabaisse [$26] with lobster, halibut scraps, shrimp, PEI mussels, pearl onions and potatoes came next. It was another eye-catching seafood plate with an imposing height, color and inviting smell. Seafood can have an overwhelming punch to it, but it was all under control in Black's kitchen.
And what would any self-respecting French restaurant in America be without steak frites [$24]. This hanger steak varietal was served with three sauces: tarragon pesto, ketchup and bernaise aoli. Chef Black explained that the steak is seared at 1600°F in a special oven. It was perfectly medium rare, but seemingly overcooked next to the beyond tender veal.
Half a free ranged chicken, herb honey crusted [$19], was a fine dish, but not quite as crispy as Picky likes it to be.
The only item that didn't sing at the tasting dinner was the veganized ratatouille [$18] with quinoa ragu.
Chef Black told us that he usually uses butter in the dish. We're big butter fans, so we imagine that would have made a big difference for us. (Amuse is probably not the best choice for vegans, as most French places aren't.) Regardless, Chef Black still managed to coax a buttery crisp texture from the ratatouille.
And here's Picky's plate with one of everything crammed onto it.
Here's the gang chowing down with Chef Black talking about the offerings of the entrees in front.
As our plates were cleared, they were replaced with clean ones and a giant spork. It was a moment of haute cuisine meets KFC and in this case, it worked. Annie Heckenberger of Red Tettemer (which organized the tasting) talked up the desserts and got our motors going once again after what was already an astounding amount of food.
The tarte tatin [$6] with vanilla creme was deliciously topped with berries. The delicious thick crust on the bottom was just crispy enough without giving up any moisture.
The pot de crème [$6] was everything it should classically be. Luscious thick ganache, freshly whipped cream with cacao nibs and fresh mint sprig acting as the proverbial cherry on top.
Finally, the Mille Feuille Classique with berries and a Chantilly cream sauce [$6] ended the night. It was plain and simple with a dry and not oily filo tower standing tall. Picky was a little sad that there was a crème brulée on the menu, but not for our special tasting (wait, did that bastard just complain about something from this evening?!).
It wasn't surprising to learn that the young chef is a LCB graduate. The eatery was a few months old at the time of our visit, but everything was already running very smoothly in the newly renovated historic space. Our servers were attentive and well-versed on the menu and were able to answer any and all questions we had during our meal. Chef Black took a few minutes after our meal to chat with the group. He said his move from Vermont to Philly was tough. At his former restaurant he had produce growing out back.
Taking a look at the bar menu, you'll notice a nice range of classics and house specialties all at great prices. Their wine list is modest and focused. Their beer list, however, is sadly lacking. But this isn't the place to have session brews, there are plenty of places for that around town. Even the bathrooms are thoughtfully done. Down a set of stairs and a hallway which looked like it belonged in a outer-space based Sci-Fi flick, you opened pocket door stalls with a sexy red glass tile interior. Friends of ours stayed there over the summer for our wedding and they had a great time. Unfortunately, the great summer deals of their first season are over, but the prices for rooms at Le Méridien are compatible with other downtown hotels, but with a much better restaurant!
The take from Bridges, Burgers & Beer, Philly Food and Beer and I'll Eat You. A special thanks to Chessia Kelly and Annie from RT. Thank you Chef Black and the wonderful servers and staff at Amuse for the wonderful evening. We're incredibly sorry for the delay, but we wish you all the best.
And below is a slideshow of all the photos above and more in 1200px glory on flickr
Amuse bar & brasserie
1421 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 422-8222
Hours: Breakfast: M-F: 6:30am-10:30am, Sa-Su: 7:00am-11:00am Lunch: M-Su: 11:00am – 2:00pm Dinner: M-Su: 5:30pm – 10:00pm
What do you get when you combine a local chef with strong ties to seasonal eating, a brother-sister restauranteuring combo and a Greek mother with an arsenal of mouth-watering traditional recipes? You get Opa, a a gorgeously designed modern Greek eatery on the 13xx block of Sansom Street. Opa opened last month and they kindly invited us over to check it out.
We took a seat by the window at a two-top table with enough room to have a few small plates and drinks at a time. Looking around, the space was nicely broken up into a few sections: window seating, a nice U-shaped bar lined with river stones, an inset tall table by the door and some larger tables in the back lounge-y area. The space seats 46 with an additional 24 seats for the bar, but it feels cozier than that—in a good way. Jun Aizaki of crème designed the space as he did Garces' ever-expanding array of spots around town. The Monday night we were there was pretty quiet, but we imagine it could get pretty busy (and probably loud) in there on a weekend night.
Picky ordered up a Bekris: Metaxa (Greek brandy), gin, whiskey bitters [$11]. It was similar to a Greek-style Old Fashioned, but sweeter. Not a sugary sweetness, but a heartier sweetness from the brandy. The only garnish was a sliver of orange peel. Messy went with a Greek wine, Skouras Aghiorghitiko 2008, which is listed at $45/bottle, but happened to be available by the glass that night.
After ordering, we were greeted by the owners, siblings George and Vasiliki Tsiouris. We chatted throughout the night about the offerings and how it all came to be. George told us of how their mother put Chef Andy Brown through a crash course in Greek cuisine. She'd make dishes and explain various techniques and traditions of the cuisine. Brown would bring his style into the mix and give the time-honored dishes a touch of elegant modernity.
We started off with the Spread Pikilia: Hummus, tzatziki, tirokafteri (a smoked feta dip), vegetables, olive, grilled pita [$11]. The pitas were soft, supply and pillowy. The hummus had a slight smokiness to it which was different from your typical garlic-y fare. The tzatkiki was creamier than the watery offerings in many spots and the tirokafteri was just unbelievably good.
There are a lot of great sharing options like this on the menu, but sharing a lot of plates could get cumbersome as the tables are on the small side. Thankfully, the staff timed everything perfectly!
Picky went with an adventurous offering for his own starter. Pictured above is Kokoretsi: Lamb sweetbreads, liver, heart, intestines, house-cut oregano fries [$10]. Chef Brown lamented that this was one of the only things on the menu which wasn't prepared fully in-house, but we won't hold that against him. Brown's team figured out a way to properly cook the Kokoretsi without the aid of a traditional spit. The texture was lovely. There was one part which had a slight crunch to it (the heart?) which gave a very different mouthfeel than the smooth liver. The herbed fries cleaned and prepped the palate for the other dishes to come.
In contrast to Picky's meat-loving adventures, Messy was in the mood for a salad. (There are plenty of vegetarian small plates and also a vegan entree on the menu.) She asked our for a recommendation, and out came the roasted beet salad: local red and gold beets, fennel, arugula, herbed citronette, goat cheese [$9]. It was really quite delicious, although some diners might find it overdressed. Messy likes a lot of dressing so she gobbled it all up happily.
Messy also couldn't resist ordering the spinach croquettes, feta cheese, seasoning, smoked cheese dip [$7]. which are the Tsiouris' mom's croquette recipe made even more fantastic with the addition of a smoked cheese dip. The upscale comfort food flavor combination was incredible. Messy could — and would — eat this every day if given the option.
Picky's entree was phenomenal and just the right thing for that cold, end of winter evening; Rabbit: wine braised, olives, capers, housemade pasta, shaved keafalotiri [$16]. Rabbit, for those who haven't had the pleasure, is similar to chicken, but much more flavorful. It picks up where chicken leaves you wanting more. Hunks and shredded bits were mixed in throughout this hearty dish. Keafalotiri is akin to Pecorino, but creamier.
On the recommendation of George, we ordered up the Loukoumades: fried dough, honey cinnamon drizzle, walnuts, merenda, spiced banana [$8]. Merenda is a Greek Nutella. But it's waaaaay better with a stronger hazelnutty flavor. The fried dough is heavier than it is light and they weren't as sweet as Picky expected them to be on their own. But dipped in the merenda and spicy banana and run through the honey on the plate, all was perfect. If the dough was sweeter, it would've thrown off the nice balance between all the elements of the dish. George told us the spicy banana was Chef Brown's addition to the dish. The traditional loukoumades and merenda pairing is a winner, but the banana brings it over the top. Messy, not being a banana lover, would politely disagree. George joked that he was considering asking Chef Brown to make gallons of the merenda for summer milkshakes. While we'd line up for those, we'd feel sorry for the kitchen and the laborious process involved behind the scenes.
And how can you finish a meal at a proper Greek spot without trying the baklava: layered phyllo and walnuts, honey, vanilla and fig ice cream [$8]. The baklava isn't as moist as stand-alone baklava, but that's because it has the lump of delicious house-made figgy ice cream to do that. Both parts of this wining dessert were rightfully rich. The flakey honey-drizzled phyllo crushed easily under our forks. The fig ice cream had Picky itching to go foraging through South Philly for figs once again. Another fantastic combo from the kitchen.
Chef Andy Brown, formerly of The White Dog and Django, came out at the end of the night to say hi. He was cleaning up in the kitchen and was more than happy to hold off on that for a sec. He said he had a great time learning the Greek trade from George and Vasiliki's mother. With a background of 10+ years at The White Dog (pre-sale by Wicks when they presented an almost fully local menu), Chef Brown was concerned that he didn't have enough local fare on the menu. We assured him that his offerings were better than 90% of the restaurants in town. He even has a grass-fed beef (feta-stuffed!) burger which is hard to find around town. He wants to have more local offerings on the menu, but we'll give him a little bit to settle in and fully unlock the Greek inside his brain. This is a wonderful spot for a young chef to flourish. The space is big enough to let everyone have a taste, but small enough to be nimble and change on the fly. The new dad (congratulations again Andy!) is putting in hours we don't envy, but boy were we thankful while devouring the products coming out of the kitchen.
We're looking forward to introducing many friends and family to Opa in the months to come. If you're looking for drinks and some small plates or a full on dinner with some strong coffee and dessert, Opa's got you covered. If you see George and Vasiliki entertaining at the bar, stop and say hi. They're the kind of restauranteurs who are always happy to talk shop about their passion. If you see Chef Brown escape from the kitchen for a bit, stride up and say hello, he'll love to hear your thoughts.
It's that time of year again, Fair Food's Brewer's Plate is upon us! Sunday March 13th at the Penn Museum [whoa, a .museum top-level domain]. Seventy or so vendors (breweries, creameries, restaurants, bakeries…) from the 150-mile locavore radius of the city will be on hand from 5p – 8p (you get in at 4p if you're a big willy VIP!) for a fantastic night of good eats.
This event is a fundraiser for Fair Food, a local-food non-profit and where Picky works part-time. Fair Food's mission:
Dedicated to bringing locally grown food to the marketplace and to promoting a humane, sustainable agriculture system for the Greater Philadelphia region.
Fair Food has been uniting local farmers with businesses and consumers for over a decade. We promote the importance of family farms and create a year-round marketplace for fresh, local and humane food products in the Greater Philadelphia region. We provide an assortment of programs and services that contribute to a strong and sustainable local food system. Supporting farmers, connecting consumers, educating the public and celebrating the joys of local food.
You'll get a souvenir tasting glass from which you'll imbibe the best the region has to offer. You'll make up your $75 ticket in no time if you're like Picky. If you're a non-drinker, you can still enjoy the non-liquid offerings that evening for $45, the 'Designated Driver' ticket price. And if you're feeling extra schmancy, step on up to the $125 VIP level where you'll enjoy a full hour of advance access to Brewer's Plate's complete offerings.
At 5p when the event opens to the general admission, VIPs can steal away to the beautiful Warden Garden—transformed by an expansive canopy into a private lounge—were you’ll find comfortable seating, exclusive artisanal offerings, tutored tastings, gift bags, and live music, plus have the opportunity to meet your local farmers and producers. Celebrity chefs such as Terence Feury of Fork and Marcie Turney of Barbuzzo will be on hand as well as City Paper food critic Drew Lazor, wine author Marnie Old, and beer writer Lew Bryson.
Picky's been to a couple of these as an employee of Fair Food and can say first hand that it's a really special night of food and drink. You'll get a chance to chat with a chef or two of your favorite restaurant or try something new you've been dying to get your hands on. All while mingling with antiquities; hands off the sphinx! Last year's event was particularly pork-heavy, but vegetarians fear not, there will be plenty of options for you. Check out the list and all vendors with an * will have veggie options. Teetotaling vegans, sorry, but you're out of luck here.
This event has sold out in each of the six previous years so get your tickets while you can! For a look at a similar event Fair Food throws each year for the producer-side of things, check out this post of the 2010 Local Grower Local Buyer event at Reading Terminal. Picky didn't bring his camera gear last year, but he'll have it on hand this time around for a recap a few days afterward.
Brewer's Plate
Sunday March 13, 2011
5p-8p (4p-8p for VIPs)
Designated Drivers: $45 | General Admission: $75 | VIP $125
