Adam Erace tries out the pizzas at Tiffin Etc. hoping for a food epiphany like he had the first time he tried Tiffin’s Vindaloo. Unfortunately he finds that pizza and Indian toppings aren’t the amazing partners he had hoped.

I can respect appetite outreach programs. But I wonder if it isn’t better to charm virgins with introductory-level dishes like murg makhani, rather than recasting the recipes in an adulterated form. On one pie, the butter chicken—Tiffin does it 
extraordinarily well—mingled with mozzarella and subcontinent-spiced tomato sauce shining with ghee. On another, cilantro-mint pesto was a green lawn for gingery minced lamb interspersed with more mozzarella and peas. The ingredients worked, and the crust was fine if a bit oily, but with each slice it became more evident: Pizza just isn’t the best vehicle for these flavors.

Tiffin Etc. [Philadelphia Weekly]
Tiffin [Official Site]

Is it just us or is there really very little happening on Tuesdays around these parts? It’s the new Monday. But with two exhausting nights of the Phillies, maybe it’s time chill out and catch up with your DVR. Pizzeria Stella is now doing takeout if you’re in down that way or  have the Rittenhouse Square SliCE deliver. The truffle pizza hit the spot last time we ordered.

Trey Popp is disappointed by the pizzas and parathas at Tiffin Etc and he isn’t even sure if the pizzas are worth trying to fix.  At least there are the kati rolls.

The kati rolls are Tiffin etc.’s best bet. The marriage of griddle bread and fried egg gives you something substantial to bite into, and caramelized onions played a pleasantly sweet supporting role to spiced minced lamb and chicken kebabs in the two versions I tried. Yet I wished for a little more zip from the underapplied chutney in the latter — especially since pickles and chutneys are one of my favorite things about Tiffin. Both kati were also too small to be a meal on their own.

In a Tiff [City Paper]

Philly Mag’s Ashley Primis gets Stephen Starr to spill the beans on how Pizzeria Stella came to be. Including a story about Starr hiring someone to stand outside a pizzeria to find out where the tomatoes came from.

Stephen Starr’s Stella Secrets [Restaurant Club]

Craig LaBan enjoys Tiffin Etc.’s unexpected but tasty fusion of Italian pizza dough combined with ingredients from India.

My favorites so far have been the creamy tomato curry and tender meat of butter chicken (”Murgh Makhni”), the cuminy crumbles of ground lamb over minty cilantro-almond pesto, and the spicy creamed spinach of the saag paneer. Wash them down with a lemony nimbu pani soda (or better yet, mango lassi spiced with green chiles) and give the old pizza party a taste of Bollywood.

A slice of India in these pies [Tiffin Etc.]

Philadining shows up on opening night at Pizzeria Stella, we know because we sat right next to him. His recap is dead-on and a must read.

We really enjoyed the pistachio pizza and our slice of Tartufu. We were also quite surprised by how willing chef Chris Painter was to toss out pizzas that weren’t up to snuff. It seems pizza making in a wood burning stove isn’t a science, at least not yet.

Stella – Starry Opening Night [Philadining]
Pizzeria Stella [Official Site]

Pizzeria Stella is set to open tomorrow at the corner of 2nd and Lombard. Stephen Starr’s pizza joint takes over the former Cosi location and promises 12 varieties of pizza plus a selection of antipasti, insalata and meats.

Read the rest of this entry »

This Week, Philadelphia Magazine’s Restaurant Club Newsletter asks the question, are you ready for Restaurant Week?

• Restaurant Week Countdown: Five Days to Go!
  It’s an interesting look at RW from the owner’s point of view.
• Restaurant Week: (A Few) Reservations Are Still Available
  Amada on Wednesday at 8? ACT NOW!!!!
• Pizza Preview: Three New Spots to Look For
  Stephen Starr, SliCE and Zavino are going Neopolitan on us.

Restaurant Club [Philadelphia Magazine]

Tiffin Etc., the Indian pizza spot on Girard Avenue next to the hugely successful Tiffin has been open just about two weeks now, plenty of time for ambitious bloggers to get a chance to check it out.

Phoodie tries the savory shakes out as he waits for the Keema Mattar pizza.

I tried the Keema Mattar version, which consists of minced lamb, English peas, cilantro mint pesto, and Ricotta cheese. The crust is absurdly thin and hefty enough to hold the toppings above, yet still supremely tender and flavorful. The lamb is so juicy without being greasy, and the toothsome peas add the needed texture to the pie. The Ricotta is lightly kissed atop the meat in an organized mess, and the whole pizza itself is quite the looker. Oh yeah, the pie is only $5. Deal with that.

Indian Summer Eats And Treats at Tiffin, Etc. [Phoodie.info]

Unbreaded takes a look at the kati rolls. Wraps stuffed with chicken lamb or vegetarian offerings.

The brilliance of Nayak’s kati rolls lies in the egg-coated flat bread, which is cooked in the tandoori oven, giving it a flaky consistency that is strong enough to hold together until the last bite.

Tiffin Etc. Brings Kati Rolls to Streets of Philadelphia [Unbreaded]

Did anyone catch last night’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network. The episode was pizza and Osteria’s Margherita pizza made the show.

We missed the episode but since this is the Food Network we’re talking about, it will be on again. September 5th at 6pm to be precise.

Pizza: The Best Thing I Ever Ate [Food Network]