Guava Margaritas Get Me Everytime...

El Rey

2013 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.elreyrestaurant.com/ 

A few months ago, my girlfriend and I headed to a place that had been on both of our radars for quite some time. She had been told by many people in her office in Philly about it, and I knew of it because of my following of Stephen Starr and all of his places. We went to El Rey on a Friday evening and we were extremely excited to have dinner.

We waited a little bit, about 20 minutes or so before we were seated, because they do not take reservations. Also, it gets really packed for happy hour, so be aware if you are going to try and go there during the 4-7pm time frame. Once we were seated we ordered up our food and a pitcher of guava margaritas, and waited with anticipation for our meal. 

The guava margaritas were absolutely fantastic! They were incredibly fresh and vibrant, and the guava taste really came through. They were strong, but the tequila wasn’t overpowering. I could have had about 5 pitchers worth of them. 

For our meal we decided to order a couple of things we had never had, and one that we were very familiar with: zucchini blossom quesadillas, chilaquiles, and fish tacos.

I was very much intrigued to taste the zucchini blossom quesadillas because I have seen zucchini blossoms used many times in cooking shows. When they came out I wasn’t overly impressed. I thought the whole dish was overpowered by the taste of the corn tortillas. They were clearly freshly made, but the corn taste just overpowered everything in the dish. Plus I think the zucchini blossoms didn’t carry too much flavor. I think a touch more seasoning could have gone a long way.

The same could be said for the fish tacos. They weren’t bad by any means, but they definitely were overpowered with the taste of corn from the tortillas. Plus, I really don’t feel that there was enough fish in them. As you can see from the pictures there was only a small piece of fish on each taco.

The chilaquilas were the real star of the show. It was a dish of fried tortillas, salsa verde, a fried egg, and queso blanco on top. The fresh corn tortilla worked incredibly well in this dish because it meshed well with the tanginess of the salsa verde. The dish was rich and scrumptious. I could not get enough of the salsa verde. It probably would have tasted great on anything.

I would like to go back to El Rey and not have my options limited by the no eating meat on Fridays during Lent thing. I am sure the meat dishes that they offer are tasty as well. Make sure you get the guava margaritas and the chilaquiles if you go. They are not to be missed! Cheers!

Shockingly Delicious Bar Food...

Public House

2 Logan Square

Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.publichousephilly.com/ 

I have been offered different gift certificates through my credit card company to places in Philadelphia. One of those places happened to be Public House at Logan Square. I had only heard of people going out there to drink and hang out, but had never heard much about the food. We decided to give the restaurant a try one Friday evening during Lent, but we weren’t sure that we were going to be able to find many fish options. Luckily enough we found a few, and a vast selection of cocktails.

I started with a blackberry whiskey drink, which was a special for that evening. After tasting it however, I quickly wished I hadn’t. It was absolutely terrible. A delicious cocktail usually comes together and meshes perfectly. This cocktail didn’t do that. It tasted like a bunch of things that were mixed together that shouldn’t have been. The drink was watery, the blackberry flavor was almost non existent, and the only thing I could really taste through it all was the whiskey. I really wished I had simply ordered a beer.

We moved onto the appetizers and we were much happier. We had ordered the fried pierogis to share, and I had ordered a bowl of tomato bisque. The fried pierogis were pretty delicious. I had never had something like that before, and I really enjoyed them. They were super crunchy on the outside, and the potato and cheese mixture on the inside was warm and delicious. They were served with an aioli that was scrumptious. The tomato bisque was fantastic! It was a bit spicier than I thought it would be, but it was a welcome surprise. It had parmesan breadcrumbs on top and they cut through the acidity and spiciness of the soup with each and every delectable bite.

We were really looking forward to our entrees after tasting the appetizers, and we dug in as soon as they arrived. I had ordered the salmon that came with haricot verts and fingerling potatoes, and my girlfriend had ordered the crabcake sandwich with a Cajun remoulade and sweet potato fries. Both entrees were very good, I really enjoyed my salmon. It’s not really the type of food you would expect to get at a sports bar, but it came out really well done. I enjoyed each and every bite, and the potatoes and green beans were the perfect accompaniments to the delicious salmon.

You would probably be surprised at the quality of food that you can get at Public House. It’s a sports bar, so you would think that they have delicious burgers and wings and things of that nature. You might not think that they have delicious baked salmon on the menu, but I tried it, and it was pretty darn good. Give them a try if you are looking for a cheaper, yet still delicious meal. Cheers!

Unlimited Flavor...

Seafood Unlimited

270 South 20th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.seafoodunlimited.com/ 

My girlfriend and I always enjoy eating with other couples or just friends, so when we had plans to go out with her friend from work and her boyfriend, we were both pretty excited about it. Since it was still Lent, we decided to go out to a fish place, Seafood Unlimited in the Rittenhouse area. None of us had ever been there before, so I was hoping that it turned out to be good.

I was pretty appalled and embarrassed when we got there that we had to wait almost an hour to be seated. What is the point of making a reservation if the restaurant isn’t going to honor it? While I understand that things happen and 15 to 20 minutes to wait isn’t so bad, an hour is simply ridiculous. That being said, once we were seated, the meal changed the mood that we were all in.

They kept the fish in a cooler up front, so you could tell how fresh it was. They cut it fresh to order whenever someone orders their meals, which I thought was pretty cool. We put in our orders, sat back, and enjoyed some good conversation.

They were offering a special soup of the day that was chipotle sweet potato bisque. It sounded delicious to me, and it tasted just the same when I got it. However, I don’t know that I would have called it a bisque. To me a bisque is a cream based soup, and this was merely a thick puree of sweet potatoes and chipotles. However, it was delicious none the less.

My girlfriend had ordered the fried calamari as her appetizer, and I had the pleasure of tasting them as well. They were super crunchy and fried, while still remaining light and delicious. 

I had ordered trout for dinner, but the waitress messed up my order and I wound up with salmon instead. Other than her blunder, everything was amazingly good. The salmon was cooked wonderfully. It had an incredibly crunchy exterior for salmon. The meat inside was cooked perfectly and was moist and flavorful. It was served over a bed of pearled couscous and some bok choy. The whole meal was really quite delicious.

I am not really sure how to recommend Seafood Unlimited. On one hand, it was inexcusable how they treated us when we walked in. We waited for over an hour to be seated, and they did nothing to try to make us feel better or rectify the situation. On the other hand, the food was fresh and delicious. I guess the food is really the draw, especially in a place of only about 20 seats, so go ahead and give it a try and I hope you have better service than we did. Cheers!

This Devil Can Feed Me Anytime...

Devils Alley

1907 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.devilsalleybarandgrill.com/ 

It really is a challenge to not eat meat when going out to eat on Fridays during Lent, but even more so, it is very difficult to not eat meat when you are eating at a bar more known for its barbeque and beer selection than anything. That being said, my girlfriend and I actually had a very delicious meal at Devil’s Alley one Friday evening, even though their fish selections were limited. They don’t offer many seafood items on their regular menu, but they did have a few extra choices on the special menu for the day, so I wound up ordering the fish tacos with black bean and corn salsa and a side of mac and cheese with tomato relish to share with my girlfriend. She ordered her own crabcakes with French fries, and we sipped a few beers while we waited for our food to come out. 

I was incredibly impressed with the fish tacos when I tasted them. The fish was grilled and the char on it was really nice. The fish was light and flaky, and it paired so well with the sweetness of the corn, the sourness of the lime juice, and the texture of the black beans. I devoured all three of the tacos in mere minutes and turned my attention to the wonderfully cheesy mac and cheese. It was some of the best mac and cheese I have had in my day, and the tomato relish really kicked it into another stratosphere. It really tasted like when I was a kid and mixed some ketchup into my mac and cheese and it tasted absolutely incredible. Fantastically delicious!

I also had the chance to taste my girlfriend’s crabcakes and they were quite tasty as well. Not the best crabcakes I have ever had, but they were full of real crab and not much filler. They were crispy on the outside, yet still creamy and delicious in the middle. 

I can’t wait to go back to Devil’s Alley and try some of the delicious barbeque that they have on menu. The fish items that we had were amazing, so I can only imagine how delicious the rest of the items are. I think you should go out, try it, and let me know what you think! Cheers!