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Adolescent Guilt

Everyone has a favorite soft beverage,  My soda of choice is a Jersey gem.  Stewart's Root Beer is a definitely part of local lore.  Orange drive-ins used dot the landscape of the Garden State.  I love to enjoy an icy cold mug of frosty root beer. Always have.

I grew up about a mile from a Stewart's Root Beer. It was our favorite hang out in Junior High.  We called it Stew's.  It was 1967.  We were 13 and cool. Enjoying a cold brew after a game of hoops was always a well-earned Guilty Pleasure.  Even back then my thirst for life was more than most.  We'd ride our String Ray bikes to the orange oasis on Rte. 1 and slam down a few cold ones.Throw in a Cheeseburger on a Kaiser Roll with a side of skinny fries and it's Adolescent Guilt.  

Who goes with who and why?

People watching is always an interesting Guilty Pleasure. Regardless of the location, marveling at humanity is always a great way pass time.  One of keys to surviving a long layover at the airport is the parade of travelers trudging through the terminals. Looking to lose a pound or twenty, scrutinizing the overflow crow at LAX is the perfect way to lose your appetite.

Guilty has been known to visit lunchtime buffet.  I especially love Asian food.  However, nothing is more entertaining and frightening than people watching at an all you can eat Chinese Buffet.  OMG!!! The portion sizes, the languages, the crying kids, the fashion choices, the clueless waitresses and the oddball couples. Who goes with who and why is always a eternal mystery.

Who are these people? Where did they come from? Some people can eat all day! Are they moving in? Am I moving out?  Some couples dress for summer in January.  Do they dress for Winter in August? There are too many questions to ask and too many answers to consider.

The one irrefutable answer is that they're checking out Guilty and his portion sizes as well.  In that way, they're just like Thin Mint.

Dirty Water Dogs are a lifelong Guilty Pleasure-Classic Posting

Somehow it always happens. An 11 am meeting runs late, a conference call is never ending or morning traffic is snarled. My noon time schedule is always in a state of flux. The healthy lunch in Chinatown is postponed. The field trip to the Wegman's Food Court is tabled and the fresh rolled sushi is now on hold.

Trapped between lunchtime hunger in University City and our next VIP event on the 57th Floor of Two Liberty Place, I am at the mercy of urban street cuisine.

Do I dare do Chinese food from a truck? Pass on the Bok Choy.

Do I have a Fish Taco from Fiesta Jamal? Someone please Dial 911. I am being attacked by Culture Shock.

Do I tempt fatewith a so-called Philadelphia Cheesesteak from a grisly griddle on 38th St?  That seems like a big risk to me, Mortimer.

Then, around the corner, I spy salvation. A hot dog cart is just a dart's throw away and Dirty Water Dogs are best enjoyed in threes. Slow-cooked in oil-dotted water that could be over two day's old, these all-beef hot dogs are a true urban delicacy. I like my boiled dogs with spicy mustard and sauerkraut. I am very a traditional New Yorker in this area of gastronomic exploration.

There is no street fare more tried and true than a Dirty Water Dog. My favorites are the Sabrett Hot Dogs sold from countless aluminum carts on the bustling streets of New York City. Their long and skinny shape make them the perfect candidate for a 10 am three spot. IBC Black Cherry Soda is the perfect Guiltorious chaser.

I speak from years of experience. I worked on Exchange Place near Wall Street and three dogs with kraut were a morning ritual. Dining al Fresco in front of the old Citibank Building was a bonafide Guilty Pleasure. The incredible smell of roasted chestnuts wafting in the city's winter air as I shivered in the streets of Lower Manhttan waiting for my third hot dog to be snugly rolled in a paper napkin like a dubee, is an iconic memory of New York City that I will always cherish.  Luckily we're going to Manhattan on Saturday to see Heathers on Off Broadway.  I am sure I can sneak in a hot dog or two when we're on 49th St.



Dirty Water Dogs are a lifelong Guilty Pleasure.

Standing up to Old Man Winter.

Need we say more!!!  Enough with the cold, rain and snow.   

The birds must be pissed.

Cardenas Vinegar & Olive Oil Taproom is an inspiring Guilty Pleasure

As you know, quality friendships stand the test of time. Two of Thin Mint's best friends from college came to visit this weekend.  The SUNY triplets had a blast reminiscing and laughing.  Everyone turned out just fine and with great kids. Of course any great weekend always includes a variety of Guilty Pleasures. While a late dinner at the Han Dynasty was a spicy symphony that everyone loved, their Italian Market Food Crawl earlier in the day was the real showstopper.  Luckily, Saturday's weather in Philadelphia was spectacular.  It finally felt like spring.

From Kermit's Bake Shoppe on Washington to S. 9th St., the city was alive with with upscale shoppers. After a long lunch at, Thin
Mint and friends, aka The Upstate Hotties, wandered into Cardenas Oil &Vinegar Taproom.  It's an epicurean oasis that rejuvenates the Guilty Gourmand.

The Olive Oils,Vinegars and salts at this premium specialty food store are so amazing. You can spend hours discovering new flavors and savoring every Guiltorious moment. Their Salt Bar will transport you from the famed Murray River in Australia to the Himalayan Mountains to the Crown of Creation Salt from Mediterranean Sea. Laurissa knows her stuff and she will  take excellent care of you.

There specialty products will make your food taste much more flavorful and adventurous. Shopping at Cardenas Oil & Vinegar Taproom is an inspiring Guilty Pleasure.

Bart's Place is a Stunning Palace!

Great things are happening in Philadelphia.  With approval waiting in the wings, The Provence Casino is coming to the City of Brotherly Love.  This beautiful 5 star property is going to reshape North Broad Street in a very good way. One can only imagine how many jobs are going to be created by this exciting project.

With a top flight team in place, the remarkable vision of Bart Blattstein is coming to fruition.

Mr. Blattstein is Philadelphia's Michael Bloomberg. He's socially responsible and definitely has the Midas touch. Not to mention that he selected a fantastic name for his new casino and hotel. We encourage everyone to root for Bart and encourage city officials to fast track this important project.  Philadelphia needs to attract more upscale visitors. Philadelphia needs Provence.

When it comes to sampling, change is your Guilty Ally.

Change is your friend in Guilty Town.  We constantly want to try new recipes, new restaurants, new products and new ideas.  The evaluation process never stops and we love that. From Going Green to decadent sauces, we have a lot to explore.

At the request of vendors around the globe, we are making plans to attend the Fancy Food Show in New York this summer. They all want to be a certified Guilty Pleasure. The prestige and increases sales are their top priority. The Blog requests are getting so time consuming, we will be scheduling extensive interviews for one or two days in July.

Once the press is satisfied, I can't wait to try Sweet Corn Ice Cream.  OMG!!!  Thankfully, Guilty is an excellent interview and an even better sampler.

Thin Mint's Coca Cola Ham is destined for the top of Mt. Guiltmore

Crafting menus is one of the best parts of custom-to-the-client catering.  Each menu is different.  You listen, you research and you create.  It's a very exhausting and rewarding process.  Last evening, Thin Mint put together a terrific action station for a Wedding at the Olde Homstead Golf Club She put together a sensational selection of Guiltorious comfort that has greatness written all over it.

Her client now has a Biscuit Bar with Southern Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits and Jalapeno Chive Biscuits.OMG!  They sound awesome, but the real showstopper are the two toppings that Thin Mint added.  Our Executive Chef went back into our culinary vault and chose two eternal classics. Thin Mint's client will have Chef Bruce's famous Chicago Bears sausage gravy. We have had many chef's over the years prepare this slice of the South and very few do it justice.  We're not sure why, but it's a good test of their cooking skills. No one even comes close to matching Bruce's heavenly creation.  It's incredible.

However, my beautiful bride climbed Guilty Peak with her Coca Cola glazed spiral ham. This slow-smoked Country Ham was worthy of being on Mt. Guiltmore.  The salty flavor combined with the soda's sweetness is the ideal accompaniment to the flaky biscuits. Thin Mint's Guiltness Greatness is always appreciated.

Generation to Generation...Cast Iron Skillets are trusted tools

There's something magical about cast iron skillet.  It's always adds a Guilty touch to cooking.  Scrambled cheesy eggs ith Applewood bacon become a masterpiece. Fried chicken tastes Southern.  Duck fat fries taste like heaven and charred Brussel sprouts become epic. AWESOME!!!

That's all great. but it's not the secret of the skillet.  The real treasure of a cast iron frying pan is that we go retro. It's a culinary portal  Now we are cooking great food just like our parents, grandparents and great grandparents did.  That cultural lineage is pure magic.  Trusted skillets are included many wills.  Children fight over them.  With the right skillet, recipes that are handed down from generation to generation, now taste like they did in 1914.

This particularly true when it comes to making breakfast.  No shortcuts are permitted. Thin Mint and I only go out to for breakfast or brunch at restaurants that swear by the skillet. We particularly like the Green Eggs Cafe in Philly.  They have three locations and their food is incredible.  My mouth is watering for scrambled with cheese, potatoes, peppers and onions, topped with a homemade jumbo biscuit and country style pork sausage gravy in a cast-iron skillet.  What a great way to start the day.