Parisian Getaway

(visit philly)

The other day, I was bustling around center city, when I decided to treat myself to a fabulous bistro lunch at one of the cafes lining Rittenhouse Square. I had read that these little french cafes offered some of the best outdoor dining Philadelphia had to offer, so I decided that I owed it to myself to at least try it.

I selected Parc, mostly because it was the one I had heard the most about, and in very true French style, it had outdoor seating in the form of those little tables and chairs lining the sidewalks. Inside, it was all open, dark wood, mosaic floors, art deco lighting fixtures, complete with some french music playing in the background. It aspires to be as French as any French cafe, and to be honest, it doesn't fail in that aspect.

(jaunted)

It was a fairly nice, crisp, autum day, I decided to sit outside so I could watch the happenings in the park. By the way, Rittenhouse Square, along with the Museum District, and the Schuykill River bank, is one of my favorite places in Philadelphia. A square park, right in the middle of Center City, with lots of trees, open space, and benches. It's a nice place to just spend a few hours. Just because.

Anyway, Parc.

Service: Really good. My server, Benjamin, was really knowledgeable about the whole menu, plus wine pairings. He was polite and well spoken, and his voice was just perfect for customer service. I'm not sure how to explain what I mean by this, but just trust me on it. The only thing I would say is that, at the beginning of the meal service at least, he was a bit too attentive. Like, I couldn't even read over the menu thoroughly before he came up asking for my water preference--tap or bottle?--before returning, I swear not even a minute later, to ask if I was ready to order.

Because of that, uh, not exactly pushiness--because I know that if I had asked for another minute or two, he would have given it to me--but pressure maybe? yeah, we'll say that because of the pressure I was feeling, I just went ahead and asked him for recommendations for both food and wine.

I ended up getting a warm shrimp salad and a glass of Sauvingon Blanc.

Before my food came out, a bread basket was presented. There was far too much bread for me to eat: a good half loaf of baguette, 2 slices of cranberry walnut bread, and 2 slices of something else I can't remember, but I know they were going to variety. I'm not a big bread basket eater, but I did partake of the cranberry walnut with some butter. Good, nothing new, but good.

Warm Shrimp Salad: absolutely lovely. Just thinking about this salad makes me sigh in contentment. It was 4 large shrimp poached in a lemon beurre blanc, served with mixed greens dressed in a lemon vinaigrette, with an avocado fan, rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, and the biggest, most delicious shaving of parmesan cheese.

It was like heaven on a plate. It made me full, but not overly so, and happily so because I wasn't stuffing my face with the usual out-of-a-box delicacy. Why can't I eat things as simple, as fresh, as delicious as this one salad, everyday?

& the Sauvingnon Blanc was a nice complement to the salad. dry and crisp and smooth.

Ah, and then there was dessert. Confession: I didn't have dessert at lunch, but came back later, that very day, to have dessert with my roommate since it was her birthday. I had been eyeing the dessert menu at lunch, but didn't have a reason to justify the sweet so I passed. But since I was with my roommate, at it was her birthday, it gave me the excuse needed to indulge :)

I decided to go with the Pain d'epice. It was this little spice cake served with maple-brown sugar ice cream and candied pecans. It was a nice little dessert that wasn't too sweet. It was particularly nice that night because it feels very much like it's a fall/winter kind of dessert. It's warm and nutty in the way that only things in autumn can be warm and nutty.

And, as if that wasn't enough, I actually had a Cafe Vietnamese to go along with it, served hot. I normally don't give into the temptation of vietnamese coffee, and almost never order it, but I guess that night I really was feeling indulgent. Or maybe it was because it was chilly? Ah, excuses. Anyway, this is a dessert in itself: a good layer of condensed milk, another layer of hot coffee, a layer of foam/steamed milk. Comes with a spoon to stir. And, surprisingly, it came with a little lemon glazed cookie. There's nothing wrong about Vietnamese coffee. Nothing.

Sorry that there wasn't any personal pictures--at lunch my table was half in the shade, half in the sun, and it made for a poor picture on my craptastic camera on my phone.

Parc Restaurant, Bistro & Cafe
227 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.parc-restaurant.com

The Pennsylvania Dutch

are fantastic people. They feed me deliciously here in Philly.

The nearby farmers' markets are always packed in with their produce and foodstuffs--its local, almost always organic, and so so tasty. There's just something about food from local farmers that can't compare with the stuff you buy in a typical grocery store. And you can absolutely tell the care that they put into the food they grow, and make---their baked goods are amazing.

Take this for example. It's a hot apple dumpling that I practically inhaled it was so good:

Flakey, and warm, slightly sweet and better than any apple pie.

and this, hands down was the BEST meal I've ever hand in Philadelphia:

Both courtesy of the Dutch Eating Place located in the Reading Terminal Market.

A simple Ruben sandwich with mashed potatoes, seems rather ordinary, but lemme tell you about the goodness that happens when simple food is done really really well. The bread was toasted and buttery, the corned beef as top notch, the sauerkraut and dressing were delish. I had an iced tea that was omg soo sweet, but fit in with the theme of the establishment.

At the Dutch Eating Place, they serve good comfort food. Real butter, grits, scrapple (which I wanted to try except Pork, so no go), hot sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, shepherds pie, the works. You sit dinner style on these stools and countertops & the people who work there are so incredibly nice.

If you're ever in Philadelphia its definitely worth the visit, and Reading Terminal Market is a treat as well.

Dutch Eating Place
at the Reading Terminal Market
1200 Arch
Philadelphia, PA 19102

SPRINKLES: cupcake review

On a recent trip to Sprinkles, Beverly Hills, I ended up with 6 whole cupcakes (of which I ate 5 O.o) and while I had been a fan of Sprinkles' cupcakes prior to the trip, it was solely on the strength of their red velvet cupcake. At the store, I was able to try out new flavors.

waiting outside like a 21 year old trying to get into a downtown club.

but once we were inside, we took the window seats and proceeded to eat our cupcakes in front of the admiring masses.

What I bought (clockwise from bottom left): Black and White, Orange, Red Velvet (x 2), and Brown Sugar Praline (x 2).

black and white: belgian dark chocolate cake with creamy vanilla frosting.
orange: fragrant orange cake with vanilla-orange frosting flecked with zest.
red velvet: southern style light chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.
brown sugar praline: caramel cake with brown sugar frosting, topped with crunchy nut praline.

I have to say, all the cupcakes were delicious. I was particularly fond of the orange cupcake, it was light and a nice alternative to the super rich, super decadent chocolate chocolate chocolate cupcakes. But my favorite was the brown sugar praline. so so divine. I loved the crunchy top and the cake itself was not too sweet. It's a shame that it is a seasonal flavor and is currently not available at the stores.

the necessary companion:

tea of course!

I'm so glad I got a box so that I could taste all the cupcakes on my own time. There's rumor that a Sprinkles is going to open up in downtown SD, but I haven't heard anything definite. Here's hoping. =)

Sprinkles Cupcakes
9635 South Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills
CA 90210

Food Review: CRAFT, Los Angeles

CRAFT, Lost Angeles
10100 Constellation Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067-4604
of Tom Colicchio, from Top Chef notoriety.

First off, the location of the restaurant is really cool. Located in what can easily be described as a high-end business park, it is surrounded by gorgeous, modern buildings.

CRAFT is on the other side of the Los Angeles Creative Artists building (front) and the two towers in the back.

I can not emphasize how handsome the place was. Modern, sleek, and clean, but not at all impersonal or cold. It was refined, cozy, and warm. Lovely.



I wished I had pictures. But I didn't want to be that girl. So I hope the following description suffices.

Amuse Bouche: bone marrow gelee served on spoons straight out of the Matrix.
I personally liked this. It tasted fatty and there was an instense beef flavor like sucking on a beef boullion but in gel form. I guess, however, that other guests were not fans of this amuse bouche, so they brought out another one.

Amuse Bouche #2: avocado parfait.
smoothest avocado cream + fruity olive oil + cherry tomato + slice of jalepeno + kernel of popcorn. I took out the jalepeno, but I really enjoyed the silkiness and citrus of this amuse.

Appetizer: Oysters on the half-shell.
served on ice with lemon + cocktail sauce + another sauce I can't remember.
We ordered 1 of each kind oyster on the menu (a total of four). we could not remember which oyster was which, but one in particular that I had was especially delicious. I think it was the Hama Hama Oyster from Washington. It preferred the oysters with just some lemon and could have done without the sauces.

Main Courses:
Mine: Squab. First time having squab and it was nicely prepared. I always prefer dark meat, and it was quite delicious. served with the best poached pears I've ever had ever. Those pears are something that I want at my last meal.
Orange: 35 day dry-aged Sirloin Steak. I can't comment on this because I didn't eat even a bit of this. But it was huge and came served with its fatty marrow (again).

Side Dishes:
Roasted Market Cauliflower. All different varieties, white, purple and yellow with a bit of crisp from the roasting. yummy.
Oyster Mushrooms. The best mushrooms I've ever had hands down. So buttery and tender and not at all tough or overdone. so simple and yet so, so good.

Desserts:
we had ordered Ricotta Cheesecake. Light and creamy but not too sweet or dense. It came deconstructed with a creme fraiche streak and shortbread crumbles. I'm a big fan. however, before this came out, they brought out a Pre-Dessert, Dessert: vanilla panacotta with shortbread crumbles and strawberries. It was a delightful surprise and I enjoyed every bite. And then, after the Ricotta Cheesecake, they brought out a Post-Dessert, Dessert: cookies and caramel corn. Again another lovely surprise. I didn't have the caramel corn as I am, in general, not a big fan of it, but the chocolate chip cookie was made with bittersweet chocolate that was almost too good to be true. But my favorite was the pine nut and rosemary cookie. I love me some rosemary cookies and was so happy that they were serving them. Not your traditional cookie, but that is what I love about them.

To go:
Yes, they even gave us a parting gift! They brought out packets of homemade granola which was yummy this morning. Pumpkin seeds, honey, nuts, and oats. so good with some greek yogurt.

Wine:
A bottle of Rozak. I have to say that I really liked this wine. I'm not a big red wine drinker, but this was light enough and fruity enough and I found myself really enjoying it.

Service:
Everyone, from the hostess to the Sommelier, to all of the servers were so attentive and friendly. My water glass was constantly refilled. Almost immediately after dishes were clear (in a timely manner), silverware and plates were reset for the next course. Everyone was so professional and knowledgeable.

One of the best nights of eating I've had ever. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had. I simply can not stop raving about CRAFT. It's American food, its fresh and seasonal, it doesn't try to do anything more than bring you simple food well-prepared. So keep your deconstructions, your foams, and you fusions. There's something to be said about doing real food, really really well. Thank you Chef Colicchio!

Seattle: Food Review & Other Things

I've been sitting on this post for days and days now, debating on whether it was even worth it to blog about eats in Seattle when I have like 1 picture to show for it. Food isn't nearly as interesting to read about if you cant see it. My solution? A list of eateries described in brief, broken down by meal type and conveniently linked for your perusal. And here we go...

Breakfasts

- Specialty's Cafe and Bakery: Huge kitchens, the comforting smell of something baking, the warmth of ovens burning never ever fails. Quality food, decent prices, and everything made in house. Mini-quiches are excellent, scones were a bit on the dry side for me, but their muffins/cookies looked divine.

-University District Farmer's Market: I'm putting this down under 'breakfast' but the goodies bought here could last you all day. A feast for the senses: vibrant colors of the fresh cut flowers (peonies!), the sounds of street performers singing and playing instruments, so many great stalls, good prices, and most importantly great eats. Some things I didn't even know what I was eating, but it all looked/tasted so good that I didn't even care lol. Notable mention: the truffle stand had me with salted caramels and the white chocolate green tea truffles. yeah, I dont need to say anymore.

-The Crumpet Shop: See previously posted picture. These crumpets are similar to an english muffin, but like, upgraded version. They come sweet or savory: nutella smeared on top, or with fresh ricotta/tomato/pesto, or made into open faced sandwiches with eggs. The shop is cute and cozy, and the staff was so friendly, even on a busy saturday morning. The fresh lemonade is made on the spot, right in front of you with a hand juicer and fresh lemons. A step away from Pike Place Market, its a jewel amongst the endless shops/eateries threatening to overwhelm the visitor.

Tea

-Remedy Teas: Featuring 150 organic teas in periodic table-like form, I was in tea heaven. They have vials where you can smell all 150 varieties, from black, green, rooibos, herbal, oolong and whites (I did this, and it took me a while). I was bold and tried the Creme Earl Grey (trust me, I was very bold as I usually HATE Earl Grey), and enjoyed the smell of most of the rooibos and black varieties of tea. I also ordered the cucumber and also the radish tea sandwiches. I enjoyed the cucumber ones so much more, sometimes you just cant beat the basics. All in all, super cozy, unpretentious and dedicated to good tea.

Desserts

- Trophy Cupcakes: See previous picture of "red velvet cupcake at night" as I like to call it haha. I adore everything about Trophy Cupcakes--their location (the CHARMING neighborhood of Wallingford, where real people live and eat; in a red building that used to be a school), to their shop (whites and soft blues and everything endlessly cute), to the flavors (red velvets, cafe au lait, snickerdoodle, chocolate graham cracker, need I go on?). I wished I could have stayed in Seattle if only to warrant trying out more of these little cakes of perfection.

As for the other things, I suppose it's really just one other thing: Elliot Bay Book Company. If I lived in Seattle I would frequent this book store all the time. Not only is it bursting with books amongst exposed brick walls, and dizzying levels of literary bliss, theres even a cafe with good eats below! This is the sort of bookstore that you dont see very much anymore: the old wooden floors that creak with well loved use, the musty smell of something old and lived in, the huge wall of staff recommendations, the used book section, the rare book collection, their selection of good quality, signature bound, blank writing books. Elliot Bay is like some sort of heaven for the avid, or not so avid, reader.

Cupcakin

Okay so I'm on a culinary quest to try out all the cupcake places in san diego. First up: BabyCakes in hillcrest.

Oj and I came in today and its such a cute place. Open patio, rooms that open up to the outdoors, tons of tables and comfy chairs and couches, a wine bar, a fireplace, crystal chandelier, and free wi-fi for customers.

And now on to the cupcakes. There were maybe 6 choices when we came in: mocha, choc raspberry, vanilla rasberry, choc peanut butter, black forest and pomegrante. I came in looking for a red velvet, but settled on the pomegrante after the sales assoc swore it was good. But I figure what the heck bc where else am I going to get a pomegrante cupcake? Oj gets the vanilla raspberry. Apparently they also have red velvet, and blood orange-- which was our sales guys favorite. That's definitely unique.

My cupcake was a good size and very moist. I usually shun frosting but this cupcake had the perfect amount and its not too sweet and not at all thick to the point of being overwhelming. I thought the cupcake would be somewhat tart but it wasn't at all. A blend of green tea, pomegrante and raspberry tea, it was surprisingly mild in flavor. I actually didn't pick up too much on any of these flavors.

Ojs was a good moist vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling. Both came with a carmel and what I think was white choc drizzle on the plate.

The verdict: love the place, cupcakes are moist and not sickening sweet (which I can appreciate), the regular cupcakes are good but not extraordinary, and I'm holding out on tasting the blood orange before commenting if their special varieties are something special.

vday recap & food review

oj and I had really late dinner reservations at georges: 930. yikes, I know because I normally dont like to eat late, but the menu looked so good that I couldnt say no. so before that, we were going to kill some time by going ice skating with some of ojs friends. I was actually really looking forward to it because I havent been in a long time & always like to relive my childhood dreams of being a figure skater lol. but we come to find out that the skating event wouldnt start until 845 or so, which meant we couldnt go:( instead, we headed up to downtown escondido because they were having a chocolate tasting event in some of their stores & even had carriage rides down Grand. we ended up at this super cute wine bar called VINZ and had a flight of 3 wines with these an order of mediterrean nuts and fruit that was super delish! it had dried figs, salts almonds, golden raisins, and these extra tasty candied pecans mmmm!

we got to georges just after 9 and were pleasantly surprised to be seated right away, even thought we were 20 minutes early to our reservation, and there was even a couple ahead of us who had a 930 reservation too and were made to wait. we didn't get seated facing that ocean (which is why I suspect we got seated before the other couple) in a room that only had a view other couples. I wasn't feeling too well--I always think I can read in the car, and I'm always proven wrong--so no alcohol for me.

I ordered the 4 course meal that I mentioned before, while oj got a scallop ceviche, a surf and turf with steak and lobster, and a pear gallete for dessert. They gave us warm bread and this really good 12 spice ginger salt that made the bread taste like gingerbread. yummm.

first course:
+ me: dungeness crab- crab was not messing around. so good with avocado and thin shavings of crispy cold pear. there was a curry oil that didnt bother me, but the salad on top had a ton of cilantro on it--I cant stand cilantro--so I just moved all the greens to the side.
+ oj: ceviche- served cold & citrus-y.... the way its supposed to be! (jeff from top chef)

second course:
+ me: butternut squash ravioli- loved loved loved it! there were chestnuts that I didn't care for (I gave them away) but everything else was absolutely divine. ravioli were perfectly rich with the creamy sauce that wasnt too heavy or overwhelming. and I loved the fried sage that came with it. I tried to eat this slowly to savor all of it, but it was just too good. I would have been happy to have this as my main course, but bigger portion please! haha

third course:
+ me: lamb shank- omg this was to tender --I didnt even need a knife--I just pulled at it with my fork--and it just melted off the bone. and it was HUGE. butternut squash risotto was maybe too mushy for me, but nonethless was yummy. the lamb was topped with like a spinach and feta mixture, and normally I hate feta, but it worked to cut through the richness of the lamb.
+ oj: hanger steak and lobster- I felt kinda bad for oj when our plates came out. mine was like a huge rock on a plate, and his was kinda dinky. I knew that it would taste amazing, but it was just so small compared to my lamb. I knew he was jealous of me haha.

dessert:
+ me: chocolate tart- a warm dark chocolate cake with a googey middle, and peanut ice cream with cocoa nibs. soo rich and just perfect. I didn't want to share.
+ oj: pear gallete- he ate it all but it wasnt what he expected. it was served with candied ginger & I was glad I didnt order it (candied ginger reminds me of fruitcake...gross). I had to share my dessert bc I knew oj was jealous again.

service: excellent. my water and iced tea never fell below half of the glass, the servers cleared the table and brought out food in a timely manner, and always noticed when I didn't have silverware. thats good service worth 20%.

funny story: the only thing I didn't really like was that our tables were really close together, so that I kept getting distracted by the other couples around us (I can't help to eavesdrop!!). toward the mid part of our meal, a new couple was seated next to us with this super irritating guy who couldnt get over himself! first, he was complaining about how georges wasnt "fancy" enough for him...only, that guy was wearing jeans! if he thought that georges was going to be like Mr. As, then him wearing jeans would make him stick out like the low class that he is. secondly, when he ordered the champagne, and the server did the wine presentation, the guy didn't even know how to properly respond...leaving the server hanging. the server, knowing that the guy didnt know the first thing about fine dining, ignored the guys faux pas and finished pouring the champagne. I watched the whole thing and I was even embarrassed for the guy. thirdly, the guy had no idea what he was ordering. I guess he was too used to the bread at outback steak house that he couldnt enjoy the 12 spice ginger salt, and didnt even know what ceviche was! when ceviche came out, he took a bite and hated it. he kept complaining that he thought it was going to be scallops (I'm guessing he was thinking seared scallops) but then went on to say that he didnt even like seafood. the guy wanted high class, well guess what, georges is too high class for you buddy! even his date was embarrassed by him!

overall: I wish I had 4 thumbs...so I could give the whole experience 4 thumbs up!! =)