Special Edition: A Tale of Two Birds
Look at all those chickens...
Nothing is more intimidating than a blank page. Every time I sit down to write a special edition newsletter, I’m presented with endless possibility. Of all the words, I chose these. Decisions decisions.
Today’s newsletter will be a short summary of two chicken dishes that I ate this past weekend. On paper, they seem pretty similar. Both were half chickens. Both came with beans. Both made me full. In context, though, they were radically different. That’s one of the fun things about eating. It’s not just about the food.
My Loup - PHL
Half Chicken with White Beans
I’ve developed a (top secret) method for securing hot reservations on Resy. That’s a newsletter for another day. But, I was lucky enough to snag a highly coveted reservation at My Loup - Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp’s new, weeknights-only French spot in Rittenhouse Square. I wrote recently that Shulman has the Midas Touch because everything she touches in Philly turns to gold. Her Place got her a James Beard award nomination. My Loup got her a Served Supper Club feature. Who’s to say which she’s prouder of.
The Amanda Shulman style is unique. It’s an extremely fun blend of ultra-luxurious and then ultra-commonplace flavors. A deep-fried roast pork sandwich ball is on the same menu as an $80 seafood platter. She puts caviar on homemade Cheez-Its at Her Place. It’s an expert layering panache onto nostalgic flavors that we all know and love. And it works.
My Loup translates that mixture of old and new, comfort and cutting edge, into a physical space. It feels swanky. Dimly lit, candles, hardwood floor. Then you take a moment. The whole back wall of the dining room is shelves covered with cookbooks, knickknacks, and family photos. Menu items have people’s names in front of them. You’re on the bleeding edge of the Philadelphia food scene, but you’re also in a home. It’s Shulman and Kemp’s.
I ordered way too much food lol. Razor clams, the aforementioned fried pork sandwich balls, foie gras with strawberries, white asparagus with bottarga, and the half chicken. Let me tell you about this chicken.
The bird was fully sprawled out across the plate. Half bird at My Loup means that thing comes in one piece. Butchery was minimal but technique was turned to the max. They served it crispy skin side up with brothy white beans underneath. Brothy beans are hot right now, and these were a good rendition. The beans themselves were soft, but the bean-likker was bright, lemony, and full of fresh herbs. Chicken juice mixed with bean to create a rich, luxurious sauce. I couldn’t stop myself from cleaning the plate.
It helps to come hungry to My Loup because no matter what you are going to leave full. You’ll have no problems enjoying yourself here.
Casa Adela - NYC
Half Chicken with Rice and Beans
I recently learned that my brother spends a lot of time in the East River Park doing callisthenic exercises. Hell yeah bro. And of course there is no better gainz fuel than healthy fats and chicken! After one of his grueling training sessions, we met up at the Avenue C Puerto Rican institution, Casa Adela.
The Casa is named after Adela Fargas who was a Puerto Rican food pioneer in Manhattan. She was serving home cooked, soulful meals to New Yorkers until her death in 2018. Recipes unchanged, her son and daughter now run the business. For a fantastic write up on Adela, her food, and her community, check out Illyanna Maisonet’s Newsletter.
At Casa Adela, what you see is what you get. It’s a small restaurant with a counter on the left, and a few tables on the right. The first thing I noticed after walking in was a rotisserie oven filled with rotating birds and pumping savory pheromones out into the dining room. I also saw a basket of oranges in front of one of those hand squeezers.
This place is cash only, and very low frills. They beat to their own drum, so just be patient and trust their process. While waiting for our food, I stood in front of the counter and observed. The guy who took our order was also the rotisserie captain, orange squeezer, and avocado slicer. He’s a complete machine. Man took out a whole rotisserie pole of birds with basically his bare hands. My jaw was on the floor as he slid each chicken onto his board, halving each with one swing of his knife. I think I’d like to try that job one day.
We got yellow rice and beans with each half chicken + one avocado salad + one orange juice. Once the food was ready, we walked it down a side street and into a little park with picnic tables. On a beautiful, sunny day there is really no better place to eat anything. Let alone absolutely transcendent poultry.
As soon as we popped the lid on the chicken container, I could tell this bird was going to slap me silly. It was basically treading water in its own juices. Like My Loup, the half bird was served whole, but this one wasn’t crisp. It was extremely soft, succulent, and unbelievably well seasoned. This was without a doubt the best rotisserie chicken I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. One thing that definitely contributed to its quality was how fresh it was. The only reason we really had to wait for our food was because the chickens weren’t cooked yet. In the same vein as McDonald’s fries, rotisserie chickens are best when they are fresh.
In addition to the meat, the sides were a blessing as well. The rice and beans rounded out the meal, and the avocado salad was the cherry on top. First you hit the chicken, then the rice and beans, then the raw vegetable salad. Wash it all down with a sour, fresh squeezed orange juice. I could eat every day. I haven’t stopped thinking about this meal since it ended.
So there you have it. A tale of two birds. One on the cutting edge of a city’s food scene, the other steeped in tradition. Both were amazing dining experiences. But one may have been a little bit better ;)
Served,
The Supper Club