Steven Starr’s The Dandelion

This past weekend my Mom came into town! It was so great to see her. I took her to The Dandelion Pub for a quick lunch! It was delicious, I have only snacked on their Deviled Eggs with a bottle of wine during happy hour.

We, of course, got an order of deviled eggs to start off with. This is a new trend I’ve been noticing in restaurants across the city, but I have to say these are my favorite! They have a bit of curry powder, cayenne pepper and tobacco that give these eggs a fiery kick. We also had the grilled chicken sandwich which included roasted tomato, avocado, sage mayonnaise, served on raisin nut bread. Yum! The warm roast beef sandwich was just as tasty with watercress salad, horseradish mayonnaise, beef gravy, served on sourdough bread.

We did not want to stop the ride our taste bud’s were on, and ordered an apple/ bread pudding dessert that was somewhat disappointing, but still very flavorful. The bread on top was a bit too crunchy and white-bread-tasting for me. I would have liked to have seen it be a but more soaked in the compote. However, overall the meal and experience was fantastic and left us full for the rest of the night!

The Dandelion is located at 124 S. 18th Street. Check out their site here.

Steven Starr’s Buddakan

Restaurant week has been treating me well so far! I went to Buddakan on Monday as a first timer! The decor  was amazing and elegant, and extravagant and simple all at the same time. When walking into the restaurant, guests are greeted with a friendly, yet serene host staff and a large water-falling window. The large, non-denominational Buddha is certainly the centerpiece of the restaurant and is made of gold and fiber glass, as told by the bar tender!

Scott and I split all of our courses so that we were able to try many items from the menu! For our first course we had shrimp and scallop spring rolls with a plum sauce and a spicy mustard sauce! Both of the sauces provided very different flavors that complimented each other well! We also tried the chicken and ginger dumplings with a sesame soy dipping sauce. Dumplings are one of our favorite menu items, and these certainly took the cake!

For our second courses we tried the wok cashew chicken with a plum wine sauce. This was served with broccoli, snap peas, and a side of jasmine rice. This was great! The chicken was perfectly cooked and the vegetables complimented the sauce. We also tried the pan seared sea bass served with haricot verts (green beans in French), butternut squash, maitake mushrooms, and truffle jus! This was such a savory plate! The bass was cooked better than any bass that I have tried, it was flavorful and hearty at the same time! The vegetables were chopped a bit too small for me, but went very well together. Butternut squash and maitake mushrooms are two of my favorite vegetables!

For our dessert we tried “dip sum” doughnuts, which were served with the option of a dark jam or a chocolate sauce for dipping! We also tried panna cotta with mango in the middle and a side of raspberry sorbet. Panna cotta is my favorite desert since working as an assistant pastry chef in New York, so I have to try it everywhere! The fruit paring made it a perfectly fresh and delicious desert!

My next stop of restaurant week will be at El Vez, followed by Table 31!

For more information on restaurant week and a complete list of participating restaurants, click here. For more information about Buddakan, click here.

The Fisherman’s Dog

 

I usually stick to Philadelphia restaurants and events, but I had to tell everyone about this great new lunch truck in Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY! The Fisherman’s Dog is located on the bay-side of Rockaway and provides amazing and unbeatable views of the New York sky line! The food is so flavorful and one would never guess it came from a lunch truck! I tried the Fish Dog- the spot’s biggest seller! It is beer battered cod lion on a roll with baby arugula and lemon-dill aioli. The “dog” was refreshing and utterly delicious! Proprietors Terence McNicholas and Jared Adler have roots in Rockaway and a family history as watermen. They have been friends ever since they took swimming lessons together at the age of 10 at the Long Beach Recreation Center. Their goal for The Fisherman’s Dog is to make it a venue and meeting place for local residents and visitors alike! They say, “To us Rockaway at it’s best is where the ocean meets the city, where urban grit meets natural beauty and where more recently New York history meets the New New York. An ever changing landscape that seems to be one of the last true melting pots in the city we call home. Our food, decor and all around attitude attempts to feed off of this energy.” I highly recommend The Fisherman’s Dog, and anxiously await their next steps (and my next meal!) 

For more information, check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter!  

 

 

 

Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House

Scott and I went for dinner last night and left so satisfied! The fish was so fresh, flavorful, and delicious! We tried the Oysters Imperial, which are oysters topped with lump crab meat and Hollandaise sauce! As if oysters topped with crab meat wasn’t enough, the tasty sauce made the dish perfectly flavorful! We also tried wasabi pea crusted ahi tuna! This is seared tuna, served rare with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce! I usually cannot eat raw fish unless it is in sushi, but this was so delicious, I hardly noticed the fish was rare! I could eat this with every meal! Scott and I are obsessed with Lobster Rolls this summer, so we had one of these as well! The bun was so soft and fresh and held 1/4 pound of Maine Lobster! The entire meal was so delicious, even the pre-meal rolls with butter! We felt like we were sitting by the sea! 

Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House, Philadelphia 

Oktoberfest 2012

 

Last year’s Oktoberfest was one of my best memories of the Fall! I tasted some delicious beers, listened to some great bands, and danced in the streets of Philadelphia! This year, I want to take advantage of ALL of the events, not just Bloktoberfest (the seven block party!) Check out the list on uwishunu.com!

 

 

Restaurant Week!

YUM! My stomach is growling already! Philadelphia’s Restaurant week(s) are coming up on September 30th-October 5th and October 7th-12th. There is a list of 130+ delicious restaurants to try for a great price of just $35 for a three-course dinner! I take as much advantage of these weeks as possible! They are such a great opportunity to try some of the cities best restaurants at such a decent price! My tip is to go with someone that you can split everything. My boyfriend and I always order different options from the menu and split them, so we both get to taste more of what the restaurant has to offer!  For more information, and a list of restaurants, click here! 

 

Unfortunately, I will not be in the city for the spotlight events of Restaurant Week but I totally wish I was! Check these out and let me know how they are! 

• Restaurant Week Food Sampling at Le Castagne and Devil’s Alley on September 12th at 12:15 pm. 
• Restaurant Week Cooking Demos on September 6th with Chef Andrew Wood from Russet Restaurant and on September 13th with Executive Chef Seth High from Route 6. 

Campus Philly Day!

I am so excited for Fall this year! (And because of this heat, who isn’t!?) I cannot wait for the cooler weather, even more adorable clothing options, and events around Philly! September 29th is College Day! From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. various restaurants, shops, and attractions around the city will be giving discounts to college students. All you have to do is bring a valid college ID and pick up a Campus Philly Pass! For more information on Campus Philly Day, click here! 

Design Philadelphia

This is an awesome event that I keep meaning to check out. The University of the Arts will be showing off it’s students talents! Come check out some of the future of art as we know it! The exhibits will include anything and everything from canvas paintings and drawings to architecture to interior design! Design Philadelphia will also include workshops, lectures, and more! The events will take place from October 10-14! For more information check out their website: www.designphiladelphia.org

Pininterest Obession!

So if you haven’t joined the latest social media craze, do it now!! Seriously! I even got my “I didn’t want a Facebook” boyfriend to love it! Make an account and check it out! The site leads you to many more, and has something for everyone!! 

For the link to the main site, click here!

Check out my boards!