USA - The Hungry Nomad

Belgian Cafe- Fairmout/Art Musuem (Philadelphia, USA)

August 11, 2012 2 Comments

While walking around the Fairmount/Spring Garden area admiring the beautiful homes, and deciding whether we should live in a brownstone with all of it’s inconveniences (i.e.- lack of parking space), we stumbled upon the Belgian Cafe. A cornerbistro/pub in the neighborhood, it would be hard to find if we hadn’t literally walked into it. We decided to stop in for a beer and would later return for a proper meal.

We were both happy to see that our favorite Belgian beer was on the menu. We returned on the 4th of July wanting something other than street food stands at the parade on Benjamin Franklin. The restaurant was busy but we were seated right away. The server was very nice and attentive and immediately took our order. The Count ordered a tomato and chevre cheese flatbread as an appetizer and the portabello mushroom sandwich as his entree. I ordered the mussels and fries. After all, that is what the Belgians are famous for.

The flatbread was quite literally a flat piece of bread sprinkled with cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with caramelized onions and balsamic vinaigrette. I didn’t like it, nor did the Count. It was too sweet and the flavors did not blend properly.

My mussels arrived next. A huge portion with a pot covering it to be used for the empty shells. It was served with a side of crispy fries. The broth was what ruined it. It was too salty to the point that I had to drain each shell before taking out the insides. Usually the broth is the best part made to dip your bread into after the mussels are gone. But not this broth. This broth tasted like liquid salt.

The Count craved something on the healthier side. But the sandwich he ordered oozed with oil. The bread was most likely fried in butter. Each bite was oily. After a few bites he gave up. He moved on to the side salad, at least that wasn’t covered in oil.

I expected this place to be a traditional Belgian Cafe serving authentic Belgian food. Besides the mussels and fries most other items on the menu were typical of most continental restaurants (ie. hamburgers, sandwiches and salads). The quality of the food was lower than I expected.

It seems to be a great place for drinks and snacks since they have a large variety of beers and good greasy snacks. But don’t count on having an amazing dining experience. Go here for the beer not the food.

Coffee Shop, Crepes, Pastries, Philadelphia, USA

Cafe L’Aube- Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

August 6, 2012 No Comments

I’ve been in search of a spacious coffee shop in the Fairmount area for weeks. The pickings are slim. There are only a handful of independent coffee spots and one Starbucks that can barely fit ten people. So with the help of Yelp, I found Cafe L’aube tucked away on the corner of Wallace street in the Spring Garden area. What is so great about Cafe L’Aube? Well for one, it serves great coffee and pastries. But mainly because it serves delicious and authentic crepes made to order. The employees are francophone and if you close your eyes you may try to imagine yourself sipping away at your cafe and crepe at a french coffee shop.

I started off with a latte and pain au chocolate… a few hours later I found myself hungry again and ordered the ham, mushroom and emmentaler cheese crepe. Delicious and cheesy.

So far in terms of coffee shops, this is my favorite in the city. Any one have any other recommendations?

Philadelphia, USA

Jamonera- Washington Square West (Philadelphia, USA)

July 30, 2012 No Comments

We ended up at Jamonera quite randomly one evening while walking the streets of Philadelphia trying to get ourselves acquainted with the city. We stumbled upon 13th street which seemed like the place to be on a Monday night since all the restaurants were packed. Since then I have learned more about chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran and their 13th street empire. They practically own the entire block with Jamonera being one of several of their restaurants (which I have yet to try).

Jamonera is a wine bar specializing in Spanish tapas. We walked in to a very dimly lit restaurant with red reflector lights displaying the wine bar and art work on the walls. We were immediately seated and served a small plate of gourmet olives. We started our dinner with the Crispy Cana de Cabra: fried goat cheese served with salad, picked cherries in a sherry vinaigrette.The goat cheese was creamy and crispy on the outside and combined well with the cherries and tangy flavors of the salad.

The Papa Frita was next: a plate of crispy skin potatoes, wood smoked garlic aioli, brava salt and house made sherry vinegar-hot sauce. I found that the potato skins were not crispy but chewy. I don’t like eating potato skins if its not completely crispy. Besides that, the pieces that didn’t have the skin were good: crispy on the outside and well cooked on the inside. It was not an extraordinary dish and like many I’ve had at other tapas restaurants around the world. Perhaps, a bit too oily.

Next was the Berenjenas: crispy eggplant served on top of a smoked tomato salmorejo and truffle honey layered with Parmesan. This was my favorite dish. I have never had eggplant served this way and thought it was a wonderful creation. I will definitely attempt to make this at home. The eggplant was crispy with the creaminess on the inside. The sauce went perfectly with the eggplant.

By this point we were both full. The portions were much larger than we expected. Given the price I assumed the dishes would be a lot smaller so we had ordered more dishes than our stomachs could take in. Next was the Calamarest en su tinta: crispy calamari which was fried in its own black ink, served with lemon aioli and garlic chips. The Count is not a big fan of tentacles but I can’t get enough. I think I finished this plate on my own. The Calamari was fresh and melted in my mouth, not at all chewy like I’ve had at other spots. I didn’t really taste the ink and think it is added more for it’s visual effect. It could have used more flavor as the calamari was a bit on the flavorless side and there was not enough lemon or dipping sauce to add the proper flavours.

The next dish was a definite first: roasted Spanish peppers. It seemed to be quite a simple dish: peppers sauteed in olive oil sprinkled with salt and viola: a new favorite. I did find that it was a bit too oily but it was too good to care.

We were so full but still had more food coming! Our last plate was the wild mushroom tosta: seared mushrooms, dry oloroso, cadi urgelia cheese, grilled ramps drizzled with truffle oil served on toast. The mushrooms were very strong and drowned out the other flavors. But overall it was a bit too oily for my taste buds.

Stuffed at this point, the waiter came over with the dessert menu. The Count and I looked at each other and knew there was physically no more room for dessert. Maybe next time we will know better than to order half the menu! I enjoyed our meal at Jamonera. Overall, the dishes were delicious but a bit on the greasy side. Don’t expect to have anything healthy if you are going here as many of the items have some fried element. It’s a great place to dine for a small group as the restaurant is quite small and the tables are literally one right next to the other. If you don’t like intimate settings where you can feel your neighbour breathing then ask for outdoor seating.

Korean food, Philadelphia, USA

WaJoe Korean Restaurant- Rittenhouse (Philadelphia, USA)

July 27, 2012 No Comments

Korean food is one of my favorites. In fact, if I had to choose between all Asian foods I would choose Korean and Japanese as the top two. I can’t believe I just said that because I also love Vietnamese and Chinese. How about we forget this favorites thing all together. I’ll just restart by saying I love Korean food. Vancouver has a large Korean community and growing up there meant I am completely spoiled when it comes to authentic Korean food (and all other Asian food). It’s funny how I learned to love Korean food since my first exposure to Korean was completely through smell. Ah yes, the infamous Kimchi. In College I lived in an all girls dormitory and on our floor there lived a Korean exchange student. Having a communal kitchen and fridge meant that everyone stored their exotic foods in the fridge. None of us knew what Kimchi was at the time, we just knew that the pretty Korean girl had something really smelly in the fridge all year. As soon as you opened up the fridge door, the smell of Kimchi would permeate the entire floor and linger there for days. Oh kimchi. The not so great odour of pickled Kimchi tickled my olfactory senses in the worst way possible and remained there for years.

It was not until a few years later that I discovered just how amazing Korean food was. I also fell in love with Kimchi to the point that I now store bottles of pickled kimchi in my fridge. I also introduced Korean cuisine to the Count who having similar taste in food also fell in love. We now make regular trips to Korean restaurants where ever we can find one. New Orleans was lacking in Korean cuisines (and many others in fact). So, you could understand how excited we were when we arrived in Philadelphia and realized that there is such a large pocket of all different types of international cuisine. Within our first week we made our way to WaJoe Korean restaurant.

Wajoe is one of many Korean restaurants in Philadelphia but we mainly chose to go there based on the proximity to our home. We went around 3 p.m. and the restaurant was empty. Each table has an installed barbecue in the middle. But we weren’t there for Korean barbecue. We were there for bibimbap and Japchae.

Once you place your order, it is customary to be served several small side dishes including fermented tofu, potatoes and bean sprouts in gochujang (chili paste).

And of course, no Korean meal is complete without a side of Kimchi.

For starters, we ordered the spicy rice cake. For a starters dish, it turned out to be quite large but so delicious that nothing remained except maybe a few rings of onion.

Spicy Rice Cakes

We ordered the Japchae. After I had half of it I realized there was no beef and the menu included beef in the description. When I brought it to our servers attention she said that most people in America don’t eat beef and that is why it was served without it. Never heard that one before. Needless to say she brought a small plate of fried beef to add to the dish. I thought that was a bit unprofessional. If you are going to list an ingredient in your menu then you should serve the dish as described. If I ask for no beef then serve the dish with no beef but don’t assume.

Japchae

Japchae is made with sweet potato noodles or glass noodles, stir fried in sesame oil with various vegetables and served with beef. It is very tasty. Our next dish was the traditional beef bibimbap. Bibimbap literally means ‘mixed rice’. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed vegetables and chili paste. A fried egg and sliced meat are also optional additions. The ingredients are stirred together in a hot stone bowl right before eating.

Bibimbap

The result is shown in the photo below! A mixture of rice, beef, eggs and vegetables for a mouthful of bursting flavors.

Mixed Bibimbap

WaJoe met our expectations. We went there craving Korean food and left with our bellies full of Kimchi, bibimbap and other Korean delights. In terms of quality, I would not say that it is the best Korean food I have ever had but it certainly does serve staple Korean dishes. It was good enough that we have considered going there again.

Breakfast, Brunch, Philadelphia, USA

Sabrina’s Cafe and Spencer’s Too-Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

July 26, 2012 1 Comment

Saturday morning, stomach and fridge empty we decided to go out for brunch. With the help of Yelp we found out that one of the best rated brunch places was right next door. So with a hop, skip and a jump we ended up outside of Sabrina’s Cafe. The restaurant and outside was packed and the wait was over an hour long. But we got offered to sit at the bar and quickly made our way through the restaurant to the back. It was a perfect place to sit since I had a great view of everything that came out of the kitchen. And boy, did everything look tasty!

Our order was taken right away: the burger special for the Count and huevos rancheros for me. After a few minutes of food-watching we were served with what I rate as the best huevos rancheros I’ve ever had. It was presented differently than your typical huevos rancheros. It was served with two blue corn tortillas topped with a smoky chorizo sausage sauce finished with lime sour cream and spicy red pepper guacamole and 2 fried eggs with a side of hash browns and fried jalapeno peppers. I don’t think I need to go on about how amazing this meal was for the photo below explains it all. It was such a large serving but I polished my plate clean. Needless to say I could barely walk after since I was so full.

The Count’s burger special was served with a side of coleslaw and hand-cut fries. He was also very happy with his meal and he is known to be quite the burger snob. He said it was one of the best he has ever had. I can’t really give you details of the tasty burger because I confess I was so into eating my dish that by the time I looked up he was done with his. I could only take that as an indication of how good it was. But I think the photos are an accurate image of the tasty burger.

Everything that came out of the kitchen looked amazing. And every patron looked extremely happy. It is just one of those feel good places with good, rich and filling food in a great environment. In fact it was so good, we have already been there twice since. I guess you can say we are big fans!

Sabrina's Café and Spencer's Too on Urbanspoon

Philadelphia, USA

Osteria- Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

July 25, 2012 2 Comments

It has almost been a month since our move to Philadelphia and I have settled in familiarized myself with the city and the dining scene. After some research online I found the top 50 best restaurants in Philadelphia on PhillyMag‘s website. Determined to find out for myself I started my culinary adventure at a James Beard Foundation 2010 Winner Osteria.

Jeff Michaud won best Mid-Atlantic Chef in 2010 and the restaurant was nominated for the ‘Best New Restaurant’ in 2008. Not surprising given that everything from the decor to the wine and house made pasta was beyond perfect.

We went on a Friday night with reservations…a good thing since the place was full. The restaurant is beautiful. It has a rustic yet industrial feel to it. The best part was the glass covered patio looking onto the church next door. It was quite the experience.

As soon as we were seated, we were given our regular menu and an ipad for the wine list. That was a first. Is that what restaurants are doing these days? Anyway, I found it to be a bit confusing and wonder what the not-so-tech-savy crowd would do when selecting their wine.

The menu offers homemade pastas, thin crust pizzas and wood grilled meats and fish. We skipped the antipasti and went straight to ordering our entrees: the lombarda pizza (thin crust pizza with baked egg, bitto cheese, mozzarella and cotechino sausage- $18), the robiola francobolli (postage stamp ravioli served with royal trumpet mushrooms, butter and thyme- $16) and the farfalle pasta (farfalle pasta served made with smoked chorizo, zucchini and aged goat cheese- $16). See Menu

The Lombarda pizza was served exactly as it was described on the menu. The crust was perfect and crispy yet not burnt on the bottom. A few burnt bubbles on the top but not enough to ruin the taste. The flavors of the cotechino sausage and baked egg with the cheese blend and sprinkled herbs made for a perfect combination. The Count and I both loved it and found ourselves eyeing the last piece. I of course always get the last piece since the Count is too nice to say no (but mainly because there was so much more good food to come).

The primi pasta dishes were both delicious. However, we both agreed that the robiolla francobolli was the better of the two dishes. The dish was creamy and covered with butter and Parmesan cheese and quite literally melted in my mouth. It was the first time I tried such a pasta and thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I would have licked the plate if I could but it was a classy joint so I held myself back.

You can really taste the freshness and superior quality of all the ingredients in each bite. Hand made pasta is just something else and in my opinion should become the norm in all Italian restaurants.

Dessert consisted of the butterscotch bonet and chocolate flan with pistachio gelato. When our server described the butterscotch bonet I pictured something resembling a creme caramel. Hence, my surprise when I took the first bite. It was very rich in texture and nothing like a creme caramel. It was doughy and very heavy, drizzled with caramel sauce. It was the one thing I did not like all night. But of course it depends on personal preference.

The Count ordered the chocolate flan and advised me against the butterscotch bonet. So, with eyes that said ‘I told you so’, he refused to share his dessert. You may remember that we refer to him as Count Chokula for his love of all things dark chocolate. Of course he gave in and ended up sharing with me as he always does! That’s what husbands are for afterall. The chocolate flan was warm and gooey in the middle. It tasted like a flourless chocolate cake. The combination of the chocolate and pistatchio gelato made for a perfect dessert.

Glass-covered outdoor seating overlooking the church

Berkel slicer

Brick pizza oven

Vintage Faema Coffee Machine

Osteria was the perfect way to be introduced to Philadelphia’s dining scene. It was one of the best Italian meals I have had to date.

Philadelphia, Sweets, USA

Capogiro Gelateria- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)

July 24, 2012 1 Comment

After our meal at Birra, we went for a stroll on Passyunk street. I am already drawn to this area of town given the colorful shops, restaurants and young/hip atmosphere. We spotted a Gelato shop and decided we had enough room for dessert.

At the time, I was not aware that Capogiro Gelateria has various locations and is a local and international Gelato celebrity.

I loved the decor and presentation. Everything was clean, sharp and beautifully presented. The shop was very homey and cozy. The gelato is not set out like other gelato shops but is hidden by lids. There are also not a large variety of flavours to choose from but what they did offer was enough.

The shop also offers a wide range of coffees and sweets.

And biscotti! I love biscotti. But didn’t get a chance to try on this trip.

The flavors are written on a chalkboard. I ordered the Nocciola and Pistachio while the Count ordered the Dark Chocolate and Grapefruit. Capogiro uses local hand picked produce and milk from grass fed, hormone free cows. You can really taste the difference and quality in each spoonful. I was not expecting such an explosion of flavours in my mouth. I’ve had a lot of gelato in my time. And a good amount of that in Italy from Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Amalfi coast and I can confidently say that this was one of the best I have ever had. Definitely the best I have had in America.

The flavours were so strong and the gelato was so creamy. I have never taste gelato this good. No wonder it was picked as the best gelato ‘in the world’. This is definitely a new favorite. I have yet to try the other locations but I definitely love the space, decor and flavors offered at this location.

Philadelphia, USA

Pizza at Birra- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)

July 23, 2012 No Comments

Our first weekend in Philadelphia and we were already in search of pizza. We headed to the Italian Market to yelp our way to a pizza shop. At that point, I had not done any research on restaurants in Philadelphia so I really knew nothing about where to go and what to eat. But when you crave pizza, you find pizza, and you eat pizza. We parked on Passyunk street and found Birra through yelp. It is a modern Italian restaurant serving mostly pizza and anti pastis. (See menu)

We started with the Salumi dish with three different types of cured meats served with pickles, red peppers and a special sweet sauce. The portions were very generous. It was the first time ever that we did not finish our Salumi dish.

The Salumi was served with a bowl of different fresh breads. The focaccia style bread was very oily but nevertheless tasty.

For our main dish we created our own pizza. You can choose between red or white sauce and choose the number of toppings. We chose red sauce with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and arugula.

It was a very flavorful pizza. Generous amounts of cheese and all other toppings. It is not a brick oven pizza and made like your average pizza: in an oven. But the end result is good enough.

If you like beer, you will also enjoy their variety of craft beers on tap and in bottles. We went very early on a Saturday but the place was almost full. A range of different characters and an overall loud ambiance. We also noticed that all the servers and bartenders were tattooed up. Perhaps its a criteria before getting hired? Overall, we both enjoyed our meal at Birra. The food was satisfactory and served in generous portions. It was not the best pizza I’ve ever had but it certainly did satisfy our craving.

Cheesesteak, Gourmand, Philadelphia, USA

Pat’s King of Steaks- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)

July 18, 2012 1 Comment

Two days on the road and we finally arrived in Philadelphia in the late evening. Hungry with nowhere to go we made the pilgrimage to Pat’s King of Steaks. Rumor has it that Pat’s and Genos are the two best cheese steak spots in Philadelphia. Then there are others that argue that they are the two most popular but by far not the best in town. At this point, I don’t know the difference. We parked the car and were instantly drawn like flies to the bright neon lights of Genos. It was ‘bright’. Too bright for my eyes with a long line up. Pat’s was across the street and seemed a little less crazy. So we headed to Pat’s.

We lined up. Ordered our cheese steak at the counter and moved on. You have the option of three different cheeses: American, cheez whiz or provolone cheese. I’m pretty sure I ordered mine with the American cheese.

The counter is made of glass which allows you to see exactly what goes on in their kitchen. A whole lot of stir fried beef, veggies and globs and globs of orange liquid cheese.

The staff are very friendly. Once we told them we had made the pilgrimage all the way from New Orleans they became extra attentive and told us what to order and how. Its a high paced environment and the photos reveal just that.

Once you pick up your sandwich you can order a drink and fries in another counter. There is a topping station with mustard, ketchup and hot peppers to stack your sandwich with.

The cheese steak was perfect. I have only had one cheese steak in my life and that was in Vancouver at the American Cheesesteak Co. The sandwich was packed with meat and topped off with American cheese. Then I personally added mustard, ketchup and hot peppers, stuffed it with some fries and took a big bite. Mmm so mouthwatering good. It is not the healthiest dining experience I have had and surely it is only a treat to be had once in a while given that each sandwich is packed with calories. I washed it down with some liquid sugar and took another bite. Four bites in and I was full. The Count was full. Our friend was full. Maybe they can offer half portions to Canadians like me? There are people from all walks of life at Pats and in the surrounding area. As I ate, a homeless boy dug through the trash making each bite a bit painful accompanied with a surge of guilt. Then as I took a guilty bite a boy beside me belched so loudly I almost felt sick to my stomach. I guess that is the charm of the place? Welcome to Philadelphia.

I had the same sentiments for the cheese steak as I had for the po-boy in New Orleans. I’m not a big fan. Of course I can appreciate a good sandwich and did think the cheese steak lived up to it’s name; however, on a personal note I cannot say I was won over. However, fear not as I will continue my cheese steak review in the Philly region so I can personally decide which is the best. So far Pat’s did not let us down. Perhaps Geno’s is next?!

Philadelphia, Travel, USA

Next Chapter: Philadelphia- Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love

July 17, 2012 No Comments

After a two day drive from New Orleans, Louisiana through the vast country we arrived late at night to Philadelphia and drove directly to have our first cheesesteak to welcome ourselves to the city we will be calling home for the next year. What do I really know about Philadelphia? All I know I’ve seen in the movies, Rocky running in the cold up a vast staircase, cheesesteaks, philadelphia cream cheese, pretzels, and that it’s always sunny in Philadelphia. For the next year, I’ll spend every second getting to know the city and eat my way through whatever the city has to offer.

What’s most exciting for me was to learn that Philadelphia is another foodie haven. Although I am having New Orleans withdrawals I am adapting to my new home town and starting to venture out to local restaurants. And boy- are there a lot of good ones. The large mix of immigrant groups has led to culinary heaven: Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese, French and even Portuguese. So far we’ve been getting lots of love from the city of brotherly love.

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