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

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.

Sunday School, TRIA

With the 50 degree weather feeling unbelievably good after the last few days of frigid winter coldness. Miss HAtT and I found ourselves walking the streets of Rittenhouse hoping to cash in on all the CRAZY sales everyone on the news keeps talking about. Instead of making out like bandits on cheap but fashionable clothes, we only managed to tucker ourselves out and fortunately remembered that it was Sunday. Now, I have to admit, up until I realized the goodness of Sunday School at TRIA, I used to think that there was just something about Sundays that made one feel like killing oneself. However, now that you can get booze and cheese at half off, Sunday has now become less of a depressing day for me.

Miss HAtT was feeling more than a bit peckish and ordered herself the grilled asparagus salad and I decided, "what the hey" and got the acorn squash goat cheese plate. It was roasted acorn squash that tasted more like pumpkin topped with a mild goat cheese that was sprinkled with walnuts. I don't have a picture of the squash as that was super yummy and we devoured it before I remembered to have it photographed. The asparagus salad came later so we weren't as famished and I managed to get a shot before we also inhaled it. The salad although tasty was a bit over dressed. I'm a bit of purist with my veggies and hate it when salads are dripping in dressing.

The next time you're out and about in Center City you should check out TRIA if you like trying new wines, beers and cheeses but don't like to pay full price. It's a great way to broaden your booze and cheese repetoire. They even post their Sunday School offerings on their website. There currently are two TRIA's. One at 18th and Samson and one located at 12th and Spruce.