The Power of Tahini and Friendship

Or a love letter to Philadelphia

Hi friends,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce (And Other Food Thoughts), a newsletter sharing something to cook, somewhere to eat out, and something to read. I'm a native New Yorker who spends far too much time thinking and reading about food. I love helping people find better things to eat and solving problems, so let me know how I can help.

It's a very Monday feeling Tuesday so let's revel in the memories of the weekend and plan some good meals for later this week.

Something to cook:
If you spent a lot of money/ate all the junk this weekend, consider packing lunch this week. This broccoli quinoa salad makes four generous servings. It's not quite enough to fill me up on its own so I added 1/4 can of cannellini beans to each serving. Grilled chicken or shrimp would work too. 

If you want more lunch ideas, I made a whole guide right here.

I spent the weekend in Philly with five friends and we ate really well. Most of that was thanks to the city's insane food scene but we also did some cooking. If you're staying in a house with a group, go grocery shopping. Having breakfast and snack ingredients makes things way easier (not to mention saving tons of money and time). 

Some staples to pick up at the closest deli/supermarket:
Eggs (2 dozen means 2 breakfasts for 6 people)
Bread for toast
Fruit (strawberries are an excellent addition to gin and tonics)
Limes and lemons for drinks
Vegetables (your body will thank you)
Chips and Salsa
Hummus and carrots
Pretzels for fun
Ice cream for late nights
Avocadoes for guac or toast
Paper plates (you will be glad you did this)

Airbnb kitchens vary a lot and ours had no seasonings except for an odd 50% less sodium salt. Jesse grabbed a bunch of seasoning packets at Jim's cheesesteaks which we used the next morning to saute zucchini, scallions, and basil. (The secret ingredient, passed down from his grandma, is ketchup and I swear you can't taste it). If you're at a deli, you can also grab ketchup, mustard, mayo, or hot sauce packets to spice things up. Also, always keep your eyes peeled for snacks: We were walking through a farmers market around closing time and got a huge deal on pastries and cookies for breakfast the next day inhaling in the middle of the street. 

I'm probably never going to cook this but it's too fun looking not to share.

If you're inspired to eat more tahini by the time you're done reading this, here's how;

First, buy a container of tahini. Soom tahini is owned by two women and said to be the best (it's made with Ethiopian sesame seeds) and you can get it on Amazon. Seed and Mill is a good brand based in New York (in Chelsea Market and at certain Whole Foods). Trader Joe's also has a good version.

Make:
Hummus
Noodles with Asparagus 
Miso-tahini dressing (this is good on everything)
Copycat Milkshakes
Roasted butternut squash with onions
Tahini chicken 


Something to order:
If this week's newsletter inspires you to do anything, I hope it's booking a ticket to Philadelphia. Amtrak (buy 6 weeks in advance for deals) or NJ Transit (only $26 each way) will get you there in a few hours and then you can get to the food. Philadelphia is walkable, historic, cheaper than New York and bursting at the seams with excellent food. 

I first wrote about food for 34th Street Magazine, Penn's Arts and Culture Weekly (street forever), and love revisiting old favorites to see how they've grown, plus trying new places. Showing people around is always a delight - it's a hard city not to love. 

Here's what we ate: 
For coffee and snacks:

I studied a lot in coffee shops and it was such a relief to be in these places without homework to do! Seriously, a revelation. 

First stop, the Good Karma on 24th street is a short walk from the train station. Lots of seating and my delicious latte inspired this tweet.

Next up, DONUTS. I am not a donut person and a lot of donuts are bad. The hot and fresh donuts at Federal Donuts, however, are light and warm, with a dusting of seasoned sugar. I always get the cinnamon brown sugar and we also ordered the cookies and cream. The server threw in a strawberry one so we could try them all (bless you, Philly) and it wound up being delicious: there are freeze-dried strawberries mixed in with the sugar.

Elixr has great coffee in a little side street off Walnut near the Flywheel, which I, of course, had to visit.

Greenline by Clark Park has ace West Philly people watching. I wrote so many papers there. 


For dinner:
Kanella Grill is a lovely byo with kebabs and dips and salads. The carrot salad is excellent and so is the housemade hot sauce. Everything is really well priced and your group will leave in good spirits. Bring wine and they'll take care of the rest.


La Calaca Feliz is a longtime favorite in Fairmount. The space is so beautiful, the margaritas keep everyone happy and the menu is full of good choices. I always start with the guac, which comes with a smokey salsa we got seconds of. Your group should definitely order the nachos, which come in a cast iron skillet. If you're there in the spring, order the asparagus quesadilla. Margarita favorites include the three chili margarita and the mezcal version. You'll want multiple rounds.

We ate at Little Nonna's on our last night, in their covered garden and it was perfect. The garlic bread (get two orders) comes with an entire head of roasted garlic and the spaghetti and meatballs is impossible to finish, though you'll try. I loved their take on eggplant part with pesto and burrata. 

For everything else:
If you're looking for air conditioning and refreshment, stop inside Tria for a perfectly chilled glass of wine, plus some fennel almonds and marinated olives. Their list is so much fun.


While all of my friends got cheesesteaks at Jim's, I had an arepa at Puyero, a newish Venezuelan spot with great sauces and friendly servers.

Spruce Street Harbor Park is great space to hang, day or night and something really unique to Philly. Right on the water, it encompasses hammocks, food stalls, and a bar area with nets for lounging. Grab a very Philly Victory Summer Love (h/t Nicole for that one) and hang out for hours. Skip the cocktails, they're way too sweet.

For a totally different vibe, I love the Trestle Inn (shoutout to Zeke for showing it to Nicole and I all those years ago). They specialize in go-go dancers and whiskey sours and it's always a damn good time. The crowd spans decades and when we went there was a DJ spinning on vinyl. So much fun.

Locust Bar is a total dive that's definitely not for asthmatics but it's a fun spot to pile into a booth with your friends and giggle about nothing.

Now in a category all by itself, is Goldie, a spot so good that we visited twice in one weekend. Goldie sells falafel, french fries, and tahini milkshakes, that's it. Oh, and the whole place is vegan, though they don't advertise that part.
Come here for the tahini milkshakes. If that sounds weird to you, picture the most refreshing, creamy, slightly sweet milkshake. It does not taste like hummus and you won't even get a stomachache afterward. They use what looks like a soft serve machine and then a standing blender to make these. I got the plain twice but based on careful observation, the coconut and Turkish coffee flavors are very popular. I'm going to Philly next month for 24 hours and am already plotting my next milkshake. The campaign to bring these to New York starts now. 
The other food is great too, especially the falafel salad with herbs and tahini and seeds and the fries with shwarma spice. 


Thanks to everyone I went to Philly with for being patient while I took pictures of food and making the weekend so special. You guys rock. 

Back in New York, I had a great dinner at LIC Market with Emma and her family. This restaurant should definitely be more crowded, it's got a great natural wine list, a seasonal menu, and a lovely patio that's heated in the winter. We ate all the things and I usually wind up ordering pasta there. The May version came with asparagus and corn. Their brunch is also very good if you live off the G or in Queens.


Square Diner in Tribeca is a great way to treat yourself after a very early workout class. Get your homefries well done and bring cash. Sitting outside is choice people watching (and I wrote about them in my very first newsletter).


I tried a new coffee shop: The Merriweather in the West Village and it was lovely. The food is crazy expensive so skip all that and bring your laptop for an Australian coffee.

Something to read:

This cracked me up. 

Good news: Eisenbergs' new owner seems very dedicated to keeping its soul intact. 

What time do you normally eat lunch? The pressure to wait till noon is real 

Come for the story, stay for the photos: A day in the life of a Mister Softee Vendor 

Why is it so hard to find a good tortilla? A longread

I love seeing bosses get hype for their employees and this newsletter from Adam Rappaport is a great example. 

Fun, highly opinionated rankings of the best summer foods. Of particular interest, frozen desserts and road trip snacks. 

The story of a Sudanese restaurantin San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. 

Behind the scenes at food52

Tahini links: I've watched this video about tahini shakes so many times since getting home last night. Also loved this about how the concept for Goldie was developed. 

Why you should drink weird wines

Meal prepping seems like a good way to make cooking far less fun

Amanda Kludt of Eater shared this in her weekly newsletter and the timing was perfect: How Wawa keeps growing. 

When the best grilling memories don't involve food

The argument enchiladas I'll never make again 

My latest stories: What to order at Ops, a pizza and natural wine spot in Bushwick.

Roberta's has soft serve...and you should feel free to skip it. 

This week may feel long, but it's a great time to make plans for the rest of the summer. Book a trip to Philly, text everyone you know until you find someone with a grill and outdoor space (this is a personal plea), buy some tahini, make cookie dough and keep it in the freezer, drink wine on a Tuesday, and get ready for quality time with quality people. I look forward to summer all year and it's finally upon us.

Reply to this email with your summer plans. Food-related, or not. I'm all ears. 

Happy eating and thanks for reading.
Xo,
Abigail