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.

A Guest Post by Poppa Trix: New York I Love You, But You're Making Me Fat

In which Poppa Trix goes to New York and eats and eats and eats while I have to stay home and work and work and work. 

 

When I told Trix that I had to go to New York for a few days of family business she went through a brief period of jealousy before settling on the kind of statement that gets made all the time around here: "You know you're going to have to write a blog post about this, right?" She had a point. I already had a list of old favorite food joints I wanted to check in on and her challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to try some new places as well, meticulously documenting every dish in photos and notes along the way. If she wasn't going to get to join in on any of the actual eating at least she was gonna get a nice trip report out of it. And in an effort to keep things cheap I decided to hold all meals to $10 or less (not including alcohol, of course!)

Who Wants Banh Mi? Me! Me! Me!

Calling a banh mi a Vietnamese sandwich and leaving it at that is a bit like saying a po'boy is just a New Orleans sub. It's not wrong, but it doesn't exactly convey the full splendour  of the thing.  

Like a po'boy, a banh mi is made with a light, airy baguette that's soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.  Fillings and proteins can vary, but some of the flavor combinations that make a banh mi so distinctive and addictive include preserved daikon radish and carrot, mayonnaise, jalapeno, cucumber, and fresh cilantro.