"He who eats alone chokes alone." ~ Proverb

This weekend we had a number of fun-filled meals out.  On Friday we went up to the Art Museum area for dinner at the recently opened Hickory Lane with our pal JCM and his new wife.  I loved the ambiance, but right off the bat we had a bad taste in our mouths (excuse the pun) because the first words out of the waiter's mouth were... let me tell you about the menu, we do not do specials because our menu changes nightly (read: everything is special here)... and then when we ordered he proceeded to meet our choices with approving phrases like... you'll love it, such depth of flavor. 

For our first courses I ordered the french onion soup and B the green salad.

The soup was good, but I found the rosemary a little overpowering and I could have done with more broth and fewer onions.  I was impressed by the fact that the crouton under the cheese was still nicely crusty and not soggy.  The salad - pickled onions, goat cheese, white asparagus, field greens, and white balsamic dressing - was refreshing but slightly over dressed.

For dinner I ordered the tuna tartar with a side of onion rings (as if I hadn't had enough onions with the soup), and B chose the braised short ribs.

The tuna in the tartar was extremely fresh, but I found it under dressed and under seasoned.  I was similarly disappointed with the onion rings.  The breading was thick and soggy, no crunch at all.  The short ribs themselves had good flavor but I found the sides to lack seasoning.

All said, impressive ambiance, disappointing food, great times nonetheless.

Saturday was full of errands, but I managed to sneak in a delightful apple and walnut turnover from Cafe Ole.

I highly recommend.

That night we went with two other couples for drinks at Cooperage Whiskey and Wine Bar and dinner at Chifa.  Cooperage is in a strange spot but the drink list was good and there was a good number of people there without it being too crowded.  Chifa was doing a restaurant week menu, permitting each diner to select two dishes from a first and second course and one dish from the dessert course.  B and I teamed up to share ten different dishes.  For the first course we had the spring rolls, pork belly buns, ceviche, and duck tacos.

I didn't care much for the duck taco, mainly because the sauce wasn't that great and really over powered the duck.  The other items, however, were fantastic... especially the pork belly buns.  The pork belly buns are hands down one of the best pieces of food I've ever had in Philly.

For the second course we had wings, the shrimp noodle bowl, mussels, and the tamale.

I found the mussels to be a little chewy but the broth was nice.  The wings had a great crunchy exterior but were a little under seasoned/under sauced.  The tamale was fluffy and sweet, and paired nicely with  bacon, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans.  The highlight of the second course, however, was the shrimp bowl.  This dish is typically served at Chifa with lobster, but we mind the substitution at all.  The shrimp was perfectly cooked, the cream sauce has a nice kick and is wonderfully complemented with bacon and peas.

As you can imagine, we were pretty much stuffed by the time the dessert course rolled around.  That said we managed to sneak in a few bites of the chocolate cake, served with a chocolate and banana ice cream, and the panacotta topped with grapefruit and served with shaved coconut.

I didn't care much for the chocolate cake but the panacotta was a nice cap to the meal.

After many years of testing out restaurant week menus around Philadelphia, I can honestly say that Chifa has the best food for your buck that I have ever had.  Check it out!

"Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire." - David Rains Wallace

This past weekend B and I went with his brother and his fiancee to Friday Night Flights at Il Bar at Ristorante Panorama for their first ever beer tasting of craft brews from from Passionate Italian Brewers in Tuscany, Abruzzo and Marche.  The line-up was as follows:

“Stone R” BRùTON 750ml (25.4oz) 7.5%alc ~ elegant blonde ale with lemon peel a touch of white pepper, fresh green fig, orange nectar and a light, creamy finish

 “BELGIAN ABBAYE BIÈRE” LACU 750ml (25.4oz) 6.3%alc ~ spice brewed Belgian pale with minerally orange zest, clover, pistachio and toasted brioche

 “TRIPLO MALTO” Tenute COLLESI 500ml (16.9oz) 9.0%alc ~ rich blonde ale with smooth white peach & apricot, golden delicious apple and subtle cardamom spice 

“MOMUS” BRùTON 750ml (25.4oz) 7.5%alc  ~ double malt amber brewed w/ coriander subtle flavors of toffee, chestnut & caramel, hints of cocoa and a tangy, complex finish

“ROSSA” TENUTE COLLESI 500ml (16.9oz) 8.0%alc ~ red ale with notes of toasted hazelnut, fresh green & black fig and a touch of maple, balanced with tart red plum

 “DIECI~10” BRùTON 750ml (25.4oz) 10.0%alc ~ dark abbey double malt alewith flavors of molasses, coffee and smooth, honey-roasted almond & black mission fig

 “NERA” TENUTE COLLESI 500ml (16.9oz) 8.0%alc ~ black ale, loads of roasted espresso flavor balanced with hints of dry roasted pecan, dates and licorice root

If you've never been to Friday Night Flights I would highly recommend it.  The atmosphere is great and in addition to some delightful drinks (we especially enjoyed the second, third, and sixth courses of the beer tasting), for $25.00 a person you also get to nibble on cheese and a few hot appetizers.

After the tasting we stopped by Khyber for a couple of drinks and dinner.

[bros]

[gals]

The crowd pleaser at Khyber is always the half and half - J5 and I split one and B always orders it.  That said, B decided to branch out this time and opted for the BBQ sandwich (with cheddar gravy fries on the side of course).

Although I think I still prefer the half and half (something about that crusty-on-the-outside-wondefully-fluffy-on-the-inside roll of Khyber's po-boy sandwiches just can't be beat), this baby really gives it a run for its money.

The next day, B and I headed up to center city and had brunch at A.Kitchen.  We decided to split the gruyere buns with poached eggs and country ham and the duck scrapple with medjool date compote and fried egg.

The duck scrapple was delicious (especially the compote) but the gruyere buns were absolutely fantastic.  The buns had a crunchy, sticky deliciousness, the eggs were perfectly cooked, the ham was thick without being chewy, and it was topped with a wonderfully zesty hollandaise.  Cap it off with a mimosa (me) and a bloody (B) and you've got yourself one satisfying brunch.

After brunch we checked out the Zoe Strauss exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  The photos have a whimsical approach to some seriously heavy subject matter.  If you're in the area it is definitely worth a stop.

For a great end to a great day B and I grabbed some wings at North Third before enjoying a couple of drinks at Standard Tap.

Cheers!!

"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are." - Adelle Davis

B has been really into cooking lately so I just wanted to share a couple of the delicious things he's been dishing out.

Lentil Soup

Not only is this dish easy to make, but it is healthy and delicious.  It is the perfect thing for a working gal like myself because B is sweet enough to package the left overs into lunch-size portions and it reheats perfectly.  Add some veggie wheat thins and you're good to go!

Split Pea Soup

I love love love split pea soup, and Ina Garten's Parker's Split Pea Soup from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook is a fantastic rendition of this classic.  It is hearty and will definitely hit the spot on a cold day.  Fry a few pieces of bacon and crumble on top to amp it up a bit.  Beware that the recipe says that it makes 5-6 servings but in our experience it only turns out 3-4.

Eggplant Panini and Kale Chips

B made this delightful vegetarian meal last week.  We don't have a panini press so he popped the assembled sandwiches in the oven.  Unfortunately I couldn't make it home in time for dinner with him, but he set aside a portion for me to take to work and it reheated wonderfully in the microwave.  Make sure you pick out a good sourdough bread for the paninis.

Homemade Lasagna - Vegetarian and Meat

Now... these lasagnas are not healthy, but they are delicious.  B's mom made them for a post-holiday get together with B's godmother and her hubby and daughter.  They were a definite crowd pleaser, and from what I understand pretty easy to make! (ps she really puts together a beautiful table doesn't she?)

Happy cooking!!

"The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family." - Thomas Jefferson

B and I just uploaded some additional pictures from our Turks and Caicos vacation that I wanted to share.  I miss my family so much and cherish each and every second I get to spend with them.  Enjoy!

"The sport of skiing consists of wearing three thousand dollars' worth of clothes and equipment and driving two hundred miles in the snow in order to stand around at a bar and get drunk." - P.J. O'Rourke

This weekend B and I went to Hunter Mountain in NY for a ski weekend.  We made great time on the way up Friday night and got to the mountain early enough to enjoy a late dinner at Curran's.  After sharing a nice wedge salad, we split the burger and the beer mussels.

The burger was juicy, perfectly cooked (medium), and served with tasty steak fries.

The mussels were good, but a little heavy as the broth was made with beer, taragon, and blue cheese.  The coffee porter I had with dinner was also more of a dessert than a drink, but vacations aren't for counting calories, right?

Saturday, after a good night's sleep in our adorable cabin in the woods at Hotel Mountain Brooke we had a nice morning on the slopes.

The good news was that it was notably less crowded than last MLK weekend, presumably because the weather lately has been unseasonably warm with little significant snow to speak up.  The bad news was that because the weather lately has been unseasonably warm many of the slopes were on the icy side and got snowed off by lunchtime.  Once we got the lay of the land we were able to avoid most trouble spots and, with the exception of one run where B accidentally took me on a double black diamond (that I managed to tackle without falling once!), had a really good time working up an appetite for a delicious lunch of chili and corn bread.

[happy after a good lunch and time to thaw out]

A few more runs in the afternoon and then we went back to the hotel for showers, a few Guinness, and an afternoon screening of Cliffhanger.

[view of the mountain]

Cleaned up and refreshed we went out for a couple of drinks to watch the 49ers/Saints game.  After a stop at a local dive bar we ended up at Last Chance Tavern for some wings and Duvel, and then headed to Pancho Villa's for nachos and chicken flautas.

[keeping B away from the chips and salsa while we waited for the food]

Everything was pretty much what you'd expect, nothing fancy but it really hit the spot.

I fell asleep while we were watching Wanted back at the cabin (but from what I did see it pretty much sucked), and we had another good night of sleep.  The next morning we decided not to brave the crowds and the icy terrain but before heading home we had a great breakfast in the lodge at Hunter Mountain Brooke.  I had the blueberry pancakes and B got the fried egg platter with bacon and home fries.

The pancakes were light and fluffy, the home fries were perfectly seasoned, and the thick-cut bacon was salty and delicious, almost like country ham.

When we got back we had a wonderful lazy Sunday watching football and enjoyed some Indian takeout from Ekta for dinner.

This was my first time trying takeout Indian food.  Although samosas are really the only Indian food I've ever had before, I actually liked the vegetable samosas the least of all of the food we got from Ekta.  In addition to the vegetable samosas, we had the garlic naan, Masaladar Chola (chick peas cooked with onion and tomato sauce and pomegranate seeds and roasted cumin seed), and the Chicken Saagwala.  Everything was great but my favorite was the Masaladar Chola on the garlic naan.

After a great weekend I'm off to work - no MLK day off for me :(

"No vacation goes unpunished." ~ Karl Hakkarainen

Christmas day we left for a week long vacation to Turks and Caicos.  With work and all of the holiday hooplah, I had a really rough week in preparation for the trip.  By the time Christmas rolled around I was definitely ready to relax.  We stayed in Villa Oceanus with my entire family - mom, dad, sister and her husband, brother and his girlfriend, and my baby sister. 

[view from our deck - Turtle Cove bay]

B's parents and his little brother also came along, staying a few miles down the road at Point Grace Resort.  It was my family's first vacation quite some time, and our first joint family vacation.  While there were a few bumps in the road we had an amazing time.

[play cards on the deck, a favorite pasttime]

 [my mom and B's mom securing the tennis courts for a family round-robin]

[dad and I at the Muskanoo street festival]

Staying in a villa we were lucky enough to be able to eat in for most breakfasts and lunches, and even a couple of great dinners.  One night in particular, after a day of fishing on a private boat charted through Silver Deep, B marinated and grilled the day's catch and we had fish tacos, corn salsa, and guacamole. 

As for our meals out, Da Conch Shack was a definite highlight.  The ambiance is great, open air and right on the ocean, and the rum punch and conch can't be beat.  I had the cracked conch (basically the best fried calamari you've ever had) but the big seller was the conch combo - which is cracked conch and conch fritters (essentially conch hush puppies).

B and I also had a great meal solo at Anacaona.  The place is absolutely amazing - right on the water, under sweeping white sheets, coconut trees, and twinkling lights.  We had a delicious sav blanc, and both of our starters - a simple salad with honey vinaigrette and a ceviche - were amazing.  For dinner I had the conch sampler.

[starting on the left: cracked conch, followed by conch chowder, conch fritter, and conch ceviche]

Yum yum yum and yum... but I liked the chowder the most. 

We ended the night by skipping dessert and opting for a rum taste (B) and a Kahlua and coffee (me).

While Anacaona was great, the absolute best meal out we had in Turks was on New Years Eve at Coyaba.  We were seated in a lovely private "room" (I put room in quotes because it was open air and the walls were trees and bamboo dividers).

[our table]

[Happy New Years B!!]

After a gazpacho amuse bouche I started with the wedge salad - almond slices, tomato, bacon, blue cheese, and blue cheese dressing over iceberg lettuce - and B had the scallop ceviche.

[my baby sis enjoying the gazpacho - love her headpiece]

[wedge - yum]

[scallops - triple yum]

In between courses we were served a tasty little sorbet.

[a little shot glass of joy to your tastebuds]

For dinner I had the lobster burger (they announced a spicy tuna roll on the special menu but when I went to order it they were out -- very confusing), and B the red snapper special.

I didn't try B's snapper but he finished every bite so I'm guessing it was great.  As for my lobster burger, it was outstanding.  Nearly everyone tried a bite, and nearly everyone who tried a bite asked for seconds.  When paired with truffle french fries I had basically died and gone to food heaven.

After dinner we went to a nearby bar to ring in the New Year and catch a piece of the Junkanoo parade.

New Years day we headed home but it was a great way to sign off 2011.  Bring it on 2012!!