Brewer's Plate 2012 in Pictures

Earlier this month we attended The Brewer's Plate 2012, a large tasting event at the National Constitution Center to benefit Fair Food. The local nonprofit works to bring locally grown food into Philly's markets and promote a humane, sustainable agriculture system for the region. A cause we strongly believe in. 

Brewer's Plate is an annual celebration of the Philadelphia region’s independent craft breweries, restaurants, farmers, and artisanal producers. Under the tasting theme, each participating restaurant/food source prepares a small dish or dessert that is then paired with a local craft beer. It would be an understatement to say that we stuffed our faces with lots of great food and beer. 


It was a little tough to stay in the right lines and keep track of our thoughts on the actual pairings, but we did take a ton of photos and notes on whatever we tried. Here's a run-down of our feedback. About 50 more photos can be viewed on Facebook, where you can "like" our page to get alerts on new posts. Enjoy...

Three Reasons to go to Tapestry in Queen Village

(from Tapestry website)

Beer. Booze. Bites. That's the slogan at Tapestry - on the website, on the menu, even on the front door. We've been twice now and have to say, it's winning on all three points.

Tapestry replaced the beloved Adsum on the Queen Village corner of 5th and Bainbridge this past November. It was coined the latest gastropub in a series of openings around town, but feels less like the "pub" half of that label than most others.

Floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides open up the small-ish space and a slightly larger wine selection than many other gastropubs helps that cause. The menu, however, is a refreshing return to what we saw from gastropubs when the trend exploded a few years ago - upscale versions of staple items like burgers, fish n' chips and apps. We've been frustrated by some other well-established gastropubs fancying up their menus lately and taking off these traditional items. No matter what you call it, Tapestry is a safe bet for good food, drink and atmosphere.

Mica: Craftsmanship at Work in the Heart of Chestnut Hill

By now you've likely read or heard that Philadelphia's own Mica was recently named one of GQ magazine's 10 Best New Restaurants in America. You can probably understand, then, why I did a little jump for joy reading this and knowing that we already had a reservation. Demand is sure to peak in the next few months. 

For us, Mica lived up to its reputation for complex and creative dishes, handcrafted with perfection by emerging local star Chip Roman. Looking at the meal as a whole though, including the progression of small plates and service, it was mix of positives and negatives. In the end, I did walk away with admiration for the TLC put into every bite.

There are just a few options at Mica: the chef's tasting of five or seven dishes, or a fixed price for three or four choices from the main menu. The month's tasting ingredients are listed but you don't know how they'll be used. We went in February, so what you see below may not be what's offered another month. 


We opted for the five-course tasting menu at $75 per person. It came with a freebie dish at the beginning and end, so we really had seven courses. Don't know if that's the norm, but it certainly made us glad we picked the smaller option. Roman's complimentary Spanish mackerel ceviche was a perfectly fresh combination of light fish, grapefruit, cilantro and salsa verde, possibly even our favorite dish of the night. It set the tone very well. 

Battle of the Philly Hot Dogs: Underdogs vs. Hot Diggity

First post below. Update 8/27/12: We went back to Underdogs recently to try their sausage sandwiches as a late night snack. Despite underwhelming us with hot dogs the first time, the sausages were pretty darn good. Kristy loved The Chihuahua, with soft, smokey chorizo grilled just right and topped with sauteed onions, chipotle mayo and crumbled queso blanco. The onions were not overpowering and the well-planned mayo/queso combo coated every bite, just like you'd expect from a good cheesesteak. Bradd would recommend The 9th Streeter with spicy italian sausage, sauteed peppers and onions. We both agreed that the fries were just as great as on our first trip.

The 9th Streeter

The Chihuahua

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Could an artisanal hot dog war be heating up in Philly?

Philly Eater presented this idea in a recent post after the opening of Underdogs at 17th and Sansom St. In the opposite corner is Hot Diggity, which opened at 6th and South St. last June.

Both are jumping on the new, gourmet hot dog trend that is riding the coattails of fancy burgers and pizza. As "haute dog" joints, they focus on fresh, quality dogs with chef-inspired toppings.

You can count us on Team Hot Diggity if we have to declare allegiances in this match up.

A quick look at the tale of the tape (dog and bun) showcases the main differences in preparation. Hot Diggity grills their long, thin Sabrett dogs, while Underdogs serves a thicker, boiled Dietz & Watson. The grilled Sabrett packed the flavor of a traditional NYC-style dog without overwhelming the other ingredients, and was just crispy enough to make you long for summertime barbecues. Meanwhile, the plump Dietz & Watson was served to us lukewarm and seemed more processed. Ballpark-style, in truth.

When it comes to the bun, Hot Diggity uses toasted rolls from Liscio’s while Underdogs goes for untoasted from Cacia's. Again, we appreciated the warm, toasted bread at Hot Diggity much more. Both of these style elements are really based on preference, so perhaps yours is different, but they are important details to know before you go to either joint.

Sandwich Quest: Mix n' Match Your Meatballs at Marabella

I recently set off on a Sandwich Quest to try some new sandwiches including the falafel at Mama’s Vegetarian (review coming) and the lamb gyro at Opa. On my walk to Opa, I passed Marabella Meatball Co. (MMCo.) and as luck would have it they were celebrating their one-year anniversary with a $5 sandwich special. That’s as good a reason as any to change plans and give a meatball sammie a shot.