Eating our way through Philly- Part 2 of 2

Continuing on with the remainder of Philly eats from my 4th of July weekend road trip...

Taste of Philadelphia food festival
Location: Penn’s Landing

We arrived to the Taste of Philadelphia festival a tad bit too early so we had to wait around until it officially opened up to the masses. Sadly, not all of the vendors were set up and ready when we were able to enter (and some hadn’t even arrived yet). On a happier note, the food we did acquire was pretty darn tasty and we witnessed a dead on performance from a Rod Stewart impersonator, so it wasn’t all bad. Word to the wise: if you are in Philly and come across the food truck Delicias, purchase and devour their black bean, cheese, and plantain arepa.

Vegetarian chili and cornbread from Feast Your Eyes Catering

Black bean, cheese, and plantain arepa from the Delicias food truck

Reading Terminal Market
Location: 51 N. 12^th Street

When I was a newborn, my family moved to Philly for about a year and my dad worked in an office across the street from the Reading Terminal Market. He often would eat lunch at the market and he highly recommended we eat there on this trip. We were not disappointed. With over 80 merchants, there is definitely not a lack of choices when it comes to good food to inhale.

Inside the Reading Terminal Market

Nick and I bought two different sandwiches from two different venders. My sandwich was from the Valley Shepherd Creamery, makers of fresh, artisan cheese products. I had mozzarella on a baguette with homemade roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic. It was wonderful. (Although, I’m still kicking myself for not adding on truffle oil.) Nick’s sandwich was of a similar idea, but it was mozzarella with artichokes, roasted red peppers, and herbs from the restaurant Mezze.

Sandwiches from the Valley Shepherd Creamery and Mezze

For dessert, we had ice cream from the one and only Bassett’s. Nick and I shared a cup with a scoop each of dark chocolate and green tea ice creams.

Green tea and dark chocolate ice cream (the latter not visible) from Bassett's Ice Cream

The Sidecar Bar & Grill
Location: 2201 Christian Street

Fried green tomatoes

The Sidecar Bar & Grill serves up American food in a dim (actually too dimly lit) bar atmosphere, but the food is anything but your average bar chow. I ordered fried green tomatoes and the mushroom dip sandwich which had a lot of mushroom flavor which can sometimes be lacking in mushroom dishes. Nick had a black bean burger with cheddar, salsa, and chipotle mayo (which was enormous). One of the main issues we had was service (other than the lighting). Three of the four of us were nearly finished with our main course before Katie even received her zucchini “pappardelle,” which, thankfully, was superb.

Mushroom dip sandwich (a truffle mushroom duxelle and
gruyere on a brioche with mushroom jus)

Eating our way through Philly- Part 1 of 2

For the 4^th of July weekend, my husband Nick and I, along with two of our friends Adam and Katie, took a road trip to Philadelphia. I had been to Philly several times before but the location was completely new to our friends from Columbus, Ohio. We did all of the normal touristy things: the Philadelphia Art Museum, Mutter Museum, the U.S. Mint, Independence Hall, fireworks, etc. Since Philadelphia is flat, the city is remarkably walker friendly- and we walked everywhere, even though it was very hot and humid.

Philadelphia is where it’s at when it comes to food. The cities eclectic cuisine comes from the variety of ethnicities that came into the area throughout its history. Like the cheesecake is to New York, one of Philly’s top food icons is the cheesesteak (to which Adam and Katie did partake), but the city also has a lot more to offer when it comes to food. Philadelphia is a great city for foodaholics whether they are vegetarian or not.

This will be a two post deal because we ate so much good food on our trip. So let the food pics commence!

Capogiro Gelato Artisans
Location: 119 S. 13^th Street

Capogiro’s flavors change frequently so you never know what you’re going to get. But I guarantee that it will be fantastic. With several locations around the city, you can get gelato and sorbetto awesomeness whenever you’d like.

A trio of flavors from Capogiro: Champagne mango, grapefruit with Campari, and rose sorbets

Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House
Location: 1022 Race Street (Chinatown)

I could probably eat in Chinatown for the rest of my life and be completely content. Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House was so darn tasty. Even though it was like a furnace outside, I had to get a steaming bowl of soup with the hand drawn noodles. Unlike my husband, I do eat seafood occasionally (occasionally being about 4-5 times a year or so). The soup broth was clear but flavorful and they give you a heaping amount of noodles. The portions, in general, were quite large. My ginormous bowl of soup could’ve easily fed 2-3 people.

Seafood noodle soup at Nan Zhou

Mixed vegetables with stir fried fresh noodles at Nan Zhou

Penang
Location: 117 N. 10^th Street (Chinatown)

Penang’s Malaysian cuisine was equally tasty and filling. I could barely walk back to our hotel afterwards. The achat (pickled vegetable appetizer) was wonderful- the flavors were sweet and spicy.



Curry mixed vegetables

 

Tea and a lychee drink (with lychees!)

 

Chow Kueh Teow

 

Achat (pickled veggies in turmeric & spices) and Katie's homemade roti canai
(a crispy pancake with potato & chicken dipping sauce)

 

 

Wedding Cake

Happily ever after- Jon & Karen

My friends Jon and Karen just got married! They met as grad students in the philosophy department at Johns Hopkins University, were married in the President's Garden on the school's campus, and had a simple potluck-style reception at the house where he had been living this past Friday.

Every wedding should be so simple- no fuss or mayhem, no months of planning- just everyone together for a big party with plenty of food and drink to celebrate the happy couple.

 

Because I wasn't sure if they had anyone lined up for it, I offered to make their wedding cake for the party. Mind you, I have never made a wedding cake before, but I thought it would be a fun. I asked them what they had in mind for a cake and they said chocolate with fruit. Challenge accepted!

I made a three layer chocolate cake with marshmallow cream cheese filling and chocolate buttercream frosting with mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries) on top. I also made matching cupcakes and a handmade cake topper which I made in the form of a banner.  The cake was rich, but soft and very chocolatey. The marshmallow filling added a unique contrast to all of the chocolate.

Marshmallow Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. marshmallow fluff/marshmallow crème
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until it is well blended and of spreading consistency. Spread the mixture between cake layers or pipe it into cupcakes. This recipe is easy to double. Remember that it must be refrigerated due to the cream cheese.

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I'm so happy to have been able to celebrate my friends wedding with them and to have been able to make their wedding cake. Alas, they will be moving out of the country soon! Our time was fun and who knows, maybe we'll visit them in Taiwan!

 

Vi auguro cent’anni di felicità insieme!

(I wish you a hundred years of happiness together!)