So, Alisa and I are planning to make some old-fashioned sloppy joes with turkey burger, minus the ’shrooms (as they are basically MOLD, people). This lead to the following exchange ’twixt her and I:

Alisa: I really like that it has celery in it.

Me: ::mildly befuddled look::

Alisa: I mean, it’s basically a Bloody Mary with meat.

Me: ::mildly appetized, mildly horrified look::

So, dear readers, I turn to you with the following query: Bloody Mary with meat. Yea or Nay?

Bonus question: if yea, what meat?

Oh man, oh man, oh man. Mt Airy has finally gotten Indian food! This news is competing with the birth of my daughter for coolest thing to happen this year.*

Tiffin opened up a location along Emlen where the Hamlet Bistro used to be. A few nights ago we ordered up some standards: chicken tikka masala (CTM), alu gobi, and naan. Verdict?

I now have two places to get great CTM. Tiffin makes fantastic food, and it’s very reasonably priced. Tiffin’s CTM is less creamy, emphasizing the tomato in the sauce. It’s so delicious, I used the naan to clean my bowl. Now I can eat CTM two days in a row and it will still be like eating two different meals. Perhaps, one day, I will achieve my dream: a different variety of CTM for each day of the week.

*Kidding… I judge births and food on separate lists.

That’s right. Bacon. Chocolate. A merging of two holy substances brought to earth by god-kings of culinary alchemical magnificence.

Well, kind of.

(more…)

Seriously? Seriously.

The thought of this vile, effervescent goo in a child’s stomach is enough to turn my own.

In case you didn’t know, the best potato chips of all time are Kettle Spicy Thai Chips.

Eating one of these chips is like getting socked in the mouth by a delicious Thai dish. Kapow! The chips tend to get spicier at the bottom of the bag, as the oils carry all of the fiery goodness, so the first few handfuls can be deceptive. They will draw you in with their feisty flavor then teach you about the wonderful burn of Thai food.

I’m going to eat some at lunch today. Can you tell? They’re quite hard to find, particularly in Philly, but worth the effort.

I’ve been distracted from Current Config, so let’s call this a public service announcement to make up for it.

1) The Buzz Aldren at The Continental
One word, people: Tang. This drink has it not only in the mix (along with peach schnapps and vodka), but also rimming the martini glass it’s served in. Like many cocktails at The Continental, you get your full glass along with a petite shaker containing at least a refill’s worth. Cold, tangy, orangy and quite delicious.

2) The Firecracker at Jones
True to its name, the firecracker is a snappy variation on a dirty martini, featuring, in addition to vodka, olive brine, and olives, some pickled jalapeño brine and slices. If you like a little spice, this is your drink. A lot of bang for the buck.

3) The Sicilian Lemondrop at Tangerine
I love lemons, and this drink combines different lemony lemon-ness in a refreshing and crisp drink that we’ve started to drink at home. It’s a mix of limoncello (an Italian lemon liquer) and San Pellegrino Limonata (an Italian sparkling lemon soda) on ice in a pint glass with the extra Limonata in the bottle. I will be seeing a number of these this summer, no doubt.

4) Tequila Flight with Sangrita at El Vez
You get to choose, from a pretty full menu, one of each type of tequila: blanca, reposado, and añejo for $22. That’s a price that beats some of the per-glass prices on the añejos alone. Then, then, for four bucks more, you get a wonderful, kicky, tangy little drink called a sangrita you get your three glasses of tequila. Sangrita combines the juices of tomatoes, clams, limes, oranges, and some chiles (El Vez’s version). It’s very good and interacts wonderfully with the tequila. This setup is great for two people, which makes it a pretty good deal and a good time.

All four of these places also have great food, particularly Tangerine, which is the most expensive of the bunch, but is extraordinary and the home of my Best Meal Ever. Also, I swear that I am not in the employ of Stephen Starr, who is the restauranteur behind all four. He just happens to do great work that we appreciate.

I just realized I haven’t mentioned this yet on Current Config: St. Bernardus Abt 12 is the best beer ever. From the moment I tried it on tap at the best Belgian beer emporium I know of in Philly, Monk’s Café, I was hooked. Just reading the description on the St Bernardus website makes my mouth water:

The absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. It is also the beer with the highest alcohol content (10.50%). A dark ivory coloured beer with a high fermentation. The show piece of the brewery. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. The Abt has a very fruity flavour.

The funny part about their description is that I wouldn’t quite characterize it as having a fruity flavor. For me it has a chocolaty, slightly nutty, flavor with a subtle banana flavor. Normally, the word banana would have me running for the hills, but in this beer it works brilliantly. Go figure.

I’ve had one other beer from St Bernardus, the Prior 8. This beer tasted very similar to the Abt 12 to me. A bit lighter and distinct, but very similar. It’s less alcoholic, as well. I bought one of the larger bottles at Whole Foods for a party at a friend’s place in Brooklyn (bless NY liquor laws). It was my classy 40 oz. It held me for pretty much the whole party.

Do yourself a favor and give it a try. It’s so delicious. It may not be for everyone, but those people are crazy. Don’t listen to them. Man, I wish I had some right now.

By the way, if anyone can locate a tshirt with this guy on it, I will be in your debt. I wrote St Bernardus but got no response.