Brick & Brew

26 W State Street
Media, PA 19063
(484) 443-8441
Website

Alas, my beloved Plumstead Inn is no more, and with the closing of a legend, there is always a bitter taste in my mouth. That bitterness was exacerbated by the fact that the first couple of times I tried to scout the replacement, there were people spilling into the street waiting in line. Although I had to admit, they did an amazing job with the renovation.

The first thing I had to order were the wings. You think you can come in and beat out the king of Media wings (although the Plummy REALLY started phoning in the food for the last couple of months)? Well let's see. The wings are kind of spendy (around $10 an order) for eight. They come in a brown butter hot sauce. Did I mention they were confit-ed (braised) in duck fat and then deep fried?

The sauce is electric orange, and I loved it. One bite, and I was swooning. The meat was so well rendered that it easily pulled away from the bone, leaving little fat, just unctuous fowl. The skin was crispier than it looks, and the sauce was just divine. Rich, spicy and deep, the brown butter had the staying power on the wings, and the hot sauce brought just the perfect amount of heat.

Chives added some herbaceous zing, while the house-made blue cheese was among my favorites I remember – it had that slightly sweet tinge that comes with quality blue cheeses. Was not expecting this level of when I got to my old haunt. I was a victim of deliciousness. Look at the way the meat pulled away from the bone.

I also had to try the brick oven pizza, so I went with a Picante. Coppa, soppressata, basil, San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Fior Di Latte, and Calabrian chiles on a thin crust flatbread type of pie.

The Fior Di Latte made fantastic pizza cheese. It browned nicely and had a stretchy, creamy bite with more flavor than traditional mozzarella. The coppa and soppressata (two of my favorites of the Italian cured meats) added salt and fat, and the hidden chilies gave occasional bites of spice.

If anything I would say the toppings were a bit sparse, but the dough could not support too many ingredients so it was understandable. I love the way the meat curls at the edges after a trip to the oven. Crispy and greasy, I was a big fan.

And although it continues to pain me that the Plumstead is gone, I can say I am pleasantly surprised by Brick & Brew and it's likely I'll be back to sit outside and enjoy the leisure that surrounds Media, PA.

Taproom on 19th

2400 S 19th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145
(267) 687-7817
Website

The Taproom on 19th has been around for a while, but given its location in deep South Philly, it maybe hasn't gotten the hysteria that many more accessible (but inferior) places have. But that is okay by me, as it means I don't have to wait in line behind some new Fishtown resident that I would hate anyway.

The menu here is perfectly sized, and pretty much everything on it is a win. A couple of stand-outs that I very much enjoyed recently were the fried cheese curds and the Japanese fried chicken sandwich. Don't overlook the burger or cheesesteak, however. If fried curds or chicken are on a menu, I am almost always ordering them. These two were no disappointment.

The curds, sourced from "The Cow and the Curd" are little gooey sticks of magic. The breading is a light cornmeal-ish coating, and the salty stringy cheese takes me back to Wisconsin when I discovered these regional delicacies over a decade ago (along with New Glarus beer). In both cases, beer + fried curds = happiness. I would venture to say these are better than anything I have had in the Badger State. A taste of the chipotle lime dipping sauce actually gave a sharp kick of acidity and late smokey burn. Too often these aiolis are bland town. Not here.

The Japanese fried chicken sandwich was just out of this world. The shishito pepper aioli and the ginger pickles were just icing on the cake.

The brioche, which I am generally not hugely into, was the perfect vessel for this fried manna from heaven.

The chicken thighs were battered with a slightly sweet, shatteringly crunchy shell. The flavor on its batter reminded me ever so slightly of eating a corn dog. Yes, a corn dog. The sweet cornmeal flavor was the perfect bit of sass to match the tender meat inside. This was the best fried chicken sandwich I have had in recent memory. Simple perfection.

The juicy thigh was just right for the application. And there was plenty of salt to get my taste buds dancing. I am pretty sure I contemplated having Uber drop me back off here towards the end of the night for a sequel.

Although they didn't look like much, the fries were addictive as well. Sure, they might have come out of a freezer but I'm not a hater of pre-cut fries, I quite like them! The inner potato was fluffy, while the outside was crunchy and salty. Not much else you could ask for. All around, the Taproom on 19th blew away expectations.

Tröegs Brewery

200 East Hershey Park Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
(717) 534-1297
Website

Brewery trips are rarely about the food. Except it sure does sweeten the deal. Tröegs makes some of my favorite beers in the area, and coming home from a recent camping trip in the Pennsylvania Wilds, I stopped in for lunch. This is a huge facility, and even on a scorching hot Sunday, it was packed.

They have what they call a "snack bar" with an abundant menu that goes well above and beyond what you would usually expect from a little league field's snack bar offerings. I went for a couple beers and a couple of sandwiches and it wasn't easy to make my decision. Everything on the menu had my mouthwatering and so at the last minute, I made a snap decision with the order and couldn't have been more pleased with the results.

The braised brisket is served on brioche, with mustard slaw, house steak sauce, and fries. I was also intrigued by the lamb falafel on sesame naan, green tomato and cucumber chutney, harissa, and tahini yogurt. Also shown, cheese sauce.

The brisket was fantastic. It was shredded beef style, very peppery, and extremely tender. I am usually not a huge brioche fan, but the buttery roll worked well on this substantial sandwich. The mustard slaw was perfectly creamy with a tang that cut through the aforementioned rich and succulent meat.

There was a solid ratio of ingredients to carbs, something often overlooked on brioche. This was one of my favorite brisket sandwiches I have had – possibly ever *gasp*.

The lamb falafel was a really interesting twist. I like lamb. I like falafel. Mixed together they were a great pair. It was essentially a falafel-y spiced chickpea and ground lamb meatball, no complaints here. Green tomato and cucumber chutney provided some acidity to the sandwich, and the harissa with tahini yogurt helped moisten what could have otherwise been a dry flatbread.

Harissa is such an underrated condiment. It blends the right heat with sweet and smoky balance.

The lamb-falafel mix was fried crispy, and had plenty of glorious herbs.

The hop fries with spicy ketchup (and let's not forget that side of beer-cheese sauce for dippin') were another favorite. They were larger than I generally prefer my fries, but they were perfectly fried and had a creamy interior to complement the crunchy exterior.

All in all, this was some of the best brewery food I have ever had. And the beer, oh god that beer. Totally worth the trip into Hershey.

Treylor Park

115 E Bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 495-5557
Website

I took a long weekend trip to Charleston and Savannah recently, and you will see some food from those trips coming up, because boy, did I EAT. Treylor Park was a hip bar that had a good beer selection, great prices, and some amazing waffle fries.

Even in February, you could sit outside (man I love The South), and they had a back alley entrance to an outdoor bar that was separate from their general dining area.

With a Fernet bike hanging, I knew what my after dinner drink of choice would be.

The Treylor Park Nachos Grande consisted of waffle fries, pickles, fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, chive ranch dressing and a balsamic gastrique. My god. These were some of the best nachos/smothered fries I have ever had. The ingredient list reads like my death row menu. And the fries were perfectly crispy, and made for perfect scooping vessels.

Bits of fried chicken, surrounded by ranch and bits of pickle? Heaven.

I was surprised with how well the balsamic went with the plate. It makes sense to have the vinegar cut the fat a bit, and I would not change a thing. It was indulgent perfection on a plate. The bartender said if he was only getting one thing, it had to be the Nachos (I was on my way to dinner). He was right. And then he bought me a shot of Fernet.

Next time I visit Savannah, I'll be hitting Treylor Park again for sure, maybe between lunch and dinner so I can take my time and really get deep into the other menu options. To be continued...