DERICIOUS

AMIS. Because it's one of the best places for pasta in the nation.

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:57:00 -0500

If you’ve finally come to the realization that it’s finally time to move on from Spaghetti-Os, then you should read this. Let me introduce you and yourself to the great spot that is known as Amis. It’s one of the best places for pasta in the nation, according to a writer from Bon Appetit - so I trust it. Not only that, but it’s from local Philly big name chef Marc Vetri.

I been feinding to come here for a while now. Matter fact, I been wanting to come here since it opened in the beginning of the year. Then I came across that article which became the straw that broke my back (in a good way , and I’m not a camel).

One of the best places in the nation for pasta eh? Let’s elaborate.

First off, this is not Olive Garden - or anything close to it. This is legit shit I’m talking about. Secondly, I have no idea about what authentic Italian cuisine is but I know damn right Amis is good. I looked at the menu and felt like I was illiterate. I had no idea what most of the menu items were or consisted of.

(above) mortadella with hazelnut honey

We started with the mortadella and vegetable fritto misto. The mortadella was finely sliced and tasted awesome. I know it sort of tasted like just regular deli meat but the hazelnut honey and some of the flavors on the mortadella was quite nice.

(above) vegetable fritto misto

No that’s not fried shrimp like you hoped it be. The above image is vegetable fritto misto which was really good too. I don’t know what the hell fritto misto is but upon searching, it’s fried foods in olive oil. This could be anything from meats to veggies to seafood. Ours had squash, scallion, cauliflower (which she don’t like usually but this time she did), and I think asparagus (which is an aphrodisiac if you didn’t know). You definitely know a place is good when they can make you eat a food that you usually don’t like.

tonnarelli “cacio e pepe” with pecorino and black pepper

She had the tonnarelli. The flavor is light but full. You can really taste the pecorino cheese and black pepper. I had the gnocchi alla romana with oxtail ragu. It came out scorching hot which I loved because it was quite cold on this autumn evening. Something cozy and hearthy was something I really needed. The beef on the ragu was really tender and the entire dish was quite nice.

(above) gnocchi alla romana with oxtail ragu

With 4 dishes in front of us, it was more than enough to fill our gluttony void. However, the kitchen guys really made our night better with a complimentary dish. One of the guys nicely gave us my favorite dish of the night:

(above) pappardelle with veal breast ragu

I ain’t ever had pappardelle before so this could just be my virgin excitement but it was really good - becoming my favorite dish we had. The pasta was fine and very smooth. The veal was very tender. You could easily section off bite size portions and slowly enjoy it. I highly recommend the pappardelle.

Everything we had was good. This is easily another one of our can’t-go-wrong spots - along with Tria, Oyster House, and Village Whiskey to name a few. Even though I had no clue of how to pronounce any item on the menu, I doubt you can go wrong with anything you choose.

If you wanna get a table, make sure to reserve. They’re quite the popular place, and I can ~~see~~ taste why. There’s a wide selection of items to satisfy your Italian craving self. We did not get any drinks so I can’t tell you what’s available for you to get your buzz on.

DAMN. If Lady Gaga likes bacon, it probably means I do too

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:21:00 -0400

There’s nothing else I can say - ehh, ehh.

MTV

Excuse me. I'm eating a cheese steak outside of Philly.

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:41:00 -0400

My work has been relocated to a new office building. And thus, it’s like a challenge to find good spots to get our grub on since not many of us know the area that well. We’ve only been in this new office for a few days.

I googled “food” around the area and found a nice area where there was some nice possible candidates to win my hard-earned lunch money. Not by popular choice, we chose Cafe Napoli. Sounds good enough right? But what about the food? Why don’t we take a lick.

Cafe Napoli is tucked away in a small ~~shopping center~~ parking lot dominated by Dunkin Donuts. The stores here next to this Dunkin Donuts looks like they begged Dunkin to lease them some space on the side of the building to set up shop - that’s how relatively small these stores are. Regardless, we found Cafe Napoli and decided to give them a try.

(above) I think italian hoagie

Here’s the hoagie my co-worker had. It’s ginormous. You know, sometimes when you order a large, it really is like a medium? Well, this place means large. This hoagie looks just like any other hoagie and it does. But it’s big - you ~~probably~~ most likely can’t finish it alone.

(above) Cheese steak with mushrooms

I had the cheese steak. Let me tell you how surprised at the size and how ~~delicious~~ dericious this shit was. I was surprised that this was actually a large that I ordered - not just labeled a Large on the menu, then you end up getting a small.

Unfortunately, the picture doesn’t show off how great this sucker looks. In person, this thing is piping hot, the steak actually looks like steak - and when I say that, I mean it actually looks like steak cuts, or like if it wasn’t chopped like this, it probably could’ve been a whole steak filet. This shit was good. I am happily and thoroughly surprised.

I can’t say much for anything else but this cheese steak is a winner. One of the ~~better~~ good ones I’ve eaten outside home base.

Central Jersey just got a smidge less boring.

TRIA. Only if you're into wine, cheese, or beer - which I know you are.

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:54:00 -0400

Tell me.

Are you someone who likes wine? Yes you are. Do you like cheese? Of course you do. And I’m positive you love beer so I ain’t even gotta ask. Well guess what. If you’re into all 3 of the mentioned, or even just one, then you need to get your ass over to Tria with the quickness.

This is one of them places you wanna go and just relax and not have to worry about all the shit going on like oil spills, mosques, Lindsay Lohan, and whether or not Brett Favre is retiring. Those are the kinda things that can really fuck up your day. But no fear my friend, Tria is here.

So what drew me to Tria on this warm and beautiful Saturday afternoon?

(above) Tuscan Three cheese potato chips with truffle aoili

Actually, we went there for the first time because there was no other place I could think of. We’re always around Rittenhouse for dinners and what nots and always pass by it. So with no good ideas of where to go for lunch, Tria it is.

The place is narrow and lengthy. It isn’t very spacious so you’re pretty likely to knock over a waitress or two if you had one too many cheeseburgers in your lifetime.

Anyway, Tria offers outside seating but we chose to sit at the bar inside because it was hot as hell outside. I would love to tan but I was just at the beach a few weeks earlier. But you can tell this place is pretty relaxed and welcoming because of the warm ambient decor and the absence of rave music. Classy.

(above 2) Smoked salmon with goat cheese on grilled brioche

One of the good things about Tria is the light weight selection on the menu. If you’re looking for a Quarter Pounder equivalent, you’re shit out of luck, just a forewarning. I went with a smoked salmon sammich. I’m trying to eat healthier so this is perfect. There’s nothing really spectacular about it. It works and fits in to Tria’s list of food perfectly. Tria ain’t about the food, it’s about the cheese, wine, and beer.

Three cheese panini. Cheeses are fontina, grana padano, and goat.

She had the Three Cheeses panini. She loved it. Just the right amount of food so you won’t overload your stomach with food and alcohol, which can make you puke. We know all about that.

We had the potato chips with truffle aoili to share. We got it because of the truffle condiment. If it was just a three cheese potato chip, we would not have ordered it. We are suckers for anything that gets the divine blessing of truffle oil. Which reminds me, you must go to Capital Grille and try their truffle fries, which is just ~~awesome~~ ridonkulous - and that’s an understatement.

(below) Tuscan three cheese potato chips with truffle aoili

I didn’t have wine at Tria but I will next time I go back. I drink wine frequent enough at home. I just had some last night actually.

Well, Tria is all about the cheese, wine and beer. Take a friend or two and go here and just enjoy yourself. Nice, cozy and warming interior, wide selection of wines, beer, and cheeses, and it’s enjoyable anytime around the clock. It’s easily become a favorite of ours and one of our go-to places when nothing else entices.

It may not look all that from the outside, but I’m sure you’re mom taught you not to judge ~~a building by its bricks~~ a book by its cover - remember that when you see Tria. And order me a chilled glass of cabernet. Thanks.

A midsummer afternoon at the diner with my darling

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:41:00 -0400

So Swift Half Pub was packed thanks to Fifa world cup. PYT was better but still no seating immediately available. But that’s ok, perfect chance to try something new. So where to go? Darling’s Diner what else. I never been here before but always pass by it on the way to PYT or somewhere else in the Piazza. As a matter fact, I’ve read some good things about Darling’s but never felt the urge to go. Well, that hasn’t changed but thanks to Swift Half and PYT being so busy, it was the next alternative.

Since it wasn’t our initial choice, is it good though? Is there a reason it’s an alternative and not a immediate choice? My darling why don’t we find out!

If you ever been to any diner, you’ll know that diner menus seem endless. There’s so much stuff on the menus that you don’t even know where to start looking. You tell me what’s more extensive, diner menus or the book of Proverbs? Exactly.

Darling’s Diner menu is ~~less nauseating~~ simpler. You’ll be sorely disappointed if you expect to see a bajillion items on the menu. I’d say it’s only a fraction as much as your traditional diner. And that’s actually a good thing because you’ll only spend an hour to sit down, eat and get the fuck out; instead of spending an hour just to decide what you wanna drink. Darling is essentially saying, “Yeah that’s all we have, like it or leave it.” Thanks Darling, I completely understand you.

The hostess sat us down but our server must’ve missed us. Good thing the hostess came and checked on us and got us the server. So without further ado, we ordered.

(Above) This is the hummus dip. We had her favorite hummus the night before at Square 1682, so I ordered this so we can compare. Sorry Darling, you don’t compare. It’s not that this hummus sucks, it’s just that the hummus at 1682 is that good. I think you should try our favorite one and you tell me.

(Above) Here’s the mozzarella veggie sammich. Not sure what kinda greens or veggies are in it but I believe there’s spinach and watercress? There’s also pickles, cole slaw, and fries on the side. Nothing special but it worked. Especially on this hot day.

(Above) Here’s what I had. The half-pound black angus burger with swizz cheese. Nothing special here either. I’ve had better, especially like PYT that’s an arm distance away. I had it cooked medium rare of course and it came out like I expected.

The fries were regular. No wows there.

One thing that surprised me (in a good way) is that they had sriracha hot sauce as a condiment. What the fuck is this about? Whatever it is, I like it. Why? Because I love sriracha. I used it on the burger and fries. What? You’ve never had fries with sriracha? Well then my friend, it’s never too late. I recommend you get on that asap. And when I say asap, I mean right now.

Let me first say that Darling’s Diner is pretty good. I should’ve ordered breakfast items which might have been better. There wasn’t anything on the menu that stood out to me though; if there was, I would’ve ordered it. Would I go back again? Yes I would if I’m in the mood for brunch around that area. For anything else, I’ll keep thinking of it as an alternative. But hey, at least the place feels spacious, like the high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that go around.

If buying LL Cool J's book can do this, I'm sold

Fri, 14 May 2010 13:17:00 -0400

So LL Cool J was on “The View” promoting his book. That’s nice. But what I didn’t know was that he can curl human beings, one of them being the BBW in the red dress, Sherri Sheperd.

If I can do that by reading his book, I’m gonna go buy the biggest bookshelf out there. Maybe I can curl a bulldozer or something.

PYT's Buffalo Burger, looks like the bison I killed in Oregon Trail

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:03:00 -0400

I been to PYT more times than I can count on my hands and feets. But it’s been a while since I last wrote about it. We went on Saturday for lunch because it was such a nice day. Unfortunately, the clouds were moving in and it turned overcast quicker than you can say springfield buffalo burger. Doesn’t kill my excitement though. Especially eating an animal as big as a Escalade and almost as much furry as Chewbacca.

As good as the burgers are, it’s more exciting because there’s usually a special weekly burger that is available for a limited time. This time, I had the Springfield Buffalo Burger. Why? Because it’s a bison burger. How often does that happen? Not sure and I don’t care. Must try.

So was it good? Did it taste funny? Let’s go to where the buffaloes roam and find out.

I probably had like over half the burgers of the week ever since PYT started coming up with these back in Thanksgiving of last year (2009). I missed out on the first one, the Thanksgiving burger which had turkey and gravy and stuffing on the burger. I hate myself for missing out because it looked ~~delicious~~ dericious.

Some of the burgers of the week that have been popular has made itself onto the permanent every day menu. I think that’s a good look because one of my favorite burgers of the week (the Bbq Bleu cheese burger) is now permanent.

The Springfield Buffalo Burger comes with some sauce which I forget and slices of avocado between a nice sesame bun. The first thing I noticed about the burger is the size of the patty. It’s pretty big, which is good because I’d be disappointed to have a small patty from such a big animal - would you buy an Escalade if it was only 4 cylinders? Exactly. All the burgers of the week comes with side of fries and a pickle btw.

Besides the burger, we also got onion rings because it’s one of the best onion rings I’ve had. Red Robin has the honors of the other best. Don’t sleep on Red Robin, they got their shit together. Their burgers are good too, even though they’re a chain/franchise.

Like always, I like my herd animals cooked medium rare. The burger came out cooked the way I like, it didn’t taste anything significantly different from beef, but it does sort of feel softer when it met my molars. The avocado is a nice addition and the sauce is tasty.

As good as the burgers have always been, I ain’t really been fond of the fries. Not sure what it is but I never really liked it, or it ain’t as good as the burgers. But it’s been a lot better the past few times I’ve had it. I didn’t really like them at first because it wasn’t that flavorful if I remember correctly. But now, the fries seem to taste better - don’t seem to be the same as when I first had them. Whatever the hell it is, I hope they continue to get better. McDonald’s fries still reign as the best. They got the french fry game in the bag.

The burger was good. Not sure if it’s good enough to be permanent though but that ain’t my choice.

PYT is a good spot. I’ll be there often. They got adultmilkshakes, soups, salads, some smaller items like PBJ, etc. The rest of the burger line-up at PYT is nice. They got a good selection, and even a few veggie burgers just in case you feel bad for eating your favorite barn animal friends.

New $100 bill, more technology on a piece of paper than your smartphone

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:08:00 -0400

The new $100 was just unveiled. It was made to prevent counterfeiting of course. This means that new “printer” that costed you your newborn is now obsolete.

Not only does it contain the older technology of the vertical print band and the creepy watermark face, but now the “100” text also shifts color, and there’s an animated ribbon in the middle of the bill that changes shapes at the same time.

And the best part is the side effect of this new bill – it’ll finally help me control my spending because the only thing I’ll be spending is sitting on my red couch astounded at this new ~~toy~~ bill. Benjamin Franklin is more than welcomed to stay in my wallet as long as he wants.

Summer is coming, so is my appetite for tons of grilled beef

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:01:00 -0400

This is the triple cheeseburger I had over the weekend. It was my 4th burger. My first one was a double, then I had 2 single patty burgers, then ended it with a triple. I have a hard time controlling myself around a grill. I need to go to barbeques anonymous or something.

Well, I will easily tell you the summer is my favorite season. When I think of summer, I think of barbeques, beaches, long warm days, sweating, and being outside and getting roasted by the sun on a daily basis.

Barbeques is one of the things I most look forward to come summer. I like having friends and family around, and being outside and enjoying everyone’s company, especially people who I have not seen in a while. I had a taste (twice actually) of summery barbeque this weekend and it left me wanting more - good thing there’s another one this weekend.

What kind of things do you look forward to during summer.

Bobby Flay's Burger Palace, Philly's new burger king?

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:00:00 -0400

What do we have here? It’s a Bobby Flay restaurant.

It’s been almost a week since Bobby Flay opened his 5th “fast casual burger concept.” I have no idea what that means but Bobby’s Burger Palace just opened this past Tuesday. Ever since I started reading Philly food blogs over a year ago, burger joints seem to have become a dime a dozen.

BUT. Regardless of how many there are, no two are ever the same. So how does Bobby’s burger palace compare to some of the hometown faves such as PYT or 500 degrees? Is Bobby Flay Philly’s burger king? Let’s find out!

First, we all know who Bobby Flay is - iron chef and celebrity chef. So there was no way I was gonna even try to go there on opening day (April 6th). I knew there was gonna be hordes of vicious carnivores clamoring down at the Palace gates.

So when did I go? Two days after it opened hoping the hype would simmer down a little bit (stupid me). Nope, we got there at 7pm and the line was outside, good thing we were only a few people away from the front door. We waited about 30 minutes from the moment we got there to the ordering counter. Not a bad wait.

The interior decor feels a little retro but modern. I like the colors, which I assume are inspired by burgers (browns/earth colors, green, red). The logo itself is a burger if you look again. I think it’s a nice place, can’t complain.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the burgers do not come with any sides. No fries, onion rings or even chips. Come on Bobby!! Where’s my fries man!?

So that means you need to order a side separately. Good thing is that the sides are good. The onion rings aren’t great. The fries on the other hand are the opposite. They’re crispy and it’ll be hard to not try to order more.

Miami burger. For some reason, the burger was compressed when I got it. Not sure if it’s intentionally like that. Everyone else’s burger at the table was just stacked like I thought mines would be like.

As far as the burger goes, it was cooked medium rare just how I like. The toppings and flavor was okay. I thought the hearty sesame bun was a little too much. Felt like there was more bread than anything else during each bite. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary, I’ve had better but I’ll go again and try something else. This might have been totally different if Bobby Flay cooked it himself.

Beer battered onion rings, a disappointment. If you want good onion rings, try PYT or Red Robin.

French fries - this is good. It’s better than the fries at PYT, but doesn’t come close to McDonald’s (the best!) or even the ones at 500 degrees. Love the dipping sauce, which tastes kinda like spicy mayo that you can get when you eat sushi.

The brown sauce next to the fries is ~~barbeque sauce~~ Bobby’s Special sauce. The green substance is jalapeno sauce. And the red sauce is (wait for it) - ketchup.

She had the griddled cheese, which shockingly is toasted white bread and melted cheddar cheese, but it also had a slice or two of tomato and a pickle for your pleasure.

I expected a little more from Bobby. Maybe I expected too much? Anyway, I’ll take any burger at PYT over Bobby’s Miami burger any day but you should know that Iron Chef Jose Garces’ Whiskey King burger is the burger king, followed by the 500 burger at 500 degrees.

Bobby Flay’s burger palace may not have the top spot in my gastronomical heart, but he’s definitely built his palace in one of the best places imagineable in the city - in the heart of university city.

Drexel, UPenn, and USP kids - eat your heart out. If not, Bobby flay will.

Robot servers makes human waiters irrelevant but hey at least you don't have to tip

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:00:00 -0400

Remember that childhood dream of yours of being a waiter? I hate to tell you this but it might not come true.

Check out this video of a restaurant in Thailand that has robots bringing you your food. This is cool. Plus, you can save yourself the tip.

A monster for these cookies and a beast for them treats

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:42:00 -0400

I came home today and checked my mailbox. There was no mail pieces but there was this box that she dropped off for me. What could it be? Well, they’re cookies. Cookies!? Yeah but hold on, they’re not just any cookies though. Believe me when I say this but…these cookies are the best I ever had.

Well, I got some good news and some ~~bad~~ horrible news. Good news is I’m gonna show you. And the horrible news? You can’t buy it.

So what cookies could possibly be so good and why’s it un-purchaseable? Let’s find out why don’t we.

Don’t be fooled by the label. These did not come from Whole Foods. The box is the only thing that looks familiar.

So I escorted the box to the table and took the lid off and uncovered the greatest thing to happen to me today - COOKIES!

It’s hard to tell how good they from just pictures, especially pictures taken with a broke camera, but these are the best cookies to ever enter my ~~stomach~~ life.

This is as close as I can get you to them but enjoy it. If I got stranded on a deserted island, I’d be happy with a healthy supply of these.

Due to the extremely sad fact that I cannot describe to you how ~~good~~ dericious these cookies are, I’ll just have to let you drool over these pictures. Just try not to kill yourself over the thought that these are not for sale because they’re homemade (not by me of course). Heartbreaking, I know.

Adobe CS5 arrives in about 2 weeks, prepare to blow your paycheck

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:55:00 -0400

I remember when I bought CS3 back in college. I felt like I just bought it recently although it’s actually been years ago. Either I’ve been living under a rock or time is just passing by quicker than I can keep up with because I’m old as hieroglyphics.

Adobe CS5 is coming in less than 2 weeks, which means you need to save your next few paychecks to buy it. You’ll probably want to buy a new computer because you know CS5 will eat your current computer for lunch.

Hopefully I’m wrong because Fireworks CS4 performs like molasses in winter. But I’ll forgive it since it was the first version in which Adobe re-did the interface for the whole suite to be more cohesive.

Don’t forget, a whole new version release means there’s a whole new bunch of easter eggs, which you know is way more exciting than any new features that Adobe brings.

A plate by any other name would taste just as good

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:31:00 -0400

So Sunday rolls around and where would you go if you were hungry? Did you just say brunch? I thought so. Dim sum? I had that like a week ago so let’s not overdo it now.

On this gorgeous Sunday, we went to Plate in surburban square. Don’t know where Suburban Square is? Neither do I because it was my first time there. It’s a nice area with some shops that’s basically invented to allow you to take leisurely strolls with your bff. Don’t have a bff? No problem, find one at ~~Plate~~ Suburban Square.

The sunday lunch menu has a good selection and the portions are pretty generous. The food has good flavor and you will definitely like it.

I tend to take pictures of the glass of water I’m drinking. I just realized that.

10 oz. Angus burger with lettuce, tomatoe, onions, bacon and mushrooms. The burger is cooked at medium rare. I’d prefer it raw if I had the stomach of a lion.

Fries were fresh and crispy. Had a nice crunch. Doesn’t pose a threat to McDonald’s though.

I’ve had a good share of burgers from many different places and this one is up there. It was big, tender, and flavorful. It comes with lettuce and tomato (and I think onions). I added the cheese, mushrooms, and bacon (how could you not?). The bun was soft, bacon was crispy and smokey, and the veggies were fresh.

After I finished, I felt like there was a ship anchor in my stomach, which means this was a lot of food. And that was just the burger itself - shove down some fries and you’ve just found your new bff, Pepto Bismol.

Dim sum, you know you want some

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:16:00 -0400

Let’s be real - you can never really go wrong with dim sum. Dim sum is chinese lunch that is served to you like a bunch of side dishes. However you want to describe it, there’s one thing we can all agree on - it’s pretty damn good. If you never had dim sum, you are basically torturing yourself. Who does that?

So I finally had the urge to get my dim sum fix on. So where to go to do it right? Ocean harbor in Chinatown of course. It is overall the best place to get dim sum. There might be other restaurants that probably have better single dishes but overall, Ocean Harbor got the dim sum game on lock.

This ain’t the dim sum menu. This is for ordering special dishes that are more like entrees. Dim sum dishes come from the carts that the servers push around so you see the food that you’re ordering. Just try to control yourself when you see the food cart from heaven.

From left to right: spring roll, shu mai (pork and mushroom dumpling), seafood dumplings

Shrimp rice noodle roll. It may not seem like anything special but it’s the special soy sauce that you get with this that makes it good. It has a sweet flavor to it, unlike the plain jane soy sauce that’s available on the table already.

The red dish in the middle is chicken feet.

The dish on the upper right is some soy tofu dish. All my life, I thought it was a veggie dish. It wasn’t until this day that I found out it had meat. Shoot me.

Seafood pan fried noodles. Sang Kee makes a much better seafood pan fried noodle. But then again, Sang Kee doesn’t serve dim sum. What can I say? You win sum, you lose sum. Wow that was a terrible joke.

Spare ribs dim sum on left, shrimp dumplings up top. Big poppa seafood pan fried noodles on the right.

My mess. I never thought about it until my friends told me but I always have the messiest eating area. It’s not just at dim sum but anywhere. It ain’t like I’m clumsy and drop foods everywhere, but it’s like some unexplained phenomena that I end up having a gross eating area.

Her plate. As you can see, it’s nice and clean, and this is how it looks when she was done eating.

I don’t quite understand the check either but the servers mark the check whenever you order something. The chinese writing is for the seafood pan fried noodle, while the circles are for dim sum.

I swear I didn’t order that much. This always end up happening too - the dishes are pretty small so you start getting trigger happy with the dim sum lady. Next thing you know, the check has more circles than a bowl of spaghettios.

I go to dim sum often especially in the warmer weather it seems and Ocean Harbor will always be the spot. Feel free to say hi to me when you see me. I’m the guy with 20 dishes on the table eating like I haven’t eaten for months.

OH. You didn't know? I Love Stella Artois

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:22:00 -0400

If you want French fries, go to McDonalds. If you want French everything else, go to BIBOU

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:21:00 -0400

Bonjour! Today is your lucky day - I am introducing to you one of the finest restaurants in Philly. Sure, it isn’t as spacious as say Buddakan, or make you feel like you’re living the ‘high’ life like R2L. But remember, there’s more to fine dining than just fancy decor. Ok I beg to differ, but anyway.

I introduce to you BIBOU. If you can’t afford Le Bec Fin (who can?) then this is it. This place is where you want to be if you want to experience real fine French cuisine. The head chef and owner is French, and so is his wife/hostess. This place can probably fit no more than 25 people and the seating is a little snug. Don’t be surprised if you ‘accidentally’ brush your thunder thighs on the face of the person next to you. Unless that’s what you really want, which I have no problems with.

By the way, you’ll want to Rsvp if you want to eat here.

This is how you know it’s real french cuisine - the portion size of the appetizer was made for my neice (she’s 6). We had the Smoked salmon with asian pear and hazelnuts. The salmon was very good and fresh. Good start to my french experience so far. Bring on the ~~dead animals~~ entrees!

After seeing the portion size of the appetizer, I thought I was probably just gonna get a bone to lick from for my braised lamb shank entree. I was dead wrong. Believe me when I tell you that this thing is huge - very un-french.

I was getting full after eating only half of this thing. It was perfectly cooked and the flavor and additions was just…exquisite. This is how lamb should be cooked and taste. Très bon!

Here’s her striped bass entree. Was it good? Damn straight it was. How so? Because she don’t eat bass and she loved it. What does that tell you? Exactly.

I have no idea what this is but it was sort of like couscous. I thought it was rice at first. Silly me.

The veggies and flavoring of the entire striped bass entree was terrific. Very light and flavorful. You’re jealous, I know.

Does that lamb shank look tender and juicy, or does it look tender and juicy? You tell me.

Lamb shank and striped bass ain’t no match against our shipping container of a stomachs.

For dessert, we had the creme brulee. Very good. It was a ~~sweet~~ nice ending to a ~~good~~ stellar meal.

The bathroom was actually nicer than the dining area. This tells me the french spends a lot of time in the bathroom - whatever they may be doing in there.

I really can not say how good Bibou is. It is cozy and ambient. It’s quiet and relaxing.

But let me tell you this. I’d go to Bibou if I wanted a more personal experience. If I wanted to feel like I’m ballin’, I’d go to R2L. When it comes to my personal favorites, these are my 2. Don’t copy me, go get your own favorites.

March 6th Saturday Brunch @ Fork Etc

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:37:00 -0500

After 3 months of hibernation, the sun decided to show up again. And what a better day to show up than on a Saturday, bringing out its bff the clear blue sky. Let me tell you, I can’t even describe how ~~happy~~ thrilled we were for this day. Not only was it a nice day, but it also mean that the warm weather is finally arriving - slowly but surely. I’ll be the first person to tell you how much I hate the cold. I hate cold weather more than I hate ~~Applebee’s~~ a certain chain restaurant.

Here’s some of the foods you can order. Check out that ~~piece~~ massive chunk of ham on the top left.

So we went out to enjoy the day (of course, I’m not THAT much of a couch potatoe). We went to eat brunch in olde city. Out of all the places to eat in olde city, we went to a lesser known place called Fork Etc. The place reminded me of Jose Garces’ Trading Co. on 11th and Locust. How can you hate on a place named after your favorite eating utensil?

Roast turkey panini. I would tell you what was on it if I didn’t inhale it.

This is her veggie panini. I don’t remember what was on this except the house-made mozzarella. We thought it was an egg at first but she can’t eat straight eggs so we asked.

After eating paninis, I was trying to eat something sweet. Especially pastries. So we walked around and found this place called Tartes on Arch street between 2nd and 3rd. This place was so small, you can’t even go inside because there is no inside for you to go into! There’s no tables or any seating. All there is is a small ordering window. I know it’s a recession but damn! Can I at least get a chair?

She got the chocolate chip bar, I forget the exact name and forgot to take a picture too.

I got the the Irish Soda Bread with raisins. It’s bigger than the size of my fist and weighed more than my entire head. You know when you hungry, almost anything tastes good? Well, as much as I was craving sweets, this thing SUCKED - just terrible! Who needs a vacuum if you have something that sucks as much as this?

Luckily, I gave it away to some lucky gentlemen who actually appreciated this train wreck. The chocolate chip bar she got was actually pretty good. I ain’t sure who made the irish soda bread but there’s no doubt it was slapped with the stick of disgust.

Ruby Tuesday on a crystal clear Sunday

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:10:00 -0500

First, I gotta confess - this is my first time eating at Ruby Tuesday. I think TGIFriday is one of my favorite chain restaurants and I was thinking Ruby Tuesday was up there with it. It always looks a lot better than other chains like Chili’s or Red Lobster. Outback is also one of my faves, they have really good wings, which are called kookiboro wings. I ain’t sure what the hell kookiboro is but does it matter? No, but let’s see what’s good and not so good about Ruby Tueday.

One thing that Ruby Tuesday has that is really off the chain is the salad bar. You can attack the unlimited salad bar at your will for only $3 when you order an entree. Just make sure to control your gorging self when you see the ham, eggs, and onions. And in case you’re wondering, the answer is no - you cannot bring your whole family, and you order the unlimited salad bar and grab 20 plates of food for every family member. What you think this is, a buffet?

As you can see, I have no self control for ~~the salad bar~~ anything that’s unlimited. Here in this first plate of salad is pasta, onions, ham, green peas, eggs, spinach, brown stuff, some other greens, and ranch dressing. Wow this is good. Definitely worth the $3. Matter fact, I’m even willing to pay $3.50 for it. It’s THAT good.

I got the “New Orleans Seafood” which contains tilapia, shrimp, rice, broccoli, and some other additions. The rice was really good. I haven’t had a good experience with chain restaurants that serve brown rice on their entrees but this was good. The shrimp and fish was good also. The tilapia was nicely cooked, but I think there was too much sauce - might as well just drink mayonnaise.

I have to say, I really like Ruby Tuesday. I am not sure if it can de-throne King Friday’s but then again, what week day can? Ok bad joke.

I think Friday’s has better menu and I have yet to have a bad experience so that says a lot. I’m gonna go to Ruby Tuesday a few more time to try some other stuff. It does have the unlimited salad bar which is very good.

Even though I don’t think it’s better than Friday’s, I’ll pick it over Chili’s or Red Lobster anyday. Would I choose it over Outback? I don’t know, you tell me - does Ruby Tuesday have kookiboro wings? Exactly.

Would I choose Ruby Tuesdays over Applebee’s? Hmm, I’ll have to think about that one. Sike.

Chicken and Rice: Satisfying the hunger of drunks all over New York

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:26:00 -0500

I been told about the legendary Chicken and Rice but I have never known what it looks like or what exactly it is, other than knowing that it contains chicken…and rice. Is it chinese food? Is it just chicken meat and rice? Whatever the hell it was, it didn’t match what I pictured it to be.

Apparently, this chicken and rice is the go-to meal for anyone that needs their stomach to stop whining with the quickness. And it also seems to be THE meal for all you b-boys and party people. You know, after you’re drunk and finished dancing to your favorite Lady Gaga hits, this is it. So how good is this on this particular night?

Because I’m boring, I decided not to get the white sauce, which is what really makes it famous. No one really knows what it is - it looks like ranch, taste like sour cream, and has a texture of salad dressing. Who cares, it tastes good.

Here’s what included: chicken, rice, pita bread, lettuce. The rice is some yellow color rice. I hope it’s not the same yellow that makes snow yellow. The chicken is nicely cooked. The pita bread is soft. The lettuce is quite fresh and greeny. Basically, it tastes as you would imagine.

Without the white sauce, it’s nothing spectacular. But that doesn’t mean it’s not good. It’s really good especially if you’re drunk or feeling buzzy. It probably tastes like heaven if you’re trashed. Regardless, get the white sauce. You won’t regret it.

You can also get hot sauce, which is really good. It’s no sriracha though. But then again, what can compare to sriracha. Exactly.

The famous chicken and rice stand is on 53rd St. and 6th Ave. in new york. There’s another one on 53rd and 7th ave but not sure if they’re the same. The guy on 7th ave says it’s the same but I’m not sure if I wanna believe him.

If you’re drunk, you should get chicken and rice. If you’re sober, you should get chicken and rice. If you’re thin as a twig, you should get some help.