Breakfast at Sabrina's Cafe

This week I will be highlighting meals I had on a recent trip to Philadelphia. While I'm not of the mind to think of the City of Brotherly Love as the 6th borough, I do love the fact that it's super easy & quick to get to, and there's tons of amazing food to sample while you're there. AND, Brownstoner just launched a Philadelphia chapter, so the overlaps are numerous and increasing.

Holy Shit! That's kind of all I need to say about the breakfast I had at Sabrina's Cafe (1802 Callowhill Street, between N. 18th & N. 19th, 215-636-9061) in Philadelphia. Woah! Let's start with the totally awesome and fun space - huge and open, with an open kitchen, tons of great artwork on the walls, knick knacks and tchotchkes and colorful tables and chairs, mixing styles and eras like there was no tomorrow. Now, let's move on to the food.

Stuffed Caramelized Challah French Toast with Cream Cheese & Bananas topped with Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup. This was No. Joke. I can't believe how decadent and creamy and sweet and over the top this was. Thank God I was sharing otherwise I might've had a seizure. I can't really say more. It was amazing and delicious and overwhelming and I loved it.



We also got an egg dish that consisted of Poached Eggs on English Muffins with Bacon & Spinach topped with Hollandaise Sauce. This too was decadent, but it a very different way. The portions were substantial, the flavors clean and strong and the eggs were poached expertly, with no runny white bits. Phew! The potatoes were decent - your basic roasted chunks of pillowy soft carb. Delicious with salt and pepper.



There's another Sabrina's on Christian St. and they offer gift certificates. You will not go wrong if this is the gift you give someone!

Cookies

This week I will be highlighting meals I had on a recent trip to Philadelphia. While I'm not of the mind to think of the City of Brotherly Love as the 6th borough, I do love the fact that it's super easy & quick to get to, and there's tons of amazing food to sample while you're there. AND, Brownstoner just launched a Philadelphia chapter, so the overlaps are numerous and increasing.

Of course, while walking around city you don't know, it's important to have snacks and treats to keep your energy up, and to assess the treat-making chops of said city. And any trip to Philadelphia deserves a tip to the Famous Reading Terminal Market and therefore a trip to the Famous 4th Street Cookie Company (1136 Arch Street, between N. 11th & N. 12th, 215-625-9870). It was here that I picked up one of their giant Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh it was good. With huge chunks of chocolate and crispy, buttery cookie. It was excellent.



In another part of town I found Tarts (212 Arch St., between N. 2nd & N. 3rd, 215-625-2510), a tiny shack of a place selling all manner of baked goods and pastries. My eye caught on a pink and sparkly heart. I was expecting sugar cookie, but it was thicker and softer than a classic sugar treat. It also had a slight almond or coconut flavor. I liked it, but it was a little too sweet, and I would have preferred something more buttery. It was beautiful though, and would add a festive touch to a dessert plate served to guests after dinner with coffee and tea.

Brunch at Farmicia

This week I will be highlighting meals I had on a recent trip to Philadelphia. While I'm not of the mind to think of the City of Brotherly Love as the 6th borough, I do love the fact that it's super easy & quick to get to, and there's tons of amazing food to sample while you're there. AND, Brownstoner just launched a Philadelphia chapter, so the overlaps are numerous and increasing.

Next on our trip was a visit to Farmicia (15 S. 3rd, between Market & Chestnut, 215-627-6274) for Brunch. It's a really popular spot and I recommend making reservations, as we had to sit at the bar because tables were being held for those who had reserved them. Sitting at the bar was nice, but I noticed that only half of the tables that were "reserved" had people sitting at them by the time we left. Not sure what that's about. It also seemed like there was MAJOR tension among the staff. There were a ton of wait staff, but a lot of people waiting around for menus, to have their orders taken and to receive water and drinks once they were ordered. It certainly was a weird, slightly unsettling experience, but we managed to go with the flow and be curious instead of upset with the slightly chaotic vibe.

The menu was full of delicious sounding dishes which made it difficult to narrow it down. It's created, as much as possible, around what's local, in season and sustainably raised. We eventually decided on one savory, one sweet and a side. Our savory dish was Scrambled Eggs with Cheesy Grits, toast and two, large breakfast sausage links. The grits were creamy and had just enough cheese grated into them which melted and created a nice, thick texture. The eggs were substantial and basic but the sausages were incredible. Juicy and flavorful, slightly sweet, just salty enough, they were the highlight of the dish.



The sweet dish we chose was the Brioche French Toast with a Pear & Cherry compote. This dish was incredible. The warm sweet pears and the tart cherries added just the right amount of sweet to the brioche. Real maple syrup was also available, but wasn't necessary.



We also got an order of plain yogurt and a side of fruit. I think our eyes were bigger than or stomachs, because while tasty and fresh, we were both pretty full by the time we got to this!



I would love to go back to try dinner, and one of the amazing-sounding specialty cocktails they make. Definitely a special spot, perfect for celebrating.

Dinner at the Bubble House

This week I will be highlighting meals I had on a recent trip to Philadelphia. While I'm not of the mind to think of the City of Brotherly Love as the 6th borough, I do love the fact that it's super easy & quick to get to, and there's tons of amazing food to sample while you're there. AND, Brownstoner just launched a Philadelphia chapter, so the overlaps are numerous and increasing.

Our first dinner in the City took us to the area around the University. We were going to go to the widely-known White Dog Cafe, but they were only serving a Pre-Fixe menu we weren't interested in, so we ended up going to the The Bubble House (3404 Sansom Street, between S. 34th and S. 36th, 215-243-0804), an Asian Fusion restaurant and Tea House. There's a really casual front room, a 'back porch' feeling vibe in the room at the back, and then a section with private booths made with light blond wood and decorated with hanging plants. We settled in, ordered some amazing cocktails (Chai Bubble Tea with Vodka & Kahlua, Pomegranate Martini) and picked some food.

We started with the Vegetable Lemongrass Dumplings, served with a soy vinaigrette sauce for dipping. Five tender pockets filled with shredded carrots, celery & lemongrass, served steamed arrived and were a plump and tasty start to our meal.



For my entree, I picked the Sesame Seared Tuna with Jasmine rice, Baby Bok Choy and Sweet Chili Aioli. The tuna was a bit overcooked, as was the rice, and the bok choy was nearly nonexistent. Instead of the leafy tops, I got mostly watery stalk. It was a little like they were trying to hard to be "fancy". However, the seasoning was delicious, and I loved the crunch of the black sesame seeds. For some reason, despite all the weird parts to this dish, I loved it. Everything was in alignment that night which contributed to my being able to overlook these minor disappointments. Our waitress was awesome, the drinks were fantastic and I had great company.



For his entree, my boyfriend ordered the Grilled Denver Cute Steak with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Spinach and a Black Pepper Garlic Sauce. This, too, was overcooked and a little on the small side. But it was good enough, comforting, and in a way, perfect.



It's definitely a college neighborhood place. But I've got to tell you, I've been thinking about those Bubble Tea Cocktails ever since!

Lunch at N. 3rd

This week I will be highlighting meals I had on a recent trip to Philadelphia. While I'm not of the mind to think of the City of Brotherly Love as the 6th borough, I do love the fact that it's super easy & quick to get to, and there's tons of amazing food to sample while you're there. AND, Brownstoner just launched a Philadelphia chapter,so the overlaps are numerous and increasing.

Our first meal in Philly was lunch at N. 3rd (801 N. 3rd, at the corner of Brown St., 215-413-3666), a really cool bar/restaurant that's dark and cozy and packed with all sorts of loud & lavish art, sculpture & trinkets. We ordered a couple of pints and settled in.

We started with a huge salad made with mixed greens & Bibb lettuce, slivers of Granny Smith apple, red onion, candied pecans, bacon and blue cheese, mixed with a tangy, creamy dressing. I loved this salad - the way all the flavors both stood out individually and mingled beautifully.



We also got a Crispy Chicken Sandwich with guacamole, bacon, tomato, mayo and fries. Served on fluffy potato bread, this sandwich was giant! It was perfect to share and a delight to eat. Slices of perfectly cooked bacon combined with juicy, crispy chicken made for a satisfying treat. The fries were good too - skin on, well-done and nicely salted.



I loved this place and wish there were more basic, funky pub-like spots in Brooklyn.

Dinner at Hotel Congress

On our last night in Tucson, we went to the Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress in downtown for drinks and dinner. Hotel Congress is a really cool place, with funky decorations and dark, private nooks scattered about. Built in 1919, John Dillinger & his crew hung out there until he was arrested in 1934 after a fire. There are also stories of ghosts roaming the halls, and there's a bar, a performance space and a restaurant all located within the building.

In addition to all this, the food at Cup Cafe was wonderful, as were the delicious, unique cocktails like the the El Camino Martini made with Tequila, grapefruit juice and agave nectar and the Ghost Orchid made with Citron Vodka, Domaine de Canton (ginger liqueur), ginger root and a drizzle of prickly pear. Great beers are on tap as well.

We started with a Seared Scallop appetizer from the specials menu, made with big, tender sea scallops topped with greens and blue cheese. They were cooked to perfection, deliciously flavored and the cheese really added a nice depth to the dish.



We also got an order of the Hotel Salad, made with baby spinach, spiced candied pecans, fresh pear slices and gorgonzola tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. Everything tasted so good, with each ingredient shining through as well as enhancing the others. The portion was substantial enough to be shared between two people.



I loved it here, and will mke sure to go back on my next trip to Tucson!

Dinner at Cafe Poca Cosa

The best meal we ate in Tucson was at Cafe Poca Cosa. Located in Downtown Tucson, this swanky spot offers traditional northern Mexican food made from fresh ingredients, which change daily & seasonally. Naturally, I started with a Margarita, straight up with salt on the rim. It was so smooth and so delicious, I had two of them!



My boyfriend chose the Carne Asada en Morron (Bell Peppers) y Remerito. The presentation of all the entrees was amazing. Each dish was lovingly assembled, with a side salad, fruit and veggies arranged just so. Everything was incredibly flavorful, hearty and smooth, with just a little bit of heat.



My Dad got the Pastel de Pollo en Mole Negro, again presented with a side salad and fruit and drowning in a thick, rich, chocolate-y Mole sauce. The chicken was tender and slightly sweet and each of the flavors enhanced the other.



I went out on a limb and ordered the mysterious Plato Poca Cosa which is a selection of any three of the entrees, chosen by the chef. I ended up getting the Carne Asada dish I described above, a vegetarian dish made with spinach and mushrooms and the Crema de Elote con Jalapeño which was a cornmeal-based dish (like polenta) covered in a banana cream sauce with just a hint of jalapeño. It sounds kind of crazy, but it was delicious. Sweet, thick, creamy and hearty at the same time, it was perfect as part of a three-dish selection. I loved this meal!



We were pretty stuffed by the end, but we HAD to try a dessert, so we ordered the flan. It was delicate, subtle-y sweet and slightly caramel-y. Lovely.



So, definitely get yourself to Cafe Poca Cosa if you find yourself in Tucson for drinks and dinner!

Ice Cream at Frost Gelato

A very popular dessert spot is Frost Gelato, serving the "best ice cream in the world". The owners were inspired by Gelato they had in Rome so they enrolled in a Gelato University, learned the process and opened up a shop in Tucson that serves upwards of 60 flavors of Gelato & Sorbet ranging from Strawberry to Pistachio to Chocolate Chocolate Chip. They currently employ Nazario Melchionda from Bologna, Italy as their Master Gelato maker and use only ingredients imported from Italy, save milk and sugar, as well as Italian machinery and display cases. In addition to frozen treats, they serve chocolates, coffee, root beer floats and affogato (espresso & gelato), plus you can get pints, quarts and buckets of ice cream to go.

What you see below is Chocolate and Pistachio. The chocolate was so rich, so decadent it was unbelievable. And the pistachio was so true to the nut, not fakey-fake.



We also tried an order of strawberry and coffee. The coffee was on the subtle side, not as strong as I prefer it, but the strawberry, a flavor I usually don't order, was delicious. Fresh-tasting, creamy and fruity.



If you find yourself in the Tucson area, head over the Frost Gelato, you won't be disappointed.

Tucson Meet Yourself

One of the best things in Tucson also has the funniest name. Tucson Meet Yourself started as an attempt to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity that exists in the town most known for Southwestern/Mexican/native American culture & cuisine and has evolved into a three-day festival complete with all kinds of cuisine, musical acts, dance troupes and cultural tchotchkes. Turns out, there's quite a number of countries represented within the Tucson city limits, and they all come out to showcase their cuisine at this huge outdoor festival.



We started with an Empanada from Costa Rica packed with olives, boiled egg, beef and veggies. I was hungry, so I ate it, but it wasn't anything special.



I made my way over to the Ghanaian booth where they were making Sweet Plantains, one of my favorite dishes.



They were great, and super spicy too, different from how I'm accustomed to eating them (the sweet, El Salvadoran way).



I also made sure to get some Tacos from the Mexican booth, since I was in the Southwest after all! One with Beef, one with chicken. The beef tasted a little strong, but the chicken was just right. Sprinkled with some lime juice and covered with shredded cotija cheese, they hit the spot just right.



For dessert we went to the Danish booth.



They were making fresh Aebleskiver, little pancakes shaped in a sphere. They're similar to popovers and not too sweet, served with jam on the side and a little sprinkling of powdered sugar. We also got some Danish Kringle, originally a pretzel-like snack which developed into a puff-pastry filled with fruit or nuts. This one was almond and subtle, not too sweet, but a nice little treat.



There's so much to see and eat at Tucson Meet Yourself! It's a yearly celebration of Tucson's multi-ethnic make-up and is worth checking out if you're nearby!

Breakfast & Cookies at B-Line

Beginning today and lasting through next week, I will be posting about the food I ate on a recent trip to Tucson. There's some amazing food in Tucson, so stay tuned. You'll want to hear about this!

If you find yourself in Tucson, as I did recently (visiting family), head over to the B-line (621 N. 4th Avenue Tucson, AZ, between E.4th & E.5th, (520) 882-7575) for an excellent breakfast to start your day right. All the eggs are organic & free-range, the coffee is strong and delicious, and you can have the best cookie for dessert, if you have room. Maybe get it and save it for later.

On this trip, I chose the Scramble with Spinach (you can get other veggies or meats in yours), with a side of beans and toast that all comes with little pots of butter and wonderful fruity jams. It being the southwest, everything comes with beans instead of potatoes. The eggs were fluffy, with lots of spinach mixed in. The bread was fresh, and like I said, the jams were chunky with fruit and delicious.



My boyfriend got the Bagel Sandwich - eggs & cheese on a toasted bagel. The eggs were spilling over the side, and the bagel was pretty good, it being Tucson, did I mention?



One of the best Chocolate Chip Cookies I ever had was from B-line, so I made sure to get one for later. Packed with chips, it's soft, chewy and melty and can be shared between three people it's so big!



I also got a Mexican Wedding Cookie just out of curiosity. Turns out, it's one of my favorite cookies - powdery, with pieces of hazelnut and maybe something almondy? I think every culture has this kind of cookie - it's a typical German holiday cookie - and it's one of my favorites, yet I never know what it's called since I've had it in so many different styles.



The B-line is open late (10pm Friday & Saturday, 9pm Mon. - Thurs. and 8pm on Sunday), so you can stop by for lunch or dinner. There's no table service though, you order at the counter and they bring you your food. They also serve wine and beer (13 microbrews on tap) in addition to coffee, natural & regular sodas and fresh squeezed juices.

Lunch in Tallinn, Estonia

If you read my posts on Monday and Wednesday, you know that this week I've been focusing on the food I ate during my travels this summer to Finland and some of its neighboring countries. In addition to the overnight cruise to Stockholm, you can take a 2-hour boat ride to Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia. Lots of people make this trip back and forth, and since there's only a window of about 5 hours, the area you get to explore is quite limited. Tallinn dates back to the 1100s and boasts an 'old town' that is enclosed by a stone wall complete with turrets and red-tile-roofed towers. It's gorgeous and has windy, cobblestone streets that lead you to the top of a hill that overlooks the rest of Tallinn.

My friend and I had lunch at a place called First Lounge (Rataskaevu 22, (372) 6 413 414), where we sat outside in the sun and enjoyed gazing up at the stone buildings against the perfectly blue sky. It's kind of an odd place - with pasta dishes, wraps, sushi (?) and salads, techno music pumping mid-day and an interior painted in purples and silver. Like I said, we sat outside int he sun and had a lovely lunch. My friend ordered the Pasta with Salmon, with cherry tomatoes, peas, basil and (canned) black olives. It was decent, and a pretty big portion.



I ordered the Wrap with smoked salmon but received the Club Sandwich instead. It was good though, with turkey, lettuce, tomato and bacon (again with those damned canned olives!), plus, a little ramekin of Pringles in the center of the plate. There was also a nice, spicy mayo that apparently the Finns just love (and Estonians I guess), which added a nice zing to the sandwich.



First Lounge was nice since it was off the main streets where all the very touristy restaurants were. It was quiet and mellow and a great place to recharge for more walking and exploring!

Food in Stockholm, Sweden

One of the things you can do when you're in Helsinki, is take an overnight cruise to Stockholm, Sweden. You board the boat at 8pm from either downtown Helsinki, or Turku, a city about two hours West of Helsinki, and twelve hours later you wake up in Stockholm! It was quite an experience (since the boat passes through international waters, there's gambling on board and no drinking age, although that barely there to begin with!), but if you make sure you get a cabin with a window, it's pretty fun, AND you get to spend the day in Stockholm!

Like I mentioned in my post on Monday about Finnish food, Rye Bread is all the rage. So what did I get for dinner on the ship? A salami & cheese sandwich, with lettuce, slices of red bell pepper and butter on Rye Bread. Plus a little apple danish for dessert. It wasn't the best, but the views of the summer cottages from the boat made it a most memorable meal!



Since Stockholm is an hour earlier than Helsinki, you arrive at 7am and have to get off the boat immediately, as they set sail for Helsinki right away. My friend and I discovered that Stockholm is a late rising city - not much was open - so we were almost jumping for joy when we saw The Coffee Place (Drottninggatan 25, near Gamla Stan, the old town) open and ready for business. The guy making our lattes was super serious about his job and lovingly decorated the foam with a heart and a leaf. The coffee was delicious!



After hours of walking around and exploring, we were famished. Serendipitously were stumbled into Ahlins Plat, (Dalagatan 52, 08 - 30 85 67) a sandwich shop with a sideboard where you slice yourself some bread and pour glasses of water with cucumber slices floating in it. So good! I got a panini with chicken, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes that was so good, I was sad when I got too full to finish!



The side salad with Bibb lettuce and creamy dressing was lovely as well. My friend ordered a panini with prosciutto that was quite good as well. The meat was a bit thicker than usual, and provided a hearty meal. The bread was also perfect - crusty, tangy and delicious.



We continued on, walking everywhere to see as much as we could before we had to head back to the ship to take us back to Helsinki. We stopped in at a cafe and I got a Korvapuusti (Cinnamon Roll in Finnish - I can't find the piece of paper where I wrote down what this is called in Swedish - can anyone help me out??) with cardamom. It was a new way to enjoy that earthy, subtly-spicy flavor, but I really liked it. A regular cinnamon & sugar pastry is at the top of the photo.



Instead of eating more boat food, we decided to buy a bunch of scrumptious delights from an indoor market and have an indoor picnic later that evening in our cabin. You can see our various goods in the photo below. We bought another piece of salmon, some bread, two small quiches (the Kantarellpastejer had Chanterelle mushrooms in it and the Ostpastejer had cheese), a wedge of brie and a few desserts. The big Hershey's-kiss looking thing is a Chokladbiskvi. Inside was a creamy, nutty, chocolately mousse atop a cookie platform and coated with dark chocolate. It was incredible. A little disappointing was the Mazarin, which we thought was marzipan. It is made with almonds, but didn't have that dense, paste-like consistency, nor did it have the almost too-sweet flavor. However, all was made better by the small little chocolate disks next to the Chokladbiski. I'm not even sure what these are called, but we purchased them from the Tysta Mari stand at the Östermalms Saluhall (Östermalmstorg, 114 39, Stockholm). They were filled with a chocolate mousse that made our eyes roll back in our heads. One was enough since it packed such a punch, but oh would I love to have one again right now!



I loved Stockholm; not just because of the food, but that certainly helped. I can't wait to go back to spend more time exploring and finding other delicious, local treats!

Food in Finland

In honor of it being the last week of summer, before the holiday weekend, I will devote this week's posts to food I ate on my awesome trip to Finland this summer. There were trips to other places (like Sweden & Estonia) and food eaten there that I'll write about too. I have some readers in that neck of the woods, and hope to hear what they think about what I've written.

Today I will be featuring the food I ate during my days in Finland. My first stop was the Kauppatori (open market) in downtown Helsinki, right on the harbor where the big cruise ships depart for Sweden, Estonia & Germany. There are huge bins of berries of all kinds, potatoes, mushrooms, fish, baked goods and did I say berries? It was amazing, seeing bins full of strawberries, blueberries, cloudberries, green & red gooseberries, and red & purple currants. Look how beautiful!



I made sure I got some strawberries (so sweet!), some gooseberries (so tart!) and one Korvapuusti (my friend & host's favorite baked good; it's a sort of cinnamon roll, lightly sweet, not very sticky but really nice as a subtle sweet treat). They're also topped with the large kind of sugar crystal which adds to the sweetness.



Berries are incredibly abundant in Finland and you can pick wild berries everywhere - in parks, on the side of the road, while hiking. And so we did, in Nuuksio National Park, about an hour northwest of Helsinki.



Salmon was another item I had been told to eat before my travels to Finland, and I made sure to get a lot of it while I was there. It was so creamy & buttery, unlike any salmon I've ever had. One of my particular favorites was the Salmon Soup at Cafe Esplanad, (Pohjoisesplanadi 37, 09 665 496‎), on the main drag in downtown Helsinki. Made with tons of butter, potatoes, lots of dill and big chunks of salmon, it was perfect on the one cool, rainy day I had there.



On the morning we arrived back from our trip to Stockholm, we stopped for breakfast at Tahti Baari (The Star Bar), (Puutarhakatu 15, 358 2 231 9046) the only place open in Turku at 8am on a weekday! It was a little bleak, but our breakfast sandwich of ham, egg, salami & cheese on dark rye bread with butter was delicious.



The coffee was weak and the breakfast doughnut was greasy, but when nothing else is open, it hits the spot!



The other bits of Finnish deliciousness I ate in Helsinki were the Karelian Pies. They're made with a Rye crust (the Finns love their dark bread!), stuffed with either a rice or potato filling and sometimes topped with egg butter (mashed boiled egg & butter). Served warm they are such a delight. I ate many of these while I was there!



I also had occasion to have breakfast at Cafe Engel (Aleksanterinkatu 26, 09 652 776‎) just opposite Senate Square and the big, white Lutheran Church on top of the steps. They make great coffee and offer a number of different breakfast meals including the French breakfast (with croissant), the English breakfast (with sausage) and the Cafe Engel breakfast (with a boiled egg). Below you can see the French breakfast which was quite nice, and very filling, with fresh fruit & vegetables as refreshing garnishes.



As you can see I ate well during my travels in Finland, and I barely scratched the surface. Let me know if you've eaten at these restaurants or if you have recommendations for my next trip!