Barclay Prime’s Filet Mignon a Magnum Opus of the Luxury Steakhouse
By Matt Goldstein
Over the past year we’ve dined at many upscale steakhouses around the country and Philadelphia including Union Trust, S&W Steakhouse at the Wynn in Vegas, Smith & Wollensky’s, the Palm twice, Don Shula’s twice, Capital Grille twice, Morton’s, Ruth Chris and so on. We’ve had our share of filet mignon by the so called best and some of them fail to even prepare the steak correctly, let alone not be completely obnoxious when asking for $50 for the filet. The waiter at the S&W Steakhouse claimed they were the best steaks in the country. WOW! It’s difficult to claim something is the best in any given city but self proclaiming the best in country is outrageous, especially when subpar to everyday chains. However, the Barclay Prime 12 Ounce Filet Mignon sets a standard that the industry simply can’t touch. When we ordered the filet medium rare at Smith & Wollensky and the S&W Steakhouse, not only did the filet not come out medium rare, it came out more cooked than medium. Still a good steak I guess but when you drop $50 for a piece of meat, one should expect it to be correct.
When we set our eyes on the 12 ounce filet at Stephen Starr’s Barclay Prime in the historic Rittenhouse section of Philadelphia, we could almost tell it was the perfect steak. Perhaps the Balvenie overtly flowing allowed our optimism to takeover, or perhaps the pan seared outside of the filet was one of the most beautiful steaks we have ever seen. When we cut into this massive filet mignon, the perfect medium rare inside was a very wide pink, almost to the edge, leaving a gray and dark crust. This was medium rare at its finest. Not only did it look perfect, when we tasted the filet, the center of the was cut was cool to the touch. A real mans steak. Perfectly cooked just enough to be legal, but not done to where any of the flavor is lost. None of the restaurants listed above can even touch this style. Barclay Prime is crushing the upscale steakhouse competition period. The sliders alone deserve their own article. If we were to rank the steakhouses it would be as follows:
One of Northern Liberties newest bars, Gunners Run has hired a new manager, Sommelier Tom Pittakas. Growing up in the restaurant business, the new manager and sommelier is an award winning BBQ chef and has been a sommelier at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the Philadelphia area. Pittakas has not only redesigned the menu, beer list and cocktails, Pittakas has created a bar menu that rivals in style, flavor, creativeness and price. We highly recommend the shrimp Po’ Boy and any of the vegan dishes while letting the Gunner’s Run mixologists throw together some classic cocktails. With a an excellent bar menu and rotating craft beer list, Gunner’s Run hosts live music, Quizzo and has specials for all Phillies games. We will be going back again and again. Situated on The Piazza at Schmidt’s in Northern Liberties, and open every day until 2:00 AM. Check out the menu below…
Snacks
Chicken Quesadilla$10.00
red onion, mushroom, spinach, tomato, cheddar served with sour cream and pico
St Patty’s Day Feature: The Best Irish Bars in Philadelpia
By Pat Smith, Jeremy Thomson and Matt Goldstein
In honor of St. Patty’s Day and the greatest city in the world, Whiskey Goldmine has compiled our list of the best Irish Pubs and the best Irish Taverns in the city of Philadelphia. With its authentic Irish food, Irish music and craft beer, Philadelphia offers a truly historical and unique take on the Irish Pub, with one of our favorite bars even dating back to 1763. With a very large Irish population, Philadelphia is one of the best Irish Pub experiences in the United States.
1. McGlinchey’s Bar & Grill
It wasn’t too long ago when McGlinchey’s served 50 cent Black & Tans & 25 cent hot dogs. This Rittenhouse gem gets a lot of broke college kids and starving artists through some real tough times with that authentic pub feel. One of the best spots in the city period. 259 S 15th St. Philadelphia, PA.
.
2. McGillian’s Old Ale House
McGillan’s has been pouring beers in the same spot since 1860. This is one of the most authentic Irish pubs in the country, let alone Philadelphia. 1310 Drury St, Philadelphia, PA.
.
..
.
3. Brittingham’s
Much older than McGillian’s, Brittingham’s has been pouring beers and playing Irish music since 1763. Along with the General Lafayette Brewery, Brittingham’s offers a historical and warming character to Lafayette Hill. They have great live Irish music and nothing’s better than drinking half and half at Brittingham’s on St. Patty’s Day or kicking the crap out of a bunch of chumps in Quizzo. 640 E. Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA.
.
4. Fergie’s
I’ll never forget my 21st birthday when already bombed, we walked into Fergie’s and the bartender poured me three shots for my birthday. I told the bartender that if I drank the triple shot that I would throw up. The bartender shrug his shoulders as if he did not care. Needless to say… 1214 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA.
.
5. Plough & the Stars
Plough and the Stars has the most authentic and mouth-watering Irish food in the city and great live Irish music. 2nd St in Old City, Philadelphia, PA.
.
6. Brownie’s Irish Pub
The best craft beer spot of any Irish pub in the city! A home away from home… 46 S. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA.
.
.
7. For Pete’s Sake
Best muscles in the city? 900 South Front St., Philadelphia, PA.
.
8. Slainte
With Irish beer samplers and beautiful Irish whiskey list, Slainte is the best bar around the 30th St. station area. 3000 Market St. Philadelphia, PA.
.
9. Moriarty’s
Moriarty’s has some of the best wings and best Irish food in the city. 1116 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA.
.
10. PJ Whelihan’s
Yup, it’s a chain, we know. But guess what, PJ Whelihan’s has the best craft beer list out of any chain anywhere in the area. Actually, they have a better craft beer list then a bunch craft beer bars. That’s not peanuts! The PJ’s Pub craft beer list is a very educated and critically acclaimed, no question about it. There are 12 PJ’s Pub locations in the Philadelphia area.
Get the exclusive breakdown of the two of the biggest television options, cable or satellite. With Direct TV and Comcast Cable’s advertising campaigns, it’s very difficult to understand what’s real and what’s straight up pontificating BS. Who has the most channels, who has the most HD, On Demand and how can I save money? From lowering your bill to getting the best entertainment available, check out the grudge match breakdown between two TV giants, Comcast Cable vs. Direct TV: the Pros and Cons.
.
Direct TV
Cocmcast
The HD Picture
The HD Picture
The HD Picture on Direct TV is the best possible picture you can get period. The digital signal directly from the satteilite destroys Comtcast Cable, Verizon Fios and any other cable. The only other picture that can rival Direct TV are other sattelites. Win
The Comcast Cable HD Picture is not a bad picture, it’s just not the best. Loss
The Price
The Price
This is not even close. Right now we’re getting every single channel and every single premium channel for $78 per month. Win
For the amount of Direct TV channels we are getting right now, it would be 2.5 times the price. This is not even close. Comcast is very expensive and they will not be lowering prices, just offering more services. Loss
Weather & Technical Issues
Weather & Technical Issues
While we haven’t had any weather related issues yet, we’ve heard the horror stories. Snow on the dish, rain and even overcast can cause problems. The bigger dish for Direct TV might have solved some of these problems but we’ve had very slow load times and DVR recording getting cut off multiple times. Loss
While Comcast has it’s outages, just like any cable or internet company would, it’s nearly not as many problems as you would get with a sattelite. Win
On Demand
On Demand
Well, there is no On Demand for Direct TV unless you hook your TV up to the internet. Weak! Loss
Comcast On Demand is pretty god damn awesome. There’s nothing better than having HBO series and documentaires at the touch of a button. Win
DVR
DVR
The Direct TV DVR is running the show right now and is more than 5 times the size and memory of Comcast. You should see the amount of HD movies we have saved right now. We’ve had some technical issues with a few recordings but Direct TV said they will be fixing the issues. We will give them a chance and re-edit this post. Win
The Comcast DVR? Meh. Comcast gets crushed in this department but Direct TV is making up for the lack of On Demand. Loss
Amount of HD Channels
Amount of HD Channels
Direct TV seems to have twice the HD channels as Comcast and their not just BS channels, their premium channels too. All of HBO, Showtime, & Cinemax and multiple Stars & TMC channels are in HD. Win
Only one of each premium channel in HD? Is this a joke? Comcast must step up their game here. Loss
Premium Channels
Premium Channels
Direct TV has way more premium channels available period. HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, and TMC all come with more premium channels and again, their all in HD. Win
Loss.
National & International Sports Coverage
National & International Sports Coverage
Direct TV originated ther NFL Sunday Ticket and they offer the same kind of coverage with all kinds of sports. Premium and basic, the amount of sports available are insane and you can watch 8 games on the same screen. Win
Loss
Local Sports & Comcast Sportsnet
Local Sports & Comcast Sportsnet
With Direct TV in Philadelphia, Comcast has blacked out the local Comcast Sportsnet meaning, we won’t be able to watch about 95% of Phillies & Sixers games. Ouch! We do get about 3-4 Comcast Sportnets for other cities. Loss
Local Comcast Sportsnet offers almost every single Phillies, Flyers and Sixers games as well as pre game and post game breakdown for all 4 local sports teams including the Eagles. Win
The Philly Tap Finder is the premiere craft beer locator in the country. Currently focusing on Philadelphia, but soon D.C., local bar goers can find the best craft beer lineups on a daily basis. Whether looking for Pliny the Elder, Big Bear Racer 5, Founder Breakfast Stout, a draft on cask, hand pump or barrel aged brew on tap, the Philly Tap Finder will find you your favorite beer in the best bars in the city such as the Khyber Pass Pub, Monk’s Cafe, the Pope, the Side Car Bar, Kraftwork, the Iron Abbey and more. Check out Philly Tap Finer, updated every day.
Bugsy to Be Introduced in Season 2 of Boardwalk Empire
By Matt Goldstein
Benjamin Bugsy Siegal was the muscle for Meyer Lansky since they were teenagers running the streets of New York City. Just as Luciano and Lansky rose to power, Bugsy rose to power with them. During Prohibition, Siegal ran bootlegging rackets in New York, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and muscled and murdered anyone who stood in the way of Lansky and Luciano. Siegal is also alleged to have close ties with the Commission, the National Syndicate, Murder Inc. and is considered to have invented Las Vegas.
Perhaps long overdue, Bugsy will be introduced in season 2 of Boardwalk Empire and most likely in episode 8. Michael Zegan from ‘Rescue Me’ will be playing the legendary gangland hit man. Zegan’s portrayal is said to be of a “tough, smart, urban kid.” With Lansky, Luciano, Capone and Darmody expected to emerge as major gangsters in Prohibition, the arrival of Bugsy in the HBO drama could set this show on fire. Already the best television show on TV, there are so many directions HBO can go with the series, we just hope it goes on for season after season after season.
HBO’s Boardwalk Empire introduced 2 new prominent prohibition gangsters in season 2, Joe “the Boss” Masseria and Waxey Gordon. Both gangsters were infamous, brutal and champion bootleggers. While Masseria was a Capo in 1922, there was an attempt on his life in the streets of Manhattan. Joe famously evaded the attackers and became known as the “Man who can dodge bullets.” This legend helped Joe become Joe “the Boss” Masseria, arguably the most powerful mom boss in New York during prohibition.
When Masseria is introduced in Boardwalk Empire, Arnold Rothstein is negotiating peace between Masseria and Luciano and Lansky on what is perceived to be a territorial encroachment. However, as Lansky and Luciano grew in power, they worked for Masseria multiple facets of bootlegging, drug dealing, and muscle. Eventually, when Luciano and Lansky were trying to create the commission, Masseria was simply in their way. In 1931, Luciano and Lansky had Masseria killed monopolized their power, paving the way to become the richest gangsters of all time.
Waxey Gordon, a Jewish gangster from Philadelphia, was a bootlegging and gambling associate of Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Gordon ran Rothstein’s east coast bootlegging operation and aligned himself with the National Syndicate after Rothstein’s death. Arrested for tax evasion in 1933, Gordon was sentenced to 10 years. Upon his release, Waxey moved to the west coast where he became a drug smuggler. Gordon was arrested in 1951 and died in Alcatraz a year later.
Former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, “Smokin” Joe Frazier was one of the greatest fighters and biggest punchers of all time. His short stocky frame, much like Mike Tyson and Rocky Marciano, gave him punching power almost unmatched. Joe Frazier was also one of the most exciting fighters ever! Never in a dull fight, Frazier’s trilogy with Muhammad Ali was extremely brutal and damaged both fighters for life. Dynamic in and out of the ring, Joe Frazier will be missed. Many think Joe Frazier was snubbed by the fans and the business outside of the ring, but one thing cannot be questioned, and those are the ring accomplishments of Heavyweight Champion Smokin Joe Frazier.
1944: Joe Frazier is born in South Carolina where his father made and sold bootleg corn liquor.
1960: Joe leaves South Carolina for Philadelphia after multiple conflicts with racist white men.
1960: Joe Frazier begins boxing in the gritty and legendary Philadelphia gyms which are notoriously brutal.
1962, 1963, 1964: Joe Frazier wins the three golden gloves championships.
1964: Joe Frazier is snubbed for the Olympic team but becomes a last minute replacement when Buster Mathis suffers a hand injury.
1964: Joe Frazier wins the Olympic Gold medal in Tokyo at the summer games.
1964: Even after winning the Olympic Gold medal and multiple amateur titles, prominent boxing promoters and managers snub Joe Frazier thinking he is too short and stocky for a professional heavyweight.
1965: Joe Frazier suffers a left eye injury in training and his entire professional career is fought with only partial vision.
1967: Muhammad Ali refuses to “fight” in the Vietnam War and is banned from boxing in the United States. Joe Frazier lends Ali money when Muhammad is unable to pay his bills as Joe sympathizes with Ali’s religious protest. Ali would never have had to actually fight, and Muhammad knew this. Dodging the draft was strictly a religious, political, and civil rights statement.
1967: Joe Frazier knocks out Buster Mathis to win the vacant heavyweight championship of the world.
1970: Joe Frazier actually petitions President Richard Nixon for Ali’s license to be restored.
1971: Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square in a classic! Frazier UD15 Ali. This is the first fight ever between 2 undefeated champions and at the time, the biggest sporting event ever. Ali is knocked down and wobbled multiple times as the famous Philly left hook from Frazier was vicious.
1973: Joe’s lack of size finally catches up to him as he is knocked out in 2 rounds by George Foreman.
1974: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in their 2nd fight. Ali UD12 Frazier.
1975: Joe Frazier is defeated again by Muhammad Ali in the Thrilla in Manilla. The 3rd fight between the two champions is one of the most brutal fights of all time and both fighters may have barely escaped death. Frazier’s corner stops the fight after the 14th round but rumors swirl that Ali might not have answered the bell. Ali wanted to quit from sheer exhaustion at the end of the fight. Frazier is furious that the fight is stopped and never forgives his corner. Having witnessed 8 ring deaths, trainer Eddie Futch never regrets his decision in stopping the fight. That night, Ali goes to the hospital and Frazier goes out and parties.
1975: With all of Ali’s antics and name calling in promoting the three fights, Frazier takes it personally and holds a grudge for life. Although they had several reconciliations, Frazier’s feelings were deeply hurt when Ali called him a “gorilla” and implies Frazier is an uncle tom and “house nigger.” Frazier was not deserving of either insinuation.
1976: Frazier is again knocked out by George Foreman. Foreman TKO5 Frazier.
1981: When Frazier finally retires for good, his professional record is 32-4-1 with 27 knockouts. The knockout ratio indicates devastating knockout power and a left hook that put Muhammad Ali on his ass. Not only is Joe Frazier the greatest Philadelphia fighter of all time, Smokin Joe is one of the greatest fighters of all time period. The man put the Philly left hook on the map and destroyed the competition with severe brutality.
Notable Career Wins: Muhammad Ali, Buster Mathis, Jerry Quarry (twice), Jimmy Ellis, George Chuvalo, Oscar Benovena (twice).
1981: A troubled 15 year old Brooklyn boy living and fighting in the Catskills, furiously studies tapes of Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano because of the very similar body types. Six years later, that young boy, Mike Tyson, goes onto to be the youngest heavyweight champion ever and is considered the biggest puncher and most dynamic fighter of all time.
Through the 1980’s and 90’s, Frazier’s gym opened and closed multiple times while Joe has some money troubles.
October 18, 2008: Joe Frazier was attending the Hopkins-Pavlik fight in Atlantic City and when one of his biggest fans asked for a picture, Joe graciously stood up out of his wheel chair, put his arm around me and took the picture. It was a great honor and one of the happiest moments of my life.
November 7, 2011: Joe Frazier passes away from a brief battle with liver cancer. The world loses a legend.
The Pho Takeover of America: Phở’ing it up in Virginia
By Joon Lee
It’s your typical Saturday or Sunday around lunch time. Trying to subdue your hangover, you need something to replenish your body after a hard night of Busch lager, Jim Beam and a pack or two of Marlboro Reds. Here in the great metropolitan area of Washington D.C, we drinkers like to wake up, call our peers to regroup and flock to a local restaurant and satisfy ourselves with a nice bowl of pho (pronounced fuh), a traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup.
According to Wikipedia, this dish may have originated in the city of Hanaoi, Vietnam, which opened its first restaurant in the 20s. However, over the course of decades, pho has crossed over to many different countries, including here in the states. Even today, number of pho restaurants is rising rapidly as its cultural and popular influence among major metropolitan areas have become monumental.
As a long resident of Northern Virginia for the past nineteen years, I’ve had the privilege of Pho exposure at the age of thirteen. It’s a bit of an acquired taste for some. A few are reluctant to try initially due to its strong scent of cilantro, basil and other unfamiliar garnishes that surround a typical pho joint. And in some cases, one might not even enjoy their first ever bowl.
But then comes that one rainy day. You’re feeling hungry and subconsciously telling yourself, ‘I can definitely go for some pho right now.’ And that’s when it all starts. Obsessing over the delicious hot bowl of broth, noodles, and sliced beef (or shredded chicken) along with bean sprouts and chopped up green onions, lemon grass, and thin sliced onions, you’re never looking back to that life you once lived without the greatest hangover remedy you’ve ever witnessed.
The aura of a typical pho restaurant is quite simplistic yet unique. Pho 75 in Falls Church, VA is one of the original Pho restaurants stateside that is very traditional and hasn’t changed a bit since my first visit back in 1996. Often, I’ve waited in line at this place, but seats are imminently available and service is rather speedy. Imagine a cafeteria with row after row tables with customers constantly coming and going. The restaurant exudes a heavy scent of cilantro and Thai basil that’s readily apparent soon as walking in. Hung up on the walls are old photos of Vietnam, its villages and people. This atmosphere gives an imaginary sense of nostalgia almost as if you grew up in a Vietnamese farm in the 70s. The subtle sound of folk music is heard in the background and you get that calm feeling before your delicious bowl is served.
Most menus in all pho restaurants are similar. They’re categorized by a numbered list of beef combination noodles (phở bò). At pho 75, no. 1 entails parts of beef including eye-of-round steak, brisket, flank, soft tendon, and bible tripe. Rest as you would imagine, would have less of a combination, so you can pick and choose what part of beef you want in your broth. For those who that prefer chicken can order phở gà instead. Once your order’s been placed, it’s not long until the hot steamy bowl is present in front of noggin and thereon, it’s fifteen to twenty minutes of ecstasy.
Served with pho is a plate of fresh bean sprouts, sliced jalapeño peppers, lime wedges and basil. Traditionally, they’re served as optional toppings to your soup that could further enhance and spice up your broth to its next level. Residing at a table are your different sauces and seasoning, but the two predominantly added to your noodle are hoisin sauce (contained in a squeeze bottle) and Sriracha sauce. The combination of the two creates magic that goes very well with the rice noodle.
To top things off, one can order Vietnamese style iced coffee that’s usually served with a single cup aluminum filter on top of a small tea cup filled with condensed milk. Once the coffee fully drips to completion, it can be stirred to combine the milk before pouring onto a cold glass of ice. As a black coffee guy myself, this would mark the only time I’d ever drink coffee with anything but just coffee. It’s that good.
Pho 75 has branches throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Philadelphia. If you live anywhere near the DC Metropolitan area and have not tried pho, shame on you. It’s worth a kick. As for your out of towners, if you ever frequent any of the aforementioned areas, don’t be shy to Google ‘pho restaurants’ on your smart phone. The experience, good or bad, will be worthwhile because once you’ve been pho’ed, there’s no going back. It’s a lifelong commitment.
Philadelphia’s iconic indie radio station WXPN, located at the far left of the dial at 88.5 FM, has been a musical haven for emerging and local musicians as well as heritage artists for decades. A member-supported station based out of the University of Pennsylvania, WXPN has been a pioneer in the non-commercial radio station world, bringing an eclectic mix of the best music to the airways without pressure to conform to commercial radio conventions from corporate underwriters.
This freedom from corporate rule is showcased beautifully in WXPN’s nationally syndicated program Live at the World Café. Started with seed money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1991 and distributed by NPR since 2005, the two-hour daily show has featured over 4,000 performances and interviews over the last twenty years. There aren’t many shows you can tune in to and find in-depth interviews and performances by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Joan Armatrading, Tom Waits, and Joe Strummer — actually, there are no other places, we checked – and twenty years of this thoughtful programming is what the folks at the Philadelphia Brewing Company thought worthy of honoring this month with a special limited edition brew.
The Broadcaster Brown Ale, PBC’s tribute to the 20th anniversary of Live at the World Café, and its host David Dye, is a malty, hoppy, crisp brown ale with excellent balance. Very flavorful with a bitter crispness, made with German malts, this is a solid brown ale. Alcohol Content: 5.0 abv IBU’s: 35 Color: Deep Ruby-Brown Hops: Bravo, Centenial, Cascase Dry Hops: Amarillo, Cascade Malts: Two-row Pilsner, Dark Munich, CaraMunich, Carafa , Oats
Barclay Prime’s Filet Mignon a Magnum Opus of the Luxury Steakhouse
Recent Comments