Photos: Forking Stupid at The Farm and Fisherman
At roughly the same time this week’s installment of Forking Stupid hit newsstands, it was announced that this fall, The Farm and Fisherman’s Chef Joshua Lawler will be bringing his farm-to-table cuisine and hospitality to the good people of New Jersey, opening a second and much larger restaurant, The Farm and Fisherman Tavern & Market, in Cherry Hill (1442 East Route 70).
The Market will feature the freshest seasonal and local products, ranging from sustainably, humanely raised meats and fish, butchered by hand, to fair trade coffees, craft beers, bountiful produce and painstakingly aged cheeses. Meanwhile, the Tavern will serve similarly honest and artfully prepared small plates, snacks, entrees and family-style meals in a casual, 100-seat dining room.
Now that I’ve filled you in on this exciting piece of breaking news, check out the elaborate spring salad Josh and I crafted as well as the unmentioned masterpiece I used my fingers to create with the salad’s remnants…
Photos: Making Gucamole and Tortilla Soup at La Calaca Feliz
Here’s your behind-the-scenes look at the latest installment of Forking Stupid in which Chef Lucio of La Calaca Feliz showed me how to master two delicious Mexican staples. I highly recommend hitting up this Fairmount restaurant for happy hour drinks and grub. They’ve got a great little outdoor seating area in the back, not to mention some killer guac.
Photos: Making Ice Cream With Little Baby’s
Now that shared my experience whipping up some sweet creamy goodness with the help of Little Baby’s co-founder and production manager, Martin Brown as well as the recipe for our delicious bourbon vanilla bean ice cream, interesting syrups and wacky, candy-coated baby bananas, I figured I might as well give you a behind the scenes look at the production process.
WARNING: Photos may cause increased salivation. Some individuals may also experience sudden and intense sugar cravings. View at your own risk.
3rd Ward Is Coming To Philadelphia And It’s Going To Make Our City More Awesome
I got a rare opportunity today. Disclaimer: my friend, Jestis Deuerlein, is going to be a major player in this exciting cultural movement coming to Northern Liberties. She’s going to be helming some event planning and has a ton of infectious enthusiasm about the space, what’s going to go down there and how so many Philadelphians are going to reap the boundless potential of this incredibly multi-functioning space. Before I get down to the virtual tour, feel free to do a little reading up on exactly what 3rd Ward is. Here’s the two-second version of what they do from the horse’s mouth:
“3rd Ward is a multi-disciplinary workspace and education center. Here, you can take advantage of our Wood Shop, Metal Shop, Photo Studios, Jewelry Studios and Coworking Space, as well as learn new skills in one of our many classes. Whether you’re a beginner looking for a creative outlet, or a seasoned professional in search of a full-time workspace solution, 3rd Ward can help.”
And they’re bringing this spirit of creativity and community to Philadelphia in a matter of months. We won’t try to name a date at this time but you can bet you’ll be kept abreast of the space’s grand opening (almost definitely with a big, fat party).
For one, as a music journalist, I’m pumped about this as a space for dance parties, music events, performances and art parties. There will basically be two performance/event spaces; one on the first and one on the second floor which extends out onto an open-air roof-top deck. The third floor is a sickeningly sprawling and beautiful co-work space, but more on that later.
This is a pretty odd neighborhood, let’s be real. I used to live over here. Just a few blocks north of Girard and west of Front isn’t what you’d call a vibrant or distinct neighborhood. Sure, there’s a bunch of great things in this odd mix of Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Kensington and North Philly: the robust strip of 2nd Street between Girard and Spring Garden, the newly-bustling Super Fresh, and stuff like Johnny Brenda’s, Kung Fu Necktie, El Bar and Fishtown Tavern. This is all to say ‘This space is going to do good by lots of people, including the neighborhood.’
So let’s start at the ground floor. The two main entrances will open up to a big combo restuarant/cafe/performance/art show space (above, left) and to a reception-y welcome center. Curious about the restaurant space? Check out Stone Park Cafe in Brooklyn – they’ll be related. In the back is a massive metal and wood shop. The cafe space will also feature loads of outdoor seating, perfect for its slated summer opening. The second floor is a home for a handful of classroomy spaces including what will be a huge work kitchen, and, perhaps the crown jewel of this whole endeavor, a lovely small/mid-sized outdoor patio (above, right) with room for a projection wall, maybe a small bar, a DJ booth and around 100 people. I can already see the artsy folk in their shorts and sun dresses mingling under the stars.
Upstairs, on the top and third floor, is one of the biggest and most beautiful co-op/co-work spaces I’ve ever seen. This puts the Flavorpill office in SoHo where I interned five years ago to shame. Beautifully restored finishes and wood floors, endless snaking cubicles and phone call booths will make this one whacky-ass floor full of people looking for a home base for their young company or their freelancing needs. As our economy still figures out what’s going on and young folks are smacked in the face with the reality that freelancing is the future, not staff jobs, it’s possible this space will be a bustling and thriving epicenter of Philadelphia’s already-strong-but-still-blossoming intellectual and literary culture. Not to mention all the artists/crafters/designers/printers/tech nerds that’ll benefit from work spaces and opportunites to get their work seen (and bought).
The space is freakin’ 27,000 square feet. PW will definitely be keeping an eye on the opening, the class and events lineup and welcome newly-hired members of a powerful 3rd Ward team.
There’s A Lot More To ‘Create Chaos!’ Than Just Art
If you read PW’s art column this week and thought, ‘Wow, this show sounds really cool,’ then you might be interested to know that Permanent Wave Philly will actually be hosting a slew of cool events in conjunction with Create Chaos! at Eris Temple Arts in West Philly (602 S. 52nd St.) through the end of March.
Unfortunately, that paragraph got cut from the article, so allow me to address a few of those now.
The most imaginative event the local feminist art/activist network has in store will actually be going down tomorrow night from 6-8pm, titled “Cocktails, Schmocktails: A Feminist Re-Appropriation of the Bar Menu.” After taking a deeper look at the various sexist norms of our bar culture, guests will flip those norms the finger, mixing up their own drinks with a feminist twist.
If you’re busy tomorrow, I’d highly recommend checking out the show on March 2 at 7 p.m. when Permanent Wave will also be hosting a screening of “Wonder Women!: The Untold Story of American Superheroines.” The documentary examines the fascinating legacy of Wonder Woman as an ever-evolving symbol of society’s anxieties about women’s lib. I had a chance to see this during the Philly Comic Con and I give it two thumbs up.
Seemingly just as fascinating is the film they’ll be screening next Saturday (Feb. 2, 7pm), “The Purity Myth: The
Virginity Movement’s War,” an adaptation of feminist blogger, Jessica Valenti’s book which offers a timely critique of America’s obsession with virginity and how it affects women’s rights.
Also scheduled are two open mics/jam sessions (Feb. 23 & March 23, 7pm), a skill share and craft session (March 24, 2pm) and a feminist photo shoot/live sketch (March 9, 12pm/5pm). Last but not least, for the closing reception of Create Chaos!, Permanent Wave Philly will be throwing a two-day festival from March 30-31, featuring a slew of performances from indie local musicians as well as the show’s featured artists. Hopefully that includes heavenly singer-songwriter, Liz Ciavolino, who freakin’ rocked the harp at the opening reception.
Though all of these events are free and open to anyone with an open mind, be sure to bring some cash for their donations jar so that this awesome community of talented females can continue spreading their messages of equality and empowerment.
If you’re interested in getting involved with Permanent Wave Philly or would like to stay abreast (get it?) of their upcoming events, shoot an email to permanentwavephilly@gmail.com and request to be added to their listserv. Even easier, go ahead and “Like” them on Facebook.
How To Look Like A 76ers Dancer
Sixers dancer, Kerri McDonald getting styled on game day at Bernard’s Salon and Spa.
Even if you think they’re an obnoxious and totally unnecessary distraction, chances are you’ve leered at the Sixers’ dancers at some point and thought: “How the hell do these chicks look so damn perfectly primped? Do they not have sweat glands?”
The same goes for the Eagles cheerleaders, who have it way worse.
It turns out these girls aren’t made of plastic. Rather, the entire crew turns to the stylists at Bernard’s Salon and Spa in Cherry Hill to make sure they look great before each game. They also have plenty of grooming products stashed away on the sidelines to make sure they stay that way.
So in honor of The Sixers’ home opener tomorrow against the Denver Nuggets (7 p.m. on CSN), we figured we ask the salon to reveal the dancers’ biggest beauty secrets so that you too can look as seemingly flawless after hours of dancing.
How to keep makeup on when sweating:
1. Prep skin with a primer.
2. Use oil-free makeup and tinted moisturizers instead of heavy foundations.
3. Use gloss on lips instead of heavy lipsticks that can smudge and run.
4. Apply translucent powder to set makeup.
How to keep hair in place when moving around:
1. Curl hair or set with rollers for body and movement.
2. Use a light hairspray to set hair while still allowing it to move.
3. Lightly tease in root area for lift.
Four products to throw in your bag for touchups:
1. Oil blotting sheets.
2. Lip gloss.
3. Travel size hairspray.
4. Translucent powder.
Should you want to look as good as Kerri, Bernards has another location here in Philly—B2 by Bernards—on the bottom floor of the luxury apartment complex at 777 S. Broad St.
Two Last Minute, Hurricane-Inspired DIY Costumes
While this meteorological phenomenon may have put a damper on Halloween 2012, it’s also given folks along the east coast two awesome and super easy DIY costume ideas, possibly to reserve for future use.
It’s hard to say right now what, if any, local Halloween parties will be going down Wednesday night as planned, but seeing as most of us are stuck spending the next 48 hours cooped up in our homes—with or without electricity—what better time to get crafty and construct a new costume?
Hurricane Sandy
Yeah, you saw this one coming. While you can opt to embody either the innocent or rebel version of Grease’s leading lady, badass Sandy is likely to be the easiest.
Step 1: Unless for some strange reason you happen to own a black lycra body suit, rummage through your closets and drawers for any and all tight-fitting black garments. A simple strapless black top and leggings works just as good. If you don’t have a black leather jacket, any shimmery black jacket will do. Complete the ensemble with a pair of black pumps and a pretty belt.
Step 2: Draw a hurricane symbol like the one shown above on a piece of cardboard, color it in with red marker/paint then cut it out and tape it to your chest. A simple red “H” would also work.
Step 3: Tease your hair to the high heavens and proceed to curl. For those blessed with a naturally curly mane, this may be as simple as drying your hair upside down then adding some mouse/gel.
Step 4: Apply your sexiest red lipstick.
Step 5: Dangle a real or fake cig from your lip.
“Frankenstorm”
And for the fellas…
Step 1: Paint your entire face green and blacken your eyes with green/black face paint or matte green/black eye shadows, which can easily be found at any drug store or your girlfriend’s makeup bag.
Step 2: Create a few stitched-up cuts on your face, again using either face paint or makeup. You can easily create a wound with a little red lipstick/lip liner and black eye shadow. For the stiches, black eyeliner would work great.
Step 3: Gel or spray your hair down as flat as possible.
Step 4: Create bolts from whatever you might have lying around your house (a corkscrew being the easiest option), then paint them silver or black and stick on your neck. You can either construct them from
Step 5: Wear all black, possibly a black blazer or suit/tuxedo jacket.
My previous Glenn “Hurricane” Scwhartz (In A Hurricane) DIY costume idea is also now eerily appropriate. I swear I had no knowledge of Sandy when I came up with it.
