Hawai'i! Italy! Brooklyn?
Come out for a Hawaiian-inspired but not-quite-Italian Poi Dog pop up Monday, 3/10 at Agricola in South Philly. AND, I'll be on the Main Stage at the Seltzer Fest on Sunday 3/16 in Brooklyn.
Hello! Have you been following along on Instagram? I sure hope so, despite not wanting to wish Social Media upon any of youse. Have you been to Agricola? It’s kind of a fever dream of a pizza shop, with solid pies and a bar-that-does-not-charge. The place is a trip, and I suggest it. BUT I even more suggest the Poi Dog pop up we’re having there on Monday, 3/10 from 5p - 8p with an a la carte menu titled:
It’s not quite Hawaiian. It’s not quite Italian. And you’re gonna love it!
There’re some real gems on this menu that are fast becoming the next generation of Poi Dog classics like the Chili Peppah Water Caesar Salad and the Huli Chicken Rotolo! I’m also psyched for the Guava Katsu Porco Tonnato, our little twist on one of my favorite classics vitello tonnato. AND we’re rocking TOGARASHI BOW TIES IN MIRIN BUTTER WITH SHISO. You can probably guess that’s a variation on the legendary silk chili bow ties. Check out the rest of that menu. You don’t need a reservation, the menu is a la carte, it’s gonna be a party, and we’ll have a special surprise or two, including the complimentary bar - as is the fun-as-fuck style of Agricola. Monday 3/10 from 5p-8p at 1180 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! I’LL BE MCing THE INTERNATIONAL EGG CREAM COMPETITION AT THIS YEAR’S BROOKLYN SELTZERFEST ON MARCH 16!
Fuck, that is good news, so let me tell you more about that. This is the second annual SeltzerFest produced by the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum (obviously) and sponsored by Fox’s U-Bet (duh). Before I go on, use the code “AriSentMe25” now through March 7 for 25% off your ticket.
Competitors for this year’s Golden Syphon is a veritable Who’s Who of egg cream heavy hitters the likes of S&P, Sammy’s Romanian, Brooklyn Farmacy, and Lexington Candy Store to name a few. Wondering whatever became of last year’s egg cream victor - PHILADELPHIA’S OWN THE FRANKLIN FOUNTAIN??? Good question.
Rather than defend the title, soda jerk extraordinaire Eric Berley will be one of four judges, joining filmmaker Benny Safdie, candy scientist Ginny Landt, and Kelly Fox of the the U-Bets Fox’s to decide this year’s champion.
“But what’s an egg cream and how the h-e-double-fuck-sticks are you involved in all this, Miller?”, you’re likely asking. I grew up on egg creams, thank you very much. My Mom Mom would make me that depression-era concoction of milk, seltzer, and Fox’s U-Bet near every weekend of my childhood spent on Bleigh Ave in Northeast Philadelphia. Mixed in just the right way, the resulting elixir, which contains neither egg nor cream, is the height of faux-luxury and courses through my veins.
You might recall that we made egg creams at pandemic-era Musi, even playing around with the format. The most exciting example being the Beet Egg Cream made with a homemade beet syrup made from steeping left over beet skins in simple syrup. Those candied beet skins were then dried and powdered and used as garnish on our pavlova. The pavlova was made with left over egg whites from our pasta. I could go on.
And while none of this qualifies me as “Egg Cream Royalty” the fact is, I’m not royalty at all.
I’ll also be moderating the panel Fizzing into the Future: The Next Generation of Jewish Bubbly Beverages so I’m pretty psyched about this day overall and hope to see you there. Again, use the code “AriSentMe25” now through March 7 for 25% off your ticket at SeltzerFest.com