Nick's Charcoal Pit

I don't know if I've blogged about this before but I LOVE Nick's Charcoal Pit. They deliver too, which I love. These photos just don't do the food justice, partly because Tim and I tried to demolish the food before I even thought about taking pictures. The ribs are awesome pork ribs, with there homemade BBQ sauce, which is tangy and vinegary. The wings are the WHOLE wing, so think twice before ordering 24 like I did once. The wings are just grilled and then tossed in the barbeque sauce. But everything has that really awesome charcoal smell, taste, and charred marks I love. The winner though is there onion rings, which were an unlikely awesome treat. They stuck to the batter and the had a good bite ( fresh onions ) and they arrived CRUNCHY!

Nick's Charcoal Pit
1242 Snyder Ave, Philadelphia 19148
(215) 271-3750

shoo-fly pie at the pope

The Pope, or 'Pub On Passyunk East' isn't really known for it's food. They have some decent wings and pierogies, and lots of great beer.

So when I stumbled over there in the snow a few weeks ago I was surprised to see this amazing sounding special - Lancaster Brewing Co. Shoo-Fly Porter with a slice of homemade shoo-fly pie. The waitress informed us that she grew up in amish country and made the pie from her great- grandmother's secret recipe or something. And god damn that delicious pie & shoo fly beer was right on.

Maybe it was the snow or the fact that I was already half drunk from some 14% alcohol belgian beer but I proclaimed it the best pie I've ever eaten and talked everyone else at the table into trying it.

Pub On Passyunk East
1501 East Passyunk Ave

v-day food porn

Filet mignon and shrimp, surf & turf style with bearnaise sauce, and cauliflower gratin made with goat cheese and
caciatta al tartufo (black truffle sheep's milk cheese).

Tim & Chau brought some fantastic apple pie (not sure where from?). The next day we had some with the leftover truffle cheese on top and holy god damn, somebody put that on a menu already.

Bacon Explosion

The article on the Bacon Explosion hit the NY Times last week.

So of course right before Super Bowl Sunday it was perfect timing. GO STEELERS!
I wavered back and forth on making this horrendous ode to all that is swine. I nearly caved to restraint, but then a challenge was brought forth by our pigskin watching host for last night's game. The Explosion must come!

This is not at all a hard thing to make. You just need to be comfortable with the feeling of immense amounts of pork fat between your fingers. Start by latice weaving an entire package of bacon. I added a spice rub once I finished. Then smear on top two packages or tubes of breakfast sausage. Don't go for italian, I just can't sanction it, the sage and sweetness of your normal tube of Jimmy Dean will suit just fine. Once that is done, sprinkle a large handful of crispy bacon bits on top. Then roll into your cylinder of hog.

I seared off the sides before finishing for about an hour in a 325 degree oven. I then glazed in Vermont Maple Syrup.

You can add any variation to this and as long as you dont sit down and eat the entire thing, you aren't doing any more damage than a couple of sausage patties.
It shouldn't be a regular thing, but it was worth doing once.

Barry is in the White House

Obama is known as Barry in Hawaii, which is pretty hilarious and awesome. The island was pretty darn proud when we got there during the inauguration. 

So here are some Hawaii institutions that require visiting, that are some of our new Presidents favorites. Or at least that what the article in the Star Bulletin had written.

As soon as we landed at home we went to Zippy's, and if you know anything about Hawaii, it's our state diner. My parents love this place, we've been going here since I was 3 feet tall. They are everywhere too, but not in a horrendous Starbucks kind of way. You can get any kind of local food, like a loco moco ( rice, eggs, spam, gravy) or some saimin ( like what my mom is slurping) but you can just get a hamburger and fries too. Here my brother, Tim and I all got the charbroiled teriyaki steak, my dad got oxtail stew ( with mash potatos) , and my mom got a saimin. 

Rainbow Drive-in is another such institution in Honolulu. Loco Moco's, yummy hamburgers and fries, pork long rice, it's basically amazing and has been here since before Hawaii was a state. 






Another thing that is really important to Hawaii and you really can't find anything to fill the void anywhere in the world is, Crackseed or Li Hing Mui. Which is a loose term describing strange salty sweet, dried fruits and seeds. To anyone else who isn't from Hawaii, Asian or not, you will just think its gross. Here is where I began my cravings for pickled mangos, Li Hing gummi bears and dried spicy cuttlefish. But unlike in Chinatowns across the world, something like this is just in the Malls of Hawaii, this is our candy shop. When I get really homesick I order these things onlne. But it's never the same as walking into a shop with these huge beautiful jars.

In case you need to order online.

Saturday Dinner - Hanger Steak with Roasted Pepper Sauce and Parsnip Mash

This is definitely one of my favorite dishes I have created. It's all very simple, but hearty and rich. A great cold winter night meal.

To start I blackened two fresh red bell peppers and combine with chopped garlic, onion, baby tomatoes and fresh thyme in a roasting pan with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roasting that down for about 45 minutes.

Next boiling off some parsnips in salted water until tender, then mash up with butter salt and pepper.

Tonight, I used hangar tonight as the ribeye was a little pricey. Just a simple kosher salt and pepper seasoning before broiling. I cooked mine pretty rare.

To plate, simply take your roasted pepper and tomato mixture and blend in your kitchen blender until smooth. You will have a rich creamy sauce (without the cream). This sauce would be amazing on just about anything else, eggs, pizza, pasta.

Drizzle over your sliced steak and side it up with the parsnips.