Understanding Philadelphia-style Tomato Pie

It’s not easy to explain the concept of Philadelphia-style tomato pie to anyone not from the area.  Heck, it’s hard enough to get consensus from some Philadelphians about what true tomtato pie is.  There’s the square cut, thick but soft crust, made on baking sheets and topped with a substantial layer of tomato sauce.  Then there’s the thin crust dough, shaped like a regular pizza, topped with tomato sauce popularized by neighborhood places like Tony’s Place in Northeast Philly.  While that style is more similar to Trenton tomato pies, it’s the former version that’s more commonly regarded as Philly-style tomato pie.

To others, this type of pizza, at least on paper (and in pictures), doesn’t necessarily appeal.  A recent feature on Slice about Conshohocken Bakery’s tomato pie generated much more negative comments than positive ones from those who’ve never had this type of pizza. 

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Guapos Tacos Starts Feeding Hungry Public

Guapos Tacos

Jose Garces can pretty much do no wrong.  From his roles as executive chef at both Alma de Cuba and El Vez in the Starr Restaurant empire, to his initial Spanish specialty restaurants of Amada, Tinto and Mercat a la Planxa (in Chicago).  From branching out to the Peruvian/Cantonese fusion cuisine of Chifa to his Mexico City-inspired Distrito in University City.  From his whiskey bar venture of Village Whiskey to his BYO/wine store hybrid of Graces Trading Company.  From his elevation to Iron Chef America to, most recently, his domestic-centric JG Domestic.  The public (specifically, Philadelphia) flocks to and eats up just about anything in which he’s involved.

So it should be no surprise that Guapos Tacos, his latest venture in what is already a hot trend of food trucks, would debut for the public at13th and Chancellor last night to much anticipation and demand.  Guapos had previously done industry-only events and private servings for Garces Restaurant Group employees.  Announced only one night before its inaugrual public appearance, Guapos had over 30 people were eagerly waiting in line by the time it starting serving at 10:30 p.m.

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Pliny the Younger Is Darn Good Beer

In our history books, Pliny the Younger, whose full name was Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, was a Roman senator who lives in the 1st and 2nd century A.D.  In additon to this political career, he was famous for a collection of letters he wrote that detail both historical events and personal stories.

In today’s world, the name Pliny the Younger elicits a different name recognition from those in the know: it’s the name of Russian River Brewing Company‘s  most celebrated beer.  Russian River brews several highly rated and award winning beers, but Pliny the Younger is the most sought after for several reasons.  Maybe it’s because it rose up to become the top beer in BeerAdvocate’s rankings.  Perhaps it’s the VERY limited annual release of the beer, distributed once a year in February and only to a select few distributors and bars.  Or perhaps it’s because it just tastes amazing and has the complexity matched by very few beers.

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