hidden GEM of a brunch place

Our brunch adventures continue! Last Saturday, we made our way over to Cafe Estelle. We had been talking about trying Cafe Estelle for some time, so we jumped at the chance to finally visit. This restaurant is tucked away on the ground floor of an apartment complex on 4th street (between Callowhill and Spring Gardne) and somewhat hidden from streetview, so I feel compelled to really talk this one up, because it's soooooooo worth the trip.

:: Cafe Estelle ::
address: 444 N. 4th St. Philly
what we ate: croque madame, french onion soup, breakfast pizza
First, I love the restaurant's way of promoting a "healthy and sustainable way of living" in a simple and non-preachy way. All of their take out and paper products are made from sustainable, recycled and compostable material, and they use local and organic products as much as possible including their organic brown eggs, naturally raised free range meats, hormone and antibiotic-free dairy.

I also really liked the little details here - airy open spaces, simple fresh flower arrangements at each table, mismatched ceramic coffee mugs just like the ones you have at home!

AND, you even have several options of different kinds of coffee at Cafe Estelle - all are fair trade, organic and locally roasted.

All these little things add to a great brunch experience, but ultimately it's of course about the food.

Croque Madame: egg dipped brioche + smoked ham + gruyere + fried egg + potatoes 
This is, without exaggeration, my favorite brunch dish I have had in a long time. The egg dipped brioche, which is baked on-site, was the perfect moist, soft, but with crisp toasted edges consistency. The smoked ham had just the right mix of salty and savory meatiness and the gruyere was a perfect melted layer holding everything together.

Add to that, the fried egg, cooked over medium, and you've got gooey yolk coating everything with the soft egg and you've added even more flavors and textures.

NOTE: the croque madame comes with mixed greens, but being the brunch fatty that I am, I had to request potatoes. And I would definitely do it again, even though the potatoes themselves weren't particularly special (other than the fact that they are crisp potatoes and that is always good, obviously). Cafe Estelle's potatoes are cubed to a pretty good size and have very crunchy edges, but there weren't any other dimensions of flavors.

Breakfast Pizza: provolone + homefries + housemade pancetta + fried eggs
We don't really see many breakfast pizzas on menus, so we were super excited about the inventiveness of the breakfast pizza and gave props to Cafe Estelle for having it on the menu.

The good things about this included the portion size, the perfectly cooked egg, and the fact that the pancetta used is another example of meat that is prepared in house.

Look how pretty it looks with the egg broken over the pizza!

The slightly less awesome things included a dry and somewhat thin crust, barely noticeable cheese and imperfect potato to crust carb ratio. My biggest disappointment was that I had to think about what could have been. I feel like this pizza would have been VASTLY improved if they had used thinly sliced pieces of potatoes, rather than their cubed homefries. Surprisingly, I think that having smaller pieces of the pancetta may have worked better as well - the long strips made it difficult to eat. IMO, the cheese was too mild for this pizza; a stronger flavor would have helped bring these flavors together. However, it was still an interesting dish to say the least. Ultimately, I'm not sure I'd get this dish again, though. I mean, there were just so many other awesome sounding options available and given how good the croque madame was, I'd want to try the other dishes out first.

French Onion Soup: toasted bread + melted swiss cheese
The soup was tasty enough, but nothing special. Soopah thought the broth was a bit too sweet; I thought it was sufficiently sweet to be considered onion soup.

To conclude, I loved Cafe Estelle. There was something just so FRESH about the decor, their ideas, and the attitude here. Plus, the entire staff was very friendly and helpful.

One more note about the little things - many brunch or breakfast restaurants either charge you extra fees or give you dirty looks when you ask if they have a "to-go" cup for coffee as you're leaving their establishment. It's not really required that they oblige with a "to-go" cup once you're on your way out the door, but I have always appreciated the places that do. Cafe Estelle certainly accommodates this request and does so with great cheer and appreciation. Given how tasty their organic fair-trade coffees are - this is such a huge plus!

garces garces garces garces garces

Finally FINALLY, we made it to the Garces Trading Company for dinner. Despite the 1 hour, 40  minute wait, it was one of my favorite dining experiences in Philly. I think the last time I was this blown away by an entire meal was a few years ago when I first tried Modo Mio.

:: Garces Trading Company ::
address: 1111 locust st, philly
what we ate: artichokes, gnudi, flatbread pizza, pasta carbonara, hangar steak, coffee, wine
On Saturday night, around 7:50pm (otherwise known as prime time dining hour), 4 of us ventured over to Garces Trading co in the hopes that we might be able to have dinner at some reasonable hour. We had already missed our reservation at Zavino because I had been too busy kicking some serious ass in bowling at North Bowl to keep a better eye on the clock. The hostess quoted us 1 hour 15 minute to 1 hour and a half wait time, and we optimistically put our names in to wait.

As I mentioned, the wait ended up actually being closer to 1 hour and 40 minutes, but we were still quite cheerful and happy the entire time due to the fact that the Garces Trading Co staff is unbelievably good at making the experience a bearable, almost pleasant one.

Here are some of the delightful things you can do while you wait for your table:

• Shop for a bottle (or two or three) of Spanish, French or Italian wines in the state store located INSIDE of the Garces Trading Co restaurant. The beauty here, besides the obvious convenience factor is that you can a) ultimately buy wine for your meal without the huge standard markup, b) there is knowledgeable staff on hand to help you make a great selection for your meal and c) if you realize you need more wine, you can simply get up and go buy another bottle in the middle of your meal. They also have a respectable offering of liquors as well in case wine isn't your thing. 
• Sample the various specialty oils and vinegars to whet your appetite. Walnut, black or white truffle oil and pomegranate balsamic vinegar are just a few examples of the kinds of samples you can dip your crusty cube of sourdough bread into while you wait. 
• Stalk the charcuterie and cheesemongers. There are usually plates of prosciutto and cheese samples along the charcuterie wall - if you smile a lot and give the staff sad hungry eyes, they will continue to cut you samples of their delicious cheese and meal selections. During our wait, we tried 4 different cheeses, including a pecorino romano and gorgonzola with nutella. 
• Go to Varga Bar for a drink while you wait! They take your phone number to call you when the table is ready. 
• Drink WINE! Whether you bring your own, or purchase at the state store inside, the hostesses are more than happy to uncork your wine and bring you a few glasses so you can enjoy your beverage and chitchat with your friends while you wait. C'mon - how can you beat that?!  

And then, of course, there is the FOOD. The 4 of us decided immediately that we were going to share everything so we could taste a wide array of garces delights. 

Baby Artichokes: preserved lemon + oil + honey + dates

YUM YUM YUM. The artichokes were quartered and drizzled with a lemony olive oil that was vibrant, tart and still sweet. The slices of dates that topped the artichokes were chewy and added a nice sweetness and texture.

Ricotta Gnudi: wild mushrooms + bianco sardo + morel cream

At our server's suggestion, we added a starter size portion of the ricotta gnudi and boy am I glad we did. Gnudis are a type of gnocci, but made with ricotta cheese and flour. They are almost dumpling-like and have been described as a ravioli without the filling. At any rate, the gnudi at Garces Trading Co came dressed in a mushroom cream sauce with mushrooms, micro greens and a few slices of parmesan dusting the top. 

The gnudi were soft and fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth pillows of tastiness. This dish was a surprise hit with our table and is proof that you should always listen to your waitstaff, especially when you're at the Garces Trading Co.  

Tuscan Fusilli Alla Carbonara: guanciale + eggs + black pepper + pecorino

The second pasta that we ordered is the tuscan fusilli carbonara. I had heard from many different food critics, Garces fanboys and "respected" press alike that the carbonara was a must-try dish. I had my reservations because I've never really been a fan of carbonara sauces; the idea of using an egg yolk to coating your entire pasta dish sounded so foreign and unappealing to me. HOWEVER, I have been converted. Thankfully, I have found that I have newfound appreciation for all things raw or runny eggs, which definitely helped. 

Of course, the guanciale (which is unsmoked Italian bacon prepared from a pig's jowl or cheek) definitely helped get me excited about the dish. 

You can see in the picture the slightly poached whole egg that is just waiting to be broken so it can spread into the dish and wrap all the delicious pasta, cheese and pepper together to prepare for your first bite. The pasta itself was cooked al dente and was magnificently chewy and the thickness of the pasta managed to catch the perfect amount of the sauce for each bite. 

Pizza De Prosciutto: oven roasted tomato + mozzarella + prosciutto + olive oil

We ran into Jen while waiting for our table. We consider her to be a Garces Trading Co expert since I'm pretty sure she eats there once a week (lucky girl). She mentioned that the prosciutto pizza was one of her favorites, so we opted to order this as our pizza selection. 

The pizzas are definitely a good size. They are cut into triangles and as you can see, are generously topped with the delicious ingredients so they are perfect for sharing. I was surprised by how much prosciutto and fresh mozzarella was in each bite. The crust was thin, but thick enough to complement portion of toppings - and chewy, but crispy towards the ends (as great pizza should be).  

Streak Frites: grilled hanger steak + duck fat fries + asparagus + maitake mushrooms + béarnaise

Garces Trading Co has a Plats Du Jour (daily specials) section on their menu and each item is different for each day of the week. These dishes are dinner specials, available after 5pm, and usually considered large enough for two people to share. On this Saturday night, the special was the Steak Frites. This lovely couple seated at the table next to us had ordered this as their dinner and raved so much about it that we were convinced to order it for the table as well. 

We were definitely not disappointed. The hangar steak came out perfectly cooked medium rare and was very flavorful and tender. However, the 2 stars of this plate were the duck fat frites and the asparagus! While the duck fat fries at Village Whiskey are very good, I had never been blown away by how they were prepared there - they were delicious, but not really a standout. In contrast, the duck fat fries at Garces were unbelievable. They were much thicker cut fries so I have no idea how they did this, but the outside of eaach fry were super crispy, especially along the edges, and the inside of the fry were soft but still firm and full of flavor. The asparagus was also amazing. You could taste the smokiness from the grill with each bite and of course, they were also perfectly cooked and had that light crunch. 

We dipped everything in the bearnaise sauce and didn't even feel guilty about it because it was amazingly delicious.   

Coffee and the Little Things

Because apparently, we are now old, we had actually ordered coffee for the table early on in the meal. As with everything we tried at Garces Trading co, the coffee was equally delicious. Even on presentation alone, it is impressive; two sizes of coffee offerings and they serve it at the table in an authentic french coffee press. 

You can see how much care and thought went into the planning of this restaurant. The small details and combination of restaurant + cheese/meat provider + dessert specialist + state liquor and wine store is just genius.

I love the way each table has a small fresh pepper grinder and a small dish with coarse grain salt, and of course, sugar in the RAW.

THUMBS UP, INDEED.    

NYC Fat Tour Recap: Part II, friday fun & festivites

NYC Fat Tour Recap: Part I, the PLANNING

PART II, the arrival, the snack, the beer, the DINNER, the fun, the hanging out until 4pm in an attempt to cling to the idea that we're not too old and boring.

Friday Pre-Dinner Snack: Artichoke Basilles Pizzeria
Friday Dinner: Ippudo

we knew the wait at ippudo would be atrocious. for a group our size (a horrendously large count of 8), we were anticipating a 1-2 hour wait since a) this is still considered the best ramen spot in nyc, b) it was a friday night, and c) we'd be arriving at the prime dinner time hour - between 8 and 9pm.

the plan, therefore, was to order a few slices from artichoke pizza, and eat them outside while we waited for a table to become available. WIN: having 2 slices of artichoke pizza and 1 slice of crab pizza waiting for us when we walked up to ippudo to meet up with the CT/MD contingent of this fat tour weekend. NOT-SO-WIN: finding out that the wait for our table would be 3 hours!

it was easy to take it in stride with each bite of delicious artichoke pizza, though! PLUS, central bar was right around the corner and ippudo's hostess promised to call us when our table was ready and would give us 10-20 minutes to arrive at the door once we had been notified.


:: artichoke basilles pizzeria :: 
address: 328 east 14th street, nyc
what we ate: artichoke pizza, crab pizza
i had heard mixed reviews about the artichoke pizza, and how the deliciousness is inconsistent depending upon hour of night or day of week, but on this night, it was unbelievable. it tasted like really rich warm artichoke dip spread over a 1/4 inch thick soft crust. each slice was huge; it would be more than enough for a meal for a normal sized person with a normal sized appetite (notice the qualifiers there? it's because i have normal sized friends with abnormally sized appetites. they'd need 2 slices. at least).

the crab pizza was also good, but i was so blown away by the artichoke that i don't really recall what is on there. i think it was crab and ricotta, but i am not 100% certain. isn't that terrible?

we made our way over to central bar while munching on the last few bites of gloriousness. after a few pitchers of brooklyn lager, we received THE CALL. ippudo was ready for us and  it ended up being less than a 1.5 hour wait. WIN.

:: ippudo ::
address: 65 4th ave, nyc
what we ate: ramen, pork buns 
dinner at ippudo was great. i had been there before and wasn't really expecting to be wowed again, since, c'mon - it's RAMEN. but i was very pleasantly surprised. both the ramen noodles and the stocks are freshly made on site.

we started with the hirata pork buns, which were the highlight of the meal for me. the plush half moons of bread that enveloped the bbq pork belly slices, drizzled with a mayo/creme of some kind, and a small leaf of lettuce for texture... YUMMMMMM.each order comes with 4 so everyone had one to themselves, then joey and soopah had an all out battle for the last one (who wants HALFSIES?!).

since we had indulged in a cream topped pizza as an "appetizer," several of us ordered ramen to share. the nice thing about ippudo (though the wait staff will hate me for saying this) is that you can order a ramen for $14, then pay an additional $2 for extra noodles. if you need to share for some reason, this helps quite a bit. or it leaves you with some extra money to order more PORK BELLY. which is what we did.

the RAMEN. according to the website:

 "Ramen is cosmos in a bowl. The basic broth is derived from the essence of pork, chicken, beef, or seafood, and seasoned with soy sauce, salt, miso, and other important ingredients.... Flour, eggs, kansui (an alkaline water), and other ingredients are used to make noodles.... Soup, noodles, and topping - the trinity brings forth the cosmos."  

ooOOooooo COSMOS. i don't know about all that, but the ramen was pretty damn good.

soopah ordered the akamaru modern-  'the original tonkotsu' soup noodles with ippudo's special sauce, miso paste and fragrant garlic oil, slices of simmered berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage & scallions.

he ordered it with extra pork belly too! the picture doesn't really look that appetizing, but in actuality, this ramen is delicious. the akamaru modern is extra garlic-y tasting. so don't order this if you're on a date with someone that dislikes garlic (but really, if you're on a date with someone who dislikes garlic, will you really go on another date with them? i think not).

the rest of us got the spicy ramen that was the special for the evening. unfortunately, i don't have a description of the dish, but it had less garlic and a strong spicy kick. it was spicy enough you didn't need to add siracha to the dish, but you certainly can. of COURSE, we all ordered the extra pork belly.

how was it you ask? oh, we totally HATED it. so much that we basically licked our bowls clean.

btw, we have decided we each need a GIANT soup spoon like the ones they give you at ippudo (the white spoon that looks like a plate in the lower left corner of this picture). think of how wonderful eating pho would be with said utensil?

post-meal FESTIVITIES
the CT crew pretended they were going to hang out and, to their credit, trooped over to a bar near st. mark's with us. but after 15 min or so of lounging around, they excused themselves. after all, we had a big day planned for saturday.

the remaining 4 of us discussed what we should do next - go home, go to another bar, meet up with another friend? our tired bodies wanted us to go home, but the rebellious spirit of our youth managed to get us to st. mark's ale house to meet our friends andrew and jeremy.

st. mark's ale house is a dive-y sports bar in the east village. this is one of my favorite bars in new york - unpretentious, small but spacious, friendly and helpful bar staff, and offers surprisingly delicious food. that's all i'm going to say about that. go there, if you must, but please please please don't ruin it by telling your friends about it.

we had several rounds of drinks... and when we finally felt that we had sufficiently proved our young/hipness to ourselves, we called it a night around 3:45am.

coming soon - part III: saturday brunch, culture and indulgence.