Winter Food In Philly and NYC

I am not the biggest fan of Winter.  I think my genetic disposition requires me to crave warm places, much like the rest of my people who tend to migrate during the cold months to places like Boca Raton Florida.  But for some reason food takes on a greater significance while I wait for Spring.  Here's some photographs from recent food excursions.

I. Philadelphia

George's Sandwich Shop, Italian Market

Hummus Lunch At Dizengoff

Pizza At In Riva

Street Vendor "Chicken & Rice"

Shanghai Crabmeat & Pork Soup Dumplings, Dim Sum Garden

II. New York City

Le Grainne Café

Lox At Zabar's, New York

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,600 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Paris. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

First Impressions, La Colombe's A Different Drum Rum

Back in the Fall of 2013 I was treated to a tour of La Colombe's Port Richmond roastery.  At the end of my visit, owner Todd Carmichael revealed that he was working on a rum project and I got a brief glimpse of the ad hock still he installed.  I was able to taste a sample and thought the rum was promising although very much in its early stages.  Check out my blog post, "The Coffee MacGyver".

The Rum Distillery Under Construction

Fast forward a year later.  La Colombe's massive new Fishtown Philadelphia cafe finally opened after 11 months of construction.  I was invited to a tasting of the first batch.  About 15 of us sat at a long table with the 450 liter German still a few feet away.

A Different Drum Rum

The rum is infused with Panama Geisha coffee beans, considered among the best coffees in the world (and can cost from $10 to over $100 a pound green).  Todd and his team tasted a lot of coffee and found that the Geisha sourced from one farm produced the best rum so they committed to purchasing the entire lot that the Peterson Farm grows.  The rum produced in-house is blended with Brazilian rum and aged in small 10-15 gallon new White Oak barrels for 6-9 months.

This is a serious rum meant for sipping.  If you love your bourbon neat, you'll find this rum within your wheelhouse.  Personally I preferred an ice-cube or two.  The flavors are mellower and more fully integrated than the first time I tasted it.  There's a nice smokiness with hints of caramel and toast with a touch of sweetness, due perhaps to the coffee sugars.

Initially A Different Drum was $50 and  its new price at $29.99 is an absolute steal.  For now you can only buy it if you're in Pennsylvania or Washington D.C. but there are plans for limited expansion (get ready Chicago and NYC).  For the rest of you unfortunately you're SOL....or perhaps not if you have a relative from PA or D.C. visiting you for the holidays.

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

The Coffee MacGyver

La Colombe's Construction Of Their New Fishtown Cafe

Primary Colors: Red

Bouncing around Philadelphia I recently noticed that I'm more aware of color in my photography.  It' s a bit  atypical because I generally consider myself more of a black and white guy. Using color is a little out of my comfort zone so as a creative exercise I started a new project, "primary colors".  This week: "Red"

 "Where There Is No Vision The People Perish!"

Havana or Fishtown, Philadelphia?

Broad Street Ruin Porn

Cheerleaders, Rittenhouse Square

"Bar" Northern Liberties

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

La Colombe's Construction Of Their New Fishtown Megacafe

March 25, 2014, Exterior, La Colombe Fishtown

September 5, Exterior La Colombe Fishtown

Back in October local Philly roaster La Colombe announced that they were breaking ground on a major new project. Within the inside a former warehouse in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, La Colombe has been building their new flagship rum distillery, bakery and coffee shop. Throughout the winter, partners Todd Carmichael and Jean Philippe Iberti have been busy overseeing the design and construction of the huge 16,000 square foot space.  Todd calls the 150 seat cafe "JP's opus" and also has a cupping room,  sixty-meter German still, and bread oven (the retail bakery is headed by Parc veteran John McGrath)

March 6, 2014: In the beginning...the raw space

When I initially checked out the raw space, I was struck by the size and scope of the project. It's one of the most ambitious cafe build outs I've ever seen. I decided to follow the progress of the construction, photographing the interior every few weeks.   Using a method I've perfected through trial and error, each 180 degree panorama is a composite of 20-30 iPhone still images that are stitched together with the app AutoStitch.  After Snapseed enhancements and conversion to black and white, I finished each image in Lightroom and Photoshop.

March 19, 2014

May 7, 2014 Concrete laid, ductwork

June 5, 2014 Frameout

September 15, 2014: A Few Days Before Opening

Partners Carmichael and Iberti are not resting on their laurels.  The company has just secured $28.5 million in new financing for cafe expansion and Todd informed me that his TV show Dangerous Grounds is soon getting a rebrand (details are still being worked out but it should be more expansive in scope).

August 5, 2014, The Rum Still

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Blog Post, Todd Carmichael, The Coffee Macgyver

 La Colombe

"A Cafe For Their Crafts" by Michael Klein

"La Colombe Secures $28.5 Million Investment" by Roast Magazine

"Dangerous Grounds", The Travel Channel

Summer In Philadelphia

Summer is a slower season and my favorite time of year.  Recently I've been photographing some of my favorite things about the season.

Let's start with a refreshing iced coffee.  The city is quiet, the pool is open and for me this is the hot weather drink.  Last week I checked out the new Peddler Coffee and came away really impressed.  Zachary James Urbanski and Richard Kessler veterans of several coffeeshops around town including Ultimo, Town Hall and Greene Street started introducing their small micro-roasted direct trade coffees around Philly via their tricked out coffee bicycles.  The operation is tiny.  The partners purchase very small lots about 100 pounds or so, focusing on high quality and single origin selections.

Peddler Coffee Cold Brew

Just a few weeks ago in a little storefront at 806 South 6th Street, where East Passyunk and Catharine intersect, Peddler hooked up with Koliyan Cambodian Desserts and opened a small coffeeshop. The boys prepare their iced coffee with Yama cold brew towers.  The brew I tried was close to perfection.

Beer Vendor, Citizen's Bank Ball Park

I'm not a big sports fanatic but once a year I take my daughter to a Phillies game.  It's a wonderful bonding experience.  She loves to stay to the very end, gorging on popcorn, cotton candy, and hot dogs,  screaming and doing whatever it takes to get on the Jumbotron.

A Homemade Shrimp Boil

Of course Summer is also about being outdoors with friends and family. My favorite time of day is dusk when the temperature and humidity start to drop.  I live in the suburbs (a blessing and a curse) and love watching  the fireflies doing their nightly light show as bats feed overhead.

Fireflies At Dusk

July 4th Sparklers

High School Graduation

South Warnock Street, Philadelphia

  

Back in Philly, the city gets really quiet as residents go "down the shore".  It's fun exploring the small colonial streets where houses date back to the 1700's.



CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8



Peddler Coffee

Photography Around Philly Part III

When I was younger I thought my calling was Photography.  I got a MFA and for a while was an assistant in New York to a famous fashion photographer.  After years plugging away at it, I came to the conclusion that, while I'm a good photographer, I wasn't talented enough to make it a career.  I packed my Nikons away and didn't touch them again.

In the last two years I've rekindled my love for the medium and started shooting again, exclusively with my iPhone.  I have no idea where this path is taking me but something inside has reawakened.  Recently I purchased a digital camera but still feel far more comfortable shooting with my iPhone.

When I'm not checking out new coffeeshops, I'm constantly inspired to photograph Philly, my hometown.  Here's some of what I saw the past few weeks.

Beer Vendor, Citizen's Bank Ball Park

Crosstown Cab With Elixr

Under The Ben Franklin Bridge

 High School Graduation

Pure Sweets, Rittenhouse

Diner, South Jersey

Spring - Summer

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Rival Bros and Bodhi Coffee Solidify Philadelphia's Coffee Scene

 Part One: Rival Bros.

Rival Bros Coffee Mobile Truck

Two coffee shops opened within the last few weeks that emphasize the rapid maturation of Philadelphia's coffee scene. At the corner of 24th and Lombard Jonathan Adams (a.k.a. Johnny Mac), and Damien Pileggi opened their brick and mortar Rival Bros. Coffee.  They started serving their in-house roasted coffee out of a truck in West Philadelphia in 2011.  The truck is still around but it's now used only for private events.  Ryan Katrina of Neuarmy Surplus Co designed the "Pistols" coffee sign.


It's an uber-cool space.  The interior decor was a family affair, with Jonathan and Damien coming up with the general feel and their wives working on the final design (both wives have backgrounds in interior design).

"Johnny Mac" behind the bar

There's a rock and roll rebellious vibe to the truck that the boys were able to bring to their cafe that, at the same time, is welcoming and quite chill.  The music is killer (think The Black Angels, La Femme, Jack White and Cosmonauts)  and the food is an interesting selection of sweet and savory treats from High Street (think cannoli danish and ramp scone).    I'm told that once the weather heats up, ice cream will be added to the menu.

When I walked in the first week they were open, Johnny and Damien were behind the bar pulling shots and making sure everything ran smoothly. There's only a few tables and if you can grab one, it's fun people watching or just chatting with your coffee-mate or nearest neighbor.   The house blended "Whistle & Cuss" and "Revolver" are both medium roast blends and Rival also offers single origin lighter roasts.

Damien Pileggi and Jonathan Adams, Owners, Rival Bros

Both boys are self taught and are quickly rising to the top of the Philly roasting scene.  Damien started at La Colombe and Jonathan's background is a self taught chef with experience at Davio's, David Fields' Salt, and finishing up at as the Chef de Cuisine at Pub & Kitchen and Avalon's Diving Horse.  The food world's loss is Philadelphia's coffee scene's gain.

 Part Two, Bodhi Coffee

14 blocks away in Washington Square West Bodhi Coffee just opened their second coffeehouse on South 10th Street.  The vibe here is quite a contrast to Rival.

The space is larger with three distinctive areas for sitting with a cup of Stumptown or Elixr.   There's a communal table in the front and off to the side is a separate room where two West facing windows allow for some nice soft natural light. There's also a patio out back that contains a tiny garden.  The decor is very clean with minimal decoration and no ambient music.  When  I visited on the first day and it was relatively quiet.  I enjoyed a cortado roasted by Elixr coffee one of the best micro-roasters out there (they also have their own cafe at 207 S Sydenham Street between 15th and 16th Streets). Bodhi's newest cafe is a great place to grab some of the best coffee in the city and work on your computer or chill with a friend for some quiet conversation.

Seating in the patio garden

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Two Beautiful Coffeehouses In Philadelphia

Rival Bros

Bodhi Coffee

Neuarmy Surplus

Photography Around Philly

I spend most week days driving all over Philadelphia.  Quite often I find myself discovering little visual snapshots that, for me, are partial stories of this city.  Here are just a few from the last two weeks.

[caption id="attachment_1079" align="aligncenter" width="560"] The Ben Franklin Bridge[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1064" align="aligncenter" width="560"] A Tree In South Philly[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1082" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Another Tree Grows In South Philly[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1065" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Secret Alley Behind Bohdi Coffee[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1066" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Restaurant Le Cheri[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1071" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Accordion, Rittenhouse Square[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1068" align="aligncenter" width="560"] 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa, Simeone Museum[/caption]

 

 

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8