Pumpkin Restaurant

We celebrated Little C's birthday dinner at Pumpkin--a personal favorite. Also, It's actually a BYO. Pumpkin's menu is seasonal and changes everyday, although some of the more popular dishes, such as the arctic char, stay put on the menu. The duck at Pumpkin is one of the better ones I've had but it wasn't available that night, unfortunately. 

Fluke crudo - uni, yuzu

Dante Panna Cotta - seckel pear, peppers, almond

Savory panna cotta sounded a bit weird at first, but it was really good. The panna cotta was firm--I was imagining it to be really soft and almost jelly-like--but it was more like a block of cheese.

Arctic char - red wine, flageolet beans, maitakes

This was my favorite! Probably one of the best char dishes I've had.

Beef cheek- caramelized onion puree, potatoes

Durok pork loin - apple, red cabbage, mustard

Because it was a birthday dinner, we pulled out all the stops when it came to ordering dessert. There were only three dessert choices on the menu anyway so it's not like it was a difficult decision to make, hehe.

The birthday girl and her army of sweets

Carrot cake - pistachio, cinnamon ice cream

Butterscotch pudding - bourbon raisin, streusel

Warm chocolate cake - banana caramel, coconut, passion fruit sorbet

Pumpkin Restaurant
1713 South St
Philadelphia, PA

Giving Thanks

Just a few snapshots of how I spent thanksgiving in New York:

Scoring a Georgetown Cupcake thanks to S' uncovering of the secret code

Artichoke Pizza after a long night. Sooooo delicious.

Five Points 

Eggs rancheros - tomatillo salsa, tortillas, pico de gallo, cotija cheese 

Turkey tinga - pulled turkey, poached eggs, tortillas, red cabbage, lime crema

Churros with mexican hot chocolate

The view from Tao

 Jack's Wife Freda

Grilled tofu on top of spaghetti squash

Green ShakShuka

Ilili spread -- reunited with my favorite mediterranean restaurant

Yet another reunion with another love - Terroir wine bar

The General

Before and After: Chocolate trifle - liquid klondike, devils food, brownie, five spice ice cream

Green tea donut - green tea mascarpone cream, lemon honeycomb

ABC Cocina

Because ABC Kitchen was such a hit with R and I over the summer, R, JZ, and I decided to spend thanksgiving dinner at its Spanish counterpart--ABC Cocina.

I adore ABC interiors--always curated by ABC Home which never fails to give off a romantic but mystical vibe. ABC Kitchen was more classic while Cocina's is a little more playful:

They were playing top hits and throwback songs the entire time, which according to our server was unusual--"are we a club now??"--because they typically put Spanish songs on loop. I personally thought dining over songs like 'Titanium' and 'Party in the USA' made dinner even more enjoyable than it already was. When do you ever get to experience that soundtrack at a fine dining restaurant? Thanksgiving, I guess. Loved it. 

Bread basket

Quality bread with some fried chickpeas covered in some sort of a chili powder.

Guacamole with tomato salsa and crunchy tortillas 

The type of guac they serve changes every now and then so I forget what is actually in this...

Raw shaved brussel sprouts salad - shepherd's cheese and marcona almonds

ABC Cocina's raw shaved brussel sprouts salad was well done. I normally like brussel sprouts with fig or grape jam so I was initially skeptical about raw brussel sprouts but it didn't disappoint!

Florida white shrimp in "agua diablo," banana and almonds

Shrimp and bananas? The server had told us to use the spoon to make sure we get a little of everything in one bite and together, everything tasted pretty spicy and then really sour. It was oddly refreshing because it tasted really clean, for lack of a better word.

Charred octopus, crispy potatoes, paprika and herbs

I LOVE octopus, and this was probably my favorite dish of the night. The octopus was very smoky and rich. My only criticism was that I wish they were more generous with their serving!

Crispy fish tacos, aioli and cabbage-chili pickle

Fish tacos never disappoint. These were amazing.

Soft and crunchy almond cake, grape sorbet

Not pictured is the red hibiscus sangria carafe we ordered, which was one of the more memorable sangrias I've ever had. I would have loved to try the passion fruit sangria as well as the other enticing cocktails, but we were cautious since we had a broadway show planned afterwards. I was initially very doubtful of Cocina because of the mixed reviews I've been hearing, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. All in all, a great stop for delicious tapas and drinks.

ABC Cocina
38 E 19th St
New York, NY

Random (mostly West Philly) Eats

A couple of updates...

1. It's officially winter break

2. Finals have been conquered (studying took over my life like never before, hence the lack of updates)

3. I can resume normal blogging (from the sunny and humid tropics, YAY)

Here's to the first of backlogged posts:

Rx The Farmacy

44 Spruce St.

I walked to Rx The Farmacy to eat with all my psisters (a rare occurence) as a belated birthday brunch. I've heard a lot of good buzz about this place, and being so close to campus, it was only a fitting choice. 

We were given a complimentary fruit, granola, and greek yogurt board to keep us occupied as our orders were being made. Look how pretty the presentation was:

It was simple but delicious. Considering we were all pretty hungry by then, the fresh fruits, tangy yogurt, and sweet granola drizzled with honey were refreshing and satisfying enough to tide us over until the main courses arrived.

House Skillet - teres major, scrambled eggs, cheese, onions, home fries

 Tasty and rich!

Rum challah french toast - crème brûlée batter and vanilla maple syrup 

For all the exciting ingredients that seemed to be in this dish, it didn't taste extraordinary. It was good, but nothing to write home about.

Crab cake benedict - poached egg, crab cake, english muffin, hollandaise sauce, duck-fried potatoes

Crab. cake. benedict. enough said.

Steak n' Eggs - over easy eggs, teres major, chanterelle essence, duck-fried potatoes

I ordered the Steak n' Eggs and wiped out the entire plate. The steak was extremely tender and flavorful while the eggs were my kind of runny.

Cafe Renata

4305 Locust St.

Shakshuka eggs

Had dinner with D who suggested this quaint Mediterranean cafe near campus. So many hidden gems! I've heard a lot about their pastries and saw a few students studying on laptops with coffee and cake around dinner time, so I'd have to come back for afternoon studying sometime soon. The dinner menu was simple and homey but so satisfying.

Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House

1022 Race St.

Beef brisket noodle soup

If you haven't been, you have to go. I've tried the seafood and now the infamous beef brisket noodle soup. Next on my list is the roast duck noodle soup--but this time with shaved noodles.

Audrey Claire

After yearssss of wanting to try Audrey Claire--doesn't the restaurant name sound so classy?--I was finally able to try it for dinner. I always thought it served contemporary american food (maybe because of its name), but it turns out this charming little (and by little I mean LITTLE -- the space resembles one huge hallway) BYOB serves comforting, homey, and delicious, DELICIOUS Mediterranean food. I had the most perfect birthday dinner with the most perfect lineage (and extended family members, haha!) who planned it all for me. 

My Big and I share a love for moscato and wine

If there's one tip I can give you about dining in Audrey Claire, it' s that you should family-style everything! We were looking around at the tables nearby and everyone had dishes to themselves. When it was our turn to order, we picked an array of plates that everyone agreed upon--which was not difficult seeing as the people I ate with all love food and have bottomless appetites. The server was so impressed with our selection and our decision to share all the dishes that he told us we obviously knew our thing. He was probably so happy we ordered tons and proceeded to pay for our dessert. Bottom line, order like your appetite is insatiable (some servings are actually small). You can never lose.

Mediterranean spreads. choice of three: spicy hummus. tzatziki. white bean puree. pumpkin hummus. sun-dried tomato and basil

We all loved this starter -- the dips were all so unique and flavorful. My favorite had to be the sun-dried tomato and the pumpkin hummus, which tasted more sweet than salty but was such a tasty dip that I kept returning to it.

Cuties

Grilled flat bread - braised short rib, portobello, melted fontina cheese, truffle oil 

Antipasti for two: a little of everything

 I loved all the vegetables that were in this dish -- the asparagus was grilled to perfection and the acidity from the pickles and olives complimented the perfectly but more subtle-tasting beets and portobello mushrooms. The brussel sprouts--albeit plainly cooked--were so delicious, too.

Grilled octopus with feta, EVOO, lemon over greens

Anything with octopus in it-especially as a key ingredient--appeals to me immediately. This was definitely not an exception.

Seared haloumi with candied dates and sesame fig compote

The fried and salty haloumi went really well with the sweet candied dates and fig. I love anything that plays with the combination of cheese, figs, dates, and berries and this was a winner in my books.

Hudson valley duck breast with lentil and pancetta ragout, cauliflower mousse, rosemary balsamic

Chef's special: leek risotto, asparagus, sea bass, balsamic glaze

The chef's special was probably one of my favorites that night!

Potato crusted ahí tuna with crispy beets and black truffle vinaigrette 

Look how huge those chunks of perfectly-seared tuna are! They were indeed juicy and the crispy beets intensified the flavor of the dish even more.

Chocolate lava cake

I was actually caught off-guard when the server presented me with this cake and a candle (that I already blew out) no matter how many times I've witnessed this/requested this for my friends.

Of course we still ordered a second dessert--even if the server had already put our check down on the table. He was glad and quick to take it back when we asked if we could add one more dessert to our bill.

Banana, white chocolate, berry bread pudding

Overall, a fantastic meal with great food, great wine, and even greater company. Audrey Claire has definitely made it as one of my favorite BYOB places, and I can't wait to return to try the rest of the food.

Audrey Claire

BYOB/Cash only

20th & Spruce

Philadelphia, PA 

The Dandelion

Yet another Stephen Starr restaurant -- I told you they're inescapable! I went with C (my pledge sister) this time for English food.

Pimm's deluxe

Bramble

Dandelion's bread baskets are quality bread. I hear they source the bread from Parc, a nearby bistro and cafe that is great for brunch and coffee.

Chicken and duck liver parfait - grape chutney, cornichons, brioche toast

If you ever go, you must get the chicken and duck liver parfait! I hear a lot of great things about their starters, but their parfait has got to be one of the best. It was perfect with the grape chutney and the cornichons. It's best eaten when smothered all over the big blocks of fluffy brioche toast, but equally good by itself! We ended up licking our knives and forks clean.

Rabbit pie - oyster mushrooms, cipollini onions, smoked bacon, grain mustard, white wine

For mains, we decided to order two different ones and split them. I really wanted to try the fish and chips since the Dandelion is known for it--apparently it rivals/might even be better than the real deal in London because the Dandelion's chef (Robert Aikens), is actually the twin brother of Tom Aikens, who runs an eponymous and Michelin-star restaurant in London, which Robert helped out with prior to coming to Philly. I decided against it because I wanted to try something new and I figured I'd return to try the fish and chips for lunch or something. I'm glad I changed my mind because the rabbit pie was extraordinary. I was a bit reluctant at first because I kept thinking about bunnies, but my love for adventure and exotic food kicked in. I just had to try it.

Velvety, melt-in-your-mouth meath with mushrooms and onions tucked under a flaky crust

Scottish salmon - spaghetti squash, sweet onion purée, sage brown butter

If we weren't running short on time, I would've loved to try the raved sticky toffee pudding dessert. I'll definitely be back to try the brunch and afternoon tea menus.

The Dandelion
124 S 18th St.
Philadelphia, PA