Small Bites

Little Vittles

[ small bites ]

You’ve heard about the mythical Indian bhut jolokia, aka “ghost pepper” — it’s the hottest damn thing on the planet, clocking in at about 1 million Scoville units. But did you know people are making surprisingly palatable sauces with bhut, right here in Philly? Bobby Bolders, who owns WMD Hot Sauce (1212 South St., 888-WMD-HTSC, wmdhotsauce.com), currently offers a carrot-based bhut sauce, in four heat levels, that capitalizes on the pepper’s woody and smoky characteristics and cuts it with a sweet vegetal splash. Bottles range from $6.99 to $8.99; spice levels 1 and 2 are pleasingly tingly, while 3 and 4 kick you in the mouth in the best possible way. Though they’re not available for retail yet, Bolders is also perfecting bhut sauces with tomato, pineapple, mango and mango/curry bases.  —Drew Lazor

Murph’s Bar (202 E. Girard Ave., 215-425-1847), in the heart of Fishtown, has completely overhauled its kitchen, and its entire approach to food along with it. New creations include the eggplant stack, with layers of breaded pan-fried eggplant, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, topped with arugula salad, drizzled with balsamic reduction and skewered with a steak knife. There are now decadent two-person seafood pizzas, like Clams Casino and Shrimp Scampi (pictured), and sandwiches like the Chuck Wagon, stuffed with beef brisket slow-cooked for 12 hours. Murph’s new state-of-the-art oven system also allows them to make bread in-house, as well as ditch the deep fryer in favor of healthily baking bar staples like crab fries and hot wings. —Ptah Gabrie

Preston Eckman, beverage manager at APO Bar + Lounge (102 S. 13th St., 215-735-7500, apothecarylounge.com), rolled out his brand-new cocktail list for the warmer months last week. This time around, APO is going a little lighter in the alcohol content department to encourage your multiple-drink-having tendencies to come out and play in the sun. There are gin-based treats (the Matcha Fizz; the Flame of Lust) as well as a sexy bourbon cocktail that features curacao Eckman infuses with chamomile, but our favorite is the artful Beneath the Bastion (pictured), a mix-up of Yamazaki single malt whiskey, blackberry purée, grapefruit, lemon, orange bitters and honey sourced from Smyrna, Del., all topped with an egg-white foam. —DL

When Frank Kotulka and Charlie Nappa decided to put together a regional cookbook, they tapped the best sources they knew for the recipes: friends and family. Philly’s Best Food, with a foreword from City Paper’s own Felicia D’Ambrosio, features clear-cut how-tos highlighting a diversity of backgrounds — learn how to easily make baba ghanoush, Cambodian beef skewers, Hungarian goulash, Italian bean soup and more. (Yes, there are cheesesteak and Tandykake recipes, too.) The book, which also boasts a quickie guide to local Asian food markets, butchers and specialty shops, is available online at ourbestfood.com, as well as at the Cookbook Stall and the PA General Store at Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch streets), Head House Books (619 S. Second St.) and at Fante’s (1006 S. Ninth St.). —DL