My good friend, Jim Shahin, has been pimping the virtues of Philly food for years now, calling it one of the great eating cities in America. He also swears that the City of Brotherly Love’s two main markets—-Reading Terminal Market and the 9th Street Italian Market—-has the goods on D.C.’s better markets, including Eastern Market and Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market, in terms of historical value, quality of meats and cheeses, and good-old atmosphere.
After my first visit this weekend, I have to agree. We ate our way through both markets on Saturday, the morning after eating a four-course meal at a pitch-perfect Northern Italian restaurant, Le Castagne in Rittenhouse Square. Here’s what I ate and drank, in whole or in part, during a 24-hour period, from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Saturday.
At Le Castagne:
1. Crusty bread with olive oil
2. Buffalo mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto and paired with white anchovies and tomatoes
3. Buffalo parmesan cheese
4. Parmesan flan with a pistachio crust
5. Cubanella pepper stuffed with eggplant, ground veal, tomato, and cheese
6. Pappardelle alla Bolognese
7. Chestnut gnocchi
8. Rigatoni with sausage in a Taleggio cream sauce
9. Gnocchi in white-truffle cream sauce
10. Veal scaloppine
11. Antelope steak
12. Trout encrusted with pistachios and served with a truffled sauce
13. Basil-infused ice cream with strawberries and a balsamic reduction
14. Ricotta cheesecake filled with chocolate
15. Montepulciano wine
16. Barbera d’Alba wine
17. Grappa
At the Reading Terminal Market:
18. Raisin cookie
19. Pecan-and-raisin sticky bun
20. Coffee
21. Jalapeno-pickled egg
22. Pickle stacker
23. Strawberry jam on cracker
24. Pepper jam on cracker
25. Truffled cheese with clove-and-cinnamon rind
26. Chocolate-covered pretzel
27. Sfogliatelle
28. Yuengling beer
29. Chocolate-covered orange peels
30. A cheese steak wit (Cheez Whiz version)
31. A cheese steak wit (Provolone version)
32. Cheese fries
33. Root beer
34. Water
At the 9th Street Italian Market:
35. Kona coffee
36. Roasted pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and onions
37. A taste of hot curry powder
38. A taste of Mombasa chili powder
39. Hot chocolate
40. Peroni beer
At home on Saturday night, using ingredients from the 9th Street Italian Market:
41. Tomato-and-basil linguini served with meat balls and marinara sauce
The question: Do you think I hurled on Saturday night? (Answer below jump.)
Answer: No, but it was close.