Thursday, March 28, 2013

And the Eating Continues...



Branzino Ristorante
261 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

After my wonderful experience at Hot Diggity, my girlfriend, her father and I ventured over to Rittenhouse Square to have dinner with my aunt and uncle. We were late as per usual, but found my aunt and uncle as soon as we walked in the door.



Branzino is a BYOB, so we brought a bottle of Malbec and a bottle of Riesling with us. I had read some good things in a recent issue of Philly magazine, so I was looking forward to trying a few of the dishes I had read about. I decided on starting my meal with an arugula salad, and then a pasta course of gnocchi Sorrento. I really shouldn’t even call it a salad, because when it came out I was beside myself. It was a mountain of arugula and parmigiano! I probably shouldn’t have eaten it all, but it was so delicious I couldn’t help myself. The arugula has a really nice peppery flavor to it, and the acidity from the lemon juice combined with the saltiness of the parmigiano, really makes for a match made it heaven. 



By the time that I dusted off my mountainous salad, our main courses were ready. My gnocchi was placed down in front of me, and I immediately knew I made the right choice. They looked beautiful, and I dug in immediately. They were some of the biggest gnocchi I have ever seen, but they were wonderfully light and fluffy. The tomato sauce was simple, but flavorful, and the melted bits of mozzarella cheese only carried the richness through to another level. I also had the pleasure of tasting my girlfriend’s vitello al lemoni, or veal with lemon. It was ridiculously tender and so expertly prepared, that I couldn’t even begin to look for a flaw in it. Again it was simple, but the execution was so spot on that it makes you think that food can’t get much better than that. 




Between the five of us, we split three desserts, the mascarpone cheesecake, the ricotta cheesecake, and the molten chocolate cake. I sipped my delicious espresso while we waited for our desserts to come out. We all took turns taking bites of the desserts and passing them along the table. I was in richness heaven with each and every bite of the molten chocolate cake. It was warm and chocolatey and I devoured what I could of the molten chocolate cake while it was in front of me. I also really enjoyed the mascarpone cheesecake. It was creamy and delicious and a bit better in my mind because it wasn’t as dry as the ricotta cheesecake. All three of the desserts were a hit in my mind, and the perfect way to end a terrific meal.




Three and a half pints for Branzino for its flawless preparations and delicious taste. The food that we had was simple, yet really complex. I would go back in a heartbeat for a plate of that gnocchi and some of their delicious cheesecakes.

We had a great time at Branzino in terms of fun and food. It was a very nice restaurant and their food was pretty spectacular. You should go and try it soon before word gets out about how amazing it really is. Cheers!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Diggity Diggity...



Hot Diggity
630 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

When my girlfriend’s dad came into town to move her for the third time in three years, we needed to grab something to eat after we had moved all her stuff. We had dinner reservations with my aunt and uncle that night though, so we didn’t want to have anything too heavy. My girlfriend suggested Hot Diggity, a hot dog shop down the street that had been getting lots of good press. Her dad okayed it and we strolled down the street to get some lunch.



When you walk in you immediately take notice of the crazy artwork on the walls. There are all kinds of artwork of people’s interpretations of hot dogs around the world. It is really pretty cool to see some of them. Once you get in further you notice the blackboard with all the dogs on it, and the offering of housemade sodas that they have for the day. That’s right I said housemade sodas. Unfortunately, the one that I wanted was already out by the time we got there, but it was ok because they have an extensive selection of craft sodas to choose from. I grabbed a Boylan’s Cream soda and was completely content with it. We all ordered our food, for me a Saigon Fusion dog, and we split some fries and their wasabi mayo to dip in and we sat down at the nearby tables and waited.




While we waited I couldn’t figure out what the holes in the table were for. They looked reminiscent of Swiss cheese, but nothing really fit in them. Our sodas were too small, as was the dipping sauce that we got. When the food came out it all made complete sense. The fries were served in cones that fit directly into the holes! So cool! They were incredibly delicious. Crunchy, salty, and comforting, they were only kicked up to another level by the addition of the wasabi mayo. The mayo had quite a kick, but it was an amazing complement to the crispy fries.




My hot dog, the Saigon Fusion, was topped with cucumbers, shredded vegetables including carrots and jalapenos, and doused with a sweet and spicy chili sauce. The dog was thin and long, a touch longer than the roll that it was housed in, and the condiments were piled high on top. The crunch of the vegetables and the sweet and spicy kick of the sauce were incredible. I never though that my usual hot dogs were missing an element of crunch, but now I am convinced that they were! I devoured my hot dog, and quite a bit of the fries dipped in wasabi dipping sauce, and then washed it all down with that delicious cream soda.



3 delicious pints of beer for Hot Diggity. An amazing concept done right, everything scratch made and delicious results make Hot Diggity a homerun. I have yet to make a decision as to which hot dog experience I have had in the past few weeks was better, but I can tell you that I have now found two incredible new hot dog places to stuff my face at. I will have to do quite a bit more market research a.k.a. eating to figure it out! Hot Diggity is borderline perfect, and you should definitely try it as soon as possible! Cheers!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

German by The Bay...



The Quelle
2500 East Bay Avenue
Manahawkin, NJ 08050

I have spent a lot of time in LBI, but there are a few different places that I have been trying to get to because my family spends a lot of time in the same restaurants, and we only have so many weekends there every year. One of the places that I didn’t know too much about but it had always caught my eye was called Dutchman’s Brauhaus. Little did I know that there was actually three restaurants in one at their location on Cedar Bonnet Island, and we wound up sitting down for happy hour at the Quelle one Saturday afternoon.

I was pretty pumped to delve into some German beer and pretzels with my cousins and my girlfriend. I had a German beer I was pretty unfamiliar with called Dab, and we ordered a German pretzel, jalapeno pretzel and the Genuine German wiener. I really enjoyed the Dab beer. I downed two and a large portion of the chips and salsa put on the table before the food came out.



When we dug into the food I got the usual reaction from my girlfriend that the pretzel wasn’t authentic. I could have predicted this before we even ordered it, but I digress. Haha. The pretzel was ok. I agreed though that the salting of the pretzel was really where they missed the mark. The jalapeno pretzel was quite a bit better. It had a hint of jalapeno heat, and a little bit of cheesiness in every bite to leave me wanting more and more. 



The Genuine German wiener had both its high and low points. The wiener itself was superb. The casing had the snap that I have come to be very fond of in sausages, and the meat was seasoned nicely. The spicy brown mustard added to it was the perfect little enhancement. The roll that it was served with however was just too much bread. It was good bread, but there was enough bread for a massive sandwich, and all I had was a hot dog. It really could have been an amazing dish if they had used a long roll with less bread to house the German wiener.

The Quelle is deserving of two pints. While there are some really good things about it, the food kind of missed the mark for me. I will have to try the other restaurants at Dutchman's to get a better feel for the places. I really liked the atmosphere outside on the deck of the Quelle. The food I am not 100% sold on yet, but I will definitely give it another try. I think its good enough to recommend it to you, and definitely to try one of the other two locations in the same building, Dutchman’s Brauhaus and the Bavarian Tavern. It’s definitely something different, so give it a try next time you are hungry after the beach! You can even pull up to the dock in your boat and have some beers! Cheers!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Noodle Fun...



Sangkee Noodle House
1601 North Kings Highway
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

Since our favorite sushi spot and weekly lunch place closed a few months ago (we miss you Nagoya!), my friend and I from work had to start going to different places when we went out to eat during the week. One of the places that we wound up going to is called the Sang Kee Noodle House in Cherry Hill. I had never been and had wanted to try it since it opened a few year ago.

When we sat down I quickly noticed that they offered a pretty great lunch special that I set my eyes on. You are offered choices in 3 different categories for a total of $8.50. I wound up choosing the chicken spring roll, the kung pao shrimp and the lo mein noodles.

I was taking a risk because I had never ordered anything kung pao style before, so I didn’t really know what it entailed. All three of the items came out together, so it was very visually appealing. I dug into the spring roll first and was extremely pleased with it. It was very delicious. It had a very crispy exterior, and the chicken and vegetables inside of it were tender and flavorful.



The kung pao shrimp was really a nice treat for me. I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce, and I absolutely loved the peanuts added to it. The vegetables were crisp and the shrimp were super tender. The lo mein noodles were a great accompaniment to the delicious shrimp. I had never had lo mein noodles in this style before, but I have to say I think I prefer them this way. They were a bit drier than usual, and they were much smaller, but they still had that typical salty lo mein flavor.



Two and a half pints for the Sang Kee Noodle House. I like it, but it probably won't blow you away. It is very good food, so it is definitely worth a try. The portion size was great for lunch, and the price point was perfect too, so I will definitely be returning to Sang Kee Noodle House sometime soon. They have great options to choose from, and the food seems very authentic, and much better than the average Chinese restaurant. Go ahead and try it and let me know what you think! Cheers!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Theres No Need to Fear...Underdogs is Here!



Underdogs
132 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103 

My girlfriend and I walked over to a new hot dog place that she had found a few weeks earlier on the day of my cousin’s wedding in July. We needed to grab some lunch before we headed to the hotel to get on the trolley to the church, and I had been dying to try Underdogs ever since she had told me about it and since I had then read about it in Philadelphia magazine soon thereafter. When we walked in I of course had a difficult time choosing which hot dog I wanted, because there was over 20 different ones to choose from. I wound up going with the Marrakesh, which is a spicy Merguez sausage with harissa mayo and Mediterranean salad on top, and my girlfriend ordered the Penn Deutch which was a beef hot dog served with a spicy brown mustard with a pepper hash on top. We also split an order of fries and a side of curry mayo.

When we sat at our table, I found out that you can get your name written on the wall if you eat all of the hot dogs on the menu. They punch a whole in your menu near the name of the hot dog each time that you eat one. My girlfriend had turned to the wall and asked me if one of the names was my friend Chris. It was indeed, and I texted him to make sure and we had some good laughs about that.

The hot dogs came out very quickly, and I dug in immediately. I found my hot dog to be quite blissful. It had a bit of heat to it from the spices in the Merguez and the harissa mayo, and it was brightened up and freshened up by the Mediterranean salad that it was topped with. I dusted it off rather quickly, and immediately dug into the deliciously crispy fries and the powerful curry mayo. The fries were really crispy and served in a brown paper bag. The curry mayo was a powerful taste; just enough to make you say, “wow that’s good!” I cannot wait to try the other 11 dipping sauces that they serve with their fries.



Three and a half pints for Underdogs from me. They are really nailing their mantra, and the variety and perfect execution that they offer is always worthy of the buzz surrounding such a place. They have since opened another location in South Philadelphia, so check that one out too. Hot dogs really seem to be a rising trend in the food world nowadays. This is one of two booming hot dog restaurants in the city that I know of, and I am sure there are probably more that I don’t know about. Underdogs offers an amazing selection for a great price point and they do everything perfectly. Get out and get yourself a hot dog as soon as possible! Cheers!

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
I am a food lover living in Philadelphia.

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