Do you know someone who has a garage or an outbuilding they could use? Are you aware of an appropriate property that’s available in or around Doylestown?

They need a minimum 500 square feet, either wired for electricity or capable of being wired with some parking nearby.

Please call the food club at this phone number if you have any leads: 215.348.1171

Thanks!

Mixed weather this weekend – beautiful today (Friday), some showers tomorrow, and cooler but sunny on Sunday. Not bad. Tonight is First Friday in Doylestown, so I think I see much sitting outside and sipping/nibbling going on around that town.

You can also swing over to Triumph Brewing in New Hope for their monthly barrel tapping, or fresh, gourmet vegetarian food at the new Sprig & Vine (also in Union Square, New Hope) or the Kindle Café in Lambertville. End the evening listening to Barbara Trent at the Centre Bridge Inn. And that’s just Friday night.

Considering the recent recall of Romaine lettuce in 23 states (including Pennsylvania) due to an e. coli scare, you might seriously consider stopping by one of the local Saturday morning farmers’ markets – Doylestown and Wrightstown - for salad greens. The New Hope Farmers’ Market just got going yesterday, so look for them on Thursday afternoons. What will you find at the markets? Beautiful flowers for mom, lettuce, early greens, radishes, rhubarb, starter herb and vegetable plants, and maybe even strawberries. Some of the markets will also have: pastured beef and chicken; cheeses and yogurt from pastured animals; pastured eggs; bread and baked goods; preserved products; handmade soaps and lotions; honey; organic, fair trade, locally roasted coffees; prepared foods, and fiber products. Make sure to read about all the Bucks farmers’ markets coming this season at our post published earlier this week.

Two famous firehouse and church suppers happening this weekend on Saturday: the Plumsteadville Fire Co.’s Original Family-Style Roast Beef Dinner (drive-thru also!) and the Old Goshenhoppen Reformed Church’s Ham and Roast Beef Dinner. I know the latter is not in Bucks, but it’s nearby and I know their oyster dinner in the fall is very famous. How bad could ham and roast beef be?

If you’re not making breakfast or dinner for your mother, there are plenty of places to go. See our previous post, or take her to any of the many firehouse breakfasts/brunchs/dinners taking place around the county on Sunday.

A peek at next weekend. A brand new farmers’ market opens in Warrington. Eat breakfast inside a covered bridge at Breakfast on the Bridge.

For more details, please go to our full calendar, Food Events in Bucks County. Also, please let us know of any food events going on in your neck of the woods. You can find Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter too.

Have a sweet weekend!

Friday, May 7th:
Forecast – Sunny, 72°

• First Friday, Doylestown [evening]
• Barrel Tappings @ Triumph Brewing Co., New Hope [6-7 pm]
• Evening at the Vineyard @ Rose Bank Winery, Newtown [7-9 pm]
• Wine Tasting for Singles @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, Washington Crossing [7-9 pm]
• Barbara Trent @ The Centre Bridge Inn, New Hope [7 - 11 pm]
• Kindle Cafe Supper Club @ Rojo’s Roastery, Lambertville [7:30 - 9 pm]
• All That Jazz – Jazz Night @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, Washington Crossing [8-10 pm]

Saturday, May 8th:
Forecast – Thunderstorms, 76°

• Doylestown Farmers’ Market, Doylestown [7 am - 12 pm]
• Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, 2203 Second Street Pike, Wrightstown [9 am - 1 pm]
• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [9 am - 3 pm]
• Hoagie Sale @ Upper Gwynedd Fire Co., Upper Gwynedd [10 am-12 pm]
• Wine Tasting for Moms @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [12-3 pm]
• Wine Tasting @ Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton [12 - 5 pm]
• Ham and Roast Beef Dinner @ Old Goshenhoppen Reformed Church, Woxall [3-6:30 pm]
• “Original” Family-Style Roast Beef Dinner @ Plumsteadville Fire Co., Plumsteadville [3-7:30 pm]

Sunday, May 9th:
Forecast – Sunny, 63°

• Breakfast Buffet @ Plumsteadville Fire Co., Plumsteadville [7 am - 12 pm]
• Mother’s Day Buffet Breakfast @ Hartsville Fire Co., Warrington 8 am-12 pm]
• Breakfast @ American Legion Post, Quakertown [8 am-12:30 pm]
• Breakfast Buffet @ Richland Twp Fire & Rescue, Quakertown [8 am-1 pm]
• Breakfast Buffet @ Silverdale Fire Company, Silverdale [8 am-1 pm]
• Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market, Hellertown [9 am - 1 pm]
• Mother’s Day Breakfast @ Graeme Park, Horsham [9 am-1 pm]
• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [10 am - 3 pm]
• Brunch @ New Hope-Ivyland Railroad, New Hope [11 am-4 pm]
• Mother’s Day Dinner Buffet @ Haycock Fire Co., Quakertown [12-5 pm]

Monday, May 10th:

• Flavor and Color! @ The Cooking Cottage, Sellersville [6:30-8:30 pm]
• Techniques of Cooking I: Grilling, Roasting, Searing Meats @ Carlow Cookery, Doylestown [7-9 pm]

Wednesday, May 12th:

• New York City Noshing Tour by The Cooking Cottage, Sellersville [8 am-7 pm]
• American Legion Meals on Wednesdays, Quakertown [11:30 am-9 pm]
• Complimentary Beer Tasting @ the Copper Leaf Grill, Buckingham [5-9 pm]

Thursday, May 13th:

• New Hope Farmers’ Market, New Hope [3:30-7 pm]
• Lobster Night @ The Centre Bridge Inn, New Hope [6-10 pm]

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Bucks Food Calendar: May 14, 2010
2. Bucks Food Calendar: April 30, 2010
3. Bucks Food Calendar: April 16, 2010

Right now, you can sign up for courses offered through the Community School of New Hope-Solebury. The school runs short, inexpensive courses on topics ranging from computers, fine arts, photography, fitness, language and, of most interest to us, culinary arts.

This semester has some great offerings (too many for me to put in the calendar!) including the “Eat Global, Go Local Cooking” course by Diana Cercone (who writes about food for the Bucks County Herald). Diana plans to share great Bucks County food sources and how to prepare a Bucks County farm-to-table dinner on May 19th. Personal Chef Karen McGinn of Heaven on a Plate is also teaching several courses this spring, including cooking Italian foods ranging from the northern region of Emilia-Romagna to Tuscany, Calabria, and the isle of Sicily.

One of the offerings of the Community School last December was an oyster tasting course at Marsha Brown in New Hope. It was informative and delicious. They aren’t offering it this semester, but they are offering a martini making class on May 13. See the Community School Web site for more info on all of these courses.

Here are some other places that regularly offer cooking classes. Check the Food Events in Bucks County calendar, too, for updates because courses are constantly added from other locations and teachers.

• In Doylestown, Carlow Cookery, offers courses almost every night on a wide variety of cuisines, wine, and cooking techniques. See their Web site for more info and sign up for their email newsletter to let you know when they’ve added new courses.
• The Cooking Cottage at Cedar Spring Farms in Sellersville has an equally impressive catalog. Courses on entertaining, ethnic cuisines, eating healthy, grilling, plus tasting tours to New York City, Oregon and California.
• For all you vegetarians – or those who cook for vegetarians – be sure to check out the Kindle Café’s classes, conducted by Chef Vince Peterson. Using all fresh, local produce, Chef Vince shows you how to create diverse and tasty meals. Check out his weekly dinners at Rojo’s Roastery, as well. Get on Kindle Café’s email list at www.kindlecafe.com.
• Casa Casale in Lahaska offers Italian cooking courses every month. Tomorrow night, April 21st, is “Trattoria Cibi.” Check their Web site or our Food Events Calendar for more courses later this spring and summer.
• Join Sheila McDuffie in her garden, greenhouse and kitchen on her organic farm in Upper Black Eddy. Her Kitchen Garden Cooking School offers classes on cooking , gardening and herbal and floral crafts.

If we’ve missed anyone in our listings, please contact us. We’ll add them on!

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter! 

UPDATE June 30, 2010: Added the Kitchen Garden Cooking School

Related posts:

1. A cool, crisp November weekend
2. Bucks Food Calendar: April 16, 2010
3. Get ready for Thanksgiving – Part One

Unless you live in Doylestown, in the township or borough, you probably haven’t been following the sewer debacle. I don’t know that I can even describe it accurately here. It’s been boro vs. township vs. PA Department of Enviromental Protection, arguing over sewer and water connections (or not) and what defines adequate “capacity” of a sewage plant. The article in yesterday’s Intelligencer gives a good summary (be sure to check out the great comments by readers following the article): 

Owners Wes and Jay Goddard, father and son, respectively, said they had a month-to-month lease with their landlord and the landlord asked them about a month and a half ago to leave at the end of April – to make room for a Subway. They spent the past few weeks searching for a new location and found one at just the right size and price (no easy task for a small family business in Doylestown) on Main Street.

Normally, their move would be easy. They’d fill out a few forms, pay for the extra sewer connection the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority says they need, paint the new place, get the kitchen ready, post their menu, hang some hamburger posters and spend a weekend moving furniture.

But the small, popular mom-and-pop-and-son burger shop is caught in the middle of a long war among Doylestown, the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority and the state Department of Environmental Protection.

That means nothing about the move is going to be easy – if the shop even moves at all. Basically Burgers might be forced to close.

Basically Burgers’ current location, at 12 W. State St., has one sewer connection. The space the Goddards want to move into, at 33 S. Main St., has two sewer connections. The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority told the Goddards they need to buy one more for $5,700, and agreed to sell it to them.

The state Department of Environmental Protection would normally exempt the Goddards from sewer usage planning because the change in usage is so small. But the DEP recently informed the authority that it will no longer allow the exceptions, and property owners in parts of Doylestown, Doylestown Township, Buckingham and Plumstead will have to go through a months-long planning process. DEP is concerned that sewage treatment plants can’t support additional growth and could render the system unsafe…

The Goddards can’t afford to wait for months. “Our lease is done here April 29. We needed to land something yesterday so we could start construction on it,” Jay Goddard said.  “We need income. We can’t have a lot of downtime.”  Basically Burgers is the Goddard family’s primary source of income…If the Goddards can’t move Basically Burgers quickly, they’ll have to close up shop and find new jobs.

Representatives of the authority and borough officials said the DEP is still requiring property owners to go through the full sewer usage planning process; neither agency has heard anything from the DEP that would indicate anything different. DEP officials have refused to comment on the decision.

So, what can we do? Not sure at the moment. Do check in at Basically Burgers’ Facebook page for updates on the situation, and what fans can do to help. And be sure to stop by the store, buy a burger and give your support.

Basically Burgers
16 West State St.
Doylestown, PA
215.345.8502
(across from Starbucks)

Thanks to Christina Kristofic at the Intelligencer for her informative article.

For more info on Basically Burgers see this post and our video of the Taco Burger.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter! 

Related posts:

1. Welcome back, Basically Burgers!
2. Focused on Burgers

But, oh my. This was not just any local honey. Bright, complex and, of course, sweet, but not overly so. All winter I have found myself sneaking into the kitchen, dropping a spoon into the honey jar and eating it straight. Turns out, Mark has been doing the same thing.

Let’s take it up a notch. What if you could eat honey this good, but as prepared with food by a talented and innovative chef, right here in Bucks County? You’re in luck. Honey Restaurant in Doylestown and Slow Food Bucks County have joined forces to create a wonderful menu and evening for Monday, March 22nd.

Sliwka will be on hand to talk about the honeys used. He is the proprietor and beekeeper of Stagecoach Apiary in Lehighton, PA. Stagecoach was chosen for this dinner due to the variety of hives they keep throughout Pennsylvania which will allow for a diverse tasting of honeys. Honey’s Chef, Joe McAtee, has created an exciting and varied selection of small dishes, pairing the different honeys with meats, cheeses, seafood, and vegetables.

“I was glad when Slow Food approached us,” said McAtee. “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.” Although honey takes center stage at the popular Doylestown restaurant every day, McAtee and his wife, Amy, believe in using local ingredients whenever possible.

McAtee has another mission, too. “It’s important to show that honey is not just a sweetener,” he says, explaining how honey compliments so many foods, and even influences texture. The menu demonstrates this with honey used in a vinaigrette, sorbet and custard. McAtee is also excited about the honey and cheese pairing course. “There is so much complexity in both honey and cheese.”

The details. The six course meal is $40 per person (this does not include beverages, tax or gratuity; Honey will be offering a flight of honey wines and beers). Reservations begin at 5 pm and go to 9 pm. Please call the restaurant directly to make a reservation at 215.489.4200.

Here’s the mouth-watering menu:

• Rice Crusted Calamari, Chorizo, Crispy Chickpeas, Cilantro, Spicy Cactus Honey
• Crispy Veal Sweatbreads, Smoked Honey, Truffled Mac N’ Cheese
• Honey Brined Giannone Chicken, Charred Ramp & Fava Bean Ragu
• Meade Sorbet Intermezzo
• Artisan Cheese Plate with Honey Pairings
• Caramel Flan, Blood Orange and Ginger Relish, Lemon-Thyme Syrup, Candied Thyme 

Much thanks to Slow Food Bucks County for initiating this event, particularly chapter leader Kimberly Kaufmann and coordinator Sharon Schwartz, and working with Chef McAtee and Amy McAtee to make it happen. Here’s some additional information about Honey, Stagecoach Apiary and Slow Food Bucks County.

Honey Restaurant
42 Shewell Avenue
Doylestown, PA 18901
215.489.4200

Stagecoach Orchard Apiary
Pete Sliwka
 P.O. Box 381
Lehighton, PA, 18235
610.377.1875
Email: stagecoach@emmausmarket.com
Peter sells honey at the New Hope and Emmaus Farmers’ Markets, as well as in Philadelphia at the Rittenhouse and Head House Farmers’ Markets.

Slow Food (Bucks County chapter)
Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food, fast life and the disappearance of local food traditions. To do that, Slow Food brings together pleasure and responsibility, and makes them inseparable. Slow Food helps people rediscover the joys of eating and understand the importance of caring where their food comes from, who makes it, how it’s made and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Slow Food Bucks County on Facebook

Slow Food Bucks County

Be sure to check their events calendar. Interesting food events, films including a honey tasting dinner at Honey Restaurant in Doylestown on March 22nd.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter too!

Related posts:

1. Local honey at Honey

Ooka says its purveyor, Yama Seafood Inc. of Jersey City, N.J., got word that the fish has been caught and cleaned on a fishing boat in the Mediterranean, and will be on its way to an airport in Spain tomorrow afternoon and flown to JFK.

After a stop in Jersey City, it’s supposed to be delivered to Ooka in Montgomeryville for processing by executive chef Shuji Hiyakawa by noon Thursday. And so will commerce Sushi Week at the Ooka locations in Montgomeryville, Doylestown, and Willow Grove, as well as Komé in Saucon Valley.

Here’s what they’re offering:

• $20 bluefin sushi or sashimi tasting, including Hon-Maguro (Japanese for bluefin), Chu-Toro (medium fatty belly tuna), and O-Toro (fatty belly tuna).
• $25 Toro Toban-Yaki, a hot pot featuring cooked Toro and exotic Japanese mushrooms.
• $25 bluefin tuna loin steak from the hibachi with soup, house salad, noodles and dessert.

Enjoy!

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Thar she blows!

Ooka – This is a great place for a first timer. It’s not intimidating and a more familiar atmosphere to the average diner. The downside is it’s expensive; probably the most expensive of the restaurants in this list. Their sushi is certainly good but there’s a lot of unnecessary flare. Their sake sangria is to die for though (Editor’s note: I’ve also heard the sake martini is very good.) Locations in Doylestown, Willow Grove, and Montgomeryville.
 
Oishi – Located in Newtown, this place took forever to find but was quite delicious. I went with a friend so we split the “couples platter.” This is a great way to sample a lot of different pieces and keep the price modest. Only downside; this place was extremely busy. We went on a Thursday and had to wait half an hour for a table. Worth it? Yes! But perhaps we’ll make reservations next time.
 
Sakura – This is a relatively new place located in an overhauled Taco Bell on Street Road in Bensalem. Relative to Kira, Ooka, and Oishi, Sakura has the best sushi at the best price. They have a ‘select’ menu that offers regular menu items at up to $3 off. Pleasant atmosphere and high, high quality fish make this top of my list. Unfortunately, it’s a forty five minute drive for us so it’ll have to remain a special occasion destination. Darn!
 
Madam Butterfly – I have yet to dine here but have heard only great things and look forward to making it a food conquest someday. Beware though; I think it’s rather pricey. If you’re new to sushi, you probably won’t want to dish out top dollar. On State St. in Doylestown.
 
All of these restaurants, as do most, offer vegetarian and cooked sushi options.
 
Quick List of Important Terms:

• Maki/Make – this is the stuff that comes in a roll; fish and veggies on the inside, rice and seaweed outside
• Sushi – Sushi is actually the large chunk of fish over rice with rice vinegar, often with a touch of wasabi
• Sashimi – This is sliced raw fish, often served with a bowl of rice
• Wasabi – Japanese Horseradish
• Nori – flat, dried seaweed used to wrap rice and rolls. Very nutritional!
• Ginger – eaten to cleanse the palate in between bites. Also great for digestion in general.

Sushi Etiquette:

• If you cannot get your chop sticks to work, use your fingers. It may feel awkward at first but it does make for fun dinning. Never use a fork.
• If you are eating sushi, it’s more acceptable to turn the piece upside down and dip the fish, not the rice, into your soy sauce.
• Drink your Miso Soup, often served before sushi, right from the bowl.
• Each piece of Make, Sushi, or Sashimi must be eaten in one bite.

Kira Japanese Restaurant
741 Route 113
Souderton, PA 18964
(215) 721-6998
 
Ooka
110 Veterans Lane
Doylestown, PA 18901
(215) 348-8185
 
Oishi
2817 S. Eagle Rd
Newtown, PA 18940
(215) 860-5511
 
Sakura
1973 Street Rd
Bensalem, PA 19020
(215) 639-9988

Related posts:

1. Tidbit: Ooka catches a big fish