Beck's Beignets

Beck's Cajun Cafe at the Reading Terminal Market continues to offer fresh, hot beignets on Wednesdays and Sundays as long as they last.

When Bill Beck first offered beignets soon after opening his mecca to Louisiana foods their quality was hit-and-miss. But I've had them thrice over the past month or so, and they've hit the mark each time: crispy exterior, light interior, exactly what fried dough should be. Get a cup of chickory-inflected Community Coffee to go with an order of six of these large rectangular doughnuts doused in confectioners' sugar.

If I don't make it up to Haegele's Bakery in Tacony for Fastnachts on Fat Tuesday, I hope Beck makes the beignets a day early that week.

Beck's Opens Its Pantry

Beck's Cajun Cafe has gone retail. The Reading Terminal Market eatery is now packaging three different spice rubs and two sandwich spreads.

The rubs come in three varieties:

Angel Dust, designed for chicken and seafood; Devil Dust, for those who like their meats or veggies a bit spicier; and Rub-A-Dub for grilled red meats and pork.

Proprietor/Chef Bill Beck is also offering Creole Mayo for use as a sandwich spread or dip, and Olive Salad condiment/relish, an essential ingredient in any mufaletta.

The three-ounce rub tins sell for $6.95, or $18 for a set of three. I don't have a price on the spreads.

For those who prefer to eat-in, Beck has a new sandwich on his menu just in time for the Auto Show, which opens Saturday: the Train Wreck Po' Boy. The $7.95 sandwich is loaded with andouille sausage, steak and salami, along with the regular standard lettuce, tomato, pickle and creole mayo fixings. The name of the sandwich doesn't do much for me, since for more than two decades I worked for a railroad and got early morning calls whenever there was a train wreck.