Bourbon syrup beignets (JG Domestic)

This week's AHT related musings are about JG Domestic... a restaurant that serves only dishes comprised of the freshest ingredients available (in the Mid-Atlantic anyway). It's gimmicky, the farm-to-table concept is played out, and the burger is all sorts of disappointing. You should still read my post over at SE... just because you enjoy supporting my cause (of eating burgers?), but here's a short summary: unless you like playing Russian roulette, I suggest you not seek a burger at JG Domestic. At best, it can be considered good - nothing earth shatteringly great - and at worst, you will have a burger that spills its guts in blood faster than a Rambo movie. It made me sad ಢ_ಢ in a way I can't really describe... so I won't.

Instead, we'll talk about beignets.



After finishing my burger - and wiping the tears and snot streaming down my face - dessert seemed like a good idea. I don't believe in doing drugs to run away from my problems, but drowning my sorrows in sugar and boozy syrups? Yeah, that's totally kosher in my book.



For $9 (I don't know what I was thinking) you get three huge-ass beignets, covered in enough confectioners sugar to make anyone look like a crack addict after eating, a side cup of "Maker's Mark Butterscotch," and a dollop of bourbon laced vanilla mousseline. Absolutely... incredible. I would've been perfectly content just eating the mousseline by itself (actually I think I did that first), but I have to say... those beignets were pretty sensual. Yes I rubbed them all over my face... I am slightly ashamed at that, but they were delicious.



The duck fat fries also deserve another mention. These things are titillatingly good, forreal. The fries at M2M always tasted awesome to me because they did their frying in the same oil as their tempura shrimp... the result was a slight sweetness to the outer layer that I've never tasted with fries from anywhere else. This is kind of similar. If you've ever found yourself wanting to simultaneously eat fries and fried chicken skin (I do... all the time), this is pretty much it. There's a certain... avian flavor to the crust, if that makes sense.

TL;DR - JG Domestic doesn't suck 100%. It just sucks at cooking burgers. Go there for the fries and the beignets.
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Over-sized macarons (Sugar Philly Truck)

I don't normally like dessert food trucks . I tend to find that they're just rolling excuses to charge more for the same things I can get in bakeries (I hate you soooo much Treats Truck). You start shuffling goods from the back of a truck and all of a sudden it becomes okay to charge $2 for a mini-cupcake? No. That's fucked up and counterintuitive to me. If food comes out of a truck... it should be super cheap and of questionable origins (this second point is key). For one reason or another, as I passed by the Sugar Philly Truck one day, I noticed their sign that said 3 macarons for $2. While that's not cheap, it's also not stupid expensive like some of the boutique-ish shops in NYC. Three it was. Chocolate ganache, sesame, and tiramisu.



I went to pay and handed over my $2. I was about to set off in a merry skip (or possibly frolic) when I was greeted with a look of confusion. Apparently, dyslexia got the better of me. The macarons were 2 for $3. Fuck. In my head, I didn't want them anymore - why in the world would I pay $1.50 per cookie? - but I smiled sheepishly and supplemented an additional $2.50. Why didn't I just say I didn't want them? Because I am powerless against cute Asian girls who hand me desserts. Sigh.



As I shoved each in my mouth (tiramisu, sesame, and chocolate ganache... in that order), my anger/annoyance slowly melted away. Someone commented that they weren't filled very well and looked sad. This is true. The filling is not spread out very well, but it's not because they're trying to rip you off. Standard macarons are roughly the size of Oreos. These are just under 2" in diameter... meaning they're twice as large based on pure surface area, and four times as large volumetrically. So really, from a value standpoint... it's not all that bad after all. As for how they taste? Like a unicorn pissing rainbows in your mouth. Yep, that's a good thing. Of note is the sesame, which is really just like eating 湯圓 (tang yuan) in cookie form... one that melts on your tongue. Despite the shitty construction, these things are alright in my book. Plus the girl at the truck is cute. That's a plus too. /creep
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Burritos and Jarritos (El Fuego)

With a name that translates to "The Fire," El Fuego can be one of two things... a dance club for gay men or a small Mexican restaurant that specializes in "California style" burritos. Luckily for me, it is the latter (although there is nothing wrong with the former). El Fuego is basically a clone of Chipotle and Qdoba... except you get no choices. No choice of black beans or pinto, no choice of if you want corn or salsa, no choice of if you want cheese or guac. Nope, what they say goes. They're like fucking burrito Nazis. That's fine with me, sometimes I don't want to "have it my way." I just want to be told what tastes good and to eat it. But you know what? You should trust these dudes. They really speak Spanish... and they really know their burritos. Way more authentic than the random Asian dude working at the Taco Bell.



Their menu is pretty minimalistic, they do only burritos, bowls, tacos, and quesadillas. Yeah they have chips, but that shouldn't be counted as an entrée... ever. The fillings are pretty standard too... chicken, steak, chopped beef, chorizo, and vegetarian. If you were expecting cow tongue and fancy crap like that, sorry. Like I said, it's kind of like a Chipotle/Qdoba clone.



Except their burritos don't reek of mediocrity (full disclosure: I eat at Chipotle quite a lot and I am perfectly okay with their averageness). El Fuego makes a kick ass burrito that's too legit to quit. First off, at $6.95 it's a little bit more expensive than its franchised brethren, but that's okay... because you're getting a 10" atomic bomb of compressed meat. It's under a dangerous amount of pressure, with a thin layer of flour tortilla just barely holding back rice, beans, and meat from exploding right in your face in a glorious display of fat-based fireworks . This of course is awesome to me. The burritos are all the same... pinto beans, rice, lettuce, but they're remarkably well balanced. I ended up getting the chorizo variant which was rich in fat, subtle in spiciness, and appropriately salty... just enough to make me savor every last drop of my guava flavored Jarritos.



Their tacos aren't too shabby either. I ended up going back on a separate occasion just to try them, and to be honest I'm pretty smitten with their chicken version. The amount of juice the meat contains is actually quite absurd, and they're definitely not lacking in flavor.

Inevitably, I have to ask myself... is El Fuego so good that I'd turn my back on Mr. Memo? No. I'm really lazy. Going to El Fuego involves crossing a bridge! I don't even really know how to swim. It is good enough that I'd make a return visit if I were near Rittenhouse though, if that means anything to you.
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Neon pink beef (Butcher & Singer)

If this photo doesn't look familiar to you, then you're doing it wrong. Go read my normal post about the Butcher Burger on AHT first. Then come back. Anyway... let me reiterate this point: writing for Serious Eats is a buttload of fun. In my last few interviews, every time I said I was paid to photograph, eat, think deeply, and then write about burgers, I had something of a "fuck yeah" moment. But just to make things clear. It's not all fun and games. Nope, sometimes I get thrown outside of my comfort zone in pursuit of an awesome burger. This is what happened at Butcher & Singer. Now if you know me, I'm a big fan of college tees, jeans, and Birkenstock sandals. Ties and dress shoes are foreign to me. Fine dining and I do not mesh well. But if you promise me a burger made from 10-ounces of dry-aged beef...



Not much to really say is there. It's 10-ounces of dry-aged sirloin topped with creamy cheddar and caramelized onions plopped on top of a brioche bun from Parc. Basically it's 10-ounces+ of pure win. Something I didn't really mention on AHT is the fact that the Russian dressing is really good. It adds an additional component of moisture (not that the burger really needs it), but you only really taste it after some time has passed. It has a slight tartness and spiciness that makes the onions that much sweeter.



Mmm pink beef. I'm not used to my beef glowing neon, but you know what? I think I like it. Truly something magical, their patty is broiled until a fantastic crust develops from the charring. Yet somehow the center looks like that. I cannot explain it. This burger kicks ass, and it's primarily because of the beef. At $9.95, it's a stupidly good deal, and would easily rank as one of the best burgers I've had in my life. It's unfortunate I feel so out of place stepping inside, or else I'd go all the time.
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