Phoodie.info: The New Food And Drink Blog For Philadelphia » You Wish You Had This Dish

Pork Belly Confit Crème Brulée

CEF — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:21:43 +0000

Chef John Taus has struck a creative and techincally refined balance at Snackbar that has gotten the thumbs up from critics around town, and we think he’s a real swell guy. He spends his days watching The Price Is Right and his nights trying to elevate Pork Rinds to new heights.

His very successful menu is undergoing some big changes, and our personal favorite is his take on Pork Belly Confit. The process to make the magic is quite time consuming, but worth every step.

After curing the belly for 2 days, it spends an overnight in a slow oven set at 180 degrees. Crisped up to order in pork fat, with a side of Brussels Sprouts also cooked in that luscious lard, it’s finished with a dark chicken jus mounted on cream, dijon, and whole grain mustard.

The final product is nothing short of amazing: a thick, crispy crown of crunch above soft and supple pork belly meat in a texture tour-de-force. We live in a world full of bacon obsession, so it’s nice to see one of the classics return in a dining room full of sophisticated bar snacks.

– Collin Flatt

The Best Fucking Chicken On Earth

CEF — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:46:54 +0000

That glorious mess you see above is the hard work of Marc Coates, Smokengrillenmaster at Bebe’s BBQ in the Italian Market. Really, it’s a gamechanger. We stopped by for a taste of the goodness, hoping dearly there might be some of his famed brisket left (Coates doesn’t make everything every day, just what comes in, what’s fresh, and what he goddamn feels like). We did find his brisket, along with pork, ribs, and that amazing bird.

Here’s how we know it’s the best. We ate the following BEFORE sampling the chicken:

Pulled pork (both ways, East and West Carolina)
6 ribs
Plate of brisket
Cornbread
Cabbage
Mac and cheese
Collard greens

Chicken truly is the last damn thing you should order at any restaurant if you’re into food. It’s the safe bet of blandness that the chef will usually give the least attention to. For me it goes something like this: Offal, then game meats, then red meat, then pork, and finally chicken. For most you can interchange a lot of that list, but chicken is the ass of the parade.

When Coates pulled the chicken out of the spinner, he didn’t need to do much more than glare at it a little bit as it fell apart into perfectly sectioned pieces. My dining partner and I FOUGHT over the skin. It’s so fucking good, I might go as Bebe’s Chicken for Halloween.

For $12, you get a whole chicken, 2 sides (I say cabbage and cornbread) and a new affinity for chicken. A steal.

Bebe’s BBQ, 1017 S. 9th St. (267) 519-8791

– Collin Flatt

You Wish You Had This Dish: Yellow Submarine Cookies From Whipped Bakeshop

tips — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:11:19 +0000

At a baby shower over the weekend, we spied these Yellow Submarine Cookies, courtesy of Whipped Bake Shop, which we hear will be opening up a Fishtown outpost in the not-too-distant future. If Whipped’s whimsical taste on Food That Looks Like Stuff seems familiar to you, that’s because Whipped is headed up Phoodie fave Zoë Lukas, whose creations have graced these pages more than once. Now, while it’s true that the Yellow Submarine Cookies looked fantastic, nailing the iconic Beatles image so closely you almost don’t want to touch them, they were also, in point of fact, absolutely delicious. A simple, light butter cookie base (which somehow avoided the kind of dryness that is often the pitfall of cookies like these) gave way to the icing creation and even that, too, surpassed expectations: creamy and fresh instead of hard and chalky. Amazing.

A Lunch Date With Destiny: Homeslice’s BLT Pizza

TommyC — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:28:03 +0000

Almost a year ago (but what seems like yesterday), Phoodie’s Collin Flatt had his socks blown off by Homeslice’s Thai Curry Pizza. We all promised ourselves we were going to try and get in there more often to A) patronize the Northern Liberties pizza joint because you know, it’s the right thing to do and B) because they make damn good pizza. So the other day while wracking our brains trying to think of something to nosh for lunch, we eventually settled on Hawaiian pizza. The thing with Hawaiian Pizza is, though, it can either be really really good or just plain awful (as is the case with pretty much every pizza/wing/hoagie in Philly). Hearts set on the tropic pineapple-and-ham delight, we had to choose the perfect perfect pizzeria to satisfy our craving. And who else but Homeslice could make us a unique and delicious Hawaiian pie? After all, it’d been way too long since our last visit. Upon ordering, our hopes of enjoying Homelice’s take on a Hawaiian pizza were dashed, as they explained, “We don’t sell enough Hawaiian to keep pineapple around. We can run next door and see if they have a pineapple we can buy off of them.” But that wouldn’t be necessary, because from across the counter we caught a glimpse of a beautifully crispy whole wheat pie adorned with spinach and other trimmings slipping gingerly into a white pizza box. It was destiny, we had to have it. Upon inquiring, we learned that what we peeped was their pizza version of a BLT. The Homeslice BLT pizza is topped with sauce, cheese, plum tomatoes, loads of fresh spinach, and turkey bacon (mmmmmm) and it turned out to be one of the most memorable pies we consumed in ’09. The whole wheat crust adds a layer of complexity to the pizza that compliments rather than overwhelms, as some wheat crusts do. What started as a quest to see how Homeslice handled the Hawaiian pizza turned into a date with destiny, and boy, were we glad. The BLT pizza at Homeslice is fresh, light, and healthy, the perfect pizza to enjoy during the dog days of August.

Home Slice is located at 1030 N. American Street on Liberties Walk. (215) 627-2726.

March Of The Pigs

CEF — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:59:56 +0000

Tonight at Meme, David Katz has organized the end-all-be-all Murderer’s Row of Philly Chefs to slice and dice their way through so many little piggies. And all for our pleasure.

The already WAY SOLD OUT Uber Pork Dinner is a food and drink extravaganza featuring Katz, Johnny Mac of Pub and Kitchen, Mike Solomonov of Zahav, Pierre Calmels of Bibou, Steve Cameron of Noble American, and Pete Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette. Wshew. First seating is at 6PM, and if the culinary world doesn’t implode around Spruce St., then there’s a second show at 8PM 8:30PM. Can. You. Dig. It?

With our obsession of pig products, innards, and wine, this might be the greatest thing to ever happen to our tastebuds and stomach. And time will surely tell. We’re kind of secretly hoping someone will drop some homemade scrapple on us, and if it happens, we might never leave the building. And yes, we totally picked that pig picture because he was just the cutest thing. Before of course, he ends up looking like this. YUM!

The Best Thing I’ve Eaten All Year

CEF — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:15:13 +0000

That which you see above is the best thing Collin Flatt has eaten all year. After the jump, find out where and what it actually is. Follow along after the jump on this journey to South Philly for a truly decadent and special dish.

Much has been written about how great the new French bistro Bibou is, garnering praise from good buddy David Snyder and hefty word of mouth around wine circles in town. But what these folks failed to mention was that one of the plates I might find within those walls was Fried Pigs feet STUFFED with Foie Gras. If there ever was a dish that truly represents my soul, this is it. My penchance for organ meat is truly an obsession now, something that might require me to be on medication if I’m not careful. Chef Pierre Calmels at Bibou is not helping break me of my habit.

I tried the much ballyhooed Tripe dish, which was spectacular, and I enjoyed the Sweetbread special to no end, but the revelatory experience of trotter goodness was easily the best thing I have tasted all year. Not for the faint of heart, or those who hate on super-rich decadence, I urge any fan of French countryside cuisine to hurry the hell up and get to South Philly. Tonight. Because the word is out, and people are getting on the BibouExpress.

Rendered perfectly beneath a crispy shell, the footmeat becomes smooth and creamy, with just a hint of toothsome support, and all negative space within is crammed to the gills with sweet foie. The play between the two textures is eye-closingly amazing, with the addition of terse French lentils underneath to add spice, bite, and a little bit of rustic charm. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Well OK, it did. I brought a bottle of 2005 Vieux Telegraphe to celebrate the occasion, which was worth celebrating. Decanting for 8 hours was necessary for the young lady full of 2005 power, she breathed new and crazy life through the entire meal. Of course you can’t get this bottle in the state system, but I suggest bringing any Cotes Du Rhone with you if you’re planning on eating this dish. If you can afford a Chateauneuf Du Pape, splurge and do it, as it’s the best-of-the-best from the region.

Everything I touched, tasted, and smelled at Bibou was pitch perfect and beautiful. I have found myself a new home when I can’t make it back to Provence, which these days , doesn’t seem to happen too often.

– Collin Flatt

Bibou, 1009 S. Eighth St., 215-965-8290, biboubyob.com

You Wish You Had This Dish: Bar Ferdinand’s Gambas Y Cangrego

tips — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:13:35 +0000

You know, what with Jose Garces dominating so much of the tapas and tapas-fusion market in Philly these days, sometimes it’s easy to forget about Owen Kamihira‘s Bar Ferdinand, a less expensive outing than, say, Amada, but often, no less elegant or delicious. We popped in on a whim last week and, among other things, ordered up the Gambas Y Cangrego, a marinate of chilled jumbo shrimp, crab salad, spicy tomato puree and blood orange aioli that’ll run you somewhere in the neighborhood of ten bucks. And let us tell you: It was worth every penny, and we’ve been obsessing about it ever since. The lump crab and shrimp portions were generous and delicious, and the marinate was light as feather, but still packed a very distinct, very pert taste. This thing sang words like “spring” and “freshness” — along with the Cat Power version of “Sea of Love” — all the way down our throats. And we need to eat it again. As soon as possible. And as it happens, on Monday nights, Bar Ferd also happens to do half-price bottles of vino. Spring fever, indeed.

Bar Ferdinand, 1030 N 2nd St. (215) 923-1313