Asparagus Arrives

Two vendors at the Reading Terminal Market offered locally-grown asparagus last weekend.

Ben Kauffman of Lancaster County Produce was selling his for $3.99 pound, but he only brought about two pounds to market and was sold out before 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. He had a more plentiful supply today, as shown in the photo.

Steve Bowes, the farmer who sets up his stall Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the piano court, offered his priced by the bunch, the price worked out to nearly double Kauffman's.

Expect to see more asparagus this weekend at the same stalls, as well as at the Rittenhouse Square and Clark Park farmers markets on Saturday. Maybe Fair Food will have some at the RTM as well. And, of course, Headhouse Square when that farmer market begins the 2011 season on Sunday, May 1.

LCB Glitch Delays Booze at Markets

A purported computer glitch at the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is holding up two transactions related to Philadelphia markets.

The LCB has temporarily "lost" applications of Blue Mountain Vineyards and Molloy Molloy's. The former is seeking to sell its wine at the Rittenhouse Square farmers' market. The latter, as previously reported here, is a venture of the Iovine brothers to take over the Beer Garden at the Reading Terminal Market and recast it as a gastro pub. The computer glitch is expected to delay each of the endeavors by a couple of weeks.

 Ramps are Back! Spinach Deal!

Clockwise from top left: spring
onions, leeks, ramps

Ramps and morels are sure signs that spring is here -- even if they have to be "imported" from other states.

Iovine Brother's Produce had them Saturday. The ramps, as you can see from this photo, were thin on the leaves, but the bulbs were nice. Great to add to home fries made in bacon fat. I used the morels (along with hedgehogs and chanterelles) to surround a de-ramekened portion of crustless quiche; I topped the fungi with a shallot-inflected beurre blanc. That and a good baguette welcomed spring to my kitchen. The ramps were priced at $1.99 for a small bunch, which, IIRC, is a better deal than last season.

Bagged flat leaf spinach at Iovines was a big seller last week at the Reading Terminal Market. Given how much spinach cooks down, if you had a hankering for creamed spinach to accompany some steak this deal would have been hard to resist. Other good deals at Iovine's over the weekend included Texas sweet onions, 69 cents (pretty good while you're waiting for Vidalia season), both lemons and limes at a more reasonable 25 cents apiece, and two heads of Iceberg lettuce for a buck.

The Chilean grapes have yet to reach bargain levels so far this winter, but with the season peaking south of the Equator, maybe they will soon. The best price I've seen for seedless whites has been $1.49, but they're usually $1.99; reds and blacks are $2.49 and up. I actually found a better deal for bigger seedless whites at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago: that's a rare occurence given than Iovines usually beats WF on both quality and price for just about everything.

Spinach deal at Iovine's last weekend

Farmers Markets: May 1 Start

City farmers market organizers are gearing up for the 2011 season, which starts Sunday, May 1, at Headhouse Square, followed on Thursday, May 5 with the Fairmount market

All winter long you could have taken advantage of the Saturday markets at Rittenhouse Square (operated by Farm to City) and Clark Park (operated by the Food Trust).

Root vegetables, of course, are prime fare at the winter and early spring markets. Rineer's Family Farm had some exceptionally sweet over-wintered parsnips and carrots when I stopped by Rittenhouse in late March. (The latter I consumed raw, the former as a parsnip rösti.) I also picked up some frozen Alaskan shrimp from Otolith ($16 a pound, shell on, IIRC). Although the roster changes each week at Rittenhouse, you can usually find a couple of produce stalls, a baker or two and some "value added" sellers.

This past Saturday at Clark Park included two bakers, Noel Margerum (produce and her delectable preserves, as well as a dry bean selection), and a couple of other produce vendors, including one with hoop house salad greens.

Not Old Order

This Amish Country Microwave Popcorn, found last weekend at Kauffman's Lancaster County Produce, wouldn't be too useful in an Old Order Amish home. Last time I checked, microwaves required electricity.

 

Cherry Grove Cheese at Salumeria

One of the region's better artisinal cheesemakers is Cherry Grove, located between Princeton and Trenton. The Fair Food Farmstand was the only stall where you could find Cherry Grove at the RTM, but now Salumeria has added their product. Cherry Grove also sells at a couple of the farmers markets, including Rittenhouse, which has been going strong all winter long.

Another Cheese Steak

Over at Passyunk and 23rd , not far from some big box stores, stands one of Philadelphia's myriad cheese steak joints.

Philip's is certainly worth a try before you head to BJ's, Home Depot, Staples or Shop Rite. I didn't try any of the other sandwiches, but the cheese steak, available with Whiz or sliced cheeses, was right up there.

The meat had a beefier flavor than lesser steaks. The portion of meat was generous enough, though certainly not overstuffed, providing the right ratio of meat to onions to bread. I ordered with sliced American instead of my usual Whiz last week and the dairy flavor was there but very subdued; in the past I've had the Whiz and prefer the sauce it makes, especially when you ladle hot sauce from the counter container onto your sandwich.

Post-Floral Repast

After wearing out my legs strolling through the Philadelphia Flower show late yesterday afternoon and early evening I visited the Down Home Diner for sustenance. There I found this chicken.

It shows on the menu as "Cast Iron Chicken", i.e., pan fried. Since it came to table within five minutes of ordering, no way was it cooked to order. Yet, it tasted as if it had. I don't know how they do it, but somehow Jack McDavid and his staff have found a way to hold the chicken and refresh it so it comes out perfectly.

This is no extra-spicy bird. The skin is delicately thin-crusted, but crisp. And it perfectly manages to hold in the juices. Ever piece -- thigh, drumstick, breast -- was plenty juicy. One strange note: I think of drumsticks as all dark meat, and thighs as half-dark, half-white; but through some fluke of nature, they all appeared white to my eye; maybe it was the lighting.

The accompaniments match the succulence of the bird. The collards had both acid tang and sweetness (lemon juice and raisins?), and the sweet potato fries were among the better examples of these I've had. While the interior of the fries were soft, the exteriors were crunchy (at least until they cooled off; I have them first).

For $8.99, a nice dinner plate. 

The Down Home Diner, on the Filbert Street side of the Reading Terminal Market, is open until 10 p.m. When the market is closed, enter via Filbert Street, a.k.a. Harry Ochs Way.

Truth in Advertising

Golden Fish Market's sign makes it clear, if only by implication: it's all farmed salmon right now. Also spied today at Golden, skate at $6.99/pound. Previously, only Wan's Seafood handled skate.

Down Home Diner Adding Booze

Jack McDavid

Jack McDavid hopes to be serving alcoholic beverages in a few weeks at the Down Home Diner. With his restaurant now open until 10 p.m., that's got to be good for business. Although he won't have a bar serving freshly mixed drinks, do expect wine and and beer along with some bottled mixes.

McDavid reopened a rehabbed Down Home Diner last fall, giving up some seating in return for a larger kitchen and a take-out counter. The take-out business has been growing, though not as fast as McDavid would like. Although much of what he sells at the counter is for bringing back home, he also does a lunch business for those who would prefer to eat in center court (or bring back to the office). Among the items added are cheese steaks, which he has cut by Charles Giunta of Giunta's Prime Shop from top round.

Much of what Jack buys comes from market vendors. You can frequently see him chatting his produce suppliers, Vinnie and Jimmy Iovine. He's also been buying some meat from L. Halteman. And he's used Giunta's brother Martin for sausage since he opened the original Down Home Diner where Amy's Kitchen and La Cucina now stand.

Produce Prices: Yikes!

If it's from California, Arizona or Northern Mexico it's expensive.

Any produce shopper would have difficulty not noticing high prices of fruits and veggies from California and the Southwest.

Lettuce in particular has been hard-hit. Three weeks ago I paid $1 for a head at Iovine Brothers Produce. Today it was $3.99. A trade publication, The Produce News, said production "continues to be hampered" by weather problems": cold, wet and rainy weather in December  combined with more rain and cold temperatures over the past several weeks. Other lettuces and vegetables grown in the area are similarly afflicted.

The price pressure extended to South America: seedless green and black grapes which last week sold for $1.99/pound are now $2.49 and $2.99. Limes, from Mexico, are 99 cents apiece.

Some California crops are only minimally affected by the weather, including strawberries and oranges, though Florida production is more trouble-free and less pricey.

Another Sign of Spring

We're still a few weeks away from ramps, but another sign of spring appeared at one of the fish markets this week. Golden Fish was selling Spanish mackerel for $3.99/pound (the same price as sardines). Odds are they were from North Carolina or thereabout. When Boston mackerel show up, then I'll really know it's spring.

Valentine To The Market

Michael Schulson of Sampan was among the local
celebrity chefs demonstrating skills with mystery
ingredients at market party.

An event that's been among the missing for 15 years was renewed Saturday night, the Valentine to the Market gala. About 400 guests attended the festivities, which raised cash for the Reading Terminal Market Preservation Fund.

Tasty tidbits were supplied by many of the market's merchants. Martin's Quality Meats & Sausage doled out juicy portions from a whole roast pig. Tommy DiNic's offered pulled pork with an exceptionally garlicky broccoli rabe. Mini-reubens could be had at Hershel's East Side Deli.

One of my fav offerings came from Iovine Brothers Produce, which put together a beautiful colorful display of produce-based treats. Chef Bobby Fisher, who will handle the kitchen duties when the Iovines reopen the Beer Garden as Molly Molloy's, had a hit with his almond gazpacho; he also made a fruit terrine by gelatinizing prosecco, the slightly sweet bubbly from Italy.

Among the many other vendors supplying tastes were Old City Coffee. Pennsylvania General Store, Beck's Cajun Cafe, Pearl's Oyster Bar, Tootsie's Salad Bar, Bassetts Ice Cream, The Original Turkey, Shanghai Gourmet, Famous 4th Street Cookie, Franks-a-Lot, Tokyo Sushi, and Metropolitan Bakery.

Early in the evening, at the VIP pre-party held in La Cucina, four local chefs, paired with amateur assistants, tried their best to concoct edible food utilizing two mystery ingredients: cocoa puffs and marshmallows. Joe Poon and Delilah Winder took the prices. "Also rans" were Michael Schulson and Daniel Stern.

At the pre-party, Reading Terminal Market General Manager Paul Steinke announced that the new multi-purpose room to be built near center court, will be named after Rick Nichols, who is retiring from his columnist duties at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

RTM Unveils Avenue D Plan 

Work Could Be Complete By Autumn

Making Avenue D as lively and inviting as the other aisles in the Reading Terminal Market is the aim of a $2.7 million design unveiled Thursday. The detailed plans for the aisle which zigs and zags around the back wall and rest rooms in the rear of the market were shown at meetings with market merchants by Paul Steinke, the RTM general manger, and representatives of the designers, Friday Architects/Planners.

The construction could be completed as early as October.

Among the key components:

• Expansion of Center Court through relocation of Flying Monkey Patisserie;
• Addition of a multi-purpose area to be used for general public seating and for private meetings, in space currently housing Miscellanea Libri and merchant storage;
• Relocation of the demonstration kitchen so as to visually become part of center court and serve as an extension of the multi-purpose room;
• More than doubling the number of stalls in the women's rest room; and
• Addition of about 1,300 square feet of leaseable space.

Steinke said the expansion of the rest rooms -- the fixture count will also be doubled in the men's room -- was critical given the growth of visitors to the market. Last year about 6.1 million shoppers, tourists and center city workers passed through the market's doors, making it a more popular attraction than the combined attendance of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

The renovated rest rooms, along with two family rest rooms, will be built in space currently occupied by La Cucina and market operational, security and maintenance offices. Steinke said stalls in the women's rest room will increase to 16 from 7. There is frequently a line out the door of the facility, sometimes reaching as far as the shoe shine stand during peak periods.

Current Avenue D (right), redesign at left.
Click on image for enlargement.

If bids come in within budget, a construction manager will be named in early March, with major construction to start by mid-May. A six-month construction schedule is anticipated, which makes completion before the holiday shopping season starts possible if there are no significant delays.

Some work has already been completed: the activation of a new, second freight elevator last week is critical, because much of the existing dry and cold storage on the main floor used by merchants will be moved to a reconfigured basement, increasing the need for reliable basement access. A contractor is already lined up to install the new coolers and build the storage areas in the basement, which also provides an opportunity for merchants to expand their cool and dry storage. That work is expected to start in April.

Because of existing refrigeration equipment, ambient temperatures in the basement are frequently in excess of 80 degrees. A ventilation system is expected to lower the temperature to at least 75 degrees, utilizing the removed warmth in a water-heating system.

The multi-purpose area against the back wall at center court will have moveable glass walls, so that private groups can be accommodated while maintaining a visual openness. Most of the time, according to Steinke, the multi-purpose area would be used for public seating like the rest of center court, but the capability to rent to groups will enhance market income.

When the multi-purpose area is open there will be no net change in the number of seats available to the public. However, when it is rented out there will be a reduction of as much as 60 places. For that reason, some merchants have asked the market to commit to not leasing the multi-purpose room during peak periods like the Flower Show.

The demonstration kitchen, now housed as part of La Cucina, the cooking school business operated by Anna Florio, will be moved adjacent to the new multi-purpose room. She is expected to continue the business at the new location.

Steinke said the relocated kitchen will enhance special events at the market. As an example he cited last year's ice cream festival which, among other attractions, included a demonstration by Georges Perrier making cherries jubilee. The market had to construct a temporary, barely adequate kitchen in center court to handle the demonstration.

Avenue D takes a dog leg in the area adjoining Iovine Brothers Produce and L. Halteman. Originally Avenue D ran straight through the market from Filbert Street to Arch Street. However, the need to build fire stair towers in conjunction with construction of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, whose grand hall and many smaller meeting rooms occupy the space above the market, required the zig-zag. Halteman's will lose some space by the straightening of Avenue D, which would be made up by expanding into some of the space occupied by Market Blooms, which is leaving that space to concentrate on its Avenue A location along the 12th Street side of the market.

Under the plan Avenue D will continue in a straight line from its Filbert Street entrance to the area where the new lavatories will be located. This provides additional space for the multi-purpose room, demonstration kitchen, and new stalls along the north wall. Flying Monkey Patisserie will be moved to existing cold storage space, while the shoe shine stand and Miscellanea Libri will move to north along Avenue D.

Steinke told merchants at Thursday's meetings that they are welcome to submit proposals for the 1,300 square feet of added leaseable space. He said their proposals would be considered on the same basis as those already received from outsiders who wish to become market merchants. He emphasied that in judging the proposals the market would adhere to its guidelines: no chains, no franchises; only owner-operated businesses would be considered. Also, decisions would adhere to the market's goals of limiting Food Court (lunch) vendors to 30 percent of total RTM leaseable space.

The renovation program also includes an expansion of the market's management office space, currently located on a mezzanine. The space would be extended over Tootsie's Salad Bar to accommodate a conference room, which the market currently lacks, and create additional desk space.

The project will be financed by a combination of a low-interest loan from Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, bank financing, and the market's existing sinking fund. Proceeds from Saturday Night's "Valentine to the Market" party will also benefit the project.

EBT for Farm To City

Recipients of the SNAP -- the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which used to be called the Food Stamp program -- will be able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards at Farm to City farmers' markets this summer. FTC's addition of the EBT reader machines follows the Food Trust's implementation of the program at most of its farmers' markets in recent years.

The Reading Terminal Market, which is in discussions with Farm To City's Bob Pierson to acquire the operation, served as conduit for the U.S. Department of Agriculture monies funding the EBT installations, a grant of about $100,000.

The market's proposed acquisition of Farm To City, announced in late summer, stalled late in the year, but Paul Steinke, the market's general manager, says talks have resumed. However, so much time has passed that the RTM has to start its "due diligence" all over again.

Up and Down At The Market

After months of work, a new freight elevator is open for business at the Reading Terminal Market. The elevator, and its older twin, provide access to the basement storage and prep areas of the market.

State inspectors approved the new lift for service on Tuesday. Without the second elevator, merchants were forced to lug their goods from the basement via stairs whenever the older one conked out.

Ochs, RTM  Squabble Over Lease

As reported by the Philadelphila Inquirer and Daily News, Reading Terminal Market has sued butcher Harry G. Ochs & Sons over back rent. Nick Ochs, who runs the business, told me this morning that the dispute, in his view, is over when he should have started to pay higher rents under the lease he signed in August. Nick is optimistic that the matter will be resolved and he will remain in the market. RTM General Manager Paul Steinke has told one and all that if Nick makes a dent in the back rent, the suit will be withdrawn.

This may be a useful moment to understand how the market establishes rents for its tenants. In essence what the market terms "Purveyors" like Ochs -- vendors who sell meat, fish and produce -- are subsidized by the other merchants, especially the "Food Court" merchants (lunch stalls). I've prepared a separate entry on how this works. You can find it by clicking here or on the "RTM Lease Structure" Pages item in the navigation column.

At least one merchant I spoke with complained that it's not fair if the market doesn't seek to collect full rent, as agreed to in the lease, from Ochs; that means other Purveyors, as well as other vendors, will in essence be subsidizing him.

Another Beer Garden Update

The Iovine brothers still haven't closed their deal to take over the Beer Garden and convert it to Molly Molloy's, an Irish pub. The last big hurdle, according to Jim Iovine, is approval by the LCB of the design. When the deal concludes, the Beer Garden will shut down for reconstruction. Alas, no way they can accomplish all that in time for the Flower Show in early March. A mid-spring opening is probably the best the Iovines can hope for.

The layout of the pub will be considerably different than the Beer Garden's, with the main entrance repositioned to Center Court near Flying Monkey. The bar, which sits in the middle of the space, will be moved to the area where public seating can now be found. There will be a long banquette against the far wall opposite the rear of the L. Halteman butcher shop.

St. Louis in Philadelphia

Pasta By George added cheese steaks and french fries last year, and along with them is a food I associate most with St. Louis: toasted ravioli.

Of course the ravioli is not actually "toasted". It's deep fried. Think fried wonton.

It's not the first St. Louis connection at the market. When I first started shopping there nearly 30 years ago, Salumeria featured some Italian deli meats from Joseph Volpe of that city's "Hill" neighborhood, home to Yogi Berra, Joe Gargiola and the Gateway City's closest approximation of South Philly. You can still buy Volpe product at a number of stores in the area, including DiBruno's. Before the U.S. legalized importation of Italian prociutto, Volpe's was one of the best you could buy; it's still an excellent product with good value.

Another St. Louis-Philadelphia similarity: German buttercake. Not all that surprising considering both cities have long-established German-American communities. But St. Louisans (who call their version Gooey Buttercake) are much more passionate about this baked good than we are. It comes in all sorts of different varieties. If you want to try it locally, take a trip to Haegele's Bakery in the Lower Northeast (Tacony), just two blocks off Frankford at the corner of Erdrick and Barnett.

Yes, We Have No Rotisserie Chickens

For more than a year Charlie Giunta fought Reading Terminal Market management for the right to sell rotisserie chicken at his butcher shop. He went so far as to win a court order last April upholding that right.

Giunta won in the law courts, but lost in the marketplace. His rotisserie machine has been unplugged for a couple months. Basically, Giunta didn't sell enough cooked chicken to justify the space the machine took up, so it's now awaiting pickup by its distributor.

Which is not to say you can't find rotisserie chicken at the market. Dienner's has a wall of it in the Amish section of the market, behind the Dutch Eating Place.