One major complaint I've always had about Philly is the lack of outdoor seating at bars and restaurants. I remember visiting Montreal and seeing tons of places for al fresco dining and drinking - and we certaintly have a longer stretch of warm weather than they do! But as I was putting this list together of places where you can enjoy a cocktail AND an outdoor seat, the list ended up being fairly lengthy. I think the problem is the number of seats available. If you can't grab a seat by 5 or 530 during the week, you're out of luck. Luckily, I have an advantage since I don't currently have a job (or unluckily, depends on how you look at it). As I was doing some research, I found this list that Uwishunu posted. It's a pretty good list of restaurants/bars that offer outdoor seating, but I have a few additions: University City 1. Biba Wine Bar 
I have yet to try this place out but if it's anything like Tria, I'm sure I'll love it. The deck is under construction as we speak and should be done any day now...and will seat 12 lucky people. Rittenhouse Square 2. Vango 
They have a cool rooftop bar (one thing we are DEFINITELY lacking here) and there's a DJ on the weekends and gets pretty dance-y...which I like. And as you can see, there are pretty awesome views. 1. Twenty Manning 
I love this place - the food is good, it's well designed and has that cool, neighborhood-y feel to it. Plus, under the awnings are spritzers that will spray you lightly with water to keep you feeling cool on those hot Philly summer days. 1. Tequila's 
This photo doesn't show it, but when it's nice out, they put tables and chairs along the front of the building. There isn't room for many, but it's a nice spot to sit. The food here is also delicious and the margaritas are even better! They have a pretty good happy hour too. Midtown Village/Gayborhood 1. Graffiti Bar at Sampan 
I've been to Sampan a few times but haven't yet tried out their backyard bar. It looks cool - and at least I know the food and drinks are good. 1. Raw 
I almost forgot about this place until Eric reminded me! I've only eaten here once but I remember the tuna tartare was really good. The courtyard is really nice also - and pretty spacious. I definitely need to hang out here more often this summer. Bella Vista 1. Creperie Beau Monde
I had to to include this place - the crepes here are delicious and the bar upstairs (L'etage) used to be my favorite dance place in the city. The music is still pretty good, but it's been feeling really young lately. Or maybe I"m just getting old... 1. Bistro La Minette 
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Philly. The food is incredible and in the summertime they play French movies in their courtyard. I think there are some outdoor seats in the front of the restaurant as well. Northern Liberties/Fishtown 1. Silk City Beer Garden 
Haven't been yet, but sounds good to me! It's the only beer garden in Philly right?
Anybody have any other suggestions??
So, when we were in NYC this past weekend, we went to Momofuku for their fried chicken dinner. And it was amazing. AMAZING. This was my second time having this meal and it was even better than I remembered. Good thing this isn't in Philly because I could seriously have this once a week. Which would not be good for my health or my figure. Remember when I raved about the Korean fried chicken at Meritage? Well, this is even better than that. This is what you get: two whole fried chickens, one southern style and one korean style, mu shu pancakes, long spicy peppers, baby carrots, red ball radishes, shiso leaves, bibb lettuce, four sauces and an herb basket. And all of that for $100. It's enough food for 8 people - we had 8 in our party and had leftovers! - so that's less than $13/person! What a bargain!! However, you always get the same amount of food whether you're a party of 8 (which is the max number of people you can have) or a party of 2. Though, I wouldn't complain about having to take chicken home because it's just as good leftover - even for breakfast:) If you guys are bigger eaters than us (I was a bit disappointed we couldn't finish the chicken - I expected more from our group!), there are plenty of other dishes you can order off the menu. Good thing we only ordered a pork belly bun for each of us...although at the time I wanted about 5 of them. Don't they look good: 
I love pork belly. Some people complain that it's too fatty...but that's what makes it so good!! The star of this meal, though, was the chicken:
The Korean style chicken was on the left side of the plate and the southern style chicken was on the right. What makes it Korean or southern? The Korean chicken is coated with this delicious sweet and spicy Korean sauce and the southern chicken is seasoned with Old Bay. Both kinds are delicous but I couldn't get enough of that Korean sauce! I wish there was a bottle of it I could buy.If you find yourself planning a trip to NYC, you really need to try this. The only thing is that you have to plan ahead. It is REALLY difficult to get reservations. Although you don't need reservations for Momofuku (by the way they only serve this at the Noodle Bar), you do need one if you want to do the fried chicken dinner. The first time we went, we could only get an 11:30 PM reservation. This time around, there were three of us that tried to get reservations and the earliest dinner timeslot we could get was at 10PM. Oh, and you need to make the reservation exactly a month in advance (all done online - you can do so here) and if you don't log onto the site at exactly 10AM to do so, you most likely won't get anything. Except for maybe a lunch reservation - they're less popular. Sounds crazy? A little. But totally worth it!
When I lived in Rittenhouse, I probably ate at Tampopo at least once a week. Man do I miss those days. The food there is SOOO good and really affordable. I know they've raised their prices over the years (I think its been about 8 years since I lived in that area) but you can still get a meal there for less than $10. That's pretty rare these days. The food is a mix of Japanese and Korean and my favorite thing to get is their hot and spicy beef bento box. It comes with either white or brown rice (I love white rice so that's what I always get), edamame, and your choice of either broccoli, gyoza or egg cake. I've gotten the gyoza everytime but I just read a description of the egg cake and it sounds pretty delicious: a layered Japanese omelet seasoned with soy sauce and fish sauce. YUM. I know I've gotten some of their other dishes there - like the fresh tuna bi-bim-bob which is tasty - but almost every single time I've gone I've gotten the hot and spicy beef. When something is that good, it's hard for me to try something new! I do have to say that their steamed dumplings aren't that great (although the deep fried gyoza is very yummy) and I really didn't like their sushi that much - although I don't see the sushi anymore on their menu. But overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. Definitely worth a try!
hot and spicy beef bento box
hot and spicy tofu bento box - this is what Eric always gets since he doesn't eat beef and doesn't like their chicken as much
I had a dentist appointment yesterday morning and while walking back towards the subway to go home, I passed by the new Le Pain Quotidien that opened on Walnut Street. I've been looking forward to their opening ever since I ate at one in DC. I can be a snob when it comes to restaurant chains, but what I love about these restaurants is that they don't feel like they're part of a chain. They all pretty much look the same but are so well designed. Think rustic chic with exposed ceilings, lots of reclaimed wood (at least it looks like it), marble counters, and metal fixtures. They also have these large beautiful wood tables where you can sit and eat with strangers or would be perfect for large groups. I wish I could fit one in my house! And a big plus - the food is really good! Since I didn't have much planned for the rest of the day (besides going home and shoveling a foot of snow) and I had a new British Vogue in my purse, I decided to treat myself to brunch. 
I had some green tea and quiche lorraine and it was delicious. I like how their mugs are more like mini bowls - allows you to wrap your hands around them completely - perfect for a cold, winter day. I had a lovely time by myself. Wish I could do this everyday!!
Last week I expressed my love of Jose Garces and his newest restaurant JG Domestic. Today, I'm continuing the lovefest and talking about his first restaurant in Philly - Amada. Amada pretty much started the tapas trend here in Philly and set a pretty high standard - and still continues to do so. It's a wonderful restaurant to go to for a delicious (Spanish) meal or to stop in to grab a drink and some snacks. And it doesn't hurt that the space is beautiful - it's hard to see all the great details in the space through photos - you'll need to stop in to see for yourself...
image via I stopped in the other day with a friend to have a couple of drinks and a couple of dishes. But a couple dishes turned into 5, and by the time we left I was pretty full. And very happy.We started with some cocktails - I had a "Dark Habits" - lime, strawberries and gin. Tasty, but I preferred Coll's choice - "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down". It had lemon, vodka and rosemary. I was nervous that the rosemary would be overpowering but it was perfect. 
Complimentary dish of tortilla-like chips and dip/spread that tasted somewhat fishy and very yummy:
Alcachofas y setas - Spanish flatbread with artichoke, wild mushrooms, black truffles and manchego:
Gambas al ajillo - garlic shrimp. So good we had to order extra bread to soak up the garlic oil:
Madre e hijo - chicken breast with fried egg, mojama and truffles. I'm a sucker for anything with an egg on top:
We had the leche frita - fried vanilla cream, chocolate hazelnut sauce, hazelnut ice cream - for dessert. But we ate it so quickly that I didn't even get a chance to photograph - I seem to have this problem with Jose Garces's desserts! It was delicious!!
image via {this is glamorous}One of my New Year's resolutions is to take a trip to Paris. About 10 years ago was my first (and only) trip to the City of Light and I've been in love ever since. I love the buildings, the food, the culture, the shopping, the food. Did I mention the food? I think I could easily live like a Parisian - I love escargot, foie gras, marcarons, wine (at any hour of the day), fashion, walking...isn't that the typical Parisian lifestyle? Karen and I have been talking about taking a girls trip there for as long as I can remember and we're hoping that this will be the year! To get us excited for our upcoming travel plans, we each decided to do posts on our dream Paris vacations....so here goes...
1. Vintage inspired luggage - what better way to get your holiday started than by packing your valuables in beautiful luggage!2. Chic and most importantly COMFORTABLE flats - The best way to get to know a city is by walking. But that doesn't mean you need to wear sneakers - these shoes are perfect for wandering aimlessly through the streets of Paris and you'll look cute doing it. 3. This bag is fabulous because you can use it day OR night. It's large enough to fit a camera, map, bottle of water and anything else you need to carry while you're doing tourist-y things during the day but pretty enough to bring with you for a night out on the town!4. An outfit isn't complete without a great pair of sunglasses.5. This dress looks so airy and comfortable - perfect for touring the city in. But can also be dressed up with some heels and jewelry for an evening out - multifunctional:)6. I get cold very easily and am always freezing on planes! Wouldn't it be luxurious to have your own (gorgeous) throw to snuggle up in rather than using the plain, thin ones airlines provide?7. I LOVE this dress. Very understated but so stylish. And you can't go wrong with stripes.8. I think these shoes speak for themselves. So sparkly! 
There are a million things I want to do in Paris but I need to prioritize if I only have a week. Here are my top 5:1. The Louvre: This is a given. Even if you aren't interested in viewing any of the exhibits, it's an experience just to see the glass pyramid. I remember feeling such awe walking up to it. Find more info about the musuem here. 2. What's better than sitting outside at a cafe, sipping a glass of wine and people watching? Not much. I plan to do this at least once a day while I'm in Paris.3. Macarons: The first macaron I've ever had was from Laduree in London - which might also be the best macarons in the world. I've wanted to go to the Laduree shops in Paris ever since - to see where it all started. Macarons are all over the place in Paris - wouldn't it be fun to go on a little tasting tour? 4. Musee d'Orsay: Another beautiful museum in Paris - I definitely want to plan a visit since I didn't get a chance to go during my last trip. Find more info here.5. Flea Markets: Paris is full of flea markets and Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the most famous one of them all. It's located just outside of Paris in Porte de Clignancourt and is the largest antiques market in the world. I'm not sure when this trip will actually happen, but I hope I can show you photos of me doing all these things, going to all these places before the year is over!You can find Karen's version of her dream Paris vacation here.
images viaI heart Jose Garces. He has really well designed restaurants, makes amazing food and also seems like a really nice guy. I've now been to every restaurant he's opened in Philly and I've only been dissapointed once - and it wasn't even with the food. It was the house margarita at Distrito - it's not your typical margarita - wasn't tart at all. Maybe if it wasn't called a margarita and I was expecting something completely different, I wouldn't have been so dissapointed...Anyways, I went to his newest restaurant,JG Domestic, with some friends last week and knew I would have a good meal but didn't realize just how good it would be! It was the perfect combination of interesting and cool decor, fantastic food and awesome company. The photos that I took of the space with my iphone just don't do it justice, so I found better images online: 
image via
image via
image viaIf you're not familiar, it's located on the 1st level of the Cira Center - basically in the lobby. They did a great job creating an intimate space within such a large and open area. It has a very natural, organic feel - very fitting with the type of food they offer. They specialize in the "season’s best from American growers, making available to you ingredients at their peak: premium pastured meats, farm fresh vegetables, and organic dairy". Their menu consists of smaller plates - sort of like tapas but a bit larger. The idea is to order a bunch of different plates and everything is served family style. Our meal started with complimentary bread. How adorable is the little pan that it came in? And it was delicious.
Next came the wood oven flatbread topped with chanterelles, black truffles, chedder and egg yolk. Yes, it was as good as it sounds:
Then we got the blue crab gratin. C'mon, can you really go wrong with crab?
Our meat dishes came next - the wild boar rack on the left and the Adobe rubbed ribeye on the right. I've been eating a lot of wild boar lately and I like it! This dish had a mustard glaze and came with maple grits (yum!). And the ribeye - so fatty and delicious. Some people think its gross to eat fat, but it's the best part!!
And more meat: rabbit and duck. I was a bit nervous about the rabbit - I've never had it before and I'm not a huge fan of game-y meats. But I was assured that it tasted just like chicken, so I gave it a try. And it tastes just like chicken! Well, at least the loin did. There were parts that were definitely more game-y than others, but in general it was tasty. The duck was probably my favorite dish of the night. There were 3 parts of the duck prepared - the breast, duck confit made with the leg and seared foie gras. I wish I had this entire dish to myself!
We decided to be a little healthy and ordered a veggie dish...and it was probably the richest dish of the night. Hey, at least we tried. We got the crosnes which came with potato dumplings and artichokes. I had never heard of crosnes before and to be honest they look pretty gross - like worms. But they're not worms - they're a tuber and pretty good. Especially with potato dumplings and artichokes. And butter. A lot of butter.
By this point, I was pretty stuffed and definitley would've been happy without dessert. Until I saw a nearby table with beignets. We ate them so fast I didn't even get a chance to take a photo! SOOOO GOOOOOOOOD.
