http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban RSS Feed for Inq Col Craig LaBan en-us Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130620_Good_Taste.html My Motown special has heart. I've long resisted participating in celebrity special dishes because I knew it could get weird. And sure enough, it was awkward to hear my name recited as a June special at American Sardine Bar, as in, "we're featuring the http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130609_Honey_s_Sit__n_Eat_South_does_Philly_diner_legacy_proud.html When a diner loses its soul, the meat loaf arrives welded to the plate in a brown sludge of unnaturally thick gravy. The bacon is ironed paper-flat, limp and dry. The cream of broccoli soup is lukewarm glop. The fried eggplant rounds are half raw. The coffee tastes like it was steeped through brown paper bags. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130616_Drink.html The Paloma too often gets overshadowed by big sister Margarita - at least, north of the Rio Grande. But in Mexico, it seems, Paloma reigns as the tequila drink queen. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130616_Agricola_in_Princeton_harnesses_farm-to-table_concept.html Agricola in Princeton is hardly the first restaurant to take the "farm-to-table" movement to the next level by attempting to supply its kitchen largely with an affiliated farm. The Rockefeller's Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, N. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130606_Good_Taste.html Happiness is an angry pizza To call Pizzeria Beddia hot is an understatement. This tiny Fishtown corner takeout is as inconvenient as possible - open only Wednesday through Saturday, with a limited cash-only menu and no phone. But I'd endure the hour-plus http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130609_Drink.html Bringing the fresh taste and eco-friendliness of wines on draft to Pennsylvania has been a doggedly thirsty quest for Terry Berch McNally from London Grill and William Reed of Johnny Brenda's. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/MarketBasket_Lassi_Reading_Terminal_Market.html http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130602_Sa-Bai-Dee.html If you love the Thai tom yum, it's time you got some Laotian tom zap. The two soups, like the two cuisines, are kindred spirits that share many traits, as would be expected from the kitchens of neighboring countries. And that's especially true at Sa-Bai-Dee, the Upper Darby BYOB owned by a couple who bridge the border. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130606_Words_on_the_beer.html This is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat: Craig LaBan: Welcome to our annual Beer Week/Brew-vitational Edition of the Philly Food Chat. Check out Brewvi coverage at www.inquirer.com/food to find out which of the 49 beers won Best New Beer, and also Best Pilsner, a focused category added this year. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/craig_laban/20130530_Far-out_flavor.html The "sour beast" was rising. When I'd first tasted it in the preliminary round of this year's Brew-vitational, the Inquirer's annual competition for local beers, my eyes almost crossed from the intense tartness of its barrel-fermented red fruit.