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!
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Sabrina’s is an hour wait. Butcher’s is closed. Where can you and your visiting family eat on a weekend morning down in south philly? You’ve got lots of options! 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.
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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!
Can’t wait to check out their new venture up in Northern Liberties as well.
Cantina Main Site (with all menus)
Cantina Los Caballitos
1651 East Passyunk Ave
South Philly
(215) 755-3550
Hardena is not the newest of restaurants, but there are lots of reasons it’s been around as long as it has. This place is amazing.
More photos and some food descriptions after the jump.
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Smile Cafe
www.thaismilecafe.com
215.564.2502
105 S. 22nd St.
Smile Cafe is one our favorite finds! There are 2 dozen Thai restaurants in Philadelphia – you could have fooled me! I was aware of a few, but it wasn’t until we stumbled out of Smile Cafe (BYOB) that I knew what we found. Our first visit started out with a few tasty bites of fried tofu with a tamarind sauce, and fat New Zealand mussels in lemongrass broth. I also had a most satisfying Pad Thai.
Another time, we started with a perfectly grilled calamari salad, and the brilliant combination of escargot in puff pastry. Then I had a Crispy Half Duck and Matt had Charcoal Beef, served with sticky rice and cabbage slaw. We have never had room for dessert, but next time I must try the fried banana with ice cream. The food seems genuinely Thai and the service is exceptionally friendly (it is called Smile Cafe after all), and the prices are very reasonable. If you are planning ahead reservations are not a bad idea due to Smile’s limited seating; we tried to walk in during the dinner rush once and had to turn around and go to Erawan (luckily just a block away on 23rd, also serving killer Thai food and BYOB).
Pif is one of our favorite restaurants in the city. We first went just over a year ago for my birthday. I loved the food and atmosphere so much both at Pif and Ansill (where we ate a few weeks later for Karen’s birthday) that I decided I wanted to work in either. I introduced myself to some of the people at both restaurants and soon after got a call to see if I could start work.
I started off at Ansill but soon after I started help was needed at Pif and I moved down there. Very convenient because it’s just a half-block away from my apartment. Over the past year I’ve been learning what I can about french food and getting to know the regulars. It’s pretty amazing how many regulars there are for a restaurant so small. I’m sure they’re all very dissapointed to find out that it’s closing after 6 years.
The short version is that David Ansill (the chef) wants to focus more on Ansill, his newer restaurant. I’m not going to get maudlin and spend the rest of the post being sad, but instead point you to my collection of Pif photos (click on the photo to the left). Enjoy and goodbye Pif!
When i decided i was going to start this blog i solicited ideas from friends and people i work with. One that intrigued me was from Jason, a fellow server at Ansill. He said simply, “Go to Southwark. Get a Manhattan.”
And so i did…
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Horizons Philadelphia
611 S. 7th Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19147
215·923·6117
Vegan just got a lot cooler. Looking for a way to get gourmet with your vegan lifestyle? Check out Horizons Philadelphia. Appetizers that take you on a journey from simple olive tasting in Northern Italy to an exquisite Yucatan chopped spinach salad tantalizing the taste buds and perfectly presented. My first 3 visits allowed me the opportunity to sample almost the entire menu. Portions are medium sized but packed with flavor and zest. The staff is warm and inviting and the setting is simple yet attractive.
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