{Picture above courtesy Food Network}
This year’s Super Bowl pits not only the Philadelphia Eagles off against the New England Patriots, it also pits friendly arguments about who can put together the best party using regional foods.
Some items on the list are no surprise. Two different dishes contain cheesesteaks, a Philadelphia staple. Seafood showed up multiple times as New England clam chowder and lobster rolls are both favorites in Patriots’ territory.
Drink preferences also vary between the two regions. When it comes to beer, Philadelphians love ales with more alcohol and hops while a local brew tops the chart in New England.
Philadelphia Cheesesteaks
Photo courtesy of Bon Appetit
No doubting this one is most everyone’s favorite. The real key is to find yourself some good meat, cheese, and rolls. Check out the suggestions and recipes in the full article by Chris Morocco and Brad Leone of Bon Appetit. If you’re in Philly, you’re lucky – there are great places around every corner – see this Food Network article for their favorites.
Lobster Rolls
Photo courtesy of Flex Mussels, NYC
Again, no arguments here. Philly might say “lobstr”, New England might say “lobsta”, but you can’t beat the sweet creaminess of fresh lobster. All of the recipes we found were similar – check out this lobster roll recipe by Sam Hayward at Food & Wine.
Philadelphia Cheesesteak Pizza
Courtesy theimpulsivebuy/Flickr
Saw this recipe – and had to have it. You can either (a) make your own (check out our do-it-yourself article), (b) buy a crust, put on your own toppings, or (c) really cheat, and find a pizza place that will make a cheesesteak pizza. Store-bought flatbreads work pretty well, too – just add the toppings. How about Falafel-Spiced Tomatoes & Chickpeas (click HERE), Grilled Zucchini & Ricotta (click HERE), Greek Salad (click HERE), or Bacon & Scallion flatbread (click HERE).
New England Clam Chowder
Courtesy of Matthew Mead/AP
There is no “r” in chowder – just a lot of clammy goodness. Our all-time favorite New England clam chowder recipe is posted on Epicurious. Don’t forget the bacon.
Philly Soft Pretzels
Philly Pretzel Factory
There is just something about these pretzels that are uniquely Philly – found on every street corner, especially around the stadium complex, these soft salty wads of carbos are somehow delicious, especially with that neon-yellow institutional mustard. We found the frozen variety in our local supermarket in Florida, but making your own is actually simple – check out this recipe at Genius Kitchen.
New England Potatoes
Courtesy of Mamasgottabake.com
Somehow potatoes come up high on the list of New Englanders favorite foods. Actually, potatoes are underrated as base for appetizers. The picture for this section was found on the Mamasgottabake.com website – and these potatoes are cute, and addicting. Click HERE to get this wonderful recipe. We also loved making backed potatoes rounds – kind of an updated version on the old potato skin idea (click HERE). There are a lot of excellent recipes for sweet potato fries – and we like the one we found on A-Kitchen-Addiction.com (click HERE). Add some meat to the potatoes with this fun cheesy potato/sausage cups (click HERE).
The Beer Wars: Philly’s Best
Courtesy Philadelphia Magazine
Philly has had an amazing craft beer renaissance over the last decade, with a lot of outstanding breweries popping up in all neighborhoods. Our favorite is Yard’s, but you can’t go wrong with most of the others.
The Beer Wars: New England’s Best
Courtesy New England Craft Beer Share
The elephant in the room is of course Sam Adams, which is still an outstanding brew, albeit a bit massed produced at this point. We’ve tried several from Tree House Brewing Company (King Julius was an amazing IPA), Gray Lady Ale from Cisco Brewers of Nantucket, and Jack D’Or from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Cambridge.
And may the best team win – just as long as it’s our team.
