When it comes to dessert, people tend to settle into one of two camps: chocolate and not chocolate. While I appreciate a nice piece of 70 percent, I’m firmly in the non-chocolate camp. I belong to a renegade faction of dessert fans who pledge allegiance to the lemon. And I’m not talking about the kind of lemon pound cakes that have just a whiff of citrus. I like dishes that embrace the fruit’s tart personality and chefs who aren’t afraid to make diners pucker. Conveniently, these three desserts are all found in restaurants along the revitalized East Passyunk Ave. for an easy dessert-tasting tour.
Mancuso’s
Less sweet than most other ices, Mr. Mancuso’s homemade cup of lemon water ice has the bracing acidity of an actual fresh lemon.
Le Virtù
The airy lemon mouse here is the perfect balance of sweet and tart for citrus lovers. Served in a martini glass, the light dessert tastes like the foamy essence of the fruit.
Mr. Martino’s
This homey throwback may have quirky hours, but its menu is totally reliable. It always features one of my favorite desserts: a simple lemon tart with a creamy filling and the perfect buttery crust.
Most people appreciate an awesome chicken taco, and with Philadelphia’s taqueria era in full bloom these days, many of us have come to love pork tacos, too. But that’s hardly the width and breath of what can be folded into a tortilla.
The Cantina Los Caballitos, sister bar-restaurant to Royal Tavern, offers a goat-stuffed taco in addition to the regular suspects. The unusual meat takes well to a slow braise; it’s shredded into tender bites before becoming part of the final dish. The goat tacos are savory and rich, with notes that detractors might call gamey.
Goat meat is hardly sweeping the restaurant scene, but you can find it in restaurants as fancy as Vetri, where a baby goat is spit roasted, and as casual as South Street’s Caribbean Delight, where the hearty protein gets the spicy curry treatment.
Goodburger, the first Philly outpost of the New York City chain, opened its doors on Chestnut Street, just two blocks from Five Guys, on Saturday. And in this city, where many of the town’s favorite burgers are on the pricey side (I’m talking to you, Rouge), there’s probably business enough to support two burger joints using good ingredients to make burgers at reasonable prices.
The New York outposts of Goodburger consistently deliver on their promise. Those burgers are, well, good. I especially like that the company wisely grinds its own meat — it’s safer than buying it pre-ground, like many fast food chains. In this era of beef recalls, that lends a certain level of confidence to their product. But as much I as appreciate a good burger, I’m most looking forward to trying Goodburger’s other goodies, like old- fashioned milk shakes and beer-battered onion rings.
Zahav — chef Michael Solomonov’s latest venture featuring modern Israeli cuisine — opened yesterday in Old City. Oh, you haven’t been yet? We’ll give you a sneak peek. Here, the recipe for Solomonov’s hummus-masbacha, a nutty hummus served with tehina-coated whole chickpeas.
Ingredients
1 lb. dry chickpeas
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 whole head of garlic with the skin on, plus one clove with the skin removed
2 c. unhulled sesame paste
1/2 c. grapeseed oil
1/2 c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil (preferably from Turkey or Israel)
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground cumin, to taste
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
To make hummus: Soak chickpeas and baking soda with at least double their volume of water for 18 hours in refrigerator. Drain the chickpeas and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Place the chickpeas in a large pot with whole head of garlic and cover with water. Over high heat, bring water to a boil; reduce the heat to low and simmer chickpeas until very tender, approximately 3 hours. Drain chickpeas, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid. Discard garlic bulb. In food processor, add 1 1/2 cups sesame paste and all but 1 cup cooked chickpeas. Puree the mixture with grapeseed oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Add enough reserved cooking liquid to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. Season to taste with kosher salt and ground cumin.
To make tehina: Combine the remaining lemon juice and sesame paste with garlic clove and 1/2 cup of warm water in a blender. Blend at high speed until smooth; add 1/2 cup olive oil. If the puree is too tight, adjust the consistency with additional warm water. Season to taste with kosher salt and ground cumin.
To serve: Spoon hummus into a large shallow bowl, creating well in the center of the hummus. In a mixing bowl, toss the reserved chickpeas with tehina. Spoon dressed chickpeas into the well. Garnish with chopped parsley and remaining olive oil. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
It’s an almost universal truth that people love ice cream. I have met only one soul who claims not to like it. (Though, as it turned out, she does appreciate the occasional Chipwich.) And while there was a time I would settle for basically any iteration of the frozen creamy stuff, I’ve definitely developed some ice cream peccadilloes with age.
For me, the Holy Grail is a scoop of peanut butter-vanilla in a pretzel cone. This combination is so perfect I (almost) have to pass if either that ice cream or that cone is missing. As you can imagine, I’m pretty limited in terms of places I order ice cream cones. My favorite stop is Center City’s Scoop DeVille, which reliably stocks both objects of my affection. Second place: O’Malley’s in Media. If you’ve never ordered a pretzel cone, give it a try. I keep hoping pretzel will become the new waffle of the cone-making world.
In my recent restaurant travels, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: servers failing to ask diners to what temperature they’d like their meat cooked. When this happens to me, I usually don’t interject, especially if I’m trying to evaluate the service. And, after all, some kitchens don’t care how you want your lamb, duck or steak cooked because the chef wants to cook it how he thinks it’s best.
But when this little glitch in service is just forgetfulness or laziness, it often means that I’m served something medium or even well, and whatever potential for deliciousness the dish once had is ruined. Because, like most food lovers, I want it medium rare. If you’re also particular, pipe up.
South Street’s third-annual 8 Days of Eats kicked off yesterday, which means you still have seven days left for $30 dining deals at more than 30 of South Street’s top eateries like Django, Las Bugambilias and Xochitl. We say: Go next Wednesday, when parking is free throughout South Street.
But make reservations now. Find the full list of participating restaurants — and their menus — at southstreet.com.
Chile is the only country in the world to produce wine from the carménère grape. Originally a French grape from the Bordeaux region, it has long since lost out to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in plantings there. But in Chile, where cuttings from Europe were planted widely the 1800’s carménère thrived because it was mistaken for merlot. More than a century passed before the error was discovered, and this smaller berried grape with higher quality potential was hailed as the lost grape of Bordeaux.
Flavor-wise, carménère bears strong resemblance to its relations in the Bordeaux family, with the black plummy core of fruit so pleasing in merlot, cabernet sauvignon’s depth and chocolatey aromas, and the herbal edge of cabernet franc, yet it also has a Mediterranean character all its own. Carménère is a delight with savory foods, from cheese pizza to pot roast. One of the best values — just $10.99 — and most widely available in Pennsylvania, is premium Casillero del Diablo from Concha y Toro.
When the Headhouse Farmers’ Market set up under the shambles at 2nd and Lombard streets last summer, it was a major moment in Philadelphia food. Finally, we had something to compare to New York’s famous Union Square Greenmarket, a place where the food community — chefs, locavores, food writers, etc. — converged every Sunday morning to buy directly from our region’s growers.
Starting this weekend, the market is open for 2008. The earliest weeks of the season bring things like ramps and asparagus. It’s not the cornucopia of tomatoes and squash of July, but the market’s opening will mean the return of major sources of humanely raised meats, including Hendrick’s farms excellent bacon. Filling your shopping bags with local fare is a good feeling, but the fun of attending the market and taking part in this vibrant community is even better. Don’t miss your first chance of the year to support our local farmers and the Food Trust, the nonprofit that makes it happen.
It’s easy to forget when you stop at most ice cream shops, but the serving size of a frozen dessert should be a mere 1/2 cup. Ice cream cones typically sport three scoops — triple the recommended portion size. But at Franklin Fountain in Old City you can satisfy your warm-weather cravings with its new College Ice. The smaller treat combines a single scoop of the shop’s house made ice cream with one topping in a diminutive Chinese takeout container. I suggest the peanut butter with crushed pretzels for a splurge that won’t put you in a sugar coma.
When it comes to dessert, people tend to settle into one of two camps: chocolate and not chocolate. While I appreciate a nice piece of 70 percent, I’m firmly in the non-chocolate camp. I belong to a renegade faction of dessert fans who pledge allegiance to the lemon. And I’m not talking about the kind of lemon pound cakes that have just a whiff of citrus. I like dishes that embrace the fruit’s tart personality and chefs who aren’t afraid to make diners pucker. Conveniently, these three desserts are all found in restaurants along the revitalized East Passyunk Ave. for an easy dessert-tasting tour. 
Most people appreciate an awesome chicken taco, and with Philadelphia’s taqueria era in full bloom these days, many of us have come to love pork tacos, too. But that’s hardly the width and breath of what can be folded into a tortilla. 
It’s an almost universal truth that people love ice cream. I have met only one soul who claims not to like it. (Though, as it turned out, she does appreciate the occasional Chipwich.) And while there was a time I would settle for basically any iteration of the frozen creamy stuff, I’ve definitely developed some ice cream peccadilloes with age. 
In my recent restaurant travels, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: servers failing to ask diners to what temperature they’d like their meat cooked. When this happens to me, I usually don’t interject, especially if I’m trying to evaluate the service. And, after all, some kitchens don’t care how you want your lamb, duck or steak cooked because the chef wants to cook it how he thinks it’s best. 
South Street’s third-annual 
Chile is the only country in the world to produce wine from the carménère grape. Originally a French grape from the Bordeaux region, it has long since lost out to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in plantings there. But in Chile, where cuttings from Europe were planted widely the 1800’s carménère thrived because it was mistaken for merlot. More than a century passed before the error was discovered, and this smaller berried grape with higher quality potential was hailed as the lost grape of Bordeaux.
When the Headhouse Farmers’ Market set up under the shambles at 2nd and Lombard streets last summer, it was a major moment in Philadelphia food. Finally, we had something to compare to New York’s famous Union Square Greenmarket, a place where the food community — chefs, locavores, food writers, etc. — converged every Sunday morning to buy directly from our region’s growers. 
It’s easy to forget when you stop at most ice cream shops, but the serving size of a frozen dessert should be a mere 1/2 cup. Ice cream cones typically sport three scoops — triple the recommended portion size. But at