tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34913843287992349412024-02-19T20:40:28.012-05:00apples and cheese, pleaseamy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-31289694025321807002012-11-17T10:45:00.000-05:002012-11-17T10:45:01.219-05:00visiting chicago's sprout with the dish trip team<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last month, our <a href="http://dishtrip.com/">Dish Trip</a> team hit Chicago for a lil' culinary exploration. While the full scoop on that portion of the trip is a-coming, as part of our stay, we attended one of <a href="http://www.southwest.com/">Southwest</a>'s exclusive Cardmember Dinners at <b><a href="http://www.sproutrestaurant.com/">Sprout Restaurant</a></b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I scribed up the experience over on <a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/">Southwest Nuts' About Southwest Blog</a> (which you can read <b><a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/video/dish-trip-visits-cardmembers-chicagos-sprout">HERE</a></b>), which includes our in-the-kitchen interview with Chef Dale <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Levitski (yes, of <i><a href="http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef">Top Chef</a></i> fame).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">If you tune into the below video, you'll catch the chef whipping up a superb Pumpkin Soup — one of the five courses we tried that night. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The pumpkin soup was a pleasant seasonal surprise, with elaborate textural components like seasoned mascarpone cheese, Honeycrisp apples and unexpected pumpkin seeds — which gave a final, crunchy punch. Love to revisit that slurp one day again soon — and, Sprout as a whole.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2f3031; line-height: 19px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-5SA-fUhplw" width="560"></iframe></span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-65805765139711480402012-11-17T10:32:00.000-05:002012-11-17T10:32:00.610-05:00celebrating cafette's holy grail of fried chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno6r2enNDbNmJarY0zM7L5sipfDGKb_vqSlJHmumtjCFgDxKzFFRHGobWFVeVz49Or8ixvSC767D8mI9CHTG4BXKmuKfzvB9vJqyqzuoFU5z7MiVHu8wRLVYrCUtdpwSGRwJPEoQwSrM/s1600/chx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno6r2enNDbNmJarY0zM7L5sipfDGKb_vqSlJHmumtjCFgDxKzFFRHGobWFVeVz49Or8ixvSC767D8mI9CHTG4BXKmuKfzvB9vJqyqzuoFU5z7MiVHu8wRLVYrCUtdpwSGRwJPEoQwSrM/s1600/chx.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It started with the fried chicken. Once a week on a Friday night, <a href="http://cafette.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Cafette</a> featured their signature crispy skinned chicken, a salty, savory dish that through the years — twenty to be exact — developed a fiend-worthy following. But, just because the offering would sell out before every Friday night’s end, they never extended their offering — it was meant for a Friday night, and that was the official plan.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, when Cafette established their twenty year anniversary menu for last month, you’d expect the notorious seasoned bird to gracefully find its place in the lineup — you know, only on the Friday nights that the month-long, celebratory menu was offered.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I am one to release a few chicken-fried hallelujahs when they are due, I decided an appropriate crunch time to visit Cafette was during their twenty year anniversary month. It was a most important sojourn to see what all the fresh-out-of-the-hot-skillet fuss was about, and to gobble up what is said to be the area’s holy grail of flaky crust, flavorful meat, and overall, comfort food bliss!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">Continue reading my article </span><b><a href="http://chestnuthilldish.com/2012/11/celebrating-cafettes-fried-chicken-perfection-the-holy-grail-of-chestnut-hill/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">HERE</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">, on </span><a href="http://ChestnutHillDish.com/" style="color: #222222;">ChestnutHillDish.com</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">.</span></span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-71449733514865905432012-10-10T09:27:00.001-04:002012-10-10T09:27:29.379-04:00pescatore's italian restaurant's autumn craft beer dinner<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's always an exciting victory of mine to tackle a (new-to-me) spot that's rocking an impressive craft beer list, but also has a food menu that matches up nicely with the beauty of the beer stock.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Recently, the <a href="http://thetowndish.com/">Town Dish</a> team was invited to attend <a href="http://pescatoresrestaurant.com/">Pescatore's Italian Restaurant</a>'s (of Glen Mills, Pa.) Autumn Beer Dinner. I've heard brief bits about how they were rocking a pretty craft arsenal, but never had I had the chance to explore it myself.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Credit: Nina Lea Photography</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's me above — obviously, I was enjoying this recent experience, sipping </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.finchbeer.com/beer">Finch's Golden Wing</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (love this Blonde Ale). I did a full-blown, course-by-course dinner recap over on <a href="http://westchesterdish.com/">West Chester Dish</a>, which you can read by clicking <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://westchesterdish.com/2012/10/tasting-report-pescatores-italian-restaurants-autumn-craft-beer-dinner/">HERE</a></span></b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And, trust me — don't skip a beat next time you hear they're hosting a beer dinner. It was one of the best I've been to in a<i> long</i> time, and they're so popular that each one sells-out the restaurant and it is open only to beer dinner attendees.</span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-14977850405568017212012-10-09T21:28:00.000-04:002012-10-09T21:28:36.239-04:00apple picking at frecon farms<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.freconfarms.com/">Frecon Farms</a> has always had a sweet spot in my heart. Situated in my hometown, apples were a major part of my diet — <i>well</i>, that and the fact that I worked my mid- to late-teens across town in another prosperous apple-focused company, at <a href="http://www.baumanfamily.com/">Bauman's Apple Butter</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, ever since B and I started dating, I've raved about all things apples, apple butter, apple cider. I mean, the word "apples" are in my blog's name — you get it. But, we've never actually went apple-picking, which happens to be a popular sport around Berks County, especially for any Boyertownian.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Taking all of the above into consideration, B and I hit Frecon's on the first day of their <a href="http://www.freconfarms.com/pick-your-own/">pick-your-own</a> season — which debuted two weeks earlier this year due to the warm winter we had along the East Coast. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since it was the fresh end of pick-your-own, only McIntosh, Gala and Jonathans were deemed pickable in the vast orchards, but we had no beef with that, and each made out like bandits.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Scenes from our fall-infused excursion are viewable below.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Learn all you need to know on picking your own at Frecon Farms of Boyertown, Pa. by clicking </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.freconfarms.com/pick-your-own/">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. You can also PYO pumpkins — which, I'm gearing up to do just that <i>very </i>soon.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-1657478679979101452012-10-06T10:05:00.000-04:002012-10-09T20:53:00.608-04:00chit-chatting with mark weinmann of great lakes brewing company<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the midst of Oktoberfest season, we have been flooding the air waves with interviews of beer-savvy individuals. Recently, I chit-chatted with <a href="http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/homepages/age_verification">Great Lakes Brewing Co</a>.'s Mark Weinmann and you can dive into the full Q&A <a href="http://kennettsquaredish.com/2012/09/mark-weinmann-of-great-lakes-brewing-company/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">HERE</span></b></a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv99QtBpGR7ze82SxLhcrXWCx57uH_gHQie9JBDzfznT0IIX5BRpPTTPXzLGRtAWqZQi_DP7W9TzgTPlDbYmzQwORsHuD9QHcd_MiQt8PO1Vr9gaRmpkQxibtuhhkiWSj48UqViAFoKs/s1600/greatlakes-186x280.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv99QtBpGR7ze82SxLhcrXWCx57uH_gHQie9JBDzfznT0IIX5BRpPTTPXzLGRtAWqZQi_DP7W9TzgTPlDbYmzQwORsHuD9QHcd_MiQt8PO1Vr9gaRmpkQxibtuhhkiWSj48UqViAFoKs/s1600/greatlakes-186x280.jpg" title="Great Lakes Beer Stein" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We explore the eco-conscious background of the Cleveland-based brewery, how they're celebrating their upcoming 25th anniversary and who they may be brewing a collaboration beer with, and also, why you should already get excited about their Christmas Ale (which is slated to hit the markets soon).</span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-16263574728060272772012-10-06T09:48:00.002-04:002012-10-09T20:52:38.036-04:00recapping historic kennett's 15th annual brewfest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Living in the Greater Philadelphia area, a notable craft beer destination that hosts a thriving, up-and-coming lineup of start-up breweries, you’ll easily find a new friend over a pint of craft beer. While staying close-to-home for beer exploration is simple enough in this area, sometimes you want to broaden your horizons, and <a href="http://www.historickennettsquare.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Historic Kennett Square</a>’s annual <a href="http://www.kennettbrewfest.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Brewfest</a> was (and <i>always</i> is) the perfect opportunity to do just that.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">Continue the full tasting report by clicking </span><b><a href="http://kennettsquaredish.com/2012/10/recapping-historic-kennetts-15th-annual-brewfest-lining-up-the-top-5-best-beers/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">HERE</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">. 2012's top picks include: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.evilgeniusbeer.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Evil Genius Brewing Co</a>.’s Trick or Treat Chocolate Pumpkin Porter, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.manayunkbrewery.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Manayunk Brewing Co</a>.’s Yunkin Punkin, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.mckenziebrewhouse.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">McKenzie Brew House</a>’s Saison Vautour, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.hillfarmstead.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Hill Farmstead</a>’s Vera Mae and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://neshaminycreekbrewing.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co.</a>’s Leon Russian Imperial S’mores Stout.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-81511713475432059002012-09-11T20:18:00.000-04:002012-09-11T20:21:01.732-04:00summer recap: zombie-infused feast unfolds at zahav<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">This summer, James Beard award-winning Chef Michael Solomonov hosted his annual“Down the Shore” soiree, where he—for 2012—transformed his restaurant, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.opentable.com/zahav" style="color: #dc9038; text-decoration: none;">Zahav</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">, into a night of the living dead party with blood thirsty guests and more importantly, an incredible lineup of Philadelphia acclaimed chefs. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c;">I recapped this forever-memborable bloody bash over on </span><a href="http://blog.opentable.com/" style="color: #42382c;">OpenTable</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c;"> (click </span><b><a href="http://blog.opentable.com/2012/opentable-chefs-of-philadelphia-see-serve-dead-people/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">here</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c;"> to read the full scoop), where I may have forgotten to mention that the deadly affair concluded with zombie "burlesque" dancers (read: strippers; yes you read that correctly).</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">While I apologize for not snapping shots of them (I'm lying), I will leave you with some glimpses from the living dead party below.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42382c; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-90087426399064954752012-09-11T18:11:00.002-04:002012-09-11T18:12:35.644-04:00plcb rebrands shop designs, tasting bar now included<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">If you live in Pennsylvania, or you've hit up a liquor store while visiting friends in my dear Keystone State, the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/PLCB/index.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">’s (PLCB) shop designs are </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">antiquated</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> and we are surely in need of a recess from them. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">However, great news: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The PLCB has heard our pleas. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">As part of its ongoing efforts to reform state liquor stores, the agency has re-launched approximately 18 stores throughout the commonwealth that now flaunt spacious, swanky interiors.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Read the full scoop on the new features — all of which is making booze shopping a bit brighter — in my article I just scribed up for <a href="http://philly.thedrinknation.com/">Drink Philly</a>, available by clicking <b><a href="http://philly.thedrinknation.com/articles/read/8621-PLCB-Debuts-Rebranded-Fine-Wine-Good-Spirits-Stores">here</a></b>.</span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-53467971251216798702012-09-04T15:54:00.003-04:002012-09-11T20:21:47.465-04:00dish tripping through los angeles, california<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwK52oz1j6jgSF7uPIx1TgMSQCNIf7eHtF0vHVm2Nzc5ezby68nLts33nPmAQvdDa1txvw9kDqCg9dQU_j6N3_g7deeQ2kXsnqAT-NHoMXjO0xw0JaL5UG0b7aUeEgtlallPbv2OYHWzQ/s1600/la_rogerroom_drinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwK52oz1j6jgSF7uPIx1TgMSQCNIf7eHtF0vHVm2Nzc5ezby68nLts33nPmAQvdDa1txvw9kDqCg9dQU_j6N3_g7deeQ2kXsnqAT-NHoMXjO0xw0JaL5UG0b7aUeEgtlallPbv2OYHWzQ/s320/la_rogerroom_drinks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Call me a country-wide traveler as of late, but I was lucky to hit the West Coast (for the <i>first-time ever</i>, by the way) to explore the fine eats and drinks of Los Angeles, California. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Full stop-by-stop, bite-by-bite adventure (which was mostly tackled in 24 hours!) is available <a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/video/dish-trip-7-los-angeles">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">LA visits included: <a href="http://standardhotels.com/downtown-la">The Standard</a>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The Roger Room, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.sweetladyjane.com/">Sweet Lady Jane</a>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://mvink.com/">ink</a> (<i>Top Chef</i>'s Mike V's haunt!), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.pinkberry.com/">Pinkberry</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://theterracecafe.com/">The Terrace Café in Venice Beach</a> & </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.opentable.com/napa-valley-grille-westwood?ref=8101" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Napa Valley Grille</a>.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">More peeks after the jump from our whirlwind WC adventure below. Also, it's important to note that next California go-around, I am <i>not </i>missing the <b><a href="http://www.sprinkles.com/cupcake-bakery-locations/beverly-hills/cupcake-atm/">cupcake ATM</a></b>.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>[Photos from top to bottom, beginning after text: Downtown Los Angeles, at the <a href="http://www.standardhotels.com/downtown-la/food-drink/the-rooftop">rooftop bar</a> of The Standard, peeking at <a href="http://www.standardhotels.com/downtown-la/food-drink/the-standard-biergarten">The Standard's Biergarten</a>, Standard's rooftop pool, Serrano cocktail at ink., charcoal-crusted Berkshire pork with fried leek roots & mac 'n cheese at ink., at Venice Beach, and at Venice Beach's Terrace.]</i></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-84192890087336682072012-09-03T11:13:00.001-04:002012-09-03T11:13:27.377-04:00summer recap: philly's forum of the (brewing) gods<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While we have just sped into September 2012 (fall's a-coming—hallelujah), I'm itching to take a lil' breath and get reflective of what threw down these past warm-weathered months.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Perhaps I shall begin at when I caught some of the US of A's Brewing Gods file into a beer-savvy forum early June, as part of Philadelphia's Annual Beer Week celebration. Of course, I'd be giddy over catching any creditable brewmaster chit-chat about what he (or she) does best. But, at this particular forum, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Co. was part of the festivities. (Did you know, he's an “it” advocate for better beer? Truth!) </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Click <b><a href="http://chestnuthilldish.com/2012/06/forum-of-the-brewing-gods-all-about-the-beer-and-maybe-marijuana/">here</a></b> to read the full skinny about what Greg and his brewing god-like comrades discussed during the summer beer talk. For the record, the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"> mid-week round-table featured a role call of Colby Chandler of San Diego’s <a href="http://www.ballastpoint.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Ballast Point</a>; Mark Edelson of <a href="http://www.ironhillbrewery.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant</a>; Rosemarie Certo of Philadelphia’s <a href="http://www.dockstreetbeer.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Dock Street</a>; Paul Kavulak of <a href="http://www.nebraskabrewingco.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Nebraska Brewing Company</a>; and of course, Greg Koch of <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;">Stone Brewing Company</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Fair warning: There was a hilarious bit during the few hours about marijuana-infused brews. (Say, what?) </span></span></div>
amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-87771076339737705162012-08-30T11:21:00.000-04:002012-08-30T11:21:34.935-04:00dish tripping through asheville, north carolina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://applesandcheeseplease.blogspot.com/2012/08/dish-tripping-through-atlanta-georgia.html">Atlanta</a> wasn't the only southern city I hit to tackle a lil' Dish Tripping action as of late, Asheville, North Carolina was included in this delicious mix too. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The beautiful, free-spirit city—<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">one nabbing the title of “Beer City USA" for three years running—offered us up a memorable brew-infused getaway, which my dear traveling comrade Sarah recaps the whole imbibing journey, pint-by-pint <b><a href="http://dishtrip.com/trips/special-edition-dish-trip-beer-in-asheville-north-carolina/">here</a></b>.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Brewery & beer-centric pub visits included: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"> <strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.nantahalabrewing.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nantahala Brewery</a>, </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://pisgahbrewing.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pisgah Brewing</a>, </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"> <strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.highlandbrewing.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Highland Brewery</a>, </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"> <strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://oysterhousebeers.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Oyster House Brewing Company</a>, </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"> <strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.lexavebrew.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lexington Avenue Brewing</a>, </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"> <strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.barleystaproom.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria</a>, </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://ashevillebrewing.com/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Asheville Brewing Company</a></strong></span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-71000880287073486572012-08-29T17:56:00.000-04:002012-08-29T17:56:13.489-04:00dish tripping through atlanta, georgia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Earlier this year, our gang at <a href="http://dishtrip.com/">Dish Trip</a> flew down south to chomp through Georgia's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">cultural and culinary capital of Georgia—Atlanta!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The whirlwind, food-loving trip hosted more than 9 delicious stops, which are all lined up over on <a href="http://www.southwest.com/">Southwest Airlines</a>' <a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/">Nuts About Southwest Blog</a>. Oh yes, and there is a video recap (seen below), as well—which, I suggest, you should watch especially since I become one serious zombie in it!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Click <b><a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/video/dish-trip-special-edition-atlanta">here</a></b> to read our stop-by-stop play-by-play. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-88672244862787446882012-08-29T09:10:00.000-04:002012-08-29T17:56:39.879-04:00iron hill brewery & restaurant host first-ever culinary battle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My dear friends at <a href="http://www.ironhillbrewery.com/">Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant</a> hosted their first-ever culinary cook-off mid-August, and it was a total pleasure to make the quick trek to their <a href="http://www.ironhillbrewery.com/wilmington/">Wilmington, Delaware location</a> to judge the kitchen battle.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Click <b><a href="http://ironhillbrewery.com/blog/ihbhome/2012/08/13/guest-post-ihb-hosts-first-ever-culinary-cook-off/">here</a></b> to speed over to their website to read my guest post where I recap the full competition. Don't skip watching the below video either, as crafted by my talented friend Gary Colyer (of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mizfam-PhotoVideoDesign/210718772272413" style="color: inherit; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank">Mizfam Photo.Video.Design</a>).</em></span></span><br />
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amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-73767552383258667762012-08-28T13:00:00.000-04:002012-08-28T21:17:30.776-04:00join me on pinterest!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XNA7AMd66ANqdG1Q0It0qT2CvO3LRqEdRapDY17E9Pfz3a8N1o0UeS597K87U_hOF40dXtPkrsqj6s3oPvdnigg6LV9zHxrORv8tbPgcP6S8cjhKDJXLL_460ujJ-75kBjoB8CmRsLM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-08-27+at+9.27.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XNA7AMd66ANqdG1Q0It0qT2CvO3LRqEdRapDY17E9Pfz3a8N1o0UeS597K87U_hOF40dXtPkrsqj6s3oPvdnigg6LV9zHxrORv8tbPgcP6S8cjhKDJXLL_460ujJ-75kBjoB8CmRsLM/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-08-27+at+9.27.21+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since we converse on here, why not chitchat and share elsewhere, no? Let us start pinning. Find my boards and I <b><a href="http://pinterest.com/amystrauss/">here</a></b>. Like you may expect, a majority of my boards circle back to food & drink (duh!).</span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-77303075942600930162012-08-28T09:30:00.000-04:002012-08-28T21:18:31.982-04:00verlasso salmon hosts culinary cook-off, chef shola crowned champ<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It goes without saying—but I must—that it is always a pleasure to spy </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Chef Shola Olunloyo concocting his next culinary masterpiece. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">The most recent mingling occurred at Samuels and Son Seafood's Gourmet Kitchen, when <a href="http://www.verlasso.com/">Verlasso Salmon</a> hosted their sustainable seafood-infused Chef Challenge.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Who did Chef Shola battle-it-out against, you ask? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Chef Terence Feury—who is also—another local culinary heavy-hitter that constantly wows are tastebuds.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Full tasting and cook-off report <b><a href="http://chestnuthilldish.com/2012/08/verlasso-hosts-cooking-challenge-at-samuels-and-son-seafood-chef-shola-crowned-culinary-champ/">here</a></b>.</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYSaspcOdvIZRJMJCB7bNl3pV3zc4dPSFNQfDud3NsEe9wiLQTahMvv69DddoTwtNStt7kRb2v7HSftZ9bcBzSWIdW9AgFUz5qRkAGmM5uEaj5ZkFZh-DaQSJiFyLxgZGotfcHdWM8aU/s1600/EverythingBagel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYSaspcOdvIZRJMJCB7bNl3pV3zc4dPSFNQfDud3NsEe9wiLQTahMvv69DddoTwtNStt7kRb2v7HSftZ9bcBzSWIdW9AgFUz5qRkAGmM5uEaj5ZkFZh-DaQSJiFyLxgZGotfcHdWM8aU/s400/EverythingBagel.jpg" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFG25lRW0FzuKyS2GgB4w07ekn2emjrok-e7lK9W-ZmrSDqSGguU_puGF1e9nRoqTYmVzi9-P7mm-RYVrW5PI2hcTZUM_yn58qyMwGD8C2o-a2dw9ARgAI3VGV-_AM3yA_lodUIaNMqQ/s1600/amy_verlasso+challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFG25lRW0FzuKyS2GgB4w07ekn2emjrok-e7lK9W-ZmrSDqSGguU_puGF1e9nRoqTYmVzi9-P7mm-RYVrW5PI2hcTZUM_yn58qyMwGD8C2o-a2dw9ARgAI3VGV-_AM3yA_lodUIaNMqQ/s400/amy_verlasso+challenge.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
<br />amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-85836166642206252242012-08-27T09:19:00.001-04:002012-08-27T09:19:43.287-04:00a visit to the chestnut hill cheese shop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHOd0nj43d5eASHR3Yu534X2jkg4GebsPzk-0LjODGNubt37J08HSl2EOVC1RKSNeAxOGTKO8fLe57QHC0KUgwEOrD1H5ecE2ljPUAXFGwyl2jMfzoS_aE2XtgQ_K5LJHXfdsx1A7-P0/s1600/Chestnut+Hill+Cheese+Shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHOd0nj43d5eASHR3Yu534X2jkg4GebsPzk-0LjODGNubt37J08HSl2EOVC1RKSNeAxOGTKO8fLe57QHC0KUgwEOrD1H5ecE2ljPUAXFGwyl2jMfzoS_aE2XtgQ_K5LJHXfdsx1A7-P0/s400/Chestnut+Hill+Cheese+Shop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recently spent a summery weekday morning haunting around the <b>Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop</b>. The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">operating duo (<i>Daniel Weiss & </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><i>John Ingersoll</i>) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">are the kind of gentlemen you want slicing and shaving your cheese — friendly and knowledgeable, respectful of the product and incredibly helpful in pinpointing what you’re looking for.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Click <b><a href="http://chestnuthilldish.com/2012/08/discovering-the-chestnut-hill-cheese-shop-a-50-year-old-culinary-institution/">here</a></b> for my full tasting report of my recent visit. Be warned—co-owner Daniel does tip you off to many of his cheesy favorites.</span></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-32677414061379174492011-12-06T10:22:00.006-05:002011-12-06T10:26:56.821-05:00recipe: brew-infused apple sticky buns<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsn909SR3gIGZEhobxe-L0gUU8wcqlJx7VVvjfrs2ew2pVnu5I564tnz4arRLiubPlis1EGl_RcaTzJWsd9pDbTp7H973FzEq1kM3cWD5_Otq5Rl5VSWjBRmB8w3TE9Fy-YUQtoiDq_gY/s1600/IMG_0415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsn909SR3gIGZEhobxe-L0gUU8wcqlJx7VVvjfrs2ew2pVnu5I564tnz4arRLiubPlis1EGl_RcaTzJWsd9pDbTp7H973FzEq1kM3cWD5_Otq5Rl5VSWjBRmB8w3TE9Fy-YUQtoiDq_gY/s320/IMG_0415.jpg" width="175" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recently scribed a guest post for <i><a href="http://insearchofbeer.org/">In Search of Beer</a></i>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ryan Hudak's website that details his on-going feat for sampling new beers, all while sharing everything hop-associated, including brew news, event recaps, and even, recipes for cooking and baking with beer. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I too am always on the hunt for the next best beer and strive to incorporate beer in everything possible (talking in dinner, in desserts, and of course, in cocktails), I decided to contribute editorial that tied my love for my PA Dutch culture with my obsession of baking–all of which had to be splashed with beer, of course.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Click <a href="http://insearchofbeer.org/2011/12/05/baking-with-beer-brew-infused-apple-sticky-buns/">here</a> to read up on my time-consuming methods of crafting from-scratch Pennsylvania Dutch Sticky Buns–a recipe I particularly enhanced with fresh apples and extra-special bitter beer. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you can squeeze in the time, for all the glory of dough kneading and dough rising, I promise you that these sweet breads are always a crowd-pleasing hit.</span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-31042551115987783892011-12-04T10:32:00.015-05:002011-12-04T11:14:28.095-05:00holiday cookie swaps and bacon chocolate chunk biscotti<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are <i>no</i> elaborate rules to the holiday cookie swap that I host with my best friend. While we together take baking <i>very seriously</i>, an affair that is themed around a sugary spread of everyone's favorite cookies should never be a tense event.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, if you're a cookie party virgin, do not skip asking for an invitation to our next sweet treat gathering. Whether you're an experienced kitchen crusader or you briefly dabble in dessert-making, no one acts as critics in this get-together, but instead, attendees appreciate each and every contribution, requesting recipes for this and that, aiming to simplify their holiday baking by providing having a fine, diverse take-home sampling for their upcoming parties–or simply, to steal bites from throughout the Christmas season.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For this year's holiday cookie party, I opted to whip up two brand-new recipes for our guests' pleasure. Sometimes, I have lofty baking ideas, and with slim time to actually concoct fine jewels of desserts, they typically end in disasters.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But, I promise you, the following two recipes are crowd-pleasers, perfect to take to any cookie share<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">—</span>even one of those that <i>all </i>bakers spend entire afternoons prepping for, designing their cookies and their plates, stressing over if their hard-worked contributions will be a raging success.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Cookie One</i></span>: <b>Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>recipe adapted from Dec. 2010 issue of <a href="http://www.southernliving.com/">Southern Living</a></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQGWfq-j-2tDDsoy_1SvVmjdLxud-G5fB9CElP5ipoh3qFhYlVIk0rojj1rSl54zozWrTcjk6zz01LDIcR_71jdFleY70VZsZS59H4ZZlcJQMe3PZHwC3J6-9i5Vxr2Afj3q-VagYzVc/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQGWfq-j-2tDDsoy_1SvVmjdLxud-G5fB9CElP5ipoh3qFhYlVIk0rojj1rSl54zozWrTcjk6zz01LDIcR_71jdFleY70VZsZS59H4ZZlcJQMe3PZHwC3J6-9i5Vxr2Afj3q-VagYzVc/s320/IMG_0607.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup peanut butter</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup sugar</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 large egg</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tsp. baking soda</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips </span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Combine peanut butter with the next four ingredients until well-blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop dough on parchment-lined baking sheets.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake at 350 degrees for 12–14 minutes, until light-brown. Let cool on baking sheets before removing onto cooling racks.</span></li>
</ol></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Cookie Two</span></i>: <b>Bacon Chocolate Chunk Biscotti</b></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>adapted from <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/">Serious Eats</a></i></span><br />
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</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5 strips bacon, fried and chopped into bits</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cups all-purpose flour</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 tsp. baking powder</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 tsp. salt</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup granulated sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 large eggs</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup semisweet chocolate chips</span></span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>Instructions:</i></span></span></div></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Fry bacon until browned and crispy. Transfer to paper towel-lined dish for cooling, and to drain. Chop up room temperature bacon to small pieces. Use a food processor and pulse if you prefer small pieces versus large bacon chunks. <i>Note: Great addition to this part is squirting maple syrup in the processor when blending.</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In larger bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, two or three minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Add flour mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in bacon bits and chocolate chips. Gather dough in ball and divide in half. Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured tabletop, roll each ball of dough into a 12 to 14-inch log. Transfer logs onto baking sheet, spaced about 4 inches apart. Bake until light golden and firm on top, about 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Remove baked logs from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Allow logs to cool for 10–15 minutes. With a serrated knife, slice each log into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return slices to baking sheet, each not touching the other, and bake until dry and golden, 20–30 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Let cool completely and store in an air-tight container. Biscotti will keep up to two weeks, if stored properly.</span></li>
</ol></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">If you're a bacon lover, like myself, the only adjustment I would recommend to this recipe is adding even </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><i>more bacon</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">! First tastes of this dessert will be similar to an ordinary chocolate chip cookie, but on the finish, you'll score the sweet and smokey bacon flavor, making this with-your-coffee treat perfect for any sweet–and-savory lover.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFba9k9CvcLnG_k6eBWpPtGq-E8Vi8Z1kJUmFnqu7_bKRmyRrQEuZ4Lx1lgKAozUuNbZDCXQDkRSU4kvtTVTjC8SglkJeJbI2WT4V1zsWt9_KTRvlQIEr9M9cpS0tt4UOZin4H8CM358k/s1600/IMG_0612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFba9k9CvcLnG_k6eBWpPtGq-E8Vi8Z1kJUmFnqu7_bKRmyRrQEuZ4Lx1lgKAozUuNbZDCXQDkRSU4kvtTVTjC8SglkJeJbI2WT4V1zsWt9_KTRvlQIEr9M9cpS0tt4UOZin4H8CM358k/s320/IMG_0612.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrpNF3xbpPlLE8x9hT2Dd0Loqu1wrlu2BXO7-AahOykU2NyJnQZz8soNOs0Az0eJ2yEGsM2wshG3o2HHBF2yuh3RjCOBIQ-CZzj-HIRFdRAmbJ0YnXo8D6h3WcnDAkqw_Riu0sANN2I0/s1600/IMG_0606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">And, while we are on this bacon tangent, I must note: This year's cookie party featured three vastly different bacon cookies. Hallelujah to the fellow meat-lovers in my life! Kudos especially to you, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://travelsazzles.com/">Sarah</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-73523296167114678492011-08-08T20:05:00.003-04:002011-08-08T20:17:41.422-04:00brunch at cafe luna of cambridge, massachusetts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Until I reached age 23, I never had brunch. Seriously.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had <i>breakfast</i>, I had<i> lunch</i>, no<i> brunch</i>. I even, when working as a food writing intern in college, mentioned to my editor, "who <i>really</i> goes to brunch?" Her response? "Everyone."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Call me a late bloomer, but do know that while it took me<i> far too long</i> to embrace brunching habits, I am now incredibly hooked.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On a recent excursion to Boston, a pursuit with a purpose to explore another state's beer and attend a Beer Advocate fest (full report <a href="http://dishtrip.com/2011/07/special-dish-trip-edition-beer-in-boston/">here</a>), we stumbled upon a popular brunch spot in Cambridge, Massachusetts. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6N7ZvCMUK_kShs8bDY1c0Mh0rrP8aghi07uivfqIIsbELwz5e0rFyjcZE1d9GBroTKWaTDF9Hkux4f91FUbuDKRXMnd9G7SVZW18uNpmSNpwLfQdD9xAgjMf1zTVNSu8QDcmPMuvskE/s1600/IMG_6120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6N7ZvCMUK_kShs8bDY1c0Mh0rrP8aghi07uivfqIIsbELwz5e0rFyjcZE1d9GBroTKWaTDF9Hkux4f91FUbuDKRXMnd9G7SVZW18uNpmSNpwLfQdD9xAgjMf1zTVNSu8QDcmPMuvskE/s320/IMG_6120.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://cafeluna-centralsq.com/menu">Cafe Luna</a>, petite and packed with endless one-of-a-kind creations that would send any food lover's heart a-flutter, is a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px;"> go-to spot for local students looking to snag weekend brunch (which also means, they always have quite a wait!). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 21px;">Thank god for the hospitality of one delightful manager, we were able to cozy up our six-top outdoors in the summer sun and enjoy a wide sweet and savory sampling. From our lineup of S’mores and Banana Split French Toast, Lemon Curd Topped Berry Waffles, Surf and Turf Eggs Benedict, and their signature “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” breakfast meat platter, we were able to experience a full showing of what the charmed cafe had to offer.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintK31Bx9psIKodNyTP6IsQpoABvqupPDZJrzQf6V3gCH_SzF8Dx3VIXrs5Ngmt__HWC7dA35LYKD2TUXDGVJGMtk3SpIue4KjgCf__c1mIMt0z8h8N-uv6NEzTiSNcZ953HrIweaj-q0/s1600/IMG_6126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintK31Bx9psIKodNyTP6IsQpoABvqupPDZJrzQf6V3gCH_SzF8Dx3VIXrs5Ngmt__HWC7dA35LYKD2TUXDGVJGMtk3SpIue4KjgCf__c1mIMt0z8h8N-uv6NEzTiSNcZ953HrIweaj-q0/s320/IMG_6126.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwjVqh-C0tj2nBcPSwgdLWtUW6fz8E2erdv-Q7LkqVFLPDd05U9-rv6IaE0z9K-x1yYjS_4VI98M-KiPIYWT0mjNa-WdvzfunBZWqSL0k3c_r2jblQa8BEePBx87QX9ju9n2WgosXnWo/s1600/IMG_6134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwjVqh-C0tj2nBcPSwgdLWtUW6fz8E2erdv-Q7LkqVFLPDd05U9-rv6IaE0z9K-x1yYjS_4VI98M-KiPIYWT0mjNa-WdvzfunBZWqSL0k3c_r2jblQa8BEePBx87QX9ju9n2WgosXnWo/s320/IMG_6134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlYhWDOIIHfSzGMpZB5HVkMaINFmqAsi6tInam90pLJpsNlmKwJE0vndNZHU7QHn0jA_PVKXEu_BVen7Mpmy3MvSzCkrLdGMgvu3f5wI23P2ZbFRIUtnKuC_n6wzv4RO0x94MeQy1tqU/s1600/IMG_6132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlYhWDOIIHfSzGMpZB5HVkMaINFmqAsi6tInam90pLJpsNlmKwJE0vndNZHU7QHn0jA_PVKXEu_BVen7Mpmy3MvSzCkrLdGMgvu3f5wI23P2ZbFRIUtnKuC_n6wzv4RO0x94MeQy1tqU/s320/IMG_6132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHhBrmg_MNiP42IROsFuwRnQnzp_3nvvGDHRMi4TlbJ9muW9wKWuPOa_kPaPPX2b8Ahmnkc3lNc91CfquQacB5C8icRentjB4TRQTiFUS8j56bQhv9wVTa3h_BGnXepssW3MlOi2pisk/s1600/IMG_6137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHhBrmg_MNiP42IROsFuwRnQnzp_3nvvGDHRMi4TlbJ9muW9wKWuPOa_kPaPPX2b8Ahmnkc3lNc91CfquQacB5C8icRentjB4TRQTiFUS8j56bQhv9wVTa3h_BGnXepssW3MlOi2pisk/s320/IMG_6137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">But, if you allow me to digress for one extra moment: The show-stoppers of CL are</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"> the sake-swirled Bloody Marys—you’ll forever be addicted </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">and I must leave you with</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>just</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">that bold statement.</span></div>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-82175766661755317392011-08-07T17:54:00.006-04:002011-08-07T18:11:39.643-04:00fried sweet bologna sandwich, served up at kutztown folk fest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_QWfIjrhY8ufKAZ64Vhj9XaxMYLx-1naNjzRg6xgFWmPx0cOuHuqv5iW9qWlX3rTUYQ9zQT49mRxln0rCQ8FErmEdGUN9Xg0dOB4dlYVC3qRtpVVO38NLYG7kPc_Qnet5W4jMU1ogeg/s1600/270445_581396056035_55400576_32666006_8320397_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_QWfIjrhY8ufKAZ64Vhj9XaxMYLx-1naNjzRg6xgFWmPx0cOuHuqv5iW9qWlX3rTUYQ9zQT49mRxln0rCQ8FErmEdGUN9Xg0dOB4dlYVC3qRtpVVO38NLYG7kPc_Qnet5W4jMU1ogeg/s320/270445_581396056035_55400576_32666006_8320397_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am a strange soul, especially when it comes to eating sausages.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I blame it on my past vegetarian diet; the consistency alone terrifies me. But, the taste, especially found in a finely crafted sausage blends, is something I go gaga for and for that reason alone, I continuously attempt to overcome my annoying quirk of straying away from tubes of mouthwatering meats.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So this year, when myself and my dear friend Melissa were attempting to sacrifice any healthy eating habits to explore all the Pennsylvania Dutch eats that <a href="http://www.kutztownfestival.com/">Kutztown Folk Festival</a>, I was stuck in a pickle. Was inhaling a hunk of bologna as bad as I thought? This particular (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">seemingly pleasure-some) piece was served up fried and thick, staring its sink-your-teeth-into-me consistency right in my scared face. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The gang flipping the "patties" on the griddle were pretty darn jolly, too--how bad could this "can't-leave-the-fest-without-it" gut-buster be?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But, with my traditional grub lover by my side, an idea sparked. If you load anything with sauerkraut, particularly locally-butchered and -smoked meats, any first-time-noshing experience will be enjoyable (we promise). </span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And on that fateful day, it <i>was</i>. Juicy and tender, packaged with a purpose, this bologna blew my mind (not exaggerating here, folks). Boasting with confidence, I must say that this Melissa-and-Amy variety of the 'wich plopped with sweet-and-sour "icing" on the "meat cake" steals the Kutztown show!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We suggest if ever going to a local German food fest, <b>never skip the fried bologna</b>, and <i>don't</i> forget a hearty squirt of mustard, either.</span></div>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-64904009593815265562011-06-24T15:11:00.009-04:002011-06-24T17:03:14.794-04:00a story on strawberries and strawberry cake<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There is something quite nice about</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">being raised a country gal. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While there are many reasons as to why I adore local cities, and quite possibly, why I should relocate to within Philadelphia, I can't bring myself to actually pack up from the 'burbs. There is something reassuring about passing many, many local pastures and farmlands day after day, being close to my homegrown producers who provide exceptional lineups of fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, grass-fed beef, raw milk and much more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY3C8tmfs76c3qHdeiEZLQx5Yekbs7NimaZwMaLsLjOu7kojmWC6g6Gp1G0-TETQphQ6XSzSBME38ZJdBIWJfNKy8bRu7-TH2tabaAeZpQNQRH50ioTkWXJamcL6tIuPF1m7jafcsRY8/s1600/STR+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY3C8tmfs76c3qHdeiEZLQx5Yekbs7NimaZwMaLsLjOu7kojmWC6g6Gp1G0-TETQphQ6XSzSBME38ZJdBIWJfNKy8bRu7-TH2tabaAeZpQNQRH50ioTkWXJamcL6tIuPF1m7jafcsRY8/s200/STR+075.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This bring me to my initial reason of publishing this post: gardening. My family always had a large plot of land, which boasted with a hefty planting space packed with sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchinis, carrots, green beans, potatoes, etc. Excitingly for me, a strip of our summer-time garden was dedicated to planting strawberries, making the act of strawberry picking my favorite past time of the year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Of course, I rarely made it inside with these speckled rubies and instead, sat dirtying my behind, as I sat cozily within the garden gorging on every ripe strawberry I laid my eyes on. Really, I had little to do with the garden other than the strawberry-associated aspects of it, and the rest of my family (<i>I think?</i>) was okay with this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sadly, I can't say that now I have my own strawberry picking plot, but each late May/early June, I still horde my fair share of this gem of a fruit, trying to craft the newest baked good that best highlights this seasonal favorite.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This year? I decided to opt for a simple, sophisticated strawberry cake, prepared in a shallow springform pan and adapted from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/336020/strawberry-cake"><i>Martha Stewart</i></a>, as seen on <a href="http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/strawberry-cake/"><i>Two Peas and Their Pod</i></a>.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlTVq3mli53GiRVpT2C-yb7o3F4gblhnmn2ab6Ksy2_KkU6auxHMvLUf1F6BTKhHnUOWNLHz8dSf0pasolLamRfKvlbwkYEkFoe13SDEQPR8QEf3kNWG_pxgwX2Q2JqtCFQqb1Lk9svY/s1600/2009_04_29_2186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlTVq3mli53GiRVpT2C-yb7o3F4gblhnmn2ab6Ksy2_KkU6auxHMvLUf1F6BTKhHnUOWNLHz8dSf0pasolLamRfKvlbwkYEkFoe13SDEQPR8QEf3kNWG_pxgwX2Q2JqtCFQqb1Lk9svY/s320/2009_04_29_2186.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Strawberry Cake</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cook Time: 50-55 minutes</span></i><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
1/2 cup buttermilk<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced<br />
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of cake</div><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>How-To: </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease springform pan. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a medium bow; set aside. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cream butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until well-combined.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXKQRXALMPAbnk4iDigI-A0JnHqEE2SJo9LMFnU3bCyJuEtsyoyGTdC-h7TLZD5Vc-kMlYtU32rTJYJ9VwtSD5mRR2739XpAbut7tUNwqnKF6yYpjxch5myB-9NACDlRhpPozUB1syh4/s1600/2009_04_29_2183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXKQRXALMPAbnk4iDigI-A0JnHqEE2SJo9LMFnU3bCyJuEtsyoyGTdC-h7TLZD5Vc-kMlYtU32rTJYJ9VwtSD5mRR2739XpAbut7tUNwqnKF6yYpjxch5myB-9NACDlRhpPozUB1syh4/s200/2009_04_29_2183.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Arrange strawberry slices on top of batter. Sprinkle raw sugar over berries.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bake cake 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool in pan. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Serve. If storing, keep cake at room temperature, for up to two days.</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-48096699944830986102011-06-24T13:15:00.004-04:002011-06-24T17:47:04.618-04:00father's day dishes and sips at craft ale house<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQghV_idKlAqPdT_Sm0cjtWtDQ92i4YwI4mF78mq2zqyoBjYAHvM8YtyzJM047s2uayz8lvVAcYf-uPJpXS_h31L16Ba4vpXwN6pHt-Q0foLaqI08clKP2JP8VvzVzIA8O07nWJ20p3nQ/s1600/2009_05_09_2415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGI1v5aTdfS0TbCUeZATtApZut2K-2eiRMDQhDbo9jRHvH83JoAsKtHV__Tep-bn877gp7qjBDgeQnfQNeeDtbw5L-a2ORZxdfrF0h0necyJ2FG3jGwmE1oJSdjoSROkqaBt3EhuNxyU/s320/2009_05_09_2410.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Living in the Philadelphia's 'burbs, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">we have a much slimmer selection of beer-centric gastropubs than those lucky locals dwelling in more urban areas. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99ViX5ctLTkkMjqtA4xzPwGlA2OvfKXMCOGdQCnBoNqXXE7joHlk8_eRWZvRqMZhWrk84p2kkKTBlvTygwcsnLpI-hUXcorRXz78L7xlCWdYPsQG4VDO_sDE3QL8z1HPQmz9hJMeFsnc/s1600/19557_535878892795_55400576_31864094_2739374_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99ViX5ctLTkkMjqtA4xzPwGlA2OvfKXMCOGdQCnBoNqXXE7joHlk8_eRWZvRqMZhWrk84p2kkKTBlvTygwcsnLpI-hUXcorRXz78L7xlCWdYPsQG4VDO_sDE3QL8z1HPQmz9hJMeFsnc/s200/19557_535878892795_55400576_31864094_2739374_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That being said, Chester County's chefs excel at swirling top-notch brews into finely-crafted creations, and I would amiss if I didn't mention spots like <a href="http://www.stationtaproom.com/home/">Station Taproom</a>, <a href="http://www.draftingroom.com/exton/site_files/EX_home.html">The Drafting Room</a>, <a href="http://westchesterdish.com/restaurants/side-bar-restaurant/">Side Bar</a>, etc. So, that being said, for Father's Day I decided to surprise my fabulous pops (<i>seen here, on left</i>) by taking him to one of these notable spots and opted for <a href="http://www.craftalehouse.com/">Craft Ale House</a> of Limerick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Since my dear dad had never been to this <a href="http://applesandcheeseplease.blogspot.com/2010/01/boosting-on-beers-at-craft-ale-house.html">casual, comfortable ale house</a> that booms with some of the area's best craft beers, I knew he was in for treat. To be honest, even though my father is not drinker, he is a great sport when it comes to new experience (i.e. open to tasting new beers).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5S1Wxvyi6_9-Xz-TDp0L9_R6Rkro5aMsPHIj_Ro5Q1tM2GeZPxUkCZQEYpnn6McrBHguXm3dKnzLAi1tn7WlPmxXx1PlOjzAlr246z-ShK1hhkxIEsf3eWJE0vFAkXAGq8Uci4CQlRM/s1600/2009_05_09_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5S1Wxvyi6_9-Xz-TDp0L9_R6Rkro5aMsPHIj_Ro5Q1tM2GeZPxUkCZQEYpnn6McrBHguXm3dKnzLAi1tn7WlPmxXx1PlOjzAlr246z-ShK1hhkxIEsf3eWJE0vFAkXAGq8Uci4CQlRM/s320/2009_05_09_2408.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHa9WH7sSvOJVbOhtjV1dSjDIcK0IZK_KstUOBWFnpIlKQIPOIf1NdcPKwY6kugX_AO1xXrMAG1TYNMSaOTqKf0LvYlgjXDUT6VNVIZ2spkwf391S2ICamfOrpSA5eCez87P6FvgeWWMU/s1600/2009_05_09_2413.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHa9WH7sSvOJVbOhtjV1dSjDIcK0IZK_KstUOBWFnpIlKQIPOIf1NdcPKwY6kugX_AO1xXrMAG1TYNMSaOTqKf0LvYlgjXDUT6VNVIZ2spkwf391S2ICamfOrpSA5eCez87P6FvgeWWMU/s320/2009_05_09_2413.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPy933npm5bpJq58iM86adHGIleNx8ot3TenwEvBPLLkd3RoZygbACgEUuLz5YPjPCz_uqxy7IPEAOzWqmZNJQrJDOXO2T9yGRlpagmAs5-RUyE2Glyx8LeL3CHVNGq5APmmWW0dwh0s/s1600/2009_05_09_2411.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPy933npm5bpJq58iM86adHGIleNx8ot3TenwEvBPLLkd3RoZygbACgEUuLz5YPjPCz_uqxy7IPEAOzWqmZNJQrJDOXO2T9yGRlpagmAs5-RUyE2Glyx8LeL3CHVNGq5APmmWW0dwh0s/s320/2009_05_09_2411.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaMSQRwmr7FIl8CPa1ryTXg_uPAB6W-Jqdp1rimE46SSXHKf4VyuZGdXBWnP4li2Oswz6Si927tkMZKXBcJweKPtTAdAOGnUzNv3qCfQg8dtHobGa8sHmLedOcYEn3qLGK0MggmmTHIY/s1600/2009_05_09_2412.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaMSQRwmr7FIl8CPa1ryTXg_uPAB6W-Jqdp1rimE46SSXHKf4VyuZGdXBWnP4li2Oswz6Si927tkMZKXBcJweKPtTAdAOGnUzNv3qCfQg8dtHobGa8sHmLedOcYEn3qLGK0MggmmTHIY/s320/2009_05_09_2412.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, together with my best friend and her dad, Terry, we tackled a fine share of their above-par pub grub, which included roasted sweet corn soup, fresh spinach dip, house-ground, char-grilled beef burgers, grass-fed hanger steak and the exceptional grilled lamb dish. Terry, who is proud to say that Craft Ale House is his go-to for any celebration, is quite fond of their offering of Funky Farmhouse Mussels, and since I go gaga over all farmhouse ales/saisons, I opted for this entree.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQghV_idKlAqPdT_Sm0cjtWtDQ92i4YwI4mF78mq2zqyoBjYAHvM8YtyzJM047s2uayz8lvVAcYf-uPJpXS_h31L16Ba4vpXwN6pHt-Q0foLaqI08clKP2JP8VvzVzIA8O07nWJ20p3nQ/s1600/2009_05_09_2415.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQghV_idKlAqPdT_Sm0cjtWtDQ92i4YwI4mF78mq2zqyoBjYAHvM8YtyzJM047s2uayz8lvVAcYf-uPJpXS_h31L16Ba4vpXwN6pHt-Q0foLaqI08clKP2JP8VvzVzIA8O07nWJ20p3nQ/s320/2009_05_09_2415.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My heaping bowl of shellfish came deliciously dosed in a creamy base comprised of leeks, bacon, blue cheese, garlic, wilted spinach and a heavy pour of saison. Without a doubt, this original recipe won me over, creating me to want to slurp up the thick broth even when I was finished scooping out all of the fresh fish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our beer list for the evening included a big bottle of Farmhouse Hatter (<a href="http://www.newhollandbrew.com/">New Holland's </a>farmhouse-styled Mad Hatter IPA; <i>I said I'm a sucker for all things farmhouse ales</i>), Malheur 12 (a rich and sweet strong ale), and for my friend, she opted for this year's Strawberry Wheat Ale from Lancaster Brewing Company (which we agreed was a better batch than previous years).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you haven't visited Craft Ale House as of yet, whether you are looking for a special occasion place or a casual night out, hurry over! The beer list is always eye-catching, food's always extremely fresh (biggest freezer in-house is big enough to only hold a pint of ice cream) and their to-go by-the-bottle selection always has me gushing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Find Craft Ale House at </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">708 West Ridge Pike in Limerick or online at <a href="http://www.craftalehouse.com/">www.craftalehouse.com</a>.</span></i>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-36095381066229878332011-05-08T12:19:00.001-04:002011-05-08T12:22:08.233-04:00chester county farmers' market season in bloom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eCb-kk3NlD0WYXvNolueWFTr32qheWuN1hE6B2IZDytVxLM1WDNmKNJRuiZJzgFod-Fg-LchPo4chm93ghyiU_OZKd7MmZb36Z1mVkj7m9f7KRIFtjTqO8XBb7gIXUnvLK5VsWlVmGg/s1600/2009_03_23_1622.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eCb-kk3NlD0WYXvNolueWFTr32qheWuN1hE6B2IZDytVxLM1WDNmKNJRuiZJzgFod-Fg-LchPo4chm93ghyiU_OZKd7MmZb36Z1mVkj7m9f7KRIFtjTqO8XBb7gIXUnvLK5VsWlVmGg/s320/2009_03_23_1622.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezq-MEXyvamg3zAduOnjl1JpcShUJku6DZxz-X0ICIMdC7zpNYAmolrPML1suLrlna2RqNAr-yxfHO2VufnBde5PNJ7DWyPULuRvhoI-j8AvU3zDX3GQdT2oN2rq7jrmTGipOYMEF-vg/s1600/2009_03_23_1618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezq-MEXyvamg3zAduOnjl1JpcShUJku6DZxz-X0ICIMdC7zpNYAmolrPML1suLrlna2RqNAr-yxfHO2VufnBde5PNJ7DWyPULuRvhoI-j8AvU3zDX3GQdT2oN2rq7jrmTGipOYMEF-vg/s320/2009_03_23_1618.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTfYBQOF5zhmfppQEgTMGmusqSo4gk86ZKjmN6Ffq-92aDIxmIePyHb2GmpIizcy-zvwtVjsViQ_OVeHVnZ4BQ3dW8FWc25jEEgLaDuIG5LMgXGXm7aYDKhb8o6hus4nyyjuwYhgE0KY/s1600/2009_03_23_1617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTfYBQOF5zhmfppQEgTMGmusqSo4gk86ZKjmN6Ffq-92aDIxmIePyHb2GmpIizcy-zvwtVjsViQ_OVeHVnZ4BQ3dW8FWc25jEEgLaDuIG5LMgXGXm7aYDKhb8o6hus4nyyjuwYhgE0KY/s320/2009_03_23_1617.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvJ9uRWp7qnYnBnaPvsbqhzZZJVA_7EoMvMKCt48pDEttQYMNSKlofiOzqNtqRsEPvxP9aL0yX45TfqoxebjAi1GSq9BuBxgxdme9eLlkHFj4VkKhkr3iLNIzobp44aG1y3NqzXCjawo/s1600/2009_03_23_1620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvJ9uRWp7qnYnBnaPvsbqhzZZJVA_7EoMvMKCt48pDEttQYMNSKlofiOzqNtqRsEPvxP9aL0yX45TfqoxebjAi1GSq9BuBxgxdme9eLlkHFj4VkKhkr3iLNIzobp44aG1y3NqzXCjawo/s320/2009_03_23_1620.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4T_q86rjZiCl6VKq1dyIVWa3lYY5O8QWFktt7kG6K8bLDn52RCOJRomoIelJyTwqdnLmOSkWB8THIqP9EdcZ9FNRWFQGdfpKgE363oU35ku1h0CC1dnNl130PQYzWfOoDbBmuI0WTOY/s1600/2009_03_23_1621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4T_q86rjZiCl6VKq1dyIVWa3lYY5O8QWFktt7kG6K8bLDn52RCOJRomoIelJyTwqdnLmOSkWB8THIqP9EdcZ9FNRWFQGdfpKgE363oU35ku1h0CC1dnNl130PQYzWfOoDbBmuI0WTOY/s320/2009_03_23_1621.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yesterday, May 7, marked the opening of two of Chester County's farmers' markets, the <a href="http://www.westchestergrowersmarket.com/">West Chester Growers Market</a> and the <a href="http://www.phoenixvillefarmersmarket.org/">Phoenixville Farmers' Market</a>. Since I am slightly obsessed with attending all the farm markets I can in one day, I was sure to hit up both wonderful spots in this county!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I previously mentioned here, B and I are fiends for a fine loaf of sourdough bread, and thanks to <a href="http://www.westchestergrowersmarket.com/vendors/bigsky.html">Big Sky Bread Company</a> at the WC market, we almost gobbled a whole loaf of apricot, raisin and walnut wheat bread in an easy ten minutes. I adored seeing the wide assortment of Amish cheese across from the doughy stand, too, but saved my cheese purchases until I hit Phoenixville borough.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklY8UnBtyFtGFfNalYR51KJhNYUWtTUsAJZw-Gr3zL0HaJvO-2xegCWnzeAYrubtqHAiiZ-i1lyQ7AzrO0J5A-Hm-yN8eXGhgE4ZNagETFmLz2KuuFf-EHZ7lArLSAC_X_WiD79SSt3Y/s1600/2009_03_23_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklY8UnBtyFtGFfNalYR51KJhNYUWtTUsAJZw-Gr3zL0HaJvO-2xegCWnzeAYrubtqHAiiZ-i1lyQ7AzrO0J5A-Hm-yN8eXGhgE4ZNagETFmLz2KuuFf-EHZ7lArLSAC_X_WiD79SSt3Y/s320/2009_03_23_1629.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0fQ9lWFunmSpsAph4-RqOaqcNvllVygi_YYLCO_GK5nmmJOd4YsAkWxuDZII2T5Bvc8gnteZAiHj9W5fDlXuZ6Qr1GwKqbFE6YRNzH0E7TUAj_vTKp1RMj3fNyXzN6Ld3nHYs74BjSg/s1600/2009_03_23_1635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0fQ9lWFunmSpsAph4-RqOaqcNvllVygi_YYLCO_GK5nmmJOd4YsAkWxuDZII2T5Bvc8gnteZAiHj9W5fDlXuZ6Qr1GwKqbFE6YRNzH0E7TUAj_vTKp1RMj3fNyXzN6Ld3nHYs74BjSg/s320/2009_03_23_1635.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It is always a pleasure to see Sue Miller, cheesemaker of <a href="http://birchrunhillsfarm.com/cheeses/brands/">Birchrun Hills Farm</a>. Being that it was opening day of the market, Miller was slinging a brand-new, incredibly-creamy (and a must-try) raw milk cheese, Little Chardy, as well as my favorite, the Truly Blue, a 60-day aged collaboration cheese made as a farewell for <a href="http://applesandcheeseplease.blogspot.com/2010/04/amazing-acres-admirable-goat-cheeses-of.html">Amazing Acres Goat Dairy</a> with half-raw milk and half-goat milk.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYxzTTUhNcfHCu2CFbv5nTBSUryj0RwJhuFgjApNxXOPuuWUp1b2-klaEfnzhwg2pIC7385Y144Ks1Cm-Qy115EUPXMSr61gbIjYnMXkL1RvSIQ4bN0H6gKKLIyOVeib-PZ6EGfNOxhw/s1600/2009_03_23_1633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYxzTTUhNcfHCu2CFbv5nTBSUryj0RwJhuFgjApNxXOPuuWUp1b2-klaEfnzhwg2pIC7385Y144Ks1Cm-Qy115EUPXMSr61gbIjYnMXkL1RvSIQ4bN0H6gKKLIyOVeib-PZ6EGfNOxhw/s320/2009_03_23_1633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGauZYfUgTzQH2o_5i6Z-57QGxpiCjZf7hn-r6lRpKNg9WhoeN-3-gwFYnwJ5-41XpNu5F5kGLmi4_cCoNNnfYLWHXzDVU9GVngCZxOziCz1pqOhT4QPu73mUS4ZBfzR2ABMR4JNv2Y9c/s1600/2009_03_23_1634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGauZYfUgTzQH2o_5i6Z-57QGxpiCjZf7hn-r6lRpKNg9WhoeN-3-gwFYnwJ5-41XpNu5F5kGLmi4_cCoNNnfYLWHXzDVU9GVngCZxOziCz1pqOhT4QPu73mUS4ZBfzR2ABMR4JNv2Y9c/s320/2009_03_23_1634.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Did you attend either market? What were your favorite vendors amongst the bunch? I was also floored to nibble on Miller's spicy grass-fed beef sticks, and additionally, pleased to see first year vendor, <a href="http://mompops.net/">Mompops</a>, in the Phoenixville roundup.</span>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-55350319209453801472011-05-08T10:54:00.009-04:002011-05-08T11:21:42.809-04:00local roasted, people focused: a visit to one village coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNWnSaYXWkYOZPmHJRLZoBFc0nlZLyC1a-7i0k92VfSobcAJwfOc4D3PoXVxnaADbUlUKZV4vG5l0jUsWiVXX1CSjX14XCkMvB5pmTp2EeThvpy0Jnk4RAQ8557s5OCzPAk-xzW1LIVQ/s1600/2009_03_12_1364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNWnSaYXWkYOZPmHJRLZoBFc0nlZLyC1a-7i0k92VfSobcAJwfOc4D3PoXVxnaADbUlUKZV4vG5l0jUsWiVXX1CSjX14XCkMvB5pmTp2EeThvpy0Jnk4RAQ8557s5OCzPAk-xzW1LIVQ/s320/2009_03_12_1364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAt-8VZcXuF0Rwb535clcdTV39PcKGslJZGU-0E1riDtollx3I8ct_E4Wc-T6hyphenhyphenkVt4mHQS3LltE5ik7644v6il32Wo3h_f_p4RgCupGXSKz1B0VKN4niKSZOwI5RIOwswR4d6hPyn5Y/s1600/2009_03_12_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAt-8VZcXuF0Rwb535clcdTV39PcKGslJZGU-0E1riDtollx3I8ct_E4Wc-T6hyphenhyphenkVt4mHQS3LltE5ik7644v6il32Wo3h_f_p4RgCupGXSKz1B0VKN4niKSZOwI5RIOwswR4d6hPyn5Y/s320/2009_03_12_1369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I reached for what's left of my Sulawesi Toraja coffee beans this morning, a fantastically-roasted bag of caffeination from <a href="http://www.onevillagecoffee.com/">One Village Coffee</a>, I developed an instant ping of sadness. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The moment you realize you are grinding the last petite batch (well, "last" until I go to the store for more) of a coffee blend that you would go into a frenzy for is an earth-shaking moment. The adoring feelings I developed for Sulawesi, a blend conceptualized by their Chief Roaster/coffee guru Woody (seen below), followed similar suit to the crush I didn't keep pent up of another one of their varieties, the Smart Blend.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While the Sulawesi marvelously mashes together cocoa and clementine, the Smart is profound amongst its rushing of blueberry, dried fruits and cocoa. However, both are perfect for different days and my work days seem far better suited by having both on hand. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxlrR7_I0xMBolU4E7v2Crg6_eq5H9InZne-gNXys5asGwpEJxwstKUiPamgWJwoIjLn1YwOqI7iVu7LlIBwBzh-hLj0HD2hqz9YB4itIatFrXgeBPCGIul968WBhsU9XktzEVPzz0vY/s1600/2009_03_12_1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxlrR7_I0xMBolU4E7v2Crg6_eq5H9InZne-gNXys5asGwpEJxwstKUiPamgWJwoIjLn1YwOqI7iVu7LlIBwBzh-hLj0HD2hqz9YB4itIatFrXgeBPCGIul968WBhsU9XktzEVPzz0vY/s320/2009_03_12_1360.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONvYK8DiSZ4pF6meN37UEuB4gPE_FXFCMPZp5XJK0IHdnUuyd4NEuSY15W59nJRayI0gTeniwxfVEbAlf-i3n-ry-KUZqNbNWqfU9nYzzZlDLEaum2cKIry80p0g9WaC4XRD_z2bOaxc/s1600/2009_03_12_1380.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONvYK8DiSZ4pF6meN37UEuB4gPE_FXFCMPZp5XJK0IHdnUuyd4NEuSY15W59nJRayI0gTeniwxfVEbAlf-i3n-ry-KUZqNbNWqfU9nYzzZlDLEaum2cKIry80p0g9WaC4XRD_z2bOaxc/s320/2009_03_12_1380.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXekVWlZ6lEM8FoUaF0LRqT3IAjhpSV8tkKGhY4o8abSoaC3ySH-muFjp1ewIAHHczX3DL00rBkvPEdjRPN2YPD9I3eLxYPj-9R0-JP1wWLrnyuA6Zcucn27kNxyjAOhTreYu_JOOgqBY/s1600/2009_03_12_1384.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXekVWlZ6lEM8FoUaF0LRqT3IAjhpSV8tkKGhY4o8abSoaC3ySH-muFjp1ewIAHHczX3DL00rBkvPEdjRPN2YPD9I3eLxYPj-9R0-JP1wWLrnyuA6Zcucn27kNxyjAOhTreYu_JOOgqBY/s320/2009_03_12_1384.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And, being a coffee fiend, I was honored to visit their HQ in Souderton on a Tuesday morning a few weeks back. While the intention for that visit was a feature for <a href="http://beerscenemag.com/">here</a> and <a href="http://thetowndish.com/">here</a></span> (<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>which I will link to in the coming weeks</i>), I couldn't help but share a few scenes of my deliciously intoxicating morning, which also hosted a favorable meet-and-greet with the lineup of their personable staff who devised the coffee operation 4 years back.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM5Cyz7TylybkvrCLu39Q3y_N2t1voAEVqthKFGlMVU9-ssRQkJXMeIZJf_NpBO9QJpwn52-2_NCIxDSmPpzQb8vXI3xjWuz9VNQnXy61UWT_QeTIPHGxvCJBkiIOR5CZTU0lTp84V34/s1600/2009_03_12_1388.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM5Cyz7TylybkvrCLu39Q3y_N2t1voAEVqthKFGlMVU9-ssRQkJXMeIZJf_NpBO9QJpwn52-2_NCIxDSmPpzQb8vXI3xjWuz9VNQnXy61UWT_QeTIPHGxvCJBkiIOR5CZTU0lTp84V34/s320/2009_03_12_1388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You may source One Village Coffee for yourself in Philadelphia coffee shops (and in my 'hood, in <a href="http://www.artisansgallery-cafe.com/">Artisans Gallery & Cafe</a>), as well as in Whole Foods markets and various other wonderful independent businesses. Click <a href="http://www.onevillagecoffee.com/store/category/blends/">here</a> to grab a bag or two online, too!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And please do, you'll be in for a beautifully-roasted treat! </span> </div></div>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491384328799234941.post-12282171534624759722011-04-04T21:37:00.010-04:002011-04-04T22:12:09.445-04:00philly food & drink blogger meetup at supper<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziQxH3ukj5h_B6znYHYjyA70D-qUfgNrvylXh0C27gRWcVBMRvXGSrvL86ZQvdbk64DJofI9rfAtqcOlEfFQg6RkikJ3FuWXuXXr_Nxr8ZvasSSbCfBvy7retzZTjodosssaESULVRus/s1600/2009_02_16_1014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziQxH3ukj5h_B6znYHYjyA70D-qUfgNrvylXh0C27gRWcVBMRvXGSrvL86ZQvdbk64DJofI9rfAtqcOlEfFQg6RkikJ3FuWXuXXr_Nxr8ZvasSSbCfBvy7retzZTjodosssaESULVRus/s320/2009_02_16_1014.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;">My first brunch experience at <a href="http://www.supperphilly.com/">Supper</a> was wonderful and well thought out—specifically on January 1, 2011. Following an awful, awful evening packed with a series of unfortunate events, B and I decided to journey into Philadelphia on New Year's Day and while heading to South Philly on this particular day of the year may be either insane or mandatory (whichever sort of person you are), I had some fun-infused festivities to make up for and kindly, Supper did <i>not </i>let me down.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;">We played the late-morning/early afternoon brunching cards right, handpicking all the perfectly darling dishes speckled throughout the farm-forward eatery's menu. Aside our friends <a href="http://twitter.com/leeanneeats">LeeAnne</a> and <a href="http://insearchofbeer.org/">Ryan</a>, we loaded up our tabletop with everything mouthwatering, from pumpkin pie french toast and red velvet waffles, crispy apple beignets and cornbread hush puppies, a three egg frittata and a Supper Benny, wild mushroom toast and of course, a Supper Dog (see below). </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SwNzn8-71_rKKsbM_m2LOn17DGLVuGKLLpHotTSYxyjZCGGj85BAkRr41UjQfHHiQUhglyRO8Qzc-e5IZvjkk3Kd5AWrkm63a4fBldpY-CYbBh9VXjwcbxiEUg-9U0TDjYvPNQ8VQNM/s1600/2009_02_16_1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SwNzn8-71_rKKsbM_m2LOn17DGLVuGKLLpHotTSYxyjZCGGj85BAkRr41UjQfHHiQUhglyRO8Qzc-e5IZvjkk3Kd5AWrkm63a4fBldpY-CYbBh9VXjwcbxiEUg-9U0TDjYvPNQ8VQNM/s320/2009_02_16_1002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;">While, from just rattling off our menu items, it may appear as though we ordered the entire brunch lineup, and<i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">I wouldn't have wished for a better start to the new year. Since the year has so far followed with loads of blissful scenarios (thank goodness), when I recently was invited to a food & drink writer meet-up at Supper, I easily became giddy over revisiting.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">On Saturday, April 2, many enthusiastic food lovers piled into the gorgeous upstairs setting at Supper, B and I included. With the lovely, vibrant second-floor as our backdrop, it was a pleasure attending such an event (thank you <a href="http://laphemmephoodie.com/">Wendy</a> for organizing it). It was marvelous to mingle with several locals who I have shared <a href="http://twitter.com/amy_strauss">tweets</a> with in the past, and even more so, meeting a bunch of new friends who I hope to share drinks with in the future.</span></span><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9rSJBwfz-lCjKZuXD9QHPbvuYkLV2s_crZmvD-p07MINxcUZ1zt5gqDet6Oc5uqNkrw9Ux98tVGaI7oeW6lVOD3b1GhmN9k5A6cp_5xnn4e_gqc66z-n6YX4BqoX-pIqapit7evACH4/s1600/2009_02_16_1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9rSJBwfz-lCjKZuXD9QHPbvuYkLV2s_crZmvD-p07MINxcUZ1zt5gqDet6Oc5uqNkrw9Ux98tVGaI7oeW6lVOD3b1GhmN9k5A6cp_5xnn4e_gqc66z-n6YX4BqoX-pIqapit7evACH4/s320/2009_02_16_1000.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>lovely blogging ladies with Supper's Jen Prensky</i></span> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90ImCBCi2BPv6KjHUfbMihWJCyPkbUpsVhtlUdczmXImP8V6bf1sXNBki2mw-ASGzhiAOnIuYFKtEdOYJ4oC4vKzMod0CSBO0-IqRtKhjqogacZ5rPPOmumgM8FkqJThpB9SNovxZTXE/s1600/2009_02_16_0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90ImCBCi2BPv6KjHUfbMihWJCyPkbUpsVhtlUdczmXImP8V6bf1sXNBki2mw-ASGzhiAOnIuYFKtEdOYJ4oC4vKzMod0CSBO0-IqRtKhjqogacZ5rPPOmumgM8FkqJThpB9SNovxZTXE/s320/2009_02_16_0978.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">cheesy photo with my <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/">cheese-loving comrade</a></span></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygZVIphCuXIluFL1I1RclJx30oMs9AJjOj6534fjE4yzmkQgaBrVieGwIcScRi_RbBpGPwgsUZvzqILVmdbaW_B7u6HwbVil7Aua69jFuDuhVw03Bq6DQd8pLD-O9TJAw5si9mHRludM/s1600/2009_02_16_0972.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygZVIphCuXIluFL1I1RclJx30oMs9AJjOj6534fjE4yzmkQgaBrVieGwIcScRi_RbBpGPwgsUZvzqILVmdbaW_B7u6HwbVil7Aua69jFuDuhVw03Bq6DQd8pLD-O9TJAw5si9mHRludM/s320/2009_02_16_0972.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>B admiring the Supper dogs</i></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Of course, a midday soiree for a grub-loving gang would not be complete with unforgettable snacks, and this time around at Supper, I was happy to lengthen my list of lovable dishes I have sampled. We can skip my in-person gushing over the red velvet waffles and Supper dog (again), and speed to my Saturday favorites: the Dock Street pancakes topped with candied apples, vanilla foam and housemade crack jacks; and the Dixie Biscuit, big sandwich bites bursting with two scrambled eggs, country ham and pimento cheese.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNMqoA4r8cZ-smmElhmucX6kFX0T85GHJzwQnINNSIHOh4IWM4PE4UyIwz9nFYE9zwwRYsHfXXaRkJ-pi7D-hPKw5wnhbeT_CnI2gq3esA7NRJxGENGeB3tjkHIWyPrGIov4Ih7hI5IU/s1600/2009_02_16_1005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNMqoA4r8cZ-smmElhmucX6kFX0T85GHJzwQnINNSIHOh4IWM4PE4UyIwz9nFYE9zwwRYsHfXXaRkJ-pi7D-hPKw5wnhbeT_CnI2gq3esA7NRJxGENGeB3tjkHIWyPrGIov4Ih7hI5IU/s320/2009_02_16_1005.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dock Street Pancakes</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefpwbGd7y4dChZDs6Zy0Xz2XydOYqc-rcOenMD5Ra6Yg5EONT336fbqUUoUOx5itkvmYBZSKb7AczrnqX_JdLGBsSaTFY0w7hXpveOK7tDmUcaYBXh7lOxsWV9IQ-h-DHWsXmxx6DUvk/s1600/2009_02_16_1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefpwbGd7y4dChZDs6Zy0Xz2XydOYqc-rcOenMD5Ra6Yg5EONT336fbqUUoUOx5itkvmYBZSKb7AczrnqX_JdLGBsSaTFY0w7hXpveOK7tDmUcaYBXh7lOxsWV9IQ-h-DHWsXmxx6DUvk/s320/2009_02_16_1003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dixie Biscuit served with grits & housemade pickles</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I can't wait to go back and binge of the best of Supper's brunch—time and time again. I will—without a doubt—continue to pair the brunching experiences like I had the past 2 times, with many, many marvelous mimosas. Also, a big thank you goes out to Jen & Mitch of Supper: Your hospitality, welcoming atmosphere and incredible bites made our blogger bash a success!</span></span></div></div>amy strausshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10273066644008707720noreply@blogger.com