Philadelphia’s current wintry weather calls for a cozy spot by the fireplace and a steaming cup of something warm. What’s my drink of choice? A mug of decadently rich hot chocolate, lavishly topped with a generous swirl of whipped cream and fluffy marshmallows. Cocoa is not only a sweet treat, but also a health drink in disguise: the beverage has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea. There’s no better reason to sip away!
The best hot chocolate I ever had was at a small café located on Île Saint-Louis, a natural island in Paris that overlooks the Seine. I was stunned when the waiter arrived at my table with a cup, spoon, and pitchers of whole milk and melted chocolate. It was the first experience I had at a café/restaurant where I could adjust the level of “chocolateyness” to my liking—needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I sipped my cup of chocolat chaud slowly and people-watched, I knew I was having the ultimate Parisian experience.
What about the times you can't jet off to Europe? There are plenty of Philadelphia locations that can satisfy your hot chocolate cravings. Right near the Radian on campus, Capogiro makes more than just incredible gelato—they serve a delightful Italian Hot Chocolate, accompanied by a generous helping of whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder on the side. The foam on top of the cocoa masks the thick richness beneath; the drink completely warms you from the inside out. It’s like sipping pure melted chocolate, only better. (For those adverse to such a heavenly drink, they also offer “regular” Hot Chocolate.) Max Brenner in Center City is famous for their wide cocoa selection (not to mention any other chocolate dessert you can think of). They offer global options (whether it’s the Mexican Hot Chocolate spiced with red chili, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper; the Swiss Whipped Cream Chocolat; or the Hot White Chocolate hailing from Trinidad) in both hot and cold varieties. An added bonus? The fun you get from drinking out of their architecturally cool cups. RIM Café in South Philly’s Italian District is also notorious for adding chocolate to every beverage on their menu. The drinks go well with their massive cannolis and excellent biscotti, making you feel like a true Italian for a day.
My other hot chocolate favorites:
• Seattle’s Best Coffee’s “Cocoa Trio”: hot cocoa topped with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, white chocolate shavings, and a log of dark chocolate.
• Caffe Nero’s Hot Chocolate Milano: a true European hot chocolate (thick, rich, and smooth).
• Recchiuti’s Dark Hot Chocolate: there is a slight bitter tone from the dark chocolate they use in the drink, which perfectly counteracts and balances the drink’s natural sweetness. The huge vanilla bean marshmallow on top is the icing on the cake.
• Jeff de Bruges' Chocolat en Poudre: the resulting drink made with this French chocolatier's hot chocolate powder will instantly transport you to the streets of Paris.
If you prefer to be your own barista in the comfort of home, check out these recommendations for the best supermarket hot chocolate mixes!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Haute Chocolate
Monday, February 7, 2011
Le Castagne
There are those who say that there is more happiness in the anticipation than in the actual experience of a good time. Though I don’t fully buy into this belief, I do have to admit that part of the fun of Restaurant Week consists in the expectation phase – the appetizing hours spent poring over menus, the final tally and selection of a restaurant, and then the patient waiting for the reservation day to roll around. It is all the more enjoyable when this phase culminates in an evening meeting and even exceeding those expectations. This was certainly my experience with Le Castagne, Rittenhouse Square’s Northern Italian ristorante and our final pick for this semester’s restaurant week expedition.
Upon entering the restaurant, I was immediately struck by the balance between the austerity of high ceilings and the congeniality of exposed brick and warm lighting. The space itself was a reflection of the Sena family’s gastronomical philosophy: fine dining with the flavors of an authentic Italian cucina – that is to say, an elevated experience that never loses the comforts or coziness of home. This was certainly the driving idea behind both the menu and the service. The night opened with a simple sundried tomato pesto and freshly baked bread. The pesto had all the vividness of fresh, high-quality olive oil, and took me straight back to my week in a Tuscan vineyard last summer.
When my boyfriend and I go out to dinner, we like to split everything we order so as to sample a larger portion of the menu. That night, the spoils were many: we started with gnocchi in a white truffle cream sauce and mozzarella di buffula with tomatoes and prosciutto. The gnocchi dish was of an unearthly sort of perfection, with a feathery, dreamy smoothness to it. It was well balanced by its earthier but nonetheless delicious counterpart, the mozzarella salad, drizzled in the thickest and sweetest of balsamic vinegars. We then moved on to two main courses: the apple-glazed pork chop on a gorgonzola polenta, and the pistachio-encrusted salmon finished with white truffle honey. Everything was a pleasure to the palate, but the biggest surprise was probably the carrots served as a side to the salmon. They were warm and still crispy, steamed without losing any of the vividness of their flavor.
Le Castagne’s restaurant week menu didn’t give us any choice over our desserts, but we were comforted by the mysterious trio of dolci. And indeed, it was a symphony of sweetness. There was the traditional cannoli, an amazingly flavorful, zesty lemon juice bar, and a chestnut cream-filled profiterole that filled me up with happiness. The trio was wonderfully complemented by the ristretto served alongside it. All in all, it was a lovely evening and reinforced my love for Restaurant Week, and the unique opportunity it offers for a food-lover with a college student’s wallet.
Le Castagne Ristorante
1920 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
215.751.9913
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Are You The Next Cake Boss?
One of my favorite foods in the world is cake. And one of my guiltiest pleasures is watching cake shows on TV. (Don't judge.) Without all the cake competitions sponsored by Food Network and the crazy antics of Duff and the Ace of Cakes staff, I'm not sure how I would've survived grad school.
After getting super into cake shows and finding out that one of my friends actually made her friend's entire wedding cake (fondant and all!), I decided that it was high time I explored my creative cake decorating side as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find an affordable or convenient class in LA or SD before I left either city, so I made sure to start looking as soon as I landed in Philly.
With some probing, I found out that Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop in the Italian Market (one of my all-time favorite cookware stores) actually offers classes spanning several weekends. In addition to basic and intermediate cake decorating, they also offer classes on rolled fondant and gum paste, gingerbread, and chocolate.
Although I had wanted to sign up in the fall, I found out that the basic classes were booked up way in advance, and that I'd have to wait until the next set of classes were scheduled and posted. As I was dead set on getting in, I pounced as soon as the spring classes showed up online. Take away message: SIGN UP EARLY.
The basic cake decorating class consisted of three back-to-back Saturday mornings -- 9:30AM to 12:30PM. While the trek from Center City to the Italian Market doesn't usually require much effort, doing so: 1) in the snow, 2) with several containers of buttercream and royal icing, and 3) with a frosted cake in an unwieldy cake carrier, was mildly treacherous. Thankfully, the class, the instructor, and my fellow cake decorators made the trek well worth it.
All of the cake decorating classes at Fante's are taught by Deborah Dicintio Lang -- "a professional baker, caterer, Master Decorator, and winner of many awards," according to the store's website. Not only was Debbie really helpful and supportive in class, she made herself readily available for consultation by giving us her cell phone number the very first Saturday morning. Have we ever heard of a professor doing that? Never.
We spent the first session going over the syllabus and the supplies list, and then wandering up and down the mesmerizing aisles of cookware. While I expected to spend $70-$100 (as suggested for the class), I ended up dropping a whopping $170 that morning! Was all of that on cake decorating supplies? Why of course not! Because one of the benefits of being a student was that I got a 10% discount on any items purchased during the duration of my class. Let's just say I somehow thought of a lot of items I just had to have.
While we were shopping, Debbie prepared buttercream for us to work with. And as soon as we completed our purchases, we dove right into working with our pastry bags and various icing tips. First, she demonstrated each technique, making every movement seem easy. Then we we were all expected to follow suit, with Debbie guiding us past our insecurities. In a matter of minutes, pretty designs and objects magically appeared before our eyes.
For each of the two remaining sessions, we were expected to prepare buttercream icings of varying consistencies (i.e., stiff, medium, thin), royal icing, as well as frosted cakes to be decorated in class. Needless to say, preparing for class was always a bit of a hectic, last-minute process for me (damn you, procrastination!), though it made sense for us to use our own products on our own cakes. Plus, at the end of the day, we had something that was truly prepared by us, to bring home (or to the office, as the case may be).
Over the course of three Saturday mornings, we learned various techniques -- several of which we applied directly to the cakes we brought to class or we could use on future cake projects. For example, we applied the shell technique immediately, decorating the top and bottom edges of our cakes. We also worked on various flowers, leaves, and ribbons, which all blossomed in different ways on different cakes.
Debbie also showed us different
The last session was probably the most fun, as we all made clown cakes. To create our clowns, we learned a technique called "striping," which involved brushing various colors into the lining of a pastry bag, and allowing buttercream to pick up the various colors as it was squeezed through the bag. As a result, we created the bodies of the clowns into which we stuck character picks. While the process was a bit more laborious, it certainly produced a cake worth showing off.
Considering that we all left class with multiple masterpieces, my only qualm was that the classroom was a bit cramped, even for our small group of nine. While I don't believe windows were necessary, the fact that we didn't have much space to spread out all of our equipment made the work a lot more challenging.
All in all, I'd definitely say the class was well worth the $50 course fee. I might even say that the class was worth the additional $100 I spent on cake decorating supplies. Unfortunately, I can't help being a compulsive cookware shopper, so I'm really not sure the class was worth the yet another $100 I spent on random kitchen supplies -- eek! If you can control yourself, however, I'd definitely give this class two thumbs up!
Check it out: http://www.fantes.com/courses.
Blog Bites: A Round-Up of the Week's Top Food Stories
• Both Meal Ticket and Under the Button report on the opening of Kitchen, a new West Philly restaurant started by a Penn senior
• Food meets science: Would you eat lab-grown meat? - Time
• Philadelphia Magazine reports on a cheesesteak cookie and reviews its favorite red-velvet-inspired desserts
• Girl Scouts testing plan to discontinue six varieties of their cookies - Wall Street Journal
• Midtown Lunch reviews King Kabob food truck at 38th & Spruce
• Oprah and 378 of her staffers take a one-week vegan challenge - Oprah.com
• Penn Gastronomy Club has two exciting events coming up: All-you-can-eat Distrito and Sushi Making at Pod
• 34th Street reviews RIM Café and tells us where we can get nachos for Super Bowl Sunday
• Philly Homegrown tells us how to celebrate Valentine's Day locally
• Recognizing National Carrot Cake Day on February 3, Uwishunu lists their top carrot cake picks around the city
• The politics of food: TreeHugger explains the consequences of the recent deregulation of genetically engineered alfalfa
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Trials of Cooking for One
Not long ago, I was walking through a bookstore and my twin pointed out The Pleasures of Cooking for One, a small cookbook on the shelf. “Maybe I will get this for you,” she joked, and I looked at her, offended at the insinuation – that I would be alone, cooking for myself sometime in the future. Alas, my dear aunt destroyed any trace of self-righteous indignation when she presented me with the cookbook during the next holiday season. I realized rather quickly that instead of suggesting I was doomed to a lifetime of solitude and Boeuf Bourginon (serving: 1), the gift was merely a recognition of the fact that at college, one often cooks for herself.
Being the chef of my family, I will be honest – this is a struggle for me. When I buy ingredients at the Fresh Grocer, I think in portion sizes of 5 or more, rather than the one that is all I really require. It got to the point last year where friends knew to call me just shortly after dinner time and ask if I had plans, expecting an invite to dig into my generous amount of “leftovers.” In short, I had a problem. How do you cook chili or quiche for just one person? And is one serving really worth the dishes and effort it takes to make a full meal? I was unwilling to give up my balanced dinners (meat, vegetable, starch) just because I was now a solitary diner.
Ah, the challenges of cooking for one. I'd realized I had a problem (the first step in fixing it) and after looking through my new cookbook, I went about trying to solve it. Through trial and error, I've come up with some pretty good steps to making delicious, healthy and balanced food just for one.
1) Buy meat in portions that you can eat one at a time – individually wrapped chicken breasts (freeze the rest); pre-cooked chicken sausage and eggs are my favorite.
2) Purchase vegetables that are either frozen and can be used a little at a time, or that you really like so that you can eat them consecutively for a few days. Edamame and carrots are good for this. Another point – if you use half of a pepper in a recipe, slice up the rest for a good snack or addition to your lunch the next day.
3) For starch – quinoa, pasta, rice, lentils and other grains can be cooked in batches of 3 or 4 servings and spread out through the week. This saves you time and effort later when you want to quickly add a starch to your dinner, and you can dress them differently.
4) Have a few delicious dressings/sauces on hand (Newman’s Sesame Ginger Dressing, ingredients for Balsamic vinaigrette, and teriyaki are some of my favorites) to add flavor to your meats, veggies and starches without having to go to extreme lengths.
I still end up with leftovers (which I have gotten a lot better about eating) and of course still love sharing food with good friends. But these steps have helped me cut down on a lot of waste (both monetarily and food-wise).
Here are some easy ideas for some simple dinners for one:
SAUSAGE, PEPPER AND ONIONS
Ingredients
2 pre-cooked Trader Joe’s chicken sausages
1 pepper (color your choice)
½ yellow onion
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
soft roll OR salad greens
Directions
Slice pepper and onions and sautée over medium heat until soft and slightly browned, set aside and season to taste. Cut sausage into ½ inch pieces and sautée in remaining oil until crispy and heated through. Place on roll or salad greens and serve warm.
CRUSTLESS QUICHE FOR 1
Ingredients
3 eggs
¼ c grated cheese
1 tbsp milk
½ c sautéed or steamed vegetables (of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs, cheese, milk, salt and pepper together. Lay out vegetables on bottom of baking dish 5” or less in diameter. Bake until cooked through and beginning to brown on the top (about 25 minutes). Let cool slightly and serve.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Brewer's Plate 2011
Come out for the 7th Annual Brewer's Plate for a gourmet sampling from the Philadelphia area's best breweries, restaurants, artisanal producers and farmers! Taste what this region has to offer, while watching food demonstrations and listening to live music.
4-8 pm, March 13, 2011
Penn Museum
3260 South Street, Philadelphia
Tickets on sale now at fairfoodphilly.org/
Fogo de Chão
This past week, my friends and I finally gave into our curiosity and ventured into the famous--or rather infamous--meat-lover’s paradise known as Fogo de Chão during Restaurant Week. Not knowing quite what to expect, I was surprised at how busy the restaurant was at merely 5 on a Friday evening, a time when most other places are only just receiving their first diners. Restaurant Week is a great time to try Fogo de Chão, as the menu is completely identical to the regular one. No simplified or modified choices here.
After sitting down, I was given a plate to help myself at the gourmet salad bar. It was definitely impressive: a wheel of parmgiano reggiano, fresh mozzarella, smoked salmon, prosciutto, fresh greens, roasted bell peppers, and more. So fresh! So crisp! Even creamy and normally heavy salads, such as chicken or potato, were somehow light.
The asparagus was not woody but tender. The smoked salmon had a slight chew and was wonderfully smoky and flavorful. The slice of salami was quite sharp. I’m not sure what the green dressing was, but it had a peppery bite. In the front of the plate was a creamy apple and raisin salad that was refreshingly tart.
Included in the meal were dishes of constantly refilled polenta cakes, garlic mashed potatoes and fried bananas. The bananas were a good foil to the meats that followed: sweet, a little crispy, and cut beautifully through the richness of the grilled steaks.
As for the steaks, where to begin? Once I flipped the coaster over to green, there was a constant stream of “gaucho chefs” or Brazilian cowboy style waiters that would stop at the table and ask if I was interested in a particular steak or cut of meat. There were 15 options, though after awhile, it became difficult to keep track of which ones I’d tried and which ones I hadn’t. But the best out of the bunch was definitely the filet mignon wrapped with bacon. It was incredibly tender and juicy. And the picanha, or top sirloin, was also wonderful.
And after eating an embarrassing amount of meat in one sitting, my friends and I waddled from our seats with the most content smile stretched across our faces. I would definitely recommend Fogo de Chão if you are in search of a hearty meal and excellent service. Just be sure to arrive hungry.
Fogo de Chão
1337 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.636.9700
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Capital Grille
I arrived at the Capital Grille for lunch completely soaked. While trying to cross the street, I’d slipped and fallen into an icy puddle. However, if the maître d’ noticed the trail of slush I left behind me on my way to the table, she didn’t mention it. The restaurant was warm and bustling. I didn’t have a reservation, but I only had to wait for a few minutes before being seated. After perusing the Restaurant week specials, I ordered the clam chowder, lobster burger and crème brulée. The clam chowder came in a small cup with a packet of oyster crackers. The soup was hot and smooth, but the flavors were underwhelming. I enjoyed the lobster burger—just the right amount of salt, citrus and chew—and the bun was soft without being soggy, although there was far too much lettuce crammed into the sandwich. The tartar sauce was deliciously tangy; the fries passable but not remarkable. Then the crème brulée was served. It was extremely sweet. As someone who enjoys making and eating dessert above all other things, I have an unusually high tolerance for sugar, but this was too much even for me. Too much sugar distracts from the subtleties in a dish—and if it weren’t for the sugar, I’d have been better able to appreciate the crème brulée’s creaminess. Overall, the meal was worth the $20 I paid, but if I’d been shelling out regular prices, I would have left disappointed.
The Capital Grille
1338 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.545.9588
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Insatiable Journalist Part 1: I Write Food
I like food. And I like words.
At my home growing up, we had an archive of Bon Appetit magazines dating back to the '80s. Sometimes, when I was cooking for a birthday or a special event, I would delve into them in the hopes of uncovering a vintage delicacy. Hours later I would end up with too many options spread out around me, tracing out a trail from whatever I started off looking for into increasingly less relevant but equally tempting options.
When I left for college, I signed up for my own subscription to Bon Appetit - even though I spent my first two years eating dinning hall food on the meal plan - just to read and drool over. Now that I'm finally cooking for myself, I've begun acquiring my own enviable stack of Bon Appetits and cookbooks that rest alongside classics like The Odyssey on my bookshelf.
I have a collection of Craig LaBan restaurant reviews that I read cover-to-cover, like a novel.
What I'm trying to say is, I don't just eat food - I read food, I talk food and, as an aspiring journalist, I write food.
Restaurant reviews, mostly. But this semester I've been given a wonderful opportunity (courtesy of ENGL 170) to research and write about whatever I want in popular culture. And what I want is to report some sort of breaking news in the comprehensive and under-appreciated Philadelphia restaurant scene.
The idea was simple at first: find a restaurant opening right at the end of the semester-long project and follow it from now until then, documenting the inevitable ups and downs of the process. This idea presented two major obstacles: knowledge and access. I need to know about an intended restaurant opening several months in advance, and I need the opportunity to find out more than just what's in the press clips.
Overcoming the first of these obstacles is currently underway courtesy of various professional contacts and a healthy dose of not taking no for an answer. In fact, the process of opening a new restaurant may yet be the story I write if the right characters reveal themselves. But along the way I've become emotionally invested in a story that has nothing to do with opening.
If you're interested in these sorts of things (and if you're reading this, you probably are) you've heard that Philadelphia culinary landmark, Le Bec Fin, was supposed to close this year. After 40 years of waking up at 4 am to bring freshness to the restaurant that started a Renaissance, Chef and Owner Georges Perrier was giving up the fight to stay relevant in a food scene that is becoming more about hip celebrity chefs and concept dishes and less about the old-school glamor of dining out that he so famously brought to Philly. But earlier this month, Chef Perrier announced that Le Bec Fin will no longer be closing. Instead, the restaurant will be celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new lease on life. As a self-proclaimed foodie I'm curious: can an old dog learn new tricks? Is this a much-needed wake up call--that newer is not always better and there is still a place for classically good food? Or is this just the final stand of a man who refuses to accept that pride comes before a fall?
I don't yet know how this will turn out, or even which story I'll be writing. I've spoken with the public relations people for Georges Perrier but also the people representing Jose Garces and numerous other restaurants and restaurateurs in the city. I'm excited to get started--to become an investigative journalist entrenched in even just a single aspect of the the Philly food scene. And I'm excited to share the entire experience right here.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Comfort Food in Rittenhouse Square
When I was growing up, my mother’s Italian food was the bedrock of my culinary experience. It was the first cuisine I learned to eat, love and cook. My mother’s sauce (Italian by way of New Orleans) is still my go-to recipe when I want to eat something that just tastes good.
As a freshman at Penn, I missed my home kitchen and the food that came from it. That year, I was walking with friends in Rittenhouse Square. We were hungry and stopped for dinner at Pietro’s on 17th and Walnut. After a perusing the menu, I picked the rigatoni alla vodka. When the food arrived, the aroma of the warm dish full of pasta and savory pancetta gave me the experience I had been craving: Italian-American home cooking. The portions are large enough to share family style, though not knowing that on my first visit, I happily got two meals out of one dish of the rigatoni.
Over the last two years, I have been back to Pietro’s countless times. I’ve gone with my friends, on dates, with my parents. The large portions and array of delicious items make the more the merrier (although the volume in the restaurant can make it difficult to hear conversations in parties of more than five or six).
There are several dishes that I recommend: the rigatoni alla vodka (this dish is the reigning favorite among all of the people whom I’ve taken to Pietro’s; I always order it with pancetta); the pollo villaggio, my favorite (chicken, peppers, onions and sausage with tomato sauce; I like to order it with spinach fettuccine for more color). My friends and I also enjoy the gemelli arugula and pollo (the only caveat is that its texture and color are one note; better for picky friends) and the insalata Florentine (spinach, golden raisins, pine nuts and gorgonzola with a citrus vinaigrette; this is a wonderful salad, but I have a difficult time forgoing a pasta dish in favor of this one).
For those craving Italian-American comfort food, I heartily recommend Pietro’s.
Pietro's Pizza
1714 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215.735.8090
