A few weeks ago, I had
the great pleasure and opportunity to attend Philadelphia’s first Secret Supper
with Chef Barbie Marshall which was hosted by the ever-entertaining Dish CrawlPhiladelphia organization and Tap Room on 19th in South Philly.
If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and check out the place, please do as soon as you can! Their simple-pickup-style cocktail selection is sure to please any cocktail lover, or someone just looking to get into the scene (I suggest their cider and whiskey!); they also have a phenomenal beer selection, of which I sampled the aged pale ale (which was the most perfect balance of sour I have ever had).
I was able to spend a lot of time talking to the Mixologist (Ross Maloof) and the General Manager (Craig Steel) about the drink selection and both were very excited about their pairing for the night.
The first three courses were paired with cocktails,
followed by a Yards IPA and a 2010 Merlot from Ostancia. Dessert was paired
with “Lucky 7” from Evolution Craft Brewing Co.
First up was an Amuse
of chicken and waffles. This first course was meant to wow all the guests, and
Chef Barbie nailed it. This little two-bite wonder left everyone chanting for
more – I think if she had just served chicken and waffles all night everyone
would have been happy! The juicy deep fried chicken paired perfectly with the
cast iron cornmeal waffles. I will have to confess there were a few extras left
over…. And I ate them all.
Course one came out as
a cold dish. The fennel and citrus wintergreen salad was quite a surprise. Chef
explained that this particular variety of wintergreen was more sweet than
bitter; and paired with a citrus fennel dressing, it just got sweeter. This
dish was paired with a cocktail composed of Bison Grass vodka, Crème de
Violette, and tarragon. With all these dainty green notes floating around the
semi-bitter radicchio, you could really explore the finer points of the local
wintergreen.
Course two was one of
my favorites. A light puree of Padanna squash soup which was garnished with Pickled
Neck Pumpkin and black pepper cream. There were also some pepitas thrown on top
for a further enhancement. This dish was paired with a house-made cider and
whiskey in a mug. Personally, I love the combination of squash and apple so
having both items be locally sourced was just a far out experience.
Course three presented
itself as a trio risotto balls with Arancini and Tallegio. Displayed on a bed
of basil flower tomato sauce these little bundles of joy were accented with
local saffron (yes, local saffron!). Chef Barbie explained that the local
variety isn’t as potent as the imported ones, but that just means you can use
more! This was paired with a white whiskey ginger accented with a burnt orange
garnish – which was my favorite course by far.
The cocktail with orange and
ginger was able to cut through the fattiness of the risotto and cheese
perfectly. The result was experiencing the dish for the first time, every time.
Simply put “fantastic.”
Course four was a real authentic Pennsylvania dish paired
with one of the most popular local brews. This was really PA to the core. If
you’ve never had the opportunity to have a Lancaster “Pot Pie” you have missed
a treat! Unlike your traditional pot pies, the Lancaster variety contains no
roux or any actual pie for that matter. It’s a fresh pasta-based dish with
poached chicken, served with braised greens and without a pie crust. 
This was a
totally different experience for me, but a profound one to say the least. The
combination was so light and joyful and the Yards IPA that it was paired with
added the weight it needed to feel satisfactory. If anything, this was more
like a chicken noodle soup with some amazing local greens than a pot pie – but
I could eat it ALL day.
Course five wound up being a seasonal meatloaf paired with
a Merlot. HOWEVER, this isn’t your ordinary beef loaf, no my friends, this was
nothing less than the great American turkey! That’s right; Chef Barbie took
some local turkey and turned it into this incredible delicatessen. The loaf was
served with a simple cranberry chutney, glazed carrots, and mashed root veg.
What really brought this dish together was the root vegetable blend, which contained something I’ve never experienced – Parsley Root. So, imagine the aromatics of a parsley stem and a parsnip together with the starchiness of a carrot. This was local comfort food to a tee! As I looked around the room, I was hard pressed to find a face that wasn’t smiling with satisfaction.
Course six, the last course, was of course dessert! Chef Barbie flexed her culinary muscles a bit and explored the world of cheesecake. The thick slice of cake came out with a hickory nut brittle covering the top, set on a basic caramel sauce. Chef Barbie also went on to explain that hickory nuts represent fertility. She explained that the Pennsylvania Dutch chose to settle in this area based on the healthy abundance of hickory trees. This fact really spoke to her as she was building her dishes. I will have to say that pairing that with a smoked porter was fantas-tic-al! Sweet and Smokey are one of my favorite combinations in the food world and it was a good end to the menu progression.
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