phoodelphia

The Cafeteria Chronicles 2: Pretzel Sandwiches

2011-10-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

by Kevin

I would say that bread...is the make or break component of any sandwich. It's what makes a sandwich, a sandwich. The Cafeteria definitely has had failure in this category (see Cafeteria Chronicles 1). However, I'm delighted to report that it definitely has a success in The Pretzel Sandwich. I really have no idea why pretzels in the shape of a sandwich roll aren't like a standard bread choice for sandwiches everywhere.

Bread makers and bakers...GET ON THIS!! Make pretzel sandwich rolls please!! Cuz it just works. It has a firm crust, soft interior, enough structure to hold heavier ingredients, and has a familiar and appealing taste. I had one today with turkey, spinach, tomatoes and a pesto spread. Delicious.

Ok, maybe it's not an everyday thing. Sometimes you just want white bread. But having the choice...being able to say "Oh, I'd like to have that on a pretzel roll please" would be awesome.

The Cafeteria Chronicles 1: Banh Mi

2011-10-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

Today I'm starting a new series chronicling the triumphs and failures (mostly) of my work cafeteria, henceforth to be referred to as... "the cafeteria."

Some background...a couple years ago, the cafeteria came under new management and gained the leadership of an "executive chef." Since then the cafeteria menu has become more varied and one may even say...adventurous. "The Cafeteria Chronicles" will chart the course of this ambitious cafeteria cuisine, daring to go where no mundane meatloaf has ever gone before.

Up first..."banh mi" or vietnamese hoagies. Banh mi have become quite popular amongst sandwich lovers but is far from hitting the mainstream consciousness of the typical cafeteria customer. Let's review...what are the key components of a basic banh mi sandwich? Crusty, toasty, french baguette, grilled or cold cut meat, fresh cucumber slices, cilantro, sliced jalapeño, shredded/pickled carrots/daikon, mayo or other spread.

Ok, now let's see how the cafeteria did...

1. French Baguette: Fail. Instead of a toasty, crusty roll, you get a pale, dense, doughy, untoasted one. Lacking the signature "torpedo" shape and golden brown exterior color. Completely wrong. Unforgivable.

2. Meat: Partial Fail. Some sort of tough, rectangularly shaped, thickly sliced pork pieces. Not particularly flavorful and not appetizing from the look of it.

3. Cucumber: Partial Fail. Present but sliced incorrectly. Not cut length wise.

4. Daikon and cilantro: Fail. Neither are present.

5. Carrots: Ok fine. There were shredded carrots. Not pickled but whatever, all these fails are making me feel bad.

6. Mayo: Also fine. Yay mayo. Good job cafeteria.

7. Jalapeños: Partial Fail. Pickled, not fresh.

So all in all, the cafeteria banh mi is a complete and utter fail boat. However, I give +1 to the cafeteria for its mere knowledge and attempt to create this trending sandwich.

Tessaro's

2011-10-03T23:26:00.000-04:00

By Sun

Bostonions have the Cheers television show where their theme song is all about a place "Where Everybody Knows Your Name." Pittsburgh has a place like that at Tessaro's... except they don't want to know your name.

From the outside, you know you are expecting All-American pub / bar food at first impression. Red brick facade with black accents all over the head, windows, and door arch. As you enter, you hear the roar of the wind blower to keep the outside air out and anything else that doesn't belong inside. Your eyes adjust to view the madness that is people standing around the entrance. Know one knows you and the fact that this entry space is so small (four by six people deep) helps you eye this old lady who seems to be keeping track of... something. There is no "Hi!" or "Welcome!" She stand silently there making checks and writing something down, not unlike a self-absorbed bean counter who keeps count. As I view a presumable local person ask for a table, I wait and follow. Except when she does not ask for my name, I ask her if she needed it. She said quietly and eyes half turned to make her check.... "No." It was a clear dismissal. I turn my head in mild disbelief and some wonder. Don't know where I am supposed to stand. There's barely enough room to turn around, let alone find a place to wait. Yet, I was intrigued and unoffended.

The restaurant itself is a combined two store front with the second dining area elevated above the what can only be called the main dining hall. There is a full bar up front and their trademark mesquite grill in the far back. Bells are ringing a single, double, or triple rings every ten to twenty seconds. People are drinking, laughing, and eating all the while. They are packed tight like sardines in a can. It doesn't matter if you are old or young, straight or gay, blue or white collar. You can be well-dressed or come in rags. They equally pay no attention to you except to do what restaurants do. Take your order, provide, and leave you be.

You come in, you belong to Tessaro's. You came to eat, you sit where you are told. The bean counter does her business counting while another old lady goes about her business, pointing her fingers to tell you and ask you to sit. She seemed nice and friendly, except she has no qualms of telling you to squeeze in... try treating someone in their established years to squeeze into a space that just sat two people to four people and not blink an eye. Apparently an unused corner of the table can be used to fit a person. For good or for worse, they passed it and we were seated ahead of them. (Fortunately for them, another table just opened up for four that was more respectable of their established years.)

The menu was fairly straight forward. Again typical pub / bar / old American fare. But all four of us were here for one and only one thing. Their burgers. The meat is grinded in house using their own in-house butcher. (How's them apples!?) What place has their own in-house butcher? They typically run through 400-500 burgers per shift (~eight hours) and that speaks volumes. All those people can't be wrong? Can they?

Going for the mattresses, I ordered the gourmet cheeseburger that's topped with two crossed strips of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, and your choice of cheese. It was smoked and full half-pound patty. But either they let it sit for two long under the heat lamp and overcooked itself or just overcooked because mine came a shade overcooked. I asked for medium-rare, I got medium / medium-well. To complete this cheeseburger, you get to chose a side... potato salad, cole slaw, home fries, white rice steamed broccoli/cauliflower, boiled red skin potatoes or chips but if you are looking for french fries. Don't bother looking. This is an All-American restaurant. No french here. I don't even know if they acknowledge french fries exist. I don't even know if they have french mustard. If you want french fries, Tessaro's doesn't want you. Never have and never will!

As to the actual cheeseburger. It was delicious. Overcooked, it was still juicy and moist. You can taste the mesquite grill flavors running through the beef of the cheeseburger. Whether you go the condiment route or without, the beef flavor makes no qualms of shining through. The buns were nice and firm to support the heavy meat yet soft and tastefully complemented the patty. It soaked up the natural fat and juices from the patty and did a good job of not letting those flavors run down your hands but into your mouth and watering taste buds. The patty lost some texture and structure as I was eating, probably from overcooking. It couldn't have been from using too lean of grounded beef. The cheeseburger was greasy... (tasty but definitely greasy). That didn't take away from the enjoyment of eating this burger. Just another challenge.

I could continue talking about the sides but they were of no consequence. Tessaro's serves great cheeseburgers. You come for the burgers and not the sides (especially the non-existent french fries). You leave very satisfied and fulfilled. You leave with no acknowledgement from the old ladies or your waitress. But you come back for the burger at a place where nobody knows your name.

Four and a quarter out of five cows.

Tessaro's
4601 Liberty Ave (map)
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
(412) 682-6809

Barbacoa

2011-09-30T18:45:00.000-04:00

by Sun

Barbacoa has joined as yet another branch of that unexpectedly and vibrantly growing tree that is the culinary expansion in Upper Darby, PA. Forget that it is in the shadows of its bigger brother, i.e. Philadelphia. But then again you really can't. This new eatery is notable for not only being in the shadows of its big brethren but also in the shadows of Upper Darby itself, tucked away and removed from the main restaurant scene in the 69th Street area of Upper Darby. The closest eatery of note is the diner turned korean all-you-can-eat but why would you BBQ place. Even then, you must take a sharp turn and unless you looked hard, you would miss it and none be any wiser. But don't let that stop you.

Boy-oh-boy! If you are the type to look, knock on its door, my friend, and open it shall. You will be welcomed to taste the wonders of slow cooked, peruvian rotisserie style chicken. You must remember that this isn't KFC or Popeyes that can cook and serve a chicken in five minutes flat. Chicken like this takes time. Really slow time. Time-lapse photography slow. So come prepared and early if you can. Telephones were made for a restaurant such as this. Call ahead or you will leave frustrated and sad if told "No more chicken."

Ordered as a full chicken, Barbacoa served it butterflied and halfed. Carving into its components, breast, leg and thigh, and wings was easy as cutting a room temperature butter. If you weren't with people, I think most will just eat it right then and there and rip into that bird! And once you start, just like butter your teeth just sinks into its meat. A meat that is moist and wet to the tongue with bursts of its simple seasoning flowing through. No hacking and coughing over overly cooked meat or starving for water to force the meat to go down. None of that nonsense! This chicken is nothing over the top or extravagant. Just a nicely dead, cleaned bird, cooked to perfection, and eaten with side peruvian sauces. Not sure if you can choose your sauces but they seemed to have included chimichurri and aji with this order. You will grab for more pieces if you can. As another more famous chicken eatery would say but much more applicable to Barbacoa... "EAT MOR CHIKIN!"

Barbacoa
62 Sherbrook Blvd.
Upper Darby, PA 19082 (map)
(484) 469-3741

Cajun Kate's New Orleans Market

2011-09-24T21:59:00.000-04:00

by Sun

First thing first. This hole in the wall (not an exaggeration) is tiny. It has 4 or 5 seats right next to the three-person kitchen / prep counter. If you think IJ's former room, you almost have it right. Don, proprietor and husband of the namesake Kate, is super friendly and... kind of loud. Makes you want to like food before you even order anything.

They had the basic food fare expected of a cajun place. Didn't have time to try all of them yet but in the next few days, we can see how they store overnight and taste. First taste belonged to the catfish po'boy. It was really good! I could not help but notice how the catfish was rightfully flaky and tasteful. It definitely was not minced or otherwise manipulated from what it previously was... a filet of catfish. Moist in the inside and crust was perfectly crispy and matched well with the fish inside. Not overwhelming or forgettable. I would definitely get it again, but only if they ran out of shrimp, gator, brisket, and oyster. Now I got to try them all!

What was most surprisingly good was their mac and cheese. I don't know if it was the best I've ever had but right now, I can't remember having one that was better! The macaroni was cooked right and cheese was just right. And the crust... it was phenomenal! It was unlike any I've ever had. The mac and cheese came with a sauce that is clearly sweet at first and I first thought it was a wrong match since I am not much of a sweet person but as the heat started kicking in, it was delightful. I was really full after eating half of it but couldn't stop myself... each bite was like a treasure hunt where you might get a chunk of bacon, ham, or andouille sausage. I'm intentionally leaving out a very key aspect to this mac and cheese so that you can enjoy the surprise. Cajun Kate has well earned best of Delaware County 2011. 5 out of 5 Mac and Cheese.

Cajun Kate's New Orleans Market
1362 Naaman's Creek Road
Boothwyn, PA 19061 (map)
(484) 947-8914

Matchbox

2011-03-15T21:12:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

I'm bored. I thought I wasn't going to post anymore but I'm bored. This place isn't in Philly but I'm going to write a bit about it because...yep, I'm bored.

So matchbox is a casual pizza restaurant chain in the DC area. I went to the one in Rockville, MD with my sister. The restaurant is really large and spacious with a modern decor.

Also, there were jazz musicians...jazzin' it up. Snazzy.

We were told the mini burgers were a popular item so we ordered that. Look at all those onion straws!!! We actually finished most of it, they were that good.

The mini burgers were pretty tasty as well. I think I could eat like 5 of 'em. But wait, this is a pizza place.

My sister ordered the coppa italian ham & arugula pizza. I thought it was a bit too salty. The ingredients were obviously very fresh and appealing tho.

I ordered the spicy meatball pizza. The meatballs were the real star of this pizza. Spicy, tender, and substantial. I thought the crust and the rest of the pizza were just ok.

For dessert we tried the doughnuts with a coffee dipping sauce. They were pretty good, kinda too many for us to finish tho.

I'm not going to be a new york pizza snob and say this place is unworthy. If I was in the DC area and felt like eating pizza I'd go back.

Matchbox
Various locations in the DC area

Photog notes: At lunchtime the restaurant had a good amount of sunlight coming in from the windows, so I was able to open up to f2.8 and keep my ISO around 200 for most of the shots with shutter speeds around 1/30s.

Wing Quest

2011-01-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give a quick link shout out to a fellow Philly blog called "Wing Quest." They are out to find the best wings in Philly. I took a look at their "Wing Quest Conquering List" and it's quite extensive. A worthy quest guys...I wish you fair journeys.

wingquest2011.blogspot.com

Garces Trading Co.

2011-01-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

By Eunice

As restaurant week comes to Center City once again this year, many new restaurants have decided to participate. We tried one of those restaurants, Garces Trading Co., owned by Iron Chef winner Jose Garces.

FIRST AND SECOND COURSES (for restaurant week, they served tapas style)

(left to right) Cheese Plate (paired house made condiments) :: Charcuterie Plate (house made mustard) :: Eggplant Antipasti (w/ roasted red peppers, confit cherry tomatoes, modena aged balsamic) :: Lyonnaise Duck Salad (duck confit, poached egg, bacon lardons, mustard vinaigrette) :: Funghi Pizza (maitakes, royal trumpets, taleggio, black truffles) :: Margherita Pizza (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil)

The dishes are smaller in size but were definitely filling. The Cheese and Charcuterie Plates were delicious though it was very thinly sliced. I didn't particularly enjoy the Duck Salad but I think it's mainly because I'm not the biggest fan of duck, but the poached egg on top of the salad was a clever idea. The Pizzas were definitely tasteful (although we found the dishes to be a little salty).

THIRD COURSE

Hanger Steak (heirloom potato salad with bacon lardons, romesco, grilled green onions)

It was explained to us that Hanger Steak is gamier than most steaks but they marinate the meat for 48 hours which gives a tenderness to the meat. The meat was without doubt tender and flavorful.

FOURTH COURSE (DESSERTS)

Winter Verrine (caramel, pumpkin mousse, butterscotch pudding) :: Mint Chocolate Bombe (valrhona mint dark chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate cake,
liquid chocolate carrè)

Dessert was something of a surprise. I wasn't paying too much attention to what Winter Verrine was because when I took the first bite, it surprised me. I wasn't sure what I was eating (couldn't tell the flavor of it) and it felt too sweet in my mouth. The pumpkin mousse and butterscotch pudding on its own were great but the combination of caramel made the dish too sweet. The Mint Chocolate Bombe felt like I was eating a whole mint (it turns out mint was in the dish!).

Overall, I think the restaurant lives up to expectations. I think Jose Garces is the new Stephen Starr. I'm looking forward to going back on a normal occasion and tasting its regular menu. FYI: their olive oil and bread combination is AWESOME! We totally enjoyed it! :)

Garces Trading Co.
1111 Locust Street (map)
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 574-1099

Sazon Restaurant & Cafe

2011-01-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

By Kevin

Sazon is an Home-style Venezuelan BYOB in Northern Liberties. Here are some of the items we ate...

Pabellon Empanadas...Shredded Beef, Black Beans, White Cheese and Sweet Plantains. The outer shell was nice & golden. It was a bit thick and heavy tho. The filling was delicious.

Patacon...topped with spinach, tomato onions, avocado and cheese sandwiched between two monster tostones served with a side of rice. This is their "#1 selling special", you can get it with grilled veggies, traditional beef, chicken or pork.

Pollo Frito...Boneless breast of chicken, fried in corn oil served w/ avocado salad and an arepa w/cheese. This is what I ate, the chicken was moist and tender and had some spices that I couldn't recognize but gave the chicken a nice flavor.

Pepida Arepas...Shredded Chicken mixed w/ Avocado and mayo. Arepas are corn-flour patties, with a crusty exterior and a soft but dense interior. This one is filled with something similar to chicken salad. Would be a nice lunch item.

Ok, onto the organic, "world class", hot chocolate desserts! Clásico..."The original hot chocolate consisting of 5 different cacao beans with a creamy milk texture & a bittersweet flavor." Very enjoyable. It had a good level of thickness and chocolatey-ness.

Calabaza King..."Creamy chocolate infused with fresh pumpkin, pecan, nutmeg, cardamom, & cinnamon topped with a pumpkin cream."

Oso Cremoso..."A creamy dark chocolate infused with pure maple and fresh walnuts topped with a heavy cream, walnut, and maple concoction."

I enjoyed dining at Sazon and would definitely go back. Some of my fellow diners had soups which I'd like to try next time.

Sazon Restaurant & Cafe
941 Spring Garden St. (map)
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Photog Notes: used my 20mm panny f/1.7 prime for the first time in a dimly lit dining environment. Thought it performed well, but at 1.7 the depth of field is too limited for food photography imo. Even 2.8 is too shallow for full plate shots (like the one of the pollo frito). f/4-5.6 would have been preferable, but at 2.8 I was already shooting ISO 1600 at around 1/30s. Times like this I wish I had a D7000 or K5 but I don't like bringing big SLRs like that into restaurants so oh well. Applied noise reduction and exposure compensation in post, not totally thrilled with the quality but I guess it's alright. The 20mm focal length (40mm equiv) is pretty nice, seems natural for a wide variety of shooting. The last shot of the Oso Cremoso is my fav of the bunch.

Yang Yang Express

2011-01-17T22:53:00.000-05:00

By Kevin

Happy New Year everyone! Ate at my first new restaurant of the new year this past sunday. Ying Yang Express is a new dumpling house in Upper Darby, just round the corner from H-Mart. Nice sign...like the little chef's hats on the thumbs up.

All handmade, all fresh!

The menu. The prices are pretty cheaptastic.

This is what I got. The "Dumpling Combo" comes with 10 pan fried dumplings and hot & sour soup. It was good. It was cheap. I was satisfied.

Fish dumplings and "delicious" dumplings. Two of the group's favs. The delicious dumplings have pork and shrimp. The fish dumplings have fish. I hope.

This a soup that Inj got. He said it was kinda bland and the noodles were kinda soft. I think he liked the beef tho. They also have soup dumplings, but I didn't get to try them. Next time.

We came with a pretty large group and the service was not the best. And they have no drinks. Not even water. Yep, it's bring your own beverage (probably just for now). But, I'll give'em some slack since they just opened up a couple of days ago.

Yang Yang Express
107 Fairfield Avenue (map)
Upper Darby, PA

Otto

2010-12-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

By Kevin

The saturday after Thanksgiving, my sister and I were looking for a place to have lunch in NYC. She mentioned one of our favorite food bloggers...roboppy had a lot of pictures of Otto on her flickr so we decided to go there. It's a pizzeria/italian restaurant by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.

Apparently they a have a fine wine selection, although we didn't partake.

For our appetizer we ordered Spicy Rabe with Ricotta Salata, and Eggplant Caponata, 4 dollars each. I thought the Rabe was ok, but the Eggplant was pretty special. It was truly delicious. We devoured it with bread. Even if we didn't have bread I think I could have just eaten it alone, it was that good.

I ordered a Margherita Pizza. It had a thin crust, with a thick and rich tomato sauce. $11.

My sister ordered the Acozzette Con Stracotto (Braised Pork Shoulder, Tomato, Basil). Seeing braised pork shoulder in pasta is not common, but hey, it tasted really good. I approve. $9.

I thought the prices were really reasonable for this level of dining. I really enjoyed eating at Otto.

I think this might be my last post for a while, gonna take a break from blogging. Have fun eating everyone...

Otto
1 Fifth Ave (map)
New York, NY

La Maison du Macaron

2010-12-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

By Jennifer

Photography by Kevin

As a former New Yorker who now lives in the DC area, I always find it kind of funny how long it takes food trends to move down the East Coast. Here, frozen yogurt and cupcakes are still trendy whereas in New York, they're old news. Are macarons the next big thing? I decided to find out what all the hype was about over Thanksgiving break in the city.

Macarons (pronounced maca-ROHN in French but maca-ROON in English, not to be confused with those coconut cookies) are a French sandwich cookie of sorts. The current form was popularized by a bakery in Paris, Ladurée, which is apparently the standard that all macarons around the world try to live up to. The only macarons I'd ever had are the frozen ones from Trader Joe's so I figured any fresh one could clue me into the craze.

But still, I did some research, and I picked La Maison du Macaron, also known as Madeleine Patisserie, in Chelsea. As soon as we walked in, we were awestruck by the display cases of tons of gorgeously multicolored macarons. The next thing we were awestruck by was the price. We opted for a box of 9, for $25! If you thought $2.50 was a lot to pay for a cupcake, how about a single 1.5 inch cookie?

How pretty are they though? They had about twenty flavors available, and we picked passion/raspberry, chocolate, mango, kir royal, raspberry, pistachio, caramel fleur de sel, lemon, and some kind of nut one (don't remember exactly). We resisted eating them right away (they're stored in a refrigerated case but they're best eaten at room temperature anyway) and brought them home to share with the family.

How were they? I have to say, pretty wonderful! The cookie part is more of a meringue, so it's very light and kind of crumples when you bite into it. The inside is a bit chewy and the filling can be a cream or ganache or jam. I heard the girl behind the counter at the bakery say the caramel fleur de sel was their bestseller and I can see why, but it was maybe a tad too much salt for my taste. The kir royal was definitely the prettiest, purple with gold flecks, and had a pleasantly strong liquor flavor (cassis and champagne). The passion/raspberry was definitely my favorite with just amazing fruit flavor. I didn't sample all of them, though in hindsight I should have!

So am I a macaron convert now? I really enjoyed them but they're definitely not an everyday thing. I think they're best for a special treat, especially considering how pricey they are. Next time I'm in Paris, though (who knows when that'll be), I'm so going to Ladurée!

La Maison du Macaron
132 West 23rd Street (map)
New York, NY

Hidden Gem in South Philly: Golosa Cafe

2010-11-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

By Rose

After much searching in the greater Philadelphia area, I have finally found a place that serves desserts exclusively!

It's a small place in south Philly called Golosa Cafe; nestled near small Italian eateries and row homes. If you blink, you may miss it!

Golosa Cafe is, by and large, a chocolate dessert place. They showcase drinking chocolate, which can be served hot or cold. They also have other desserts, like tiramisu and red velvet cake.

I opted for the 56% hot chocolate with cream. VERY rich, so I had to take little sips at a time. However, if you are a chocolate lover (like me), it is super good.

I also got the tiramisu, which was good, but a little on the dry side.

My friend Liz got the chocolate cake with whiskey icing--again, was good, but a little on the dry side.

They also sell a variety of other items, such as chocolates, as well as chocolate based skin and bath spa treatments. I was tempted to get the chocolate milk bath soak, just to see what it was about.

I really liked the ambiance of the place. Nice to sit and chat with people while enjoying dessert.

I would definitely come here again to sample some of their other chocolate drinks, as well as desserts. From reading the website, the owner is a chocolate maker (chocolatier) and comes from Italy. He was the one getting our orders, and seemed really personable.

Here's their info:

Golosa Chocolate Bar & Dessert Lounge
806 S 6th St (map)
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 925-1003

Philly Roast Duck House

2010-11-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

By Kevin

This is a new restaurant next to the H-Mart in Upper Darby. Whenever I see new restaurants being constructed I get kinda excited. Oh, the possibilities. Of above average food. I was really hoping this place wouldn't be just another Chinese food take out place, and thankfully it isn't. It's more like a Chinatown restaurant. You won't find ducks hanging from the window but when you walk inside, they have a meat display case with various meats. When we went, they had run out of duck. Boo. I had the roast pork and chicken over rice. This dish was only 7 bucks! Most of the dishes are only 6 or 7 dollars which seems really cheap. I thought it was tasty, the chicken and pork were flavorful and I'm glad they served it with some greens.

We also ordered beef chow fun which was recommended, and a seafood noodle dish. I recommend those too. They have some noodle soups as well, similar to the kind served at Sang Kee Noodle House. Overall I think this place is a really cheap alternative to Sang Kee. But the interior is newly constructed so I wouldn't call it hole-in-the-wall.

Thx to Ed for letting me use his iPhone for the pic. I've been delinquent in carrying my camera around...

Philly Roast Duck House
7038 Terminal Sq (map)
Upper Darby, PA 19082

Baby Blues BBQ

2010-11-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

By Sarah

At the last minute, Peter decided to throw a group together to have dinner at the new restaurant in University City called Baby Blues BBQ. Little did we know when we all got there, Peter informed us that he would have to eat and run ("emergency" at the hospital), leaving kind of a random group of four to get to know each other...

Used to be Bubble Tea House.

We started with the Memphis ribs. Meat fell off the bone and the dry rub was flavorful.

At market price, the beef rib sold at $15 for one rib!?!?! Fortunately, that rib is 2.5lbs. I'm so glad we splurged because this was my favorite meat of the night. Meat fell off, easy to eat, and delicious.

I know that I should be satisfied with dry rub alone, but I can't resist a good sauce. I really enjoyed the XXX sauce. Spicy (but not really) with lots of flavors.

In my opinion, the sides were overshadowed by the deliciousness of the meats and usually, I'm a lover of side dishes. Cream of spinach and mac n cheese were good. I wasn't much a fan of the collard greens or cornbread. Mashed sweet potatoes were good enough. However, regular and sweet potato fries (not pictured) were pretty delicious.

Banana Pudding for dessert. I really liked the texture (although I was told the texture was not usual for banana pudding). It was too sweet for my tastes.

The owner was really attentive to us. He came by several times asking how we were enjoying our food. We asked him which ribs he liked best, ranking most fave to least: Beef Rib, Baby Back Rib, then Memphis Rib. After telling him that we hadn't tried the baby back ribs, he offered us a complimentary taste. As with the other ribs, the meat fell off the bone. Meat was fattier and the rub was good. But, if I had to rank, I would choose: Beef Rib, Memphis Rib and then Baby Back Rib.

Evening dinner turned into a good time of conversation and really great food! I thought it was reasonably priced too!

Baby Blues BBQ
3402 Samson Street (map)
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-222-4444

McRib

2010-11-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

By Kevin

What is it about the McRib that makes people go gaga whenever it becomes available? Is it the tangy bbq sauce? Is it the processed meat molded into the form of a rib, complete with faux bone ridges? (which is pretty weird and disturbing to me). Or is it the fact that McDonalds only makes it available for a limited time before sinisterly withholding it for an undeterministic period of the future?! Or, is it because it actually tastes good. I actually think it tastes good. I actually think quarter pounders and chicken nuggets taste good too. WHY? Probably because McDonalds has bamboozled me into thinking its food is good ever since my childhood and now I'm totally brainwashed.

Taylor Gourmet

2010-09-15T21:04:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

Those of us in Philly who appreciate a great sandwich are fortunate to have such a wide variety of places to get a great hoagie. After all, the term "hoagie" originated from the sandwiches Italian workers ate on "Hog Island" during the early 1900s (now occupied by the airport). Paesano's, DiNic's, John's Roast Pork... even chains like Primo's put together pretty terrific sandwiches.

Folks in the DC area like my sister are not so fortunate... you might find a Subway or a Pot Belly, but seriously? Those are lightweights. Enter Taylor Gourmet. Created by two guys who grew up in the Philly area and moved to DC, Taylor Gourmet is the real deal. They ship in their bread from Philly's Sarcone's Bakery and their meats from Italy. All their sandwiches are named after streets in Philly! Coolness!

I tried the "Walnut Street" which is Chicken Cutlet, Roasted Red Peppers and Fresh Mozzarella. My sister tried the "Pattison Ave" filled with Roasted Pork, Broccoli Rabe and Sharp Provolone. Definitely on par with the type of sandwiches you get here in Philly. But be warned... if you can't handle crusty, chewy italian bread, you're better off getting a "sandwich" from Subway.

We also ordered Risotto Balls, which were crisp on the outside and filled with soft and yummy risotto and cheese. Served with Marinara on the side. Taylor's also features Boylan gourmet soda, with flavors such as Black Cherry and Creme.

Taylor Gourmet is a great place to grab lunch, and you'll probably have leftovers... cuz their sandwiches are HUGE. Highly recommended if you're in the DC area.

Taylor Gourmet
Various locations in the DC area.

4th Annual Northern Liberties Rib Cook Off

2010-09-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

Warning: if you have an aversion to meat, you might want to skip this post! Went to "A Full Plate's Annual Rib Cook-off" this past Saturday in Northern Liberties. It was another great event, really well organized and executed, and of course I stuffed myself with loads of great BBQ. Some favs from last year like Sonata and Darlings were there, along with some newcomers like "Your Mama's Rack" which many of us thought had a really kickin' sauce. Here are some pics from the event...

In addition to ribs, each table had chicken and vegetarian options.

Desserts were provided by Flying Monkey Patisserie.

After sampling the fare, we voted for our faves.

To the winner goes the spoils...

If you missed it this year, check it out next year! And come with an EMPTY stomach.

Zaytinya

2010-09-08T21:32:00.000-04:00

by Jennifer

Kevin came down to visit me in DC over the weekend and on Labor Day we spent the morning touring the city on Segways. So much fun! Hungry after three hours on our feet, we headed to Zaytinya for lunch.

Zaytinya serves mezze, which are Mediterranean small plates. It's owned by Spanish chef José Andrés, who's very well known in this area and has several restaurants, and up until about a month ago, the executive chef was Mike Isabella of Top Chef Las Vegas fame. (I think he now has plans to open his own restaurant).

Kevin and I opted for the "mezze lunch" which offers a selection of three courses to choose from and dessert. The waiters also keep hot, puffy pita bread coming to your table. I had to restrain myself from eating too much of it.

The pita went really well with my first course, a classic hummus. Restaurant hummus is always so much better than the packaged kind from the supermarket.

Kevin's first pick was Bantijan Bil Laban, crispy eggplant with a yogurt sauce. We both really liked this, and our waiter even said it was one of his favorites.

For our next course, we had Garides Me Anitho, sautéed shrimp with mustard sauce and Falafel. The shrimp was my favorite dish of the meal. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the sauce was fantastic. I probably would have eaten the sauce just by itself if the waiter hadn't come to take the dish away. I'm not a falafel expert but I thought that was pretty good also.

My third dish was a Soujok Spetzofi, Syrian lamb and beef sausage in a tomato and pepper stew. This had some different and interesting flavors that I wasn't sure I liked, and Kevin wasn't a fan of the texture of the sausage. This was the only dish that we didn't finish.

Kevin's third course was Adana Kebab, a ground lamb skewer with grilled tomatoes and some kind of pickled onions that I really liked. The seasoning on the lamb was pretty fantastic as well.

I don't remember the names of the desserts we got, but one of them had a walnut ice cream and the other was a yogurt and apricot parfait with pistachios. Both were really good and lighter than your average American dessert.

Overall, this was a really fun and interesting meal. I definitely really like the small plates concept because it allows you to try a lot of different dishes. Really, I would go back just for that shrimp!

Zaytinya
701 9th Street Northwest (map)
Washington, DC 20001

Pig Daddy's BBQ

2010-09-06T22:26:00.000-04:00

By Sarah

Not too long ago, we discovered Don Memo as a great restaurant in the Upper Darby area, and NOW, I'm happy to say we made a new discovery in the area!! Dinner from Pig Daddy's BBQ was a great end to a fun weekend!!!

This hole in a wall, located in the middle of nowhere in Drexel Hill, is take-out only. Friendly service and no wait when we came by to pick up the food.

The menu was extensive. We ordered the ribs. The meat fell off the bone. Sauce was flavorful and delicious.

Collard Greens, Macaroni and Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Sweet Potato sides were great addition to the meal. Really good.

Pig Daddy's BBQ
693 Burmont Road
Drexel Hill, PA 19026-3104
(610) 622-6441

1 Year!

2010-09-06T21:08:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

This post has nothing to do with waffles. I just had a couple of waffle photos I wanted to show off :P What this post is about, is the 1 year anniversary of Phoodelphia.

Given my propensity to abandon my various blogs (and delete them), I think it's quite an accomplishment that this blog still exists.

I think it's mostly because I just can't stop taking photos of the food I eat! I can't help it! Anyway, thx for reading!

Phillips Seafood Express

2010-09-04T14:23:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

On my way to visit my sister in MD, I stopped by Phillips Seafood Express in the Maryland House rest stop on I-95. The girl at the counter on the right looks utterly bored to death. I know the feeling.

The Maryland House rest stop is about halfway between Wilmington and Baltimore. It also has the fine establishments shown above.

I ordered the "Maryland House Platter" which came with a crab cake sandwich, fried shrimp, fries, slaw, and hush puppies. I thought it was ok. Nothing special. Similar to the kind of seafood you'd get in a mall food court. I wasn't too thrilled about the "Ken's" pre-packaged tartar and cocktail sauce either. It was a lot of food tho.

Why am I blogging about this place then?! I guess it's kinda out of the ordinary for an interstate rest stop eatery. If you must buy and eat something at a rest stop and are tired of Roy Rogers, Sbarro and Cinnabon, I guess you could give this place a try. Would I eat this platter again? No. Why? Cuz it was mad expensive at 15 bucks.

"Omgosh...look at all these people buying overpriced rest stop food..."

Phillips Seafood Express
Maryland House Rest Stop on I-95 (map)

Pepper's Cafe

2010-08-14T21:01:00.000-04:00

By Rose

Finally, a night to enjoy dinner out in the open air.

I pass by this place all the time, but never thought of stopping by until tonight. It's a rather cozy outdoor place, with a small eat-in bar area overlooking the even smaller kitchen.

They gave us bread and a green pepper condiment--not bad.

We ordered three pasta dishes, all of them penne based. I only managed to upload two of the dishes.

This one was quite spicy-it was the Penne Ariabiatta. The pasta was cooked well; truly al dente. However, other than the spice, I didn't find this dish to be all that flavorful.

This dish was much better. It was the special of the night-Penne with sausage and spinach. Again, the penne was done al dente; and the sausage/spinach/tomato combination worked well.

The last dish we got was the Penne with baby clams. It was good, but again was lacking in flavor.

This place also has some other dishes; mostly sandwiches and salads. What I like about the place is how fresh everything tasted. I think the flavor of our dishes could have been better; but in general, I think I would come back again to try some of their other dishes.

I think the best thing about the meal was being able to finally eat outside without sweating buckets.

Pepper's Cafe
2528 Haverford Road (map)
Ardmore, PA 19003

Gosman's Dock

2010-08-12T20:39:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

Spent last weekend with the family in Montauk, Long Island. We visited Gosman's Dock which is a pretty nice area on the shore with a restaurant, featuring both sit down service and fast food, and various shops including an ice cream stand and a toy store. A perfect place for parents to spend loads of money on their kids :P

The Restaurant is right on the water...nice, but beware of the rabid, crazy aggressive seagulls flying around. They want your food!

We ordered calamari as an app. They were lightly breaded and surprisingly tender. One of the dipping sauces was asian inspired and the other was an excellent tomato based sauce. Very delicious.

My sister went all out and ordered the stuffed lobster dish. Served with french fries and slaw. I enjoyed watching her eat this...wearing a bib and all.

I ordered one of the specials which was a Cajun style Swordfish. The fish was well cooked and seasoned. Very meaty. The mashed potatoes were also very tasty...probably tons of butter in thar spuds. Very satisfying.

There are lots of spots around where you can sit and relax before or after dinner.

Needless to say this place (and Montauk in general) is pretty up there in price. But hey, if the parents are gonna treat me, I'm all for coming here again!

Gosman's Dock
500 West Lake Drive (map)
Montauk, NY

Garry's BBQ Challenge

2010-08-09T20:46:00.000-04:00

By Sarah

The BBQ challenge followed by the Phillies vs. Mets game on a beautiful Saturday evening made for a fun time at Citizens Bank Park.

Tickets were $5 each which paid for a plate per restaurant. My friends and I each bought 3 tickets which we felt gave us a good sample of the options that were out there.

Lots of people came out in there Phillies gear.

I think this is a slider from Capt'n Dick's BBQ.

McFadden's Restaurant & Saloon - this was one of the plates I got. The corn was juicy, sweet and flavorful. Macaroni was perfectly cheesy. The ribs weren't bad. The meat was moist and fell off the bone but I found it to be a bit on the salty side.

Tim said that the Morimoto Angry Chicken Leg was really good.

New Orleans Cafe smoked baby back ribs - I wasn't a huge fan of these ribs, flavor-wise, It was more on the bland side and the meat didn't fall off the bone as easily as the other plates.

El Rey - pork pibil with guacamole & chips - pibil was the sauce on the ribs.

Sadly, Cathy, who loves guacamole and prob chose this stand for this reason, was told that all the guacamole had fallen to the ground. Instead, they gave her 2 bags of tortilla chips.

I was surprised to see El Vez on the list for a BBQ competition but "Mexican chili and agave baby back ribs" sounded good and it turned out to my favorite of all the dishes.

It was a fun time. I would definitely consider going out to this again next year.

Han Dynasty

2010-08-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

By Sarah

When the birthday girl suggested to go for Chinese in Olde City, I was wondering "What is she thinking? Chinatown is just down the street!" But, after googling positive reviews and seeing that Han Dynasty is known for its delicious, spicy cuisine, I quickly realized this might be JUST the place for me!

We started with wontons with chili sauce. Depending on your tolerance of spicyness, you could mix the wontons in with the chili sauce which had a delicious, tangy taste to it.

Deep Fried Spicy Beef is one of their most ordered dishes. The beef was soft but also chewy. Interesting texture, combined with veggies and spices, was fully enjoyed by all 3 of us!

Three Cups Chicken - 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup rice wine and 1 cup sesame oil, cooked with basil and ginger - was a great dish to off-set the spicyness of the Spicy Shredded Beef dish.

Although Chinatown is just down the street, Han Dynasty is worth a trip for dinner.

Han Dynasty

108 Chestnut St (map)

Philadelphia, PA 19106

215-922-1888

Silk City Diner

2010-08-03T23:45:00.000-04:00

by Kevin

After hearing good things about Silk City Diner, I went to check it out with some friends. It was featured on Diners, Dives and Drives. Or is it Diners, Drive-ins and Dives? I always get it mixed up. Yea, that show with the three Ds.

Actually the full name of the place is...Silk City Diner Bar & Lounge. The bar is next door.

What it looks like inside. Diner atmosphere...check! Except I don't think you normally see this much booze in a diner. There's also a pretty nice seating area outside. Lots of seating all around.

I took a seat right next to a window to get some nice natural light for the food photos. YAY photos of food! Bring it!

First up...Thai Chili Glazed Chicken Wings. According to the video, baked and then fried. Very crispy and tasty.

Next, Empanadas filled with pork. I really like the presentation. Empanada work of art!

For my main I had a panko crusted flounder sandwich. With Bacon. Great fish sandwich. I think the bun was Brioche. Excellent. The fries and side of slaw were good too. I demolished this plate of food. The slaw had sliced red onion in it which is kinda unusual but I really liked it.

Side of Mac and Cheese. Impressed again with the presentation. This mac tasted really great with Sriracha.

Last but not least, a Blueberry Cobbler topped with Vanilla Ice Cream. This dessert was totally rockin. I loved it. Packed with blueberries. Just the right amount of sweetness.

I also tried the meat loaf. I thought it had good flavor but we thought it was a bit too dense. It's actually a gigantic meatball rather than a slice of a loaf. Anyway, thought I'd put that in here just fyi.

I think the photos tell the story. This is a diner with food on another level. I really enjoyed it and would absolutely go back...

Silk City Diner
435 Spring Garden St (map)
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-592-8838

Ray's Hell Burger

2010-08-02T08:55:00.000-04:00

By Sarah

A few of us took a trip down to DC to catch a Phillies vs. Nationals game. Rather than spend the day doing the typical touristy things of DC, we decided to spend a relaxing day visiting with friends in Arlington.

Ray's Hell Burger was our lunch destination. If this place was good enough for Obama and the Russian President, it was good enough for us too!

The restaurant is pretty non-descript with a few outdoor seatings and a tiny seating area inside as well...

Line to order was LONG. It was packed in there but we were lucky to find a table for 6 of us to sit comfortably.

Soul Burger Number One - Applewood Smoked Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Cognac and Sherry, Sauteed Mushrroms, Grilled Red Onions - with a side of sweet potato fries.

The burger was enormous!!

Cooked perfectly and so juicy!!

I can't wait to get back there and eat this burger again!!!

Ray's Hell Burger
1725 Wilson Blvd (map)
Arlington, VA 22209
703-841-0001

Gahwa Korean Restaurant

2010-07-04T14:00:00.000-04:00

by Kevin

I feel bad about people visiting the site and not seeing anything new, so here's something new. I went to Gahwa Korean Restaurant in Flushing with my family yesterday. This place is known for their Sul lung tang, but I didn't feel like eating that, so I got Dol-sot-bi-bim bap. It's probably the best I've ever had.

One interesting thing about this place is that they bring a bowl of Kimchi and Kkakdugi to your table and cut it up in front of you. I think it's supposed to make you go... "Oooh look. They're like cutting it up right in front of us. I'm not sure why that is cool but it is." Well, I guess it's supposed make it seem like it's fresh. Sort of the Korean equivalent of Mexican places making Guacamole right at your table? Kinda maybe.

Anyway, if you're in Flushing, NY and can't decide where to go for Korean food, I can easily recommend this place. It's right next to H-Mart and has parking in the back.

Sidenote: I'm kinda surprised Wikipedia has pages for all the items in my post. I guess I shouldn't be.

Gahwa Korean Restaurant
2932 Union St (map)
New York, NY 11354

Dmitri's

2010-06-04T18:15:00.000-04:00

By Kevin

Last friday I visited the relatively new Dmitri's in Northern Liberties. It's just a couple blocks south of the Piazza. They have outdoor seating which is pretty nice. Random photo taken from my seat...that's me...always taking random photos with my trusty iPhone...

Close up of the dipping oil that came with a basket of freshly baked bread and pita slices.

The menu has a section of "little dishes." We ordered the spinach pie which was delicious. I guess you could order a bunch of these little dishes to share as your meal if you're not that hungry, or you can get one of their platters.

I ordered the broiled tilapia. It was cooked perfectly, and came with a side dish of rice and escarole. Simple, but very enjoyable. Injoong and Brian ordered the seafood fettucini which they liked a lot. Most of the platters are under $20 and given the excellent preparation and service this place definitely gets my thumbs up.

Another random shot of "urban decor" from across the street. That's Northern Liberties for ya... the juxtaposition of upscale establishments and urban street vibe. Woooo, I used the word "juxtaposition" in a sentence.

Dmitri's
795 S 3rd St (map)
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 625-0556