The French Culinary Institute of New York

**carafe of sparkling water** 

I've walked by the doors of the L'Ecole the restaurant run by the students of the  French Culinary Institute too many times to count. Every time I'm in NYC, I make a habit of going to SOHO and as a result I pass by this school usually on my way to chinatown to grab some much needed food to refuel for more shopping. This past Saturday the weather was cold, rainy, windy and all around terrible. I ended up outside the doors of L'Ecole in dire need of some warmth and food.


They offer prixe-fix meals throughout the day. Brunch and dinner on the weekends and lunch and dinner during the work week. For $19.50 we decided that it was an affordable escape from the wintry weather. The menu offered a little for everyone. Clearly French bistro inspired there were a few non traditional french items but we stuck with the classics. Here's a tip for people who like sparkling but hate to pay the premium. The school offers flat or sparkling filtered water as part of the prixe-fix price. So feel free to order the sparkling. (I ordered it without knowing it was complimentary and my brunch companion who is notorious for being extremely budget conscious almost vetoed my request for sparkling before our waitress informed us that it was complimentary)

 **my burger**

I ordered the seasonal salad hoping for heaps of cauliflower and butternut squash. Instead it was a bed of frisee with a bit of baby arugula some walnuts and a sprinkling of squash and two florets of cauliflower. I am not a big fan of frisee. I don't mind bitter greens but I find frisee to be a bit dry and hard to handle. The curly leaves spring out from my fork in all directions and I find it's always a struggle to get it into my mouth neatly. The salad was a bit disappointing however my brunch companions liked their choices. The terrine was yummny and the butternut squash soup was rich, creamy and comforting. 

**duck confit**

 

I was happy when we moved past the first course and were presented with our entrees. I ordered the burger medium well and it arrived on a brioche bun. Yay! i love brioche buns for burgers. I hate when the buns overpower the patty and with the delicate nature of brioche that's hard to do.  The fries were a bit over salted but well prepared. My other brunch companion got the duck confit and that looked well executed - crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Brunch at L'Ecole was definitely the right move and at $19.50 a very affordable option.

El Zarape Taqueria

I've recently been getting sudden cravings for  Mexican food. Not that Tex Mex stuff they serve at Taco Bell and Qdoba but the real authentic stuff that real authentic Mexicans eat. I don't really know when it started but I've been finding myself eating tacos at least twice a month. 

Most recently I stumbled across El Zarape located in the Passyunk Square area. This place is located directly across the street from that hipster haven Cantina Los Caballitos and is not as sleek or eye catching but I have to say that to food is good. They serve you fresh chips and salsa not unlike what you get from La Veracruz but in addition to the red and green salsa you get a side of refried black beans. The beans are GOOD.

 red & green salsa with chips and refried beans

I ordered the Taco's Al Pastor (my all time favorite) and my lunch companion went with the zucchini blossom quesadilla. My tacos were awesome. It had just the right amount of onion and pineapple mixed in with the juicy pieces of pork. The quesadilla was OK. It was made with flour tortillas which I'm not a huge fan. They weren't terrible...just nothing special. 

   

tacos al pastor

 

 zucchini blossom quesadilla

Dmitri's - Fitler Square

glass of the house white

When I think of BYOB's, Dmitri's is always on the top of that list. The location in Queen Village has been popular for years and has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. I've eaten many meals at the bar, squeezed in shoulder to shoulder with my dinner companion and other patrons. This cramped, loud little restaurant makes no apologies for these inconveniences. You either love it or hate it and I happen to be someone who loves it. They serve seafood that is fresh and simply prepared. No foams, no gelee, no freeze dried anything is served here. Just honest to goodness fresh fish, shellfish and a few Greek inspired salads and dips. So given my partiality to this tiny little gem of a restaurant, is it any wonder that I never remember that there exist a sister restaurant in Filter Square?

appetizer sampler

 

sauteed mussels

I finally ate at Dmitris 2  one Friday night and boy was I surprised. This one is not a BYOB like the in Queen VIllage but the menu is more or less the same. They offer a few different items such as the appetizer sampler dish which included a cucumber salad, the beets, and variety of the dips and along with wedges of the grilled pita. I love eating the pita dipped in the olive oil with just a splash of the Tabasco. There's just something about that combination that just makes my tastebuds sing. It is a great starter and more than enough for 2 people. We ordered that along with the sauteed mussels (my favorite) and then one platter, which was the tilapia special (broiled tilapia filets in white wine) and since this was not a BYOB we each ordered a glass of the house white. It was the perfect dinner. The atmosphere was lively, but not as cramped as the Queen Village location and the food well executed. I was pleasantly surprised by how much i enjoyed myself. If you find yourself wandering about Filter Square/Rittenhouse Square looking for a non-pretentious and affordable dinner spot you should check out Dmitri's on the corner of 23rd and Pine.

Soho Cafe

There are two things that I love in life right now. Yakitori Boy and BonChon chicken. And these things came together unexpectedly last Wednesday - the day before Thanksgiving - the biggest party night of the year!

A large order of wings

We started the night out at Bonchon for dinner and Cafe Soho did not disappoint. This little restaurant located near the corner of 5th and Cheltenham Ave started serving korean fried chicken a little over a year ago. If you've never had this type of fried chicken, I would highly recommend it. They're like buffalo wings but crispier and and flavor is more rounded. I like both the spicy version (the heat in these wings are masochistically hot) and I like the soy garlic. Eating this fried chicken goodness requires strategy that I'll share with you. In order to keep the heat from the spicy wings from getting to you, you have to alternate between the spicy and soy garlic and drink the beer. Also try to keep the contact with your lips at a minimum otherwise the heat from the spicy sauce will make your lips burn and go numb. I know it sounds terrible and quite torturous but believe me it's well worth it. These wings are addictively good.

Deep Fried Turkey Goodness

Like every other food obsessed American, I often prepare for Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, by watching the Food Network and most importantly their Thanksgiving Specials. For the last few years I've been toying with the idea of a deep fried turkey. I mean who doesn't like fried food? In the past, turkey has always taken a backseat to the sides served at dinner. We made a turkey because it was expected not necessarily because of the way it taste. Over the years, my mother and I have tried every "trick" in the book to try to make this large heavy breasted bird succulent and juicy. We've brined, injected, massaged, basted, tented and in the end just prayed that the white meat would be juicy and the dark meat cooked. Eventually after years of tweaking our technique, we found that brining and rubbing butter on the bird was the best we could do to prevent it from going dry in the oven.

This year, out of the blue, two weeks before Thanksgiving, my mother informs me that she wants to deep fry the turkey. I was delighted and honestly a little scared. I saw the deep fried turkey special by Alton Brown and watched as they lit a fryer contraption on fire when they plunged the bird into the fat. As soon as the words, "Deep Fried Turkey" came out of my mother's mouth I kept seeing images from that turkey inferno in my head.

Despite my fear, we went ahead and purchased the fryer from Lowes Hardware and hoped for the best. As you can see from the picture it turned out well. We brined the turkey overnight as usual and instead of roasting it for hours it only took about 50 minutes in the fat and out came a golden crispy juicy bird. It was by far the tastiest and juiciest turkey we've ever made. Deep Fried Turkey is awesome! Happy Thanksgiving!

TRIO - boozy dinner

When my sister first asked me if I wanted to join the gang for dinner at TRIO I was very hesitant for the following three reasons. #1 I had just had Thai food earlier that week and didn't know if my tummy was going to be in the mood for more # 2 This place was located no where near my house or her house. It was all the way at 26th and Brown in the Art Museum Area. #3 The weather man predicted rain. A lot of it. That last reason alone is usually enough to keep me indoors huddled on my couch snuggling my dog. However against my better judgement I decided to join the gang for dinner.

Parking was quite difficult, as I had mentioned before, the weather man predicted rain and he was more than correct. The city was blanketed in clouds, fog and rain for 2 days that continued steadily that night. When I reached the Art Museum area, there was a lot of unexpected traffic due to the increased Halloween traffic going on at the Eastern State Penitentiary. I thought to myself "great, this night is turning out shitty already."  However after circling the restaurant a few times, I finally found parking right on 26th street off of Aspen. We trudged into the restaurant located right on the corner of the block with it's faeire lights twinkling in the rain. It actually looked quite warm and inviting and we were happy to make it inside. I had no idea that the place boasted 3 floors of dining rooms and an outdoor deck. The deck clearly was no use to us that night but I could see how inviting it could be on a nice summer night.

I was begginning to see why the gang suggested we have dinner at Trio. We were seated at a long table that comfortably accomodated our large group. We had a party of 9 and a stash of 8 bottles. I should have known that any dinner at a BYOB with this bunch would turn into a boozy dinner. Since it was raining and I was a DD I had only a few glasses of wine.

The menu was interesting. Clearly asian inspired but the entrees were all more fusion-y than authentic thai. I went with the crispy duck which the waitress higly recommended. I found it to be dry and the sauce a bit one dimensional. It wasn't bad in any way. But I like my duck cooked to medium and I knew I had made a mistake in my entree choice when the waitress didn't ask me for a temperature on my duck. However as a saving grace one person in our group suggested we order noodles for the table and we all quickly agreed that it sounded like an excellent notion.

The drunken noodles and the pad thai that we ordered to share was excellent. Full of flavor and not too greasy as stir fried noodles can sometimes be. Overall I can't remember what everyone ordered but I do remember the staff being very attentive but not overbearing. We all ate heartily and drank with gusto. I had a enjoyable experience that had as much to do with the company as it had to do with the food and the restaurant. I can see how this neighborhood joint managed to be full on a rainy cold Saturday night.

You need someone new.

I hear this line all the time from my best friend. Every time I call him or text him or email him a random thought or dream regarding my ex-boyfriend we end the conversation with him telling me that I need to move on and find someone new. That is easier said than done.  

It's not that I am dying to get back together with said ex. It's just that I still think about him endlessly. I don't think it's in an obsessive I'm going to kill your pet bunny type of way. But all sorts of little things in my everyday life triggers memories of our time together and it just leads me to think about him.

Every time I eat a fried egg over rice with soy sauce, it's so yummy that it makes me feel thankful for having met him. It’s the best breakfast when you’re slightly hung over. Every time I see a Lacoste polo shirt, or any mention of the NY Giants or NY Mets it immediately transports me back to hours on the couch with my ex watching sports that meant nothing to me but I watched it all because I loved him.

Mostly, I just wonder how he is and how he had been spending his time. Then I start to wonder if he is single or seeing someone. It all starts to get pretty pathetic, pretty fast. (I never said that I was proud of this behavior.) Typically after I've worked myself up into a frenzy of emotion, I'lI call my best friend hyperventilating. At which point he usually talks me off the ledge and tells me to move on and find someone new. It's a vicious cycle that starts off so innocently. It’s been almost a full year since I officially ended it with the ex. How long does it take to move on?

Stalking - modern like

 Photo of from here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaderli/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

With the advent of new social media networks like Facebook and MySpace cyber stalking is just oh-so-easy. I find myself killing (I can't even count how many) hours by repeatedly pressing the "check status" icon on my blackberry for Facebook and my heart skips a beat when there's a new update from people that I've been "keeping in touch with" ahem..."stalking" via Facebook.

It's just so easy to scroll down your "friends" list and just casually check on people that you know especially with exboyfriends.

I really want to see what my ex has been up to these days. We no longer speak or even really communicate. I think he doesn't want to be on "friendly" terms with me.  My definition of friendly means an occasional email with a short update on what's going on. Nothing serious...no drama. I don't need to know how many women he's talked to or hooked up with but a short cursory email with a little information on his life and family wouldn't hurt. I mean when you're with someone for a number of years and things don't workout is it really necessary to completely cut off all ties of communication?

I have friends that say that this is an absolute must and that you can't stay friends with your exes. I beg to differ. I do believe that distance is necessary in the beginning when the separation is fresh but after almost a year of no communication shouldn't a little email warrant a timely response? It wasn't like there was drama in the breakup....things just didnt work out there was no cheating or anything like that.

So given my obsession with Facebook status checking, I've been really good about not checking on my ex. However today I hit an information over load purely by accident. OK..not quite by accident...but I wasn't really cyber stalking. I was just going through blogger and found his blog. *gasp*

I know. I shouldn't have read it. But that's like putting candy in front of a baby and asking him/her not to try to eat it. I tried to resist but I knew it was a battle that I wasn't going to win. I read it. And it was hard. I think I might be an emotional cutter....i have problems. :(

Are we human or are we dancer?

What is your definition of a real human being? I've struggled with the answer to this question everyday since graduating from college. And it's sad to say that was a long long long time ago. (Thank goodness I'm petite and asian and can still pass for an undergrad)

I remember having a conversation about the choice to be inked or not to be inked with a 21 year old while vacationing in Australia. This boy err man or maybe man-boy was obsessed with his tattoos. Some were in easy to spot places like the inside of his right wrist and others were not like the ones on his upper arm, across one side of his chest and one on his lower abdomen. I mentioned that night after one too many beers that I had always wanted a tattoo but the sheer magnitude of the decision as to what to actually get and where to put it on my body (where it would stay FOREVER) has pretty much forced me into indecision on the whole matter. I told him that I wasn't entirely convinced that it was possible to be a "real human" being if you had visable and obvious tattoos. And I was pretty sure that I should strive to be an real human. It seemed like a logical conclusion to me however he was fairly adamant that my definition of a "real human being" differed greatly from his. 

I only meant that being a person with large visible tattoos seemed to be the antithesis of what an adult should be. And for me a "real human being" = adult.  When I was a kid I thought for sure by the time I hit 30 I would have things all figured out. I didn't necessarily want a house in the burbs with 2.5 children and a white picket fence but I just thought that I would be an adult or at least feel like and adult... doing adult things like my parents. I wasn't sure of all the details but I thought that I would have a plan and a goal and direction.

I am now 30 years old with absolutely no idea of where I'm going, what I want and how to get it. All I know is that I have no ink on me anywhere and I don't think I'm any closer to being a "real human being" then my 21 year old visibly inked friend. Harrump....perhaps it's time to rethink this inking thing after all.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

I've decided that it might be time to extend the scope of this blog to include food, love and life. I started this blog ages ago as a way to share my culinary adventures with my friends and family via the web and honestly I had hoped it would be something that my boyfriend (at the time) and I could do together because I thought we lacked "common interests." Fast forward 2 years and I am no longer with said boyfriend but still obsessed with food and still have tons of random thoughts and ruminations that I feel compelled to share with the world.

My posts have been sporadic at best and the layout atrocious. But it's not my fault :( I really hate using the html editor provided by blogger. Maybe I'm retarded or something...but i just can't seem to make this thing look the way I want it to. And it's really depressing when I see blogs by youngins that look super slick and polished. You'd think that with my background in programming that'd I'd be able to get this thing to look good. Oh wells.....I guess it's just not one of my strengths. I'm ok with that...we can't all be good at everything :)

Flat whites and Freedom

Who knew that our aussie aunts, uncles and grand pa and grandmother had a secret plan to lock us Americans away in their little home in North Melbourne. For days, we were forced fed “home cooked” dinners that tasted great but made us yearn all the more for the freedom to go out and buy some food … any food. Seriously. No vacation is complete without checking out the local dining scene … at least not for me.

For some reason, the family thought that we wouldn’t be able to navigate the city on our own and this just baffled me to no end. I mean I’m 30 years old…something that I’m not usually shouting out to the world but in this case I thought it would be enough proof of my competency in life. I really don’t know what kind of stories my father had been feeding these people for the past 20 some years...but it certainly seemed like he failed to inform them that Phuong and I were actually real adults capable of getting around a city without falling victim to kidnappers, gang bangers and other evils that they believed lurked around every corner in Melbourne.

After a few days of what felt like forced imprisonment, I was finally presented with a chance to break free from our confinement. I discovered from one of my aunties that she not only worked in the City but walked there from my grand aunt’s place (the location of our internment) and also there were trams that ran straight into the city and other destinations all around Melbourne. This aunt proved to be our saviour and key to freedom - thanks Vichi.

That very day Phuong, Judie, Michelle and I all left the house bright and early and trailed my auntie to work. We happily trudged past Royal Children’s Hospital, past University of Melbourne and straight by Queen Victoria Market …. right into the city. First stop…coffee shop. A flat white for me, hot chocolates for the girls and of course a meat pie for Phuong. A morning cup of coffee laced with freedom.

The Meat Pie

It’s like a poor man’s chicken pot pie except they’re mostly made without chicken or any real discernable meat. Just a kind of mushy meat-like substance that isn’t half bad smothered in tomato sauce (or as we call it in the states – ketchup) The aussie’s really seem to like their little meat pies because they were being sold at almost every fast food outlet through out Melbourne. Our aussie cousins informed us that the Four And Twenty (which were proudly sold at all 7 Elevens) was an all time favorite. With this kind of recommendation, Phuong couldn’t resist and on our first day exploring the city promptly bought and devoured her first meat pie. That was the beginning of the meat pie madness. For days she went on and on about getting more meat pies.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the weird consistency of the filing despite the fact that I typically like savory pies but somehow this just didn’t work for me. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

bar ferdinand - happy hour

RAIN?! Again? at what point did I go to bed and wake up in Seattle? Having been born and raised in Philadelphia, I am not a stranger to sub par weather but this past month has been pretty miserable in terms of sunshine. I think we got 2 weeks straight of rainy/t-stormy weather and by Friday I had had enough of it. The sun came out for a few hours and it was motivation for me to go to happhy hour. OK to be honest...it takes very little to get me to go to happy hour and on Fridays it's almost mandatory.

Miss HatT and I decided to head over to the Northern Liberties tapas place called Bar Ferdinand located on N 2nd street. This restaurant has been around for a few years and has had consistently favorable reviews from local critics and the general public but somehow I've never made my way over to it. And oh how I wanted to kick myself after happy hour on Friday.

From food

**white sangria**

Not being a huge fan of tapas even though I love the idea of little plates, sharing food and forced variety due to the small size of the portions....I just never got into the whole tapas trend. Number one, I found that the flavorings were just too similiar in each dish...olive oil, salt and fried. I mean I love fried things as much as the next person...but still I needed more. Number two, the price of the meal when all was said and done felt way too high to justify the portions. I guess it was probably more reason number two, for my unfavorable opinion of tapas eateries. And keep in mind, I have dined at two of the "best" tapas places - Casa Mona (NYC) and Amada (Philadelphia).

However after happy hour, all my previous notions were thrown out the window. Bar Ferdinand made me a beleiver. Miss HatT and I ordered a pitcher of the white sangria and it was OK. The wine they used was a bit dry for my taste...but at half off the regular price....I wasn't going to complain. We chose a potato dish with aioli, a grilled beef skewer with pistachio pesto and a stuffed squid with onion relish. Each dish was delicious. We finished every last bite. I can't wait to go back to try more dishes and the paella.

From food

**potatoes w/aioli**

From food

**Stuffed Squid**

From food

**Beef Skewer**

When we arrived shortly after 5PM the chefs were just starting up the outdoor paella station and on my way out one pan was just about finished. It looked magnificent with the yellow saffron infused rice, chicken, peas and the whole pan was studded with mussels still in their black jewel like shells. Most of the outdoor seats were filled with hipster who were "in-the-know". I left the restaurant shaking my head mentally kicking myself for not having tried this place sooner. Oh well. I have the rest of the summer to make up for my poor decisions.

hidden city soire 2009

From food

I almost never pass up a tasting event. Hidden City had an event at the Armory in Rittenhouse on Thursday June 28. Miss HatT, my trusty eating companion, joined me in ths cavernous location for a chance to sample dishes from a variety of restaurants in Philadelphia.

From food

The event featured foods from Cafe Spice (old city), Friday Saturday Sunday (rittenhouse), Trio (no libs), El Vez(wash sq west), Swanky bubles (old city) and National Mechanics (old city). They also had a signature cocktail made from a ginger liquor called Domaine De Canton (the distributor is based in Philadelphia) - some sort of lemonade concoction. It wasn't half bad but the sticy summmer weather had me thirsting for something a little less strong and a little less sweet. Honestly by the end of the event I really just wanted to get a glass of ice water.

From food

The place got packed quickly as Miss HatT and I arrived about 20 minutes before the official start time and within about 30 minutes it got packed and within 45 minutes food started to run out at certain stalls. The sushi at Swanky Bubbles was the first to go.

From food

The best thing I tasted was the tomato based chicken curry offered by Cafe Spice. The curry was flavorful and the sauce rich but not heavy or too creamy. The rice was also spiced and quite tasty. The rest of the food at the event was just OK. I mean El Vez only offered chips and guacamole (kinda dissapointing). I think attendees that came during the first hour got the cream of the crop while people who got there around 8PM were unfortunately faced with empty stalls and bar stations with 20 minute lines. I had fun and was glad that I bought the $10 ticket but I'm pretty sure the poor suckers who arrived at 8PM had a different opinion.

From food

Farmer's Markets

From food

Eating fresh produce has always been part of my life. The recent shift towards local and fresh produce and meats has lead to a proliferation of Farmer's Markets all across the city. When I used to live in Chinatown, I would frequently wander around Reading Terminal Market oohing and ahhing over the fresh veggies and meats that the Amish would haul in from Lancaster. But in the past few years there have been quite a few new markets in the area. There's one right in Rittenhouse Park on Saturday mornings. You can buy veggies, meat, diary, honey and baked goods. I've driven by one that is also on Saturdays right at Fitler Square Park. Clark Park also holds a huge farmers/flea market in Saturdays I am told but have yet to try it. Although now that I know that Honest Tom's taco truck is now a regular vendor there...I'm sure I'll also soon be a regular.

I am most familiar with the market that is held at Head House Square. Miss HatT, in her never ending quest to stay busy, decided to volunteer to man the booth at this market so I found myself visiting her on many a sunny Sunday. Let me warn you that this market is VERY popular and is often packed with people and their dogs trying to buy all the fresh veggies and baked goods and meats that the vendors bring in.

From food

I most recently found myself with a bag full of dinosaur kale, green squash and spring onions. I decided to make myself a bastardized version of a portuguese sausage soup that I once saw on the food network. The veggies I listed above were chopped up and thrown into a pot with some smoked keilbasi sausage and voila! my soup. I also added some orzo and frozen corn to round it out. It turned out pretty tasty and it was the perfect way to use up my Farmer's Market's finds.

From food

TACOS for everyone

Growing up, I never had Mexican food of any sort unless you consider tacos made with ground beef seasoned with the "taco" seasoning packet that came in the box with the premade taco shells by Ortega from the supermarket to be Mexican. My mother would try her hand at Korean, Japanese and even Italian food however Mexican food was just never on the radar. It was probably because my father is not a huge fan of beans so I really had very little exposure to anything remotely authentic. The closest I had was Taco Bell's at the mall and even that stuff my father would refuse to eat. He would just wander over to the nearest Master Wok to get himself a plate of some good ole General Tso's chicken and fried rice rather than to be forced to eat beans.

Perhaps my under exposure to real authentic Mexican food in my youth is causing this unexplainable obsession in my old age. I seriously have a problem......I can't stop eating Mexican food. And I don't mean fancy Mexican ......you are much more likely to find me stuffing my face with a beef tongue taco at a dirty taqueria than eating at a fancy BYOB like Lolita's.

I have consistently managed to eat some sort of Mexican food at least once a week for the past 2 years. On Sundays, I can usually be found at Headhouse Squares farmers market standing in line either for the al pastor tacos or the haurauches or both if I'm feeling particularly gluttonous. I prefer the atmosphere and the food at the market rather than the actual restaurant which is located in the Italian market. I don't know what it is but everytime I get the tacos from this stand.....it's like I have a little piece of Mexican heaven. Even Miss HatT thinks it's weird how much I enjoy the tacos.

From food

La Lupe's over near the famous Pat's and Geno's has also become a regular haunt for me and Miss HatT.. She's really the only eating companion that I can drag consistently to these taquerias. Most of my other friends only indulge me a few times a year, Miss HatT will join me for my quest for the perfect taco almost all the time. I recently had the enchilada mole and beef tongue taco's at La Lupe and both were sooo good. Beef tongue tacos in general I find delicious. There's just something about the slightly gamey and rich yet beefy taste and springy texture of the tongue meat that just sends shivers of pleasure through my body when I eat these tacos. It's almost like a When Harry met Sally moment. I know it's strange and I really don't understand why I enjoy them that much..but I do.

Wicked Mama's

IMG_0179, originally uploaded by ptran215.

What's the next best thing to winning the Wicked Lottery? Mozzarepas! Don't know what a Mozzarepa is you say? Have you ever been to a street fair in NYC where they sell corn griddle cakes with cheese oozing out the middle? that's a mozzarepa.

I'm a big fan of corn and also a big fan of mozzarella cheese and when you put them together... it's good times all around. To be fair, the arepas that you can get from the street fairs all over NYC really do not compare to the golden crispy griddle cakes that Mama's serves.

Mama's is a Brazilian empanada place. They had all sorts of different empandas. Some were made from a wheat flour dough and there were a few made from cornmeal. We ordered both and had anticipated that the corn meal empanadas would taste better however the consistency of the cornmeal shell was off putting. It was just too thick and hard and tasted more like cardboard than corn. The flour shell was thinner and flakier.

IMG_0187, originally uploaded by ptran215.

We found Mama's purely by luck. Having just won the Wicked Lottery, we didn't want to wander too far from the theater and decided to try to find lunch on 9th Ave. Mama's caught our eye right away, it was cute and it looked clean, fast and affordable. Our goal, other than convenience, was to get as far away from the chain eateries that littered every corner near Times Square. I mean really! why would anyone choose to go to Red Lobster or Applebees when there are good joints like Mama's just a block or two away?

IMG_0189, originally uploaded by ptran215.

Tria - Sunday School

Once again I found myself parked inside Tria for a nice glass of wine and some yummy cheese and bread. I was shopping on Walnut Street with Miss HatT before we met up with some of our other Sunday School regulars.

After checking out the merchandise on Walnut Street, sitting down to a chilled glass of wine is a perfect ending to the afternoon. It also helps that the wine is half off and so is the cheese. I had a hotdog from a street vendor before heading into Tria as I had been craving a hot dog ever since the weather turned warmer. I don't know what it is about summer but it makes me want hambugers and hot dogs...perhaps I've watched way too many sitcoms in my youth?

My friend ordered a pine nut and blue cheese salad that was swimming in pine nuts just the way she likes it. She used to be a big fan of the Vintage house salad but recently they have been omitting the pine nuts which has negatively affected her opinion of their salad. However at Tria they have decided that being stingy with the pine nuts is not a necessity to stay afloat in this tough economy. A glass a wine, some cheese, a salad and an hour or two of swapping tales of shopping and we were each on our way. Tria's Sunday school really is one of the best excuses to grab a glass of wine with friends on the weekend.

Sakura - xiao long bao?

I've been on a personal quest to find a place in Philadelphia that makes really good soup dumplings. In the last year or so, there have been a few contenders that have popped up in Chinatown, one called Dim Sum Garden and there was another small place located on Race between 9th and 10th. I can't quite remember the name but I remember trying the dumplings multiple times at both these locations in a vain attempt to find a good soup dumpling. I got so dumpling crazy that I even ordered them at dimsum once at Ocean City. Now that really showed desperation, as all XLB experienced eaters know - you can't really make these beauties ahead of time and you sure as heck can't wheel them around the room for 20 minutes and expect them to stay plump and juicy. Instead of juicy dumplings, I got 3 dried and shriveled pork dumlings heavily flavored with ginger. And was once again convinced that my search would never be successful.

**Green Beans**

Dim Sum Garden on 11th Street makes a pretty good dumpling but I think the best part of my eating experience there has little to do with the dumpling itself and more to do with the sweet "dumpling" sauce that they have on each table. I like to mix the dumpling sauce with the chili oil and the vinegar to make my own concoction that I use to sauce my dumplings. I also typically really enjoy the napa cabbage that is usually steamed along side the dumplings on the bottom of the steamer and DSG does away with this vegetation. So although the dumplings were decent and juicy they don't compare to the dumplings that are served at Joe Shanghai's/Joe Ginger in NYC and it's these yummy juicy buns that are the gold standard for XLB's.

But sweet success was to be had! after being tipped off to XLB's on FooBooz I quickly made my way over to Chinatown to see if it was indeed true. Winner! Sakura, on the corner of 11th and Race (used to be Ong's) now serves XLBs. They posted little color prints of the yummy dumplings in their windows and Miss HatT and I decided to give it a try. Boy oh boy am I glad that we did. As soon as we sat down a waittress came over to see if we wanted to order dumplings. And this was literally minutes after we got to the table. They do this at almost all the good dumpling places because they steam the dumplings to order and it takes a good 15 minutes for the dumplings to be cooked so to get them to the table ASAP they need to put them in the steamer right away.

**Soup Dumpling on it's way to being devoured**



Miss HatT and I were actually starving having just come from the Art Star Craft Fair on Penns Landing and needed some serious refueling. I had read on the post that the scallion pancakes were yummy and the double cooked porked. So we ordered those dishes as well as string beans. I was so blown away by my dumplings and so happy to see my pork and green beans that I completely forgot about my scallion pancakes which never arrived. I can't even tell you if we ended up being charged for them as with many places in Chinatown, the bill was written in chinese and we just happily paid up and left the joint.

Let me get back to the dumplings, as they were certainly the highlight of the meal. We got 6 good sized dumplings. The skins were delicate and a little on the sticky side. I could literally see throught the skins, they were so delicate. We ordered the pork crab version which is my favorite and they did not dissappoint. One reviewer said that the soup was less salty than other places..but I found it to be well seasoned and full of flavor. The filling itself was meaty but not too dense and the crab flavor wasn't too seafood-y which showed that it was fresh. I would highly recommend that anyone looking for XLB in Philly to check this place out.

As for the rest of the meal, it did not live up to expectations. The double cooked pork had a combo of sliced pork belly, pressed tofu and cabbage swimming in a chili oil bean sauce. I found the dish edible but salty and not at all spicy..there was little to no heat. It wasn't off putting but just not something that I would order again. And the same for the green beans. The black bean sauce with pickled bits of turnip/radish just seemed salty more than anything else. Perhaps I'm used to the sweeter style of cantonese cooking and dirty chinese take out. Or perhaps the chef had an off day and double salted everthing. But after having the leftover green beans with rice today for lunch, it just reinforced my initial impression of the dish being oversalted. I have yet to try to finish off the left over double cooked pork. I'm considering eating it with plain congee as I usually like my congee with some sort of salty side dish.

**Double Cooked Pork**

Anyway, these were minor set backs as the dumplings were really very very very good. And although I have been called (by a good friend of mine), the ultimate hype man, I kid you not, these XLB are the real thing and definitely worth a try to all XLB devotees - newies and old heads alike.

Yakitori Boy/ JAPAS

There have been few bars/lounges/restaurants that I can say that I whole heartedly love however Yakitori Boy/Japas has won me over. When I first found out that there was going to be another karaoke bar opening in Chinatown, I didn't give it much thought. Being an ABC(American Born Chinese) in Philadelphia, I've had plenty of exposure to seedy smoke filled karaoke bars that have popped up and died out over the years. These places in the past have always seem to attract the "wrong" crowd. I don't know what it was about these old karaoke places but something in the atmosphere would remind me of the underground world of the triads and brothels that made me keep my distance.

As I got older, I was exposed to other types of karaoke places in NYC that didn't have the same seedy underground feel. Most notably, I was introduced to JAPAS by a good friend of mine that had moved to NYC during his senior year at PENN. So when I discovered that the new karaoke/japanese restaurant that was opening on 11th street happened to also be a JAPAS, I was practically buzzing with anticipation for the grand opening.

Now a full year after their grand opening, I can say it is one of my favorite places in Philadelphia to spend an evening with my friends. The song list has been expertly updated to include titles from *gasp* the year 2000 to the present. The atmosphere is fun and the food good. They serve japanese food on the first floor which is Yakitori Boy and the second floor is called Japas and that is all the magic happens. A little sushi, some squid balls and of course some yummy skewers and you're good to go. Oh and don't forget the house rules - "sake bombs" for everyone :)

In Chinatown, with the exception of Vietnam Restaurant, it is rare to find the mixed clientele that I always see at Japas. The owners got the combination just right in this case. The decor is stylish and still asain themed without feeling too contrived, the staff is attentive and friendly, the bartenders know how to push the sake bombs enough so that you loosen up but not so much that you feel pressured and someone behind that bar expertly works the laser lights and smoke machine so that you often feel like you're giving a concert in the main room. It is an awesome place to sing your heart out when you've had a bad day and let me just say nothing makes me feel better after a little boy trouble like belting out a heatfelt rendition of Sinead O'Connor's "nothing compares 2U."

For some people singing in front of an audience is akin to torture and for those folks I'd say get a private room. A few hours of practice and you'll love singing in the main room. If you are looking to spend an evening with your friends and are tired of the same old bar scene, you really should get yourself over to Japas. Try it on a Tuesday night, it's dollar skewer day and dollar coors lights night.

Ethiopian - Almaz Cafe

Recently, I discoverd Almaz Cafe located right in Rittenhouse. I had passed it plenty of times walking around or driving around that area as Miss HaTt recently moved to the neighborhood. I always thought it was some sort of internet cafe/coffee shop. It turns out that Almaz is indeed an internet cafe offering free wi-fi and the typical coffee drinks that a normal coffee shop would offer however it also has a selection of fresh fruit smoothies and authentic Ethiopian fare.

My first exposure to ethopian food was (like for most people I know) during my undergraduate years at UPENN. As an impressionable freshman, I was introduced to Ethiopian food by some upper classmen who had already wandered past the 40th street boundary into the badlands of West Philly. Baltimore Avenue was the heart and soul of what could be called "little ethiopia." And it was here that I ate my first meal of vegetarian fare at Dahlak. The lighting was dim, the location was exotic, slightly dingy yet oh-so-appealing to be off campus, I found the food to be decent. But it wasthe experience of eating from a communual platter using nothing more than my fingers and some spongy tangy flat bread, I discovered was called injera, that I loved and that lingered in my memories.

I recently dined at Almaz with Miss HatT after an exhausting evening of shopping in an attempt to single handedly boost the economy. Having run out of credit/cash and energy, we settled into this unassuming cafe with its bright green walls and ordered the vegetarian platter and at the suggestions of the woman behind the counter the chicken stew.

Let me just say, it was exactly what I needed. The service was warm and friendly and when the food arrived both orders plated on one large platter over a layer injera, I was delighted. The food looked and smelled amazing. The vegetable platter had a lentil dish, a cabage-carrot-potato stew, and some stewed kale or collard greens. THe chicken stew tasted earthy and satisfing. It came with a hard boiled egg and a little side of cottage cheese that surprising went well with everything. (it reminded me of the riata that is often served with indian food) Miss HaTt and I managed to devour the entire platter but were unable to finish the extra side of injera. I think we impressed the cafe owners. The food felt fresh and cooked with love and integrity.

It was refreshing to find a meal that cost us under $15 per person that tasted homecooked and had a good variety of vegetables and protein. It was hearty but felt healthy and not too heavy like a burger would have. If you find yourself in Rittenhouse and fancy an ethnic meal that taste good and is good for you...Almaz Cafe is definitely worth a try.

The W and NYC

In spite of the miserable weather predicted for the first weekend in May, 4 of my girl friends including miss HaTt decided to spend the weekend in NYC. We booked a room at the W and partied it up in the city.

Three of us started our weekend early and jumped on the chinatown bus on Friday morning. Since it is damn near impossible to find a good shanghai dumpling in Philly, our first stop was Joe's Ginger. It's the sister restaurant to Joe Shanghai and they pretty much serve the same menu with less of the hustle and bustle of Joe Shanghai. The dumplings came quickly as we were their first customers of the day. Two steamers full of dumplings and one order of scallion pancakes had the 3 of us more than satiated. The dumplings were presented on a layer of napa cabbage that become wonderfully sweet and soft when steamed under the dumplings. We ordered the crab and pork version. Joes Ginger offers some of the best soup dumplings in NYC.

After our quick lunch, the three of us walked to Bowery and jumped into a cab uptown to check in at the W. After all, lugging around an overnight bag tends to hamper ones shopping ability. After settling in at the W, we quickly ventured out again with umbrellas in tow. So far we were lucky. The predicted rain was nothing more than a few drops here and there and we decided to walk over to 5th Ave to check out some shops.

With all of our wallets collectively a little lighter we hoofed it back to the W to meet up with the last of our group and decided that it was time for meal #2. The weather had made a turn for the worst and this severely limited our food options. But being as we were in NYC Union Square....this just meant that instead of the thousands of restaurants in NYC we were limited to the few hundred within a 4 block radius. It really was nothing to complain about. We headed to Republic. A tried and true favorite of mine. I first came to this hip Asian fusion spot years and years ago. I think I was just 16 years old visiting a friend of my sister's who had just started at NYU. Republic was considered fancy dining to me back then. Now it's considered a "cheap" alternative to the high end restaurants. Funny how time changes everything.

Within my group of friends, only one was a newbie to this place and after our meal that consisted of beef sate, watercress salad, grilled eggplant and seafood pad thai .... we had a new convert. She too raved about the place. Of course, we washed it all down with some drinkie drinks which most likely colored her opinion. We were conservative and just got one pitcher of the sake sangria. Just a warning...the fruit in this sangria were more like pure shots of alcohol rather than refreshing treats but it still hit the spot.

After the light dinner at Republic we all went back to the W to prepare ourselves for late night shenanigans.

The reason for the light meal was that we had decided that we were all in dire need of some BonChon in our lives. And if you know miss HatT, then you know that she NEVER passes up fried chicken and will sell her soul to the devil for *Korean* fried chicken.

The meal at the hidden BonChon on 31st and 5th started out a little rocky. We were not proactive enough with our meal plans to make reservations ahead of time and were told upon arrival that our wait would be 45 minutes. Then our group grew from 5 to 7 and we were told that the wait for a 7 person table would be closer to an hr or more. Since we were all already at the restaurant (aside from the last minute addition of the 2 extra guests) we stuck around to wait for our table. This proved to be both the best and worst decision of the night.



I say the "best" because there were boys as far as the eye could see. I guess the combo of fried chicken and beer appeals more to the menfolk. As a single gal living in Philadelphia, I have to admit that the dating pool of eligible men seems to shrink with every passing year. Being Asian and having a penchance to date Asian men further minimizes the number of potential mates and the bar/club like scene at the hidden BonChon in NYC was quite a site for sore eyes. It was like *finally* a room full of guys that I don't know from grade/high school or who isn't somehow distantly related to me or *gasp* someone I already dated. My favorite character of the night was Ben Kim aka the best bartender in k-town. Thanks again for all the soju shots. And unfortunately I say the "worst" because the wait did indeed take forever and more than the 1hr that we were originally told. I don't think we got a table until after midnight and by that time after a few rounds with my favorite bartender my recollection of our actual dinner is a bit fuzzy. But nonetheless it was good times had by all :)



SATURDAY



Weeks, days and (to be honest) minutes before the trip I had been checking the weather somewhat excessively hoping that the dour forecast would miraculously change. Unfortunately the predictions of rain and precipitation were still coming hard and fast and Saturday was suppose to be a day of clouds and showers. However we lucked out. Spring time weather still seems to confound the most accurate weather forecasters and after a brief shower in the early morning hours the day pretty much cleared up.

I was lucky enough to win the lottery for some awesome front row Wicked seats with my best friend and I left the rest of the girls to their own devices. I heard after returning to them to get ready for dinner that they spent a lazy afternoon shopping and walking around Soho and the Union Square area. A meal was had at Gramercy Cafe that the girls all enjoyed and fro-yo was purchased at Flurt on 3rd Ave.

Dinner however was to be an all-out-affair with 10 of us in the private tatami room at Typhoon Lounge. We had reservations for 8:30PM at this well known St. Marks Japanese tapas destination. The waitress seemed a little surprised at the amount of food and drink that was ordered and kept wanting us to stop adding items to the list. However our one friend persisted and got everything that he wanted. The list of dishes that we ordered included sushi rolls, grilled egg plant, fried squid legs, cubed sirloin with ramen and vegetables, octopus balls, grilled mushrooms, grilled whole squid, beef curry over rice, and some other dishes that I can't even remember. The list of drinks included a pitcher of some sort of fruit juice soju concoction, a large carafe of some awful sake and a pitcher of Kirin. Suffice it to say that we were well fed and well boozed by the end of dinner. To top it all off, we then decided that we *must* try the bread pudding with the bacon creme anglaise from the famous "dessert truck". (OK only a *few* of us more adventurous eaters tried that dessert)

Having indulged more than expected we decided to call it an early night and walked off dinner as we headed back to the W for the night.



SUNDAY

The last day proved to be the absolute worst in terms of weather. All the dour predictions of rain came true and we woke up to a wet and cold NYC. As girly girls as we all are, we decided to cut our trip short and planned to jump on an early bus back to Philly. Of course, not before we squeezed in one last meal. I decided to take the girls to The Smith on 3rd and 10th located next to M2M. This place is typically packed for brunch and one usually sees a long line snaking out the door and down the block on a Sunday afternoon. But as we wanted to get back to Philly as early as possible in an attempt not to be too soaked by the rain, we were up and out of the hotel by 10:30AM. So when we arrived at the Smith for brunch we got a table with no wait..but also no access to alcohol. Apparently NYC will not allow liquor to be served before noon. No biggie as we all had a little too much the night before but just a cautionary note if you wanted to get your brunch time drink-on in NYC on a Sunday.



The brunch was fantastic. Huge portions, good food and great fun. By the time we left the restaurant the place was packed and the doorway jammed with people waiting for a seat. All in all the trip was a great success and we look forward to doing it again sometime.


http://www.joeginger.com/

http://www.thinknoodles.com/