Hybrid Stews and Soups

A few weeks back I went out to the country and got my cook on in a pretty major way. My first goal was to make a hybrid coq au vin/Mexican stew. I didn't really follow a recipe, but I did take the basics of a coq au vin (bacon, chicken, wine, mushrooms and pearl onions) and combine them with various fresh and dried peppers, thyme, garlic, and red pepper. The result was quite pleasing. I would actually add additional peppers next time I make it, but the basic depth of flavor of the stew broth, the tenderness of the chicken, and overall tastiness made this dish a total success in my opinion.

That same country time also found me fooling around with another soup recipe. This was one was an artichoke cilantro soup with red onions and lemon. At this stage I was softening everything up before blending it all together. I actually made a few further additions and changes to the dish the next week, adding red lentils to thicken it up and to disperse the too lemony element that came about because I used the juice of one whole lemon when half probably would have sufficed.

Sushi c/o Shiroi Hana

Once I get sushi into my head,there's nothing to be done but to eat it. I must admit that of all the small hypocritical things I do in life, eating sushi is perhaps the one in which I take the greatest pleasure. In other words, I know that our world is falling apart and that fish of all kinds are rapidly disappearing from the oceans, which in turn lead to other fish struggling to survive, and yet ... goddamn if I don't like a good piece of salmon or white tuna. On this particular evening I planned to meet up with LW at Shiroi Hana to properly quench my sushi hankering. I hadn't been back since a similar meal with LW last year around the same time. Since we were only two, not three, people, we didn't order quite the same level of sushi, though we did split the Sushi Deluxe platter. We then added a few extras...I ordered ikura and white tuna while LW requested a passion roll.

I chose to accompany my meal with hot sake, which was an entirely enjoyable choice. Sidenote: I actually walked downtown a bit too early for our reservation, so I meandered for a while before stopping at Estia for a glass of retsina to kill the time. A few observations about that experience: it's got a live music guy in the sort of main lobby/vestibule area, which is neat...though he's playing with the accompaniment of a back up track, which was weird. When I sat down at the bar it there were about four other people there, all of whom with drinks or food in their hand. The two ladies behind the bar talked for quite some time before either even looked in my direction and I had to assert myself and ask for a drink as opposed to having one of them come over and ask me what I'd like. Just seemed a little off, especially after I got my bill. I didn't look at a wine list because I knew I wanted a glass of retsina, so it's no one's fault but my own that the glass was $14 without tax or tip and that maybe I wouldn't have ordered it had I known. But damn, it was a solid glass of wine. End sidenote.

We also ordered a spider roll that had the right crispiness of the outside with succulence of the inside to make me smile. I do think they messed up my request for a piece of white tuna...as it was nothing like any other piece of white tuna I've ever had. Now this may just be a reflection of the fact that we rarely get the fish we think we're getting, and what I have long considered white tuna is actually something else entirely. Hard to tell.

Shiroi Hana does it right. No pretense. A modicum of style in the decor. Generally friendly staff. A step up from the more discount sushi joint's fish quality. A pleasant meal. Then LW and I went on over to the Bards and played darts for a bit, which wasn't without its own comedy.

Cocktails and Patty Melt c/o Lemon Hill

Things thankfully have slowed down at work after quite a bit of busy-ness. On one of the first days where my to-do list was taken care of early, I decided that it was time to scratch the itch for a fancy cocktail and patty melt from Lemon Hill. This was an itch that had been building for a few weeks but with no release. Enough was enough. I was one of the first people at the bar, but I entertained myself and quickly had the happy hour cocktail of the night - a traditional dacquiri - in hand. Not too sweet, properly rummy and tart. I felt quite classy and Hemingway-esque; the ghost of a six-toed cat slaloming between my legs and the barstool.

I didn't really need to look at the menu, having decided my plan of action from the start. The patty melt came out and was just as satisfying as I expected. The toasted bread held up well to the moist and medium rare burger and its toppings of grilled onions, special sauce, cheese and pickles. Fries were forgettable and slightly anemic/underfried, but that just made me focus more on the beef.

I made some jokes and conversation with another patron and the bartender for a bit while enjoying each bite and sip. They do a fine burger. Not quite Village Whiskey levels of awesome, but above average for sure.

I rounded out the evening with a different cocktail, which I was not as enamored of...a little too sweet with the housemade grenadine.

BBQ and Bourbon c/o Philly's Fette Sau

It has been been more than a year since C., K. and I got together at Fette Sau for a taste of barbeque and bourbon in Brooklyn. Each time I've been back to New York since, I always have Fette Sau on the short list of places I'd like to go again...but I never end up there. So when I heard about Stephen Starr's collaborative plan to bring a Fette Sau to Philly I was excited. And then it opened and I was too busy to ever make it up to try it out. This went on longer than I'd like. So when Mr. Ass. asked me about the place at some point earlier this month, I told him what I knew and then a few days later suggested we go there for some grub and spirits. The evening was a Friday, and we went on the early bird side of things. Unlike my experience in Brooklyn, there was no line or wait whatsoever. The establishment itself is actually bigger, by quite a bit, than the Williamsburg original, but has very much the same decor and overall vibe. Initially the place felt a little empty, but over the course of our time there, things picked up.

So what did we order? We ordered pulled pork, brisket, ribs, pickles, sauerkraut and baked beans. The dude behind the counter was friendly and quite helpful. Totally willing to express his own opinion about which version of ribs he preferred, and to give us a sense of whether we were ordering too much or too little.

I believe Mr. Ass ended up favoring the ribs the most out of all the options, while I went back and forth between the meltingly fatty brisket and the ribs. All the sauces were good, but the meat on its own had a depth of smoky flavor that didn't even need the extra help.

I decided to have a Templeton Rye, as it makes me feel like I know something and reminds me of my Chicagoist days. It was a rainy night and I had been a tad bit stressed that week, so it was great to touch base with Mr. Ass and finally cross Fette Sau off my Philly new restaurant list. Big thanks to Mr. Ass for driving me to and fro even though it was out of his way, and for listening to me rant about this thing or that thing for a good majority of the meal.

Taco Breakfast

I repurposedmany of the taco ingredients for breakfast the next morning, with the addition of bacon and fried eggs.

Winning combination on the whole. I only recently started cooking bacon in the oven, but I'm quite pleased with the results.

Cheese and Tacos in the Country

The next day I did some work, and I'm not sure what M. did. Then I locked my laundry in the laundry room and we spent a number of hours trying to figure out how to unlock the door. This included M. getting a ladder, my trying to open the door with a card much in the same way, our trying a variety of old fashioned skeleton keys, and M.'s mother eventually suggesting that A. break down the door. So the day had some highs and lows. Perhaps the highest of the locked laundry room saga was when A. managed to open the door without breaking it down; that was pretty great. I brought a few cheeses up to enjoy before Saturday's diner, which included a black and blue blue cheese, an aged manchego and a goat camembert.

I made us taco dinner that night, which involved a lamb/beef meat mixture, homemade guacamole and pico de gallo, black beans with peppers, and rice. I also made a shrimp option in a green/tomatillo sauce, but its photographic qualities were found lacking.

After dinner we played a rousing and challenging game of Catan. I ultimately won, but it was touch and go.

Cocktails, Foie Gras and Duck c/o Bolete

Though we weren't unable to meet up for New Year's, M&A were on the east coast for the holiday season, so I did very much want to see them. This ended up possible the weekend after New Year's. The Saturday I drove out to the country to see them, A was still visiting with friends and family in New York, so M. and I went to Bolete just the two of us. This was a bit of a last minute plan, so we weren't able to get a reservation in the dining room proper. Instead we made ourselves comfortable at the bar, where I ordered one of their special cocktails, which had blood orange in it among other things.

M. tried their bone marrow consomme dish. I tried the broth and boy was it rich, but in the best possible of ways.

I chose to try their foie gras two ways: a little paté disc and a seared lobe served on brioche with huckleberry jam. Oh man. This was a no joke tasty plate. Delightful to look at and transformative in the buttery, buttery wonder of well prepared duck liver.

Oh yeah.

The color balance of the photograph above is wacky. Definitely not that green in person.

We then split the seared duck special entree of the evening, medium rare, which was served on a bed of risotto with, if I recall correctly, some very tasty mushrooms.

Mmmm. Yes. Such good stuff. Though I spend a fair amount of time up in the Bolete region, I rarely go alone, so it was good to both see M. for the first time since our Adirondacks meet-up while also enjoying a fully satisfying dinner. Thanks to M. for the entirety of the evening, which we concluded back at the house with fire, champagne and more talk.

Lamb Times at Lunch

Another work lunch, this time a lamb gyro. Tender meat. Plenty of Tzatziki. From Zorba's.

Micheladas and Tacos c/o La Calaca Feliz

In early 2013 I met up with CPM. She was on break from the grueling school/commute schedule that has caused a sincere lack of CPM or pizza/puppy/wine nights and it seemed right to meet up, have a few drinks, and generally fill each other in on the goings on in our respective lives. We had this meeting of the minds at La Calaca Feliz. I ordered a michelada and I believe CPM did the same.

We also each ordered snacks. I chose to try the special bass tacos of the evening, which were quite tasty...though I'm not a huge fan of the pureed squash element that graced this dish, which shared a flavor profile with the gordita I enjoyed back in June. I think CPM had the carnitas tacos and seemed quite pleased. My favorite part of my plate was definitely the perfectly cooked and seasoned morsels of fish.

First Sandwich of 2013

My first sandwich of 2013 was actually a wrap. So I guess the title of this post is a bit misleading, but I generally lump wraps in the basic sandwich category. In this particular instance, it was a tomato wrap with a 'cajun turkey' themed filling, which included coleslaw, spicy mayonnaise, smoked turkey, and perhaps a few other things, like spinach and cheese.

Other than the fact I was in the office, it wasn't a bad way to start the new year.

New Year's Eve Oysters, Salad and Champagne c/o McCrossen's

For the last two years I very much enjoyed spending New Year's Eve with M&A and members of their respective families, but this year that was not to be.  I toyed with the idea of doing as I did when I first moved to Philly: pretend that the holiday was not taking place and stay safely at home, acoiding the crowds, the cold, the lack of person to kiss at midnight, and the terrible difficulty of finding a cab. No fanfare. This is an appealing approach in part because the next day is, for me, just another day at work. In other words, New Year's Day isn't a holiday, so one can't enjoy themselves too heartily if they are required to wake up at a decent hour and use their brain in any meaningful way.  While staying in certainly had its merits, I ultimately decided that I'm not getting any younger, and that I'll have plenty of years later in life to enjoy the curmudgeonly and shut-in like tendencies I've described above. So, instead, I joined up with LW and Ak for a different plan. A plan that involved leaving my house and getting a bit dressed up. But it was also a plan that allowed us to skirt some of my least favorite aspects of the holiday. It was in the neighborhood, so no worries about cabs. And we had a reservation, so no worries about finding a place to sit. You probably won't be too terribly surprised to learn that we ended up at McCrossen's. For eating, I chose to try two of their specials: the fried oysters and the salad lyonnaise. The oysters were definitely crispy, but not quite as daintily fried as the oyster that came in the chowder I enjoyed in December.

 I'm a true lover of a good Salad Lyonnais, and this one's egg to frisee ratio was pretty good. I would have actually enjoyed just a smidge more dressing.

 The one thing I'll need to do a bit more research on, is just what champagnes we enjoyed, and the order in which we enjoyed them. Over the course of our evening we consumed three bottles. All of which were good, though the first two were particularly delightful.

 I dressed myself up a bit. That bow is from a gift box. Classy.

 This was ringing in the New Year proper midnight style. You'll note that T. has both the champagne of beers and a glass of champagne. Or wait, is Miller High Life the champagne of beers? So perhaps Coors Light could be, like, the Prosecco of beers?

 Now this is a funny photograph because it seems very much like AK is trying to tell me something, and I am far more intent on a photograph.

Well it was definitely a more boisterous evening than the NYEs I've enjoyed of late. But it was a balance on the whole, or at least in many a way. In other words, I was able to function at work.

Another Round of Lunches Sponsored by my Employers

The busy season continued upon my return to Philadelphia, and with that busy-ness came the subsidized lunches c/o our employers. On this particular day it was pretty standard wonton soup, and a mystery tofu dish that tasted better than it looked.

And on another day, a curry lunch special of some kind from Tiffin.

Christmas Dinner

After our champagne and cheese hour, it was time for the main event, in which I had no hand. NC Catherine handled the meat and and potatoes, and I think J was responsible for the veggies that graced the table.

Above are the very cheesy scalloped potatoes NCC put together, and a salad that made us feel like we were totally within our rights to take seconds on the cheesy potatoes. The logic there is flawless.

Ah meat, glorious, glorious meat. I forget what this was, but NCC did a great job of making sure there were cuts of nice and rare meat for those of us who gravitate towards the pink, while also ensuring those who prepare their meat more well done could also fare quite well.

I must admit, I kept eating and eating, drinking and drinking. It was hard to stop when everything was so good!

Working to prevent unnecessary double chins, maybe?

Cousins as cousins do.

These were ostensibly to get a sense of the lighting conditions for a group shot of the whole family clan, but it went a little awry.

This terrifying photograph is of J. and myself doing 'Gagnam Style.' Terrrrrifying.

The green belt is a Christmas gift from NCC. I will not tell you what we're laughing about, but we know. Oh, we know.

Then Dad got into the action.

And did his funny weird face.

Eventually the dogs got bored and wanted in as well.

And that was pretty much a wrap for Christmas. We all walked the N.'s back to their house, stayed up a bit more and then poof! holiday times were over.