visiting chicago's sprout with the dish trip team

Last month, our Dish Trip 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 Southwest's exclusive Cardmember Dinners at Sprout Restaurant.

I scribed up the experience over on Southwest Nuts' About Southwest Blog (which you can read HERE), which includes our in-the-kitchen interview with Chef Dale Levitski (yes, of Top Chef fame).

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. 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.

celebrating cafette's holy grail of fried chicken

It started with the fried chicken. Once a week on a Friday night, Cafette 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.

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.

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!

Continue reading  my article HERE, on ChestnutHillDish.com.

pescatore's italian restaurant's autumn craft beer dinner

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.

Recently, the Town Dish team was invited to attend Pescatore's Italian Restaurant'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.

Credit: Nina Lea Photography

That's me above — obviously, I was enjoying this recent experience, sipping Finch's Golden Wing (love this Blonde Ale). I did a full-blown, course-by-course dinner recap over on West Chester Dish, which you can read by clicking HERE.

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 long time, and they're so popular that each one sells-out the restaurant and it is open only to beer dinner attendees.

apple picking at frecon farms

Frecon Farms has always had a sweet spot in my heart. Situated in my hometown, apples were a major part of my diet — well, that and the fact that I worked my mid- to late-teens across town in another prosperous apple-focused company, at Bauman's Apple Butter.

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.

Taking all of the above into consideration, B and I hit Frecon's on the first day of their  pick-your-own season — which debuted two weeks earlier this year due to the warm winter we had along the East Coast. 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.

Scenes from our fall-infused excursion are viewable below.

Learn all you need to know on picking your own at Frecon Farms of Boyertown, Pa. by clicking here. You can also PYO pumpkins — which, I'm gearing up to do just that very soon.

chit-chatting with mark weinmann of great lakes brewing company

In the midst of Oktoberfest season, we have been flooding the air waves with interviews of beer-savvy individuals. Recently, I chit-chatted with Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s Mark Weinmann and you can dive into the full Q&A HERE.

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).

recapping historic kennett's 15th annual brewfest

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 Historic Kennett Square’s annual Brewfest was (and always is) the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Continue the full tasting report by clicking HERE. 2012's top picks include: Evil Genius Brewing Co.’s Trick or Treat Chocolate Pumpkin Porter, Manayunk Brewing Co.’s Yunkin Punkin, McKenzie Brew House’s Saison Vautour, Hill Farmstead’s Vera Mae and Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co.’s Leon Russian Imperial S’mores Stout.

summer recap: zombie-infused feast unfolds at zahav

This summer, James Beard award-winning Chef Michael Solomonov hosted his annual“Down the Shore” soiree, where he—for 2012—transformed his restaurant, Zahav, into a night of the living dead party with blood thirsty guests and more importantly, an incredible lineup of Philadelphia acclaimed chefs. 

I recapped this forever-memborable bloody bash over on OpenTable (click here 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).

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.

plcb rebrands shop designs, tasting bar now included

If you live in Pennsylvania, or you've hit up a liquor store while visiting friends in my dear Keystone State, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s (PLCB) shop designs are antiquated and we are surely in need of a recess from them. 

However, great news: The PLCB has heard our pleas. 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.

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 Drink Philly, available by clicking here.

dish tripping through los angeles, california

Call me a country-wide traveler as of late, but I was lucky to hit the West Coast (for the first-time ever, by the way) to explore the fine eats and drinks of Los Angeles, California. 

Full stop-by-stop, bite-by-bite adventure (which was mostly tackled in 24 hours!) is available here.

LA visits included: The Standard, The Roger Room, Sweet Lady Jane, ink (Top Chef's Mike V's haunt!), Pinkberry, The Terrace Café in Venice Beach &  Napa Valley Grille.

More peeks after the jump from our whirlwind WC adventure below. Also, it's important to note that next California go-around, I am not missing the cupcake ATM.

summer recap: philly's forum of the (brewing) gods

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.

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, Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Co. was part of the festivities. (Did you know, he's an “it” advocate for better beer? Truth!) 

Click here to read the full skinny about what Greg and his brewing god-like comrades discussed during the summer beer talk. For the record, the mid-week round-table featured a role call of Colby Chandler of San Diego’s Ballast Point;  Mark Edelson of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant;  Rosemarie Certo of Philadelphia’s Dock Street;  Paul Kavulak of Nebraska Brewing Company;  and of course, Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Company.

Fair warning: There was a hilarious bit during the few hours about marijuana-infused brews. (Say, what?) 

dish tripping through asheville, north carolina

Atlanta 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. 

The beautiful, free-spirit city—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 here.

Brewery & beer-centric pub visits included:  Nantahala Brewery, Pisgah Brewing,  Highland Brewery,  Oyster House Brewing Company,  Lexington Avenue Brewing,  Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, Asheville Brewing Company

dish tripping through atlanta, georgia

Earlier this year, our gang at Dish Trip flew down south to chomp through Georgia's cultural and culinary capital of Georgia—Atlanta!

The whirlwind, food-loving trip hosted more than 9 delicious stops, which are all lined up over on Southwest Airlines' Nuts About Southwest Blog. 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!

Click here to read our stop-by-stop play-by-play. 

iron hill brewery & restaurant host first-ever culinary battle

My dear friends at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant hosted their first-ever culinary cook-off mid-August, and it was a total pleasure to make the quick trek to their Wilmington, Delaware location to judge the kitchen battle.

Click here 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 Mizfam Photo.Video.Design).

join me on pinterest!

Since we converse on here, why not chitchat and share elsewhere, no? Let us start pinning. Find my boards and I here. Like you may expect, a majority of my boards circle back to food & drink (duh!).

verlasso salmon hosts culinary cook-off, chef shola crowned champ

It goes without saying—but I must—that it is always a pleasure to spy Chef Shola Olunloyo concocting his next culinary masterpiece. 

The most recent mingling occurred at Samuels and Son Seafood's Gourmet Kitchen, when Verlasso Salmon hosted their sustainable seafood-infused Chef Challenge.

Who did Chef Shola battle-it-out against, you ask? Chef Terence Feury—who is also—another local culinary heavy-hitter that constantly wows are tastebuds.

Full tasting and cook-off report here.

a visit to the chestnut hill cheese shop

I recently spent a summery weekday morning haunting around the Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop. The operating duo (Daniel Weiss & John Ingersoll) 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.

Click here for my full tasting report of my recent visit. Be warned—co-owner Daniel does tip you off to many of his cheesy favorites.

recipe: brew-infused apple sticky buns

I recently scribed a guest post for In Search of Beer, 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. 


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.


Click here 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. 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.

holiday cookie swaps and bacon chocolate chunk biscotti

There are no elaborate rules to the holiday cookie swap that I host with my best friend. While we together take baking very seriously, an affair that is themed around a sugary spread of everyone's favorite cookies should never be a tense event.

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.

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.

But, I promise you, the following two recipes are crowd-pleasers, perfect to take to any cookie share—even one of those that all bakers spend entire afternoons prepping for, designing their cookies and their plates, stressing over if their hard-worked contributions will be a raging success.

brunch at cafe luna of cambridge, massachusetts

Until I reached age 23, I never had brunch. Seriously.

I had breakfast, I had lunch, no brunch. I even, when working as a food writing intern in college, mentioned to my editor, "who really goes to brunch?" Her response? "Everyone."

Call me a late bloomer, but do know that while it took me far too long to embrace brunching habits, I am now incredibly hooked.

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 here), we stumbled upon a popular brunch spot in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Cafe Luna, petite and packed with endless one-of-a-kind creations that would send any food lover's heart a-flutter, is a go-to spot for local students looking to snag weekend brunch (which also means, they always have quite a wait!). 

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.

But, if you allow me to digress for one extra moment: The show-stoppers of CL are the sake-swirled Bloody Marys—you’ll forever be addicted and I must leave you with just that bold statement.

fried sweet bologna sandwich, served up at kutztown folk fest

I am a strange soul, especially when it comes to eating sausages.


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.


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 Kutztown Folk Festival, I was stuck in a pickle. Was inhaling a hunk of bologna as bad as I thought? This particular (seemingly pleasure-some) piece was served up fried and thick, staring its sink-your-teeth-into-me consistency right in my scared face. 


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?


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). 

And on that fateful day, it was. 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!


We suggest if ever going to a local German food fest, never skip the fried bologna, and don't forget a hearty squirt of mustard, either.