Morimoto - Philadephia

Morimoto

7th and Chestnut St

I think I just died and went to sushi heaven. Was the thought that entered my head when I took my seat at the sushi bar at Morimoto last night. I had to wiki Morimoto to determine the establishment date for this restaurant - 2001. I can not believe it's been around for 10 years. It feels like just yesterday that I watched the Food Network special featuring the challanges Starr and Morimoto faced when designing and openning this sushi mecca in Philadelphia.

I've dined here maybe 4 times since 2001 and never once at the sushi bar. I've had the omakase, I've had dinner a la carte and I've even been here for Happy Hour in the tiny bar that floats above the dining room. But never once for just sushi.

Sitting at the bar facing the small sushi station made the restaurant feel intimate. Or maybe it was the company. My dining companion knew the staff well and that (maybe) made all the difference. We were treated not like regular dinner guests but like family. It was great to see Yoshi (our sushi chef for the night) in action carefully selecting the fish and prepping and cutting with precision. The selection of fish for our nigiri, maki and sashimi was varied and unique. It wasn't the usual trio of salmon, tuna and yellowtail that is usually served at ho hum sushi joints around this city. Instead we had abalone, rockfish, fluke, sockeye salmon and a number of other fishes that I cannot even recall. Every piece had it's own distinct flavor and was as fresh as possible.

We were also given an amuse bouche that I greedily gobbled up (it consisted of a slice of whitefish with micro greens and an orange based vinaigrette), there was an oyster course that included beautiful and sweet kumamoto oysters, a whitefish dish with hot oil and soy, a scallop dish with similar preparation and a dish from the hot kitchen of striped bass (i think) and tomatoes. Overall, it was one of the best sushi dinners that I've ever had. I would rank it above the omakase meal I've had at Morimotos a few years back and I'd say my omakase sushi dinner at Jewelbako in NYC would be the only other sushi meal that even comes close.

Since Morimoto opened in Philadelphia, it elevated the sushi offerings in Philadelphia tremendously. Over the last 10 years there has been a virtual explosion of sushi restaurants all over the city and surrounding suburbs..(often run by ex sushi chefs from Morimotos). Coming back here again, 10 years after my first exposure to the greatness that is Morimotos, I was afraid that the meal would not live up to expectations. But instead the meal far exceeded my expectations and I could truly see how this one little restaurant in Philadelphia helped inspire the entire genre of nouveau japanese cuisine and helped to solidify Morimotos reputation as an innovative and great chef.

Plaza Di Garibaldi

I found myself getting that all too familiar craving for mexican food again this past Saturday afternoon. I was driving back from Temple University campus after having picked up my younger sister from her work study job at the library. It was 2PM and I found myself starving. I was up at 6:30AM that morning because my dog had an appointment at the vet at 7:15AM to get his teeth cleaned. Let me just say that I am not accustomed to such early hours and was not in the mood to eat much breakfast.

So at 2PM I had both my sisters in the car and we decided to get some Mexican food. Washington Ave was the logical location. We decided to go to Plaza Di Garibaldi to check out the offerings. I had heard from a co-worker who told me that one of our mexican sous chefs thought that Plaza made the best mexican food in the Philadelphia. I thought to myself that if a real mexican loved this place..... then I should give it a try. 

 

Tostadas

When we arrived there were patrons at 3 other tables and Latin MTV playing in the background. We sat down and a waitress quickly came by with additional silverware and the menus. Soon after we were given menus a young man walked in with a guitar and started singing to the room . He was fairly talented and sang a Spanish version of Last Kiss (It's the B side to Pearl Jam's Solder of Love single) along with other songs that I didn't recognize. Although I am a huge fan of live music, I'm never quite comfortable with people singing while I'm eating or in this case trying to read a menu. I had trouble hearing anything anyone said because the singer was so loud. After his set of about 4 songs, he came by each table to request tips and then was off on his merry way presumably to sing to other patrons at other joints. 

Fluantas

Following our afternoon serenade, we put our orders in and started eating the awesome chips and salsa. I don't think Plaza makes their own chips. These chips although fresh seemed too uniform and light to be homemade. (Not that they were bad) The salsas were heavenly though. We were given a bowl of red and green. Both tasted fresh and we couldn't stop eating the red one and even had to ask for more after we devoured the first offering.

 

SOPES Al Pastor

We ordered tostadas with the ground beef, the fluantas with chicken and the sopes with al pastor. It was way too much food for us 3. We ended up having to take half of it home. Each item came 3 to a plate garnished with lettuce crema and queso fresco. The tostadas were crispy and the beef well flavored generously topped. The sopas all overflowed with the al pastor (however I usually like a little more pineapple in my al pastor..this version was heavy on the pork and light on the fruit.) The fluantas turned out to be the big surprise. We thought that it would be taquitos ( little crispy tacos rolled up like a cigar) however these were JUMBO sized. One was more than enough to fill up my little sister. Her platter came out with 3 of these rolled up crispy chicken filled cigars surrounded by iceberg lettuce and pico de gallo. All in all the meal was great and very filling. it came out to about $33 total after tax and tip ( I almost always tip 20%) Recommended.

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.

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.

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.

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.