Mix and match Trader Joe's: Bag of their fettuccine alfredo + frozen broccoli florets + truffle oil = delicious insta-meal
85-Cent Vegetarian Samosas from International Foods and Spices (4203 Walnut Street). Spicy and delicious. Better than the dollar samasos being served at Desi Village for Baltimore Stroll. Best thing since sliced bread... In fact, I've also stocked up on my month's supply of parathas, naan, and coriander chutney from here... Discovery courtesy of okcupid#2...
Wednesday Happy Hour at City Tap http://www.citytaphouse.com/beer20.php. So long as they don't have packs of orienting freshman, their half-off happy hour is amazing. Interesting brews and very relaxing outdoor seating... Discovery courtesy of Coworker and OKCupid...
Monk's. http://www.monkscafe.com/body.cfm?&nav=nav&data=dirs Multiple permutations of mussels with omg-omg-sooo-good fries. More beers than I ever knew existed. Vegan cheese steak. Something for everyone. Who can complain? Discovery courtesy of the roommies.
Capogiro. http://capogirogelato.com/flavors.php?c=n yah yah yah, I was skeptical about the rave reviews. I mean, Miami had great gelato. Boston was a shocking disappointment (yes, I did try multiple places in the North End). Verdict on Capogiro is it is NOT over-rated. Discovered it on my own!
Flaves:
Cioccolato Scuro: serious business. LOVE the dark chocolate.
Nocciola Piemontese: my first choice at most gelato places. again, amazing.
They had a sorbetto with pineapple and sage the other night, which was out of this world.
I could do without the chocolate/kahlua flavor.
Guapos taco truck. http://twitter.com/#!/guapostacos
I've been hearing about the Jose Garces restaurant group since moving to Philly.http://grg-mgmt.com/
Sadly, I'm fairly convinced that everyone in my 16-floor building is obsessed with the truck so it took longer than I expected...not sure I could swing it on a day without adequate lunch time ...but I will be back for sure. Discovery courtesy of my supervisor. Jose Garces first mentioned by Okcupid recs.
Tria. http://www.triacafe.com/
Delightful wine bar with scrumptious cheese and tapas...good happy hour deals too, on particular nights :) Another OkCupid recs. But exploration was done with my college friend's friend. Yay for new friends!
Stir. Lesbian-owned but a mostly gay boy bar. My perfect helping-the-girls-out but love-the-cliente-more combo. Looked totally sketch from outside (i.e., requires walking down an alley) but was fantastic inside. http://www.stirphilly.com/
Some places to keep in the pocket but not necessarily first choice returns:
Varga http://vargabar.com/
The Miss August drink was amaaazing (gin, elderflower, cucumber). Truffle crab lump fries sounded a bit better than they were in reality. It's a cute joint. Wouldn't complain about returning. Wouldn't be in a rush either. Discovery courtesy of match...
Desi Village. Haven't been to the actual restaurant but had their samasos during the Baltimore Dollar Stroll. The Samasos weren't as good as the ones up the street so... I'd rather pay less and stop by International Foods which has amazing ones. The mango lassi on the other hand, was out of this world. Baltimore Dollar Stroll... mentioned first by okcupid1. Explored with roommates. Ran into coworkers and okcupid2. No, Philly is not becoming small at all.
Brown Betty. http://www.brownbettydesserts.com/ I know, I know. Everyone keeps talking about them. I've tried on numerous occasions to go but I swear they're always closed. I finally made it...and the cupcake was decent, but not as phenomenal as I was hoping. What am I missing?? I'd go back, but I'm not sure I'd put as much effort in returning as I did in exploring. If this is the best Philly has to offer in the way of cupcakes, it might be time for me to invest in a kitchenaid, finally. Similarly, I tried Metropolitan Bakery http://www.metropolitanbakery.com/index.php and found it to be lackluster. Philly can we do better? Discovery courtesy of longtime college friend.
Mad Mex. GREAT happy hour http://www.madmex.com/choose.html... but it's really only a viable option in early August, pre-student-rush... or, if you have a huge amount of patience for the young ones. As we know, I think it's more interesting to study the young ones than have to share after-work space with them. Discovery courtesy of roommates.
Natural Shoe Store. 220 South 40th St. Some majorly frumpy shoes. Some straight-from Asia shoes (literally). Some high end but frumpy shoes (naot, birks, etc.). I bought totally tacky $4.99 hot pink shoes. I am a happy girl but know I can't bank on this being a regular supply store...
Verdict Still Out:
Greenline Cafe http://greenlinecafe.com/ and Saxby's http://www.saxbyscoffee.com/.
Bitter disappointment:
There have been a few but I'll spare those establishments...
And... back to exploring...
http://www.phillymag.com/articles/eat_cheap_but_well1/page1
http://www.phillymag.com/articles/cheap_eats_food_trucks/
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