NaFairge

i want to make a savory custard. in pais vasco there is a dish called 'mamilla' which refers to the actual bowl it is served in. it is also called 'cuajada'. traditionally, one burns the milk and then thickens it. served with fruit and honey to balance the scalded element. the flavor is super intense and not everyone likes it. i loved it. smoke and milk. delicious. my idea: sheep's milk (nothing tastes like it!). gellan/agar or kuzu so i can just warm it enough to take the chill off. garnish with figs in black olive caramel and halen mon. penn. farms good idea mj. i did consider yuba. vadouvan, i searched online for so long i am seeing double! i suppose i could use goat's milk. but i am not willing to give this up yet.......

anyone have a lead? i tried the terminal, sue's, whole foods, etc. would love to get my hands on some.

paul (tom, scott, asbel, boys)...... best of luck. broke my heart to hear it. he who dares, wins. don't forget, governor.

turns out the guys from LC went in and re-trained the stellar staff. actually, it went over very well. stellar had had some turnover, and were stoked about being updated. this was about two years ago. he wouldn't mention names, but he said a few other places in the city were being very lazy about brewing (holding coffee for too long, brewing the wrong amounts, burning coffee, scalding milk for espresso drinks, etc.) my first big job was at starbucks. i was there for three years and did my drexel co-op there as well. i started as a barista then ended up assistant manager and coffee knowledge corporate trainer. brainwashing, amigos. i will say this: there are a few tricks for making starbucks taste ok. 1. always use less than the recommended amount of ground coffee. their beans are roasted hard, resulting in overly strong, acidic coffee. they also encourage heavy dosing to increase sales of whole beans to the home drinker. 2. french press yields a wonderful, flavorful cup. and it is easy to adjust the amounts to your liking. 3. using some of their medium bodied drip coffee blends in place of their suggested espresso blends makes a nice cappucino, latte, etc. 4. they steam milk to 160 degrees. overkill. ask for it "not too hot". that said, i used to go to LC on my lunch break when i worked at starbucks 16th and walnut!

a few places come to mind....... 1. stellar. i used to live by the one on 11th street and would hit it up in the morning. always crowded. to be honest, never really liked the coffee. switched to the last drop. sidenote: a friend of mine works at the la colombe warehouse and i mentioned to him that stellar was doing them an injustice with their brewing methods. todd and jp from LC sent a warehouse guy, unannounced, to taste around the city to see who was brewing right or wrong. 2. how bout chestnut hill coffee? my mother swears by it. i have yet to try. 3. darlings on 20th below pine. slammin cherry cheesecake and a ristretto shot on the side no sugar. awesome. 4. higher grounds in no-libs. heard good things. anyone?

i, too, met matt at the pegu club. he was in the company of other e gulleteers discussing manni olive oil and vermouth! he insisted that i try a proper vermouth on the rocks. and i loved it. his knowledge was contagious. he inspired me to read more and open my mind. matt, you will be missed........ thank you for all of your sharing.

hey murkury..........any news?

so............truffle............how did it go?

went to BF saturday night late. place was packed, but we were seated right away in a loud corner. well, the whole place is ridiculously loud. hard for conversation but good for just chillin. first, the drinks: by the glass we enjoyed a bierzo, montsant, jumilla (my fave) and a shiraz tempranillo blend. all good and priced around $7. also tried the sangria. it was outstanding....not too sweet like so often had around town. ended the evening sipping on don julio and lime. and this.......dogfish head 60 minute for $3.50!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME. the food: chef blake joffe is doing a great job. so many of the dishes were spot on. some weren't quite up to snuff. i understand he is looking for some good line cooks..... tortilla. bangin. beautiful. lots of potato and served room temp the way it should be. croquettas. liked the cod better than the ham. both good. bechamel is the traditional vehicle and he does it without making them murky or dense. the cod ones have a subtle lemon flavor that is a great change. calamares. simple. paprika and lemon. wanted something more from them, but not bad. casa mono, i have to say, does a much better job (albeit, with sepia). piquillos. rolled with whipped trout. delicious! could have eaten 30 of them. arbequinas. great olive mix, lots of flavour, but some of those wonderful olives are so small and difficult to eat. patatas bravas. yikes. needs a lot of work. the idea is good but the turnout was not. empanada. had the date, bacon and cream cheese. perfect balance of sweet and savory. reminded me of the 'piggy back dates' at alma. would have been better washed down with a beer, rather than wine. bocadillo. crispy pork, peppers and majon cheese. slammin good but wish the bread had been toasted. lubina. roasted bass with peas and white wine. based on 'salsa verde' like donosti. really good. quesos. too much wine at this point to remember the names. but a killer blue cheese (monet?) made a fortunate appearance. paprika honey, membrillo and sweet cured olives as garnish. all in all, a great time. i have heard many mixed reviews and i am sure they will nail every dish in time. it's only been a week. he has a light hand with seasoning and items seemed to be cooked more gently (typico vasco), which IMHO is wonderful, but maybe not for all palates. i wish them the best of luck.

went through the same thing when my niece and nephew visited. we hit the reading terminal market. worked like a charm. tons of places to eat, free samples, lots of action. push for a new flavour, but if the teenager pushes back, there are many 'normal' options. for dinner, i might go with matyson on 19th. matt spector's food is great and he won't scare the kid with over the top or foreign ingredients. another option would be the countless italian situations in south philly. tre scalinni, scannoucio's, l'ongolo, et al. good, solid food yet oh so familiar. worst case scenario, applebee's just opened on 15th and ruby tuesday's on 17th!

and you know why i miss chef? he was the last guy i worked for in philly who made my stomach ball up into a tight knot. fear. and i saw PLENTY i did not like. but the respect remains.

like i would ever have the cojones to call matt, v, bb or the others shoemakers. that was not directed at you. mr vadouvan nailed it with his description of menues, name on the coat and good dog reference. we have some young leaders in this town. i am just anxious to see what they do next.

philly is ready for more. everyone is waiting. what needs to change is those who talk the talk but don't walk the walk ( granted, for many reasons ). there are a few guys in the wings who are dying to JUST MAKE GOOD FOOD. politics aside, empires aside. we need to check our egos at the back door and come to work in bright whites and COOK. this town needs to open our eyes and take it all in. how many times do you hear line cooks say 'i went out last night to ______ and it sucked.' hypocrytical shoemakers, gentlemen. we are called to embrace the restaurant community and support all those involved. and GOD how i miss chef.......

it's been referred to as 'cold sous vide'. since sous vide is technically only the act of sealing under vaccuum, the term is perfect. it breaks the cell walls (this is when the liquid in the bag appears to be 'boiling') and kind of force-infuses the liquid ie simple syrup, verjus, vinegar, etc. it is an amazing technique and one i have found to be very addicting! it gives the appearance of food being cooked, although it's really just a marinade. tan, you gotta try it. see what it does to apples. as far as fancy names for menus sake, we are all guilty of that to some degree. just remember, function first. calling it by another name is the fun part.

welcome to the fold sethro...... the raspberry bread is actually just dried meringue. but so damn good. glad you enjoyed. please try the tequila lowrise next time. cassia infused tequila! what what!

will and bobby are two of the sickest individuals i know. just bobby's vanilla base for ice cream will blow your mind. read h. this. eat goldfarb. understand.