Over the last five weeks, I've gotten to try plenty of delicious (and not-as-delicious-as-I'd-hoped) eats in my new home of Philadelphia. While I'd love to write at length about each and every one of my foodie adventures, work is supposedly revving up soon (eek!), so I thought I'd at least share a few of the highlights, before I have no time whatsoever!
RITTENHOUSE SQUARE:
Twenty Manning Grill --
While I may be a tenant of the building, and therefore naturally partial, I must admit that Twenty Manning Grill has been my personal favorite in Rittenhouse Square thus far. Not only are the chef and staff super friendly and sweet, but the ambiance is laid-back and relaxing, and the food is amazing and affordable. I came on a Friday night to try their special of the day -- the Maine lobster roll, and I had one of the best meals I've had since arriving in the city. The meal started out with a rustic amuse-bouche -- a small radish paired with a bit of sea salt. Definitely not my favorite, but interesting nonetheless.
That night, I had the heirloom tomato gazpacho, which came with a quenelle of pineapple-basil sorbet. The gazpacho was light and delicious, and the sorbet offered a sweet contrast to the acid of the tomatoes. The Maine lobster roll was equally delicious, plated as a tartine with chunks of lobster layered on buttery brioche, and with enough mayonnaise to bind without being excessive. On the recommendation of my server, I decided to end the night with the berry cobbler. Looking for something not too sweet, this dessert was just that, incorporating blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, without being too saccharine or tart.
I thought my first experience was so good that I literally came back the week after. The gazpacho was still amazing, though I wasn't quite as excited by the chop chop salad. I should've gone with the oysters, but I felt guilty indulging. This just goes to show you -- guilt is a wasted emotion. My next adventure? Mac 'n cheese night. Mmm....
Cichetteria 19 --
While I'm normally not a big fan of Italian, my old roommate Eri came to visit me all the way from LA, so I felt compelled to find her some yummy Italian in the neighborhood. I'd passed by Cichetteria 19 many times on my daily walks, but as soon as I saw Cichetteria 19 on the list of neighborhood restaurants on
restaurant.com, I decided it was time to give it a try. Plus,
Open Table offered 1000 points for showing up between 5 and 6. So, Eri and I wandered in for an early dinner on a rainy Sunday, and were shown to a lovely high table near the windows by the front of the room.
The menu offers "cichetti veneziani" (small plates) to start, and the option to get several items for discounted prices. Neither of us were too hungry, so I picked the flash fried calamari and Eri chose the aged prime meat ball. I tried both, and I wasn't too impressed with either. The calamari was fine, but lacked any sort of crunch. The meat ball was more meat than bread crumb, but then fell apart too easily as a result. For our entrees, Eri went with a basic Margherita pizza (she likes her staples!), and I decided on the arugula salad with eggs, bacon, figs, walnuts, gorgonzola, and a caramelized onion vinaigrette. I didn't try the pizza, but I wasn't particularly pleased with my salad. It certainly wasn't a plate worth looking at, but more importantly, it looked and tasted soggy, especially having been drenched in dressing.
To end the meal on a sweet note, we decided to split the "fonduta di cioccolato" (chocolate fondue). While the plate (again) wasn't worth looking at, the chocolate was absolutely decadent. I must admit that it was visibly lumpy and could've used more tempering, but the flavor (bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, I believe) was excellent, and I couldn't help trying to scrape the last bit out of the bowl. The best pairing was probably the small chunks of pound cake, which were perfectly solid yet moist, allowing for maximum "soakage" of chocolate. All in all, C19 was fine -- definitely worth another restaurant.com certificate (purchased at a discount), but not necessarily worth full price.
Le Bec-Fin --
After my boss's boss mentioned Le Bec-Fin as her favorite French restaurant in the city, I googled it, only to find out that it's closing next June! After 40 years, the chef has decided to pursue other culinary opportunities. While I could've easily waited to schedule a meal here in the next few months, the chef is offering a special 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner menu, which is only available between 5 and 6 for the remainder of the summer. When I first walked in, I was reminded of my first fancy meal with Derek at a French restaurant in New York. A bit too quiet, a bit too stuffy, a bit too old school. A place where you worried about being underdressed.
Thankfully, I'm over that now, and I trod quietly behind the hostess on our way through the main dining room and up the stairs to a similarly stuffy but smaller dining room. As a solo diner, I'm always very aware of where my seat and table are in relation to the rest of the room. That said, I was a bit disquieted when I realized they'd sat me at a small table where I had full view of the entire room -- and where the entire room thereby had full view of me. Moreover, every time I looked up, I couldn't avoid making eye contact with one of the servers standing by the door to the kitchen. Again, a bit disconcerting, but such is life.
After perusing through the anniversary menu and the main menu, I decided (with some guidance from my server) on the tomato and watermelon salad and the roasted stuffed quail. The salad was absolute perfection and may literally be the most delicious and beautiful appetizer I've had in Philadelphia yet. The dish consisted of red and yellow tomatoes, as well as red and yellow watermelon, and was drizzled with tomato water at the table. Not only was every piece of fruit fresh and crisp (as tomatoes are indeed fruit), but the chevre sorbet offered the loveliest sweet and grainy contrast to the rest of the dish. Since I couldn't recall the menu or hear through my server's thick accent, I was delighted when my server confirmed that I was indeed tasting cheese in the sorbet! (*applause* *applause*)
Unfortunately, the entree left a great deal to be desired. First of all, the quail was stretched super thin and stuffed to the gills (is this an appropriate reference for a piece of fowl?) with ground pork. Again, I was happy when another server confirmed my taste buds, especially when I realized I was tasting my favorite meat. On the other hand, I could barely make out the flavor of the quail. Ultimately, the quail was more of a vehicle for the pork than a key element of the dish. Secondly, the pork was a bit oversalted, which made the whole dish a bit oversalted, especially since there was so much pork on the plate. Finally, the beans and root vegetables on the plate were *barely* al dente, which certainly didn't contribute to an already weak plate.
In terms of sides and smaller plates, I found the chive roll to be quite good, especially given its brioche quality. However, the butter that came with it was oversalted, which ruined the roll experience somewhat. (Anything that requires that I drink a ton of water simply isn't very pleasant.) The amuse-bouche was a lovely bite of rabbit aspic with blueberry compote. While the bite could've been slightly bigger, the acid from the blueberry cut through the richness of the aspic quite nicely. The cheese plate was unfortunately quite pathetic. While I certainly didn't expect a big plate of cheese, I was quite shocked to learn that the so-called "third course" of the menu was nothing more than a piece of aged gouda (which was quite good in and of itself) and 2 grapes. A disappointment for sure.
Thankfully, the meal ended in the best way possible -- with the most magnificent dessert cart I've seen in quite a while. The only problem is that the cart itself is ridiculously unwieldy. Watching servers both upstairs and downstairs trying to maneuver these carts was absolutely painful. At any rate, I was ecstatic when my server indicated that I could try several desserts and that I'd also be getting a small plate of petit fours and small treats. I decided to try the tropical mousse (with mango, passion fruit, and lychee), the chocolate praline cake, and the fig tart. My small plate included a homemade marshmallow, a madeleine, a macaron, and a piece of dark chocolate. Needless to say, everything was delicious, and I'll be back for salad and desserts at least, especially since I wasn't that impressed with the rest of the meal.
Lacroix --
When AR suggested this place for lunch, I was definitely excited, and even more so when I read about it in a Philadelphia magazine a few days later. Plus, having been underwhelmed by Le Bec-Fin the night before, I was hoping that Lacroix might be able to redeem Philadelphia in terms of French food preparation. To my dismay, they failed -- and quite miserably.
First of all, the three plate menu was simply boring. Even though a few items looked interesting, the most appetizing item was the burger. When the most appetizing item on a French menu is the burger, something is definitely wrong. That said, we picked off the regular menu, with AR choosing the soba noodle salad (with hamachi, edamame, and maitake mushrooms), and me choosing the baby squash salad and the coddled egg "quiche." Not only did AR think her salad lacked flavor and salt overall (even though the hamachi was quite scrumptious), but I thought the flavors and textures in my dishes were completely off as well. The baby squash salad was bitter, there was almost no greens, and I couldn't taste the vanilla in the vinaigrette at all. The "quiche" was definitely not worthy of either quiche or "quiche" designation, looking like nothing but an egg, some beans, and some mushrooms thrown into a piece of puff pastry.
The only redeeming quality of this meal was the dessert plate at the end. That said, there were issues here as well, with some items being quite good, and other items lacking strong flavor profiles. For example, the blueberry cheesecake was simultaneously creamy and light, with a subtle infusion of blueberry flavor and color. The coconut cake was very coconut-ey, though we couldn't figure out the fruit gelatin layer in the middle. In contrast, one of the chocolate cakes was so overly soaked in rum that we were both overwhelmed by the intensity of the liqueur. The complimentary sweets at the end (including roasted almonds and candied orange peel) did nothing more than overwhelm us with unncessary sugar.
JOSE GARCES (Old City/West Philadelphia/Center City):
Amada (Old City) --
As soon as I realized I'd be interviewing at the University of Pennsylvania, I immediately booked a reservation at Amada. Having read extensively about Jose Garces's presence in Philadelphia, I knew there was no way that I'd miss out on an opportunity to try his food. While Kevin and I were huffing and puffing by the time we got to the restaurant (damn rush hour traffic!), we were immediately welcomed into the dark and bustling interior. As we followed the hostess into the deepest recesses of the restaurant, weaving around tables of loquacious diners in the main dining room, we passed by a long bar on the left and an open kitchen in the back, ending up in a smaller dining room. While I love bustling spaces, it was nice to be seated in area where you could at least attempt to hear your dining companion!
Given the extensive nature of the menu, I already had several items in mind, so I was thrilled when Kevin gave me free reign to order for us. Our server was adorable, offering to adjust my selections if I made any missteps, but ultimately complimenting me on my choices. Since it's been about two months since the meal, I'll do my best to recall what ended up on our table that night. FYI that we decided to skip the larger dishes and stick with the tapas, so that we could sample as many tastes as possible.
Because we were at a Spanish restaurant, I picked out the aged manchego with the truffled lavender honey -- a mild cheese with a mild honey. The subtle flavors were a great way to start the meal. To sample the charcuterie, I decided on the ensalada de jamon -- a serrano ham and fig salad that came with cabarales blue cheese and spiced almonds. This dish was absolutely beautiful, with all of the salad components wrapped in serrano ham. Every element was equally intense, but they balanced each other perfectly in a rich symphony of flavors. From the traditional tapas menu, I ordered the pulpo a la gallega (Spanish octopus) and the oysters (with strawberry escabache and cava granita). The octopus was scrumptious, and tasted like moist chicken. The oysters tasted clean and fresh, with the escabeche and granita adding just a bit of fruity acid.
From the grill list, I picked the barramundi, especially since I love any sort of sea bass. The fish came out with just the right amount of flakiness and chew. So that we had some vegetables on the table, I went with the esparragos con trufas -- grilled asparagus with poached egg, mahon crisp, and truffles. Yes, the dish was a vegetable dish, but no, it definitely wasn't healthy. The dish was rich and luscious, and the truffle shavings made it that much more decadent. A vegetable dish to savor for sure. And while I'm not the biggest fan of pizza, I decided that I had to *sacrifice* for the sake of the meal and order one of the Spanish flatbreads. So that we could sample some serious meat, I ordered the costillas de ternera with beef shortribs, horseradish, and bacon. Not only was this the heaviest dish of the night, but also the most flavorful. Then again, what do you expect with both beef *and* pork on the plate? :)
Those who know me shouldn't be the least bit surprised that I saved room for dessert. Kevin probably was though, especially since he was eating what I was eating, but of course he let me induldge in whatever I wanted off the dessert menu. To be honest, I can't for the life of me remember what we had, though I'm guessing it had to be something light (the passion fruit sorbet maybe?) because there was no way we could fit much more food into our stomachs that night. Needless to say, this was absolutely my FAVORITE meal in Philadelphia to date. And honestly, I'm not sure it's beatable. Well, unless folks decide that they want to go back with me and order, get ready for it, THE WHOLE PIG. (I saw it go into the back room, and I swear I needed a drool bucket.)
Distrito (West Philadelphia) --
When I realized that Distrito was taking part in University City Dining Days, I booked a reservation immediately for the two-week anniversary of my first day of work. While some folks may consider this move a bit premature, all I can say is this: I knew I'd have to eat regardless of whether it was a good day or a bad one. When the date got closer, I decided to invite Katie and Jarrod, who'd been the best hosts during my early days in Philadelphia! Who better to celebrate with, right?
Because I got to the restaurant early, I parked myself by the entrance and watched as a gaggle of sorority girls walked into a private room behind the hostess station. As soon as everyone entered, I watched the top secret door close behind them and blend into the wall. This offered only a mere taste of what was in store for us in the main dining room upstairs. As soon as Katie and Jarrod arrived, we were escorted past a long bar and up a grand staircase. The entire space was funky cool, with lots of bright colors (most notably pink! woohoo!) and modern design elements. And we were seated at a table where Katie and I got a spectacular view of the super long open kitchen.
As part of the Dining Days menu, each of us got to pick several small dishes, so we decided to dine family style (for the most part) and pick complementary dishes. Again, this meal took place several weeks ago, so I"ll do my best to recall what ended up on the table. To start, we picked the traditional guacamole with cotija cheese, which both Katie and Jarrod had had before and raved about, and the salsa Mexicana to balance out the richness of the guacamole. We also tried the octopus ceviche and the gazpacho. The octopus was just chewy enough, and the gazpacho was a great combination of tomato, watermelon, and cucumber. A bit of jumbo lump crab gave the dish slightly more density.
For our meat dishes, we went with the carne tacos (one of the steak ones), the queso fundido (with duck barbacoa, poblano chiles, and mixed cheeses), and the rabbit mole. Of course, I was the one that chose the duck and the rabbit, and I thoroughly enjoyed the unique way they were integrated into typical Mexican dishes. For our vegetable dishes, we chose a combination of hot and cold dishes. Asking for the pecans off to the side (per nut allergies), we went with the chilango chop chop salad, which was a great tangy combination of mixed greens, apples, cranberries, pecans, and a honey-lime yogurt dressing. Katie also picked out the esquites (sweet corn with queso fresco, chitpotle chile, and lime), the platano y crema (sweet plantains with queso fresco), and the huarache de hongos (like a flatbread with mushrooms). The queso fresco provided a mildly tangy contrast to the sweetness of the corn and the plantains, especially helping to cut through the richness of the latter. The flatbread was delicious, with a bit of black truffle heightening the quality of the dish.
For dessert, we only had two options to choose from, so Katie and I picked the tres leches cake, while Jarrod tried the chocolate flan. These were pretty basic, but ultimately solid. We also indulged in drinks during the meal, sampling the tamarind agua fresca (slightly bitter yet nicely tangy), a house margarita (which provided a light buzz), and several Mexican beers. On the whole, we had a great time, and I'm looking forward to going back -- particularly for their lunch specials! :) (Thanks for the suggestion, Alli!)
Tinto (Center City) --
As my most recent foray into the land of Jose Garces land, Karu and I decided to check out Tinto for drinks and appetizers. Even though the restaurant had suffered from a power outage earlier in the day, and could only seat us in the bar area, the few appetizers we tried were absolutely amazing. The mixed cheese plate came with a mild blue, an aged manchego, and a sheep's milk, as well as several crisps and pieces of fruit. The duck canape came with two pieces of duck confit wrapped in serrano ham. My favorite fowl wrapped in my favorite meat. Let's just say I have no words to express my level of joy. I seriously can't wait to get back here....
ADDITIONAL FAVORITES:
Now that I've written about my more elaborate foodie adventures, here are some additional favorites worthy of mention....
Restaurants --
Continental - Jarrett and I came here for lunch during a conference several years ago, and I can still remember the huge olive above the entrance and the hanging chairs in the upstairs dining room. And while I don't remember exactly what I had back then, I do remember that the food was just as good as it is now. Thanks to Alli and her equally foodie ways, I got the chance to try Continental again during my interview visit. The menu is completely eclectic and international, with items ranging from Mexican pizza to cheesesteak eggrolls to lobster mac 'n cheese (with the latter supposedly having a bit of a cult following). On this visit, we split the Thai chicken lettuce wraps, and I decided on the crispy calamari salad. Both dishes offered a nice balance of flavors and textures, with the greens tasting especially crisp and fresh. With a menu that screams for attention, this is definitely a place I need to get back to ASAP.
Dim Sum Garden - After randomly reading about soup dumplings, I decided I *had* to find them in Philadelphia. The last time I'd had amazing soup dumplings was at
Joe's Shanghai in New York -- and it's been a LONG time since then. The ones at
Din Tai Fung in southern California were absolutely measly and miserable and pathetic. So I was determined to find a place in my new city, and I was thrilled to find Dim Sum Garden on Yelp. Eri indulged my desire to seek out this place while she was in town, and we had the best time with our super soup-ey pork dumplings and our perfectly crispy yet chewy scallion pacakes. We also ordered the stewed pork in brown sauce, which tasted just like my mom's (though on a weaker day rather than a stronger one). I'm for sure bringing the office staff back here!
Food Markets --
Reading Terminal Market - Similar to the
Ferry Building in San Francisco, the Reading Terminal Market is a mecca for food lovers. The diversity of purveyors and eateries is tremendous, and the aisles are filled with foods from all around the world. Some of my favorites are vendors who have outposts in other areas of the city, making it easy for those who don't love crowds (especially on weekends) to enjoy their wares. These include:
Sang Kee for delicious Peking duck and roast pork,
Flying Monkey for amazing dessert bars, and
Bassetts for the best ice cream in Philadelphia (especially green tea).
Headhouse Farmers Market - While nothing can compare to the endless farmers markets of southern California (especially the
Santa Monica Farmers Market), the Headhouse Farmers Market does a fairly good job of providing a variety of wares for folks interested in local farmers and purveyors. This includes: organic produce, free-range meats, fresh herbs and spices, and unique gift items. In addition, food trucks like
Renaissance Sausage and Twisted Lemonade are on hand to provide sustenace as you troll through the market looking to stock your cabinets and fridges.
Di Bruno Brothers - Like a gourmet Whole Foods, Di Bruno Brothers sells fresh and packaged goods, with the Center City location incorporating a cafe, a deli, a cheese shop, a bakery, a meat/fish shop, and a restaurant within two spacious stories. Not only can you pick up food to go, but you can also stock your refrigerator with prepared foods for the week!
Sweets --
Last but not least, let me take a few last minutes to mention some of my favorite sweet spots in Philadelphia. I'm totally out of steam from writing all day, but I simply can't neglect the most important food group!
Capogiro - The best gelato in Philadelphia. Thank goodness there are locations near work AND home.
Scoop DeVille - For upscale McFlurries. There are literally a gazillion possible combinations of ice cream/frozen yogurt and mix-in's. And the shakes and smoothies are pretty scrumptious too!
Yogorino - Less tart than Pinkberry and Red Mango, creamier than Pinkberry. A perfect post-workout treat -- delicious but not too indulgent.
Sugar Philly - A dessert truck that sells the most delicious AND affordable macarons. I'm more than grateful that they're parked two steps from my office in the afternoons!
That's it for now! I'm still waiting to find the best cakes and the best cookies, but I've yet to sample all of my delicious goodies (including yummy cannolis) from
Isgro. Mmm.... :)
