Always Sunny in Philadelphia

I've been coming up to QVC for almost a year now, and this weekend marks the first time I've ventured off the Main Line for a meal... met an old friend for dinner in Manayuk, a Philly suburb on the banks of the Schuykill River. Great locale; really vibrant with lots of foot traffic. Outside of the nightmare that is finding a parking spot, this a really cool neighborhood...

Our destination was Derek's on Main Street (http://www.dereksrestaurant.com/), smack dab in the midst of the hustle and flow of a springtime Friday night. My childhood friend, Nancy, arrived in advance, as did the crispy, fried calamari she ordered while waiting for me to ditch my rental car. Bonus for me! The calamari was nicely seasoned, with the just the right amount of lemon, to give it a nice spicy/citrusy zing. The remoulade sauce for dipping was creamy and rich, and a good balance of flavor...

I started with a special that night, not on the menu: Sweet Potato Soup. I was impressed when the waiter served it out of a small procelain urn. Already in the bowl anticipating the pour was a toasted wedge of French bread with a generous dollop of soft, creamy goat cheese. The soup was pureed and rich; The toast, just slightly submerged in a semi-thick sea of deep orange lushness. Not sure if the intent was to be served at room temperature as it was, but I wasn't offended, given my alfresco seating and the time of year.

For my meal, I went with an entree that was highlighted on the menu as an award-winner: Pork shoulder with a Pinot Noir sauce. It arrived pulled, much like the way you'd be served at a BBQ joint, and it was pleasantly crunchy on top, but really tender and moist. Not sure if that was the result of the pork being finished off under the broiler, or just the crust it obtained from searing it before shredding it. Either way, it was a surprise and a delight. The pork shoulder was the star of the plate, but a Best Supporting nod goes to the the bed of mushroom and corn polenta that was underneath. A nice compromise of fluffy and dense textures; not too creamy or mushy. It held up to each forkful of meat, complimenting it, not overwhelming it.

For the record, Nancy ordered the baby spinach, goat cheese, and bacon pizza. It was excellent, as well. I loved this derivation of the Holy Trinity of pizza toppings: cheese, meat, and veggie. The spinach was sauteed; the bacon, substaintial; the goat cheese, slightly tart. Just the right parsing of all three. Derek makes his pizzas in a wood burning oven, and the crust was crisp with just the right amount of chewiness. It had a light, tomato sauce base, with mozzarella, and hint of roasted garlic. One bite and you can tell all of the ingredients were fresh and bright...

All in all, a terrific meal with an equally satisfying setting and company...

I Heart San Francisco

Always the most highly anticipated part of a media tour, coming to my wannabe adopted home of San Francisco. My mind hums and buzzes upon arrival, concocting a culinary game plan for my abbreviated stay. Thanks to my 'local' friend, and co-host of "View From the Bay," Janelle Wang (the show I am to appear on), my first night's dinner is spent at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar. It is a growing trend, this 'comfort-food-cum-haute-cusine' movement (if you can call it a movement), but it is right in my stomach's wheelhouse. http://www.hubertkeller.com/
My meal consisted of an Abita Amber beer, and Abita has now vaulted to the upper echelon of boutique beer labels for me. Native to Louisiana, it was so well-balanced, the somewhat contradictory way I'd describe it is "simply complex." Didn't want to push it with another one, but it goes without saying I will be seeking out their top-seller, Purple Haze, stat. http://www.abita.com/
Now for the eats: I went with the eponymous Hubert Keller Burger: a buffalo burger with sauteed spinach, caramelized onions, and bleu cheese on a toasted (and more importantly, lightly buttered) ciabatta. A side of perfectly crispy-outside/tender-inside sweet potato fries with aioli complemented the burger to perfection. I left off the top half of the bun; there simply was no need for it. I dove in with a fork and knife and gusto to spare.
Let me tell you, if you haven't yet tried a buffalo burger, you are missing out. Slightly different (crumblier) texture than your standard fare; a bit gamier to the taste. There's also a slight hint of sweetness to the meat. Something about a quality bison burger leaves me with an undeniable feeling that I just ingested something more... authentic.
I indulged myself (shock of shocks) with an order from Keller's inspired milkshake menu of desserts: the Twinkie Milkshake...
NEED I SAY MORE?!?! A freakin' half a Twinkie perched tantalizingly atop a lofty mount of thick whipped cream, which gives way to the shake itself, all vanilla and cream and big bits of (the remaining half of) Twinkie, the further you slurp.
As far as "Last Meal" requests go, this one, in it's totality, has to rank right up there for me...

Sunlight comes, and thankfully, the "View From the Bay" airs at 3pm local time, giving me the morning to a) work off my meal from the night before, and b) rev up the engines for a great SF breakfast...
Gotta love the internet (esp. on a Smart Phone), because, concierge be damned, all I do is type in 'San Francisco Breakfast' into my BlackBerry, and the restaurant that jumps off the screen and calls to me is Dottie's True Blue Cafe.
A real hole in the wall (in the most endearing sense of the term), there is little or no elbow room at the counter, what with all the patrons and the bricabrac on the counter. The place is just starting to buzz at 7am, and I count myself as fortunate to have gotten there and staked out my postage stamp of real estate when I did, because almost immediately after, a line snaked out the door and onto Jones St. (off Geary).
I ordered 2 scrambled eggs with chicken-apple sausage and their homemade toasted wheat bread, forgoing the breakfast potatoes in lieu of fresh fruit (see... even I can show restraint sometimes!). OK, so I can't break my arm patting myself on the back -- I had to order a stand-alone blueberry cornmeal pancake on the side... chalk it up (read: rationalize it) to research.
I marveled at the man working the griddle and burners so fluidly, like a musician, really. A scrape of the spatula here; a shake and jiggle of the fry pan there... needless to say, my eggs were tender and buttery soft, the sausage was sweet and fragrant, and the bread was hearty and oh so fresh. But it was the pancake that stole the spotlight. I fell hard for cornmeal pancakes in Albuquerque (where they favor blue corn), but this was next-level stuff. The cornmeal batter gives a pancake a denser texture, but this one still managed to be light-tasting, and the blueberries were perfectly nestled inside and all over... what a great way to start a day!

My TV segment went swimmingly. I love coming to this station: live audience, dedicated set, real pros in front of and behind the camera. Today was a special treat, because I got to meet the HOFF. Yes, Mr. Baywatch Knight Rider was in the house, spreading joy to all who came into his view. He was pimping his upcoming reality series as well as a concert (!) at a nearby casino.

Lucky for me Postrio was just a couple of turns away from the station. http://www.postrio.com/
I've always wanted to try it, mostly because I remain an unabashed fan of Wolfgang Puck, but also because it still has a solid rep in a cutthroat-competitive food city, and has remained staunchly ingrained in this town since 1989.
They only offered up their Cafe Menu, because the main dining room is under renovation, but that was no loss for me. I ordered the Pork Belly Yakitori, which was small (as I suspected), with only 3 cubes on a skewer, but the taste more than made up for it. If you've never tasted pork belly, think: the very best, most succulent part of your favorite spare ribs at a Chinese restaurant, and you're almost there. The semi-thick sauce/glaze and a wedge of orange were a nice touch, adding both sweetness and some citrus to each bite.
My entree was Wolfgang's Prosciutto-Fig Pizza. Simply otherwordly. No matter what else he puts on a menu, I can't escape the pull of a Puck Pizza! The dough is crispy throughout, yet chewy at the outer ring of crust. Layered with marscapone, generous slices of prosciutto, chunks of fig, together with slivers of red onion, a tangy balsamic glaze, a touch of truffle oil, and topped with fresh shards of Parmigiana-Reggiano. Heaven on Post Street...

I leave San Francisco post haste tomorrow, dreaming and planning for my next visit...