Celebrate two bacon holidays
Celebrate not one, but two, bacon holidays
Wes Reeser’s mad about bacon … so much so, in fact, that he named his Phoenixville cafe Bacon Me Crazy.
“I have a big sign up here in the restaurant. It says, ‘Bacon is not a trend,’” he described. “Everyone loves bacon, let’s face it, in one form or another.”
Need a reason to go whole hog? Here are two: National Bacon Lover’s Day, which was celebrated on Aug. 20, and International Bacon Day, which is schedled for Sept. 1.
For the ultimate indulgence, “we do a pancakebatter bacon, which is basically like funnel cake at the fair with bacon,” said Reeser, who offers everything from bacon cheesesteaks to “flights of bacon,” so you can sample different flavors — all Farm Promise pork, rubbed and smoked in-house.
Shop Bacon Me Crazy’s market for bacon by the pound, or let Carnicopia Meats in Malvern literally bring home the bacon, delivering it to your doorstep along with other cuts of locally sourced, heritagebreed pork (plus grass-fed beef and pastured chicken). The bacon’s nitrate-free, sugar-free and unsmoked.
“The thing that I love about bacon, it’s just that fatty goodness,” said coowner Brian Coble. “The fat is actually what makes it so great.”
He and business partner Alexi Alejandro met while working at Wyebrook Farm in Honey Brook, a place Coble credits for inspiring awareness “of where your meat comes from and how it’s raised.”
Don’t miss Carnicopia’s beef-and-bacon blend — perfect for burgers, meatloaf and meatballs. Another big seller: bacon bratwurst, which “just punches up the flavor, adds a little oomph to it.”
And speaking of oomph, there’s a reason most people order a side of bacon while brunching at The Silverspoon in Wayne.
“It’s thick-cut bacon, and we candy it with a mixture of brown sugar, thyme and cracked black pepper,” revealed Ron Silverberg, executive chef. “People come back for it, for sure.”
Finally, no “bacon-bration” would be complete without dessert. For that, head to Dia Doce Gourmet Cupcakes in West Chester.
Bacon maple cupcakes
taste “like eating a pancake and a piece of bacon in the same bite,” said Cupcake Wars’ winner Thais da Silva Viggue. “It’s one of those cupcakes that you might not choose based on the name, but when you think of the flavors going together, it’s amazing.”
Also try her chocolatecovered
bacon cupcakes and blueberry pancake cupcakes “adorned with bacon.”
“I think the flavor is better when you add sweetness to the saltiness. It creates an entirely different palate,” she explained. “It’ll broaden your horizon of cupcakes.”