Yes, Sabrina’s is pretty good. There’s an extensive, creative menu and it’s great for kids. Considering the crowds they get the service is pretty quick and very friendly. Heck, it’s even BYOB, which we’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’ll see 30-40 people standing outside waiting for their table. 30 minutes is considered a short amount of time to wait.

Butcher’s Cafe, across the street, always played a second fiddle to Sabrina’s but now it’s closed. Now Shank’s and Evelyn’s has closed up shop and moved to center city. The first thing to come to mind is Sam’s Morning Glory Diner at 735 S 10th St, just a couple of blocks away. Though lesser-known Sam’s is just as popular as Sabrina’s. The food is typical American breakfast/brunch, just like Sabrina’s, but it’s in a quieter setting. It’s well worth the wait, but there you are again. Starving family? A bit of a headache? You’re going to need one of the other options. The best part is that they’re all only a quick walk away.

1) Royal Tavern and Cochon. Did you know that two of Philly’s most respected eating establishments serve brunch? I don’t think anybody else in Philly knows, because when I go to these places they’re practically empty. It’s a travesty of brunch. From either Sabrina’s or Sam’s just walk east a couple of blocks until you hit Passyunk. North takes you to Cochon and south you’ll see Royal’s coat of arms.

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’s plenty of light coming into this little BYOB. They may be putting tables outside again soon and East Passyunk’s trees are one of Philly’s better outdoor dining options. The only drawbacks here are that Cochon doesn’t open until 11 and Royal opens at 10. But we’re talking about *you* after all and your main problem is that you didn’t get up early enough and you’re still waiting outside of Sabrina’s or Sam’s!

Royal Tavern Brunch Menu
Royal Tavern
937 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2943
(215) 389-6694
Cochon Brunch Menu
Cochon
801 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3018
(215) 923-7675

2) Carman’s Country Kitchen. I’ll let Holly Moore’s review speak for itself:
Holly reviews Carman’s
We actually tried to eat at Carman’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’t eaten there yet but we have the feeling that it’s up there in terms of character and south-philly authenticity(edited thanks to sage advice from Holly) so much so that it could probably rival Shank’s and Evelyn’s. To get there you’ll have to head over to 11th street and walk a few blocks south of Washington.
Carman’s Country Kitchen
1301 S 11th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147-5601
(215) 339-9613

3) Mexican/Chinese. 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’t been doing so for the past year. It’s way better than a breakfast burrito and they’re less expensive here than they are in Headhouse Farmer’s Market!
Los Taquitos de Puebla
1149 S 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 334-0664

Yes, I know there’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’s still food left on the cart when it whizzes by then more power to you. I’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.
I can’t find recent reviews, so here’s an old one from Chowhound.

4) Teri’s. Still not satisfied? You want that american-style brunch but you’ve been to the Royal and Cochon, done dim sum and tacos al pastor, and Carman’s was closed? You need one more? Or just looking to find that secret hole-in-the-wall? Well then you’re just like we were this morning, wandering around south philly, hot and hungry. Luckily Karen remembered reading about Teri’s here:
Teri’s review in Citypaper.

There’s no pretention here. No fancy plating or micro-greens garnishes. When I ordered a scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich on white toast that’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’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 “clean” a lot and it shows both on the menus and all over the restaurant. I think it’s soon going to become another south philly institution (if it’s not already and I’m just the last one on the bus).
Teri’s official site
1126 s. 9th St.
Philadelphia Pa. 19147
267-761-9154

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’m sure some of the people we saw outside of Sabrina’s and Sams’ 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.

BONUS
Famous 4th Street and Cantina de los Caballitos
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.
Famous 4th Street Official
700 S 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3102
(215) 922-3274

Cantina is The Jam but we were on foot today and didn’t feel like walking that far south. Just keep going down Passyunk a while and you’ll hit it. Nothing wrong with some killer margaritas and modern mexican for brunch.
Cantina’s Brunch Menu
1651 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 755-3550

When I first moved to Philly I noticed that the street art scene was mostly relegated to stickers.  I figure this may be because we have so many historic old buildings and local artists had the respect to not mess them up.  It could also be because we don’t have a very active transit system.  Either way it leads to a fun game of hide and seek.  Artists throw their work up on the back of signs, on the sides of newspaper boxes, and in the hidden spots that you only find if you’re really looking.

My two faves are El Toro and Bob Will Reign.  Great character design, always changing it up, and all over town. Frost (El Toro) – Bob Will Reign

So, obviously, I found his stuff on flickr.com one day.  Browsing through I found and decided to buy it.  We met briefly, I handed over some cash and the painting was mine!  It’s been up in my place for the last couple of years.  Time passes…

I started brewing beer and had the idea that El Toro could make me some labels for my brew, just for kicks. A painting called El Borracho seemed perfect. And so El Borracho Homebrew was born. We drank it all very quickly and called it good. Our girlfriends met and seemed to get along very well. Again we called it good.

Fast forward again and I’m up in Chinatown one day when I spot (the ducks are fake). I was driving and couldn’t stop but food and and sneakers are a holy union for me. See Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C and oh, I guess most of this blog.

When I finally got back to the shop I was beyond impressed. Killer design and a fun setup. I introduced myself to the guys and mentioned in passing that they should have an art show with El Toro. To make a long story short I told Frost, he went over, introduced himself to , and last night the whole thing went down in great form. I had a few cases of homebrew lemongrass wheat beer with a Frost-designed label. They were “free gifts” to go along with the purchase of a can. The show was a big success and the art will be up for the next month, so get over there if you’re in the area! I’m guessing the t-shirts are all sold out (but Karen and I got ours!).

[flickr matt.ohara 72157607556729419]

(These pictures will be added to as I take more and move pics over from different flickr sets, so check either my flickr page or back here to see a lot of other philly street art!)

[flickr matt.ohara 72157602211191670]

My friend David once told me an old neighborhood joke. It goes like this:
“Don’t stop to tie your shoe in Bella Vista.”
“Why?”
“You’ll have a mirror attached to your ass when you stand back up.”

For anybody that doesn’t know, Isaiah Zagar is a mosaic artist. If you’ve been to Philly before and visited South Street/Bella Vista you may have noticed that the neighborhood is sprinkled (some might say covered) with mosaic murals created out of ceramic, mirror, bottles, bicycle wheels and more. Take the time to explore the neighborhood and you’ll see doors, walls and whole buildings covered with mosaic tiles. I’ll add a whole bunch more photography of his work to the set above in the coming weeks.

Philly is also the home of a huge mural art program. Everywhere you go in the city you’re bound to run into some murals. Here’s a nice photoset on Time’s website.
Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell (Amazon)
They’re all different shapes and sizes and styles and subject and places. Many deal with famous locals. Many more are focused on positive messages for the community. They all provide a nice bit of visual stimulation when you round a new corner and find a piece that you haven’t seen before. There’s one artist I like particularly and that’s David Guinn. His 4 seasonal pieces are abstract and depict simple, colorful cityscapes in each of the four seasons. I’ve found three (all in the photo slideshow above), but I can’t find the fourth! If anybody can help me locate it please let me know in the comments. Update:Thanks Art from Foobooz for the spot, now I’ve just got to go get a pic of it!

My favorite artists in philly are a lot less well known than Zagar or Guinn. They’re El Toro and Bob Will Reign and they work with markers, stickers and paint. They work on train cars, signs, newspaper boxes, sneakers, vinyl records and well, anything you can put a mark on. They’re two of the first artists I found when I first moved to philly. They have more coverage than Zagar and Guinn put together but I’ve talked to a lot of people who have never seen any of their stuff!

El Toro on flickr

A Bob Will Reign slideshow on flickr

Toro has huge horns and giant toofs. Sometimes he’s wearing a gasmask. Bob Will Reign (AKA Bob) has a big head with eyes way out on the side and sometimes some arrows. Try walking around philly and looking for Toro and Bob pieces (they’re together a lot of the time). Soon you’ll be spotting them everywhere! Give yourself more points for non-obvious ones (like newspaper boxes and stop signs). Look in the photoset above for the painting of El Toro as Captain Ahab (it’s hanging in my house).

Philly has a ton of other street and sticker artists. It’s really fantastic that they keep their work in the city on signs and boxes and dumpsters, as opposed to marking up any of the old buildings we have around here. It’s illegal art for the most part but they have respect for the older art and architecture. And each other! Check out the box in the photoset above and notice how nobody has stickered over somebody else’s piece. If you have any other favorites that you’d like to share please let us know in the comments!

[flickr matt.ohara 72157601551768424]

Day One:
I had been chatting with my drink-slinging friend Katie at Chick’s Wine Bar about a Chinatown tour a few weeks back. She made me stick to my word, and thank goodness! She guided us to Four Rivers and Nan Zhou Hand-Drawn Noodles.

Four Rivers
936 Race St
215-629-8385

Crystal Wontons in Hot Oil
These were really nice. A white, soft, slippery cloud wrapped around a nice morsel of meat. I could have eaten a dozen of these easily. That is, if I wasn’t having the Sweet Ham afterwards.

House Special Sweet Ham
WOW. This is a big piece of meat. Check out the link above to see more opinions. It’s sweet and fatty, yes, but it also has a very delicate flavor and perfect tender quality that must come from a braising technique. Katie speculated that it’s braised in soy sauce, which would explain why it looked more like dark meat than pork normally does. This is a larger dish, meant to be shared and not for anybody on a diet. Definitely a standout for the week and something I’ll be going back for once I complete my tour.

I must return here for the Jellyfish with Thousand-Year Eggs…

Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House
927 Race Street
215-923-1550

That’s right, a hand-drawn noodle house. I came here once when I first visited Philly but haven’t been back since. WHY?! I HAVE NO IDEA! This place is spectacular. Not only are the noodles fresher than fresh (they’re made while you wait after all) but the gigantor bowls of soup are all of 4 or 5 dollars! This is a fantastic spot for lunch when in Center City! I’m going for lunch next week.

Spicy Beef Tendon
This is an interesting preparation and not at all what we expected. It’s thinly shaved and covered in spicy red pepper flake. Kind of like an asian jerky. Scrumptiously spicy!

Seafood Soup with Fishballs, Clams and Shrimp
I’m not going to bother with adjectives here. It’s great, great soup. The guy grabs a big handful of dough and stretches it, smacks it down on the counter, twists it and repeats. While he’s doing this the other ingredients are simmering in the pot. When he finishes and tosses the fresh noodles in the broth they start cooking. They’re so fresh that it takes all of the 15 feet from the kitchen to your table for them to cook. Gah! Getting hungry…

Day Two:

Just me and Karen today. We didn’t have a guide so we decided to take some recommendations from eGullet.

Shiao Lan Kung
930 Race Street
928-0282

Crispy Dumplings
These much-heralded dumplings are in a crispy half-moon shape. I didn’t flip over these the way I thouht I would but admittedly I did not have the ginger-scallion sauce that you are supposed to get from David’s Mail Lai Wah across the street. You can buy the sauce for ¢25 and smuggle it in for use with these dumplings. There’s always next time.

Crispy Pork Intestines
These I got as a recommendation from my friend David. I did not like them. !!! Ah well, you can’t have a perfect record I suppose.

Szechuan Tasty House
902 Arch Street
215-925-2839

Golden Coins
Hoo boy. This was the killer of the day. Imagine this: japanese eggplant stuffed with pork and deep-fried in a tempura-like batter. What could possibly be wrong with that? And if the dish comes out piping-hot with a spicy dipping sauce you might as well just throw in the towel. You’ve lost. Szechuan Tasty House has won again. I don’t swear on this blog but God Damn. That Shit’s Tasty.

Day Three:
Today it was me and my buddy Patrick, David and Rachel, and some of their friends (Karen was working). We trusted David with this one and had a killer meal in a nearly empty restaurant. I’ll just highlight my favorites of the 6 or so dishes we had:

Chung King Garden
915 Arch Street
215-627-3792

Allium Dumplings
These were honestly my favorite dumplings of the week. There was a delicate flavor component that I can’t pin down. Make sure to eat them BEFORE something like:

Chung King Cold Noodles (Sichuan Pepper)
Ohmahgoodness! I love me some cold noodle dishes and I couldn’t stop eating these. The Sichuan Peppercorns just get your mouth tingling and make you want more and more. Very interesting mouthfeel.

Whole Fish in Black Bean Sauce
Boh! I’m so glad David went for this one! This fish just melts in the mouth. I’ve never had fish so tender. Then again I haven’t had a lot of steamed whole fish. The black bean sauce was a bit spicy but it more than anything just complemented the delicate fish. We brought a couple of beers to help wash down all the spicy! Who brought the spicy? Chung King Garden brought the spicy!

Number Eight
I’m only highlighting this one so I can recommend NOT getting it. Unless you like hot pots filled with intestines and kidney and other unidentifiable stuff. There is no english word for it. We tried it, like the gutsy foodies we are, but this one takes some Herculean Fortitude. And I was all out of Herculean Fortitude that night.

So where does the 0.5 in 5.5 restaurants come from? Rachel suggested that we retire to her favorite bubble tea house.

Lakeside Chinese Deli (phillyfoodguys)
207 North 9th Street
215-925-3288

Patrick and I both love almond, and to our mutual surprise, there was almond bubble tea. Delicious! Check the link above to see Phillyfoodguys’ review of the rest of their fare.

and finally:

David’s Mai Lai Wah
1001 Race Street
215-627-2610

I’ve got to go back here. I did get the sauce though (too late for the dumplings) and it’s as crazily good as described! Apparently they have some salt and pepper squid that I have to try…

So at the end of the first week of my Chinatown escapades I couldn’t be happier. This is not the Chinese food that we grow up with in America, this is the Chinese food that challenges your expectations and your palate. It’s amazingly affordable and there are many surprises as well. I’ll leave this first post with a game that was recently introduced to me: the fortune cookie game. I’m sure you can figure out how it works.

Link Here (it’s the photo of the bike at El Vez).  It’s pretty nice of them to ask permission and then credit me and link to my photo on Flickr.  Now if only they’d get a Mac client working!

There’s going to be a big post coming up on Chinatown (I’ve been to 6.5 restaurants in the last 3 days) with lots of photos and information.  My stomach is experiencing a lot of new ingredients (intestines among them) and I’ll be reporting back on the good, the bad, and the really really ugly! (again, intestines)

Karen’s hard at work researching the cupcakes that this city has to offer!  There’s more cupcakery in this city than I was previously aware of and she is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very dedicated.  Very.

UPDATE: Kari, who lives in Hawaii tells me that there it is called Manapua and Benn, who just got back from Japan, tells me that it is known as Nikuman. Nice to have worldly friends.
(recipe)

The real fun came when I saw this though:

!!!

The Century Egg is something that I’ve heard of before and have been excited to try. This was the first time seeing it in a shop though, so I got all silly and excited.

From Wikipedia:

he century egg, also known as preserved egg, hundred-year egg, thousand-year egg, thousand-year-old egg, (Chinese: ??; pinyin: pídàn; literally “springy egg”, or, Chinese: ???; pinyin: s?nghu?dàn; literally “pine-patterned egg”) ; (Vietnamese: h?t v?t bách th?o) ; (???????????? khai-yiew-ma (in Thai)) is a Chinese delicacy made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processing. The yolk of the egg is concentrically variegated in pale and dark green colors while the egg white is dark brown and transparent, like cola. The yolk is creamy with a strong aroma and an almost cheese-like flavor. The egg white has a gelatinous texture similar to cooked egg white, but has very little taste. Some eggs have patterns near the surface of the egg white which are likened to pine branches.

Karen joined me by trying a curry turnover.

(Sorry for the poor quality of the cameraphone pics)

It wasn’t as clear or jelly-like as the pictures I’ve seen and it was sweeter than I’d imagined. This might be because of how it was baked or what it was baked in though. It tasted like a sweet and buttery plum-sugar concoction. The yolk part was more chewy and gelatinous than the white.

I’m still not really sure if it was a real Century Egg or a pastry version. The counter person told me her favorite was the Salted Egg though, so having both for some reason makes me think they’re the real deal.

We continued around Chinatown feeling happy and adventurous.

What we found:
New Harmony Bakery (google maps)
Total Cost of Date: $1.40 per person
Go for the steamed pork buns, go back for all the other pastries and the bubble tea, go crazy and try the preserved eggs! Very inexpensive. Friendly service.