HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Stay hungry, friends. See you next year!
Love,
Bradd & Kristy from 22nd & Philly
December 24, 2013
December 18, 2013
A Lunch Date at Google's World Famous, Free, All-You-Can-Eat Cafeteria
How many times have you heard people say, "it must be soooo cool to work for Google..." Did you ever think about how cool it would be just to eat at Google?
Well that's what we did on a recent trip to San Francisco and it was pretty awesome. Call it one perk of being a food blogger since the Googleplex cafeterias are closed to the public.
Two reps at Google were nice enough to host us for lunch and a whirlwind hour full of interesting facts and figures about Google's food program, not to mention excellent food by any standard, let alone a corporate cafeteria.
Here are 11 cool things we learned.
1. It was Larry Page and Sergey Brin's founding philosophy to treat employees like you'd treat your family, so food has been a focus at Google since it's start-up days. An executive chef was hired as employee #51. Today a 20-person internal team manages Google's food program, from operations to communications to supplier relations. Philly can count one of the two PR reps we ate with as it's own, a UArts grad and NJ native.
2. Not once was a person working for Google referred to as an employee. They are all "Googlers," so that's what we'll call them from here. Subgroups that act almost like internal clubs include Nooglers (new employees), Greyglers (elder employees), Gayglers (gay employees) and so on.
3. About 17,000 people work at the Mountain View Googleplex and 44,000 worldwide. With many Googlers eating more than one meal per day on campus, the company estimates serving 60,000 meals per day across the globe.
4. We got to try Baadal, one of the newer hip on-campus restaurants and the first to book by reservation. Baadal gives Googlers what internal surveys say they want more of - Indian food. Adding to the cool factor, you can also get the same grub at the Baadal food truck outside. No less than 50 people were in line that day. We're told the other most popular restaurant on campus serves Japanese.
Well that's what we did on a recent trip to San Francisco and it was pretty awesome. Call it one perk of being a food blogger since the Googleplex cafeterias are closed to the public.
Two reps at Google were nice enough to host us for lunch and a whirlwind hour full of interesting facts and figures about Google's food program, not to mention excellent food by any standard, let alone a corporate cafeteria.
Here are 11 cool things we learned.
2. Not once was a person working for Google referred to as an employee. They are all "Googlers," so that's what we'll call them from here. Subgroups that act almost like internal clubs include Nooglers (new employees), Greyglers (elder employees), Gayglers (gay employees) and so on.
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| Our delicious lamb biryani lunch at Baadal |
4. We got to try Baadal, one of the newer hip on-campus restaurants and the first to book by reservation. Baadal gives Googlers what internal surveys say they want more of - Indian food. Adding to the cool factor, you can also get the same grub at the Baadal food truck outside. No less than 50 people were in line that day. We're told the other most popular restaurant on campus serves Japanese.
December 13, 2013
Salumeria Kicks Off Hoagie Quest In Style
The bar has been set for Hoagie Quest.
The Italian Hoagie at Salumeria in Reading Terminal Market is as good as any I've ever had.
Just how good was it?
It was so good that I wrapped up half and took it with me on vacation in the Poconos just so my dad could try a bite. And it traveled just fine.
The roll had the perfect soft inside / firm outside blend that did not result in hoagie jaw, an infliction that I hope doesn't become too common on Hoagie Quest.
Salumeria doubles as a cheese and meat shop (a good trick when looking for a good hoagie). The result is a hoagie packed with capicola, mortadella, salami and prosciutto. The provolone is sharp, but not overpowering.
Readers suggested ordering it with house dressing. Thankfully I listened. The dressing is the real kicker of the hoagie even though I normally prefer only oil. You must order it with the dressing.
Hoagie Quest is on folks! Stay tuned.
If you have a suggestion, leave a comment. You can email or tweet us pics of your own favorites too. We'll be sure to share them.
December 9, 2013
Yo Philly! Who's up for a Hoagie Quest?
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| One of our favorites from Ray's in Lansdale, PA |
First, the bad.
We have written about no less than 29 sandwiches since the start of Sandwich Quest in 2011. Can you believe we haven't written about one Italian hoagie? Not one. Shame on us.
The Italian hoagie is not only iconic Philadelphia, but one of my favorite types of sandwiches. I could give some weak excuses like the desire to try different or overlooked sandwiches, but that would be worse than Ruben Amaro trying to explain how John Mayberry is underrated.
Unlike Rube, I’d rather just admit my error and fix it.
Hence the good news!
December 4, 2013
Trip to San Francisco to Count Down the 7 Tastiest Feasts in North America
Just before Thanksgiving we traveled to San Francisco with Chowzter, a cool new website/startup that helps you figure out what to eat as you travel across the globe. The mobile app is coming soon, so stay tuned...
There are recommendations listed for more than 100 cities on the website: http://www.chowzter.com.
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| Foodies from around the continent, chowing down (and taking photos, of course) at Mission Chinese |
Chowzter simplifies your dining options down to the 7 "tastiest fast feasts" in each city, as recommended by a local foodie. Not necessarily the top rated restaurants or fanciest fois gras dishes, but a quick, trustworthy list of affordable eats that anyone should check out while in town.
We are the Philadelphia contributors so on the Philly page you'll find several of our current favorites, which will evolve over time as we try new things.
We are the Philadelphia contributors so on the Philly page you'll find several of our current favorites, which will evolve over time as we try new things.
There are recommendations listed for more than 100 cities on the website: http://www.chowzter.com.
In San Francisco, we joined an awesome group of food bloggers from around the U.S. and Canada to celebrate the 50 tastiest fast feasts in North America and help build excitement for the app launch. (Last spring we went to London for the worldwide awards.) Three Philly items were part of the top 50 countdown: the Lasagna Bolognese at Paesano's, the Millers Twist Cheesesteak Soft Pretzel at Reading Terminal, and the Signature Pie at Tacconelli's.
The #19 Pastrami Sandwich at Langer's Deli in Los Angeles was named #1 - who knew?? Guess we have to try it. The others in the top 7 were:
The #19 Pastrami Sandwich at Langer's Deli in Los Angeles was named #1 - who knew?? Guess we have to try it. The others in the top 7 were:
- Poutine at Poutini's House of Poutine in Toronto, Canada
- Oyster Sliders at The Ordinary in Charleston, SC
- Buffalo Wings at Nine Eleven Tavern in Buffalo, NY
- The Tipsy Texan at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, TX
- The California Burrito at Super Sergio's in San Diego, CA
- Wontons with Hot Chili Oil at White Bear in Flushing, NY
Check out Chowzter's quick videos on each of these 7 dishes. They will absolutely make your stomach growl.
... and to see where we actually ate in San Francisco, check out all our photos on Facebook! Below are four of the best things we ate. Stay tuned for a post all about the lunch date we squeezed in with Google while on the west coast.
... and to see where we actually ate in San Francisco, check out all our photos on Facebook! Below are four of the best things we ate. Stay tuned for a post all about the lunch date we squeezed in with Google while on the west coast.
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| Dungeoness crab at Crustacean - just a week after SF's crab season opened! |
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| one of seven delicious burritos we tried at Farolito, supposedly the best in San Francisco. |
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| MeMeli food truck's greek honey balls, drizzled with Nutella and peanut butter. WHAT. As seen at StreatFood Park, a very cool roundup for food trucks. |
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| La Taqueria. This is how many tacos our group ate AFTER lunch at Mission Chinese AND all those burritos. |
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