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.

the end of an ERA at Yaki Tuesdays

My friends and I have been longtime fans of Yakitori Boy. Every Tuesday (and sometimes Wednesday, Friday, Saturday too) our self-titled HH (happy hour, DUH) crew would meet to lament, to laugh, to smacktalk, to drink ... and to SING! Our regular weekly attendance helped us become friends with the Yaki bar staff - Cindy, Ryu, Janny... and most beloved of all - JOSE. Soon, one of our own, Syl, even joined that elite group. Ah yes, the golden days of Yaki Tuesdays.

But ALAS, it's the changing of the guard. Yakitori Boy has new management in the upstairs bar... and... I DON'T THINK I LIKE IT.

Jose was the linchpin of the Yaki Tuesday Happy Hour Fun Time. He represented everything that is RIGHT and GOOD about great bar management - friendly, totally took care of his regulars, super fair, extremely fun and always willing to jump on top of the bar and sing (shout?) a roaring rendition of GASOLINA. Just to give you an example of his awesomeness, Jose gave us a plate of "fried boneless chicken finger thingies" (aka tatsuta age) with a candle in it when we dropped by Yaki to celebrate Soopah's bday - just because he knew we loved that dish and ordered it almost every week.

C'mon... that's good. RIGHt?!

Jose left Yaki to pursue more lucrative ventures in suburban Philly, and his exit coincided with a mass exodus of those familiar faces... goodbye bartenders. Now, Syl is the only face we know - and it's a great face (we love her), but it's definitely a huge SHIFT.

Because of these changes, and the fact that we have newly discovered love for South Philly and craft beer bars all over town, we hadn't been to Yakitori Boy in quite some time. Well, we went last night and were reminded of how much has truly changed.

Upon arrival, we were asked to check any large bags/handbags we may have. This was VERY upsetting to me. I was appalled that I had to now hand someone my messenger bag purse in order to gain entry to our one-time weekly spot. I tried to protest and asked if this was necessary, to which the girls responded "oh yes, new policy. Don't worry, it's for your safety, really." * hate *  I pulled out my blackberry, my wallet, my other blackberry (shuttup) - the handful of necessities - and reluctantly handed them over to the girl at the desk. What was even more infuriating was that once I made it upstairs, I found that they were sort of haphazardly enforcing this policy - every group seemed to have at least a handful of people who had been given the right to keep their purses.

Hanging out felt different too. For our group, last night was almost like a reunion since many of us hadn't seen each other in awhile. Most of the usual players were in attendance... and it should have felt like coming home. But it didn't. To me, it felt like a shell of its former glory.

Sure, the Tuesday $1 yakitori skewers, cheap beer specials and hilariously AWFUL karaoke singing will continue to give us a reason to return to Yakitori Boy - but it will never again be the home it was to us before. I miss those days.

* moment of silence for those glory days *
     

oopsies. receipt tracking fail

I realized today that the proclamation I made a while ago to post receipts of meals we have in city ... is a total fail. Haven't posted a single receipt since that entry.

Whoooops.
 

"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.

The Hammer of God

Not a reference to Thor, but the symbol of Philly's Beer Week. Passed from person to person via wheelbarrow, roller-skates, etc from the northeast to Independence Hall for the grand task of officially opening the first keg of Beer Week.

I read this review by the Inquirer's Joe Sixpack of some of the best beers of Beer Week and this part made me proud to call Philly my hometown...

Cantillon Classic Gueuze. Jean Van Roy, whose family runs Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels, made his first visit to the United States for Beer Week. As he was checking into his Center City hotel, the desk clerk noticed the brewery logo on Van Roy's shirt and launched into unsolicited praise for the tiny brewery's unusual, funky gueuze.

A couple of hours at Monk's Café, where his beer was served alongside lambics from 3 Fonteinen and Boon breweries, Cantillon related the story with astonishment. "All of these years, no one in Brussels ever recognized me," he said. "I come to Philadelphia, and they know me. I love this town."

See the full Tour Itinerary on the Philly Beer Week site.

if i could have any accent at all....

i would want a BRITISH one. i know everyone wants a british (or aussie) accent, but here is why i would want this:

i could say things like "this coffee is absolutely delightful and has depth" and sound intelligent and discerning, rather than like a douchebag. 

that is all.