Dining, Food & Wine Article

Dinner With ... Chef Alison Barshak

of Alison at Blue Bell and new Alison Two in Fort Washington

First dish I learned to cook:
With supervision, pancakes.
 
My drink:
Silver El Tesoro margarita: up, no salt, made with lime juice squeezed to order.
 
Most embarrassing food love:
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, with or without icing.
 
Favorite Philly restaurant, other than mine:
A tie between Lolita and Vetri
 
Family food tradition:
Hard-shell crabs from Baltimore, dumped on a newspaper-covered table. Watch out. It gets a little crazy.
 
Favorite Philly food:
My classics are the Commissary’s carrot cake and strawberry heart tarts.
 
Biggest restaurant pet peeve:
Just one? That’s like asking me to just eat one potato chip. When the server asks if I’m “still working on that.” When I call a restaurant to make a reservation during normal business hours and I get a phone tree. Empty rolls of toilet paper in the bathrooms. Calling any type of scallop a “diver scallop.” …
 
Best thing about cooking in Philly:
It’s a small town.
 
Worst thing about cooking in Philly:
It’s a small town.
Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, October 2008
 

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