When I first started work at my current job we’d get occasional visits from our Head Salesdude, who lives in NYC. He’d come down with a big bag of delicious fresh bagels and cream cheese. The big fluffy rings with the chewy outside and the light doughy inside were just perfect bagels. Nothing more nothing less but somehow the gold standard.
There were some sourpusses in the office though. People who said “what’s the big deal? They’re just bagels.” But a good bagel is not so easy to find in Philly! There’s South Street, with their recent Best of Philly win, and there’s some place north of Rittenhouse which is pretty mediocre. That’s all that comes to mind. Except for… Continue Reading »
Disclaimer: Finally publishing a few old posts I had put together drafts on.
12 miles by bike doesn’t seem all that tough at first glance. But when you put that 12 miles through center city Philly and add in an 80 degree day and make the last few miles uphill while lost and well…it still doesn’t seem as desperate as we felt by the end of that ride. The chafing, sunburn and sore butts melted away after a few minutes and a couple of beers at Tom and Peggy Baker’s Earth, Bread and Brewery. Pics in the extended!
This is a short and sweet little story that starts with me moving to Philly a few years ago and noticing the sticker art around the city. It ends with a local artist’s art opening last night at a slick streetwear shop in Chinatown. Read on for some pics and the full scoop. Continue Reading »
Although we here at Finding Philly try to avoid restaurant openings, almost as a rule, we were excited enough about this new French bistro opening that we decided to visit on opening night. We decided to try to scoop the major media and let it all hang out here on the blog. As you may know from our posts about Cafe Lutecia and some other posts we *love* french food. I used to work at Pif and she at Caribou. So while we may have experienced French cuisine from different starting points we’ve always been attracted to opportunities to explore it together. Read on for our kickass experience at Bistro La Minette, at 6th and Bainbridge. Continue Reading »
We had one of those amazing meals today that leaves you with the feeling that everything’s right in the world. I wanted Karen to have the amazing barbeque pork ribs and well, a magarita for brunch isn’t anything to sneeze at on the 4th of July. I also wanted to try the pork wings that were so highly recommended, but apparently they were only available as a special.
The tamarind barbeque ribs, called Costillitas, have a killer sear and practically drip off the bone. The pineapple salsa adds a tangy bite and the jalapenos add the heat. It’s just fantastic and Karen agreed.
Ribs by themselves would be a weird brunch so I got the eggs benedict with chorizo and a chipotle hollandaise. I’ll just let you marinate on that and tell you that Karen declared “this is the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had.”
For drinks we had a “City Bike,” an “El Dorado” and Prickly Pear Mimosa. All three were perfectly balanced and really interesting. I’ll let you check out the drinks menu to find out what they’re all about. This is probably the fourth time I’ve been in a month and I can’t wait to go back!
I was up in Chinatown a few weeks back getting some grub on a Sunday. While looking for a parking space I passed a shop window so gorgeous I did a doubletake. Sneakers and Peking ducks hanging side-by-side! Just today I rode my bike back to take a look inside and I’m glad I did.The shop opened up six weeks ago and I’m pissed that I missed the opening. These guys are super-nice and obviously know everything there is to know about the streetwear scene. I don’t know jack about anything except Adidas (they informed me that Nike is on the verge of buying Adidas) but these two are all up in it. Ky Cao, the co-founder along with Jackson Fu, showed me a pair of ultra-limited Bodega Pumps that they’re sitting on for the time being. They have a whole bunch. These guys are sick!
Just like Afficial and WTHN it’s mostly Nike and BAPE, but they have clothing and vinyl toys too. My favorite part of the shop is the design sensibility. Take a look at the pics and notice the Donkey-Kong display, the Peking duck display, the restaurant setup for the clothes and the walk-in fridge setup for the changing room. Glad to see a couple of young guys put together something so slick and be doing something they obviously love.
The markets around town offer a huge variety of food and drink and are a lot of fun to boot. Fitler Square has a small one on Saturdays. Karen and I have gotten fresh fruits, veggies, bread, and once a beautiful Thai basil plant that’s now taking over her garden. Reading Terminal is huge and touristy with tons of variety and that whole amazing Amish/Mennonite section. There’s another small one at Passyunk and South Street. My favourite by far is the market at Headhouse Square. Read on to find out why and see some of our finds!
Brown Betty Dessert Boutique
1030 N. 2nd Street # 601 (Northern Liberties Walk)
215. 629.0999
Elizabeth Ruthie Hinton passed down a valuable gift to the women of her family in her vintage cake and pie recipes. I have always had a weakness for a good cupcake. And since baking sweets does not come easily for me, I thank the lord for the women of Brown Betty Dessert Boutique!
This is a post that’s been marinating for a while. I’ve decided to split it up into episodic posts though in the hopes that my adventures in Philadelphia’s Chinatown will be ongoing. The idea formed when I saw this post in eGullet, started by Philadining. Why not go and try everyone’s recommendations? I’ve been wanting to explore Chinatown for a while and what better way to do it. Read on to find out how I managed to get to 5.5 restaurants in 3 days (and eat instestines twice)! Continue Reading »
