Memories at Pat’s King of Steaks in Philly

Pat’s, a South Philly landmark.

When I was in college, my boyfriend Paul’s fraternity embarked on an epic quest to Philly each year. Around 10 p.m. on a Saturday, they’d pile into three or four cars and race up I-95 (I don’t even want to know how fast). Their destination? Pat’s King of Steaks in South Philly. The treasure? A cheesesteak “wit” onions and Whiz (Cheez-Whiz).

When you order at Pat’s, you say “wit” to mean “with” and “wit-out” to mean “without.” Onions are fine, but  Cheez-Whiz? Honestly? Thankfully they also have Provolone (although some will argue it’s not a cheesesteak without the Whiz).

Philly meets Las Vegas.

Travel to the intersection of 9th and Passyunk at around midnight on any given  Saturday night and you will find a lively, if not peculiar scene. Across the street from modest Pat’s is flashier competitor Geno’s Steaks. The wild lights display, reminiscent of something you might see in Las Vegas, feels out of place in the middle-class South Philly neighborhood.

I first visited Pat’s with my mom several years ago. I ordered a Provolone cheesesteak “wit-out.” The shaved ribeye, soft hoagie roll and slightly melted cheese on top was divine at the time, so I devoured the entire monster. Paul, my boyfriend, had asked if I could bring back a cheesesteak for him in Baltimore. I can’t imagine anything is good after sitting in a car covered in Cheez-Whiz for several hours, but I’ve never seen him happier after eating his steak.

My first Philly cheesesteak.

Last year, Paul and I visited Pat’s late one Saturday night on our way home from a track meet in rural Pennsylvania. We drove 30 miles out of the way just to make a stop at Pat’s. We ate them inside my car because Pat’s only offers outdoor seating (In 30 degree January weather, that’s just not fun). For the rest of the drive back, the odd scent of Cheez-Whiz from Paul’s cheesesteak permeated my car.

He’s in heaven.

Most recently, I joined Paul on a road trip up to New Jersey for his summer job. I looked at a map beforehand  and realized we would be passing Philly – obviously, this warranted a stop at Pat’s. Upon later inspection, I realized that Philly was a little out of the way, but of course I waited until afterwards to tell Paul this. Needless to say, he admitted it was probably the best detour he’d ever taken.

Don’t take my photo while I’m chewing!

Pat’s opened about 30 years before Geno’s, but equally long lines of out-of-towners and locals form outside both destinations. It’s a question often asked: “Who has the better cheesesteak? Pat’s or Geno’s?”

Ask Philadelphians this question and they will probably direct you elsewhere in the city, such as John’s Roast Pork or Phillip’s Steaks. Yes, Pat’s and Geno’s can be touristy, but they are classic Philly landmarks. And if you live in D.C. like I do, you should visit them at least once.

Sometimes, it’s more about what the place means to you personally. For Paul, visiting Pat’s reminds him of good times with his fraternity in college. For me, I think of the fun trip my mom and I took to the city years ago. For these reasons, we’ll keep going to Pat’s. And, if we’re feeling extra adventurous, we might even try a cheesesteak at Geno’s.

Photos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat’s_King_of_Steaks, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geno’s_Steaks

Stories from the Grill (And Some Tasty Asparagus Too!)

The grill. I’d feared it since I started as an extern at the restaurant where I currently work. The endless assault of steaks, burgers and other proteins struck every Friday and Saturday. I’d watched cooks fly finished plates off this station and I’d also watched cooks drown in the flood of orders. After working the salad station and the saute station (where I only cooked fish) for months, it was only a matter of time before I’d find myself here.

Not the average backyard grill.

About a month ago, it finally happened. I worried about my lack of previous experience. I remember one of the cooks (it might have even been the sous chef) telling me: ”If you can cook fish, you can cook anything.” I’m not so sure this is entirely true.

My father was territorial of our grill when I was younger (must be a man thing), so I’d always stayed away. We had touched on grilling briefly in culinary school, too, but we mostly stuck to sautéing, braising and baking. Oh well. I had to dive in at some point.

Once I figured out how the heat was distributed across the grill, everything became easier. No, not all grills are created equal, and it’s important to understand this before you slap a piece of meat onto it. The hottest part of the grill is a perfect spot for quickly getting a dark, heavy sear on meat. The sear from the hot bars adds another depth of flavor and is one of the most important aspects of grilling. Sure, I burned off quite a bit of arm hair figuring this out, but at least my steaks looked nice.

Surprisingly, I found working with a set of piping hot grill bars much preferable to using saute pans on the stove. Some dishes I’d made in the past on the saute station required three or more pans, which could quickly became a nightmare during a busy dinner service. With a limited amount of burners, I’d often run out of space for my pans. Forced to wait until a burner freed up felt like a death sentence at the time – anything that slows you down in the kitchen during a busy service is never, never good.

Working the grill simplified everything. No pans, just bars and flames.

After a solid month of working this station on busy nights, I’ve grilled a number of different meats and vegetables. Last week, it was brocoli rabe. This past week, it’s been grilled asparagus. Char from the grill brings life to the earthy, mild flavor of the asparagus.

The ideal season for asparagus is anytime from February to June, with April being the peak. For seasonality’s sake, this recipe is definitely appropriate. Spring Valley Farm and Orchard, one of my favorite vendors at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market, recently featured some attractive-looking asparagus at their tent.

Read on for a recipe that is simple but loaded with flavor:

Grilled Asparagus

• 1 bunch medium-thickness asparagus
• 1 whole lemon, sliced into wedges
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Optional garnishes: breadcrumbs, shaved Parmesan, Maldon sea salt

1. Preheat grill, according to instructions (Like I said, not all grills are created equal!). Your grill should be very hot before you cook the asparagus.
2. Snap off tough part of asparagus stems at the bottom. It should break off naturally with little effort.
3. When grill is ready, brush olive oil over asparagus and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place asparagus on a hot part of your grill. Use a set of tongs to roll the asparagus over once one side has a good amount of char, but not too much.
5. Once both sides are nicely charred, move the asparagus to a less hot part of the grill to let them finish cooking.
6. When cooked, the asparagus should be tender, but still have some crunch (Limp, wilted asparagus are overcooked).
7. Let the asparagus cool and garnish with breadcrumbs, thinly shaved Parmesan or Maldon if preferred. Serve with a lemon wedge and enjoy! They’re delicious warm or at room temperature.

Image: http://globalequipment.us.com/restaurant-grill-equipment.shtml

Cherry Blossom Picnic: Brown Rice Salad with Broccoli Rabe, Olives and Toasted Almonds

Photograph by Carla Laseter

Finally. The Cherry Blossoms are almost at peak bloom! My mom, my roommate and I rushed down to the Tidal Basin yesterday evening to get a glimpse and snap a few photos. We brought a picnic dinner with us and enjoyed the view from underneath the outstretching branches of a cherry tree.

Earlier in the day, I had a tough time deciding what to prepare. I wanted to avoid conventional picnic foods such as fried chicken, cole slaw and potato salad. Not to say there is anything wrong with these foods (I’m Southern, so you know I love fried chicken!), but I wanted to try something different.

I scanned Mark Bittman’s excellent piece, 101 20 Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics, in the New York Times and found the perfect idea. Rice salad. Of course. They’re extremely versatile and pair wonderfully with lighter proteins such as chicken or fish. I crafted my own rice salad based partly on Mark Bittman’s ideas and from a similar recipe on the back of a bag of Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice.

Right away, I knew I wanted broccoli rabe and Kalamata olives in my rice salad. I love the complex, bitter flavors that broccoli rabe and olives can lend to any dish. In this recipe, they are well-balanced by the sweetness of the bell pepper and acidity of the lemon vinaigrette. With whole grains, nuts and greens, this salad is healthy addition to any picnic (we ate every bit of it!). Feel free to get creative and substitute different ingredients into the recipe as well.

Oh, and for my fellow runners out there: this salad makes a great snack after an intense workout or long run. Enjoy with a glass of chocolate milk, of course.

Photograph by Carla Laseter

Brown Rice Salad with Broccoli Rabe and Toasted Almonds

Yield: About 6 servings (Note: Not counting the rice, the below measurements are approximations. Feel free to use more or less of any ingredient!)

• 3 cups cooked short grain brown rice (I used Lundberg)
• 4 Tbsp. toasted slivered almonds
• 1 cup cooked broccoli rabe, sliced thin
• 1 large bell pepper, diced small
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
• Fresh mint, chiffonaded
• Salt and pepper

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette (Yield: about ½ cups)

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Prep:

1. Prepare brown rice according to the instructions on the package, making sure to yield 3 cups cooked rice. Set aside and let cool completely.
2. Lightly coat slivered almonds with olive oil and toast in oven at 350 degrees until light brown. Give the pan a good shake after a few minutes to make sure they toast evenly.
3. Slice the stems off of the broccoli rabe, reserving the leaves. Take a handful of rabe leaves and roll them up on your cutting board. Slice thin and then rinse the leaves in a colander with water. Pat dry with paper towels.
4. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced rabe (it’s okay if it’s not completely dry) and sauté until the stems are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Place rabe on paper towels to drain excess liquid and let cool completely.
5. Dice pepper into small cubes (They should not be much larger than the grains of cooked rice).
6. Slice olives in half if they are small or quarters if they are larger.
7. Pick mint leaves. Wash and dry with paper towels if necessary (sometimes they are clean).
8. Lastly, make the vinaigrette by whisking olive oil into fresh lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Assembly:

1. Combine cooked rice, toasted almonds, diced pepper, olives and broccoli rabe in a bowl.
2.  Chiffonade the mint leaves, or roll them up and slice thin. Add enough mint to the rice mixture so that you can taste it.
3. Add lemon vinaigrette a little at a time and toss until the rice is well coated, but not drenched (You might not need to use all of the vinaigrette). Season the salad with salt and pepper and enjoy cold or at room temperature.

Obscure Travel Guide: East Joppa Road, Parkville, Maryland

Consider this scenario: You are in Parkville, Maryland, somewhere on East Joppa Road near the interchange of Loch Raven Road and I-695. You’re only 25 minutes north of Baltimore, but it seems farther. In front of you is an expansive asphalt desert, strewn with dotted lines and speeding cars. The area is industrial, with mostly furniture stores and car dealerships.

You are stuck here for three hours without a car. What on Earth are you going to do?

Don’t worry, there is a story behind all of this randomness. Last week, Paul needed car repairs at a Pep Boys in Parkville and we had to wait four hours until they finished. We made the best of a potentially irritating situation and explored the area. The verdict? There’s not much to look at around here, but you will find some killer good deals and prices. Would I ever come back here? Most likely no. 

So, without further ado, here are my highlights of East Joppa Road in Parkville, Maryland. If you ever find yourself in this area, you’ll be glad you read this.

View Larger Map

Bel-Loc Diner

First opened in 1964, this blast-from-the-past diner is a rare find. Is it good? Well, no, not really. But for the authentic, diner experience, it’s worth a trip if you’re nearby. We ordered a Western Omelet, which was gigantic, and a two eggs any-style dish with bacon and breakfast potatoes. Our server was warm and friendly, and encouraged us to stay as long as we wanted while we sipped our coffee.

Goodwill

You know what Goodwills are: a smorgasbord of random items at bargain prices. This is definitely one of the better ones I’ve visited. Similar to Bel-Loc, I felt like I’d stepped back 15 years in time. We found Disney VHS tapes, old records, books and retro gaming consoles. Paul found a cheap DVD he could resell on Amazon for a higher price and I picked up a milk frother for $10. (Now I can make lattes at home!) I looked up the actual retail price, and it was somewhere around $50. On Tuesdays, there is a 10% student discount. Oh, the things you do when you’re bored.

Baynesville Electronics (Warning: this website causes extreme motion sickness!)

I encountered all sorts of complicated-looking computer parts, but I also found odd items such as do-it-yourself potato clock. I wasn’t really sure what was going on here. It was mildly entertaining for about three minutes, and then I really, really wanted to leave. At least Paul, the computer genius, understood what was here. If you are in of need computer parts, then this is your spot.

Lakeshore Learning Store

We had high hopes for this store. We imagined challenging games that required serious brain power. What we found instead was a children’s store with items like Play-Doh and multiplication flashcards. In fact, the entire store kind of smelled like Play-Doh. If you’re a teacher or a small child, then you’ll probably love this place. We spent 30 seconds here and bolted towards the crisp,  fresh air.

Dollar Tree

Once I saw how cheap everything was, I decided to knock out some grocery shopping. I bought three packs of Dentine Ice gum, a big-pack of fun size M&M’s, a pack of Rubbermaid tupperware containers, Palmolive soap, all for $1 each. You can’t even get these deals at Target! Obviously, there were some obscure brands that I might be skeptical to purchase, but overall there was a great selection of everyday stuff.

Beltway Fine Wine and Spirits 

This is definitely one of the best bang for your buck beer, wine and liquor stores in the area. When I went to Hopkins, we used to drive all the way out here to stock up before parties.

Buy This Now: Trickling Springs Creamery Chocolate Milk

It’s just that good.

I’m not kidding. This is probably the best chocolate milk I’ve ever had. As a longtime Horizon Organic chocolate milk drinker, I was at first hesitant to put this in my shopping cart at the P Street Whole Foods last week.

A rich chocolate flavor with a smooth, velvety finish make this milk shine. It’s a perfect match for chocolate chip cookies and just about anything, honestly.

Trickling Springs Creamery, located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, buys their milk from small, local farmers who raise their cows with humane methods. This doesn’t necessarily mean organic, but the cows are pasture raised and grass fed. The creamery also uses a process called HTST (High Temperature Short Time) Pasteurization, which requires heating the milk to at least 160 F for at least 15 seconds to kill harmful bacteria. Typically, most of the milk you see on grocery store shelves is pasteurized using the UHT (Ultra High Temperature) method, with temperatures over 275 F. Trickling Spring’s low temperature pasteurization technique retains some of the milk’s original flavor and nutrients.

Fascinating stuff, no?

Use this map to find Trickling Spring’s products near you. There’s a stand at Union Market that’s definitely worth a visit.

Source:

Maurice Shils, Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, GoogleBooks, 
http://books.google.com/books?id=S5oCjZZZ1ggC&pg=PA1782&dq=htst+vs+uht&hl=en&sa=X&ei=s0JTUdf0J4_F4APNroDIBw&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=htst%20vs%20uht&f=false

http://www.tricklingspringscreamery.com/

Philly’s Reading Terminal Market: Dutch Eating Place

I spy gravy. Lots of gravy.

Call it a heart attack on a plate: the Hot Turkey Sandwich with Mashed Potatoes from Dutch Eating Place, a lunch counter inside Philly’s Reading Terminal Market.  Sliced, roasted turkey breast in between two slices of bread, smothered in gravy. Next to this is a heaping portion of mashed potatoes smothered in more gravy. To accompany are cole slaw and cranberry sauce. This one brought me right back to Thanksgiving dinner.

Paul and I discovered this sandwich during a day trip to Philly last week. At first, I was confused. Why so much gravy? After some thought, I think I understood what was going on here. Professional chefs might hate you for admitting it, but trust me, it’s often true: Cheese, bacon or gravy makes everything delicious. The cooks at Dutch Eating Place must have thought, “Let’s just make all of our food extra delicious by dumping gravy all over it, no matter what it is.” It’s kind of brilliant, if you ask me. Even though the slices of white bread were a bit soggy and lifeless (I actually wished they had been toasted), I still ate every last bite on my plate.

Embrace the gravy.

If turkey isn’t your preference, then you can order the same sandwich with roast beef (pictured, above). We noticed that this particular gravy had a darker color than it did on the turkey sandwich. My guess is that previous gravy was made with turkey or chicken stock, and that this gravy used beef stock.

This monster sandwich is just one of the gems you’ll find at Reading Terminal Market. I love this place, but thank God I don’t live close by. I’d probably weigh 1000 pounds.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment

In my last post, I set a high goal for myself: Can I top The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe?

Here is the final list of ingredients I created:

• 1 ⅓ – 1 ½ cups AP flour
• ½ t. baking soda
• ¾ t. baking powder
• 1 stick butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 10 oz. chocolate chips – I used half a bag of Ghiradelli, 60% cacao and half  a bag of semi-sweet
•  Sea salt (optional)

I started with the Times’ recipe and modified it using with another recipe that mimics The City Bakery’s cookie. I made a few more tweaks, including using only AP flour and brown sugar. After doing a little research, I found out some useful information on chocolate chip cookie ingredients. Using mostly granulated sugar results in a thin, extremely crispy cookie. Using mostly brown sugar will make the cookie moist and chewy (That’s what I wanted!).

Although using cake flour and bread flour in the dough can result in a softer, more delicate texture of the cookie, there’s nothing wrong with AP flour. It’s called all-purpose for a reason, isn’t it? Not only that, it’s also more likely to be in your kitchen cabinet.

So, with my limited baking chemistry knowledge, the above recipe is my best effort. Here are the directions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar with a stand or hand mixer until smooth and no more lumps are present.
3. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until combined (don’t overbeat).
4. Add the flour mixture a little at a time and beat until fully incorporated.
5. Roughly chop the chocolate chips (see above) and add them to the dough, using a wooden spoon.
6. Chill dough for at least one hour. 
7. When ready to bake, set oven to 375 degrees. Using an ice cream scooper, place cookie dough on a sheet tray lined with parchment.
8. If you have sea salt on hand (I didn’t at the time), sprinkle a small amount over each cookie.
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes. The time will vary, but the cookies are done when they are golden brown around the edges.
10. Remove the cookies from the parchment onto a cooling rack. I like to eat them right away, but ideally you should wait at least five minutes for them to set and crisp.
11. Eat, preferably with a glass of milk nearby.

Let’s go back to step six. Here’s where things become interesting. I wanted to find out if chilling the dough longer makes a noticeable difference on the outcome of the cookie. I rested the dough for one hour, 12 hours, 24 hours and 36 hours and then compare my results. Here’s what happened:

1 Hour:

I was pleasant surprised by the cookies after chilling for one hour. I expected them to be completely flat, but they actually rose a little in the oven. The cookies browned beautifully, too. Texture wise, the cookies were extremely chewy but not very crisp. The combination of 60% cacao and semi-sweet chocolate was also a winner.

12 Hours:

This batch was a bit odd. They had the crispness that the first batch lacked, but they did not rise as much as I expected. I might have left them in the oven for too long, actually, but I’m not really sure what was going on here. Oh well, they were still delicious.

24 Hours:

This is what I’m talking about! This batch was thicker  and its flavors were bolder and richer than previous ones. I think I also nailed the baking time. I pulled them out of the oven when the center was still a little undercooked, but the outsides were browned and crisp. As the cookie cooled, the center solidified better. Overall, this batch was a huge success.

36 Hours:

Damn it! I over baked this batch, but just by a little. How do I keep doing this!? Well, anyway, I didn’t notice a huge difference between this batch and the 24-hour batch.

The conclusion? 

Chill your dough! If you’re in a rush or an impatient cookie eater like I am, one hour is the bare minimum. For the optimum texture, color and rise on your cookies, chill them for at least 24 hours.

So, how does my recipe stack up? While I was extremely pleased with these cookies, I think they could have been even better. There are several things I’d like to try, including putting granulated sugar back into the recipe. It’s definitely a good recipe and in my opinion, just as good as The New York Times’.

One last thing – make sure you don’t continuously over bake your cookies like I did. I blame it on my culinary training. I was taught to take something out of the oven “when it’s done.” That is definitely NOT a good mantra for baking!