b.b.go! coming soon (apparently) as a fusion rice bar

:: b.b.go :: 

Address: 18th St and Ludlow, Center City.  COMING SOON.

Center City, it looks like we're getting a bibimbap haven by the name of b.b.go. at 18th & Ludlow. And soon! Korean food has crossed over; it's so totally mainstream now. IMO, the two things that helped to accomplish this were:

1. The accessibility and availability of BBQ grill meats like kalbi and bulgogi, and
2. Bibimbap - aka rice in a hot stone pot with meats and veggies all mixed together for a flavor explosion custom spiced to your liking with the accompanying hot red pepper paste sauce.

Can't be certain, but it looks like there will soon be a Philly eatery where you can get rice in a hot pot (or cold if that's your preference), and I suspect you will be able to customize your veggie and meat preferences.

As a Korean, and a lover of all things rice-y and meaty, these are the things I'm hoping b.b.go will include:

• runny fried egg to top off your rice, veggie, meat concoction
• interesting and inventive combinations (to really live up to the promise of "fusion" part of "fusion rice bar." Maybe like bacon and jicama or something, I dunno. Heh.
• other fried rice dishes like kimchi fried rice or spicy pork belly fried rice

Stay Tuned. I want. Now.

ADSUM (it's so HOT right now) Brunch and a weekend recap

This weekend was like an MK FriendFest; somehow many stars aligned and I ended up catching up with a bunch of very dear friends I hadn't seen in awhile.

WEEKEND RECAP
Friday: HH with J Sho, fish tacos and bourbon, drinks at Locust Rendezvous - the ultimate dive bar - with Jessica, Mogg and other HS buds, swooning over a fleeting crush on our bar server (what? she was adorable and edgy at the same time!), creamy drinks and more bourbon pours.

• Jose Pistolas - GREAT BEER selection, awesome bartenders, okay table waitstaff and forgettable food. J and I were super excited about the fact that they had 3 different kinds of fish tacos on the menu (fried grouper, grilled mahi mahi, seared tuna), but we ordered the grouper and mahi and both landed somewhere in the range of okay to bad. She didn't even finish hers! We also got a half order of the nachos and I can see the potential, but they weren't particularly great. However, since we didn't get them with meat or guac, I concede that they could be awesome and we just didn't get them the right way. 
• Locust Rendezvous - This is the kind of place that can either by depressing or awesome - I think it would mostly depend on your mood/state of mind. I found myself totally digging the chill, dark and bare-bones bar feel of it. Plus, our hot server was really attentive, funny and totally engaging, which really helps when you're surrounded by sad, frown-faced old dudes with scotch on the rocks. The most notable event of this part of the evening was that Jessica can now drink White Russians and not vomit. YAY!  

Saturday: brunch with one of my favorite couples/family (the DINGS + 1 Erik), SYTYCD finale on DVR, Step Up 3D (aka the worst movie of all time) with "ChiLex," a beer and snackies at Varga Bar, impromptu dinner at Garces Trading Company with the Caldwells including Baby Caldwell, then Grace's bday drinks at Lucy's.

• Adsum Brunch - full review below
• Step Up 3D - ok really... I know you may laugh, but I was really excited about this movie. Say what you will about the Step Up movies, but no matter how corny they are, they're still enjoyable. NOT really so with this installment. It felt like it was just an hour and 40 minutes of terrible scripting, a crude mechanism for showcasing the effects of 3D without actually paying what's due to the integrity of awesome choreography. A total hot mess. Sad. ChiLex (I think I still prefer ChiFong), Soopah and I basically just giggled the entire time.  
• Varga Bar - this is the best place, period. But, also the best place to wait until your table is ready at Garces Trading Co! Thank Goodness they have good IPAs on tap again. Was a bit disappointed at the lack thereof the last time I was there. Plus, hello - how can the fall off the bone wings always be so consistently good and arrive at your table so quickly? HOW, Varga bar, HOW?
• Garces Trading Company - you know how I feel about this place. Those feelings still stand. Plus, any dinner with adorable Baby Caldwell is going to be a good time. I will note that this place and our server really surprised me because they were SO adept at handling a toddler at the table - super kind and attentive, and great about handling his egg allergy as well. It was Julie and Jim's first time here and they really enjoyed the prosciutto pizza and scallops. Thanks for dinner, guys!   

As you can see, Baby Caldwell loves bread. Everyone should it bread this way - Pure Joy.  

Sunday: eat, sleep, TV, repeat.

These full weekends really make me appreciate all that Philadelphia has to offer. I sit back and remember that I'm super fortunate to have the friends and connections that I have here - and I acknowledge that having lived in the same town for most of my life does have some benefits.

So, right - BRUNCH REVIEW.

:: Adsum ::
address: 700-702 South 5th St, Philly
what we ate: chorizo corn dogs, omelet, egg pancetta and potato hash
Located at the corner of 5th and Bainbridge, Adsum is one of the new, "hot," restaurants right now. You can't look through food blogs, news or twitter without seeing several mentions of this place. It's not surprising since they just opened their doors a few weeks ago and Exec Chef Matt Levin is of Lacroix fame. You can see from the creative and adventurous menu that he has the goods to back up his pedigree.

Lately, Soopah and I have been making an effort to hit up as many great brunch spots as possible so we knew this was a must hit place. What cemented Adsum as our brunch for this weekend was the Foobooz post from Friday with the full menu... I'm fairly certain "UHM, does that say CHORIZO CORNDOGS?!" was our immediate reaction. What made the experience even better was that my very dear friends Michelle, Kwan and Erik just so happened to be in Philly for the weekend and were planning on joining us for brunch.

We arrived a good 15 minutes late and found my awesome friends sitting at an outdoor table, on the shaded side of Bainbridge, Slyfox Pale Ale, Mimosa and Porter on the table, aviators on, just being cool and waiting for us. <3 these guys. So we sit down, order a dogfish 90 and a mimosa, and immediately tell our server what we want to eat and so brunch begins. Mind you, the point of this last paragraph (other than to share how awesome these guys are), was to mention that Adum has a great beer/drink selection. :)      

ricotta beignets: vanilla + strawberry marmalade

Beignets are this French, fried dough concoction - usually rolled/covered in sugar... so essentially, a DOUGHNUT. Which is primarily why I'm not really much of a fan. However, these beignets were really delicious. Amazingly, the dough tasted light and buttery and crumbly in the perfect way, but at the same time had this rich denseness that was bursting with flavor. It was probably a bit sweet for a starter, but I'd definitely recommend as a dessert. 

chorizo corndogs: fried hen eggs + black beans + cilantro crema

Clearly, this was the dish that I was excited about - and apparently so was the rest of our table. Michelle, Kwan and I all ordered the corndogs and we were not disappointed. The breading was crumbly and crispy - and the chorizo sausage was spicy and salty. The cilantro cream was a nice bright counter flavor to the heat of the chorizo and the beans helped to settle all the flavors down. The fried eggs were perfectly cooked and was delicious with each bite of corndog. I don't know if this was a perfect dish though - I mean, I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I don't think I'd order it again. I wish the chorizo would have been a bit more... moist, perhaps? It was quite crumbly and I thought maybe it was the round shape of the corndog that wasn't optimal. I think because they were basically corndog balls, the chorizo to cornbread batter ratio were off towards the center. But yeah, I'm really nitpicking here. 

poached eggs + pancetta + shallot-potato hash + hollandaise

SOOOOOO GOOD. I was surprised but the shallot-potato hash seems like it's their potato mainstay - like Adsum's version of home fries - and it is ridiculously good. The potato is shredded and formed into a triangle of awesomeness. There were pancetta pieces throughout  (of course I wished there was more) and the eggs were placed on top. The poached eggs were a tiny bit overcooked, but still really tasty so I would imagine the perfect execution of this dish would make it even better. We were surprised to find a relatively thick layer of caramelized onions between the potato and eggs, but they really added that extra something to the dish that took it to another level.       

omelet: heirloom tomato + chimichurri + farmhouse cheddar

I didn't try this, but Erik said it was quite tasty. It also came with the potato hash YUM! Plus, I love anything with farmhouse cheddar. 

OVERALL, I liked this place a lot, and the menu items are definitely the draw (though the interior decor and outside dining are quite nice and memorabl), but definitely on the pricey side. With the mimosas, beers and food, our bill racked up pretty quickly. Besides, I wouldn't say it even makes my top 5 brunch places in Philly, BUT it was extremely solid and makes me look forward to when we return for dinner.  

he brings you CHEEZ!

So, if you are a big food follower (read: food twitter nerd), you may have heard about the GRILLED CHEESE guy, "Ronnie" in NYC. He has been featured all over the NY food blogosphere for delivering his hot, delicious grilled cheese concoctions to various street corners all over the city.

Well, Philly - we have our very own "Ronnie" (is it sad that Ronnie always makes me think of the Jersey Shore? I feel I should be ashamed of this association, but alas, I'm not), and  today marks the first day of deliveries.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, here is what "i bring you cheez" is all about.

1. Dude updates his twitter feed with his daily grilled cheese sandwich menu availability. 
2. You tweet, email or text your desired sandwich and quantity to Dude. 
3. Dude tweets, emails or texts you back to confirm.
4. Dude makes fancy pants grilled cheese sandwiches.
5. Dude delivers them to you - as long as you're in Center City, Old City, U-city, Nolibs (yea, so all of Philadelphia, basically).   

On the DL and delivered to your door. Prices apparently change based on the ingredients used. 

For example, today's menu included a) Roasted Plum and Gouda/Fontina blend and b) Chorizo and Oaxacan (Mexican mozzarella) - both $5 a piece. Interesting, no? 

I ate the roasted plum version today. YUM, buttery crispy sourdough (I think) bread with tart plum slices and creamy flavorful gouda and fontina cheeses.... 

I'm not sure if this will be a daily delivery system, but you can always find out by checking Dude's twitter feed, apparently. 

How to order from Dude: 

Twitter: @ibringyoucheez

Email: ibringyoucheez[at]gmail.com

Gotta have that chorizo and oaxacan next time. God I love me some chorizo... hear it was delicioussssssss.

BTW, the fact that we have our own GRILLED CHEESE guy totally supports the fact that Philly is a LEGIT food town. But we all know that already, right?  

the reason to go to SMITH's is...

.... THIS GUY!

Meet G! He is one of this fair city's best bartenders and he makes Smith's in Center City the place to go every Thursday and Friday. Tough, good-looking dude and he is uber friendly, pours drinks with the quickness, flashes sick tattoos, and brings the wit and perceptive observations.

Smiths is on 19th St, between Chestnut and Market and is yuppie central - largely afterwork HH crowds from the nearby high rises (so much Brooks Brothers you will drown in it), but they have great drink and food specials and is a pretty chill bar. Plus, like I said G works there! If I had to say, I'd call it "upscale pub" I guess? Very upscale... hahaa hence the YUPPIES, but still a worthy stop. And if ever there were a yuppie antidote, it'd be this guy.

G is a regular renaissance man; he does everything! Stop in and ask him about his helicopter flying or snowboarding.

Anyway, the bar/restaurant is made up of 2 decently sized rectangular rooms that are connected, with a back room with a pool table in the left bar. (But G works on the right side!). There isn't anything particularly notable about the food or beers on tap here, but the food is solid and consistently executed. It's a great go-to place to drop in with your coworkers when you're looking for a chill spot to share a drink before you catch your commuter train home.

As for the food specials, they have quesadillas and boneless chicken wings at discounted prices (I think half off?) between 5-7pm on weekdays.    

Mizu Pleasu

The galpals and I hit up Mizu for a quick dinner tonight. J. Gigs had found this tiny Rittenhouse area eat-in/take-out Japanese restaurant when she had been living a few blocks from it. Mizu is very small and casual, but still clean and welcoming enough that sitting down for dinner is still quite pleasant.

J. Gigs had been talking up the HweDupBap and sushi rolls from Mizu for weeks, and it's pretty rare to find good hwedupbap in the city, so we knew we had to have it! So, of course, 3 out of the 4 of us had the HweDupBap and we shared a monstrous sushi roll. BTW, hwedupbap is a Korean dish similar to chirashi, in that it has sashimi layered over rice, but there a quite a few differences between the two dishes, including:

• chirashi has sushi vinegared rice where as hwedupbap has plain rice (that sometimes has a bit of sesame oil)
• chirashi usually has many different types of sashimi layered on top, but hwedupbap is generally just fluke or tuna (or both)
• chirashi is usually eaten with soy sauce and wasabi, but hwedupbap is mixed in with a spicy tart and tangy hot pepper paste. 
• hwedupbap also has shredded veggies like lettuce, sesame leaves, radish, cabbage, carrots, that you mix in with the rice and fish.

YUM. So as a korean, I prefer the spicy, crunchy mixture of hwedupbap over chirashi any day.

:: Mizu :: 

address: 133 South 20th St. Philly

what we ate: hwedupbap + magma roll

HweDupBap: rice, fluke, salmon, tuna, flounder, salmon roe, lettuce, sesame leaf, carrots, radish, apples, cucumbers, imitation crabmeat, chojjang (red pepper paste sauce)
I am pretty sure I'm missing some of the veggies included but yeah it was fan-TASTIC. The fish was super fresh and chopped into cubes that were the perfect bite-size morsel and the veggies were shredded fine enough to make everything blend together perfectly. I kinda wish it came with a bowl of miso soup, which is what I'm used to, but other than that, it was soooo good. Plus, I felt like I was being healthy! Win!

Magma Roll: rice + nori + spicy tuna + mango + spicy mayo + jalapeno, crunch, scallions
This was a HUGE roll that had so much flavor and texture and it was wonderful. The jalapeno and spicy mayo gave this good heat, but it was subtle, not really overpowering.

I enjoyed Mizu so much that I will have to try to come up with a reason why I shouldn't head there every night for dinner.
The menu also had bulgogi/beef over rice bowls, as well as a wide variety of sushi and sashimi offerings. Honestly, their rolls all looked very interesting and creative. As an added bonus, for your non-fish liking friends, Mizu has a pretty good selection of veggie only rolls as well.

Galpal Ladies - thanks for a lovely meal and the chatties!

CONTENDER, battle of the Korean Fried Chicken

Okay so we had been reading about the KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN thursday night special at Meritage for weeks now and yes yes yes it made us drool every time because:

1. This is the year of fried chicken (didn't you know?!)
2. I've had enough fried food to recognize good ones and these sounded soooo promising
3.  HELLO it's KOREAN-style and like duh I am gonna be partial to this.
4. Did I mention it was something FRIED? 

So, last Thursday, my partner in crime J. Gigs and I went to Meritage to try this much hyped Korean Fried Chicken. We spent the days before our dinner date obsessing over how this chicken would compare to all the other fried chicken dishes that have come before it... RAH, Cafe Soho, Memphis Taproom, South Philly Taproom (wouldn't it be great if I had been a good blogger and updated the posts about all those places already?!)... but of course, we knew that it'd likely be very different from anything else we had tasted before. And yes, we suspected it'd be different than the korean fried chicken we were familiar with. 

Off we went. 

:: Meritage ::

address: 500 South 20th St. Philadelphia

what we ate: Korean Fried Chicken special + Spring Vegetable Risotto 

Well, first of all, it's a really good deal. $25 for 5-6 pieces of fried chicken (they are mostly thighs so pretty big portion) + 1 20oz can of sapporo beer + 3 small side dishes. So dinner for 2 at $25 isn't bad at all.

Korean Fried Chicken: sauteed spinach dish + asian slaw + pickled daikon/carrot slices 

The chicken was incredibly juicy and tender, but not greasy AT ALL, which is almost surprising since that's what you expect of fried chicken sometimes. The batter was medium thickness and delicately crunchy which worked really well for chicken pieces that size.

The sauce is billed as "a sweet tangy spicy korean bbq" (I may be paraphrasing heh) and I'd say it is indeed all of those things. If you're familiar with korean sauces, it was like a combination of red pepper paste (gohchujang) and siracha with maybe a few other seasoning things. Flavor-wise, it was very satisfying - lots of flavors and they worked well with the sesame oil tossed spinach, pickled daikon and carrot slices, and sesame oil/vinegar dressed cabbage slaw.

Where some korean fried chicken purists may take issue is that it is very different from the likes of Bon Chon Chicken, or what you can find in the motherland. Well, what I'd say to that is DUH, it's not supposed to be an exact replication... It's an interpretation and it was tasty.

And btw why does fried food and beer go so well? The pairing of the complimentary sapporo is genius.

Spring Vegetable Risotto: risotto + zucchini + squash + corn + mushrooms  

The fried chicken special is meant to be a dish for 2 people and that should have been enough. But, we are biggies and foodies and like to try a lot of things, so we couldn't stop ourselves from ordering the Spring Veggie Risotto that was another one of the specials for the evening. 

MY GOD was it good. I actually enjoyed the risotto even more than the chicken. It had the freshest veggies - mushrooms, zucchini, squash, and corn - and it was all cooked so perfectly. The risotto had all the  crunchiness, tender sweetness, savoryness (I can make up words, let it go) that I would want spring risotto to have.

As for decor, I liked meritage a lot. It is very comfortable and home-y, like your friend's parents invited you over for dinner. The service is great as well.

NEED to go back for their wednesday night Korean Taco special soon....

Oh, and as promised, receipt of the total cost! 

We're FANCY and FUN. Le Bec-Fin said so.

We keep saying how it's ridiculous how well we've been eating. I mean, it's really quite absurd. When your weekend recap includes dining at a renowned French restaurant that is a Philadelphia institution, repeat visits to a gastro-pub that is arguably the best in town, as well as dinner and drinks at a suburban beer oasis, you know you're living a GOOD FOOD life. First, the fancypants French recap!

FRIDAY
Le Bec-Fin. 6pm Dinner. 40th anniversary special dinner that we read about on uwishunu.com.
J. Gigs had read about this special a few weeks ago and we knew we had to go. I mean, how often would one be presented with the opportunity to dine at Le Bec-Fin for $40/person? We made reservations immediately, and two days later, we heard the very sad news that Le Bec-Fin would be closing this year. I would imagine reservation slots have filled up quickly since the announcement of its closing, so I would say book something soon....

:: Le Bec-Fin ::
address: 1523 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
what we ate: $40 pre-fixe

The special includes 4-courses: Starter, Entree, Cheese, Dessert. Ah, love the french.

• Starters: Grilled Octopus with Chorizo puree, Tomato & Watermelon Salad, Chilled Pea Soup 
• Entrees: Stuffed Quail, Poached Salmon, Flat Iron Steak
• Cheese: chef selection with bread and fruit
• Dessert: choice of 2 selections off of the dessert cart

Le Bec-Fin also had a special wine selection to anniversary diners; you could choose from 4-5 wines that were all priced at $40. All in all, an incredible deal, no? 

To start the meal, complimentary amuse bouche.

The grilled octopus with chorizo puree and hot chorizo oil was really tasty. Perfectly cooked octopus and the chorizo oil had a nice spicy kick to it. 

Chilled Pea Soup w/almond sorbet was most certainly an interesting dish. We weren't sure if we'd like it, but with no question, we had to try it. The almond flavors worked really well with the pea soup and it was a refreshing starter. 

The Stuffed Quail was in the most delicious sauce, with creamy beans and savory vegetables. I'm not really sure what the bird was stuffed with, but it had the texture and flavor like meatloaf (I know this sounds weird, but it soooooo wasn't), and was the best part of the meal, for me.   

As expected, the Flat Iron steak was cooked exactly as requested. The medium-rare meat was tender and flavorful, but the puree and the gravy that accompanied it was even more memorable. Seriously, we had to restrain ourselves from sopping it up with extra bread....  

What could I really say about the cheese course, other than WHOOOHOOO. Everyone should really include a cheese course in their meals. Friday night's selection was an Italian sheep's milk cheese. YUM.

Being the bad flood blogger that I am, I don't remember the names of any of these desserts, but rest assured, you will be able to find something you like. The Dessert Cart had over 10 different varieties of cakes, and even some poached fruit options. It really lives up to its reputation and unbelievably, you get to select 2 different desserts EACH! And if that wasn't enough, you still get the complimentary plate of cookies. 

Overall, the food lived up to its reputation, the service was impeccable, and the dessert cart really is as good as they say, but ultimately, it was OK. I mean, the best part of the meal was the fact that we were dining in Le Bec-Fin... but for $40, I can think of at least 4 other restaurants with a fantastic pre-fixe that is much more exciting, innovative and droolworthy. Still, discover the history and experience that is Le Bec-Fin before they close their doors forever.      

"mmMMmm here you go"

Went to Seafood Unlimited with J. Gigs last night. I actually don't even want to review the food because it was totally unspectacular in every way. They do have a good happy hour special - $5 margaritas, $5 wines, $3 lager, and an array of snacks like shrimp coctail, fish tacos, mussels, chicken quesadilla etc. MEH.

The best dish was the fish and chips and even those weren't very good. The fish itself was good, but the breading was soggy wet so mostly, it was kind of depressing. They did have maker's mark though, so between a few glasses of those and a nice long catchup chat with J. Giggles, the evening wasn't a total bust.

Aaaaanyway, what I really wanted to mention was the super odd server that waited on us. He had this look in his eyes that just totally screamed "I wanted to bring your food, but then I got high."

He brought us our food orders and drinks, basically one by one - the reason I mention this is to really emphasize the frequency at which he was stopping by our table. Each time he dropped something off, he would, almost imperceptibly go "mmMMmm."

"mmmMMm here's your shrimp cocktail"

"mmmMMmm here's your maker's on the rocks"

"mmmMmm here are your fish tacos"

"mmmMMmm here is your mixed salad" 

This went on and on. It was SO WEIRD. And most definitely creepy.

I suppose I should include a picture. So here is one of the fish tacos. Don't get these; they are not good.

Components of this sad little fish taco include: fried tilapia (supposedly), shredded lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce (ick, wasn't expecting that to be in there).

:: Seafood Unlimited::
address: 270 South 20th St, Philly
PS - the website looks super nice, so it's easy to be fooled. But this place wasn't great, seriously. And it smelled like FISH the minute we walked it. So of course, we immediately asked to be seated outside; I would much rather take on mother nature and her neverending mosquito attacks than eat while smelling raw fishes.

The End.

Perfectly Styled, but Oversalted

On Wednesday night, while looking for a place to watch the Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals (sadface), we had a chance to drop by Sampan for some food and what we had hoped, were game time beer specials. We did not find any game time specials, but we did find a beautifully decorated restaurant and very gregarious bartenders and waitstaff.

The restaurant was moderately packed for a midweek seating, which we were pleased to see. Sampan is another one of those newer restaurants that has been getting great reviews, and we hope to see it succeed. Rather than wait a few minutes for our table, we opted to sit at the bar, which is located in the middle of the restaurant, in front of the open kitchen, with the two separate dining rooms flanking it on either side.

:: Sampan Philly ::
address: 124 S. 13th St. Philly
what we ate: beer, oxtail dumplings, rabbit dumplings, "cheesesteak" buns, pork shoulder
What I loved right away about this bar is that though they only had three beers on tap, they were awesome ones: Stoudt's American Pale Ale, Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale, and Brooklyn Brewery's Brewmaster’s Reserve Dark Matter. Unfortunately, we had missed the Happy Hour specials, so they were a bit on the pricier side, but at $6-7 a pint, that is fairly standard for good microbrews. Besides, as our very friendly bartender pointed out, the Happy Hour specials would have only knocked $1 off of the price of the pints anyway.

When looking at the menu, we found that there was such a variety of dishes on this pan-Asian inspired menu that we were having trouble making choices. Finally, we decided that we absolutely had to try a few of the dumplings and one of the meat courses.

Interestingly, there were a few items on the in-house menu that doesn't appear on the website, like the first dish we tried: oxtail and kimchee dumplings.

Oxtail &  Kimchee dumplings: diced tomatoes + soy sauce + scallions
These looked like traditional gyoza and the presentation was very pretty with the colorful red tomatoes diced and spread over top. Unfortunately, with each bite, we found that the marinated oxtail was quite salty. The saltiness might have been mitigated by a larger portion of kimchee, but strangely, the tiny negligible amount of kimchee used hardly contributed enough flavors to make its presence known.

From this dish forward, I was a bit confused by the plates that were delivered to our table. It seemed like the actually plates of food that arrived and were placed in front of us were slightly different than the menu had described. It was a bit odd and I couldn't help but feel like I was eating someone else's food that had been accidentally given to us!

“Philly Cheese Steak”: Bao Bun + Shallot + Sriracha
Our next dish was the Philly Cheese Steak dish, which was described to us as a bao bun that had the top half sliced off, toasted and topped with shredded short ribs and shallots. In other words, an Asian play on Philly's signature sandwich. Sounds good, right?

What arrived (and you may be able to see this from the photo) was a dish that looked like cheesesteak bruschetta. While the meat was indeed shredded short ribs, it was resting on top of what looked like slices of french baguette, that had been toasted then soaked in beef jus. Confused, we asked our bartender which dish had just been delivered and he confidently answered that it was the cheesesteak on bao buns...

Hmmm. Okay. So we thought, well, maybe looks are deceiving...

But after taking a bite, we were more convinced than ever that this was just sliced baguette. Also, more of a concern, was that the meat was again SUPER SALTY. Sigh. I almost didn't want to finish this because I found it to be so unpleasant. But we did - only because we were starving. Then we waited patiently for the next dish.


Rabbit Dumplings: Spring Peas + Bacon + Shallot

I had really high hopes for this one. I mean, with rabbit, you always have the fear that it could be game-y, but I've found it is usually deliciously flavorful when it's stuffed in a wrapper like a dumpling or ravioli. Once again, the presentation was beautiful, but the taste fell short.

I know you'd expect the bacon pieces to provide just the right amount of salt here, but the ridiculously salty rabbit meat itself once again made this dish difficult to enjoy.

Pork Shoulder: pickled cucumbers + greens + chojang (Korean-style spicy sweet chili pepper sauce)
Finally, our last dish arrived.This was probably the least tender pork shoulder dish I have ever eaten. Sigh. I did enjoy the Asian-pickled cucumber slices that topped each piece and I found the greens to be a refreshing flavor, but the meat itself was dry and bland, at best. And I didn't think that the overall flavors worked particularly well together either.

So yes, another disappointment.

It seems like the biggest draw for Sampan has always seemed to be their lunch menu - with its wide array of banh mi sandwich options and satays. I feel like I can't truly comment fairly on Sampan's food until I've given those sandwiches a shot, but as for dinner - I would say stay away from the items we ordered. After the final course, we debated next steps - we were still hungry, and thought it'd only be fair to try another dish from the menu (like the Pork Banh Mi), but we ended up just leaving without trying anything else. We disliked everything so much and had already racked up a surprisingly high bill that we felt there was little that could redeem the experience on this night.

Will definitely report back if lunch is any better. But for now, I don't really want to think about Sampan's food any more.

Cupcake shortage!

Brown Betty just opened up their Center City Liberty Place location this past week but as you can see, they are doing incredibly well! SOLD OUT!

the Green Monster

I have so many places to blog about before I can get fully caught up, and I'll admit, I may never actually get there, but I did want to post a quickie about this unique and delicious sushi roll I had at Raw Lounge a few weeks ago.

:: Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge :: 
address: 1225 Sansom St. Philly
what we ate: green river roll
This was just one of the most interesting and different sushi rolls I have ever tried, so I felt like it was worth mentioning here.

Green River Roll: shrimp tempura + spicy tuna roll covered in green tea tempura flakes + avocado + spicy lobster + green tea sauce + spicy sauce 

This roll had everything - spiciness, crunchiness, tangy-ness, tender and flavorful fish. Now, at $21 a pop for 8 pieces, it's not cheap, but definitely worth indulging yourself at least once.

As a semi-related aside, Soopah and I were just recently talking about how there aren't too many great sushi places left in the city, and how we hoped that the existing ones survive for years to come. Raw seems to have great sushi so I want people to know!

As another related aside, today, Foobooz posted a list of restaurants in Philly that have closed recently and it made me sad. Just goes to show that just because you get great reviews and your food is well-received, doesn't mean you'll be able to be profitable. Raw may stay top of mind because they have great outdoor space and a separate room where they throw dance parties, but remember, it seems the food is actually quite good too!

village whiskey: KING of burgers

last thursday, my friend andrew was in town from NY and we decided to show him what the best of philly burger tastes like. obviously, that meant, VILLAGE WHISKEY. vw is another one of jose garces' genius contributions to the city of philadelphia. and we love him for it. it's absolutely my favorite burger place, even though the prices, like the decadent burgers, are excessive. located next to another garces location, tinto, village whiskey is dark and cozy, with small tables that work best for groups of 2-4 and a long bar that is always packed with people. the bartenders here make some of the best cocktails in the city, and true to the name, vw has an impressive list of whiskey - scores of bourbon and rye, OH MY! the beer list isn't too shabby either. and somehow, the bartenders really seem to know what you'll like.

side note: i decided i am going to try something new - usage of capital letters in appropriate places. sigh. because i am apparently an adult and adults should write with proper punctuation and capitalization. 

:: Village Whiskey :: 

address: 118 south 20th st, philly

what we ate: beers, bourbon, cheese puffs, tater tots, whiskey king, 2 variations of village burgers

Now, Andrew is a true foodie and from New York, so clearly the pressure was on. After all, we have a reputation to uphold! 

Tater Tots with garlic aoli

Though, tater tots might nostalgic for the days you bought lunch in your school cafeterias, the tots at VW are probably not what you expect. The tots are shaped like little round balls and the potatoes taste like mashed potatoes that have been coated and deep fried.

I didn't really like the garlic aoli that accompanied these tots. It was overall a bit bland and didn't seem to add anything much to the dish. It would have been so much better with extra bite - perhaps spicy dijon. 

Cheese Puffs

Very disappointing. The puffs were bland and not even the cheese could help distract from the unappealing texture. Usually, we have to fight over the last remaining item in a dish, but with these, the last one just sat there until the rest of our food arrived at our table and the server cleared the plate away. 

Whiskey King burger: maple bourbon glazed cipollini onion + rogue bleu cheese + applewood bacon + foie gras

Andrew ordered the whiskey king. I was somewhat surprised by the size of the foie gras slice since it seemed so much smaller than the last time I had gotten this burger. 

The bacon slices looked thicker though, which is always a plus. Andrew was not too impressed with this burger. I mean, he wasn't disappointed with it, certainly, but expressed that there were places in NYC that had better burgers. That may be true, but a) that's NY and b) i feel like it's possible his opinion was tainted. 

Let me explain: he ate the burger with a knife and fork. And didn't eat the top bun.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that (other than it being a heinous and offensive crime to the best burger of all time, in philadelphia, in the year 2010... need more qualifiers - heh). BUT, I will say that it does change the experience of eating a burger - the experience should include big bites of the burger with a little bit of every ingredient smashed together, with meat juices dripping onto your hands and plate and toppings sliding out of your grasp. All I'm saying is... if you go try the whiskey king, eat it with your hands for optimal pleasure. :) 

Village Burger #1: sesame roll + house-made thousandisland + tomato + boston bibb + haystack mountain chevre + caramelized onions

I'll say this. We ordered both Village Burgers medium well. I'm not sure what I was thinking - maybe I was still haunted from my experience at Bobby's Burger Palace, but I think that was a mistake. Medium is preferred, and you could probably really go Medium Rare if you wanted to. I don't think that caramelized onions and chevre cheese are the ideal combination. 

Chevre is a goat's milk cheese and has a mild flavor, and of course, is very soft. The sweetness of the caramelized onions would have been better complemented by a sharper cheese - like a bleu. 

Village Burger #2: sesame roll + house-made thousandisland + tomato + boston bibb + jasper hill cheddar + marinated crimini mushrooms + fried egg + smoked bacon

This is my personal masterpiece. I call this the VW Burger a la mindy. I think it's PERFECTION. Better than the Whiskey King. Don't get too excited because once you add up all the ingredients, it still costs as much as the Whiskey King signature burger, but tastes BETTER imo.

As far as food trends go, I know 2010 is lovingly being referred to as the "year we put fried eggs on sh*t," and I am ALL for this idea. Fried eggs make almost everything better, wonderful, droolworthy, etc. I have this thing where I like to cut my burger in half before taking a bite, and this strategy works quite well when you have a fried egg topped burger since the yolk will break and lovingly coat a generous portion of the burger and all toppings with its gooey richness.

The bacon adds that extra chewy saltiness, which is balanced out by that gooey egg. The sauteed mushrooms add moisture, while the tomato and lettuce added that always welcome refreshing sweetness and crunch. And the cheddar, of course the sharp cheddar.... yessssss. In short, the VW Burger a la mindy is a must.

Andrew liked this better than the whiskey king too! Although, once again, I'd like to note that he did in fact eat this burger with his hands (rather than knife and forking it) - so that may have played a part too!

hearts VW.

oh BROWN BETTY - how do i love thee...

... let me count the ways:

• i love thee freely, as your deluxe rich frosting bursts with flavor
• i love thee purely, as your perfectly moist poundcake melts with each bite
• i love thee with passion put to use to whip that buttercream into its heavenly state
• i love thee gladly for having the savvy to extend 2 locations in our fair city

GO GET CUPCAKES at BROWN BETTY's or BROWN BETTY'S PETITES. you'll love it too! 

:: brown betty dessert boutique :: 

address: a) 1000 north 2nd st, b) 269 south 20th st, philly

what we ate: chocolate peanut butter, fruit-filled, betty's buttermilk, strawberry cupcakes

i lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove brown betty's desserts. i have only had their cupcakes and their cakes, but i suspect that all of their sweet delicious offerings are wonderful and unforgettable. to give you an idea of it's awesomeness, the first thing i ever ate from brown betty's was a chocolate red velvet cupcake, which generally i loathe. i did not choose to try this, but rather, was forced to take a bite of the rich chocolate-y cake and its perfectly sweetened cream cheese frosting, and ....  * HEAVEN * 

okay, i don't want to play these up too much, but honestly, these are the best cupcakes. last week, i tried another round of flavors: 

• hattie don't play variation: chocolate cake + chocolate frosting + peanut butter
• strawberry letter: strawberry poundcake + frosting
• betty's buttermilk: lemon poundcake + lemon buttercream
• sallie's fruit filled pound: vanilla poundcake+ lemon filling

i'll admit that they're not that pretty. but the upside is that part of the reason they're not that pretty is that they are wide and even wider at the top, providing more area for the frosting. my favorite of the bunch was definitely the chocolate peanut butter cupcake. it was the perfect balance of chocolate to creamy peanut butter and the cake was so deliciously moist.  

if you like lemon curd, you'd enjoy the fruit filled cupcake for sure. the frosting was refreshing and the lemon curd at the center of the cake base was sweet and tart and creamy. 

the strawberry letter was just okay. i'd pass on this next time, but then again, i'm not a huge strawberry fan. the poundcake had distinctive but not too overwhelming strawberry flavor, but the frosting was a bit on the bland side. 

anyway, GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO. and don't forget to bring me back some! 

  

lunch UNDER THE C + honest tom's taco love

so, in an effort to eat a bit healthier this week, i hit up under the c seafood which is located in the market at the comcast center. i must say, though pricey (it is seafood after all), the options available to you are GREAT.

i think people didn't really understand this place when it first opened. you can buy fresh seafood there, and at first glance, it just looks like a specialty seafood shop. it seems like in the past year, they have made huge efforts to change this perception of their business - and it's a good thing for us all.

:: under the c :: 
address: 1701 jfk blvd, phila (in the market at the comcast center)
what i ate: grilled grouper + stuffed mushroom + cucumber and tomato salad
looking in the display case, you can see a smorgasbord if seafood delights. here, you can choose to get deep fried, grilled, pan-fried, seared fish/shellfish and also select from an assortment of veggies.  

as i mentioned before, this place can get a bit pricey, but it's not unreasonable at all. most of the items are weighed and all have different per weight prices associated with them. some things, like crab cakes or lobster cakes (!!) are priced per piece. for example, a mini lump crab cake was $3.00 each and a jumbo lump crab cake was $6.00. 


grilled grouper with fresh herbs
this fish was very tasty and didn't have that fishy leftover taste at all. the piece they gave me was HUGE. i couldn't finish it. they also had tilapia and halibut, but i enjoyed my grouper selection quite a bit.

crab stuffed mushroom
i find that people have difficulty making a good stuffed mushroom. i think they usually forget to salt the mushroom itself because you're so concerned with the flavor in the stuffing. under the c's stuffed mushroom was no exception, but the stuffing itself was super tasty. i ended up eating just the stuffing and leaving most of the mushroom cap.

cucumber and tomato salad: cucumber + cherry tomato + cilantro + red onion + minced garlic
this was AWESOME. i don't really feel the need to get excited about salad, or really, veggies (unless they are artichokes and brussel sprouts), but this was really good. the flavors really worked well together, with the brightness of the cilantro and the bite from the red onion. the minced garlic added that extra layer of flavor too. YUM. i would definitely go back for this.

since it's a wednesday, geo had actually walked to honest tom's taco truck to get the chicken tacos today. so as an added bonus, i'll fill you in on how the chicken and sweet potato tacos taste (i made him give me a huge bit of both)!

:: honest tom's taco truck ::

address: 33rd and arch usually, 18th and vine on wednesdays/fridays (get updates through twitter: @HonestToms)

what he ate: chicken taco, sweet potato taco
both tacos had the same toppings: guacamole, red onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, fresh tomato salsa. the chicken taco, is seasoned really well and tastes delicious. you can tell they take the time and effort to season the chicken properly even though it's going inside a taco with a lot of other flavors. geo claims the chicken is better than the fish, but i disagree.

the sweet potato taco was a surprise for both of us. it obviously had sounded very interesting, but i guess we didn't have very high expectations... well... it was a standout, for sure. they must bake the chunks of sweet potato, then grill it - it's the only way to explain the softness of the sweet potato plus the chargrilled marks. the sweet potato flavor and the guac go extremely well together- who knew?

i would rank the tacos in this order of preference: fish, sweet potato, chicken. but really, you can't go wrong with any of them.

as you can see, it was so good we finished most of it before actually thinking to take a picture. heh.

i really HATE the flying monkey cupcakes

this has to be said. the CUPCAKES at the flying monkey at the reading terminal are terrible. TERRIBLE. i really like cake, so i mean, it's really hard for me to HATE a cupcake. i am particular about frostings so i don't really include that in the equation, but the cake itself... i am pretty lenient in my assessments.

well, the one at flying monkey is so terrible. and i am going off on this rant because i had it for the second time last week. the first time i tried a cupcake there, i was so disgusted i THREW IT AWAY. if you knew me, you'd realize that it takes a lot for me to throw away food, especially cake, but i did.

:: the flying monkey ::
address: reading terminal market, north 12th and arch st.
what we ate: cupcakes
the cake is DENSE, so dense you forget it's cake. but it's not dense in a moist way, similar to a pound cake. no, it's just dense, but also crumbly. sigh. and the frosting is neither light like whipped frostings, or creamy like a buttercream one. it's almost gelatinous. ALSO, full disclosure: i think the reason i'm so vocal about this cupcake is that it gets written up a lot for having very delicious baked goods, cupcakes in particular.

SIGH.

to be fair, i've had a lemon bar from the flying monkey before and it was pretty tasty. so i suspect their other baked treats are quite edible/enjoyable. but don't get the cupcakes. don't be fooled by their pretty colors and semi-interesting sounding flavors... they are the yucks.

peanut butter plaid: chocolate cupcake + peanut butter buttercream
the cupcake i had last week (my second, ever from here) was called "peanut butter plaid" and was basically chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. as i said before, the cake was dense and dry. the frosting tasted like a watered down version of peanut butter - so less the flavor, less the creaminess. sadface. i threw this one out too after a few bites.

flyin' hawaiian: vanilla cake + pineapple coconut buttercream + crushed macadamia nuts
chiho ordered this one for dessert. he got mad at me for letting him buy a cupcake from the flying monkey. he also threw his cupcake out.

mission: MUST EAT LIST superspeed round

Gonna be a good food day....
Friday lunch: Honest Tom's Taco Truck
Friday dinner: Bebe's BBQ

Oh yeah,
Friday breakfast: McDonald's.

Don't hate - I am just keepin' it real.
*******
honest tom's taco truck: fish tacos

whitefish (probably tilapia) with pineapple chunks, homemade guacamole, red onions, lemon juice and hot sauce.  at 2 tacos for $4, this is an awesome deal.

the lemon juice really brought out the bright and sweet flavor of the pineapple, but didn't overpower the mild fish. i asked for "a little bit of guac" only and it was perfect. might have gone a bit overboard with the hot sauce, but personally, i like it HOT.

every wednesday/friday? i'm so there.

raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

oh wait, no. raindrops on noses and bacon on burgers. YES, that's better. burgers are one of my FAVORITE things. so, despite the torrential downpour and gusting winds, my band of downtrodden, corporate drones will be trudging over to 500 degree burgers for a tasting of the rouge-inspired burgers and truffle fries.

pics and review to follow.

:: 500 degrees ::
address: 1504 sansom st, phila
so we arrived and quickly scampered into 500 degree burger, seeing shelter from the unrelenting rain. the space is on the small side, with only only 2 wooden rectangular tables that could probably seat about 8 max, each. additional seating available with wooden shelf-style ledge along the far wall and along half of the front window.

we arrived at 11:55am, and apparently JUST missed the lunch rush because as soon as we put our orders in, a line formed behind us, 17 deep. (i would have snapped a pic of that too, but i was too busy chomping down on my first bite of deliciousness).

okay, now that those details are out of the way... onto the MEAT of this entry:

burger:
what i like so much about burgers is the wide range of flavors and textures that are possible even when using basic burger parts - ground beef, cheese, bun, various veggies. size-wise, this was the perfect burger. i know there are food reviewers lamenting over the portions given, but i thought it was just enough.

   
i ordered the 500 degree burger: bib lettuce, tomato, cheddar, bacon and special sauce. pickles come on the side. the bun was probably about 4-4.5 inches in diameter, and the burger itself was round and about 1.5-2 inches thick. the special sauce seemed to be some sort of infused truffle oil + mayo type concoction. i surprisingly enjoyed this (obvs a surprise since i dislike mayo). added the pickles and a bit of ketchup and went in for the first bite.

the meat was well seasoned and the cheese added nice creaminess. usually lettuce doesn't to much for me, but bib lettuce was a nice, clean, crispy touch. the tomato added a nice slight sweetness, and the pickles added an extra layer of tart to the mix. i ordered this at medium rare temp, which is what is recommended. from the pic, it truly does look medium rare, but i would say that it actually was cooked more to the medium end. 

if i had to criticize this burger, i'd say that the bacon was a bit lost. the burger meat was so thick that the burger to bacon thickness ratio left something to be desired; you almost forgot there was bacon in the thing. also, you usually expect the bacon layer to exhibit either crispiness or chewiness, but i found that this bacon did neither. it may have been because it was so subtle that it was hard to notice, but whatever the reason, i say, MORE BACON, please. 

i am undecided about the bun at the moment. in theory, i liked it... with its fluffy airiness, but thickness that was substantial enough to support this creation. but, if i had to be honest, it wasn't particularly memorable. 

fries:

of course i got the truffle fries. i was expecting these to be very similar to the ones at rouge. however, they weren't identical. for one thing, they don't include the grated parmesan that rouge's offering boasts. but, they were thin and mostly crispy, with that awesome truffle flavor. there were quite a few soggy-ish fries, but i kind of enjoyed the mix of crunchy and soft fries - made it a bit more interesting. but that's just me.

my coworker ordered the spicy fries, which are accompanied by a spicy sauce that tastes very much like a spicy chipotle remoulade. i liked - it is definitely worth a try - assuming that your friend or burger devouring partner in crime orders the truffle fries and is willing to share those with you. 

milkshake:

i did not order this because i dislike shakes. HOWEVER, they have vanilla, chocolate or black and white shakes and the good thing is that they are made from real hard ice cream, not soft serve. i have been told this makes all the difference. so i will defer to the milkshake experts on this. 

OVERALL

all in all, i'd say 500 degrees is totally and definitely worth a, or many, return visits. the burger establishment i'd say is the most comparable alternative would be five guys - these places clearly fall in the same category of burger purveyors. the 500 degree burger is meatier and i'd say it feels more "made to order," whereas sometimes five guys burgers can tend to feel/taste mass produced. the five guys burger feels greasier than the 500 degree burger. and definitely, 500 degree fries ftw over five guys. 

let's go again!