We are very fortunate to live around the corner from DiBruno Bros 9th St. We live, almost, too close, but not really. For Philly Beer Week 2011, they had their grill out all week. Every night they cooked up delicious treats. Some were samples to whet your appetite and the rest were delicious sandwiches and other tasty morsels. To finish off the week, they brought in Dogfish Head Brewery and if you see the pattern which has developed with me and Dogfish Head, you know I was there. Out front on Friday night was my man Ian Peacock manning the grill. He dubbed the night: "The Italian Luau" as he made mortadella poppers, mortadella steaks with Amarena cherries and pineapple, bunless hot dogs and the monster burger you see above. He made a special double whammy for me. Two patties, Bailey Hazen Blue cheese, avocado, pineapple, lettuce and tomato on some buttered and trilled thick rye. I could just barely stuff that sucker into my maw.
Inside were three samples of Dogfish. First up was the Festina Pêche paired with Andante Dairy's Largo, an aged triple cream. I overhead Zeke telling a taster that DiBruno is the only place you'll find Andante's selections east of the Mississippi. I'd love to get a piece of their Minuet which is a goat triple cream for Messy. Second was the Midas Touch and Midnight Moon from Cypress Grove in CA. Bringing up the caboose was a brew new to me: Sah'tea, a proto beer paired with what I think was Comté Marcel Petite. I'll let Dogfish explain this brew:
A modern update on a 9th century Finnish proto-beer.
Brewed with rye, we caramelize the wort with white hot river rocks, then ferment it with a German Weizen yeast. In addition to juniper berries foraged directly from the Finnish country-side we added a sort of tea made with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.
The spicing is subtle and balanced and Sahtea is a highly-quaffable, truly-unique brew with a full-mouth feel.
Even better, here's Sam from Dogfish explaining it all in this video:
There I am at Fergie's Pub on Sansom St, one of my favorite pubs in Philly. I've got the Hammer of Glory [the HOG] in my hands. I'm looking like a pretty happy guy right? I just had a pint of Dogfish Head's 75 Minute Johnny Cask IPA from a fresh firkin. I was one of the first four dozen to order it so I even got a free Dogfish Head glass. All was well until later that night when the heat, my bike and two brews really caught up to me. But for now, a couple more shots from Wednesday! A thank you to Jennie, the lady with the HOG all beer week.
And who came into Fergie's with the HOG? None other than my old co-worker from Philly Weekly Matt Satten. I took Matt's job as he moved onto full accounts on the sales team. I grabbed a shot of Matt with the HOG before I headed out. Matt's pose is way cooler than mine.
So, the 75 Minute IPA. I'm not beer connoisseur, but here are my thoughts… It's toasty, slightly chocolately with a mild citrus hop. I get a medium sour feel on the back of the tongue after the gulp, but it has a nutty finish. Delicious. Dogfish Head makes the only IPAs I can drink.
My final stop on Wednesday was at DiBruno 9th St where Ian and Zeke were grilling chicken, open face burgers and other goodies outside. I'm not sure what Ian put in my hand, but it was on a thick slab of rye with some Scharfe Maxx on top. Stoudt's Brewing Company was on hand pouring samples of their brews which the DiBruno gang were pairing with delicious shaves of cheese.
So, heatstroke. I went home to cool off. I stretched out on the couch, under the fan, to rest. Two hours later, I wake up and feel weird. I was most definitely not drunk, I've drank in the heat before and this wasn't the same feeling. I felt dizzy, my stomach was churning and I took my pulse—100bpm. Mind you, I was just lying down for two hours so there was no reason for my heart to be racing like that. My resting heart rate is around 65bpm. Messy came home with several quarts of thirst quenching beverage and I had an ice pack on my head and cold towel over my eyes for the night. All was well the next day, but oh man did that not feel good when it was all going down. I thought two beers would be fine in the heat, but I guess not that afternoon. You live and you learn. Stay hydrated and enjoy the last few days of Beer Week 2011!
The people behind Philadelphia Urban Adventures, a local tour guide group, invited us on one of their food-related tours, 9th St Italian Market [$20]. Messy couldn't make it, but I brought along my camera and curiosity for the journey. I've lived in Philly for almost 8 years now and know a lot about the area, but I was confident I'd take home a boat load of fun tidbits and tasty bites.
Living just off of 9th St, of course I was late to the 9th & South St meeting point. I've noticed that whenever I'm really close to something, I'm often late because I think I'll get there quicker than I really can. I caught up to the group at the first stop: Sarcone's Bakery at 758 S 9th St. The group of 8 plus a few people from PUA crammed into the bakery which was probably just done with their morning rush. We grabbed a loaf of their crusty, seeded Italian bread which was promptly devoured by the group. We hurried out of there before we pissed off too many of the regulars who were coming in for their fix. Next door is Ralph's, which has been in business since 1900 and at their current location since 1915. These two spots, just north of the main strip of the 9th St Market, are nestled into the neighborhood rowhomes, but offer a glimpse of what's to come south of Christian St.
Our guide, Jason, stopped into DiBruno Bros to let them know the gang was there. Ian Peacock, one of the cheese mongers, started prepping our delicious bites while we went across the street.
Into Anthony's we went. But not for coffee, we were 2 doors down from that. We went into the other storefront for some gelato. Delicious spoonfuls for everyone. I'm a sucker for Nutella so I opted for the hazelnut. A little sweet for my liking, but there's probably half a dozen which would've fit the bill nicely. But we had other spots to hit up and I live around the corner so I could always come back for more. There were plenty of "ooohs" and "mmmms" from the group to know they had good stuff.
A few doors down is Cannuli's Meats, a butcher closing in on 100 years on 9th St.
We walked to the back and watched one of the staffers cut up some porterhouses on the band saw. Oh porterhouse, you are so grand.
In a butcher shop, you'll always see tons of meat hooks on rails. The whole, uncut animals were rolled through at one point, but now, most of the butchering and deliveries happen in the back so most of the rails, while still beautiful, are unused.
Here's our Cannuli's guide in the walk in fridge with a suckling pig. Cannuli's will roast one for you at varying weights. I think I recall hearing that Jason actually just had one for a party.
And stepping up from the suckling pigs, there are the big hogs. I think the big one above was closer to 150lbs.
Doesn't this photo just feel South Philly?
Back across the street we went and into the back section of the narrow house of cheese. Peacock guided us through a history of the company with it's humble beginnings as a spiteful grocery store opened for the sole purpose to put out the Greek grocers across the street. Legend has it, they wouldn't give an Italian worker a day off for New Year's, a big deal for the Italians in the area. So DiBruno opened up, and sure enough, the Greeks had all the vacation time they'd need. Over the years since the 1939 opening, the store changed focuses. From fresh grocer to incorporating more specialty items, but it was a vacation in Switzerland which brought along the fine selection of cheese to the region. In 1965, the grocer changed over to their "House of Cheese" moniker dealing in specialty cheeses and cured meats from all over Europe. In 2005, they expanded to Center City with their 10,000 sq ft space just off Rittenhouse Square which helped them earn them the accolade of 2006: NASFT Gourmet Retailer of the Year, one of five stores selected nationwide for the distinction. In 2008, their Comcast Center store opened and in the very near future, their first suburban outpost, in Ardmore, will open to further expand their regional reach.
As Peackock talked us through the last 70+ years of history, he drizzled the thickest balsamic vinegar I've ever seen over hunks of Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio. The 8.5oz bottle of Campari 15 year will set you back $50, but a little goes a very long way.
Just look how it stands on its own. It doesn't run around the plate. It almost has the viscosity of motor oil, but the taste is intense and rich, a sweet vinegary tang to complement the sweet nuttiness of Reggiano.
Down the street we ventured to Talluto's whose fresh pastas are made daily in house.
The sheets of flat pasta go into this cutter and magically, out the other end, comes fresh pasta. While I did know that fresh pasta takes just a couple minutes to cook—and for cuts like angel hair, less than a minute—I didn't know how perishable they were. On the mildly humid day two Fridays ago, we were told the pasta, unrefrigerated, would only keep for three hours. Good to know on your next trip to 9th St for fresh pasta. Don't dally too much or hit up Talluto's last on your way home.
Out of Talluto's and into Fante's we went. Perhaps the most dangerous store in all of 9th St for the passionate home cook. Mariella Giovannucci gave us a quick history of the store in front of their wall of fame. She started off as an after school part-time worker (they needed her because she spoke Italian) graduating to General Manager years down the line. In 1981 she and her family bought the store as the Fantes retired. The store focuses on the tools needed for food prep and the specialty items you don't see in most stores. She picked up a pomegranate seed remover tool [$15] behind her as an example. It's made by a family in Israel. You put half a pomegranate inside and whack it. Seeds fall out below. No muss, no fuss. Lest we all max out our credit cards in there, we moved on southward. With the help of some of the biggest names in cooking across the country, and lovers of all things food-prep related, Fante's has survived some hard times and continues to sell wares at great prices.
We stopped at the corner of 9th St & Washington Ave. as Jason explained how this view showed how diverse the neighborhood has become in the last few years. A look east, west and south will reveal Vietnamese and Mexican shops as far as you can see. Across 9th St was Giordano's anchoring the southern end of the densest part of the old Italian Market area. Jason told us a funny anecdote from the filming of the jogging sequence in the original Rocky (you know the one!). The shoot shut down much of 9th St for days. The vendors were angry because they were losing much needed business. One of the guys from Giordano's got the idea to interrupt Sly on the run and the little act of rebellion made it into the final cut. Watch this clip for a reminder. Pay attention at the 25 second mark. Sly turns around to catch the orange in-stride and keeps on running.
Outside Shun Da Live Poultry were some cages of birds. Here are some squab, aka, pigeons.
We ended the tour at the iconic spot where Pat's and Geno's face off. On that particular day, at that particular moment, there was a huge crowd at Pat's while Geno's was lit up like Vegas and remained mostly empty. But that's just that one moment. The cheesesteak wars will not likely see an end anytime soon, and you can be your own judge.
The tour was a whole lot of fun and I learned a lot. It's a great way to learn a lot about a slice of the city. If you're looking to entertain a few out of towners or get to know a hunk of the city, Philadelphia Urban Adventures is a great way to do it. But don't take my word for it, they're the #3 attraction in Philly out of 277. They also do out of town trips through the other part of the company, Awfully Nice Tours. Take a trip to Lancaster or Valley Forge without the hassle of driving. Sit back and take in the sights with a guide! I might check out the Philly on Tap tour [$30] in the future.
Bigger pictures if you click on the slideshow above
Messy had read about this vegetarian and vegan friendly Italian restaurant in a free magazine at the gym, so we decided to go one Friday night. We walked in and were greeted by a cheery maitre d' who asked if we had a reservation. We didn't, but it was no problem. He also asked to take our coats. We weren't used to this request and chose to take our coats to our table. He then asked our preference of menus: vegetarian/vegan or regular and we chose one of each. We were lead upstairs to a large dining room which was outfitted with a gas fireplace and disco/party lights which were not in use (it looks like one can rent out that room for parties).
We were seated in a cozy table next to the fireplace. There was a cute family with young children seated next to us. They happily gobbled down their food (they have a kids menu with about six different choices) and excitedly yapped about going to Starbucks for dessert afterwards. We opted to order off the grown up's menu which was presented in a nice silver metal binder. We were told that they were just about to overhaul the menu due to the success of the veggie/vegan options on the current menu, but when we went back last week that change had not yet taken place.
The service was outstanding. Our server and two assistants were attentive while giving us enough time to enjoy our meal. However, they did mess up our bread which came with straight balsamic instead of olive oil with a splash of balsamic infusion. We thought they must have realized their mistake because they gave us an extra serving of bread, which we had not asked for, with the right balance of oil and vinegar. But when we went back for a second time, we got two servings of bread as well, so maybe it was just a fluke. Also, the second time we were there, our server accidentally gave a non-vegan meal to our vegan friend, but she noticed her mistake before any harm was done.
We had a vegetarian antipasto which came with fried mozzarella balls in marinara sauce, ricotta cheese ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce with peas, diced honeydew and canteloupe and strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. All very good.
Picky had the lobster ravioli carbonara with wild mushrooms, peas, prosciutto, parmasean, lump crabmeat in a cream sauce. There were more than enough ravioli to fill him up, no worries about skimping on the good stuff. For our second visit, he tried the penne a la vodka, a very simple favorite of Picky's right up there with gnocchi a la vodka (just about anything slathered in creamy vodka sauce will do actually). It was in just as heaping a serving as expected from our first visit, but he did not fail to gobble it all up along with an ample dose of freshly shredded parm. Along with the parm our server brought out, we were also given a small dish of hot pepper flakes (like the ones that you put on pizza), but nobody touched those.
Messy had a hard time deciding among all of the vegetarian options. She settled on a "chicken" penne dish with spinach, artichokes, mushrooms, garlic in an alfredo sauce. The portion was big enough for a family of four and it was very tasty. For our second visit, she tried the vegetarian chicken parmesan which was also yummy although not as plentiful as the penne.
The only disappointing part of our meal was dessert. The tiramisu was small for its $7 pricetag and something about it just tasted… off. The dessert also came with some strawberries, raspberries and bluberries sprinkled on the side. The next time we visited, our dessert was also kind of weird: a brownie baked in a muffin tin. Maybe the family next to us knew about the not-so-hot desserts when they excitedly headed to Starbucks instead.
On our way out, it was about time for the neighborhoodies to come out to the bar downstairs. It was packed with South Philly hipsters starting off their night. We were just passing through, but it looked like a pretty cool area with pool tables and the Violent Femmes pumping through the speakers.
Messy ****
Picky ***1/2
The final word: Great faux meat options in a classy setting.
