Sunday, July 26, 2009

BrUnCh done Right


Today we decided to go out for breakfast and were trying to decide between Sabrina's, Marathon Grill, and Du Jour...But i've been to all of them so i thought we should check out a new place. Looked up some spots and decided on Carmen's Country Kitchen in South PHilly. I made the right choice!! the place is adorable ! There were only four choices for food but all looked delicious. I had Challah French Toast with fresh fruit and a side of turkey sausage, my friend had pancakes with fig and pine nuts and a side of Applewood Smoked bacon yum yum yum. The place is this tiny little thing with all this sexual paraphernalia around. LIke penis mugs and breast mugs. Very funny. Two guys were working behind the counter and as soon as we walked in said hi and greeted us with a smile and a jar of water right from the fridge. Outside seating is these seats on either side of a bed of a pickup truck. Just adorable. Tom took our order introduced himself, the other man, and told us Carmen was in the back (cooking) and asked our names. I'm curious to see if he will remember for when we come back. I plan on being a frequent visitor.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Le Bec Fin not so Fine


So last night a friend and I went to Le Bec Fin which was not as good as we had hoped. We did this promotion going on for July. The promotion consisted of a Chef's tasting of 5 courses and at the end of the meal the diners pay what they think the meal was worth. My friend and I were taken down to the bar section of the restaurant (so not the actual restaurant) and sat at a table with 8 other people. Each set of four knew each other and it was very awkward and we were in a cramped space. The first course was a chilled pea soup topped with a savory almond ice cream and baguette. It was OK but pretty salty. Next we had a crab and mussel salad which i did not enjoy because I apparently do not enjoy mussels. The third course was skate t-bone toped with fennel, figs, shiitake mushrooms, and a bacon emulsion and I thought tasted pretty good, the figs were especially delicious. The negative parts to that course were the bones, which were a little larger then a toothpick and many in number, and the bacon emulsion which looked like foam you see in the ocean and was very unappetizing. Next came the steak, and I'm not sure of the cut but it was done medium-rare and was very tender, it was served over a natural jus and truffle puree. This was our favorite part of the meal and my friend doesn't usually even like steak. Finally we had a blueberry custard tard with a white chocolate curl. This was a good summer dessert and there was a hint of anise. Over all it was a mediocre meal and we decided $25 a piece was a fair price for the entire meal. The worst part about the meal was the other diners. It would have been a much more pleasurable experience had we been upstairs getting to experience the actual restaurant, not shoved in a corner with diners we did not know. A restaurant experience isn't just about the food. The waitstaff was ok but our waitress was condescending and we could tell she was annoyed to have our table. All in all we would have rather have cooked at home.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

FriendShiP Bread


IMG_0687, originally uploaded by montanista89.

amish friendship bread