Tonight, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross are getting married. If that last sentence made you sit up a little straighter and blink with confusion at your computer screen, you're not the only one. You see, the actors who play Ben and Betsy all around Philadelphia are actually the ones getting married and it has become something of a public relations spectacle here in the City of Brotherly Love. So much so that their wedding has become a public event, at which the mayor is officiating and for which a gorgeous, 4th of July-themed cake has been baked.
The cake, conceived and baked by local sugar/flour/butter artist Zoe Lukas, is what interests us most around the Slashfood office. Lukas has created a three-tiered confection that is perfectly draped in white fondant and decorated with ribbon and handmade paper fireworks (what else could one want for a 4th of July wedding). There's an interview up on uwishunu, a local Philly blog, in which Lukas delves into the creation of the cake and how she designed its unique, yet traditional look. Check out the Whipped BakeshopFlickr page for the rest of the cake pictures.
There used to be a restaurant in Philadelphia called Treetops. It was several floors up in the Rittenhouse Hotel, looked out onto the park, was pretty fancy and was one of my grandmother's favorite places to eat. She was a pretty fancy woman, so she and the restaurant went well together.
Treetops made their own, deeply ruffled potato chips that they served with every sandwich. The first time I had one of these hand cut, freshly fried chips, the top of my head nearly flew off with the amount of flavor and crunch that the single chip delivered. While the chips pictured above don't have the same ridging as the chips from Treetops, they look like they have similar heft and flavor. I'd like nothing more than to be able to reach through the computer screen and grab a few to crunch on right now. For those of you who'd like to try making these at home, you can find the recipe here.
When I was a young kid, my family lived in Los Angeles. However, every summer, my mom would pack my sister and me up and we'd head for Philadelphia. We'd spend weeks living with my grandparents, five people in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment (the same apartment I live in now). My dad would stay in LA to work and take care of the dog.
It was a time towards which everyone looked forward. My mom enjoyed the opportunity to get away from smoggy Southern California (although humid Philly wasn't exactly a good trade), my dad liked having the house to himself for a while, my grandparents loved having us within hugging distance and my sister and I, well, we looked forward to the treats. Particularly the water ice.
There was nothing like Philadelphia water ice back home. You could get Sno-cones or shaved ice, but water ice was smooth and fruity and perfect to cool you down on those muggy days. The only problem was that my grandfather was a cancer researcher who had done a lot of work studying food coloring. When he was around, we weren't allowed to get any red flavors of water ice, which was torture for two girls who only wanted strawberry or cherry-flavored frozen treats.
When I moved to Philly after college, I didn't have anyone monitoring my water ice consumption and for that first summer, I ate mango and passionfruit water ice nearly every day (the flavor assortment has grown considerably over the years), often in place of dinner. These days, I try to hold off and save it as a special treat, one to savor and turn to on those hot summer days. I haven't had any yet this year, but it's going to be another hot day today. It might just be the perfect day for my first cup of smooth, fruity, wonderful water ice.
Here in Philadelphia, we are lucky to have a small, local chain of bakeries that is devoted to making true artisan bread. Metropolitan Bakery believes in letting bread have a long, slow rise and each one of their loaves, rolls and baguettes are shaped by hand. They've been around since 1993 and back in 2003, for their 10th anniversary, they published a cookbook that is filled with their signature recipes that have been scaled down to make them appropriate for the home cook.
The Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook isn't just a vanity publication, created for the glorification of a bakery. It is a book that was obviously carefully crafted and systematically thought out, as it is really interesting to read and designed to be used. They've included recipes for all their favorite products, including their French Berry rolls and (my favorite) Millet Muffins.
In addition to the recipes, they've included picture layouts that show off their pastries and breads in all their luscious glory, along with pictures that detail how to recreate their signature twists and designs (on page 77, there are step-by-step pictures to show you how to cut, twist and fold the dough for the Cinnamon Swirl Danish). Admittedly, for those of us lucky enough to be fairly nearby a Metropolitan location, we probably won't be turning to this cookbook for much other than incentive to make a visit to the bakery, but for those of you who once visited Philadelphia and got a taste of Metropolitan pastries, this might one you could add to your collection.
A Rochester staple, the garbage plate is a whopping stack of (get ready): two hamburger patties and two sides (home fries, macaroni salad, or beans), mixed with ketchup and hot sauce, with a roll on the side for good measure. It originated at Nick Tahou Hots' restaurant over 50 years ago - y'know, before we were worried about stuff like obesity and heart attacks. College kids used to come in and ask for a dish with "all the garbage" on it.
But - gasp - a restaurant in Philly has added the Plate to its menu, with a few changes: fries and mustard pan sauce replace the traditional home fries and hot sauce. Could it be as bad - er, good - as the original?
The words "artisan fudge" have a way of making my mouth water. Add some cute retro packaging, a ribbon and get 'em a little melty, and I'm in heaven.
Betty's Tasty Buttons began as the creator's Grandma Betty's fudge recipe, and has expanded into some gorgeous offerings, including fudge sauce and cajeta, a Mexican slow-cooked caramel made from goat's milk. It's great over ice cream, cakes, or even spooned into coffee.
The fudge flavors, though, are what keep the people coming back for more. With a base of organic sugar, local butter, milk and organic or fairly-traded chocolate, the unique flavors include lava (spicy); lavender mint (lovely and smooth); molasses bourbon (chocolate with sass); and green tea...check out the full list here.
Betty's is based in Philly, and as we know, fudge isn't shipped that well (though I'm sure exceptions could be made for the jarred products). Get 'em while they're melty.
Could a restaurant be so appealing, so irresistable, that you'd wait a year to get a reservation?
This one apparently is: Talula's Table in rural Pennsylvania, has been called the most difficult reservation to get in the country. Talula's is about an hour outside of Philly, has only one large farm table that seats 12, and is run by a husband and wife team. There's a store that sells cakes, pies, soups, and over 150 different kinds of cheeses (the co-owner spent her life studying cheeses).
But the real treat appears to be the restaurant. The eight-course tasting menu, which features fresh and primarily local ingredients, is the same every day for about 5-6 weeks, and then changes depending on what's in season.
The day that one NPR reporter visited, the menu was as follows: egg custard; mushroom risotto; hand-rolled rigatoni with snails; pampano roasted with a mango-saffron broth; pork osso bucco; lamb; blue-raisin chutney semolina; and for dessert - deep breath - a coffee-infused bavarian creme with bittersweet and white chocolate over a piece of buttery shortbread, covered in a blood orange jelly.
And for the record? If you want a reservation, call them tomorrow starting at 7 a.m. The first person to call that day gets the next reservation a year from now, and the process repeats itself the next day, and the next, and the next...
There's controversy in Philadelphia over whether a restaurant can withhold tips from its wait staff, thanks to a review of Arbol Cafe published in the Philadelphia City Paper. An alleged former employee posted a comment following the review, asserting that "tips from customers are kept by the owners," and urging customers to never tip. Arbol Cafe responded in a second comment, stating that "all money generated goes towards financing the rennovations as well as aiding us in being able to pay the workers well above minimum wage," which essentially confirms that waiters in fact do not see their tips. Arbol Cafe further justifies their position by informing that they do not hire waiters and waitresses, but rather persons interested in working and growing as a team.
The response generated a slew of reader comments, with harsh words on both sides of the argument. The controversy has since been written up in this post on MenuPages blog Philadelphia. Of course, Arbol Cafe isn't the first business to come under heat for it's tipping policies lately. Remember the Starbucks tipping story, as well. So, what do you guys think? Is Arbol Cafe right to do this?
This week, Philadelphia was saved from near catastrophe, all thanks to a hot sausage sandwich. After a long afternoon of inspecting the Schuylkill Expressway, two engineers pulled of I-95 in the Port Richmond section of town in order to grab a late lunch. While they were heading back to the expressway, they drove past the column you see there in the picture, which holds up 6 lanes of I-95. As luck would have it, Peter Kim was familiar with that stretch of I-95 and had actually been out inspecting it back in December. He pulled out his phone, sent a picture off to Penndot and the repair crews mobilized within the hour.
It did snarl traffic for a couple of days, as that stretch of highway had to be closed while they made repairs, but thanks to a hot sausage sandwich.
Tomorrow is the first official day of spring. This means that the weather will soon start to get warmer, summer farmers market season isn't far away and, most importantly, Rita's Water Ice locations will be giving away free small cups of water ice all day tomorrow. For those of you lucky people who live in direct proximity to a Rita's, make a point of heading over there tomorrow to pick some up (my favorite flavor is mango).
For those of you not in the know (had I not spent many of my childhood summers in Philadelphia, I would have been oblivious to the existence of water ice) water ice is a half sorbet/half shaved ice concoction that is infused with fruit flavors (some places make chocolate water ice, but that seems wrong to me). It is yummy, cools you off on hot summer days and, if you eat a cup of cherry or strawberry flavored water ice, leaves your mouth a shocking red color.
I'm not a huge tour person generally -- I get antsy and like to explore new cities on my own (or maybe just go shopping). But a food tour is something I definitely think that I could handle. I've been hearing about them a lot lately, as many cities now offer them. More recently, I've come across City Food Tours, which offers both walking and coach tours in Philadelphia and New York City. This company has gotten a bit of press, and they even offer personalized group packages. Philadelphia also offers tours of Reading Terminal Market, one of my favorite spots in the city, and Chinatown tours with some foodie destinations.
I've never taken a food tour, but I'd love to hear accounts from those of you have had -- especially tours that you found especially great or awful.
Between Marisa and I, we pretty much have the Philly phood food scene covered. Especially when it comes to Beer Week.
But there's one not-so-subtle difference: Marisa reviews the classy beer critic's news. And me? Well...I stick to what I know. Dive bars and cheap local beer, baby (I'm not sure if I'm proud or ashamed of this fact. Maybe a little of both).
And there's more dive bars and cheap local beer in this week's alt-weekly than one could ever ask for. Now, the alt-weekly staff certainly aren't the most highly regarded reviewers of food and drink, but they do know their fine hole-in-the-wall pubs and classic dingy taverns when they seem 'em. Ask them for the best spot to get a PBR and a shot of Jack, and they'd never steer you wrong. (For the record, it's Bob & Barbara's).
There's a grainy little video of the #1 choice, Grace Tavern. But even if you don't live in Philly, you'll appreciate it for its old-timey tavern feel and the little quirks that make it unique.
Hey Philly readers: which ones from the list do you frequent? And which bars did the paper mistakenly leave off the list?
Oh, and for the record? I've been to exactly half of them. Bring it on, Marisa!
We all know that dark, leafy greens are good for us, but they often get a bad rap when it comes to actually getting prepared for the dinner table. However, they are really tasty and can be prepared in a number of ways.
Wine School of Philadelphia instructors taste some Austrian whites and give you the lowdown on what to look for and some sure bets (video content).
Rick Nichols reviews last weekend's Philly Craft Beer Fest, tempts readers with the upcoming Beer Week and offers a remembrance of beer expert Michael Jackson (no, not that Michael Jackson).
Philly Inquirer restaurant critic Craig Laban lists his top taps in town.
I have a confession. That half of a cupcake you see right there, well, I actually was the one to eat it. Last Saturday morning, Scott and I went to Reading Terminal Market for brunch and grocery shopping. We bought a bunch of food and, as we were leaving, made a stop at Termini Brothers, one of the best and oldest bakeries in town. They've had a stall in the market for years and are known city-wide for their canoli, cakes, cookies and other baked goods.
We waited until we got home to bust into the cupcake and he got to it first and slicing it in half so that I'd get a fair portion. The color of the sprinkles was appealing and light in the apartment so good at the moment that he snapped a picture of the half eaten cake. Oh cupcakes, what you do to us!
If you're in Philadelphia over the weekend, be sure to check out Let Them Eat Cake, a wedding cake design competition whose proceeds will go to benefit City of Hope, a California-based cancer care center.
Whether you're a participant (entry fee is $100 for professionals, and students can compete for free!) or just drooling spectator, it'll be totally worth it to take in the scene and watch as pastry chefs battle it out for nine different titles, including Most Artistic and Best Tasting (the cakes, not the chefs).
The 2006 Best of Show winner (pictured) was a delicate pink and white number from Ann's Cake Pan of Horsham, Pa.
The special guest judge will be Sylvia Weinstock, baker of extraordinary cakes and wearer of over sized glasses. (Her cakes are amazing, but the intricacy of the website alone tells me I could never afford one).
So, go! Marvel! Drool! And cross your fingers that they give out free samples at the end.
There's controversy in Philadelphia over whether a restaurant can withhold tips from its wait staff, thanks to a 
Tomorrow is the first official day of spring. This means that the weather will soon start to get warmer, summer farmers market season isn't far away and, most importantly, 
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
Morbid thoughts? Have a cookie
