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
Mike Geno paints food—with oil, on wood. He started off by painting bacon (something he was familiar with after being a meatman) and after a clash with Madame Fromage, cheese. His cheese oils are being prepped for a show in Seattle, but not before a small showing at his Kensington studio.
Above is Mike talking to two friends about their favorite paintings.
Here's Mike's workspace. He paints where that loaf of challah hangs.
In this kitchen was a spread of many cheeses, all of which were painted at some point. It was great to see the cheese one after the other even though I was familiar with many of them. His heavy brushstrokes combine well with the textured cheeses he chose to interpret on wood. Bloomy rinds, thick blues, crumblers all get the treatment.
Here's Mike with former cheesemakers Debbie and Fred of Amazing acres Goat Dairy (they're retiring). They bought a painting of their beloved Sea Smoke. I absolutely loved that chève. Similar to Humboldt Fog for those who've had the broader reaching cheese.
I had a wonderful afternoon with cheese loving new friends. Give a holler at Mike if you'd like to see them for yourself and make a purchase!
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.
Have you ever had something so quizzically bad it was somewhat upsetting? Well, that was my experience at Solo Chinese Kabob in Chinatown. I've passed by this joint several times in the year or two this place has been open. From the outside, it looks like it's just a takeout window next to the big stenciling on the front window, but stepping inside reveals a straight shot bar and single line of 2-tops along the wall. The drop tile ceiling oddly had these recessed black colored CFL bulbs which weren't on and a set of lights hanging down which were on. Enticed by the $1 – $2 prices, I went in. I didn't expect magic, but was hopeful this was one of those hole in the wall spots that had just that.
The menu is just a single-sided, third of a sheet of paper. No frills other than lamination. It was easy enough to order as I was the only person in the joint at 1.30p. Not necessarily a bad sign as it's just after the lunch rush. While I played it safe with a lamb ($2), beef ($1.50) and chicken ($1) combo, I did notice the funkier choices down menu: chicken gizzards ($1.50), chicken heart ($1) and chicken skin ($1). I thought to myself, "maybe next time around."
The charcoal (I think that's what it was) grill was nice to see. I was looking forward to a nice smoky flavor in the meat. That's the takeout window at left.
Here's a shot from the doorway. Seating for a total of a dozen or so. Everything was nice and clean and new. Nothing gross and dingy if that's what you were expecting. The two ladies in the shop were standing towards the back, behind the counter, next to a chest freezer. One lady was cutting up what I presumed to be the next day's cuts and placing them in bags. The other lady was tending my 3 kebobs and chatting.
And here they are (oddly put on plastic wrap over the plate as to cut down on dishes). From left to right: chicken, beef, lamb. You have four options of spice level: no, light, medium, more. I opted for "more." What I got was not so tasty. It was a dry, cumin-heavy, paprika spice. The only thing it did was cover up the taste of the meat, which was a good thing. The lamb was only slightly lamby. The beef didn't taste like anything. The chicken… wasn't bad. It tasted like it was marinated in a sweet soy concoction.
I ate everything pretty quickly during my measly 30 minute lunch (I know, right?) and headed back to the day job unsatisfied.
Messy not there
Picky 1/2*
The final word: If you're down to your last buck, get a back of chips around the corner.
Solo Chinese Kabob
50 N 10th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.238.0882
