Archive for July 2010
The Truth … about Puffins
t says: I was at Trader Joe’s yesterday, my least favorite grocery store in the world (although that’s another story …). I found some Puffins cereal. I had had some before and wasn’t blown away, but I was later told that I picked the wrong flavor. Silly me. They should have said it on the box: “this flavor isn’t as good as peanut butter – go for that instead”. In any case, because peanut butter was “where it’s at”, I picked up a box. It’s … ok. But I figured that it’s at the very least healthier than better-tasting cereals … right? Maybe.
Puffins on the left, Apple Jacks on the right
Apple Jacks have lots of vitamins and minerals. Puffins do not. Puffins have more fat and calories, whereas Apple Jacks have more sugar (12 g per cup vs. 8 g per cup). Also, keep in mind that the Apple Jacks have a 1 cup serving size, while Puffins are 0.75 cups per serving – although by weight, they are more similar than not, probably because Puffins are really dense.
Are you surprised that maybe Puffins aren’t the super-cereal you thought? After all, it is often touted as being better for you that sugary kids cereals, because Puffins may be made of “good stuff”, thus lacking a lot of the processed “things” that are in Apple Jacks … including the fortification. Which should people eat? In my completely unprofessional opinion … that depends! If you don’t eat the healthiest selection of foods that would be able to cover all of those missing vitamins and minerals that you’d miss if you chose Puffins, then I’d go for Apple Jacks. If your daily diet is flawless … fine … enjoy those insipid puffs and the ability to look cool while you shop for cereal in that “organic” section of the grocery store. Personally, I was raised exclusively on sugary cereals, and I’m fine [kinda]! At the very least, Apple Jacks are better for you than those “Great for Breakfast” Tasty-kakes (Tasty-kakes are in fact never good for breakfast … actually, I think Tasty-kake stopped putting that phrase on their donuts and coffee cakes).
What’s the point … ? I don’t know. I did it for the drama …
Cafe Spice … adsz’s first victim?
t says: Cafe Spice is closing. Could it be only mere coincidence that this occurred less than four months after our less-than-favorable review? I’ll leave it for you to decide …
Bibou: Their Hanger Steak Reigns Supreme
t says: After a seemingly never-ending hiatus, we’re back!! And there’s tons to do. The problem is that the longer we’ve been away, the less I remember about the places we’ve been, so I guess I’d better get crackin!
6/2010, Sunday 9:30pm, Party of 2. Ahhh, Bibou. How we love thee. Not the least bit pretentious. Not super-spendy. No glitz or glam. Just good food. We had to choose one BYO for our anniversary dinner, and Bibou was our first choice. We had originally scheduled dinner there after the Idina Menzel concert at the Mann Center in Fairmount Park, but sensing that she would run late, we rescheduled to a Sunday. As a side note, Idina is absolutely silly … but we think it makes her awesome-er. Yea – and she can sing your socks off (the Philadelphia Orchestra was also great, too!).
We arrived at Bibou and were promptly seated. I forgot how small the place was. It didn’t matter – we wanted small. The waiter asked if we would like our wine, and, noting that it had already been opened (I wanted the wine to breathe some before we actually got to dinner), asked if I wanted it decanted any more. I had never had such an offer at a BYO. I kind of wanted to say yes just to test their wine service, but didn’t really want to draw attention to ourselves – after all – it is a small place.
The meal was their fixed price Sunday 4-course dinner.
The first was a chilled cauliflower soup. It was surprisingly good. No, it wasn’t super-complex, but it had a lightness despite being what appeared to be a creamy soup (maybe it was just a really smooth cauliflower puree). It was perfect for summer, and a great start to the meal.
For the second course, I went for the escargots and g went for the duck liver terrine. Yes, the escargot were as good as I remember. g was perfectly happy with the duck liver terrine, but confesses that it’s not the type of dish that she dreams about … Sorry we’re short on details for these two – but it’s because the next course was just too memorable …
We actually both ordered the same dish for the third course – there’s just something about the hanger steak that just KILLS IT. It has just the right balance of savory and herb. The asparagus reminded me of the asparagus omelettes my dad would make on Sunday morning breakfasts when we used to invite over the extended family. The potatoes were addictive. The meat had bite, but was tender, and, unlike at some places, was substantially large. g said she liked it even more than the steak served in Cochon’s steak-and-eggs brunch dish … and that’s a LOT.
I opted for the pistachio ice cream, while g had some sort of berry tart. Alone they were good. Together they were a perfect combination that lent an air of humility to the meal – it was like eating a warmed slice of pie with a scoop of ice cream … well, except better. Thus, the dessert was good, but not not quite Zahav-good. But with a meal that was so splendid overall, I really can’t complain. Somewhere in the meal Pierre Calmels came out to greet us. He seemed like such a nice guy. Of course, it would be hard to seem like a bad guy in the face of all of the praise that we were showering on him, but he humbly accepted our comments and wished us a happy anniversary. Indeed, it was a happy anniversary.
g says: i’d like to take a moment and recognize how delightful the tiny complimentary madeleines are at the end of the meal. they are about one-quarter the size of normal madeleines, but probably contain the same amount of butter… mmmm… a must-eat!
also, a note about pierre’s visit to our table — i was a little starstruck, i have to admit (i get that way sometimes, i just can’t help it! and it feels oh-so cool to have such an acclaimed chef offer us his personal attention) but i could barely understand a word he was saying through his thick french accent. it didn’t really matter, though, because every syllable was so dreamily smooth, i just stared at him smiling for most of the conversation. conclusion: i thought he was an impressively nice guy! t thought he was impressively tall…
Product Alert: Le Creuset Dutch Oven
t says: There is a Le Creuset Dutch oven for sale at Williams-Sonoma. But buyer beware! It’s not your typical Le Creuset. It’s not a pretty color (matte black). There’s no cream-colored interior (also matte black). It actually looks like the matte black Staub more than a Le Creuset. WS claims that it is colored as such so it is suitable for the grill – translation: you won’t be able to tell the burn marks as easily (yes, even the most beautiful Dutch oven will get a little discolored where it is exposed to direct heat like on a range or grill). Although it doesn’t look it – it is still enameled – it’s not just naked cast iron! As far as the size (4.5 quarts) – it’s perfect for cooking one meal for two [hungry] people or two meals for 1 [hungry] person – but it’s a bit too small for to be considered “family sized”.
Final note … WS stores marked it down yesterday to $80!! It’s cheaper than online! It’s cheaper than Batali’s line! So call ’em up and happy hunting!
UPDATE: If you like the color green, WS also has lots of their Sonoma Green pieces on sale. Granted, these are nowhere near the super-awesome deal that the matte black “grill” one is, but if you absolutely must have green, then I suppose this is the way to go …
Happy Birthday j [and k]
t says: For my little sister’s 21st birthday, I have decided that this would be even better than sending her a card. Pretty good, right? More effort than a text message, more “oomph” than an email, and less intrusive than a midnight phone call. Happy Birthday!
Coincidentally, it’s also k’s birthday too! Happy Birthday!
And Happy Bastille Day!
By the way … more postings will be coming out soon … We’re back, baby! We’re back!
adsz is on hold … for now …
t says: I always hate it when bloggers don’t continuously post stuff. And now I’m one of them. Sorry! g and I are in the middle of moving our residence (don’t worry – we’re still in Philly) – and we have a lot of adventures to talk about, so stay tuned! We’ll be back online next week!
Sneak peak (in no particular order):
1) Bibou
2) Talula’s Table Pop-up Restaurant
3) 20 Manning Grill
4) Village Whiskey
5) Miga
6) Szechuan Hunan
7) Chez Dr. P-I-M-P
8) Sandy’s
9) Mix
after dinner sneeze 