Philadelphia Chutney Company

Ever since the announcement at the beginning of the year that Philadelphia Chutney Company would open in Center City, I have patiently been anticipating the arrival of a casual place to get my dosa fix in Philly, a city strangely lacking in Southern Indian cuisine. Besides the linen-topped dining at the fabulous Palace at the Ben, which only serves dosas during their Southern Indian Sunday brunch, I'm not aware of another place in the heart of the city to grab a dosa.Philadelphia Chutney Company is a bright, small, fast-food style restaurant smack in the middle of Center City, that conveniently does take-out for workers that need a fast meal. Delivery up to 10 blocks will also be available soon.For those unfamiliar with a dosa, it's a large, round crepe made from a fermented rice and lentil batter, with ultra-crispy edges and a soft center folded around various fillings. Dosas are usually just shy of 2 feet long, and can be a meal in themselves.

If you care for a thicker bread around your fillings, order a uttapa, which is simply the same batter used for a dosa, but made thicker and not as large.

The Philadelphia Chutney Company has 15 dosas/uttapas to choose from. The sada dosa, a plain crepe with no fillings; and the masala dosa, a crepe filled with a spiced potato filling are the only two traditional dosas you'll find on the menu. All of the other dosas are a fusion of Indian and Western flavors for those who prefer more familiar flavors and tamer heat levels. Fusion dosas have fillings like arugula, avocado, roasted tomatoes, balsamic roasted onions, goat cheese, Jack cheese, and veggie chicken.

Everything on the menu is vegetarian. Veggie chicken and veggie tuna can be found sprinkled throughout the menu of dosas, uttapas, and wraps.Philadelphia Chutney Company's dosas are delightfully thin and crispy, but, with any dosa, are best eaten immediately before losing it's crisp. The masala dosa filled with potatoes spiced with turmeric, curry leaf, and mustard seed is right on.The curry chutney veggie chicken dosa with slightly wilted spinach, and sweet balsamic roasted onions flirts only lightly with Indian flavors. There is enough spinach to make one feel healthy, and the veggie chicken is sparse enough to not weigh one down. While I adore traditional dosa fillings, I can get behind the fusion.
Cilantro, curry, mango, tomato, or coconut chutneys come with the dosas, but be sure to pipe up your preference, as the coconut chutney or cilantro chutney seem to come standard.
At $2.50 for an order of two, the samosas might be the best deal on the fairly priced menu which tops out at only $8. About the size of a large man's palm and packed full of spicy mashed potato filling, an order of crispy, fried samosas with sweet tamarind chutney will leave you full all day.If you like spice, be sure to order the gobi Manchurian appetizer, an Indo-Chinese cauliflower snack surrounded by a thick, fried batter and smothered in a spicy, faintly sweet, Indian tomato sauce. It's like Chinese sweet and sour pork but with a vegetable and Indian twist. By far, the favorite dish of my visit. (If I were a dosa newcomer, I would have said Masala dosa was my favorite.)The hot masala chai was weakly spiced. Sugar comes on the side, and can be added as you see fit.

It was well worth the long wait for The Philadelphia Chutney Company; they did not disappoint. My only wish is for my favorite dosa, the traditional and very spicy, ginger-spiked Mysore masala dosa, to make an appearance on the menu. Maybe as a chef's special?

Philadelphia Chutney Company
1628 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-564-6446
Mon-Thurs: 11:30am-9pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30am-late
Sun: closed

Brunch at Supper

South Street's casual but upscale, farm-to-table Supper got me in the door last year with their deviled egg happy hour (so good, they still do it), and this year they got me in the door for their brunch — specifically their Southern-themed Dixie biscuit with pimento cheese, and their red velvet waffles.

What sounded like two plates right up my alley, ended up being a wrong turn. These two dishes weren't bad, but I went in there with preconceived notions of what each dish should be, and the reality did not match.
The tender, buttery cat head biscuit (named so because it's the size of a cat's head) was perfect. The scrambled egg inside the biscuit was perfect (ham was omitted), as well as the side of grits, even though, for $13, the portion was small.

But hold up. What the hell kind of pimento cheese is that? Did Supper's chef replicate oozy, fake grocery store pimento cheese made from unnatural and un-pronounceable ingredients (not saying Supper uses those ingredients, just describing a tub of Ruth's or some other such brand), instead of making thick, visibly grated, home style pimento cheese? I'm simultaneously impressed and appalled.

I'm impressed that someone made pimento cheese from real ingredients and got it to actually taste like fake pimento cheese (I actually hanker for fake pimento cheese occasionally, but know that it is a sin).

Appalled because I'm afraid pimento cheese virgins will come to Supper and leave thinking that this is how pimento cheese is supposed to look, feel, and taste — and I'm not even taking into account Supper's pimento cheese's elevated spiciness, because spicing up pimento cheese is a personal preference that is neither here nor there.

Do you care? No, you don't. You're going to find it yummy, oozy, and cheesy.
The red velvet waffles are topped with an airy, sweet, cream cheese frosting, accentuated with pecans and god-awfully-good, bourbon-soaked cherries. (Wish life was a bowl full of these cherries!) Only waffle in shape, the red velvet waffles are doughy without crispy edges, like cake batter poured in a waffle iron. I would have preferred a tried-and-true, crispy waffle recipe made red and with a bit of cocoa powder thrown in than Supper's more literal interpretation.
Been on a hush puppy kick lately, what with the Southern restaurant revival going on all over the nation, so had to give Supper's a try. Their light, crispy, fried cornmeal nuggets topped with grated Parmesan are great, and are leading the pack of the few I've recently tried in Philly (Cooperage's are misguidedly paired with sweet jam; and Catahoula's are too gritty, especially when served undercooked). I'm still waiting for someone to make hush puppies with diced onions, though, to match my hush puppy traditionalist expectations.

Supper has the creative license to make whatever they like (and it did taste good) how ever they like (that's kind of why it's fun to eat out), and if I want pimento cheese a certain way I should just make it at home (and I do), but my only real concern with this post, since most of y'all don't run into pimento cheese often, is that you trust me when I tell you that pimento cheese normally does not taste or look like what we had for brunch at Supper. That is all.

Signed,
Pimento Cheese Traditionalist

Supper
926 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-592-8180

Bitar's

Field trips are even more fun when you're an adult, but not when the bus pulls up to the corner of 9th and Passyunk to let all the "kids" off the bus to eat at either Pat's or Geno's. That's exactly what happened to me when I first arrived to the area many years ago. Not getting down with any cheesesteaks, around the corner I went and quickly ran into Bitar's, a Middle Eastern grocery and take-out. And, so Bitar's became the second place I ever ate at in Philly (first was Rangoon).Inside is a small selection of Middle Eastern groceries, pitas and flat breads baked by Soumaya and Sons bakery out of Whitehall, PA, a small case of pastries, and Bitar's own hummus and baba ghanoush in the wall cooler along with other perishables like Halloumi cheese.To the left of the grocery room is a high counter with a few stools in front, and a couple of tables along the window for dining in, but most people grab an order to go. All your Middle Eastern basics are up for grabs at Bitar's, and even bitzzas, Bitar's own Middle Eastern pizza made on Zaatar bread.A vegetarian combo, which includes pita, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouli, falafel, and stuffed grape leaves, is a good way to cover a lot of the vegetarian options. While there is nothing ground breaking about any of these dishes, I like that Bitar's actually puts some flavor into their dishes.The tabouli salad is assertively tangy with lemon juice, and not shy with diced onions. Smooth baba ghanoush has smokey flavor, but also a little kick of acid from lemon. Hummus is classically silky, and slightly bitter from tahini. Even the falafel balls, which are unfortunately extremely dry, have a bit of spicy kick. And oil haters, fear not, Bitar's rice stuffed grape leaves are not covered in oil.

Given the choice of Pat's or Geno's, Bitar's is the better choice.

Bitar's
947 Federal St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-755-1121
Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm
Sat: 10am-6pm
Sun: closed

The Fractured Prune

It's hard to believe that a city the size of Philly doesn't have a gourmet doughnut shop along the lines of Portland's Voodoo Doughnut, or New York's Doughnut Plant. The closest thing we have to a shop cranking our creative doughnuts is The Fractured Prune, a franchise started in Ocean City, Maryland, now with a handful of locations in Maryland, two locations in Delaware, and one location each in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

My once or twice yearly trips to the beaches of Delaware make the Rehoboth Beach Fractured Prune my best bet at sampling hot, haute doughnuts. It's been a long wait since last summer, but I finally got some Fractured Prune doughnuts this past weekend.

Go early, or else the shop is closed in the afternoon, as I sadly found out. And call in your order if you want more than a couple of doughnuts, as a friend schooled me when he woke up the next day at the crack of dawn to bring back three boxes of doughnuts — at least two of each specialty doughnut off their menu!

The Fractured Prune makes all of their doughnuts to order, starting with a single cake-style batter. Sorry, no yeast doughnuts at all. Once the doughnuts are fried, they get a dip in one of their many glaze flavors: honey, banana, chocolate, maple, cherry, strawberry, lemon, raspberry, orange, peanut butter, blueberry, mocha, mixed berry, mint, and caramel.

The doughnuts are then loaded with your choice of toppings: rainbow sprinkles, chocolate jimmies, coconut, peanuts, Oreo cookie, mini chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon sugar. Create your own combination or choose one of their specialty combos from the menu.This all sounds so freakin' fantastic, but, admittedly, I was not blown away by The Fractured Prune's doughnut, and, yes, I got to eat them while they were still hot, and pretty much sampled every variety from their specialty menu.

My only major disappointment is the flavored glazes. They're just too thin to provide a walloping flavor punch that a thicker frosting would. When I order a caramel dipped doughnut, I want to be punched in the face with caramel, not left wondering what this brown, sugary slick is. And is that blueberry? It's blue, but I'm not sure.

The doughnuts themselves are a bit smaller than a doughnut from Dunkin Donut, and are a more craggy and airy cake doughnut. No real complaint there, just noting the difference.

I think my year-long anticipation of a Fractured Prune doughnut may have built up unrealistic expectations, but I would not be unhappy to make a pit stop at The Fractured Prune on future beach trips. The Trail Mix with banana glaze loaded down with nuts, coconut, and chocolate jimmies would be my first choice.

The Fractured Prune
Locations in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Ohio

Koo Zee Doo

All the good things you've heard about Koo Zee Doo, the cozy BYOB in Northern Liberties serving up rustic, family-style plates of Portuguese food is true.

And Koo Zee Doo even has three vegetarian entrees on their small menu, which is exactly three more vegetarian entrees than I encountered on my trip to Portugal a few years ago (not even exaggerating), so, as a vegetarian, if you've ever wondered what Portuguese food tastes like (I was still wondering after my time in Portugal), get yourself over to Koo Zee Doo pronto.

The interior of Koo Zee Doo is small and warm, with exposed brick, flickering candles, and diners cozying up to a bottle of wine at tables, or at a the small bar overlooking an open kitchen. Out back is a charming, small patio with vines growing up the walls and twinkle lights strung over head.
Complimentary bread and butter, along with a small dish of pickled lupini beans are brought to the table. Broa is a Portuguese peasant corn bread that tastes nothing like the Southern cornbread you're familiar with, but more like a rustic, chewy roll with barely detectable flavors of corn. You are instructed to pierce the skin of the briney beans and slip the bean out, but I found the bean's outer shell to be tender enough to eat.

Since plates are on the larger side and intended for sharing, it's recommended that each person order an appetizer and split an entree with another person.The boy ordered pan-seared shrimp with piri piri sauce, a spicy Portuguese sauce made from peppers. These shrimp were massive, yet still tender and cooked perfectly. The evenly balanced spicy and briney piri piri sauce flavored with juices from the shrimp was perfect for mopping up with the rustic rolls.

We had a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic server, so I let him choose for me what he thought was the best vegetarian appetizer and entree. He did not steer me wrong, but even from the small sampling of the menu we had that evening, I don't think he could have done any wrong no matter what he chose.The heirloom tomato salad with Mozzarella, red onions, and olives dressed in oil, vinegar, and the tomatoes own juices was simple, and highlighted the glory of Summer tomatoes.
Our server's favorite vegetarian entree, Milho Frito, a fried corn porridge, was already gone for the evening (a great reason to visit again!), so the tomato bread pudding slid from second place into first.

The flat pancake of tomato-soaked bread had a nice crispy outer shell that contrasted nicely with the moist middle, but I thought the dish was on the verge of being overly salty. The flavors of the roasted fennel and fava bean puree underneath the savory bread pudding lent intrigue to the somewhat plain tomato bread pudding.The chocolate plate comes with slices of fudge-like dark chocolate "salami" studded with crushed cookies; perfectly textured, dark chocolate mousse with an almond and dark chocolate brittle; and a sensuous, dark chocolate-covered fig stuffed with chestnut paste that is so good it should be boxed and sold at the door as diners are leaving. Varied, rich, and not too sweet, this plate is a chocolate lover's dream.Wine poached apricots, passion fruit puree, raspberry puree and Port-soaked cherries all came together in bowl of tart fruity heaven with layered and complex flavors. Fruit for dessert, really, has never tasted as good as at Koo Zee Doo.

Remember those bomb-diggity biscuits at Ugly American when they first opened? Well, Carla Conçalvez, the wife in the husband and wife team that makes up Koo Zee Doo, did those biscuits, and is now doing the breads and desserts at Koo Zee Doo. Carla was also nominated for James Beard's 2010 Outstanding Pastry Chef. David Gilberg, the husband part of the team was nominated for James Beard 2010 Rising Star Chef, and Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Something is going right over at Koo Zee Doo!

So, yes, it is true! The food at Koo Zee Doo is generous and rustic, with simple flavors from quality ingredients coming together beautifully and harmoniously. Even the desserts are phenomenal, which might be the bigger restaurant feat.

Koo Zee Doo
614 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA, 19123
215-923-8080
Thurs, Sun, Mon: 5:30-10pm
Fri-Sat: 5:30-10pm
Tues, Wed: closed
BYOB

A Full Plate's 4th Annual Rib Cook-Off

Scenes from last year's event.

Hey, veggie kids, wanna go to an outdoor rib cook-off where you can actually eat something?

Get yourself on over to A Full Plate's 4th Annual Rib Cook-Off this Saturday, September 11, at Liberty Lands Park in Northern Liberties, where professional and amateur teams grill up a vegetarian dish for competition, in addition to ribs and chicken.

A Full Plate Café will provide an all-vegetarian buffet of sides, and Flying Monkey Patisserie will provide sweet eats.

Stick around for the Northern Liberties Music Festival, which immediately follows the cook-off, and is also held in Liberty Lands Park.

I had a blast at last year's cook-off as a veggie judge and can attest to all the good food, but heed my warning: cook-offs are not events to show up to fashionably late! Hundreds of savagely hungry people line up waiting for the doors to open, and when the food is gone, it's gone.

A Full Plate's 4th Annual Rib Cook-Off
Liberty Lands Park - 3rd and Wildey streets
Saturday, September 11
Doors open at noon
$20 all-you-can-eat

Squash Casserole

Squash casserole holds a tie with macaroni and cheese as my favorite dish my Mom makes. Maybe it's because squash casserole is essentially the same as the macaroni and cheese my Mom makes, except squash take the place of elbow noodles, and the squash's own juices take the place of milk. If you will, you could say squash casserole is a healthier version of mac and cheese!

This dish is found at every Southern table for weeknight suppers and even special occasions. I get my mother's squash casserole only at Christmas when visiting home, so the dish in now a special occasion dish for me.I have the hardest time finding tender, young, yellow crookneck squash around these parts (always find straight squash, or overgrown squash with tough skins and pithy centers), so I actually grew my own this year. We use nothing else but yellow crookneck squash, so it's not the same to me with some other squash, but you certainly could use some other yellow summer squash. Just be sure the squash is young and tender, as this is very important to the texture of the casserole.Squash is boiled until tender and then mashed to varying degrees of mushiness. I like squash casserole mushed to oblivion, and also only slightly mushed. I like squash casserole.

So, I will eat them in a box. And I will eat them with a fox. And I will eat them in a house. And I will eat them with a mouse. And I will eat them here and there. Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE!On vacation a few weeks ago, a friend made squash casserole knowing I liked it so much, and commented that everyone makes squash casserole differently. It's true! She made hers with dill, sour cream, and Cheddar, and it was fabulous. I'm giving you a basic recipe with only onions and Cheddar cheese, but feel free to play around.

Squash Casserole
adapted from my Mother
serves 4-5

5-6 yellow squash, chopped
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
garlic salt, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

• Boil squash until tender. Drain water from squash.
• In a large bowl, add the squash, egg, butter, onion, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Mash together with a potato masher
• Add Cheddar cheese to squash mixture and combine.
  
• Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees fro about 30 minutes.
  

Grindcore House

A coffee house in Pennsport? You don't say! And a vegan one, to boot!

Grindcore House on the corner of Greenwich and 4th streets is bare bones, but retains it's beautiful Philly rowhouse interior. A coffee bar and pastry case is the focus of the front room along with a chest-level ledge along the front window, and in back is a sitting room with a couch and tables at the end of a narrow walkway.
The back room also serves as a space for artists. Currently PHL: Printers/Haters/Lovers anoints the walls. Live performances will also take place at Grindcore House.

A Barrister bookcase filled with an array of vegan/veg, anarcho, and political books enriches the minds of the younger kids hanging in house that sing along to the mix of indie, punk, hardcore, and grindcore music that plays throughout the coffee house. As an older kid, I keep waiting to hear a track from my ex's 80's hardcore band.Grindcore House is a drop off point for Books Through Bars, an organization that sends books to prisoners, so be sure to send them your no longer needed books. In the future you'll be able to pick up a book, too, as Grindcore House figures out a system for lending to their customers

Grindcore House is just shy of being two weeks old, so is still working out details on lots of things, including their permanent hours.

They've got the coffee down, which is supplied by Goshen, a 100% organic coffee roaster in St. Louis. Daily selections of black, green and herbal teas are down. And their vegan creamers — soy, rice, almond, and coconut milks — are also good to go.Desserts are down, too. Vegan Treats, along with a handful of local Philly vegan bakers supply Grindcore House's baked goods.

Wi-fi is up and running, and a vegan sandwich and lunch menu should be coming soon. I can't wait for seitan sandwiches to get in my belly!

Thank you, Grindcore House, for choosing the much under served Philly neighborhood of Pennsport to open shop. You're our new regular!

Grindcore House
1515 S. 4th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147