May 25, 2010 2

Arbol Cafe (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia, Favorite Food Entries

Another favorite place of mine in Northern Liberties/Fish Town is Arbol Cafe, a small Paraguay cafe owned by a very friendly couple. It’s quietly tucked away on a side street, you can have a relax afternoon here sipping Yerba Mate Tea.

Arbol Cafe

The warm and homely interior is lovely!

Arbol Cafe

Arbol Cafe

The first time I was there, they just finished baking these chocolate chips cookies. A regular customer walked in and bought loads of them. They must be good then right?  I got one and BOY it’s SO GOOD! It taste perfectly homemade, the texture is chewy and melty with crispy surface. It’s not too buttery nor sweet either~~ I didn’t see them again the next few times I went.

Arbol Cafe

The Paraguay version of Sandwich de Lomito: soft roll, thin hand cut steak, turkey ham, broken egg, lettuce, tomato , cheese & mayo. It’s sorta the South American version of burger. Oh it’s so delicious! Simple, fresh and very tasty. The steak is tender and meaty~ How can something so simple be SO GOOD (yet you don’t find something like it often available, despite the ordinary ingredients)!

Arbol CafeArbol Cafe

I also tried the mate tea (not in photo), it taste very smokey. You can make multiple cups from one small bag.

Arbol Cafe

They also have a garden patio seatings. Low key, friendly and it’s not-just-another-coffee-house, I’d love to chill out here everyday. They played good music too (indie rock). I just love this area so much, there’s a  hip bowling alley nearby.

Arbol Cafe
209 Poplar Street, Philadelphia PA 19123

Tags: ,

May 22, 2010 Off

Johnny Brendas (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

I checked out the hip Northern Liberties area (love it!). The area is still very industrial and rather scary at night, but you can find cool indie clothing stores, art galleries and lots of music venues here and there. Several of my favorite bands are playing at this place called Johnny Brendas, a gastropub that serves very good food and beer.

Johnny Brendas
Johnny BrendasJohnny Brendas

I heard that their breakfast is also very good, so we came back one morning to try. The menu sounds mouth watering already.

Johnny Brendas

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Sandwich 9.

Johnny BrendasJohnny Brendas

JB Breakfast: Eggs, Potatoes, Sausage. 6 It’s basic stuff yet it’s so TASTY and non-greasy! The potatoes are firm and flavorful, the eggs are fresh and the sausage is very yummy. It’s so good!

Their burger is supposedly very famous too, after trying the breakfast I’m convinced the food has to be good in general. I have to try it next time.

Johnny Brenda’s
1201 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125-3905

Tags:

May 21, 2010 Off

Matyson (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

IMG_8662

Matyson is one of the most popular BYOB restaurants in Philly, it’s always featured on the must-go list. The menu is Modern American – which actually seems more like ‘fusion’ to me, especially Asian fusion. It reminded me a lot of the restaurant in LA. As it’s locate at the business area of Philly (Rittenhouse Square), the place has a dimly lit, business chic vibe.

Their appetizers sounded more interesting than the entree for me, so we order only appetizers.

IMG_8654

Special of the night: Foie Gras with Crepe with Honey Herb sauce. The foie gras is well seared, though the sauce and crepe are so sweet that the dish taste like a dessert, still I enjoyed it a lot.

IMG_8657IMG_8658

Yellowtail Crudo 13 Piquillo Pepper Puree, shaved fennel, blood orange vinaigrette, grains of paradise. It actually taste a lot more Asian than it sounds. The sauce taste like…sriracha sauce. Sauteed Roasted Garlic Gnocchi with tomato confit, olives, baby spinach, almond Romesco 10. Taste a bit bland.

IMG_8659

Roasted Quail 15. Foie gras & walnut stuffing, medjool date puree, cacao nib vinaigrette. The bottom was a bit burnt, and I can’t really made out much of the stuffing. The meat is tender and flavorful though.

IMG_8664

Brownie.

From the appetizers I sampled, seems like they have interesting ideas and try to merge the high and low, classic American, Western European with Asian flavors, though I’m not exactly sure what the unifying thread is in their cooking in general. In result, I feel this place lacked a bit of personality. Especially compare to the meal I had at Little Fish, where I can see the chef’s vision and flavors more clearly and in consistency.

Matyson
37 S 19th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103

Tags: , ,

May 19, 2010 Off

Famous 4th Street Delicatessen (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

This is one those crazy nights where I have 2 dinners back to back (*shame*). I had a reservation at Matyson at 9, but I got there early hoping for an early seating. Turns out there aren’t any. I was starving at the moment. That’s when the lights from across the street caught my attention.

IMG_8650

It is a classic East Coast jewish deli called Famous 4th Street Delicatessen. We’re thinking of grabbing some cookies and bread to calm our growling stomach.

IMG_8648IMG_8641

I needed some effort to control myself not trying their Pastrami sandwich. They brought us bread and pickles/coleslaw as we sat.

IMG_8640IMG_8643

The bread is filled with green onion, it was SO good! We got the Famous Chicken Soup with Matzo Ball, Kreplach, noodle, rice and Kasah that turn out to be family size! It was very comforting and tasty…and filling.

IMG_8666

I got a Prune Pastry to go, it was so good! This place seems like a very good place to pick up some classic jewish deli delights for work lunch.

Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
38 S 19th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103

Tags: ,

May 18, 2010 2

Little Fish (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

Another gem I found in South Philly is this tiny BYOB called Little Fish. As the name suggest, they specialized in seafood. I read about their $35 Prix Fixe menu on Sunday, but I couldn’t get a reservation even a month ahead…pity. I managed to get a weeknight table instead. Their menu changes daily, as it’s based on what fresh ingredients they got. I learn more names of fishes from reading their menu.

Little FishLittle Fish

There are less than 10 tables inside hence the vibe is intimate and homely inside. Shibumi Oyster with Lemon Tamari. 2.50 Yum! Wished I could have a platter of these.

Little Fish

Fluke Sashimi with Cara Cara Orange, Tiny Cilantro and Heart of Palm. 12 The presentation is quite a stunner: the sashimi are put on top a giant bed of pink himalayan salt block. The Fluke meat was rather muscle-y and thick, quite unlike the delicate Japanese sashimi staples.

Little Fish

Black Bass with Leeks, Bacon, Littleneck Clams and Potato Hash. 29 My friend’s dish. The sauce is very tasty thanks to the bacon, it’d make a lovely soup by itself. The fish is perfectly cook, very good.

Little Fish

Skate Wing with Wild Boar Ragout, broccoli and Fried Egg. 26  I gotta say, I’m not quite used to the odd texture of skate (a springy, fibrous texture). The lightly fried surface was very sandy as well. The wild boar ragout is meaty and musky, very heavy in flavor…almost competing with the skate. What an aggressive dish that’s both assaulting in flavor and textures. I was rather exhausted half way through.

Little FishLittle Fish

It is a very satisfying and fun meal. The flavors are unpredictable and complex, and rather educational in trying different types of fish. I wanted to try the Sunday Prix Fixe even more after this meal.

This is what I like about Philly’s dining scene: they have LOTS of mid-range priced places such as Little Fish that are 1) BYOB and offers 2) inexpensive Prix fixe menu, and 3) you can feel the personality/visionary from the owners and chef.

Note: Sadly Little Fish is closed since April because of a safety issues regarding the building structure. I hope they’ll either move or re-opened as soon as the problem got fixed.

Little Fish
600 Catharine Street. Philadelphia, PA 19147-2910

Tags: ,

Older Posts
Newer Posts