January 12, 2010 2

Beneluxx (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

IMG_7719

During one of my morning stroll around the city, I spotted a speakeasy looking basement joint called Beneluxx Tasting Room. It is actually a wine bar opened by the folks from Eulogy Belgian Tavern. A tempting sounding $34.99 tasting menu was posted in front, I told myself to come back at night.

IMG_7683

I came back just early enough to beat the crowd. The dark entry way is easily missed at night (the brightness in the previous photo is purely camera illusion). The interior looks very dive-ish and lively, I love it!

IMG_7682IMG_7701

Their wine/beer tasting menu is huge, and cheap!  Each table is equipped with a glass rinser tray where you can rinse your glass for more. You can easily spent a whole night here.

IMG_7688

1st Course: Potato and Leek Soup. Fresh and flavorful~

IMG_7705

2nd Course: Goat Cheese Tart with Lavender and Caramelized Pear. The goat cheese are homemade. This is so delicious, especially the crust (crunchy and golden)!  Very good!

IMG_7708

3rd course: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter. It’s cooked a bit too al dente for my preference but the flavor is very good (mellow but flavorful).

IMG_7715

4th coursre: Chocolate Fondue.

I’m happily full and drunk by the end of the meal. I tasted 1 beer + 3 wine. The food are simple but yummy and sincere. It’s packed but not crazy and mainstream like Amada, and the dive-ish/hidden feeling is charming. You feel like you can relax here and just keep on chatting, drinking and eating.

This seems like a great place to late night hangout after movies/shows for foodies who wanted a step up above bar food too.

Beneluxx Tasting Room
33 South 3rd Street. Philadelphia, PA 19106-2814

Tags: ,

January 12, 2010 Off

Amada (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

After I went to Iron Chef Jose Garces‘s Cantonese/Peruvian fusion place Chifa, I went to try his flagship tapas place Amada. It is located at the heart of the tourist area, and it’s crazily packed.

4255734605_43bcb4db27_o

I managed to grab the last seat at the bar. The interior is dark and busy

IMG_7632IMG_7637

I got the sangria $7: Spiced Red Wine with Orange, Apple and Cinnamon. A complimentary dips and flatbread.

IMG_7646

From the traditional tapas menu: House Cured Sardines, Pine Nut & Olive. It’s salty and fishy, it went well with the drink but still it was too much to eat (one would be enough).

IMG_7654

Seasonal Wild Mushroom. 14  A little underwelming for me as it’s mostly grilled Enoki and Oyster mushroom (something I cooked myself often).

IMG_7657

From the meat menu: Chicken Breast with Fried Egg, Mojama & Truffle. Tasty and impressive even for  someone who avoid chicken breast normally (why did I order then? It was because of the fried egg and truffle…).

IMG_7667

Arroz Con Leche: Saffron Rice Pudding with Blackberry Compete, Lemon Jam, Cinnamon Bric, Fromage Blanc. $6 This is actually the highlights of the night for me, the flavor is not too strong but rather complex and comforting.

Perhaps I didn’t order right, I ended up a bit underwelmed. I didn’t get blown away by the flavors, and the place feels a bit too major attraction for my comfort.

Amada
217-219 Chestnut Street., Philadelphia PA 19106

Tags:

January 7, 2010 4

Kanella (Philadelphia)

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

Another thing I notice about Philly downtown is that it is full of either BYOBs, or wine bars. I found Kanella, a Greek Cypriot restaurant at the Washinging Square area. The menu sounds different from the usual Greek flair, and its small, lovely Greek Island rustic-ness had me sold.

IMG_7544

The place is PACKED (despite my photo) and it was lucky that I got the last table. RSVP is a must for this place.

IMG_7556

The bread and garlicky dipping is SO good!

IMG_7563

Bureki: fillo pastry parcels stuffed with feta and thyme, drizzled with thyme honey, served with roast beets. It’s  so delicious! The pastry is very thin and flaky, and sweet and savory flavors of honey and feta is just irresistible. Even the roasted beets are very well seasoned.

IMG_7579IMG_7582

Lemonnana: Half mint tea, half lemonade.  Since I wasn’t hungry so I ordered another appetizer.  Koubes: Bulgar whear stuffed with spiced ground lamb and pine nuts served with tzanziki and herd salad. It’s crunchy and flavorful, I wished I brought my own bottle, it’s made to go with wine.

IMG_7603

Galatoboureko: filo pastry filled with semolina custard. The filo pastry is used differently here. Its combination with the custard layer and the way it’s baked gave it a very nice chewy-ness (with just enough crispiness at the corner).  Needless to say, this is so good!

I could only look on with envy at the big table of people where they can share the temping looking but huge entrees. I love this place a lot — the waiters are very friendly, the vibe is festive, the menu is unusual (you would want to try everything) and the cooking are fine and delicious.

Moreover, there’s this intimate and natural feel to it that just makes it very lovely. It reminded me of this place, even though it’s completely different types of food. Is it the white walls? wood tables? homemade bread on wooden pan?

Where can I find similar food  here in LA? ;_;

Kanella (215) 922-1773
1001 Spruce Street. Philadelphia, PA 19107

Tags: ,

January 7, 2010 4

Dutch Eating Place (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

Instead of cheesesteak, the one thing that pops up in my mind about Philadelphia is Amish people. I got excited when I found that there IS an Amish diner at the downtown’s farmer’s market!

IMG_7535

The Dutch Eating Place. If weren’t for the cooks and waitresses’s clothing, it looks just like any ordinary classic American diner. There are also bible verses posted on the cabinet walls. The cooking ingredients are said to be from their own farm, hence the freshness.

IMG_7531

The Pancakes. This is what everyone raves about, and I agree it is incredible! I’ve never had a more fluffy and smooth pancake ever. The wedge of homemade butter they gave you is also very…err ‘classic’ size (another customer requested a whole thick slice of it, so I can tell how jaw droppingly ‘tall’ the brick of butter it is).

The waitress also gave us a couple of their 2012 mini calendars to spread their gospel (and business) around~

Dutch Eating Place
1136 Arch Street., Philadelphia, PA 19107

Tags:

January 7, 2010 3

Chifa (Philadelphia)

//// By in 11: Philadelphia

One of the first impression I got from Philly’s dining scene (not the cheesesteak, I didn’t have any) is that establishments from Iron Chef Jose Garces dominates the city. Philly’s downtown isn’t that big but it got touches from Iron chefs all over (Iron Chef Morimoto also has one restaurant down the block).

IMG_7523.JPGIMG_7515

Chifa serves tapas that’s a fusion of Cantonese and Peruvian (Chifa is supposed to be “eating” in Chinese, but shouldn’t it be Chifan or Sigfan if it’s Cantonese?). Fusion tends to sound questionable but the menu sounds fun. I was cold and hungry as well.

IMG_7499.JPGIMG_7497.JPG

The interior (esp. the bar area) is very slick and clubby. Complimentary: Cheese Bread with yummy sweet and spicy dippings, I could stuff myself full with this alone.

IMG_7505

Chaufa: stir fried rice with chorizo, mango, edamame, soy glazed scallops. 9   It’s a bowl of  fried rice with more lime flavors. It’s very flavorful and yummy, but half way thru I wished it were Chinese sausage instead of chorizo.

IMG_7514

Yuca Fries with Red Chile Mayo. Very oily and the sauce wasn’t enough, it would have been a good bar food. I wished I ordered vegetable instead.

Somehow Chinese and Southern America fusion tends to work for me  (ie: Cuban Fried Rice). The waiters are very friendly and got me interested into trying the Iron Chef’s other restaurants, which I’ll blog later. This seems like a fun but less popular place among the Jose Garces family.

Chifa
707 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19106

Tags: , , ,

Older Posts
Newer Posts