Top Chef Throwdown: Mike Isabella’s Graffiato vs. Spike Mendelsohn’s We, The Pizza
Washington, DC is the home to restaurants belonging to two of Top Chef’s most popular former contestants, Mike Isabella and Spike Mendelsohn, and a recent visit to the chefs’ eateries proved that one may need to pack his knives and go (sorry, I couldn’t resist). I dined at Mendelsohn’s We, The Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery and Isabella’s Graffiato and how they measured up against each other was an outcome even I hadn’t predicted. I will make the following disclaimers up front: 1. There are, obviously, a lot of variables that can factor into a...
Read MoreThe Spring Garden Takeover: Bufad Review
In the same way Marcie Turney and partner Valerie Safran dominate 13th Street, Michael and Jeniphur Pasquarello seem poised to take over Spring Garden. The pair already own Cafe Lift and the always-busting-at-the-seams Prohibition Taproom and, now, along comes their newest venture–a pizza spot called Bufad that sits on a corner a few steps from Prohibition Taproom. Above all else, the duo should be congratulated for the ingenious idea of snagging the once-vacant spot where Bufad is now housed and creating a space to catch the overflow of patrons from Prohibition where it’s...
Read MoreNomad Pizza Wanders Into Philly
There’s good news for Philly pizza lovers–you no longer have to trek to Hopewell, NJ or rent their super-tricked out REO Speedwagon to snag a pie from Nomad Pizza. Owners Tom Grim and Stalin Boden have opened an additional physical location in the city, taking over the former Horizons. The bi-level pizzeria features a cozy downstairs with a couple of communal tables where you can catch a glimpse of all the pie-making magic and a full bar and larger eating area upstairs (complete with a movie projector and screen). While heading upstairs to await your pie order and have a...
Read MoreDomino’s Mea Culpa: Marketing Genius or Pathetic?
In recent years, Domino’s has been in serious decline. Bad pizza (even for those nursing hangovers), bad wings, not-so-cheesy bread–all of it spelled a downward spiral for the once king of delivery pizza. So, it seemed that the good folks of Domino’s decided to jump into the ‘mea culpa advertising’ fray by engaging in the kind of self-deprecating, ‘sorry-we-messed-up’ advertising that seems to work on today’s consumers. They’ve released a series of commercials that places Domino’s in a not-so-flattering light–exposing some...
Read MoreWho is The Palate Princess?
Iris McCarthy is a food writer and author of the popular book Food Lovers' Guide to Philadelphia. This website is where she gets to sound off on all things culinary.