Forking Tasty

A moment in Philadelphia

Memory is an odd thing. Mix taste that with and you’ll get some really strange stories. If you ask me, these are some of the best memories to have but then again I write this blog. What would you expect?

The bite you see above was the very last thing I ate on a recent visit to Talula’s Garden, one of Steven Starr’s newest and best Philadelphia restaurants. Yes, there were plenty of other amazing bites as I progressed from bar cocktail to appetizers, to entrees and through dessert. The  braised veal rosemary pappardelle with kale, mushrooms, and garlic-tomato jus made me tingle. The Florida pink snapper with grapefruit, fennel, fingerlings, herbs and warm baby lettuces burned itself into my brain. The miniature cupcake trio of a spiced pumpkin, a dark chocolate-peanut butter and a sweet cream-apple was an olfactory hat trick. But, it was these small cardamom chips that blew my mind. Their subtle but super complex taste became the single dominant memory from this meal. When I talk about this restaurant, when I recommend it, when I mention Philadelphia even, I talk about these crumbs. The small, seemingly insignificant chips placed next to a simple cup of coffee is the dominant menu item that flashes instantly to mind. Dan Gilbert can explain much better than I can what happens to an experience memory days, months and years after it’s moment but if these little sweets can leave such a lasting impression, imagine how superb all the “real food” must be. Get there. Tell me your story.

Bosnian Delight

Have you ever had lunch and when you were done with lunch you were just not satisfied at all. That is what happened to me the other day. I had to take matters in my own hands and solve this problem. I did just that with Old Bridge Burger.

‘Wich Hunting: Pilot Episode

While in Italy I realized that there’s a lot happening around the world between two slices of bread. Anthony and I have travelled the world eating everything from Balut in the Philippines to blood sausage in Argentina. In every destination there has always been a sandwich shop. Some were good and some were bad but they all had their unique take on this ubiquitous meal. The origin of the sandwich is highly debated and we’ll dive into that on our journey as we discover, taste and debate the best sandwiches in the world.

Moving Day

Recently the southerner and I moved into an apartment in Queens. It was a big move day because I had to basically take my entire life that was sitting in storage and move it to the new apt. We were lucky we only had one flight in our walk up apartment. The original place we almost got was a 5 story walk up. I almost could not make the one flight with all my stuff.
It started out great picked up the u-haul truck drove down to storage and loaded the truck to the max by noon. Drove slowly as all my stuff was bouncing around all on the drive from brooklyn to my apartment in Queens. Everything was running smooth. I even found a parking spot right in front of the apartment. What a miracle day, and then….

The Peter Lugar of Italy

Today, if you are a strick catholic, you’re not supposed to eat meat. I figured that’s a great opportunity to write about meat. I personally am about to dive elbow deep into 31 lobsters in prep for tonights feast of the seven fishes. Whether you eat meat or not, this discovery is one to add to your Italy hit list.

Peter Lugars is my favorite steakhouse. I love everything about it but specifically the cut of steak, size of steak and the way you order your steak are paramount to the experience. Florence, all of Tuscany for that matter, is known for it’s beef. Just ask Dario Cecchini. It seems like everyone else has. If you ask me, Bistecca al la Fiorentina is a must taste when visiting the city. The place to have it is Buca Mario. This five steps down, dungeons lair is actually as old world as it looks. The meat is displayed in a glass case as you enter and you’re escorted through the twists and turns of the low ceilinged subterranean steakhouse to your table. On the way you pass diners with enormous steaks half and three quarters eaten. Your stomach growls and your mouth starts to water.

The menu is where the “Lugars” really shines through. You order this goliath steak by number. Steak for one, two or three. Sides are all a la carte, like Lugars. The cut is a Porterhouse, like Lugars, although, the Florentine cut is a bit less tenderloin and a bit more strip than in the states. It also measures in at 3 inches thick. That’s a solid half inch taller than Lugars. The beauty of butchering is how different countries cut slightly portions resulting in new types of steaks to eat. The wine list is extensive, as you’d imagine. Much better than Lugars. When the steak finally arrives it comes cooked only one way. Rare. I made it through most of this meat but slowed at the end thanks to the pasta appetizer I just had to have. In the end I’ll say the experience was amazing but the taste is better in the US. Argentina still reigns supreme but that’s another trip.

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Florence Fast Food

You know what good salumi looks like and if you don’t you clearly don’t read Forking Tasty enough. I’ll proceed with my assumption being correct. That explains my choice to show the shop the salumi came from instead of the thinly slices, perfectly aged, fat and spiced filled pork that came from within. Florence is packed with these tiny shops that sell wine by the glass, panini or boards of salumi. around 3 or 4pm the florentine locals come out of the surrounding buildings and pop into one of the dozens of options available for snacking.

On this particular afternoon, as we sauntered away from the glorious Duomo, a chalkboard with different types of salumi plates caught our attention. We slipped into the tiny shop to procure one of the tasty specials. Cutting to order, the proprietor stood in a small square box surrounded by a cash register, meat slicer and fifty different salumi and proscuittos. Minutes later he handed us a board with our five different selections laid out like silk scarves across the rustic wood. The only spot to sit were two counters that ran along the outer walls providing only 8 seats. The idea is much like the bar (read coffee shop) culture you find all over Italy. A small space which provides a quick snack, a sip and a little conversation before you move on to your next errand or destination. The flow, premise and tradition of this behavior is one in which I cherish and believe should exist worldwide. With our board wiped clean of pig slices we we’re off for Gelato. See…When you’re not a local your next errand tends to be another snack.

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You Macaroon!

Macaroons are not Italian but maccarone is. Like many things French, macaroons inspiration came from the Italians. This post isn’t sparking a debate about the inception of modern cuisine although read “Food In History“, then let’s talk. My intro was simply a snarky preface to the surprise I received when checking into my hotel room in Florence. Before I go any further let’s be clear that when I discovered this treat I was standing in the Four Seasons Hotel as a guest on his honeymoon. Something of this nature is expected in a property of this caliber but the handmade attention to detail you see above was still surprising. The taste matched the presentation keeping my wife and I sugared up and ready to tour Firenza.

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Drinkable Chocolato

On day two in Rome I visited Trastevere, a cool but still touristy neighborhood across the Tiber. To my surprise our visit coincided with the Chocolate Fair. Lines of tents filled the piazza with chocolate in all forms. From bars, bon bon and bites to crafted shapes like stiletto heels, wrenches and proscuitto there seemed to be every chocolate form you could imagine. Additionally there were chocolate cannolis, chocolate donuts and, what you see here, sipping chocolate. What we think of as hot chocolate seemed a bit more high test here in Italy. It is as thick as it looks. The Canadian and I had a tough time finishing this off with out major sugar shock. Three sips and you are done unless you get a fresh brioche or baguette and do the ‘ol chocolate dip. Smart right? Well, we unfortunately couldn’t find fresh bread but we did use our sugar high to propel us on foot all the way to the Trevi Fountain.

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Porchetta Please

Kind of a Roman thing I came to realize. What’s different than most you’ve seen in the states is they use the whole damn pig. That’s why they are so damn big. I think these are closest to a Shwarma joint in that they start the day with a giant piece of meat and slowly slice it back into a tiny nub of swine. A good show can go through 1 plus of these debones and re wrapped porkers a day. This one was spotted in Piazza Navona. Probably not the best Rome has to offer since Navona is one of the most touristed places in Rome. If you follow Bourdain, he’ll tell you to go to I Porchettoni far away from the tourists.

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Italian Cookie

I realized that the stories from Italy can take months to properly explain. In the crunch of the Holidays and my burning need to share all the Italian goodies before the Italian-American goodies hit the holiday table, I am going to post my highlights in short order this week allowing you all a quick Italian food vacation before the Holidays take over.

First up is this perfect pignoli cookie. The reigning champion of this cookie is my Aunt Joy but as far as an “in Italy” version this takes the cake, or cookie as it were. The key to the pignoli is to get that crunchy outside with a moist and soft inside. This succeed on both fronts. Washing it down with a quick Italian espresso made it that much better. Where did I get it? Just a tiny, non-pretentious, BAR(read coffee shop) on via you-name-it. My favorite type of food discoveries are always the unexpected and nondescript places. Truth be told, there was a name and you should remember it. Pasticceria Dagnino. Get there.

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