It’s rare to find a neighborhood place that will deliver outside its own few-block radius, let alone anywhere in the city. But Fishtown’s Cornerstone Market & Produce brings local flavors directly to your home or office. And while “local” is frequently just a marketing buzzword, it’s simply a way of life at Cornerstone, where the cheeses, produce and bread come from other neighborhood businesses within walking distance of the Girard Avenue store.

Fishtown resident and foodie Mike Wilkens started the shop to bring together elements of his favorite Philadelphia food vendors under one roof: local produce and specialty foods like at Reading Terminal Market; gourmet cheeses like the kinds you’d find at Di Bruno Bros. and Whole Foods; sandwiches and prepared foods like any number of restaurants in Center City. He gets bread from three local bakeries: Carangi for hoagie rolls, Metropolitan for baguettes and multi-grain, and Kaplan’s for marble rye. Cornerstone even carries produce from the Teens4Good urban farm from Philadelphia’s Federation of Neighborhood Centers.

Cornerstone is best known for its unique sandwich combinations that put a twist on classic deli sandwich staples. The turkey sandwich, known by locals as “The One” offers Boar’s Head Maple Turkey with avocado, spring mix, tomato and boursin cheese on fresh multigrain. Or the grilled cheese, a pressed sandwich with cucumbers, tomato, red onion, sprouts and hand-made hummus. And at breakfast, try the egg, tomato, bacon, provolone and basil pesto on multigrain, or the “Sriracha Scrambler” – eggs scrambled with sriracha and cheese on a Kaiser roll.

Cornerstone has scaled back their grocery business and is debuting a new menu with plans to add some additional seating in the store for casual café dining.  And if you can’t make it to Fishtown for sandwiches, Mike assured us that he can deliver them in time for your office lunch.

Special offer for Unbreaded readers: mention Unbreaded and get a free drink with any sandwich purchase.

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Cornerstone Market
19 W Girard Avenue – Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)

Chef Jose Garces and Chef de Cuisine Dave Conn have brought a taste of San Sebastian to Philadelphia.  A tapas and wine bar modeled after the Basque region of northern Spain (purported to have the most bars per capita in the world), Tinto is a bit more upscale than traditional pintxos bars, casual dining and drinking establishments where people go from bar to bar, grazing their way through the night.  Spanish pintxos bars serve an array of small bites on bread – seafood, cured meats, ham, chorizo – all laid out on the counter for patrons to serve themselves.  Patrons collect the skewers and toothpicks from each small bite they eat and present them to a cashier in lieu of a bill from a server.

Tinto offers a number of bocadillos (sandwiches) at lunch and dinner; though dinner portions are actually smaller sandwiches.  Only the shortrib and oyster bocadillos are available on both menus.

The short rib bocadillo, a sandwich characterized by big flavor and tender, flaky meat, is the result of a complex braise composed of grain mustard, smoked paprika, Spanish beer, and some other secret ingredients.  It is served on a Metropolitan demi baguette with frisee, bits of crisp bacon, shaved asparagus, a cracked pepper caramel sauce that balances the savory meat, and a cool celery root aioli.

The fried oyster bocadillo features seasonally fresh oysters dusted with smoked paprika and fried golden crisp.  In summer, Tinto uses Wianno oysters from the cold waters of Cape Cod; in spring and fall, oysters are sourced locally; and in the winter, oysters are brought in from the West Coast.  The oysters are paired with a sweet pickled red onion escabeche and a spicy-tangy tartar sauce.  Fresh aioli with cornichons and capers is married with a Basquaise sauce flavored with choricero and espelette chiles that are traditionally used in the production of chorizo.

Tinto sources its meats, seafood and produce as locally as they can, working with local farmer co-ops to get seasonal ingredients like Jersey tomatoes in the summer.  The menu has evolved since opening in 2007, incorporating modern American influences using Basque flavors and techniques.  At the end of the night, Tinto’s staff gets to enjoy what’s left of the braised shortrib, as new pieces are cooked fresh each day.  Chef Conn gets a smile on his face talking about the occasional 2-foot sandwich he wolfs down after the restaurant closes.  He also enjoys falafel from Mama’s Vegetarian and a roast pork sandwich from George’s.

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We know that a great sandwich starts with great bread.  But what makes great bread different and better than ordinary breads?  We asked a true expert: Metropolitan Bakery’s head baker, James Barrett.

The answer is fermentation, and they figured it out hundreds of years ago in Europe.  Today, while most commercial bakeries pump out breads at breakneck speeds, Metropolitan takes 48 hours to let the dough rise under unique parameters of time, temperature and fermentation (Barrett’s approach is long, slow and cool.)  After spending 8 years as pastry chef at White Dog Café, Barrett developed his sourdough natural starter in 1987 and has kept the cultures alive and active for almost 20 years.  He considers himself a vessel for an age-old technique, allowing the natural bacteria and acids in the yeast to impart blisters on the crust.  Many bakers seek to avoid such imperfections, but that is exactly what Metropolitan aims for to bring out the flavor of the wheat.  Barrett believes their process results in chewier, moister breads with flavorful crusts.

Of course, it also starts with great flours, which the yeast eats three times a day.  Sourced primarily from Lindley Mills, an organic miller in North Carolina, the flour comes from Central US wheat fields.  Metropolitan uses no additives, fillers or conditioners, and grains and seeds are mixed and roasted by hand.

The French baguette is Metropolitan’s top seller, and always has been.  It is perfectly suited for a sandwich like prosciutto, fennel, onions and mustard.  The whole wheat sandwich bread is moist, fresh and light; great for a toasted sandwich or panini.  The multigrain bread pairs well with cheese and apples; and the nutty, sour, crisp and moist organic miche with rye flour is ideal for a chicken salad sandwich with tarragon mayonnaise.  For James Barrett, who prefers sandwiches toasted and pressed, it doesn’t get much better than a Reuben on NY rye – gooey, creamy, crisp and bursting with flavor.

After 15 years, Metropolitan now has 5 retail locations.  The Rittenhouse and Reading Terminal Market stores are managed by the company; the University City, Chestnut Hill and Old City (inside Farmicia) locations are managed by licensees.  At the University City store, breakfast and lunch sandwiches are made fresh to order.  Metropolitan also provides bakery and training for the H.O.M.E. Page Café at the Philadelphia Free Library.  Metropolitan breads are available at gourmet markets in the region, and can be found on the menu at restaurants including Rouge, Butcher & Singer and Pumpkin.  New cookies and pastry items are introduced frequently, and both breads and pastries change seasonally.

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Metropolitan Bakery
262 S 19th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

Unbreaded’s Ben Greenberg contributed to this review.

The shiny-new Ladder 15 has a warm, industrial feel and an imaginative menu that will surely transform this former working firehouse into a different kind of hot spot.  The 100-seat space is a combination of steel, brick, stone and rich mahogany, (and plasma behind the bar) complete with vaulted ceiling, fireplace, red walls and a striking custom chandelier.  Owner Max Tucker, who also owns Mad River restaurants, tapped friend Chef Mike Stollenwerk to design the menu.  Chef Stollenwerk, whose quaint Bella Vista Little Fish restaurant has received national acclaim, worked with Chef Ann Campbell (formerly at White Dog Café) to bring upscale pub fare to what Stollenwerk called “a sandwich obsessed city.”

What immediately caught our attention was their signature sandwich: corned beef on a Philly soft pretzel.  The lightly crisped pretzel braid was remarkably delicious and impossibly fresh (delivered from Philly Pretzel Factory next door) and did not overwhelm the sandwich.  The corned beef, made on site and served warm, was cut in paper-thin strips (though not especially lean), and paired with melted gruyere cheese.  A robust whole grain mustard added a sharp zing and in-your-face flavor.  One point of note, the sandwich meat was not the traditional red corned beef; it was brown and tasted more like a brisket than delicatessen-style corned beef.

The burger had a lot of good things going for it.  The prime sirloin was juicy and well-seasoned, with a rich and creamy smoked paprika mayonnaise, melted manchego cheese and a sweet red onion marmalade cooked in orange juice, balsamic vinegar and honey.  There was one element that they will still need to tweak: the bread. Served on thick-cut grilled sourdough, the bread was somewhat unwieldy and did not allow a comprehensive bite of the whole burger.  The kitchen is still getting its sea legs, so we hope they can work out that detail before the big crowds start to pour in.

The duck breast sandwich served up thinly sliced meat and melted brie on a large, hearty English muffin.  The meat was cooked to medium and very tender, not a dry hunk of breast as is often the case with duck entrees.  The execution and ample portion size far exceeds the price point on this sandwich.  The only opportunity to develop it further might be in the moustarda, which did not hold up to the brie.

The smoked mushroom VLT wins points for its dramatic presentation and for its fresh, vibrant taste.  Four pieces are stacked high and skewered, served on thick slices of Metropolitan Bakery multigrain bread.  The smoked portabello was moist and tender, yielding easily to the bite.  Juicy tomato, crisp lettuce and matchstick potato sticks rounded out the fillings, but the star of this show may very well be the mustard.  The spicy, vinegary twang really worked well with the hearty bread and fresh vegetables.

Overall, the sandwiches were well conceived and skillfully executed.  If they can maintain consistency with the details like keeping the meat moist and tender, and if they are able to solve their burger bread issue, Ladder 15 will definitely be a top sandwich bar.

Unbreaded’s Q&A With Mike Stollenwerk:

Unbreaded: Where did the pretzel sandwich come from?
Mike Stollenwerk:We wanted to create a signature Philadelphia sandwich that wasn’t a cheesesteak.  So a soft pretzel was the logical next step, and we get them fresh from our friends next door.

UB: Where do you like to go in Philadelphia to get sandwiches?
MS: John’s Roast Pork – the cheesesteak or the pork, they’re both the best.

UB: What kind of sandwich do you make for yourself at home?
MS: A nearly raw poached egg on toast with whatever kind of pork product I have on hand.

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Ladder 15
1528 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (Google Map)