John P. Durante Funeral Procession

You may or may not know that we lost an extraordinary man last week; my father. It was sudden and his public service made his passing all the more difficult because so many people loved him. People say all the time that they think highly of someone, or they really like someone and it is often something people just say. When people spoke of loving my dad, they REALLY meant it. I never actually appreciated it until he was gone and everyone, and I mean everyone wanted to tell us just how much.

This was amazing and yet overwhelming as we are all left still completely exhausted, but needing to return to life. We have not written anything since the day before my dad died and since my mind is completely blank, I figured I would just explain where we’ve been. Food has remained a passion, although on the back burner, as my father’s friends and closest companions are some of the best cooks around. They will be my inspiration in the coming weeks and I am hoping to continue honoring my father by focusing on the people and foods he loved the most. I’ll let everyone else continue the tribute to his service, and they will.

That’s all I’ve got in me for now, but stay tuned……

Tributes to my Father:

Remember Sheriff John P. Durante Forever

Times Herald

NBC 10

Philly.com

Obituary

Stan Huskey’s Tribute

Montella, Italy

Funeral Procession

We have a lot going on!!

We have a lot happening this week as we close out the first month of 2010, already! This is what’s going on at The Best Of Food:

• We are working on finalizing our new website. The new site will move faster. Searches will return better results. We are adding a picture box so that we  can showcase restaurants  with many additional pictures allowing users to get a better perspective of the restaurant. We will be adding new pages and so much more! Stay tuned!
• We have lots of new recipes coming at you this week.
• A Valentine’s Day restaurant list is on it’s way featuring the area’s most romantic venues. Reserve early! Before it is complete you can always search on your own here.
• Super Bowl XLIV is all set to go on Sunday, February 7th. We will compile great Super Bowl parties around the area.
• And of course The Weekly Rant. We think this week’s rant will create quite a dialog.

Stay with us this week for all of this and more!

A Tasting of Duck – Tuesday, January 12
(menus are subject to change)

First Course:

Duck liver, polenta, 63 degrees duck egg
 

  Second Course:   

“Vol au Vent”, ris de veau, cockscomb
 

Third Course:  

“Confit Breast”, savoy cabbage, Hobb’s bacon, chestnuts
 
 

Fourth Course:
Opera Cake, foie gras buttercream

$45 pp

+ Tax and gratuity

BYO

Reserve

Just the idea of Christmas conjures up certain scents in my mind; cinnamon and cloves, cookies baking and pine trees. The pine scent never seems to last as long as I would like and unfortunately with our busy schedules, it seems we get that tree up later and later each year. There are always cookies baked in the house and yet it seems that time after time one pesky crumb falls onto the bottom of the oven giving off that hell’s burning over scent that ruins the terrific aroma that once permeated the air.

So instead of waiting for the magical scent of Christmas to find me, I create it in my own home and keep it throughout the season. Candles you suggest, surely you jest! That is fake scent. I speak of real, authentic aroma that brings the comfort of the season through a home like nothing else ~ homemade potpourri simmering on the stove top.

Homemade Potpourri

It may not be pretty, but it smells wonderful! Take a medium sauce pan and cut up 2 apples (I usually use red apples because they do look prettier), and 2 oranges. Add cinnamon sticks and some whole cloves. I really don’t measure, but be careful not to overdo it with the cloves on the first batch. Cover with water and turn the pot on low and let it simmer on the stove. Continue to refill with water as it cooks off.

I continue to add to the pot with apple and orange peels. Once a week I add some extra cloves or cinnamon. If it gets really nasty looking I might even dump it and start over, but quite honestly, it sits on a back burner so no one really sees it but me.

****Warning: do not forget about the pot on the stove or the bottom of the pot will burn to ruins ~ i speak from experience****

My favorite whisk!

No idea why this is a great cooking utensil? Well, let me tell you. This whisk is flat. If you have ever made gravy, you know what a pain it can be trying to use a spoon or even a rubber spatula. Nothing seems to “whisk” and scrape up the bits of cooked on deliciousness left over from the meat. Voila!

Problem solved with this whisk. It whisks and scrapes at the same time. It is also great when you are making sauces in a saute pan. Do not under estimate the versatility of the flat whisk! I found this one at William Sonoma. I paid $10. It also appears they are available at Sur La Table for $19 – $20. I don’t know why they would be twice as much, but I like to give a few options.

This is a great stocking stuffer!

Please feel free to make other suggestions for foodie gifts. We would love to pass them on!

I have a confession, I am secretly in love  with an elf…A Mad Elf!

I guess it’s not so secret. When a beer is 11% alcohol by volume, it’s difficult to hide when you’ve had a few, and like Lays Potato Chips, you can’t have just one!

So, what is Mad Elf you ask?

Mad Elf is a seasonal ale available from October through December which is brewed by Troegs Brewing Company. It is ruby red in color and combines cherries, honey and chocolate malts. The flavor is subtly spicy, but not as heavy as the appearance would indicate which is why I enjoy it so much.

Admittedly, I am not a beer expert and certainly not as well versed on craft beers as say, Beer Lass, Joe Sixpack, Two Guys on Beer or PhillyBeer Scene, so if you are looking for a formal education on the brewing process or comparables, you won’t find it here! I just know what I like, and I likes me some Mad Elf!

So, we checked with local spots and asked around twitter, and have found some places in the area where you can enjoy some Mad Elf for yourself!

Blue Monkey

Bridget’s

Campbell’s

Kite and Key

Grey Lodge

P.O.P.E

Oneal’s

Drinker’s Tavern

Hulmeville Inn

Mc Menenamin’s

Jack’s Firehouse

Union Jack’s

La Terrasse

The StoneRose

Lucky Dog

Fingers, Wings and Other Things

Help us add to the list! Where do you enjoy your Mad Elf?

LETS GO EAGLES!!!!!!

The Philadelphia Eagles will take on those stinking Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at the Linc. Get together with other EAGLES fans, cheerleaders, Swoop, 94 WYSP, as well as, EAGLES players to prepare for the game!

WHAT: EAGLES Pep Rally

WHERE: MaGerk’s Fort Washington, PA

WHEN: Friday, Nov 6th 7:00PM – 10:00PM

Details:

• Pep Rally to support our Philadelphia EAGLES as they take on The Dallas Cowboys

• WYSP will broadcast live
• Appearance by EAGLES Cheerleaders
• Appearance by Swoop, the EAGLES Mascot
• Appearance by EAGLES players

COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE TEAM!!

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

At 10PM The Amish Outlaws take the stage!