Top 10 Philly Bites of 2013...

Top 10 Philly Bites of 2013

I love looking back on some of the experiences I had over the course of the year at this time every year. There were some really incredible food moments for me this year, and I wanted to write a little bit about my top 10 Philly bites of 2013. Trying new places can end up being great or terrible, but that’s half of the fun. Philadelphia continues to blow me away with the quality of the chefs that the city is producing and the amazing new restaurants that are popping up all the time. It's only a matter of time before Philadelphia gets the national praise for its food scene that it deserves. These 10 dishes really stole the show for me this year and I hope you will get out and try them as soon as you can.

10. The Lobster Roll at the Oyster House - simple, yet so incredibly delicious. I still talk about this to people whenever the Oyster House comes up. I would love to travel up to Maine and taste what they have to offer, but I can be pretty certain this is the best lobster roll around here by far. The sandwich is packed with lobster, the dressing is simple, yet flavorful, the roll is buttery and crunchy, and the fries are extremely tasty. It didn’t come cheap at 26 bucks, but it was worth every cent.

 

9. The Pumpkin Spice Latte Donut at Federal Donuts - some things you eat simply because you heard about it or saw a picture of it. For me, I recently joined twitter and I happen to follow Federal Donuts, so I get to see pictures of all their new donuts. I was obsessed with them before I saw the picture and the description of the Pumpkin Spice Latte Donut, but after tasting the pumpkin glazed, vanilla iced and Mexican coffee crumble topped masterpiece, the obsession got crazy. There is nothing like this anywhere. I hope they bring it back again next year.

 

8. The Rotolo at Pizzeria Vetri - they call Chef Brad Spence the "Rotolo Daddy". He came up with the idea of the rotolo for Pizzeria Vetri and the rest is history. They are cranking these babies out all day everyday, and with good reason. They are incredibly delicious. It’s rolled pizza dough stuffed with mortadella and mozzarella cheese and topped with a tangy pistachio pesto. The crusty exterior insulated the melted cheese and meat. It is seriously crazy good.

 

7. The Affogato at Pizzeria Vetri - this is probably the simplest thing on this list in terms of ingredients, but it is one of my favorite things anywhere now. Fantastically creamy soft serve presented in a cup with a double shot of espresso is the new definition of perfection. The ice cream sweetens the espresso, but it still allows the taste of the incredibly high quality coffee to shine through. I know you are probably wondering why this is included in this list, but go try it and then tell me if you think I was wrong. I'm not, because it is just so right.

6. The Roast Pork, Provolone Bread Pudding and Long Hots at Sbraga Dining - my birthday present from my fiancé was one for the ages for me. I will never forget it, mostly because of meeting Kevin Sbraga and seeing Marc Summers, but also because of this dish. Kevin Sbraga's inventive play on a traditional Philly roast pork sandwich is stunning. Did you ever think a roast pork sandwich could be turned into something so refined and high quality? I sure didn’t, but it was just one of many points of the meal I was blown away by. Anyone from Philly that wants to know what Philly tastes like should eat this dish. 

5. The Shrimp and Grits at Khyber Pass Pub - my fiancé is a grits addict, and I am a sucker for anything Southern, so when she ordered the shrimp and grits at Khyber Pass Pub, it wasn’t a shock. I was so happy we decided to share our lunches, because the shrimp and grits were outrageously good. I think she was a little bit unhappy to have to share them, but I was very happy to have half. They were spicy and tender shrimp, sitting on a bed of buttery, but not too heavy grits. I mean wow. I never expected to get this quality of Cajun cuisine up here in Philadelphia, but I am so happy we found it.

4. The Pastrami Spiced Foie Gras at Vetri Cucina - while Vetri Cucina is not a place that I or most people can frequent, it is a place that should be on everyone's dining bucket list. We went on the evening I asked my fiancé to marry me, and it could not have been a better meal or way to celebrate. We put the entire evening in the hands of our waiter and did not choose anything we ate. The amuse bouche was a phenomenal way to start the meal, especially because of the pastrami spiced foie gras. Pure genius in its entirety I have to tell you. I mean light and airy whipped foie gras that tastes like pastrami? Who possibly imagines let alone executes something so crazy delicious? Marc Vetri that’s who.  

3. The Bucatini with Jalapeno Pesto at Amis - you may notice something about some of the top dishes. A lot of them happened at Vetri family restaurants. This particular dish has stuck in my mind for a long time. I want to go back to Amis as soon as possible just to have it again. I love pasta and I love anything spicy and anything with pesto, so I am not sure if there is a better combination of flavors for me anywhere. Bucatini is a great pasta because of its ability to hold a sauce so well in its hollowed out inside. Think thick spaghetti that’s hollow. The spice is subtle, but it really kicks in after a few bites. The pesto is incredible and the dusting of cheese is just the perfect touch to finish it all off. I could eat many bowls of this stuff.

2. The Chickpea Postage Stamps at Fork - when I first got into the food scene I didn’t know much about anything. When I really started spending more time in Philly and trying some of the food the chefs offered up, I heard about the migration of Chef Eli Kulp from NYC to Fork here in Philly. I had Fork on my radar for quite some time, and when we finally went we were blown away from start to finish. The dish that really stood out was the chickpea postage stamps. I didn’t know what to expect from it when we ordered it, but it was a phenomenal dish. A bunch of small chickpea raviolis in a sauce of what seemed to be harissa and a lamb ragu, the flavors were simply outstanding. I expected it to be good, but I was really surprised at just how good it was. I was saying wow after every bite and I must go back soon because it was simply a wowzer.

1. The Spinach Brown Butter Gnocchi at Vetri Cucina - honestly most of the meal at Vetri could have found its way on to this list. It was a hell of an experience. And I would do it all over again if I could. I really wish I had taken pictures though. I really, really regret not just doing it anyway, even though it was such a nice place. I was incredibly pleased when the pastas came out and the one item I was hoping for to come out did. It’s the dish that everyone that’s tried it at Vetri talks about, the spinach brown butter gnocchi. It’s really hard to explain just how good this was. I mean mind-blowing amounts of flavor. The browned butter makes the richness of the dish simply amazing. The gnocchi was fantastically light, like little clouds of spinach deliciousness. This was another dish that as I was eating it, I kept saying wow and savoring each and every bite. I mean I don’t think it gets much better than this, it really doesn’t. Believe every word of the hype, and even if it isn’t on the menu, make sure you order it because you don’t want to miss something this tasty.

I would love to hear back from anyone about dishes out there that they think are top 10 worthy. Particularly I would love to hear about them so I know to try them when I head to those places! Cheers!