March 26, 2007
Being a native Philadelphian, my appreciation of ribs was like a Californian’s appreciation of what passes for a cheesesteak out there. Hard to see what all the fuss is about. There are a few well-scattered great rib places hidden around the Philadelphia metro area, but on the whole so-so ribs are the norm here.
After Sweet Lucy’s ribs, many us now know what all the fuss is about. Sweet Lucy’s husband and wife owner-chefs, Jim and Brooke Higgins, did a 30-day road trip around the southern US sampling ribs before opening their initial version of Sweet Lucy’s, a lunch truck located in the parking lot of a family business run by Brooke’s father and uncles. They quickly graduated from the lunch truck into an 80-seat restaurant; the second generation family business now sharing a roof with the first generation.
Jim and Brooke’s ribs are a unique combination of the various styles (St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis). Unlike most ribs around these parts that are smathered with a heavy hand, Sweet Lucy’s pork ribs are deliciously sublime and wonderfully executed with a delicate touch.
Worth the fuss. And if you’re from outside the Northeast, worth the trip.
Sweet Lucy’s
7500 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136
March 5, 2007
Northeast Philly has long been a wasteland for many things, especially good authentic tacos and homegrown fiction. We are still waiting on the tacos, but the fiction situation has definitely been looking up lately. Joining Shawn McBride’s Green Grass Grace is The Mustard Jar, by another first-time novelist, Tom Scheid.
Once young, now middle-aged local music supporters like me might remember Tommy’s band, Alice to Nowhere. Alice to Nowhere eventually released a CD under the name Easter. Like many local bands, although more than talented enough, they never made it to the big time. Easter’s CD still holds up.
Suffering from neither rose-colored nostalgia nor bitter lamentations, Tom’s memories of the people and places of Northeast Philly circa the 1980s seem right on target. The Mustard Jar follows a year or so in the directionless post-high school life a normal Northeast Philly guy, who winds up joining a band. Like a great rock song, The Mustard Jar is light, breezy, fun, with some good riffs and a solid ending. Along with teenage antics, The Mustard Jar also craftily weaves in a father/son story with genuine heart.
The Mustard Jar is self-published and needs a little additional editing, but it’s a solid effort nonetheless. Buy one now to read on the beach this summer. Amazon has it, and you can always Froogle it too. And you can try before you buy–page samples can be found at Google Books.
Now if someone would do something about the taco situation.
March 5, 2007
Northeast Philly has long been a wasteland for many things, especially good authentic tacos and homegrown fiction. We are still waiting on the tacos, but the fiction situation has definitely been looking up lately. Joining Shawn McBride’s Green Grass Grace is The Mustard Jar, by another first-time novelist, Tom Scheid.
Once young, now middle-aged local music supporters like me might remember Tommy’s band, Alice to Nowhere. Alice to Nowhere eventually released a CD under the name Easter. Like many local bands, although more than talented enough, they never made it to the big time. Easter’s CD still holds up.
Suffering from neither rose-colored nostalgia nor bitter lamentations, Tom’s memories of the people and places of Northeast Philly circa the 1980s seem right on target. The Mustard Jar follows a year or so in the directionless post-high school life a normal Northeast Philly guy, who winds up joining a band. Like a great rock song, The Mustard Jar is light, breezy, fun, with some good riffs and a solid ending. Along with teenage antics, The Mustard Jar also craftily weaves in a father/son story with genuine heart.
The Mustard Jar is self-published and needs a little additional editing, but it’s a solid effort nonetheless. Buy one now to read on the beach this summer. Amazon has it, and you can always Froogle it too. And you can try before you buy–page samples can be found at Google Books.
Now if someone would do something about the taco situation.
February 28, 2007
People love tradition; people also love fat and sugar, and when you can combine all three, you really have something. Around here, Fat Tuesday is also known as Fastnacht Day or Donut Day. In Christian tradition, Fastnacht Day is a last day of sweets before 40 austere days of Lent, which begins on the following day, Ash Wednesday.
Located in a basement store, in a corner rowhouse, on a side street, in a very quiet part of lower Northeast Philadelphia, Haegele’s Bakery is pretty low key, but people from all over know how to find it. Haegele’s is also wonderfully and thoroughly old school. It is one of the few old-time bakeries left. Haegele’s has survived in today’s world of mega markets with their own in-store bakeries by offering unique and delicious items.
Every year on Fat Tuesday, Haegele’s Bakery opens at 5 a.m. selling countless dozens of fastnachts to a steady stream of customers. The fastnachts from Haegele’s are not just a common donut with a fancy name. Using a family recipe from Germany, Haegele’s makes fasnachts using traditional methods. These fluffy, non-greasy treats are diamond shaped with no hole and come in two varieties, sugar or cinnamon. Both are delicious.
A dozen fastnachts are $6.80–ask for 1/2 and 1/2. Mark your calendar well in advance for next year: Haegel’s only makes fastnachts once a year.
Haegele’s Bakery
Erdrick St & Barnett St,
Philadelphia, PA 19135
215-624-0117
February 26, 2007
Even the most city-centric Philadelphian must sometimes report to New Jersey, where they find a foreign land–full of highways, apartment “communities,” “executive” parks (don’t feed or pet the executives) and chain restaurants. It is also home to something pleasantly foreign to us city dwellers–cheap gas. Make sure you fill up before leaving our neighbor to the east. The Citgos on Route 73 seem to be among the cheapest.
Being a foreign land, you must follow the local customs. Never attempt to fill your own gas tank. In New Jersey, that must be done by an untrained professional. Just as Germany sets their priorities with their beer purity law, New Jersey has their gasoline law, so please show it proper respect.
January 24, 2007
The second coolest book I own is Bendiner’s Philadelphia. My first coolest book has almost nothing to do with Philadelphia, so you may never get to know what it is. Alfred Bendiner (1899-1964) was an architect, an artist, and a writer. In early 60′s, he had a regular feature in Sunday Bulletin in which he would draw a Philadelphia landmark and then write a page or so about it. The feature died with him in 1964, and was compiled in a book, Bendiner’s Philadelphia.
This book is an amazing artifact from our city’s recent past. Some of the featured items are still around, some are long gone and long forgotten, and (most interesting) others still here but long forgotten. Bendiner’s witty and effortless prose intertwines the then present day news and views, some city history, as well as his own personal history from the viewpoint of a guy in his 60s. This book, a paper time machine, is a wonderful way to wander around Philadelphia circa the early ’60s with a really cool cat as your personal guide.
Al Bendiner was a rare double threat being both a wonderful illustrator and a fine writer. The book is long out of print, but not out of reach. For those of us here in the 21st century, all we have to do is to check Amazon.com or Half.com and we can have a copy of our very own for well under $5 including shipping.
January 3, 2007
Elvis Presley sang “if everyday was like Christmas.” In South Philadelphia, hard by the Expressway, we have a place where everyday IS Christmas. And if everyday was like Christmas, you’d probably be miserable too.
Brite Star, a manufacturer of garland and tinsel, somewhat recently added to their still-made-in-South-Philly product mix by importing Christmas items from China. They really hit the jackpot a couple of years back when they were the sole importer for those icicle lights that became mega-popular that year. Kindy’s is their factory outlet for Brite Star products.
To enter Kindy’s, you go through a plastic air barrier, which confused some folks who couldn’t figure out how to get in and were about to take off. For customers who actually make it inside, Kindy’s provides a lot of signs telling you stuff they won’t do for you. As you contemplate a “santa on a motorcycle” decoration, you may likely overhear a manager yelling at her employees.
So it’s not a wonderland of Xmas magic, but it doesn’t have to be. Their everyday low prices are about the same as other stores’ after-Xmas clearance prices. If you need Christmas decorations next time around, it’s well worth a trip.
Kindy’s
2900 South 20th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19145
1-866-5-kindys
December 21, 2006
Whadayaget when you combine a city of brotherly love, a well respected steel guitar studio musician, a rapper, some backing babes, the “Flyers’ chanteuse”, and assorted other musicians?
You get Slo-Mo. This highly unlikely Philadelphia band is the project (and nickname) of Mike Brenner, a steel guitar player who has played with Marah, Beck and Badly Drawn Boy. Joining him up front is Mic Wrecka, the rapper mentioned above. The live band also includes a platoon of veteran local musicians including a couple members of Stargazer Lily, and Lauren Hart (yup, the one from the Flyers).
You get extremely unique, smart, catchy, Phillycentric songs that you can’t get out of your head. The seated and white suited Brenner jamming with rapper Mic Wrecka is not only a striking visual juxtaposition, but a musical one as well. Their sound is really novel, which ain’t an easy thing to do in today’s everything’s-been-done-before world.
Both Slo-Mo albums, Novelty and the more recent My Buzz Comes Back are great and you should buy them, but you really have to see them live. The incredibly tight band knows when to play and when stand to back and not step all over each other. They do it because they love it, and it shows. You may never see another band this good having this much fun on stage.
They play a lot of local gigs, so check them out. You will have fun, at least as much fun as the people on stage.
Their schedule and more info can be found at http://www.heyslomo.com.
*** Uwishunu proudly welcomes our newest contributor–artist and Lodgemaster Scoats.
