BEST PHILADELPHIA PULLED PORK YET!!!

BEST PHILADELPHIA PULLED PORK YET!!!

In my quest for good pulled pork in Philly, I have finally found a winner - and a pulled pork sandwich worthy of being on my Top Five of All-Time, at Pub and Kitchen. It is a Spicy Pulled Pork sandwich with chipotle mayo & cheese.It comes with a salad, which is nice, because it filling in and of itself.

RATING:
MEAT: tender but not fatty - 5
BREAD: Toasted bun - 5
TOPPINGS - Creative, but not weird - 5
SIDES - Salad was pretty non-descript - 3
SERVICE - A little too speedy, we were still eating our apps when the sandwiches came out - 4.5

TOTAL: 4.77

PS The picture in the post is not the same as the one at the restaurant

The Foodery

Beer And Sandwichery At The Foodery
from Unbreaded by Ben Kessler

The Foodery

The history of both sandwiches and beer can be traced back thousands of years. So it’s no wonder, that the two are the perfect match for a hearty and flavorful meal. The Foodery, a long time institution in Philadelphia, offers many choices in both departments in their Northern Liberties store.

Upon entering, you’ll find yourself both overwhelmed and delighted by the selection of over 800 beers. When you’ve gathered yourself, you’ll notice the deli tucked into a tiny corner decorated with Boars Head meats. We sat down with Foodery employee Andrew Rubenstein to taste two of their best selling sandwiches and pair them with some exciting new brews.

The Son of Diablo is a spicy beast of a sandwich, smoked turkey with bacon and a fiery chipotle sauce between toasted sourdough from Baker Street Bread Co. To compliment the bold flavors we chose Great Divide’s 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA. The beer’s malty, bready notes lead way to a sweet toffee finish with a notable nip of hops, that helps to extinguish the Diablo’s flames.

The Foodery allows customers to build sandwiches to their liking, and very often these creations show up on the menu as specials. One such special is the OMG Turkey with fresh mozzarella, avocado, roasted red peppers, and sundried tomato pesto on multi-grain. For this fresh and light sandwich, we went with Pretty Things Baby Tree, a Belgian quadruple style beer infused with dried plums. Despite being a dark, high alcohol content brew, Baby Tree is a summer seasonal with a crisp, fruity bite and smooth finish. This beer works well to accentuate the avocado and roasted red pepper in the sandwich, as well as add a dimension to the multi-grain bread.

Although The Foodery’s deli gladly accepts call in orders, we recommend coming in, placing an order and taking your time browsing the beer. As the only store in Philadelphia with such a wide selection, and the ability to mix and match a six pack (and receive a discount) The Foodery is a great spot to fill our never ending need for sandwiches and beer.

Divan Turkish Kitchen

Divan Turkish Kitchen - Lamb Adana Kebab by Unbreaded

A recent tasting event brought us to Divan Turkish Kitchen in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, and we found ourselves wondering why we haven’t been before. Turkish cooking, particularly the sandwiches, is heavily influenced by the Middle East, as evidenced by the adana kebab. Ground lamb is infused with spices, chopped red pepper and grilled to achieve a smoky flavor with a crisp outside. Wrapped in lavash with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a hot chili sauce, you’ll want to dip it into the refreshing yogurt served on the side.

Divan Turkish Kitchen
918 S. 22nd Street – Philadelphia, PA 19146

Pulled Pork Is Roast Pork 2.0 At DiNic’s
from Unbreaded by Jeff Vogel



When your family’s been selling roast pork sandwiches for four generations, and you’ve got a successful shop with a great location, it can be hard to make any changes. DiNic’s roast pork sandwich is a best-seller and winner of dozens of awards and “best of” mentions. The formula works. But Joe Nicolosi knows that the business thrives by improving what you do; learning, and making adjustments. And no change speaks louder than the upgraded version of the classic: DiNic’s Italian pulled pork sandwich.

A braised cousin of the roast pork, the pulled pork is marinated for a day with spices and fresh aromatics, then browned and slow cooked till the meat falls off the bone, simmered in the same natural stock as the roast pork, plus some wine and tomato sauce. The result is a rich flavor and flaky wet texture that saturates the bread but never gets soggy.

Joe takes pride in continuing a tradition that began when his great-grandfather roasted the pork from his South Philadelphia butcher shop at the holidays, and has continued on through the years through various incarnations of DiNic’s. (DiNic = DiClaudio + Nicolosi, the original sandwich shop partners at 10th & Oregon.) The roast pork and roast beef recipes are generations old, but still, Joe constantly tweaks the balance between moister meat and a richer stock.

Working alongside his father Tommy since he was five years old, Joe makes the roast pork sandwiches with a focus on good basics: a PA farm fresh ham roasted to medium with garlic, onion, rosemary and oher seasoning, making a flavorful jus in the roasting pan. Cooled and sliced thin, the roast pork is served with provolone and hot peppers, provolone and spinach, or provolone and broccoli rabe with a garlicky kick.

DiNic’s is about real cooking, where everything is from scratch, anti-commerical, in step with what Joe sees as a slow foods trend. Much of the produce and meats come from just steps down the market at Iovine’s and from Martin’s butcher shop. Another local vendor provides farm fresh prime hanging beef. His bread, from longtime friend Danny DiGiampietro’s South Philadelphia bakery, is closer to what bread was like 50 years ago — crusty and crisp, not the pillowy soft hoagie rolls more commonly used today. Joe believes it is important to educate yourself; stay fresh; and with a nod to the past, continue to push forward.

In his off-hours, Joe enjoys a good burger at places like Sketch Burger, Good Dog, and Monk’s. He also goes for the shortrib bocadillos at Tinto.

With a strong base of local regulars, and a surge with every convention, DiNic’s is poised to continue their legacy of producing one of Philadelphia’s most loved sandwiches, and also to start a new chapter, where new sandwiches express the passion and the commitment to learning, innovating and improving what you do.

Sandwiches For Lunch At Supper
from Unbreaded - by Jeff Vogel


On a sunny corner of South Street that straddles Washington West and Bella Vista, seemingly miles removed from the blaring car stereos a few blocks to the east, Supper’s new lunch menu boldly re-imagines classic sandwiches with a welcoming, come as you are attitude.

Acclaimed Chef Mitch Prensky strives to create “the ultimate version” of iconic sandwiches, adding his own stamp to a Reuben, a French Dip, a Hot Dog and a Banh Mi. Having once worked as Sous Chef for the lunch service at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill (in addition to his classic French training and New York fine dining experience,) Chef Prensky truly loves the action at lunch and needed to get his ideas for sandwiches out onto plates. Now available Monday through Saturday, Supper’s lunch menu has some serious sandwich action.

Supper’s version of the Reuben is served on Famous 4th Street rye bread, sliced thick and brushed with bacon fat and a mustard aoili. Fried carnitas-style pork belly is tossed with thousand island dressing, and toasted with cooked sauerkraut under a layer of gruyere. Chef tops the open-faced sandwich with apple chutney because pork, apple and gruyere work so well together, even when served as a reuben with a side of pastrami chips.

The Banh Mi features crispy fried Malaysian-inspired squid with bits of spicy Sichuan sausage, heaps of cilantro, lettuce and pickled peppers on a baguette that was baked fresh a few blocks away at Ba Le Bakery, paired with five spice chips.

The Supper Dog is made in house from 100% pork shoulder – “all killer, no filler” – on a house baked, buttered bun. Wrapped in bacon and deep fried, it is served with grain mustard, BBQ onions, kraut and buttermilk fried pickles. The Lamb French Dip, served with Herbs de Provence chips, is made from house-prepared lamb pastrami and lamb jus, is served with feta and olives on a baguette cut on a bias to help with the dipping.

The menu also features a burger borrowed from the dinner menu with horseradish cream, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, gruyere and a side of duck fat fingerlings. The lobster roll is served as a tried and true classic and paired with Old Bay chips. Traditional fresh steamed lobster is mixed with lemon aioli, chopped celery, salt and pepper on a top-loaded buttered bun.

Chef Prensky is openly enthusiastic about sandwiches because in his opinion, the layers of ingredients combine to make each bite the perfect bite. Among his local favorites are John’s Roast Pork, Sarcone’s, Jim’s Steaks, Ba Le Bakery, even a late night panini at Old Nelson. He stresses that people should not overlook the bread when making sandwiches – you want the right type, the right thickness, and sometimes, like with their house made charcuterie, older bread can better than fresh.

Percy Street Barbecue

Percy Street Barbecue




Percy Street Barbecue is a new by from Steve Cook, Michael Solomonov and Erin O’Shea, at 900 South St., set to open soon.

Chifa

Buns Of Steal At Chifa

By: Jeff Vogel, posted Oct 23, 2009 at 1:00 pm


Chef Jose Garces’ Peruvian-Cantonese hybrid restaurant offers a Buns & Beers menu each weekday from 5PM – 7PM that is both satifying and a good value. Small sandwiches are paired with draught beers and offered at a very attractive price. For $25, you can get four beers and four buns, offering you a taste of the pork, chicken, duck or shrimp – or any combination of those.

The most popular bun is the pork belly, which is sous-vide for 10 hours, then grilled and coated in Chifa’s house-made hoisin sauce. Served with shaved pickled carrots and a spicy mayo on a steamed white bun, the pork belly is currently paired with Flying Fish’s OktoberFish Ale. Also served on the steamed white bun is the shrimp, which is tossed in a salt-bake crust, flash fried, and then tossed in chile mayo with avocado. Elysian’s Immortal IPA is paired with the shrimp.

The grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and frisee is paired with Philadelphia Brewing Co’s Kenzinger Lager. It is served on Chifa’s own pan de bono, which are made of 20% Yuca flour and 80% a mixture of manchego cheese and queso fresco. The braised duck on a brioche bun is also sous-vide for 8 hours, then pulled apart and tossed with duck jus for a rich and meaty sandwich that pairs with Allagash white.

A great deal, and a perfect meal for those of us who have trouble choosing just one sandwich.


Chifa
707 Chestnut Street – Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Google Map)