No Reservations

Until today, I'd only had a casual relationship with Anthony Bourdain; slightly acquainted through bits of pieces of episodes of "No Reservations" I've just happened to flip through on the Travel channel. But tonight, I sat down and watched a marathon of episodes, including his new show 'The Layover' and absolutely fell in love with this man. (You know that phrase 'ugly sexy'? He's the perfect definition of this.)

Other than food, my other passion is traveling. I developed a severe case of wanderlust after my first trip to Japan in 2007 and it hasn't seemed to calm down yet. I'm constantly making mock itineraries in my head of where I would go, perusing Travel sites and scouting Kayak for cheap fares. I would probably sell my soul to the Devil (if I hadn't already sold it for a Tickle Me Elmo in the 90s) to be able to be a travel and food writer full-time. But eating is certainly a lot cheaper then traveling, and so you've got this blog to read instead.

In case you're not familiar, Anthony Bourdain is this sexy, sass-mouthed New Yorker who travels the world eating the things you're afraid to eat and doing the things you're afraid to do; basically you live your life vicariously through Tony. He loves lamb balls (yes, testicles) and despises vegetarians. He also talks a lot of shit in the process. (It's that whole rugged "New Yorker without a filter" thing.) From talking about how he would eat a Spam sushi roll while stoned at 2 AM, to wanting to dip his penis into a container of fake cheese, to comparing a barbecued cow's cheek to an erect nipple - he's essentially my dream man.

This is really just kind of a bullshit filler post, I suppose, but I'm gonna share some of my favorite Bourdain-isms that I kind of think parallel my own philosophies as far as food and traveling are concerned. So enjoy!

.......

“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.”

“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life - and travel - leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks - on your body or on your heart - are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.”

"Any place that refuses to serve you a burger under medium temperature is basically on the side of the Terrorists."

"PETA doesn't want stressed animals to be cruelly crowded into sheds, ankle-deep in their own crap, because they don't want any animals to die-ever-and basically think chickens should, in time, gain the right to vote. I don't want animals stressed or crowded or treated cruelly or inhumanely because that makes them probably less delicious."

s-EAT-tle

I just returned from a 4 day trip exploring the Pacific Northwest city of Seattle - and what trip would be complete without a visit to the World Famous Pike Place Market? In case you didn't know, Pike Place Market was opened in 1907 as a way for people to cut out the middle man and avoid high prices for their food and produce. This way, people could "Meet the Producer" (Their slogan to this day) of what they were buying. Every space is rented out on a daily basis, sometimes with vendors rotating if they can't get there early enough to get their usual spot. They offer everything from fresh fish, to fruit, to flowers, to honey, cherries, beef jerky, t-shirts, wood carvings, calligraphy, bracelets and more.

And of course, there's the fish throwing.

My first morning in town, I went to a delightful little restaurant
near my hotel called Toulouse Petit, which offers an awesome breakfast happy hour with most dishes for a mere $7.50 from 8-11 AM, Monday through Friday. I'm a total sucker for some eggs benedict with avocado, so I ordered up their Avocado & Roma Tomato eggs benedict. My food seriously came out so fast, I wasn't even sure it was mine - not to mention, I hadn't even gotten served my morning cocktail from the bar yet. The menu touted the dish as being served in a Creole-style hollandaise sauce, but I could barely taste it. The avocado melted in my mouth though and the potatoes were crispy and delicious. I can't wait to go back and try their beignets and creme caramel french toast!

That afternoon, I walked around the International District, hitting up Uwajimaya, a Japanese/Asian supermarket akin to Mitsuwa here on the East Coast in Edgewater, NJ. I pretty much died and went to heaven. If I ever moved to Seattle, this would be my mecca. I got melon pan and a chocolate stuffed bread for snacks (which were my favorite when I visited Japan). My sole purpose of this visit was to get some fresh, delicious sushi. So I walked a few blocks over to J-Sushi. When I first walked in, I was a little put off because the staff were sitting at a back table all eating lunch. Having worked in the restaurant business before, I just think it's bad form to be eating in front of your customers - especially if it's food from another restaurant. So of course I was skeptical about the food and didn't really want to leave and find another place to go because I was in the mood for sushi, so I took my chances (even when the waitress took my order with a piece of rice stuck to the side of her mouth). I ordered the J-Combo, which included miso soup, 5 nigiri, 4 sashimi, a roll, 2 gyoza and a little bit of seaweed salad. Well, appearances can be deceiving because the food was fantastic! The soup hit the spot on a cold, misty day. The sushi was very fresh and delicious. The spicy tuna roll was especially spicy; I had to keep eating ginger to cool my mouth down. The gyoza were warm and plump. Definitely worth the $18.95 (as opposed to a lot of place that will overcharge you for a minimal amount of food.)

Later that night, I tried Dick's Drive In - a local fast food burger place - on the recommendation of a friend who told me that if I did nothing else on my Seattle trip, I must visit Dick's Drive-In for great post-drunkenness food. Well, I wasn't drunk but I was hungry and didn't feel like eating at a sit down because it was pretty late, so I headed over to Dick's. There was a line but it moves pretty fast because most of their burgers are pre-packaged and ready for the crowds. Had to pay for ketchup which is like UGH for a severe ketchup addict like me, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The fries were delicious; greasy and fresh hand-cut shoestrings. The burger was better then McDonald's/BK/Wendy's quality and definitely hit the spot as far as a quick burger goes.And it was cheaper for a whole meal too! Came to under $6 for fries, burger & small drink. (Obviously, I'm not going to go as far as saying it was the best or worst burger in Seattle; We'll wait until I go back to visit again to try a whole Seattle Burger Quest.)

The next day, I snacked on one of my Japanese breads for breakfast because I was saving my appetite for that afternoon's Savor Seattle Gourmet Food Tour, which promised 3 hours of food and booze filled enjoyment while walking around downtown Seattle. The tour started at The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company, where we met our tour guide Eric (aka the guy in the Kilt) and got to have a little chat with the owner of the cupcake shop while sampling 2 of their most popular cupcakes:


chocolate with sprinkles & pancakes and bacon.

The pancakes & bacon one was out of this world. Tony & Michael, the owners, rotate 220 different flavors of cupcakes at the shop throughout the year. (They also shared some tricks of the trade that are going to come in mighty handy whenever I decide to move my ass and start my own cupcake business.)

Next stop was Serious Pie, owned by restauranteur Tom Douglas - aka Seattle's answer to Stephen Starr here in Philadelphia. (Which I guess makes Serious Pie the West Coast version of Pizzeria Stella...) We tried 2 different pizzas: roasted chanterelle mushrooms & truffle cheese and yukon gold potato, rosemary & pecorino. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms, so I tried to take a slice with the smallest one I could find. The truffle cheese was amazing. On the potato pie, the pecorino is shaved onto the pizza when it comes out of the oven, making it delicate and flaky and delicious.

Third stop was Icon Grill, where we tried a succulent, well prepared tenderloin topped with blue cheese, an Orange Drop martini (their take on a traditional Lemon Drop), and a side they dub "Ultimate Mac n Cheese", which contains 4 cheeses and is topped with bread crumbs - to which they add more cheese sauce on top when it comes out of the oven. (HINT! The secret ingredient is Velveeta!)






We then walked over to the Pike Place Market, stopping into La Buona Tavola for a little bit of potato leek soup with truffle oil and some samples of aged balsamic vinegars. Next in the market, we went downstairs into Il Bistro, for their seafood risotto with clams and tomatoes, as well as a rich, Sangiovese red wine.









Oh, but we're not done yet, friends! Next, we got a private tour of the Pike Place Brewing Company - getting to see how they store their grains and brews and how they bottle and fill the kegs. After that, we went upstairs for a beer and cheese pairing. I bet you never though of pairing beer with anything other then the cheese on your nachos, but these were pretty great. We tried an Ale and an IPA with an aged cheddar and a blue cheese, the brewery's own house made spent grain bread on the side. (Because who doesn't love carbs with their carbs??)


Second to last stop was Thoa's Vietnamese restaurant where we ate Vietnamese Pad Thai served with Nuoc Cham - or fish sauce - as opposed to the more gooey, peanut infused style Pad Thai you're probably familiar with. I really enjoyed this dish because I love Nuoc Cham, especially over Bun (Vermicelli). It was just really light and flavorful. I'll probably start making my pad thai more like this at home.

Finally - Dessert time! Gelatiamo, serving up delicious, homestyle gelato and sorbetto. We sampled the Caramel gelato and Fragola (Strawberry) sorbetto.


The next day was my very last day in Seattle. I got up early, went back down to Pike Place Market to stand on line for my signature favorite drink: Skinny Caramel Macchiato, at the Original Starbucks.

The line moves pretty quickly and there's a gift shop as well. The staff are fun and fast (unlike some Starbucks I know - cough18thandMarketcough). They even still use an original hand pressed espresso machine!

I really wanted Fish & Chips - had been craving them for weeks and decided to save the craving for Seattle. I popped into the Athenian Inn in Pike Place, which apparently was where they filmed a scene from Sleepless in Seattle (never saw it so I couldn't tell you). I got a nice window seat to watch the ferry boats come in and ordered a Pike Brewery Auld Acquaintance, one of their seasonal beers, in a nice, frosty mug.

I'm not sure what they used to batter my fish in, but when they came out, they were neon orange. I was a little skeptical, but I still ate them because I was starving. I've definitely had better fish & chips from the freezer section at the supermarket, but I guess you're paying for the 'experience' of eating here.

And that was it! I ate some amazing things and some mediocre things and some kind of questionable things, but I guess that's true of pretty much any place that you go. I definitely had a lot of other places on my list where I would have liked to eat, plus suggestions that were given to me by friends I made along my journey. I just didn't have time or the stomach capacity to fit it all in!

So consider this the first installment of S-EAT-tle, for now. I promised I'd be back soon.

Philly's Best Burger? Part 4: London Grill

There's nothing quite like the meal you eat after a night out of drinking. Your alcohol induced state brings your taste buds to certain a level of "OMG" when anything edible touches your lips that you could probably eat a deep fried shoe and it would taste like a filet mignon. This past weekend was no exception. After a Halloween party, I was craving something fried and delicious, preferably from a diner with bad lighting and waitresses with thick Philadelphia accents and white Easy Spirit shoes. Instead, my friend suggested going to London Grill in the Fairmount section of the city. He was talking up this amazing burger on an English muffin with..... a fried egg on top. Well, that fucking sold me!

So we headed on over to London Grill, which just won best burger in Philly in the first-ever city wide 'Burger Brawl'. I was worried and excited at the same time. Would it be able to measure up to my standards? Would this be it? Would I finally find the best burger in Philly?

The answer is both yes and no.

Yes, the burger was fucking amazing. I got mine topped with avocado, fried onions and boursin cheese. Cooked perfectly medium: Juicy, moist and delicious - everything I could ever ask for! The toasted English muffin reminded me of a home-grilled burger; no pretentious brioche buns here! (They forgot the fried egg, sadly, but I couldn't complain.) And with crispy, handcut fries on the side, the London Burger was a steal at $11.

But I still have a long way to go on my Philly burger quest. I can't just crown the winner right now when I've only hit the tip of the ice-burger! So for now, London Grill will hold the title and we'll see if it can be defeated.

My rating?: "A+"

Philly's Best Burger? Part 3: SquareBurger

Shake Shack is a burger institution in New York City. From their original location in Madison Square Park, they expanded rapidly throughout the city and are slowly taking over the globe with outposts recently opened in Westport, CT, Miami and even the Middle East. So piggybacking on the outdoor burger, shakes and fries trend, Stephen Starr (who pretty much monopolizes Philadelphia with his various themed dining establishments) opened a little burger hut in Franklin Square a few years ago known simply as "Square Burger". Notorious for milkshakes containing TastyKakes butterscotch krimpets that can only be consumed through wide straws, Square Burger is the closest Philadelphians can come to enjoying a burger outdoors short of grilling in their own backyard.

I'd heard plenty of good things about Square Burger, so I set out July 4th weekend poised to dive into one of the most talked about burgers in town. Sure enough, when I arrived in Franklin Square the line was long; but that meant it had to be worth it then, right? When I finally got to the front of the line, I ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a drink and waited patiently for my meal to be ready. Despite the long lines Square Burger endures, every burger is cooked to order so you don't have to worry about food sitting out - and that's how a good burger should be made.

I took my sack of food and sat at a nearby picnic table, enjoying the warm and sunny day. As I snacked on their fresh cut shoestring fries, I removed the burger from the bag and was kind of surprised by its miniscule size. Then I unwrapped the paper to reveal a tiny, squished mess. This was it?? I had just paid $4.75 for something the size of a 99 cent McDonald's hamburger. Well, then it better be the best damn burger I've ever tasted, I thought to myself.

Yep. This is what it looked like. They should change the name to Sad Burger.

Upon the first bite, I knew that this was a major burger fail. This is what every one has been raving about? It seriously tasted like a generic, fast food restaurant burger at 5 times the price. Overwhelmed by the pickles and fried onions, I could barely even taste the meat. I guess it was a good thing I got fries too because I wasn't about to pay $4.75 for another burger after that one had left me empty both in my stomach and in my wallet. My guess is most people probably come for the fancy shakes and then just shell out for the burger while they're there as an afterthought. (And the shakes probably fill in the rest of whatever remains from the four whole bites of burger you've just eaten.)

Anyway, about a month or so later, I actually went to Shake Shack for the first time and was blown away. Square Burger couldn't even hold a candle to a Shake Shack burger. Shake Shack's burgers have tomato and lettuce, options you're not given at Square Burger, which help to compliment it perfectly. Not to mention a nice, thick delicious juicy patty on a soft bun, which doesn't look like someone sat on it when you get your order - plus crinkle cut fries! It just goes to show that you can try and imitate something but you can never duplicate it.

Ahh! Much better!!

Square Burger rating: "F"
Shake Shack rating: "A"

Banh Mi - Oh My!

In case you're not familiar with Banh Mi, it's a Vietnamese sandwich typically served with grilled pork or tofu on a crusty, french baguette. It can be topped with a variety of things: most notably cilantro, which gets used a lot in Vietnamese cuisine, as well as cucumbers, carrots, jalapeno peppers, spicy chili sauce, sometimes a Sriracha & mayo-like concoction - it really depends on where you're going. Bahn Mi has really gained popularity recently and many restaurants and sandwich shops offer all kinds of variations (and bastardizations) of this sandwich.

Here in Philly, everything that is on a roll is referred to as a "hoagie". I hate the word hoagie; it just sounds so vulgar. Growing up in New York, I'm more familiar with terminology like "sub" or "hero", or even from my short time living in New England, "grinder". So hearing a Banh Mi called a "Vietnamese Hoagie" here kind of made me cringe a little bit.

The first place I ever tried a Banh Mi was at Cafe 900, located at the corner of 9th & Arch in Chinatown. Oh sure, QT is the famous place in these parts, but I was intrigued to see what else the area had to offer. This place offers one of the cheapest "hoagies" around; $3.50 compared to QT's $5.50. It was flavorful and delicious. Good amount of toppings. Definitely didn't disappoint for the price of breaking my "Banh Mi virginity".

The second sandwich I had was at this little place inside of an Asian grocery mart in Houston - somewhere near Minute Maid park and I can't recall the name right now. A friend and I split a vegetarian banh mi which contained lemongrass tofu. O.M.G. If I thought my first time was good, the second time was amazing. There's a lot to be said for tofu. It can either be really bland or really delicious and in this case, definitely delicious. The moisture of the tofu mixed perfectly with the crustiness of the bread and had just the right amount of toppings and sauce. I wish I could remember the name of it, but maybe it's best that I keep that place my little secret.

A few months later, I decided to take a trip to the reknowned QT Vietnamese sandwich shop, located at 10th and Arch st. Some people love it, others hate it. Which side of the fence would I fall on? I decided to go with the lemongrass tofu banh mi since I enjoyed it so much in Houston and I was extremely disappointed. This proved to be one of those instances of tofu being extremely bland. I could barely even taste the lemongrass and it was overwhelmed by an excessive amount of toppings and hardly any condiments that would lubricate the dry bread to help it go down easier. Luckily I had order a Thai tea (amazing!) to wash it down, but even still it was difficult to swallow.

My sandwich from QT: Lemongrass Banh Mi

Next, I decided to go the traditional route, classic pork banh mi, on a trip to the now defunct Tyson Bee's food truck (Formerly located in University City across from the Penn museum.This summer they parted ways with business partners and I never got to return. It was rumored that the truck would remain in it's spot but I haven't heard anything about it since.) This time, I was not disappointed. The bread had the right amount of crunch, right amount of sauce & toppings, flavorful meat; so delicious & juicy, I even got a stain on a brand new shirt and wasn't even pissed about it. The sandwich was that good. Plus, their Thai tea was the perfect compliment and not just a remedy for jamming an overly dry sandwich down my throat.

Lastly, I went the bastardization route. I read over on Midtown Lunch that a rotisserie place had just opened on 21st and Chestnut that was offering Chicken Banh Mi - and that it was actually good! So I decided to go on over and check it out for myself. Skeptical at first because it was already pre-packed in a cardbox container, once I opened it and tried it for myself, I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the overall look of it wasn't much different then a cold chicken sandwich, the chicken was flavorful, as was the cabbage and pickles with a delicious sriracha mayo sauce on top. Paired with a side of their homemade mac & cheese, I definitely came back the following week for round 2.

Chicken Banh Mi & Mac & Cheese from Rotisseur
(Pic from Midtown Lunch since I forgot to take my own)

Since this type of sandwich has increased in popularity (I've seen it offered on several menus around town), I'm sure I'll get around to trying it at a few other spots and give you guys my feedback!

Philly's Best Burger? Part 2: Good Dog

Much fanfare had been given on the Internet about the burgers at Good Dog, a bar located on 15th street between Walnut and Locust, especially in regards to their Good Dog burger which comes stuffed with Roquefort cheese.

I opted for their traditional burger, prepared medium - which is how I ask for all my burgers. Medium gives you just the right amount of pink for it to be juicy, but not still mooing. I came during the lunch hour on a Friday, so it was full but not packed and I sat at the bar. And waited. And waited. When I was at the point of gnawing my arm off I was so hungry, my burger finally arrived on - SURPRISE! - a brioche bun! (But that was on the menu so I guess I already expected that. Plus, I could tell by everyone else getting served their food before me.) Their fries came with a side of their housemade aioli for dipping. It was kind of like a watery version of the onion ring sauce at Burger King.

I prepared to dive into this delicious burger, my palate poised to receive the succulent, juicy meat. But, lo and behold after first bite, I realized not only was my burger not even the slightest bit of pink in the middle (it was hard to tell at first in the dim lighting of the bar), but it was dry, overcooked and charred - lettuce, tomato and ketchup used as an attempt to cover up the grill marks. I was starving so there was no way I was sending it back at this point and so, I trudged on and chewed through the meat like a dog chewing on rawhide. I was extremely disappointed. No flavor, just the taste of burnt beef in my mouth. And let's not even get into the brioche bun being used yet again in a completely unoriginal attempt to fancy-ify this overpriced bar burger. ($11?? Seriously??)

Regardless of how busy your kitchen is, the least you can do is try to prepare food to your customer's request. I can only imagine what would have happened if I ordered a steak there (if they even serve steak; I have no clue.) Or if I had some kind of food allergy. (I actually think I did have some allergic reaction to whatever was in their aioli after I left. I've never known myself to have food allergies before, but my throat felt like it was closing up and made it hard to swallow.) I guess they just figured it was better to overcook my burger then undercook it, and that does not a good burger make. Bad dog, very bad dog. My rating: "D".

Hangover Food

After a night of excessive drinking in the Kabuki-cho district of Shinjuku while in Tokyo last year, some friends and I ventured back to the area the next day for lunch. In the basement of Alta shopping center lies Silver Octopus (築地　銀だこ ) which serves up Takoyaki - a fried batter ball filled with octopus.

Now you may be asking yourself, why would you subject yourself to something with octopus when you are in a state of hangover half-death and everything you smell makes you nauseous? Well, my friends, Takoyaki turned out to be the most amazing hangover cure ever. Obviously, anything fried will always do the trick, but for some reason, this was extra delicious. Maybe it was the mayonnaise on the side, or the sprinkling of bonito flakes on top - who knows? Whatever it was, it definitely was the cure for what ailed me.

Philly's Best Burger? Part 1: 500 Degrees

Since moving to Philadelphia a little over two years ago, I've done the cheesesteak thing and am decidedly over it. Every place in Philadelphia claims to make "Philly's Best Cheesesteak". Quite frankly, I'm partial to some Steak-Ums and a nice Italian roll made in the comfort of my own home and without all the waiting on lines, excessive grease and hours spent in the bathroom later on that evening. But what I really wanted to know was, where can I find the best BURGER in Philadelphia?

I'd read some local blogs and started doing a little research. It seems the 'best' burgers are all somewhere in the $14-$18 range and served at fancy, upscale restaurants. Is that what we've come to - backyard BBQ fare being served a ridiculous markups and touted as being 'the best'? Eventually, I will probably make my way to some of these places. (Village Whiskey, Butcher and Singer and Pub & Kitchen, just to name a few.) But in the meantime, I've been checking out the low to mid-range offerings Philly has to offer and am coming up short handed. Maybe those blogs weren't kidding after all.

One of the first places I checked out was 500 degrees, a little burger joint on Sansom St (between 16th & 17th) that touts truffle fries and thick milkshakes, as well as being owned by one of the restaurants in town with a high-end burger, Rouge. I ordered their classic burger, medium with cheddar and a side of their 'famous' truffle fries. I was definitely impressed. The cheddar was oozing and delicious, the burger itself succulent and with all the trimmings (lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo), all encompassed by a glazed brioche bun. The truffle fries definitely helped make the meal - slender and crispy and I could barely finish them all. I passed on the milkshake as I knew I'd already be full without it. I left there satisfied and confident that this burger was already ahead of the pack. However, on a follow up trip a few months later, I was disappointed. Where was the juiciness of the burger I had previously had? The brioche bun tasted stale, dry and falling apart as I ate, my meat was slightly overcooked and too much truffle oil was tossed on my fries. Overall, I would give their burgers a "B".

I would soon come to learn that the brioche bun was not just a special treat; almost every burger place I visited after that offered a burger on a brioche bun - sometimes to compliment a juicy delicious patty but mostly just to trick you into thinking you were getting a beefy masterpiece while masking a truly terrible burger.

As if there aren't enough food blogs!

Yes, yes. I'm well aware that anyone who loves to stuff their face and has internet access probably has created (or has thought about creating) some type of food blog while enjoying the "best they've ever had". Today, that time has come for me.

Long ago, I had a short lived blog rating local Mexican restaurants. (To the best, I gave Five Sombreros.) Today, my food fancies range from the quest for Philadelphia's Best Burger to scoping out the latest Food Trucks to hit the city streets. Do I consider myself a "foodie"? Not by any means. I like to eat. I like things that are tasty and interesting. I like sharing those tasty, interesting edibles with other people. I'm not a snob about it and I'm not trying to be. That's why I created this blog.

I've called it 'A Side of Ketchup' because growing up, I was a very picky eater. My go-to food was chicken nuggets and french fries, and I would put ketchup on literally everything. (Including filet mignon - leading to many a dinnertime cringe fest.) Since my teen years I've eaten lots of different things that I never would have imagined eating, broadening my limited ethnic cuisine range from "Fried" and "Italian" to Vietnamese, Sushi, Indian and beyond. Now, I will try anything once. My mother used to tell me, "You don't know if you don't like it if you've never tried it". And I have a feeling that's the case for most people who have never tried foods and simply 'don't like them.' I'm here to try and alleviate some of your food fears - and hopefully make some friends in the process. So enjoy reading and feel free to eat along!