Steampunk Style! Steamtable Flavor? The Farmer's Cabinet in Pictures

Looking for a place to hold a Steampunk Fourth of July Party in Philadelphia? 

Must have:

Diverse beer list to impress all your aficionado friends? Covered...don't miss the beers from Denmark and Italy can outshine the Belgian and German stunners.

Top-notch offerings from the bar? The drinks are extensive and meticulously crafted...enough to sway an ardent beer hound over to the other side of the menu.

Atmosphere and character...Live Music? Lit almost entirely by natural sources like candles and kerosene lamps, The Farmer's Cabinet evokes all the grit of a turn-of-the-century hunting lodge and the charm of the majestic railway hotels along the Continental Divide...with period-appropriate live music to boot. Subdued lighting, apothecary jars galore and animals mounted on the wall...like National Mechanics but without the chiptunes.

Great Food? Certainly.   I've been dawdling on writing this post up because I really love what the Farmer's Cabinet is doing and I felt like being critical of just one aspect would be unfair to a place that I enjoy frequenting, but when the LaBan one-bell review hit the phood-o-sphere I figured that dredging up some of the dishes E and I have eaten there over the last 3 months would provide some decent quality pictures and opinion around what I thought was a pretty accurate review.

Overall we really liked the variety of ingredients splashed about the menu, which seemed in line with the larger feel of the place. But it was a general lack of seasoning and some misfired concepts that would caution me recommending the food. The cheese, charcuterie and baked goods were delicious though, so there's no fear of going hungry while you enjoy all those great drinks.

The Good

Apricot Bread w/ lard 'butter' and seasonal jam

Nice way to welcome the diner...the bread was fresh baked...the spreads of lard 'butter' and jam was rich and pleasantly sweet. The jams changed between the dinners we ate but they were always delicious and chunky.

Buffalo Short Rib w/ Sunchoke puree and Horseradish Scallion salad

Our dining partners seemed to naturally gravitate towards the tastier dishes on the menu...this short rib was perfectly cooked but the horseradish scallion slaw was what had me begging for another shared bite.

Ground Short Rib Burger w/ Cheddar & Bacon Jam

Another selection by one of our friends...it didn't overwhealm him by any means but compared to some of the other oddities that were arriving on the table, I took his relative silence on the dish to mean that it was a tasty burger that went well with the Belgians that we were washing our dinner down with.

Peekytoe Crab Roll

A really delicate preparation, not overly seasoned so the crab flavors came through. In general most of the dishes we tried at Farmer's Cabinet suffered from a lack of seasoning...a serious lack of basics like salt was noticeable several times...but for this dish the restraint worked.

Pretzel with Smoked Beer Mustard

HERE'S where all the salt went! I wish it was just a joke but we found ourselves pinching off salt from the pretzel and sprinkling it over a few dishes to bring up the flavor volume. The mustard was so-so but the pretzel was delicious. I'm starting to see a pattern emerge...some baked goods, like the cheese and charcuterie, seem to really hit the mark here.

The Bad

Pea Tendril Salad

When eating with your eyes...the presentation was just so rough on this that I'd swear it made the salad taste worse than it really was.

Pan-Fried Oysters w/ Sweet & Sour Cucumbers, Curry Aioli  and Trout Roe

This looked great on paper but was a sloppy, soggy mess on the plate. The oysters lost all their crusty, molten unction when bathed in so much aioli...it felt like they had sat out or been cooked in oil that was not hot enough, although the trout roe was a great idea. Why? it was the only hint of salt that we could detect in the dish.

Cast-Iron Tomato Tart

LaBan mentioned the Tart as a highlight and to be fair we tried this early on in it's existence when it was still a tomato tart, but the problem was not the filling but the crust of the tart itself - dry, tough and lacking seasoning. Although the flash of the camera tends to was everything out, the crust really was very white and had none of the flavor you would expect...butter, salt, herbs, or even a spritz of olive oil. 

Bourbon Braised Escargot

This was just a big pot of awful. Along with the soggy oysters, I chuckled when LaBan mentioned that his escargot were "doused in something so vividly bitter we pretty much couldn't eat it".  Ditto. Although he neglected to mention the Werther's Original Caramel Candy taste that followed the bitterness

Duck Egg in a Jar - Shirred egg with Black Trumpet Mushrooms

This dish could have been really good but it suffered from poor execution - it sat too long in the steambath that I'm guessing it was cooked in. The yolk was hard and the double-cream & egg surrounding dried to a pectin-like glue....although the flavors of mushroom, possibly spiked with truffle oil, were present.

The Dish-No-Longer-Appearing-In-This-Restaurant

Fried Lamb Kidneys & Sweet Potato Biscuit w/ Spicy Greens

Seeing this on the menu re-awakened Ansill's offal stirrings in our heart but it was nowhere near the same level.  Lacking salt in the greens, the kidneys were barely fried, tasting like they had seen a saute pan for barely a moment, and the biscuit was a severe letdown (not as bad as the hardtack that we experienced at Adsum though - Southern Science: Adsum...)

Also no  longer available...Cheesecake in the Men's Room

Last time I was here I noticed that the pin-up art was no longer gracing the men's room wall..don't know if this was a Beer Week re-decoration or something more permanent. 

The Dish They Need to Bring Back

We did have a great dish at the Hitacho Nest Beer Brunch that would qualify for dessert. The picture is lost somewhere on my phone though.

Described as an Okinawan Pancake, imagine a golf-ball sized nugget of sweet, muffin-like dough deep fried so that it was crispy on the outside but custardy-soft and warm in the center with a buttery corn meal batter flavor. They need to put that on the menu

Beer Review - Triumvirate of Brewmasters Birth a Baby Buff

It's been a while since I've done a beer review, not because I haven't been sampling some good stuff lately but because to post about every great beer I've had a chance to lay my hands on around Philly would be a full time job.

We just got back this weekend from a getaway to Rehoboth DE and having thought I'd tasted everything Dogfish had to offer, I saw this at The Foodery this week...Saison du Buff.

Examing the label I saw the flavors of parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme listed on the bottle. Aside from the gimmicky angle that I've come to expect from Dogfish, I also saw the logos of two of my other favorite craft brewers...local hero Victory and the uber-excellent Stone.

This latest brew was apparently the result of a friendly collaboration between the three head brewers and if it's anything like the latest Stone collabs with mad genius Scottish brewers BrewDog I knew it would be worth trying.

This is not a beer that stuns you into submission with a boozy character overloaded on flavor.

And no, despite all the herbacious hinting on the label, the beer was not green. It poured clean & clear, a pale gold with slight head. The aroma was dominated by thyme but it wasn't heavy or perfumed.

The body was light and hinting at effervescence, a good summer beer. The sage and rosemary were more pronounced on the tongue, creating a slight hoppiness of their own...I can imagine how the essential oils from these two herbs filled in the flavor alongside the hops.

A great beer but a little pricey for regular consumption - like a Hitacho, it will be an occasional treat.

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6th Annual 'Good Food, Good Beer and the Rest is History' at Headhouse Shambles

Time for the 6th annual 'Good Food, Good Beer and the Rest is History' at Headhouse Shambles

What could be more beautiful than a flower? Free craft beer!

Fork restaurant was serving up a wax-bean, scallop summer salad - the crushed nuts that topped the salad gave it some great texture and the simple dressing let the scallop flavor come through.

East P'unk Italian dynamo Le Vitru was serving up their pork 'lasagna' - I know that there's a more accurate term for this dish but basically it's assembled from hand-made noodles like a lasagna with a sausage & cheese filling. Just as delicious as last year.

Speaking of sausage, Noble was serving up a well-seasoned sausage with peppered tomato sauce and a dollop of polenta; the polenta & sausage felt a little out of season but it tasted wonderful and went great with some of the craft brews being poured by Earth+Bread Brewery.

Another newcomer, Wishing Well on 9th and Christian put in an appearance with a straightforward chicken taco - well spiced and served with a salsa, this was a decent contribution to the food offerings, although with Wishing Well's southern-leaning menu, I was hoping for something a little more interesting. I will give them credit for having one of the most tightly run stalls at the event - dishing out tacos at breakneck speed, once the food ran out they were packed and away in half the time it took me to finish a half-pint sized beer.

Speaking of 'bringing it' Southern-style, here's our nomination for 'Best in Show', the Swarthmore Food Co-Op's BBQ pork sandwich.

They called it the 'Three Little Pigs  - what you're looking at is a pork loin, stuffed with a sausage....

...and then topped with pulled pork meat from a set of slow-cooked ribs...

...and then stuffed into a potato roll.  

Served with a dollop of slaw, this was hands down the most delicious thing we had all evening, and the swarm of people around the stand was steady until the last of the pork was served up. This sandwich was so appealing that random people asked me 'Where did you get that?" and a few of the other vendors even ducked away from their stalls to procure a sandwich of their own,

The Restaurant School of Philadelphia was on hand serving up the newest craze in desserts, macaroons.  Nearly every color of the rainbow, these little treats were also going fast. 

We ran out of tasting tickets before discovering their presence (yes, I NEEDED that second pork sandwich) but other folks were scooping them off the trays that lined the table.

All in all, we really enjoyed ourselves this time around - last year we arrived about a hour after the opening bell and fund that barely half the vendors had food left. We stayed for a bit enjoying the great local beers as well - my favorite was the darker offerings from Earth+Bread Brewery, whereas Elizabeth was hooked on the Prima Pils from Victory.

Good Food, Good Beer Saturday at Headhouse Square Shambles

A cool July night beneath the Headhouse Square Shambles...what better way to pass the time than a food & beer event for charity? Don't let the 'Do Not Enter sign fool you, there were quite a few interesting bites to be had here...local restaurants were presenting some delicious dishes and the beer, also provided by local brewers, was all-you-could drink.

I won't delve into the details about the beer...suffice it to say that you had a good representation of all the Philly locals (PBC, Yards, Sly Fox, Earth Bread Brewery, Dock Street) as well as regionals were on hand to help wash down the small-plates being served up by local kitchens.

We bought our tasting tickets and dove into the shambles. the event started at 6PM and by 7:30, when we arrived, several stations were already on their last-gasp. Here you've got a grilled peach and summer corn salad. The peaches were somewhat meaty and had a great char-taste. The corn also had a nice grilled flavor and rested on a peach sauce that had a bit of tang.

Here we had a quinoa & veggies salad, prepared by none other than Philly's own Next Food Network Star contestant Katie Cavuto. The salad was studded with little bites of flavor...earthy black beans, tangy cherry tomatoes, crunchy veggies. The only time we cooked with quinoa we botched it completely, so it's nice to be reintroduced to a summer rice-alternative.

Southwark had the most interesting of all the dishes we saw...a plump grilled shrimp, touched with a creamy orange-tinged sauce, resting atop a salad of green tomato and a paper-thin tostada. The shrimp was plump and flavorful (seemed like a gulf pink?), the green tomato salad was tangy and well-seasoned, like a salsa verde of sorts, and the tostada was super thin and crispy...almost like an Indian crispy cracker (paratha?poori?) that we've enjoyed...this one had a tinge of cinnamon which was very interesting...almost like a giant cereal flake.

Le Virtu was packing up as we approached their table...we nabbed some of the last squares of what seemed to be a veggies lasagna of sorts...it had a 'chicken-stock' flavor to it, kind of like a chicken pot-pie and a lasagna mixed together. The one thing that was obvious was that Le Virtu hand-rolls their pasta...the supple & thin, yet pliable and toothy layers of pasta were silky smooth and delightful. We are definitely headed down to East Passyunk for the authentic pasta that Le Virtu is rolling out.

We had two tasting tickets left, so we splurged and threw them both down on the table at the Rx stand. Living on the east side of Center City, I hadn't heard of Rx, a West Philly/ University City joint...they seemed to be serving up some great down-home classics though and we were sold on the spread. Here you've got a nod to southern slow/comfort food...slow-cooked brisket, corn-bread and slaw. Descended from a long line of Texans, an appreciation for good brisket is genetic. Rx's brisket didn't seem to go for those smoky notes and seemed to lean more towards a saucy/tangy BBQ taste family. The cornbread was simply good-eatin' and I used it to sop up the bits of brisket juice on the plate.

The real star of the show foodwise (again, this was a beer-forward event) was the blueberry cobbler from Rx. I saw these little pie-tins floating all around the shambles and we were lucky enough to cash in our last tasting ticket for a scoop. This dessert was not cloyingly sweet, which I appreciated, but had enough thickness and fruity filling to still deliver a tasty end to the evening's meals. The topping was halfway between a biscuit-top and a crumble...there were even bits of the dough mixed into the blueberry treat itself, providing a toothy chew to the fruity dessert.

All in all, I'd advise showing up a little earlier next year so you can get a first-shot at the offerings, but this was a great way to soak up some beer while experiencing local samples.

Varga Bar II

A summer evening outside at our latest local hangout, Varga Bar on 10th & Spruce. Here's a shot of the Czech Pils being served on draft...no better picture for an after-work summer evening relaxing.

This is NOT a summer dish, but was one of the few appetizers we hadn't tried yet...Truffled Mac & Cheese. Served in a little cast iron skillet, the truffled mac was creamy enough and not a fused together casserole like some others around town. Although the truffle-bits were more caviar, the cheese was beyond the normal white-cheddar. I had to refer back to the menu for the details (gruyere, fontina, marscapone) but the overall impression was a truffle-worth mix of white cheeses.

At the exact opposite end of the oozy, warm comfort food is the pot o'pickles...at $4, it's the cheapest dish but don't let that mislead you...this pot of home-pickled veggies is a rich mix of crisp & tart veggies. Waxbeans, normally bland and fleshy, soak up the pickling liquid and crunch like a Vlassic. The snowpea pods are another interesting pickled veg. I picked out all the little leek hearts and enjoyed them with a crystal clear, cool Pilsner. No pickled radishes like a German place, but the variety made for some great bar-food that was evocative of Bavarian beer-fare.

Varga Bar Grand Opening

First off, I should warn you, I'm a WWII history fanatic...and the perfect fusion of art, erotica & history is the nose art on the bombers of WWII planes. Varga Bar is a gastro-pub tip of the hat to the 'Greatest Generation'.



Varga is evocative of the retro...here's a snapshot of the coasters...proof enough? Finger bowls of Chex Mix for snacking.



Foodwise, Varga delivers...here's a pic of the crab & cheese fries; freshness of the crab meat was noticeable...sprinkled in parmesan & white cheddar, these fries avoided the gloppy mess you can run into with cheese topping...perfect pub-grub.



'Battleship Row'...the business end of Varga Bar. I read earlier that VB's shtick was 'ALL-AMERICAN' food and beer and the tap list was a decent balance of west-coast/east-coast/local beers.

Look up for Heavenly Bodies

Here's a shot of the ceiling..I felt like I was in the barracks of a WWII bomber crew...all these lovely ladies smiling down on the crush of opening night patrons. Bonus...the mixed drinks are seasonal and tote the title 'Miss May', 'Miss June' & 'Miss July'...I just hope Miss December is a hot toddy.



Speaking of custom libations, Flying Fish brewers were there to open the festivities...here's a shot of my IPA being poured straight from the firkin.




Varga has invested heavily in the retro B&W combo...plus they've got TONS of outside seating, as well as comfy booth seating, as pictured here.



Oh, and for the beer-hounds out there, they do growlers. Tria has company...Varga is two blocks closer to our abode and a little heartier on the food angle...looks like Washington Square West denizens have yet another gastro option to call their 'local'.



Another shot of the IPA & stylized coasters...I saw two hand-pumps as well on the bar, but I was so focused on the firkin that I neglected to find out what was on pump.



Cutesy touch...the tab was served in a mini Silver Bullet can...and yes, if you want a REAL silver bullet or PBR they've got you covered too.

Beer Review - New Holland's Golden Cap Spelt Saison

I enjoyed New Holland's Ichabod Pumpkin Ale last Fall, so when I saw this 'Saison Ale' I threw it in my bag over at the Foodery.

Here's there infoblurb

Golden Cap Saison is a modern interpretation of a traditional farmhouse ale. A soft, pale beer, Golden Cap embodies the flavors and aromas of summer fields. Brewed with an ancestor of wheat called spelt, its straw-colored body, lively carbonation and a unique fermentation profile evoke fresh cut hay and cracked peppercorn.

It poured with little head and hardly any lacing, probably a symptom of the spelt's effect on the body.

However, the light-body helped the beer to stay effervescent...I watched little bubbles streaming up as I drained the glass down.

I found it spicy, like wit, but with saison's "barnyard" aftertaste...similar to epoisse cheese...perhaps this was the peppery/hay combination mentioned above.

All in all, I can't tell if the oddly carbonated but thin body worked against the spices; normally a wit has a creamier character imparted by the head and lees to balance out the spice...the lack of that creaminess was apparent.

What I really want to know if what's the deal with the Flying Monkey from the Wizard of Oz on the label.

Road Trip - Stoudt's Antique Mall & Brewery

Halfway between Philly and Harrisburg you'll find a clever day trip destination for the antique obsessed and beer-seeker, the Stoudt's 'Compound'. There is plenty of good ink spilled about the history of Stoudt's in Pennsylvania brewing, but they've built a mini-empire around the brewery. There's also a bakery, a restaurant and a sprawling 400+ vendor antique mall in on Sundays.



Walking around the labrynth of cast-away decor and kitchsy clutter, you could find an interesting thing or two to stop and look at. One of the more interesting objects in the mall was an old post office cabinet, complete with combination-lock P.O. Boxes...made me think of what checking your mail was like in some rural post-office 80 years ago.



Elizabeth was on the hunt for Bakelite bangles (there was rumored to be one vendor amongst the hundreds with a decent collection), I was on the hunt for beer. They have a 'festhaus' of sorts that sits between the brewery & mall. After bagging a few good bangles, Elizabeth & I tucked into a pint at the bar.



I was a bit disappointed with the taps selection, as I wanted to try their seasonal barleywine but theywere only tapping the stuff you can get in the bottle.



I had the Fat Dog Stout...rich and heavy...not too bad, but one was enough.

Elizabeth's red-tinged Scarlet ESB was a more balanced beer...I can see why this is one of thier better-known beers.

After scoping out the 'festhaus', we navigated our way through the mall and back into the restaurant. The bar was a mob-scene; the bar-tender swore he'd never seen it so busy.

We waited about 30 minutes for a spot at the bar, then ordered up some beer-friendly food.



The schnitzel was delicious...thin but not tough, perfectly breaded and not greasy. Resting on a bed of spatzle that was perfectly tender but not at all mushy. The dish was lacking seasoning though...we vigourously shook the salt on this one.



The schnitzel and stout had already pushed me across the oh-so-bad-for-you food line, so we threw some onion rings on top of the order. Huge and chunky, full onion rings...no chopped-reformed rings here.