Good Eats

It was a long overdue BFF kind of weekend at some good eateries in Philly.

1st up....a belated birthday dinner for my best friend at one of Philly's top Thai restaurants

TAMARIND

117 South St. 

Philadelphia, PA 19147

T - 215-925-2764

www.tamarindsouthstreet.com

2nd was a pleasant outdoor Monday morning brunch with my other best friend visiting Philly from "oh so glamorous NYC" =P

The restaurant is in a bit of a sketchy area in up and coming Northern Liberties, but a cute place nonetheless.....not to mention it was also in Philly Mag's "Best Brunch Spots in Philadelphia"

Honey's Sit ‘N Eat

800 North 4th Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-925-1150
http://www.honeys-restaurant.com/

Good Eats

Had dinner last night out in the boonies of PA at an old world restaurant with a pretty interesting history:

"Over two hundred years ago The Washington House was a small farmhouse built on an ancient Lenni Lenape trail. Owned by Mr. Jan Jenson, it sat on land deeded from William Penn to Mr. Thomas Freame, who transferred 102 acres to Jenson in 1735. The property was later purchased by Samuel Sellers who enlarged the building and made it into a tavern. Henceforth, both the hotel and the town were known as “Sellers Tavern”. The site became a town center, serving as the first Post Office, hotel, and stagecoach stop for the long journey between Bethlehem and Philadelphia. It is rumored that the Liberty Bell and the men who carried it to safety in Allentown stayed here during the Revolutionary War.

In 1856 the tavern was sold to the North Pennsylvania Railroad who added the ornate Victorian bar and the distinctive cupola. The original front bar was destroyed during prohibition and replaced with the current one when prohibition was repealed, the back bar remaining original. Because of the building’s importance in the founding of Sellersville, the property is included in the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historic Homes."

Dinner here was fun last night because in addition to the restaurant's small town charm and good food, we enjoyed a live bluegrass band with quite a bit of personality =)

Washington House Restaurant

136 N. Main Street, Sellersville PA

215-257-3000

http://www.washingtonhouse.net/home/

Good Eats

Sushi AND Karaoke anyone?
Head over to this neat place in the heart of Chinatown....

Yakitori Boy

211 N 11 St

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 923-8088

http://www.yakitoriboy-japas.com/

Good Eats

perfect place to relax on a friday night with some good friends, good food, and good wine......

BIBA WINE BAR
3131 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 222-2422
http://www.bibawinebar.com/

Good Eats

It's already time for the 2010 office Christmas party!
 

We all filled our stomachs with some really good sushi at:

Miraku Japanese Restaurant

1121 Bethlehem Pike, #80, Spring House, PA 19477

(215) 643-0100 

Good Eats

I haven't done a Good Eats post in awhile.....so I'm gonna attempt to remember some of the good places I've dined at over the past couple months ....I just love sharing good food with y'all =)

I had my birthday dinner here, and everything (and I mean everything) was good!

"The menu is a seamless blend of Mediterranean and Latin influenced small and large plates of seasonal specialties."

Valanni * 1229 Spruce Street * Philadelphia, PA 19107
            215.790.9494 * http://www.valanni.com/

"The emphasis is on great tasting food and beverages crafted from local, organic, and artisanal producers."


FARMiCiA Restaurant
15 S. 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.627.6274
http://www.farmiciarestaurant.com/

This restaurant wasn't at all what I expected it to be when I walked in, but it ended up being a really low-key place to chill with some good pizza and sandwiches.

NOCHE
1901 CHESTNUT STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103
PHONE: 215.568.0551
http://www.noche215.com/

Vintage Bar and Bistro

129 S. 13th Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

215.922.3095

http://www.vintage-philadelphia.com/index.html

A few of us came here for a wine tasting class, but we were more impressed and blown away by how good the food was . . .

"Vintage focuses on wine and the food that it complements. We offer over 60 wines by the glass and another twenty or so by the bottle. Our wines represent regions, countries and varietals from around the world chosen for their taste and character."

And finally I'll end with something sweet...

I was in NYC for a weekend taking some classes and right across from Bryant Park was the Crumbs Bakery . . . just awesomely delicious cupcake concoctions :)

Crumbs Bake Shop
Bryant Park
43 West 42nd St (5/6th Ave)
http://www.crumbs.com/

Good Eats - RAW

For dinner last night, great sushi with a great ambiance at......

1225 RAW SUSHI & SAKE LOUNGE

1225 Sansom Street

 Philadelphia / 215.238.1903

http://www.rawlounge.net/index.html

Good Eats

So I've been severely neglecting posting much these days but I want to get back into it.....so why not start back up with food  :)

There's been some good places I've been to in the past couple weeks....from my first real taste of filet mignon at a high end steakhouse down to getting some cheesesteaks at a classic Philly favorite.

Really good filet mignon and lobster at ....

Davio's

Northern Italian Steakhouse

111 South 17th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 563-4810

http://www.davios.com/

   

" ... few have delivered delicious specialties with the consistency I experienced at Davio's" wrote Craig LaBan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Davio’s is a stylish, up-scale northern Italian steakhouse located on the second floor in the historic Provident Bank Building just off fashionable Rittenhouse Row. Come enjoy a prime steak or our cutting-edge northern Italian cuisine. We also feature an award-winning wine list.

Can't go wrong with some sinfully delicious chocolate desserts here...

Naked Chocolate Cafe

1317 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

 

http://www.nakedchocolatecafe.com/

 

Gourmet burgers at Bobby Flay's new Philly venture (and yeah, it's considered normal to spend about $20 for a burger, fries, and a milkshake here :)

 

 West Philly

3925 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Tel: 215.387.0378

Fax: 215.387.0401

http://www.bobbysburgerpalace.com/

And last but not least, a philly classic: the cheesesteak...

Geno's Steaks

1219 S. 9th St.

Philadelphia, PA 19147

http://www.genosteaks.com/

Good Eats - Toscana 52

Dinner Tonight:
a local goodie where there's a new Italian menu every week (hence the name 52)

Toscana 52

4603 Street Road

Feasterville PA 19053

Phone 215-942-7770

http://www.toscana52.com/

"Experience authentic modern Tuscan cuisine in the tranquility of a dramatic Tuscan Villa. Our team of executive chefs prepare each days menu from scatch. Features include crudo (Italian Sushi), fresh seafood, wood grilled meats, homemade pasta, our pastry chef's seductive sesaonal desserts."

Good Eats - Marathon on the Square & Philly Cupcake

Some good eats from this past weekend..
First brunch: 

Marathon On the Square

1839 Spruce St

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 731-0800

http://www.marathongrill.com/index2.html

 
  and then an evening treat from:

Philly Cupcake
1132 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 625-4888
http://www.phillycupcake.com/

Good Eats - Lorenzo's

The birthday boy had a craving for a slice of Lorenzo's, so a few of us made a 10 pm run down to South Street for a couple slices of their infamous pizza...delicious!  What's interesting is that they DON'T allow any toppings on their individual slices, their pizza is that good with just your basic ingredients: dough, cheese, and sauce....and if you dare to ask for a topping, be prepared to be treated like the soup nazi from Seinfeld!

Lorenzo and Sons Pizza Inc

305 South St

Philadelphia, PA 19147

(215) 627-4110

http://www.lorenzoandsonspizza.com/home.html

And if you're wondering why I'm writing a post about pizza close to 2 o'clock in the morning....that would be thanks to a lack of sleep secondary to the scary stories my friends decided to tell tonight....I just need to remember: Jesus always wins! =P
 
Good Night!

Good Eats - Penang

Dinner Tonight: Malaysian Cuisine in Chinatown

                     

HOURS: 7 days/week (11:30AM - 1:00AM)

ADDRESS: 117 N. 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

TELEPHONE: (215) 413-2531 & (215) 413-2532

http://www.penangusa.com/index.html

Good Eats - NYC Edition

Some good eats from Valentine's Day weekend in NYC...
Saturday Dinner:

MXco

1491 Second Ave. at 78th St,

New York, NY 10075 

212-249-6080

and a fabulous Sunday Brunch:

Penelope

159 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10016-8154

(212) 481-3800

My meal: Pumpkin waffles with apple butter.....soooo good!

http://www.penelopenyc.com/

Good Eats - Bistro 7

So it's restaurant week in Philadelphia! That means time to hit up the really expensive restaurants for some good food at a reasonable price :) I wasn't able to get reservations to a restaurant I've been trying to go to for awhile now, but Bistro 7 came in as a good substitute....a small intimate restaurant with simple, tasty cuisine.

BISTRO 7

7 North 3rd Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106-4506

(215) 931-1560

http://www.bistro7restaurant.com/

"Bistro 7 is an elegant, food-first American BYO bistro located in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic Old City section. Chef/Owner Michael O’Halloran (formerly of Fork and the White Dog Café) relies on a network of local, organic farmers for the pristine ingredients that form the basis for his eclectic American bistro dishes, and the ever changing menu reflects the best that the season has to offer"

Houston Trip / Good Eats

It’s been a great past few days visiting with some dear friends in Houston along with 2 friends from Chicago and New Jersey. It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since we graduated from optometry school and that the 4 of us (our little grad school crew) are all doing our different things living in 4 different states. But despite time, distance, husbands, kids, etc., we have remained as close as ever and have consistently met up once a year to catch up…and when we do it’s just like old times.

So although we had all these great plans to see the sights of Houston, a lot of times we would end up just sitting, eating, and talking for hours, which is usually what happens when you get 4 girls together who haven’t seen each other in awhile! It also fit in nicely with our new mantra in life which we decided was “we just want to be fat and happy”…forget about this whole optometry business…haha :)

So that brings me to the food in Houston, good places we ate at and worth mentioning are :

Uptown Sushi

Zushi Fusion Cuisine

1131 Uptown Park Boulevard

Houston, TX 77056-3227

(713) 871-1200

http://www.uptown-sushi.com/

We also walked around Rice Village, a cute artsy part of town, and had a great lunch here before heading off to the airport:

La Madeleine

Country French Café

Rice Village

6205 Kirby

Houston TX, 77005

713-942-7081

http://www.lamadeleine.com/

Good times!

Good Eats - Zahav

Dinner last night was at Zahav, a relatively new restaurant to Philadelphia serving authentic Middle Eastern/Israeli cuisine.  There's a reason it was named #1 in Philly Mag Top 50 restaurants of 2009; the food was delicious and the bill didn't break the bank!

Zahav

237 Saint James Pl · Philadelphia

http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/

215-625-8800

Good Eats - Iron Hill Brewery

It's an annual holiday reunion of sorts with "the Boyz" tonight, minus a few key players this year.  It's always great to catch up with my oldest of friends and laugh the night away remembering the ridiculous stories of our youth.

Dinner Tonight:

Iron Hill Brewery

The Shoppes at English Village
1460 Bethlehem Pike

North Wales, PA 19454

P: 267 708.2000

F: 267 708.2050

http://www.ironhillbrewery.com/

"We're passionate about producing distinctive, full-flavored handcrafted beers, accompanied by fresh–from–scratch New American cuisine in a comfortable, casual atmosphere. Our goal has always been to provide food and beer that is inspired, consistently crafted and presented by a knowledgeable and courteous service staff."

Good Eats - Bonefish Grill

A rare dinner out with the family tonight at one of the nicer chain restaurants in the area...and more importantly a restaurant my parents actually like!

Bonefish Grill

1015 Easton Road, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania

(215) 659-5854

http://www.bonefishgrill.com/

Good Eats - NYC Edition - Lupa

Today was a day off and I decided to spend it walking the streets of NYC.  I've always found wintertime to be a really enjoyable time in the city amongst all the shoppers, the lights, and the different sights and sounds that come with the season.

After a little window shopping, sipping some hot apple cider in Bryant Park, and a visit to the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza, the night ended with some good food at one of Mario Batali's restaurants in Greenwich Village:

LUPA

170 Thompson Street
between Houston St.

and Bleecker St.

New York, NY 10012

(212) 982-5089

http://www.luparestaurant.com/

Good Eats - Gaya

Dinner Tonight:
Office Christmas Party 2009

GAYA KOREAN RESTAURANT

Authentic Korean Cuisines

http://gayarestaurant.com/

1002 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422
T. 215.654.8900 // 215.654.8300 // 215.654.8311 

A look at the insane amount of good food we had at dinner tonight