Photograph of LALO Neal Santos

2019 | Issue 104

 

Six Addresses: Philadelphia

Other Than Cheesesteak

By Drew Lazor

Aurora Grace Chocolates  A self-taught pastry chef and confectioner, Aurora Wold remarkably rose from training herself with YouTube clips to working in the Michelin-starred NYC kitchens of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Daniel Humm. She became a Philadelphian in 2017, opening her small Society Hill atelier a year later. Wold relies on Felchlin, Valrhona, and Cacao Barry chocolate for her beautiful line of hand-painted bonbons and bars, but she’s also well-versed in pies, cakes, and macarons that pop like Pantone color swatches. More recently, she’s gotten into gelato, too, manipulating Trickling Springs milk to turn out flavors like Sicilian pistachio and lemon thyme-peach. 517 S. Fifth Street, tel 267.703.8886, auroragracechocolates.com

Blue Corn  South Philly’s crankiest Luddites grumble about how the Italian Market is not exclusively Italian anymore — strategically ignoring the fact that this is an absolute mitzvah for any ambulatory human who loves to eat. Yes, these days there are fewer Chianti-pouring red-gravy parlors on Ninth Street, still home to the oldest operational open-air market in America. But they’ve given way to businesses that more aptly reflect the neighborhood’s prominent Southeast Asian, Central American, and Mexican communities. Blue Corn stands out on a strip dotted with a dozen-plus mamá-y-papá taquerias by dint of its refined Pueblan cooking. Run by the Sandovals, a veteran Philly food family, it presents simple tacos al pastor as skillfully as a complex huitlacoche mole sauce or huaraches made with the deep indigo masa that gives the restaurant its name. And the bar has quite a way with tequila and mezcal cocktails, when you want to pivot from a frosty Modelo Especial. 940 S. Ninth Street, tel 215.925.1010, facebook.com/bluecornrestaurant

LALO  In Tagalog, lola and lolo mean “grandmother” and “grandfather.” The owners of LALO grafted them together in a tender nod to their Filipino heritage — but they’re not afraid to take ample liberties behind their colorful counter, which is literally across the street from the Liberty Bell. When co-founder Jillian Encarnacion was growing up, her late Lolo Bas ran a Philippine BBQ cart on the sidewalk outside LALO’s current home. His recipe lives on as the Bas-Ka-Bob, grilled chicken inihaw skewers served over garlic rice or tucked inside an oh-so-Philly Amoroso’s long roll. That’s just one of many thoughtfully updated dishes dreamt up by LALO’s partners, which also include Encarnacion’s cocktailian wife, Resa Mueller; farmer and photographer Neal Santos; and chef Michael Cher. The usually porky Bicol Express, named for a train that once ran between Legazpi and Manila, has been creatively veganized, down to a seafood-free rendition of bagoong, the biting fish paste that serves as an elemental flavor base. Crowd-pleasing lumpia (spring rolls) and lechon kawali (fried pork belly) appear alongside recurring specials like dinuguan, a comforting stew whose deep crimson hue comes from pork blood. The Bourse, 111 S. Independence Mall East, tel 267.388.1106, lalophilly.com

Res Ipsa Cafe  Serving Center City from bleary-eyed morning to Barbera-addled evening, Res Ipsa is an all-day hang for those who take their coffee as seriously as their cavatelli. A partnership between the owners of ReAnimator and Stock, its name comes from the Latin legal phrase res ipsa loquitur, but no barrister’s bona fides are required to enjoy an Italian breakfast platter (fennel sausage, fried eggs, cannellini beans, broccoli rabe) or a midday chipotle chicken sandwich. Six nights a week, the sun-soaked café transitions into a moody Sicilian BYOB with food by chef Michael Vincent Ferreri. Stretching, twisting, and pinching all his pastas on the premises, he turns out lithe, elegant spaghetti and bucatini alongside lesser-known shapes, such as capunti and lumache. While Ferreri’s primi earn plaudits, his shareable big plates are serious, too — properly Sicilian sweet-and-sour agrodolce chicken, and a salsa verde-drizzled whole fish you’ll end up dismantling with your fingers. 2218 Walnut Street, tel 267.519.0329, resipsaphilly.com

Square Pie  The instant you hear Gene Giuffi speak, you know the guy’s from Brooklyn. But there’s nothing borough-provincial about the four-cornered pizza masterpieces of his laidback Bella Vista shop. Firing up his slow-fermented dough in heavy metal pans produces pies inspired by the Sicilian-owned parlors of Giuffi’s youth, but they’re distinctly his own, especially considering the chef’s nontraditional stance on toppings. Roast pork, garlicky greens, and provolone, the makeup of Philly’s other classic sandwich, here find their way onto the porchetta pizza — but it’s always wise to throw in a plain or pepperoni too. 801 E. Passyunk Avenue, tel 215.238.0615, squarepiephilly.com

V Street  What does “global cuisine” even mean? Pretty much nothing, at least when the phrase is employed by haughty chefs who don’t give a rip. When Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby try their hand at defining it, however, we get Rittenhouse’s V Street, which blows out international hawker-fare flavors in its 100 percent vegetable-based kitchen. A more casual sister restaurant to the couple’s acclaimed Vedge, a short walk way, V Street pulls inspiration from everywhere, including Asia (Sichuan dan dan noodles, Indian Cauliflower 65, usually made with chicken), Africa (Ethiopian berbere-spiced broccoli), and the Caribbean (Trini doubles, jerk tofu with escovitch cabbage). They aren’t limited by their vegan principles but empowered by them, as their large base of omnivorous devotees confirms. 126 S. 19th Street, tel 215.278.7943, vstreetfood.com

From issue 104

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