What are you doing for the Book and the Cook?

[gbredben]

Just made my reservations for Colman Andrews at Vesuvio's and Jim Coleman at Jack's Firehouse. Both dinners should be real fun and filled with good food. Tried to get reservations for Georges Perrier at Pif, but that's booked solid already.

[KatieLoeb]

I will undoubtedly be working on Saturday 3/20, when Rouge has our dinner with Sondra Bernstein of The Girl & the Fig restaurants in Sonoma. She's a native Philadelphian and a graduate of the Restaurant School, made good out on the Left Coast. The galley of her cookbook which I've been perusing has some very Country French meets Calfornia style recipes in it. Should be a great dinner and I'm really looking forward to it. Per Sondra's request, I'll be pairing all Rhone varietal wines with the dinner. Some will be French and others will be Cal-Rhone. I've already put in an order for Unti Vineyards Grenache Rose from Sonoma for one of the courses. We had this wine in excruciatingly limited quantities at the Bass last vintage and it is DELICIOUS stuff. So I worked my connection and got the vineyard owner to commit a small allotment to me to be delivered in mid-March. Other wines remain to be seen, but I suspect there'll be a Syrah and/or a Viognier in addition to the Rose, and perhaps a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise to go with dessert. Once all the wines are chosen I'll price out a "wine pairings menu" to go with the dinner and I'll let you all know what the additional charge will be to have the wines included. Dinner itself will be $60/person for three courses.

As for attending and not having to WORK one of these gigs, I haven't had time to really explore the list of options on the website yet. Once I've done that, I'll probably be trolling for dinner companions right here in our humble PA forum!

[Andrew Fenton]

Katie, if you are trolling, troll this way! I saw the B&C list, but to be honest, I had no idea who'd be good or not, so just shrugged it off. I'm willing to put myself in your capable hands!

Edited February 6, 2004 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[mrbigjas]

Likewise. Actually that dinner at Rouge sounds pretty good. mmmmm stinky rhone wine pairings.

[Lisa1349]

I'll be going to brunch this Sunday at Moshulu for the Domestic artisan cheesemaker thingy. Any must haves on the brunch menu? Heading to the flower show after. My nose will have a busy day!

[Wolfert]

If you are in the neighborhood of the museum on Sunday, please think about coming to the dinner at the London Grill. The chef is preparing a slew of dishes from my new book.

[Lisa1349]

Brunch at Moshulu was spectacular! We started with littleneck clams in garlic/shallot broth, seasoned perfectly, not overcooked at all. I had the grilled Louisiana spiced shrimp salad with asparagus, sweet chili sauce and cayenne candied almonds. Beau had lobster eggs benedict with good amount of claw meat on top, great presentations all around. Service was attentive, not intrusive, and graceful. We were going to be late for our reservation so I called ahead and was genuinely thanked for the courtesy. Even though the weather was overcast, the views were great and the mood perfect. I could tell the bloody mary had fresh tomato juice, and freshly grated horseradish.

Frankly, sometimes I expect the kitchen to be slighly asleep during a quiet Sunday brunch. I'm sure the higher ups had the day off, but the mice were serious about their job.

And, oh yeah, the cheese was great! Emilio Mignucci selected some great newcomers to the domestic artisanal cheese market including Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont paired with a most divine truffle honey. The tried and true classic Vermont Shepherd was there as well. I'm working with my digi cam software to show you the panoramic view of the waterfront.

The trip to the flower show was less successful. We discovered street parking is restricted to get you to park in the $20 flat rate lots, along with the DROVES of people walking in, I thought it wouldn't be pleasant to be pushed past some week old flowers.

Tried to get to London Grill, Ms. Wolfert, but traffic with the parade and regatta on the river made for a highly detoured trip home to the 'burbs.

How're the tours going, Rich?

[Wolfert]

Sorry for the confusion. The dinner at London Grill is this coming Sunday.

[cjsadler]

Sorry for the confusion. The dinner at London Grill is this coming Sunday.

We've got reservations for it and are really looking forward to it. Care to give us a preview of the dishes the chef is fixing?

[Rich Pawlak]

How're the tours going, Rich?

The first Golden Age of Beer in Philadelphia Tour this year went very well, a very nice crowd of newbies and some repeaters, and some absolutely incredible beers along the way. I will be posting pics and story soon over on the Beer Forum

[Mummer]

Beer tours...

They really suck. The beers were terrible and the food was worse.

If you have a spot for this week, I suggest you cancel.

By the way, Rich, if you have any cancellations, I'll be happy to fill that spot on Saturday.

Back to reality; I hope that this week's crew has as much fun as I had last week.

Charlie

[KatieLoeb]

Sooooo...

How were everyone's dinners this week? I know Ms. Wolfert's dinner is Sunday evening, but most of the events this week have passed or are taking place as I type this.

Did anyone check out the Book & the Cook Marketplace in Fort Washington? If so, was it any good? I'm contemplating checking that out on Sunday, but if anyone's been and has an informed opinion, I'd be curious.

Our dinner at Rouge this evening is well attended. Chef Sondra Bernstein and her Executive Chef John Toulze are wowing the crowd with wonderful dishes like Goat Cheese fritters on a Mustard Vinaigerette dressed salad, Pernod Scented steamed Mussels, Crispy Duck with braised Swiss Chard and Orange Pomegranate Glaze or sauteed Salmon with spnach risotto and Lavender Beurre Rouge to name a few choices. Seems to be going well.

Now if only I could manage to eat something myself I'd be really happy. Maybe I'll see if I can sneak one of the Lavender Honey Creme Brulee they're serving for dessert. YUM!

[Kim WB]

Now if only I could manage to eat something myself I'd be really happy. Maybe I'll see if I can sneak one of the Lavender Honey Creme Brulee they're serving for dessert. YUM!

there are times in ones life, my dear Katie, that one needs to put their professional selves aside, paychecks be damned, and go for it...this indeed appears to be one of those times.

[mrbigjas]

Did anyone check out the Book & the Cook Marketplace in Fort Washington? If so, was it any good? I'm contemplating checking that out on Sunday, but if anyone's been and has an informed opinion, I'd be curious.

If you want a guest tomorrow and are going in the afternoon, just let me know. My wife has a baby shower to go to, and I could go for a couple hours out there...

[KatieLoeb]

Did anyone check out the Book & the Cook Marketplace in Fort Washington?  If so, was it any good?  I'm contemplating checking that out on Sunday, but if anyone's been and has an informed opinion, I'd be curious.

If you want a guest tomorrow and are going in the afternoon, just let me know. My wife has a baby shower to go to, and I could go for a couple hours out there...

Jas.

I ended up being fairly worthless on Sunday. In bed with allergy sinus headache all day. Got little if anything done, but I feel infinitely better today.

If anyone else checked out the Fort Washington Expo marketplace, do tell how it was so I can plan for next year if it's worth it.

[BrianYarvin]

I made the trip to Fort Washington on Friday and had mixed feelings.

The Ming Tsai demo was great, he was almost as good in person as he is on TV but most of the exhibitors were also selling stuff and that made it hard to get information.

What was I hoping for? Two things: first, more cookbook publishers and second the chance to talk to artisanal food producers outside of their sales rooms. But cookbook publishers were limited to Caminio Books and a single self-publishing operation and the whole place was a giant sales room so there was no chance to hook up with the few artisanal producers who were there.

If you're the sort who goes to these events for the samples, there were plenty and they were quite good, but the seventeen dollar admission fee could have bought much better.

The food media industry NEEDS a great trade show/networking event! A place where we could see who's publishing what and how they do it. But this wasn't it.

[KatieLoeb]

I made the trip to Fort Washington on Friday and had mixed feelings.

The Ming Tsai demo was great, he was almost as good in person as he is on TV but most of the exhibitors were also selling stuff and that made it hard to get information.

What was I hoping for? Two things: first, more cookbook publishers and second the chance to talk to artisanal food producers outside of their sales rooms.  But cookbook publishers were limited to Caminio Books and a single self-publishing operation and the whole place was a giant sales room so there was no chance to hook up with the few artisanal producers who were there.

If you're the sort who goes to these events for the samples, there were plenty and they were quite good, but the seventeen dollar admission fee could have bought much better.

The food media industry NEEDS a great trade show/networking event! A place where we could see who's publishing what and how they do it. But this wasn't it.

Thanks Brian! That definitely helps. I'd hoped that the event had gone back uphill from what I thought was a definitive low a few years ago when Genuardi's was sponsoring and I paid $17 to try stuff I don't even buy at the supermarket. The authors that are there on any given day I think is dependent on their schedule for the rest of the event week (what night is their event) and how much time will they actually be in Philadelphia (can they afford to be away from their own busy restaurant for four or five days at a stretch). I've always enjoyed the cooking demonstrations and book signings, although I'll never wait two hours again for my friend to have Emeril sign her book for her .

Were there enough artisinal food producers to make it interesting? I found that in the early days of this event there used to be all manner of small vendors of spice mixes, canned products, vinegars, dressings, salsas, dessert toppings etc. and that while it was fun to taste them, it was even better to be able to purchase some to take home if you found something you liked. As the event has grown there's been more samples of ordinary grocery store items that don't really interest me and less of the funky little producers of condiments etc. Is this still the case? If so, then the $17 admission fee is pretty steep. If there are unusual things to make it worth while then it's a whole different story.

[BrianYarvin]

Were there enough artisinal food producers to make it interesting?

Katie:

There were many of these people, but not many of high quality. The Chili Festival in Lyons PA in the Fall has a much better hot sauce selection for example. Of course, I still haven't tried half the hot sauces in my local Stop and Shop.

The problem wasn't the number of exhibitors, it was that so little of it was what I think of as "basic" food - pasta, meat, vegetables, fruits, bread. Stuff for meals rather than snacks and condiments.

[KatieLoeb]

Now if only I could manage to eat something myself I'd be really happy.  Maybe I'll see if I can sneak one of the Lavender Honey Creme Brulee they're serving for dessert. YUM!

there are times in ones life, my dear Katie, that one needs to put their professional selves aside, paychecks be damned, and go for it...this indeed appears to be one of those times.

Kim:

Alas, the Lavender Honey Creme Brulee were SOLD OUT by the time I went into the kitchen to seek one for myself. It seems that everyone thought it sounded as sublime as I did and ordered accordingly. Apparently, the popularity of this particular dessert was grossly underestimated.

I heard it was delicious though. Thankfully, Sondra was kind enough to gift me with one of her cookbooks so someday when I'm feeling truly ambitious, I can re-create this glorious dish at home. Not that the dish is particularly difficult, but I don't tend to do a lot of dessert cooking at home. Living alone, there's no one to help me finish all of the results of my cooking frenzy, and I hardly need that many servings of dessert sitting in the fridge tempting me like a siren to my downfall and ever widening end (so to speak).

[mrbigjas]

Living alone, there's no one to help me finish all of the results of my cooking frenzy, and I hardly need that many servings of dessert sitting in the fridge tempting me like a siren to my downfall and ever widening end (so to speak).

Geez, Mr. Rogers has barely been in the ground for a year, and we've already forgotten his lessons about sharing?

[KatieLoeb]

Living alone, there's no one to help me finish all of the results of my cooking frenzy, and I hardly need that many servings of dessert sitting in the fridge tempting me like a siren to my downfall and ever widening end (so to speak). 

Geez, Mr. Rogers has barely been in the ground for a year, and we've already forgotten his lessons about sharing?

I loved Mr. Rogers alot. I haven't forgotten his lessons. I just haven't been home enough to clean house and have guests.

[Lisa1349]

Of course, thanks to Rich and a few others, beer was a big hit of the Book and the Cook. Drink

Notice they mention the sloshed vans.... LOL

[mrbigjas]

Heh. Those guys in the pictures are my dad's former coworkers (he retired last year). He introduced them to beer day at the Penn Museum at about the second or third one, and they've been coming back in greater and greater numbers and are a little more rabid every year.

[Rich Pawlak]

Of course, thanks to Rich and a few others, beer was a big hit of the Book and the Cook. Drink

Notice they mention the sloshed vans.... LOL

"Sloshed vans"??? Were you drunk when you wrote this?

We didnt have no stinkin sloshed vans!

Did we?

[cjsadler]

I meant to post a review of the Paula Wolfert dinner at the London Grill, which we came up from DC for.

Five courses for $65, all from 'The Slow Med Kitchen'. Not sure I have some of the dishes properly named (my girlfriend is the one with the cookbook).

Assortment of Tapenades

All were very good, but disappointing there wasn't a bit more. Four small crostinis, each topped with different spreads. There were four of us and we all wanted to sample each one, so we cut them into very tiny, tiny quarters.

Spicy Chickpea Soup

This was incredibly delicious and I can't wait to find some veal bones to make it. A veal stock with chickpeas, harissa, croutons and a poached egg, which we were instructed to break up in order to 'bring the soup together'

Monkfish and Clams in Burnt Garlic Sauce

A medallion of monkfish with a two clams with a bit of rich seafood reduction. Very nice.

For the main entree, I had Pork with Orange Beans. Slow cooked pork, together with cannelini beans and orange. Good flavors, but it was a bit dry. My girlfriend had a beautiful Lamb Shank with a Chocolate-Almond Piccada. Another dish I'm anxious to try and replicate. One of our friends had the duck breast, which I didn't get to sample. We were served a communal side of nicely roasted asparagus with oyster mushrooms.

Canneles de Bordeaux

Parisian street snacks that make me want to buy canneles molds. Kinda like the best profiterole you've ever had. Served on a bed of a creme anglese type sauce.

Got to meet Paula, who was making her way from table to table, kindly taking time to chat with diners.