Philly-theme foodie gifts you can send | Let’s Eat

You may not be headed over the river and through the woods yourself this year, but that doesn’t have to stop you from sending food. A roundup of tasty holiday gifts leads off this week’s coverage, which also includes word from the restaurant scene, the debut of a long-delayed Germantown cidery, and the launch of a French toast-flavored beer (!).

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– Michael Klein

Many of us won’t be traveling to visit friends and family this holiday season. But that doesn’t mean you can’t send a piece of Philly to your loved ones’ doorsteps. Staff writer Grace Dickinson tells us of some shippable Philly-centric gift ideas, such as cheesesteaks, whoopie pies, and make-your-own pretzel kits.

Staffer Jenn Ladd stays a bit closer to home, literally, advising you to snag one of Mighty Bread’s gingerbread rowhouse kits before they’re gone. They’re gingerbread houses but are modeled after South Philly Trinities.

As for more gift ideas: The Philadelphia area is home to a whole crew of hot-sauce makers who offer a cross-section of the Scoville scale — from mild, flavorful sauces to ones that stand a good chance of really lighting you up if you’re not careful. Our own Nick Vadala gives you a primer of the best ones he’s found.

Let’s get baking. The five cookies you see here offer something for everyone, with treats that feature nuts, chocolate, and fruit. We have chewy cookies, crunchy cookies, melt-in-your mouth cookies. Cookies to eat warm or cold. Gluten-free and vegan. None are complicated.

French toast-flavored beer? Jenn tells us about Lokal Artisan Foods’ Charisse McGill, the busy woman who sells her French toast bites all over town, including her current stop at City Hall’s Christmas Village. She is also the inspiration for French Toast Bites Ale from Doylestown Brewing Co. It’s an easy-drinking ale that’s not too sweet.

Jenn also heads to Germantown for first word about Young American Hard Cider, which finally opened its tasting room after four years. What’s it like to debut in the midst of a pandemic? she asked co-owner Kate Kaman. “We don’t have something to compare it to. We went from making zero money, just investing, investing, investing to, ‘Oh my God, we’re putting stuff into the cash register!’”

The restaurant business is speeding into a new era, driven by technology and fueled by a public’s love of food delivery. The pandemic, and its promise of seamless, contactless transactions, has turbocharged this growth. It’s called the “ghost kitchen,” and it’s designed to feed people more efficiently. There is no restaurant or dining room! They’re tied to the delivery apps such as Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash. Many players in the Philadelphia restaurant scene are getting on board. Within the next two weeks, for example, we’ll see the debut of Chef Big Rube’s Kitchen, a long-promised eatery from entrepreneur/personality Reuben “Big Rube” Harley. Stay tuned.

Tinsel, the Christmas-theme bar, returns to 116 S. 12th St. in Washington Square West on Wednesday, Dec. 9 with 30,000-plus twinkling lights, a festive streetery, and Christmas cocktails served inside ornaments. Since Philly’s bars are shut down and indoor dining is prohibited, Tinsel is a walk-through experience: Head in the front door, get your food and drink, ooh and ahh, take a selfie at the alley door, and off you go. Food is from the Mexican-theme Sueno next door. Every year, owner Teddy Sourias and his crew do a fundraiser; this year, proceeds will go to feed furloughed workers in the restaurant industry. Tinsel, which will be open till at least Dec. 31, runs 4 to 11 p.m. weekdays, noon to 11 p.m. weekends.

Not cheery news for the restaurant industry. This week, the National Restaurant Association pleaded with Congress to approve more relief. Nearly half of Pennsylvania restaurateurs surveyed recently believe that they could be out of business by next summer without a lifeline. This would also spike the rolls of jobless restaurant workers — 49% of operators nationwide expect to need fewer workers during the next three months.

Not surprisingly, our list of restaurants throughout the Philadelphia region that have closed in 2020 is growing. The latest permanent shutdowns are Goose Island, the syndicated brewpub in Northern Liberties, and Paper Street Pub in Manayunk. Many restaurants in the city have taken a break till at least Jan. 1, 2021, and possibly till spring 2021, including Moriarty’s in Washington Square West, In Riva in East Falls, Honey’s Sit N Eat’s location on South Street (it’s handling delivery at its Northern Liberties location), Pinefish in Washington Square West, For Pete’s Sake in Queen Village, Twisted Tail in Society Hill, and Front Street Cafe in Fishtown.

Be advised that Dec. 23 is the scheduled debut of Iron Hill Brewery Taphouse, the chain’s first brewpub/production facility, in Exton. It will then close over Christmas and reopen for good Dec. 26. And there’s good news for ice cream fanciers: Van Leeuwen, the upmarket brand out of New York, has signed on for its first location in Philly. This spring, it expects to open at 13th and Sansom Streets, where Capogiro was.