NYC Tastes

It's New Brew Friday and today we're coming from the wonderful Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia for this extra special bottle Cantillon 20 Ans d'Amite. 20 Ans d'Amite was created by Jean Van Roy of Cantillon to celebrate both the 20th anniversary of Monk's Cafe and the 20 years he has been friends with the owner Tom Peters.  This beautiful lambic is a blend of Cantillon Nath and Lou Pepe Framboise with Nath being the majority at 70%.  It's light and fruity with delicate flavors of rhubarb, vanilla, raspberry and funk with a refreshing finish.   This was a delightful bottle to both drink and to purchase, as the label is just perfect for the occasion.  This bottle is only available for on-site consumption at Monks Cafe in Philadelphia. We were lucky enough to drink it both on draft and in the bottle at the Monks/ Sierrea Nevada Camp Fire Relief charity event last Saturday.  An incredible beverage for an incredible cause.  Cheers!  Monks Ca...

Orval is hardly a new beer.  This Trappist ale has been in production since 1931 and it was the very first Brett beer to make its way to the United States.  Now brewers are throwing brett in beers all the time but none of them can quite master the balance of fruit, funk and bitterness that come from Orval.  We were lucky enough to be at Monks on Saturday to celebrate the first ever Orval Day. They had a few different years on the menu so we ordered 2009 and 2015 to enjoy side by side.  Both had the classic Orval aroma- super yeasty, grass, apple and Barnyard funk with the 2015 tasting like raisins, peach and apricot with a deep earthy flavor while the 2009 was much more dry, sour and vinous. Of course when at Monks a big bowl of gueuze and garlic Mussels & Frites are an absolute must. This is always such a great spot to spend a few hours in Philly- Cheers to the weekend! Monks Cafe 264 South 16th Street Philadelphia, PA 19 102

Dinner Friday night was at Butcher & Singer a gorgeous steakhouse decked out in the decor of Old Hollywood.  It felt a little bit like dining on the set of Mad Men with big plush booths  and whimsical paintings on the wall of dogs playing poker. We had been eating all day long so we decided to skip an entire round of appetizers and simply share a salad to start, the only thing green we'd had in the last 24 hours. Of course a Wedge Salad isn't healthy at all, loaded up with big chunks of blue cheese, egg and squares of bacon; screw healthy this was delicious. Mr. T ordered the classic Delmonico, perfectly charred with a thick salty crust on the outside and juicy red center. The Filet Mignon was just as wonderful, not as much outer char but an insanely soft buttery texture that was almost like cutting into a piece of tuna sashimi. For sides a big bowl of Creamed Spinach (more greens?)... ...and the Stuffed Hash Brown, a HUGE shredded potato with crispy fried ex...

After downing our coffee and doughnuts for the morning we took off for Reading Terminal to explore some of the food stalls and more specifically have a sandwich at DiNic's. This family run sandwich shop has been around forever and currently holds the title of "Best Sandwich in America" from the Travel Channel.  The small menu includes Roast Beef, Meatball and Italian Sausage but the fan favorite is definitely the Roast Pork with sharp provolone cheese and broccoli rabe. The combination of bitter greens, funky cheese and rich juicy pork all on a great crusty roll is amazing.  Ask for an extra dip in au jus to completely seal in all the fabulous flavors.  After Reading Terminal we walked over to the historic district and did some touring around; trying to burn off a few calories before our second sandwich of the day- the classic Philly Cheesesteak.  Before coming to Philly my brother mentioned that he really wanted to try one.  I assumed he meant finally try...

We did a LOT of eating on Friday.  I probably didn't need to start the day stuffing my face full of hot carbs but when Federal Doughnuts is only two blocks away, it's impossible to pass up. We started with a few of the "fancy" doughnuts; the classic Old Fashioned Glazed and Milk and Coffee being the favorites of that group; before moving on to the "hot & fresh" doughnuts in Vanilla Spice and Cinnamon Sugar. The fancy doughnuts are always available but the hot and fresh take about a 5 minute wait and it's completely worth every second. There's something utterly glorious about a piping hot doughnut fresh from the fryer.  The sugar crystals all start melting into the dough as they fall apart...good lord it's just fantastic! These paired with a Black and White draft coffee from Colombe and the day is off to a great start. Federal Doughnuts 1632 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19103

Mr. T and I trekked to Philadelphia this weekend for two jam packed days of food, beer and basketball to celebrate my brother's birthday.  We arrived Thursday night and headed right to one of Philly's longest running and best known BYOB spots Pumpkin.  This cozy little place was at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement when it opened 11 years ago and continues to focus on local and seasonal ingredients.  We began with a Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes and a few appetizers to share; Spanish Rock Octopus with squid ink, citrus and couscous. Crispy Sweetbreads with spinach, roasted grapes and Yellowfoot mushrooms Beef Tartare with kohlrabi kimchee and black garlic I absolutely loved the sweet, funky flavor of the black garlic in the beef tartare while Mr. T foodgasmed over the decadent sweetbreads.  All three of the appetizers were excellent.  We finished the Riesling and moved onto a bottle of Pinot Noir for our entrees. Teres Major Steak w...

Our final meal of the Philadelphia weekend was brunch at Russet, a gorgeous Rittenhouse Square restaurant helmed by Chef-Owners Kristin and Adam Wood.  Located inside an 1877 year old townhouse, Russet has a simple, elegant atmosphere that feels almost like being at an upscale dinner party. The small, well curated menu changes daily but I highly suggest the Woodlawn Jewel Mushroom Omelet if it's available.  The mushrooms are roasted just enough to bring out that deep earthy flavor then scattered atop a creamy ricotta cheese omelet drizzled with garlic confit. The omelet would have been more than sufficient on it's own but I never say no to Double Smoked Bacon. Not to mention Russet was another BYOB place and we had brought along  another Funky Buddha Beer; the delicious Maple Bacon Coffee Porter.  It only seemed right to have some bacon with said "bacon beer". It's also worth noting Russet has some incredible fresh squeezed orange juice.  Even in the...

My absolute favorite place in Philadelphia is Matyson, a cute little restaurant right in Center City that consistently churns out some of the most creative and delicious food I've ever tasted.  The menu changes all the time but it's always focused on what's fresh and in season. Plus it's BYOB which means Mr. T and I can get creative with the food and drink pairings.  Since our dining companions had just gotten engaged the night before a bottle of Veuve seemed like the appropriate way to kick things off and actually paired wonderfully with my Goat Cheese Gnocchi. Soft little pillows of cloud like cheese studded with crunchy pine nuts and brussels sprout in a duck ragu.  I've had a LOT of gnocchi in my day (thank you my Italian college roommate) but this was one of the most satisfying versions I've ever tasted.  There was just something incredible about that rich duck ragu with those earthy vegetables.  I basically had to fend off my dining companions from fi...

I love a quick weekend trip to Philadelphia.  We usually shoot down on the train Saturday morning, eat drink and explore as much as humanly possible for the next 36 hours and then return home by Sunday night.  It's such a quick and easy escape. Unfortunately we completely timed this one wrong...tickets for the last Grateful Dead show in Chicago went on sale just as we were exiting our cab.  We stood on a corner in the freezing cold for about 20 minutes before finally shuffling into Khyber Pass to continue the frustrating cycle of refresh and deny. Khyber is billed as a gastropub but if visions of the Spotted Pig come to mind erase them.  This is gastro grunge rock style with a super dark bar up front and wooden rickety tables in the back.  It's everything I love about a dive bar but with an incredible beer list and fantastic food. The brunch menu had all the usual suspects plus a few New Orleans treats like big, fluffy beignets...

The main reason for our trip to Philadelphia was very simple...beer.  It was the annual release of Pliny the Younger, an Imperial IPA from Russian River that is virtually impossible to get anywhere on the East Coast.  The event was scheduled to kick off at 11:30 am at Monk's Cafe.  We arrived at 10:00 am and there were already over 100 people waiting in line outside.  Luckily Monk's has done this many times before and they had a set up that worked perfect.  A little over two hours later and we were sitting inside each with our glass of Pliny. It was amazing how many people showed up for just a taste of this beer.  I have to admit it was wonderful...not my favorite Double IPA but a great one for sure.  I actually enjoy the Pliny the Elder a bit better, which they also had on tap, in addition to some other fantastic beers. And some amazing bottles... I mean really amazing bottles... It was fantastic   W...

The last meal before leaving Philly Sunday was at Village Whiskey. We got there right before noon and got a table up front. I ordered the Village Burger with Jasper Farms Cheddar and we split some Tater Tots and Duck Fat Fries with Sly Fox-Cheddar Sauce. My burger was unfortunately very overcooked- I had asked for medium rare and it came out well done. I would have returned it but we were tight on time to catch our train. But honestly there wasn’t much flavor to the meat itself anyway.  The duck fat fries were just okay (I like a thinner fry) but the cheese sauce they came with was downright delicious. The tater tots were only okay as well but I couldn’t put my finger on the smoky flavor in there- anyone know? I also thought it was a bit odd how perfectly shaped both the burger and the tots were. It was almost as if they molded each one. For my cocktail I absolutely loved the Champs Elysees and I really wish I could have had one more while I was there but again...