Gourmet Grilling Tips for Labor Day, a Philadelphia Hoagie-Eating Marathon, the Best Fish on the Planet Earth ... and More

Veggie banh mi from Ba Le Bakery in Philly

Crab Ravioli at Brewers Art in Baltimore

The "Best Fish on Planet Earth" at the downtown Baltimore Farmers Market

Welcome to another recap all of the crazy things I've been eating, doing, and writing about as online food editor for the Urbanite.  Looking back at all the writing I've been doing over the past 5 weeks or so makes me wonder how I've even managed to find the time to post here once a week, which is my self-imposed absolute, guilt-inducing minimum. Really! I think it's time to stop beating myself up about being a bad blogger.  And did I mention that culinary classes started again? I love my class this semester - more on that in future posts - but whew, it's all a lot of work.

Speaking of work ... people, eating as much food as I've been shoveling into my face, all in the name of doing my job, is not for amateurs or the faint of heart.  It really takes a lot of stamina, dedication, and sheer will power to maintain this level of gluttony. Thank goodness for my discount treadmill.

But let's get to it. One of my very favorite features that I've done so far is "Heroes, Just for Two Days," in which Poppa Trix and I spend the weekend in Philadelphia and eat every single thing you can imagine sticking between two slabs of carbohydrates, including the delectable banh mi at the top of this post.  Vegetarians may want to look away ... my whole eating-meat-for-work thing is in full effect. Here's a little taste:

Tuna and the Valentine at Campo's

The veggie and fried tomato hoagie at Chickie's

The panelle and tuna Italiano at Paesano's

Gourmet pork banh mi at trendy Sampan

That's not even all we ate! Check out the article, and be stunned.  In "Augustatory Pleasures," I wrote about some interesting summer menu items at local restaurants, including the crab ravioli (at the top of the post) and this heirloom tomato salad with compressed watermelon at one of my favorite local restaurants, B & O American Brasserie:

 In "True Grits," I shared my experience judging a regional chef competition, the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament, which served as practice for my judging stint at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.  I think I got some really good shots of the winner, Kenneth Plante of Red Star Bar in Baltimore:

Basking in the glow of victory

Prepping an awesome mussels dish with his sous chef, Jorge

He even spun sugar for the dessert!

Plante's pork entree, still smoking

If you're in the Baltimore area, you absolutely must head to the Sunday downtown farmers market and sample some of the best fish on planet Earth (it's pictured at the top of this post). I profile Ollie Collier, the awesome guy who makes this justified claim, in "Trout to Shout About." Poppa Trix took the fab photos:

Collier with his granddaughter, handing out free samples

Collier at the fish stand with his daughter, Malikah

And in anticipation of Labor Day, in "Last Bash" I enlisted the help of local chefs and gathered some tips to help readers turn their last big bash of the summer into a gourmet affair, including a recipe for caramelized onion and bacon jam:

Fancy dogs grilling at Baltimore's Haute Dog Carte

Bacon jam

So there you have it! And just think - you could get all this goodness in your inbox every Thursday for free! (Shameless self promotion alert.) Just enter your email below, and you're signed up. And don't worry,  you won't start getting spam:

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Thanks for reading my little wrap-up. Believe it or not, I've actually found some time to cook lately, so look for recipe posts over the next few weeks.

And to those in the U.S., Happy Labor Day!