Blissful Hummusiya...

Dizengoff

1625 Sansom Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.dizengoffphilly.com/ 

I mean can Mike Solo and crew do any wrong? So far, it doesnt seem like it. I havent been to Israel to know what a true Hummisiya is like, but if its anything like this, count me in 100 times over. Ive only been able to make it in a few times because its tough to get in and I work outside of the city during the hours they are open, but it is outstanding. The variety of hummus that they offer everyday is fantastic. Its hands down the best hummus I have ever had. If you have been to Zahav before, you know what I am talking about. If you dont like jarred hummus, dont fear, this will change your perspective on what hummus should be and what it can be. 

The first day we went in, it was very full, just as it always is. Actually we wound up ordering our hummus to go and taking it to Rittenhouse Square to sit in the park. My fiance and her parents and I grabbed three different types of hummus and some lemonnanas a delicious concoction of frozen lemonade and mint.

The texture of the hummus is just sublime. The flavor is on a whole other level. The wide range of toppings that they add to the hummus just take it over the top. The ingredients are always fresh, and that pita, dear lord its incredible. We had the beef hummus, eggplant, and roasted pepper on this particular day, and it was hard to pick which one was my favorite. It was also hard to prevent myself from licking the containers when the hummus was gone.

Four and a half pints for Dizengoff. I hope the people of Philadelphia realize just how special this place is. There is no other place like it in this country that I have ever seen, and it so perfectly executed. Everyt little detail is on point, as it always is with a Cook and Solo restaurant. Every time I have the hummus, whether directly from Zahav or at Dizengoff, I find myself eating and thinking to myself, is there something better? Its so deeply satisfying to eat, and I could not be happier that Philly has a place like this to enjoy now! Check it out, you will not be disappointed! Cheers!

Thai Surprise...

Siamese Princess

36 Lancaster Avenue

Ardmore, PA 19003

www.siameseprincessrestaurant.com/ 

Its been really difficult for me to find good Thai food in the Philadelphia area. I have been ruined since traveling to Thailand in 2012 because the food was simply incredible. I forgot my lunch one day at work, so I took a walk to grab some Thai takeout at a place near this place by my office. It was a pretty quick walk, and I headed out right after I ordered because they said it would be ready in 15 minutes and when I arrived it was. I took it back to the office and set it up immediately

I ordered the green curry that came with a side salad with peanut dressing and white rice. I dumped all of my rice into the container with the curry and immediately dug it. It was still piping hot, and it had a really nice amount of heat to it. It definitely had some traditional flavors for sure. Thai basil, coconut, chiles, carrots, onion, the balance of flavor was great. The rice soaked up a nice amount of the curry as well, leaving each and every bite flavorful and comforting. The side salad was definitely lack luster. The dressing was not my favorite. In fact, it was one of the worst peanut dressings I have ever had. It was very fatty and the flavor was pretty poor, I would have preferred not to have gotten it at all.

Three pints for Siamese Princess. I will definitely be back to fill my Thai cravings. This is the best I have found yet in the area, and it's definitely affordable and worth the visit. Check it out and let me know what you think! Cheers!

Smoky Treats...

Four Rivers Smokehouse

1600 West Fairbanks Avenue

Winter Park, FL 32789

https://4rsmokehouse.com/ 

I found this place while looking for BBQ restaurants near my family's vacation home in Orlando, and I am super pumped I did. It's not exactly right around the corner from us, but it was worth the drive. It's an awesome setup from the moment you walk up. They have a big outdoor seating area with picnic tables and paper towels on the tables. When you walk in the front door, you see a buffet line and you order your meats by the 1/4 lb. place your order at the front, walk down the line to pick your sides, pay at the end of the line. One thing that wasn't cool was that there was no beer, but the food is good enough that it didn't matter all that much.

One thing really special about this place was the craft soda wall. They had an outstanding amount of choices to choose from in all kinds of flavors. I actually chose a cream soda made by Sprecher Brewing Company, someone I've actually had beer from in the past. It was absolutely fantastic. I am a sucker for cream soda, and this version was perfect. My fiancé had a ginger lime soda that was amazing.
As for the food, I ordered burnt ends because I almost never see them on the menu, and they were really not good, or what I was expecting for that matter. All burnt ends I have had before are chunks of brisket, but this was shredded and so overly smoked, I was really let down.
That was the only issue I had though with any of the food. It was a bad one, but everything else was so good, it really made up for it. I tried the ribs and the pulled pork and they were spectacular. Every single side was on point from the Mac and cheese to the smoked bacon wrapped jalapeños. I could have eaten an entire tray of the smoked bacon wrapped jalapenos. They had plenty of heat to them, tons of smoke and were just plain tasty. Even the biscuits were spot on. 

For dessert we had this brownie that had all kinds of ingredients and toppings to it. It had caramel, and toffee bits, and peanut butter bits, it was incredibly rich, but it was perfect for us to cut into 6 pieces and share between all of us.

Three and a half pints for Four Rivers Smokehouse. If it wasnt for the burnt ends mishap, it could have been even better. I'll be coming back here time and time again when I visit Orlando, I just wont be ordering the burnt ends. This place is amazing other than that. Check it out and let me know what you think! Cheers!

An Experience Like No Other...

Bern’s Steakhouse

1208 South Howard Avenue

Tampa, FL 33606

www.bernssteakhouse.com/ 

There arent many experiences out there like Berns Steakhouse. Don't be scared when you drive through dodgy looking neighborhoods on your way to this gem, once you arrive I promise it will be worth it. Yes the inside is very old and it may look a little tacky, but like I said, there really isnt anything else like it. The wine list is enormous. They have the largest wine collection of a private owner on the east coast. They have over 600,000 bottles of wine between the 100,000 in the wine cellar and the 500,000 in the warehouse across the street. My fiances father was geeking out about it because he's in the industry.

I was pretty overwhelmed looking at the menu. It's like an encyclopedia. So many choices. So many options. But it's all part of the experience. You want to choose the thickness of your steak? You can do that. You want to order the temperature almost to the degree? You can do that too. Want your steak medium well on one side and medium rare on the other? Go for it, they can do that too.

My fiancé and I wound up splitting a 14oz strip steak. We also split the French onion soup and the salad that comes with every main course. Everything was delicious! The French onion soup was rich and had a depth of flavor that was fantastic. The cheese over top was thick and chewy and brought in a lot of texture to the soup. I loved that the baked potato came served with a a virtual baked potato bar of toppings. Bacon, chives, sour cream and butter. Boom. The steak was perfectly cooked and incredibly tender. All of their meat is dry aged, so the flavor is intensified. Great wine, great food and very reasonably priced for a steakhouse. Winning.

The experience doesn't stop there though. Pay your bill and make your way to the dessert room to finish off your night in style. Again the menu is huge and has tons of delicious looking options. I opted for the brown sugar trio of a cookie, cheesecake and ice cream. My fiancé ordered the baked Alaska and they put on quite a show for it. Both desserts were fantastic and their coffee was too. All of the desserts were extremely well prepared and went perfectly when paired with a cup of coffee. 

Four and a half pints for Bern's Steakhouse. Even the price point was spot on. It was a hell of an experience. I will be back to this place as often as I can. It was one of the coolest restaurant experiences I've ever had. Check it out when you are in the Tampa area. Cheers!