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	<title>Finding Philly &#187; Restaurant</title>
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	<description>more than just a pretty cheesesteak</description>
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		<title>Earth, Bread and Brewery</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2009/07/earth-bread-and-brewery/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2009/07/earth-bread-and-brewery/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:56:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bakery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mt. Airy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=133</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Disclaimer: Finally publishing a few old posts I had put together drafts on.   
12 miles by bike doesn&#8217;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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: Finally publishing a few old posts I had put together drafts on.  <img src='http://findingphilly.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>12 miles by bike doesn&#8217;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&#8230;it still doesn&#8217;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&#8217;s Earth, Bread and Brewery.  Pics in the extended!</p>
<p><span id="more-133"></span></p>
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<p><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;source=s_d&amp;saddr=742+Carpenter+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19147&amp;daddr=S+Broad+St%2FPA-611+to:S+21st+St+to:S+22nd+St+to:Market+St%2FPA-3+to:39.961333,-75.175323+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Lincoln+Dr+to:Germantown+Ave+to:E+Cliveden+St+to:7136+Germantown+Ave,+Philadelphia,+PA+19119&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=%3BFXJ2YQIdHg-F-w%3BFUh8YQIdXOKE-w%3BFRqgYQIdwuOE-w%3BFeamYQIdpOCE-w%3B%3BFRYoYgIdAYqE-w%3BFVmCYgIdJoiE-w%3BFWvqYgIdrq6E-w%3BFXwOYwIdx86E-w%3BFd4RYwIdHM2E-w%3B&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=5&amp;sz=14&amp;via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10&amp;dirflg=w&amp;sll=39.955214,-75.164251&amp;sspn=0.031252,0.063429&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=40.010787,-75.160904&amp;spn=0.184071,0.291824&amp;z=11&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;source=embed&amp;saddr=742+Carpenter+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19147&amp;daddr=S+Broad+St%2FPA-611+to:S+21st+St+to:S+22nd+St+to:Market+St%2FPA-3+to:39.961333,-75.175323+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Lincoln+Dr+to:Germantown+Ave+to:E+Cliveden+St+to:7136+Germantown+Ave,+Philadelphia,+PA+19119&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=%3BFXJ2YQIdHg-F-w%3BFUh8YQIdXOKE-w%3BFRqgYQIdwuOE-w%3BFeamYQIdpOCE-w%3B%3BFRYoYgIdAYqE-w%3BFVmCYgIdJoiE-w%3BFWvqYgIdrq6E-w%3BFXwOYwIdx86E-w%3BFd4RYwIdHM2E-w%3B&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=5&amp;sz=14&amp;via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10&amp;dirflg=w&amp;sll=39.955214,-75.164251&amp;sspn=0.031252,0.063429&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=40.010787,-75.160904&amp;spn=0.184071,0.291824&amp;z=11" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small></p>
<p><a href='http://www.earthbreadbrewery.com/">Official Site</a><br />
7136 Germantown Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19119-1843<br />
(215) 242-6666</p>
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		<title>Brunch in South Philadelphia</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2009/04/brunch-in-south-philadelphia/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2009/04/brunch-in-south-philadelphia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:13:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[BYOB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bella Vista]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Center City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinatown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Desserts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethnic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rittenhouse Square]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Philly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sabrina&#8217;s is an hour wait.  Butcher&#8217;s is closed.  Where can you and your visiting family eat on a weekend morning down in south philly?  You&#8217;ve got lots of options!
Yes, Sabrina&#8217;s is pretty good.  There&#8217;s an extensive, creative menu and it&#8217;s great for kids.  Considering the crowds they get the service [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sabrina&#8217;s is an hour wait.  Butcher&#8217;s is closed.  Where can you and your visiting family eat on a weekend morning down in south philly?  You&#8217;ve got lots of options!<span id="more-125"></span></p>
<p>Yes, Sabrina&#8217;s is pretty good.  There&#8217;s an extensive, creative menu and it&#8217;s great for kids.  Considering the crowds they get the service is pretty quick and very friendly.  Heck, it&#8217;s even BYOB, which we&#8217;d forgotten until we saw a family pulling out a bottle of bubbly last time.  But from early in the morning until early afternoon you&#8217;ll see 30-40 people standing outside waiting for their table.  30 minutes is considered a short amount of time to wait.</p>
<p>Butcher&#8217;s Cafe, across the street, always played a second fiddle to Sabrina&#8217;s but now it&#8217;s closed.  Now Shank&#8217;s and Evelyn&#8217;s has closed up shop and moved to center city.  The first thing to come to mind is Sam&#8217;s Morning Glory Diner at 735 S 10th St, just a couple of blocks away.  Though lesser-known Sam&#8217;s is just as popular as Sabrina&#8217;s.  The food is typical American breakfast/brunch, just like Sabrina&#8217;s, but it&#8217;s in a quieter setting.  It&#8217;s well worth the wait, but there you are again.  Starving family?  A bit of a headache?  You&#8217;re going to need one of the other options.  The best part is that they&#8217;re all only a quick walk away.<br />
<strong><br />
1) Royal Tavern and Cochon</strong>.  Did you know that two of Philly&#8217;s most respected eating establishments serve brunch?  I don&#8217;t think anybody else in Philly knows, because when I go to these places they&#8217;re practically empty.  It&#8217;s a travesty of brunch.  From either Sabrina&#8217;s or Sam&#8217;s just walk east a couple of blocks until you hit Passyunk.  North takes you to Cochon and south you&#8217;ll see Royal&#8217;s coat of arms.</p>
<p>The Royal is dark, as always, which might be great for your hangover.  They also always have a few house drinks, like lemonades and teas and sangrias, for that Hair of the Dog that Bit You kinda thing, and there are always creative specials as well.  We had a corned beef hash last time.  Cochon is just another two blocks up the street and there&#8217;s plenty of light coming into this little BYOB.  They may be putting tables outside again soon and East Passyunk&#8217;s trees are one of Philly&#8217;s better outdoor dining options.  The only drawbacks here are that Cochon doesn&#8217;t open until 11 and Royal opens at 10.  But we&#8217;re talking about *you* after all and your main problem is that you didn&#8217;t get up early enough and you&#8217;re still waiting outside of Sabrina&#8217;s or Sam&#8217;s!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.royaltavern.com/menu4.html">Royal Tavern Brunch Menu</a><br />
<em>Royal Tavern<br />
937 E Passyunk Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2943<br />
(215) 389-6694</em><br />
<a href="http://www.cochonbyob.com/brunch.html">Cochon Brunch Menu</a><br />
<em>Cochon<br />
801 E Passyunk Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3018<br />
(215) 923-7675</em></p>
<p><strong>2) Carman&#8217;s Country Kitchen.</strong>  I&#8217;ll let Holly Moore&#8217;s review speak for itself:<br />
<a href="http://www.hollyeats.com/Carmans.htm">Holly reviews Carman&#8217;s</a><br />
We actually tried to eat at Carman&#8217;s today but were told that the four open seats at the bar had been reserved.  Let that be a lesson to you!  This place is pretty tiny but call ahead and reserve!  We haven&#8217;t eaten there yet but we have the feeling that it&#8217;s up there in terms of character <del datetime="2009-04-27T16:50:48+00:00">and south-philly authenticity</del>(edited thanks to sage advice from Holly) so much so that it could probably rival Shank&#8217;s and Evelyn&#8217;s.  To get there you&#8217;ll have to head over to 11th street and walk a few blocks south of Washington.<br />
<em>Carman&#8217;s Country Kitchen<br />
1301 S 11th St<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-5601<br />
(215) 339-9613</em></p>
<p><strong>3) Mexican/Chinese</strong>.  What?  You want waffles and scrapple?  Shame on you.  Walk over to 9th street and try some of the tacos al pastor at Los Taquitos de Puebla if you (for some inexplicable reason) haven&#8217;t been doing so for the past year.  It&#8217;s way better than a breakfast burrito and they&#8217;re less expensive here than they are in Headhouse Farmer&#8217;s Market!<br />
<em><a href="http://www.lostaquitosdepuebla.com/articles/media/welcome.html">Los Taquitos de Puebla</a><br />
1149 S 9th Street<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147<br />
(215) 334-0664</em></p>
<p>Yes, I know there&#8217;s better dim sum in Chinatown.  If you want to drive up there, search for parking for 20 minutes, wait at the door in a noisy crowded restaurant and then hope there&#8217;s still food left on the cart when it whizzes by then more power to you.  I&#8217;d rather just walk down to Washington, turn right (for Wokano) or left (for Saigon Maxim), sit down immediately and have nonstop carts roll up in a rather quiet setting.  You can even hear the music.<br />
<a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/354310">I can&#8217;t find recent reviews, so here&#8217;s an old one from Chowhound</a>.</p>
<p><strong>4) Teri&#8217;s</strong>.  Still not satisfied?  You want that american-style brunch but you&#8217;ve been to the Royal and Cochon, done dim sum and tacos al pastor, and Carman&#8217;s was closed?  You need one more?  Or just looking to find that secret hole-in-the-wall?  Well then you&#8217;re just like we were this morning, wandering around south philly, hot and hungry.  Luckily Karen remembered reading about Teri&#8217;s here:<br />
<a href="http://www.citypaper.net/food/restaurants/id/3331/Teri%27s+Restaurant">Teri&#8217;s review in Citypaper</a>.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no pretention here.  No fancy plating or micro-greens garnishes.  When I ordered a scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich on white toast that&#8217;s exactly what I got.  It handled the hot sauce treatment on one side just as well as it did the maple syrup dunk on the other.  Karen&#8217;s corncakes with scallion butter and a fried egg on top fit the bill nicely and the salty, crispy bacon and ham sides rounded us out perfectly.  Service was great-very friendly and attentive and regulars were all around.  They like the word &#8220;clean&#8221; a lot and it shows both on the menus and all over the restaurant.  I think it&#8217;s soon going to become another south philly institution (if it&#8217;s not already and I&#8217;m just the last one on the bus).<br />
<em><a href="http://terisdeli.com/">Teri&#8217;s official site</a><br />
1126 s. 9th St.<br />
Philadelphia Pa. 19147<br />
267-761-9154<br />
</em></p>
<p>A 30-minute walk around south philly and we still had an awesome brunch before we would have even gotten sat at some of the other places.  I&#8217;m sure some of the people we saw outside of Sabrina&#8217;s and Sams&#8217; were still waiting, tired and hungry with a slight headache, while my scrapple sammich was energizing me for a day full of bottling beer and playing Wii.</p>
<p><strong>BONUS</strong><br />
<strong>Famous 4th Street and Cantina de los Caballitos</strong><br />
Famous 4th Street Deli is where you go when you want a 15$ bagel/cream cheese/lox/tomato/onion/caper sandwich that will last you all week or some pastrami or matzo ball soup.  Bangin, big, and expensive.  4th Street just south of South Street.<br />
<a href="http://famous4thstreetdelicatessen.com/">Famous 4th Street Official</a><br />
<em>700 S 4th St<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3102<br />
(215) 922-3274</em></p>
<p>Cantina is The Jam but we were on foot today and didn&#8217;t feel like walking that far south.  Just keep going down Passyunk a while and you&#8217;ll hit it.  Nothing wrong with some killer margaritas and modern mexican for brunch.<br />
<a href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/CantinaMenuBrunch.html">Cantina&#8217;s Brunch Menu</a><br />
<em>1651 E Passyunk Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19148<br />
(215) 755-3550</em></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Bistrot La Minette</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2008/08/bistrot-la-minette/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2008/08/bistrot-la-minette/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:38:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bella Vista]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cuisine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[French]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Street]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=62</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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.  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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 <a href="http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/19/cafe-lutecia/">Cafe Lutecia</a> and some other posts we *love* french food.  I used to work at <a href="http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/07/goodbye-pif/">Pif</a> and she at Caribou.  So while we may have experienced French cuisine from different starting points we&#8217;ve always been attracted to opportunities to explore it together.  Read on for our kickass experience at Bistro La Minette, at 6th and Bainbridge.<br />
<span id="more-62"></span><br />
[flickr matt.ohara 72157606956714119]<br />
While we know there are other people  who may be more knowledgeable about French cuisine there are not many who are more excited about it. We&#8217;ve both opened up a few restaurants so we know a few things about how it goes. On to the good bits&#8230;</p>
<p>The space is long and thin, with floor to ceiling pillars and tin ceilings. The walls are a soft yellow and banquets in a micro-fiber burgundy somehow manage to not make you think of McDonald&#8217;s-despite this being one of her least favorite colour combinations. The general decor is thoughtfully contrived and does not, unlike Parc, force you to think about how many workmen it took to recreate some fanciful ideal of an authentic French bistro.</p>
<p>The tables have white marble tops and clawfeet. There are photographs nicely framed on the wall and some authentic accoutrements are present without being overboard. The bar in the front has no seats but there are a number of two-tops at which couples can sit without being in the mix of patrons at the front door. It&#8217;s cozy and despite being completely packed at 60 diners in the main room manages to be very comfortable for normal conversation with your dining companion(s).</p>
<p>There was a crock for some nice dijon and a deeper one for cornichons which, though kind of silly to have to dig them out, was kind of fun. The bread is housemade. While it smells deliciously fresh and yeasty it was smallish and chewy. It was a bit hard to take apart. Slices of a bigger baguette would be easier but this was fun. It had a hard crust that I think may have been salted on the outside.</p>
<p>The pictures also depict her Lillet, which had too many icecubes but was nice to start, and my classic martini, which was perfect and served with a twist (Bluecoat). The butter was plain and not that mythical Pif butter (whose only difference was that it was served with the pink sea salt, by the way). We had arrived at 6:30, our optimal dining time unless you have the ability to dine at 8:00 or later.</p>
<p>The paté was wonderful. 2nd best I&#8217;ve ever had. It was moist and textured, mild and tangy from the pickle bits. Just about as good as it can get. Very obviously homemade and simply presented with the mustard and cornichons. The brioche was odd, to me, but also housemade, fresh and warm. The textures all went together very well and honestly if they&#8217;re going to continue to serve it with brioche I&#8217;ll be happy as a clam at high tide. Different to me but pleasingly so.</p>
<p>The tomato tart, much to my surprise (as a not-huge fan of tomatoes in certain forms) was the highlight of the evening. The crust was stunning. It had that perfect crust formulation where it goes from extremely crispy and flaky on the outside to sublimely lardy and moist below. Just above it was a layer of creme fraiche and on top of that were some skinned grape tomatoes. The tart went beyond my expectations by far and had a tangy and sweet and salty and buttery meld in every bite. Just as highly recommended as the paté but even more so. It was accompanied by a lightly-dressed green salad that was a perfect counterpoint both texturally and visually.</p>
<p>We took a look towards the open kitchen and noticed a beautiful array of (badly-photographed) copper pots. You could hear the cooks going back and forth from 12 feet away but it was more of a ballet than a caucophony; it blended in with the ambient music and the local conversation very nicely.</p>
<p>I have never had flammenkeuche (sp?) before so, being in the heady post-cocktail pre-prandial state of bliss that I was, I did not realize that it was a bit undercooked. It was a very thin pizza-style dough that was topped with boursin, caramelized onions and lardons. The lady was right in pointing out that the dough itself and the lardons were a bit undercooked but I didn&#8217;t notice myself. I thought it was sublime.</p>
<p>I should point out here that the bar was incompletely stocked. The restaurant decided to serve a white house bourdeaux and a red house bourdeaux free of charge. Both were fine table wines. The white was dry, tangy and crisp and the red was bold enough to stand up to the entrecoté and the rabbit without being too huge.</p>
<p>The rabbit was, for me, the least enjoyable. I found it a bit dry and the pasta too al dente for my tastes. It was to have been with a mustard sauce but I am a lover of the strongest of flavours and I thought there could have been much more mustarditude. She pointed out that perhaps some fresh tarragon could have helped it out of its mildness.</p>
<p>We asked for this MR but it came out R, which is acceptable in our book. Better R than M. But even though we know a ribeye tends to be fatty this seemed to me like it could have used some trimming. Honestly one of my favorites bistro dishes ever is a nice au poivre. If they could get a nice sear on a killer strip I&#8217;d be stopping in once a week. Still this was a really quality piece of meat and served with a good, though watery au gratin.</p>
<p>The clafouti should only be served to individuals, not couples. We had some Gran Marnier each and were fighting over it with our silly tiny spoons. They should serve this with swords so that the fighting can really get down to it or at least knife and fork. Caramel ice cream and plum clafouti on a homemade pastry? ReDunkULous.</p>
<p>Classy! Pernod bottles turned into soap dispensers in the bathroom?  I can dig it.  There is also a private dining room with a giant farm table that seats up to 24.</p>
<p>On a final note it should be pointed out that this place is on the high end of the price point when it comes to bistros.  You are definitely paying for the little red vests all of the staff wears, the fancy mirrors and the brass cookware that hangs as decoration.  Worth it, in my estimation, but not something I can do more than once every couple of months.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Ribs (and much more) at Cantina</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2008/07/ribs-and-much-more-at-cantina/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2008/07/ribs-and-much-more-at-cantina/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:54:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexican]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Philly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=52</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We had one of those amazing meals today that leaves you with the feeling that everything&#8217;s right in the world.  I wanted Karen to have the amazing barbeque pork ribs and well, a magarita for brunch isn&#8217;t anything to sneeze at on the 4th of July.  I also wanted to try the pork [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We had one of those amazing meals today that leaves you with the feeling that everything&#8217;s right in the world.  I wanted Karen to have the amazing barbeque pork ribs and well, a magarita for brunch isn&#8217;t anything to sneeze at on the 4th of July.  I also wanted to try the pork wings that were so <a target="_blank" href="http://philadining.blogspot.com/2008/06/if-pigs-could-fly.html">highly recommended</a>, but apparently they were only available as a special.</p>
<p>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&#8217;s just fantastic and Karen agreed.</p>
<p>Ribs by themselves would be a weird brunch so I got the eggs benedict with chorizo and a chipotle hollandaise.  I&#8217;ll just let you marinate on that and tell you that Karen declared &#8220;this is the best eggs benedict I&#8217;ve ever had.&#8221;</p>
<p>For drinks we had a &#8220;City Bike,&#8221; an &#8220;El Dorado&#8221; and Prickly Pear Mimosa.  All three were perfectly balanced and really interesting.  I&#8217;ll let you check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/CantinaMenuDrinks.html">drinks menu</a> to find out what they&#8217;re all about.  This is probably the fourth time I&#8217;ve been in a month and I can&#8217;t wait to go back!</p>
<p>Can&#8217;t wait to check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cantinadossegundos.com/directions.html">their new venture up in Northern Liberties</a> as well.<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/">Cantina Main Site (with all menus)</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/directions.html">Cantina Los Caballitos<br />
        1651 East Passyunk Ave<br />
        South Philly  <br />
        (215) 755-3550 </a></p>
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		<title>Hardena &#8211; Indonesian in South Philly</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/11/hardena-indonesian-in-south-philly/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/11/hardena-indonesian-in-south-philly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:58:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Adventurous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethnic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indonesian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Philly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/11/03/hardena-indonesian-in-south-philly/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hardena is not the newest of restaurants, but there are lots of reasons it&#8217;s been around as long as it has.  This place is amazing.

More photos and some food descriptions after the jump.

Normally we try to post stuff here that we&#8217;ve found ourselves.  In this case my buddy Scott was the informant, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hardena is not the newest of restaurants, but there are lots of reasons it&#8217;s been around as long as it has.  This place is amazing.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/1835638196/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2035/1835638196_5cc9f833c4_m.jpg" alt="Hardena Sign" height="240" width="211" /></a></p>
<p>More photos and some food descriptions after the jump.</p>
<p><span id="more-46"></span></p>
<p>Normally we try to post stuff here that we&#8217;ve found ourselves.  In this case my buddy Scott was the informant, and it turns out that <a href="http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=9984">Philly Weekly has a review from 2005</a> and, wouldn&#8217;t you just know it, <a href="http://phillyfoodguys.com/restaurant-review/hardena-authentic-indonesian-in-south-philly/">those damn PhillyFoodGuys wrote the place up in March!</a>.  Well, it&#8217;s nice to be in good company.</p>
<p>Well, I&#8217;m willing to let bygones be bygones in the case of a place as fun as this one.</p>
<p>There is one drawback to Hardena, and it&#8217;s that the place is so far south.  It&#8217;s three blocks west of Broad Street on Moore.  Look for the sign in the picture below, cause that&#8217;s the only way you can find it!  It looks like a closed cornerstore.  The first time Scott and I got down there it actually *was* closed.  It happened to be the one day a week when the place is closed.  I think it&#8217;s Monday.  So plan ahead!</p>
<p>The easiest way to get on in is to just go back to the counter and ask for a little bit of everything.  You can see from the photos above that we went all-out for just the two of us.  When we first walked in the place was empty.  Scott was a bit taken aback because apparently it had been packed full his last trip.  We spent a few minutes saying hello to Hari and his wife Ena.  According to Scott Hari used to be the chef for the Indonesian embassy.  We ordered away with no hesitation.  Ena was very accomodating and filled the styrofoam plates to the brim.  If not having to pay servers and bussers is what keeps the prices so low I have no problem!  Sometimes I wish other places that had really really fantastic food were self-service.  Enough with the teasing already!  Here comes the food!</p>
<p>[flickr matt.ohara 72157602865982803]</p>
<p>Everybody talks about the satay, and with good reason.  You get four skewers and a whole lot of a perfect peanut sauce.  It&#8217;s not too sweet and it&#8217;s just thick enough to lay a nice smooth and crunchy covering over the skewer.  Don&#8217;t forget that dark sauce with the jalapenos though.  If you like spice like me you&#8217;ll want to spoon some of that on top as well.  In the last section of the styrofoam plate is a selection of pickled veggies.  A little of this after every piece of chicken makes for a very complex array of sweet, hot and tangy that just tickles the tastebuds.</p>
<p>Our next two plates were the mix-plates.  Rijstaffel, I believe they&#8217;re called.  I had beef rendang, some of the homemade tempeh, jackfruit and collard greens.  The tempeh was interesting but a bit too bland for me.  The jackfruit looks like meat or a fake meat, but tastes like a sweet and half-tart mix between the textures of pineapple and pudding.  Fun!  The beef rendang has a moderate kick to it and just falls apart in your mouth.  The collard greens are right out of the Louisiana and taste like they&#8217;ve been cooked in some bacon fat!  Worth going for them alone.</p>
<p>Perhaps Scott can comment and talk about his own dishes; I can&#8217;t remember everything he had!</p>
<p>The last dish was veggies with a peanut sauce and some garlic crisps.  Very simple and straightforward, but a nice way to finish the meal.  A peanut sauce salad!  The garlic crisps I think are puffed rice or flour.  I have no idea how they&#8217;re made but they&#8217;re fantastically potent (perhaps not the best way to finish the meal on second thought!).</p>
<p>As we finished up about twenty Indonesians came in and all of a sudden the place was jam-packed and jolly.  Our bellies were full and we were pretty jolly ourselves.  I hope my descriptions are enough to get you way down south to try this fantastic little place, and I hope I see you in there when you do!  I stil have to try the homemade sambal and the whole fish and the&#8230;everything else!</p>
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		<title>Smile Cafe</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/smile_cafe/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/smile_cafe/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:14:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>karenstratton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[BYOB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethnic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thai]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/12/smile/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ 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 &#8211; you could have fooled me!   I was aware of a few, but it wasn&#8217;t until we stumbled out of Smile Cafe (BYOB) that I knew what we found.   [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Smile Cafe<br />
<a href="http://www.thaismilecafe.com" target="_blank" title="Smile Cafe"> www.thaismilecafe.com</a><br />
215.564.2502<br />
105 S. 22nd St.<br />
Smile Cafe is one our favorite finds!  There are 2 dozen Thai restaurants in Philadelphia &#8211; you could have fooled me!   I was aware of a few, but it wasn&#8217;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.</p>
<p>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&#8217;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).</p>
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		<title>Goodbye Pif</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/goodbye-pif/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/goodbye-pif/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Jul 2007 06:15:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[BYOB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[French]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Philly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/07/07/goodbye-pif/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;s birthday) that I decided I wanted to work in either. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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&#8217;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.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/sets/72157594588600531/show/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/72/164215465_1d067c82dd_m.jpg" style="border-width: 2px" alt="pif sign" align="left" border="2" /></a></p>
<p>I started off at Ansill but soon after I started help was needed at Pif and I moved down there.  Very convenient because it&#8217;s just a half-block away from my apartment.  Over the past year I&#8217;ve been learning what I can about french food and getting to know the regulars.  It&#8217;s pretty amazing how many regulars there are for a restaurant so small.  I&#8217;m sure they&#8217;re all very dissapointed to find out that it&#8217;s closing after 6 years.</p>
<p>The short version is that David Ansill (the chef) wants to focus more on Ansill, his newer restaurant.  I&#8217;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!</p>
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		<title>Finding (a) Manhattan at Southwark</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/finding-a-manhattan/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/finding-a-manhattan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:17:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Late-Night]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Street]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/03/finding-a-manhattan/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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, &#8220;Go to Southwark.  Get a Manhattan.&#8221;

And so i did&#8230;

I liked his suggestion because it was one particular [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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, &#8220;Go to <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;safe=off&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;q=southwark+restaurant&amp;near=Philadelphia,+PA&amp;radius=0.0&amp;cid=39952222,-75164167,5939441199774824214&amp;li=lmd&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;z=14&amp;ll=39.945411,-75.149403&amp;spn=0.02948,0.054932&amp;om=1&amp;iwloc=A">Southwark</a>.  Get a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_%28cocktail%29">Manhattan</a>.&#8221;<br />
<img src="http://findingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/manhattan.jpg" alt="Manhattan" /><br />
And so i did&#8230;<br />
<span id="more-19"></span></p>
<p>I liked his suggestion because it was one particular thing at a particular place that was apparently the pinnacle of &#8220;thingness&#8221; for that thing.  That&#8217;s what this blog is all about!  Thingness!  Also it was a drink i&#8217;d never really dug before.  It would be challenging to see if i could overcome that in the face of what was apparently the best Manhattan in town.</p>
<p>You know what?  I&#8217;m not going to keep you in suspense.  The drink is great.  It&#8217;s really effing good and i didn&#8217;t even like Manhattans before this.  I&#8217;ve had three now in the past month and been trying to figure out exactly why so i could write this post.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471883558/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/471883558_dae123dc36_m.jpg" alt="Southwark Manhattan" height="180" width="240" /></a></p>
<p>The key component, according to Jason, is the rye whiskey.  Many bars and consumers go with any old whisky, but according to <a href="http://www.iba-world.com/english/cocktails/">The International Bartender&#8217;s Association&#8217;s Official Cocktail List</a> the recipe is:</p>
<blockquote><p>MANHATTAN Pre dinner (martini or cocktail glass )<br />
5.0 cl Rye or Canadian whiskey<br />
2.0 cl Red Vermouth<br />
1 Dash Angostura Bitter<br />
Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled martini or cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.</p></blockquote>
<p>but the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_%28cocktail%29">Wikipedia Entry</a> also calls exclusively for rye.  Looks like either/or is acceptable.</p>
<p>So it shouldn&#8217;t be all THAT strange for a place to use rye for their Manhattans right?  But i consulted with some of my bartender friends (i have a lot of bartender friends) and they all concurred that Canadian whisky is generally substituted for rye.  That could be a byproduct of PLCB (you&#8217;re lucky to find one rye in the state stores), or it could even be a local preference (though i don&#8217;t think there is a huge Canadian population in Philly).  I&#8217;m curious to find out if such is the case in other areas of the country.</p>
<p>Then what IS a rye?  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_whiskey">The Wikipedia entry on rye whiskey</a> says that it is made from a mash that contains at least 51% rye.  The rest is usually made up of barley and corn.  Seems simple right?  Except the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_whiskey">entry on Bourbon Whiskey</a> says it is made from a mash that contains at least 51% <em>corn</em>.  The rest is usually made up of barley and rye.  And Canadian whiskey?  Not regulated as far as the amount of rye.  They&#8217;re all very similar, but different, if you know what i&#8217;m sayin. Here&#8217;s what Southwark&#8217;s collection looks like:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471882920/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/471882920_755aa87f27_m.jpg" alt="Southwark Rye Collection" height="180" width="240" /></a><br />
(Photo courtesy of George!)</p>
<p>&lt;&#8211;<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E7DE113EF93AA15752C1A9609C8B63">New York Times Article on Rye and its renewed popularity</a>&#8211;&gt;</p>
<p>&lt;&#8211;<a href="http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=11878">Philadelphia Weekly Article on Southwark</a>&#8211;&gt;</p>
<p>There&#8217;s another factor at work -literally- here. Kip and George, the bartenders.  These guys are great.  They work really well together and know their stuff.  They have a great collection of rye whiskey (probably a dozen) and an even greater collection of friendly regulars.  Every time i go in i see somebody i know, meet a friend of a friend or make a new one.  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwark,_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania">Southwark</a> is coincidentally the former name of the neighborhood south of center city.  It&#8217;s comforting that a neighborhood bar with a neighborhood name has such a neighborhood feel.  It&#8217;s a local watering hole with bartenders who care enough to do things right and have the cabinet, knowledge, skills and loyal customers to back it up.  And it all comes together to make the best Manhattan in Philly.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471898277/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/471898277_9d01075e1f_m.jpg" alt="Manhattans at Southwark" height="180" width="240" /></a></p>
<p>What i found: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_%28cocktail%29">Manhattans</a>!  The depth and breadth of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_whiskey">rye whiskey</a>!  A great <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;safe=off&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;hs=gPE&amp;q=southwark+restaurant&amp;near=Philadelphia,+PA&amp;radius=0.0&amp;latlng=39952222,-75164167,5939441199774824214&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=local&amp;ct=authority">place to be a regular!</a> (couldn&#8217;t find an official site)</p>
<p>Southwark<br />
701 S 4th St<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147<br />
(215) 238-1888</p>
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		<title>Over the Horizons Philadelphia</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/over-the-horizon/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/over-the-horizon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattherron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vegetarian]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/17/over-the-horizon/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Horizons Philadelphia</strong><br />
611 S. 7th Street<br />
Philadelphia, Pa 19147<br />
215·923·6117</p>
<p>Vegan just got a lot cooler.  Looking for a way to get gourmet with your vegan lifestyle?  Check out <a href="http://www.horizonsphiladelphia.com/"><strong>Horizons Philadelphia</strong></a>.  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.</p>
<p><span id="more-17"></span>If you haven&#8217;t stuffed yourself with your tapas style starters, make sure you try one of the following 3 entrees:</p>
<p>1. <strong>Grilled Seitan</strong> &#8211; This dish is everything you want in a vegan &#8216;meat&#8217; dish.  The seitan is tender and delectable, the horseradish cream sauce brings a perfect balance to the dish by adding a little kick but smoothing it out deliciously.  Finally the grilled spinach finishes off the whole experience nicely with a fresh yet mild red pepper tapenade to boot.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Peppercorn Crusted Seard Tofu</strong> &#8211; This dish absolutely captured my senses the second it arrived in front of me.  The aromas were almost too much to handle.  I took a sip of my lager and began to breakdown this wonderfully thought out dish.  The presentation was elegant and inviting.  The first bite of the crusted tofu annd parsnip puree was quite literally amazing.  I never thought a soy bean curd could be transformed into something this enjoyable.  And being that I am not a true vegetarian, goes a long way to demonstrate the thought that went into this entree.  The balsalmic butter sauce made it as devilish as it was heavenly.  If you only visit Horizons once in your lifetime, I would suggest this dish as your primer.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Sopa de Tortilla</strong> &#8211; Finally a soup that really is a meal. (Excuse my pathetic attempt at referencing Seinfeld!) The most unique blend of flavors on the Horizons menu is by far and away this soup.  It consists of traditional latin components with an exotic stew of corn, chayote fruit and red bean.  It is mild at first but irresistable until the end.  The roasted seitan tacos on the side complete the experience and send you home.  But wait, there is still desert.</p>
<p>Before packing it in, you might want to try the best cheescake in Philadelphia.  That&#8217;s right.  Its vegan.  The candy apple cheesecake is absolutely not of this world.  It is a must after every Horizons meal.  Worthy enough on its own to satisfy a late night craving.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.horizonsphiladelphia.com/"><strong>Horizons Philadelphia</strong></a> is a great opportunity for any vegan to enjoy the wonders of gourmet and non-vegetarians to explore what vegan is all about in its most elegant form.  Philadelphia is proud to offer such an innovative view of vegan style cuisine.</p>
<p><u><font color="#0000ff"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&amp;hl=en&amp;q=horizons+&amp;near=&amp;layer=&amp;sll=39.941806,-75.153992&amp;sspn=0.045669,0.081367&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;latlng=39941545,-75153542,9915304028240925918&amp;ei=HxL8RcqEKpjwqwLoxL3_DA">Google Maps</a></font></u></p>
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