Reading Terminal Market (Part 1)

[philadining]

Just a word to the wise: that lot on the back-side of Reading Terminal, the one you enter from 11th street, can be a nightmare. I parked in there not too long ago just because that's where I was, and traffic was clogged and I figured I could just dash quickly in and out. I did indeed get in and out of the the Terminal in under 15 minutes, but that's when the fun started.

It literally took 20 minutes to get from my parking space to the payment booth, which - surprise surprise - bumped me into the next-level of fee. They appeared to only have one of the two booths open at each exit, causing massive back-ups. Or maybe the back-ups were caused by everyone arguing, like I was.

First, the person in the booth insisted I owed $18 (for parking for 15 minutes and waiting in line for 20...) When i refused to pay that, a manager was called over, who granted that according to the chart clearly posted, I owed only half that, but had no sympathy for my complaint that I'd been waiting in line to get out longer than I had parked. "Hey, it's part of the deal..." he says, explaining that it was a busy day, with an event at the convention center. He had no answer when I asked why he had only half of the payment booths open. I got tired of arguing and paid the 9 bucks for 15 minutes of parking and, by then, about a half hour of aggravation.

So, assuming you can find space, I highly recommend the lot on the 12th street side, not to mention that you can get discounted parking there if you get your ticket stamped after making a sufficient purchase or purchases.

I'd hand my keys over to a random person on the sidewalk and ask them to take the car around the block a few times, rather than go into that 11th street lot again...

[rlibkind]

When you use the Parkway garage ( it's the garage over the Maggiano's and Chili's, across Filbert from the Marriott: entrances from Arch, Filbert and Cuthbert [just off 12th]), be sure not to stay longer than two hours; after that the RTM discount just gets you a couple of bucks off the full rate, which will be considerably more than the $3 RTM rate for up to two hours. Also, don't use your credit card at the entry gate -- if you do you can't get the discount.

[lfabio2007]

Katie:

I mean http://local.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=1...013411&t=h&om=1 , the one that has the ramp that you go up on on Arch between 12th and 13th, which has the discounted parking as you, philadining and rlibkind said. Can't beat $3 for two hours.

It had some cones preventing one from going up the ramp, which may have simply signified it was full, yes.

Philadining, thanks for the pointer on the other garage. I looked in the entrance and decided 'no'. Glad to know I was right.

Edited April 2, 2007 by lfabio2007 (log)

[hathor]

There was a Brewer's Plate fund raiser at the Terminal last night....sounds like a very fun evening! My son went, and sent me some photos that I thought you guys might enjoy. I'm just the proud mother of someone who is turning into a second generation eGulleter!

I posted his write up and some more photos on my blog if you are curious. It seems that Philly is ahead of the curve in trying to develop a sustainable food supply. Bravo!

[rlibkind]

This was the third annual iteration of the Brewers' Plate. I missed last year but was at the first year's and this year's.

Someone asked me which was my favorite beer. Well, I just paraphrased the ol' Yip Harburg lyric from Finian's Rainbow: When I'm not near the beer I love, I love the beer I'm near."

Of course, I didn't find an IPA I didn't like, and there was a chocolate cherry brew that was better than it had any right to be. I'll leave it to the true beer afficionados (I'm a rank amateur) to discuss the relative merits of the individual brews.

The food was by-and-large superb. Here are some dishes I particularly enjoyed. Where I recall which restaurant served it, I've put that in parenthesis:

Bluepoint oysters on the halfshell

Smoked tuna belly bruschetta

Smoked brisket

Rabbit shredded like pulled pork

Arancini di riso

Gnuddi in sage brown butter (London)

Charcuterie (London)

Country paté with cornichon (Patou)

Scallops (Patou)

Pulled pork (Down Home Diner)

Almond cake with cappucino topping (James)

John & Kira's Chocolates

Good thing I didn't drive -- I must have knocked off nearly two liters of beer (that's a lot for me, a pittance, I know, for others) and stuffed myself silly over the course of more than two hours.

[rlibkind]

If ever there were signs of spring at the Reading Terminal Market, two of them reappeared Saturday: Earl Livengood's farmstand and ramps at Iovine Brothers.

Earl's offerings are necessarily limited. Overwintered spinach (not the greenhouse variety) may have the occasional white spot on the leaves, but Earl's crinkly spinach is the real thing. (Benuel Kaufman also has fresh local spinach, and it certainly looks more picture perfect: that's because it's greenhouse spinach.) Earl also is selling a variety of root vegetables. I picked up some German butterball potatoes and parsnips; they were great pureed together for dinner tonight.

Over at Iovine Brothers big bunches of ramps (photo above) were selling for $2.95, enough to serve four. I chopped and sauteed them in just a tiny bit of chicken fat (I didn't have bacon fat, which would have been preferred) then served them atop sauteed scallops (about $13/pound for the dry scallops at John Yi, iirc).

Dutch Country Meats is "closed for renovations". It's been sold to a new owner and should open in a few weeks. I hope they keep selling the German style wursts and loafs which they added to their lineup after Siegfried's closed.

Another sign of the change of seasons was the reappearance of soft shell crabs at John Yi's. Always pricey, they were particularly dear at $6 apiece today.

Jim Iovine says he expects to have fiddleheads in about 10 days. He's working with his contract farmer to add new crops this year and expand production. If the weather doesn't deteriorate he expects fine crops of strawberries and raspberries, along with all the other staples. This week he was selling Florida strawberries for $1.49 for a one-pound clamshell (O.K. Lee had them for 99 cents). Key limes were $1.99 for a one-pound bag, kumquats $2.99 for a small box. Another sign of spring: morels, $74.99/pound (porcinis were $49.99). String beans 99 cents, avocados $1.99 each ($1.29 at O.K. Lee). Limes were 3 for a buck, vs. 4 at the competition.

Opposite the seating area behind the garden where they serve beer the RTM has updated its display of photos and artifacts (photo above). The added archival photos include a poster depicting individual merchants circa 1984. Check out the mustache on Charles Giunta!

This week's shopping list:

IOVINE BROTHERS ($7.95)

Scallions

Carrots

Crimini mushrooms

Grapes, green seedless

Onion

Ramps

Celery

JOHN YI ($6.75)

Dry scallops

12th STREET CANTINA ($1.50)

Flour tortillas

EARL LIVENGOOD ($6.30)

Pussywillow branches

German butterball potatoes

Parsnips

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($13.91)

Hanger steak

HERSHEL'S DELI ($4.15)

Lox

Edited April 8, 2007 by rlibkind (log)

[rlibkind]

Forgot to add: Earl's got dandelion, too. Expensive at $3.49 for one-third of a pound, but that buys a lot of dandelion and it's very well washed.

[dagordon]

Giunta's Prime Shop has been kind of irking us lately. It seems that when it comes to providing information about where their poultry is sourced from, they tell us whatever we want to hear.

A while ago, when Whole Foods stopped carrying Eberly stuff, we went to Giunta's and were told by the main guy there that the only Eberly poultry they carry is the Eberly whole chickens in Eberly packaging, as well as the loose chicken wings they sell.

I ordered an Eberly capon from them for soup shortly after and was told it would be in on a Friday; I went to RTM that day just to pick it up but was told that Eberly was out of capons. Giunta's had taken down by phone number when I'd placed the order but hadn't bothered to call to tell me that they were unable to get it.

The main guy suggested a stew hen instead, and when we asked if it was Eberly, he said yes, but of course this contradicted what he had said shortly before about which of their products were Eberly, and it seemed to us that he was just telling us what we wanted to hear. Incidentally, the hen made one of the most flavorless broths I've ever tasted.

A couple of weeks ago we needed some chicken thighs and legs. My girlfriend asked a woman at Giunta's if she knew where the loose thighs and legs they were selling were from, and the woman responded "No" and just continued to stare at her. My girlfriend asked if she would be so kind as to find out, and a guy came over and described the poulty as FreeBird. We got some and it was pretty good.

Today we got more thighs, and when we asked the woman there if the thighs were Eberly, she said that they were FreeBird, "from Eberly". Cursory web search reveals that FreeBird is a product of the Hain-Celestial Group, a big conglomerate that seems to have no association with Eberly.

In other news, we've tried the Duroc pork at Giunta's and found it to be pretty mediocre.

[rlibkind]

That's disappointing all the conflicting info regarding the birds. I've only bought poultry there a couple of times: a whole Eberly capon and some boneless, skinless breasts. The capon was superb, the boneless breasts good (I have difficulty pronouncing even the best boneless, skinless breasts anything more than good: I'm a dark meat kind of guy, but the other eaters here are not.)

I've alwaysa found capon difficult to find year-round. L. Halteman's, for example, carries them in the fall through the holidays, then they disappear. I think that's the case at Godshall's, too.

I have been very happy with the beef and lamb at Giunta's. The hanger and skirt steaks have been incredibly beefy tasting and, as one would expect, tender. The lamb shanks I cooked a couple of months ago were nice, too.

I was exceedingly pleased with a special order I placed two weeks ago. I'm a fatty lamb lover, so I asked Charles to save me the fatty portion he trims off lamb rib chops when he's frenching the chops. (Usually he grinds it up into the lamb patties along with other lamb trimmings.) Well, he didn't quite give me what I asked for: instead he gave me that portion plus a bit of the breast, all on the bone, all in a single piece. (I was expecting boneless and was going to skewer them as kabobs.) I brought the meat home and cut it between every other bone, creating pieces roughtly 2x3. After marinating in a yogurt-cumin-pepper-cayenne-paprika melange I grilled them on my Weber. Incredible! The lamb was a little bit meatier than I was expecting, and the meat-to-bone ratio was high; all this for what worked out to about $1.80/pound.

[TarteTatin]

I've had the same thing happen at Giunta's. They seem to tell you whatever they think you want to hear.

On another note, I've frequented RT for 20 years, but that doesn't mean they recognize me.

I had an overpriced experience about a month ago at Martin's. I rushed in to get boneless leg of lamb. Sign said something like $4.99 a pound. (can't remember exactly). He said he had it, showed me a gorgeous piece double the size that I wanted, then asked the main guy what the price was. They looked at me like I was a tourist (I think it might have been flower show time?), hesitated, and said, "$6.99 a pound." (or something similar, my prices might be off). It was at least $2 a pound more than the sign. Since I was parked with my blinkers on in a loading zone, and needed to just run in and get that for my husband's recipe, I bought it. Didn't question it.

But, thinking about it after, I really feel ripped off. They judged me, and thought I wasn't a regular.

[TarteTatin]

After re-reading the above post, and Rlibkind asking me whether, perhaps, it was more for boneless rather than bone in....I have to say that the sign just said "leg of lamb", and I asked for boneless, and it was $2.00 a pound more. So, I'm not really sure. Could very well have been my misunderstanding in a rush.

[rlibkind]

After re-reading the above post, and Rlibkind asking me whether, perhaps, it was more for boneless rather than bone in....I have to say that the sign just said "leg of lamb", and I asked for boneless, and it was $2.00 a pound more. So, I'm not really sure. Could very well have been my misunderstanding in a rush.

←

That appears to be the case. I was at the market this morning and Martin's had a sign reading "Bone-in leg of lamb, $4.99". Like you said, since you were in a hurry to get out of the loading zone parking area, mis-reads like that can happen.

While we need to hold the merchants to account when they intentionally mislead customers, it's important to set the record straight, as you did.

As info, even at $6.99 that's a relative bargain for boneless leg. At Harry Ochs today, he was getting $9.99 for bone-in and $7.99 for boneless leg. I'm not a regular at Martins, but I do occasionally buy their sausages, which can be excellent, and their lamb, which I find to be decent and competitively priced. Among red meats, lamb is the least industrial and, especially at most supermarkets, usually of better relative quality than the beef.

[rlibkind]

Great deal on mackerel at John Yi's today, $1.99/pound for either Spanish or Boston varieties. And the quality looked very good. Until this week, the Boston mackerel has been on a scrawny side, with Spanish mackerel being more attractive. This week, the Bostons were nicer sized (not huge, just not tiny like they have been) and both fish were pleasingly plump and healthy-looking. Also at Yi's, soft shell crabs came down in a price to a more normal two for $10.

Over at Iovine Brothers, Vinnie was passing out samples of some honeydew melon, $1.99 each. Unexpectedly tasty for an out-of-season (here) melon. Vinnie said he got to the Food Center and saw some ugly melons and figured they had to taste good. They did.

Also at Iovine's this week, red peppers either 99 cents or $2.99, depending on size, yellows at 99 cents, greens at $1.49, orange peppers at $4.99. Bags of last of the season clementines (taste more like tangerines) $4.99; I bought a bag, and unpeeled three once I got one -- two were perfectly fine, one was a tad dessicated. Still, a reasonably good deal.

The price of ramps went up to $3.99 a bunch this week. But avocadoes fell to a buck apiece.

Next Saturday, April 21, is Scrapplefest at the RTM. Alas, I'll be foraging at the Dane County Farmers Market around Capitol Square in Madison, WI, seeking morels and cheese, so I won''t be able to pay homage to one of my favorite pig products. Someone post and let me know who wins the sculpture contest!

Here's this week's abbreviated shopping list:

Iovine Brothers ($8.42)

Clementines

Red bell pepper

Prepared fruit salad

Harry Ochs ($4.42)

Turkey bacon

Fair Food ($11.29)

Angusburger

Hatville Deli ($0.75)

Eggs (half-dozen)

Hershel's Deli ($4.60)

Lox

[mrbigjas]

in one of those 'where did those come from?' moments, o.k. lee had nice-sized purple artichokes today, 3 for a buck. i bought six.

[-sheila mooney]

last sunday made a shaved artichoke salad from a recent (april) issue of martha stewart. sensational! you get to play with the artichoke, your mandoline and a variety of condiments to make the vinaigrette. when the 'chokes are that cheap you should give it a try....

[Andrew Fenton]

ooh, that sounds great! Do you have a recipe? All the recipes I can find online call for baby artichokes, which are tough to come by...

[mrbigjas]

you can get baby artichokes at wegmans in jersey.

i made mario batali's artichokes with garlic and mint. it was pretty good but i've said it before and i'll say it again: i have yet to have an artichoke that it's worth my time to clean. i'll microwave them and eat them as is, but as far as cooking, i keep buying and buying, hoping i'll have that great revelation, but every time i'm like...... eh, these are pretty good, but a lot of work....

[-sheila mooney]

last sunday made a shaved artichoke salad from a recent (april) issue of martha stewart. sensational! you get to play with the artichoke, your mandoline and a variety of condiments to make the vinaigrette. when the 'chokes are that cheap you should give it a try....

←

i used medium-sized, heavy-for-their-size, closely closed specimens.

3TB lemon juice - salt -- olive oil -- 2 chokes as above -- pepper -- bunch of chopped italian parsley -- some crumbled goat cheese or ms calls for aged manchego

lemon juice, salt, oil = a dressing into which you shave the trimmed to within an inch of their lives artichokes. toss, season, add other components and serve with serrano or prosciutto.

[rlibkind]

Quick report on today's expedition: morels, asparagus, lilacs, all at Earl Livengood's.

The asparagus and morels (with a $1 "special" pack of fading but perfectly cookable porcini from Iovine) have gone into frittata for dinner tonight, accompanied by Alsatian riesling, green salad and baguette. The lilacs have alredy lent their heady perfume to the house.

[rlibkind]

Walked over to the Fairmount & 22nd market today. While pickings were slim, Earl Livengood had a raft of different lettuces, plus those beautiful collard leaves and beautiful asparagus. Since I am still fairly well stocked on lettuces, I limited myself to a bunch of fresh (yes, fresh) garlic. Also at the market was another returnee, Sam Stolfus. Although I don't care for his baked goods, his spring veggies are excellent. From him I purchased a bunch of fresh mint and the first spring radishes I've seen.

Nicky Uy of The Food Trust, which sponsors this as well as the 12th & St. James Market (Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m.) and is also sponsoring the Headhouse Square market which opens in July, says in future weeks there will be additional vendors at Fairmount. A highlight for me will be Griggstown Quail Farm! This central New Jersey producer is renowned for its specialty poultry. Can't wait to purchase a poussin. And Nicky says she understands they will be selling fresh, not frozen, birds. They are also selling at the Clark Park Market, 43rd and Baltimore.

Also scheduled to sell at Fairmount starting next week, according to Nicky, is Gotschell Farms, operated by Steve and Nicole Shelly, formerly of Somerton Tanks. Carol Margerum will be back with her produce, herbs and condiments a bit later in the season.

From all reports, unless a bunch of rain descends during picking time, it looks like a fantastic strawberry season. Both Earl Livengood and Jim Iovine (who gets his local berries as part of his contract deal with Shady Brook Farm in Yardley) report the crop looks to be both big and excellent in quality.

Last Friday at the RTM I picked up Earl's morels, gathered by his neighbor Sam Conslyman. Dear at $85/pound, they were well worth the price. They were big, nearly bug-free and absolutely delicious. I sauteed them with some of Iovine Brother's "bargain" fresh porcini (the ones he'd have to trash otherwise because they weren't pristine) and a bit of shallot, then made a frittata with lots of gruyere, some lightly steamed asparagus, a mere touch of thyme, salt and pepper. Very yummy. Served with a green salad and Metropolitan baguette.

Sam doesn't think he'll see more morels, but expect Earl to have more lilacs. They were in profusion last week and, although they've finally started to dry out, they still perfume the house.

Here's last Saturday's shopping list:

IOVINE ($8.55)

Black grapes, seedless

Shallot

Honey tangerines

Porcini mushrooms

Frisée

Red bell pepper

Vidalia onions

LIVENGOOD ($43.75)

Lilacs

Morels

Asparagus

Romaine lettuce

SALUMERIA ($10.38)

Gruyere cheese

METROPOLITAN BAKERY ($2.50)

Baguette

HARRY OCHS ($4.29)

Turkey bacon

HATVILLE DELI ($1.50)

Eggs

[mrbigjas]

A highlight for me will be Griggstown Quail Farm! This central New Jersey producer is renowned for its specialty poultry. Can't wait to purchase a poussin. And Nicky says she understands they will be selling fresh, not frozen, birds. They are also selling at the Clark Park Market, 43rd and Baltimore.

awesome -- i emailed griggstown last year trying to find out how/where to get their product, because i have a friend who lives literally about 1/2 mile down the road from them, but they never wrote me back.

[monavano]

Thanks to Rich Pawlak for posting this article, on the DC board, regarding the devastating fire at DC's Eastern Market 3 weeks ago. All donations to Philbert at RTM during the month of May will go to support the displaced vendors from Eastern Market.

Being from Philadelphia, I adore RTM and can't imagine it gone. Although Eastern Market is far smaller, it's community ties are just as strong and the community in the DC area is rallying to support the vendors during this time. A transitional structure across the street will begin being built on Monday, just 3 weeks after the fire. The market will be rebuilt.

Thanks for your support.

[rlibkind]

As you can see in the photos local strawberries made their first appearance this weekend. They were $4.95/pint at Benuel Kaufman's (top photo, with asparagus). The only other vendor selling local berries was Fair Food (bottom photo, along with snow peas and sugar snaps). Expect Earl Livengood and Iovine Brothers to have local berries in abundance next week.

Sometime in early summer, according to RTM Manager Paul Steinke, a new take-away establishment will occupy what had been Andros. The new vendor, The Everyday Gourmet, will be operated by a former manager at Commissary and a former chef at Jill's Vorspiese. (The later reestablishes a market connection, since Jill's was a long-time RTM outpost of quality prepared foods.)

No word yet on what will go in Foster's space, though Steinke said he's in discussions with another kitchenware retailer, though it won't be Fante's. (That leaves one other major regional kitchenware retailer among the possibilities.)

I didn't get to any of the weekday farmer markets this week. Does anyone know if Griggstown showed up at Fairmount?

An abbreviated shopping list for me this week, since I'll be out of town until early June.

BENUEL KAUFMAN ($4.95)

Strawberries

EARL LIVENGOOD ($3.50)

Asparagus

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($4.94)

Lox

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($14.15)

Hanger Steak

Turkey Bacon

SALUMERIA ($1.26)

Olives

IOVINE BROTHERS ($1.89)

Crimini mushrooms

Shitake mushrooms

[mrbigjas]

i don't know about griggstown at fairmount, but i can tell you this: i picked up some tomatoes at the rittenhouse square farmer's market today, greenhouse-soil-grown early boys or girls or early big girls or boys or big earlys or whatever that variety is that everyone grows this time of year.

and you know, they aren't peak-of-season summer tomatoes, but they are actually brought to market ripe, and are red inside, and are flavorful. a hint of things to come, and a damn sight better than most anything you can get at the stores right now.

i also got a couple pints of strawberries. the first one i tasted might have been the best single berry i've ever had. the next few? not as good. i mean, they're good, but that one...

[Peanut]

Didn't know Martha had it in her. I was sure flavor made her nervous. Tried it with Manchego and became light headed......should be eaten bare-headed and kneeling.

The queen of antiseptic surprised me. Thanks for the recipe.

Chomp

i used medium-sized, heavy-for-their-size, closely closed specimens.

3TB lemon juice - salt -- olive oil -- 2 chokes as above -- pepper -- bunch of chopped italian parsley -- some crumbled goat cheese or ms calls for aged manchego

lemon juice, salt, oil = a dressing into which you shave the trimmed to within an inch of their lives artichokes. toss, season, add other components and serve with serrano or prosciutto.

←