First, I turned 29 - and so starts the victory lap of my 20s. For my birthday B and I went to Amada and had a fantastic meal. Without getting into details you must must must stop by at least try the Manchego cheese with lavender honey and the "ensalada de jamon" - dressed salad with spiced almonds and figs wrapped in serrano ham... yum and yum. The following night we went with B's family to Zama where we especially loved the spicy crunchy salmon roll (just a spicy salmon roll rolled in delicious little crunchy poppers) and the Vetri roll (so named because it was created by Mark Vetri as part of an initiative Zama has developed to pair with celebrity chefs and formulate delicious rolls, the proceeds of which go partially to charity). The Vetri roll was eel with scallions wrapped in daikon, drizzled with a truffle eel sauce, and topped with cucumber noodles tossed in an uni sauce. I die. All-in-all it was a good birthday and a nice way to kick off the season.
Next, B and I went to the 2nd annual Stout and Chowder Festival, benefiting Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum. For a flat fee you got 3 hours of all you can drink delicious Stouts and other winter beers, and all you can eat of four different types of soups and a few other random snack foods. While we were slightly disappointed in the lack of chowders, and really any substantial food, at the event, the beers were fantastic and it was just crowded enough to be fun without being annoying or overwhelming.
[me at Stout and Chowder Fest with my complimentary mug]
Two weeks later, it was time for Thanksgiving. I was lucky enough to have my mom, dad, and baby sister to visit. Wednesday night we took them for dinner at Osteria, one of our favorites for upscale Italian from chef Mark Vetri. For starters we had B's and my absolute favorite pizza, the lombarda.
Served on paper thin crust, the lombarda is made with bitto and mozzarella cheese topped with cotechino sausage and a baked egg. It is simply divine, especially when you get to dip your crust in the left behind egg yolk.
Next we had a few appetizers, including the baby pig's head.
That's right, we were literally served a roasted baby pig's head, complete with tongue. It looks disgusting, and I myself could not stomach the tongue, but the meat was quite tasty. I liked it best atop a piece of crusty bread with the marmalade that is served on the side.
For dinner we had a number of pastas, the best of which was a squash lasagna. I literally exclaimed "shit that's good" when I bit into the lasagna. Enough said.
After stretching our stomachs Wednesday night, we were ready to put away some turkey at B's parent's house Thursday. We had a great time, and a great meal thanks to my mother-in-law.
Black Friday we did a bit of shopping and then headed to New York to see the Book of Mormon!
The show was hilarious, and the perfect way to end our fun-filled Thanksgiving together.
Saturday night after the family headed back to South Carolina, B and I went with friends and his brothers and our soon-to-be sister-in-law J5 to the Winterbeer Fest at Union Transfer.
It was a much crazier event than the Stout and Chowder Fest with more than triple the breweries, but it was also a cheaper ticket price. We had a great time and will definitely be back next year.
I think that *almost* brings us up-to-date. It was a great November, and I can't wait for the holidays!
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