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**

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**Stuffed Squid**

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**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.

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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.