Archive for the ‘Center City East’ Category

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MINAR PALACE OPENING SOON

Friday, August 29th, 2008

minar palace
Minar Palace churned out some of the best Indian food Center City's had in a good while at their former hole in the wall at 16th & Sansom Sts a couple of years ago, but they shut their doors and left a great void within Center City. Sure, one could trek up to 7th & Girard for, in our opinion, the best Indian in town at Tiffin, but we're Center City dwellers and like to stay closer to home (even though a nice long walk after a big meal doesn't hurt). Well, Michael Klein reported that Minar Palace is just about ready to open up at 1304 Walnut St. The grand opening is set for September 3rd pending a health inspection.

minar palace
Keep your fingers crossed everybody. This place seems to have had more delays than your average opening. But until then, take a look at the new décor which Klein alluded to in his earlier post on Minar. We've got high hopes for this place and lots of friends just itching for an outing once it's ready. Their menu is finalized and available for download here [377KB] as a .pdf or you can click here for a zooming Flash-enabled version Picky just whipped up.

The photos above are from August 27th. We have no idea what the final signage will look like, but we're gonna assume they're going to take the old Time Video sign down at some point. [It's open!]

Minar Palace
1304 Walnut St
215.546.9443

Posted in Announcements, Center City East, Indian | No Comments »

BEILER'S BAKERY

Monday, August 25th, 2008

beiler's bakery @ Reading Terminal Market
Taking up the northwest corner of Reading Terminal Market is Beiler's Bakery, described on the Reading Terminal website as an "Amish bakery selling homemade baked goods." They bake breads, pies, cookies, sticky buns, donuts and other treats daily and they also sell an assortment of conventional bread on their easternmost endcap. This corner of the market is usually pretty packed when the Dutch Market is open, but your time waiting will be well rewarded with reasonably-priced delicious treats.

beiler's bakery @ Reading Terminal Market
There was a huge Dutch festival a couple weeks ago at Reading Terminal Market, where Picky happened to be working at the time. He noticed that Beiler's was set up in the main seating area frying up fresh donuts. Without any cash on him, he didn't get a chance to sample the gigantic fresh donuts. He didn't recall seeing the donuts at the bakery in the past either. After the festival ended, he ventured over to the stand and sure enough, there were donuts (and buns)! Armed with some cash, he plunked down 75¢ for a vanilla creme donut and bit into soft and flaky dough oozing with fresh creme. Sure that Messy would also be a fan, Picky decided that the next tag team visit to Reading Terminal would definitely include a stop off for more treats.

beiler's bakery @ Reading Terminal Market
Above is Messy's pick from the rack: a chocolate covered donut. While the donut was certainly fresh, Messy is not a huge donut fan and will probably go for a different treat next time. This didn't hurt Messy's perception of Beiler's — she is a big fan of their bread and has her eye on some of their other simple-but-hearty looking treats.

beiler's bakery @ Reading Terminal Market
Picky's second sampling was a strawberry jelly and creme filled donut, a double whammy encased in powdered sugar. Life doesn't get much better than a good donut.With Beiler's being a walk up the aisle from Picky's day job, it would be easy to have too much of a good thing so he's limited himself (so far) to one return for a frosted blueberry donut. The only other blueberry donut he's had was a sad excuse of one from Dunkin' Donuts. In contrast, Beiler's blueberry donut burst with flavor. And the texture of a fresh small batch donut is to die for.

Aside from the donuts, we've also taken a liking to their fresh sandwich loaves. Their white and wheat breads run about $2.50/loaf and come in a bag that seems to be coated with oil or butter on the inside. We're not sure exactly what it is, but it's not hurting the flavor.

While the Dutch Market hours are only Wednesday through Saturday you can benefit from this bakery making everything fresh. Get there Saturday towards closing and you'll find treats marked down to $1.50 because they'll be closed until Wednesday.

Their best offering is the pumpkin creme filled donut. It's seasonal so only around October-November. But that makes them that much more special. Get 'em while they're around!

Messy ***1/2
Picky ***1/2

The final word: Fresh, homemade inexpensive baked goods.

Beiler's Bakery
Wed: 8am – 3pm
Thu – Sat: 8am – 5:30pm
Sun – Tu: Closed
215.351.0735

Posted in Center City East, Dessert, PA Dutch, Reading Terminal Market | 3 Comments »

FRANKLIN FOUNTAIN: BUST OUT! EDITION

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008


It is no secret that we love Franklin Fountain. So, when we got the opportunity to have a free, breast-inspired dessert there, we jumped at the chance. We trekked over to the Bust Out! launch party at N. 3rd, but somewhere along our long walk, Picky lost a contact lens, which caused some trauma. We sadly missed the rest of Bust Out! but we did make it to the ice-cream! And you should come out and have some, too — Franklin Fountain's Broken Hearts sundae (pictured above on the marble end bar) is on their permanent menu.

We got to see e at N. 3rd and got to, briefly, meet Alex of Le Petit Cochon. Alex's take is up here. But with Picky's lost contact, and resulting headache and disorientation, we had to grab our vouchers and go, missing all the breast-inspired treats. Yes, that was vouchers plural. We thought we were going to be sharing a Franklin Fountain dessert, but we got one each!


We knew the portions would be huge. We debated inviting friends to share. But, in the end, we decided to just pig out. Our server asked us how many spoons we wanted for each sundae. "Um. . .just one," replied an embarrassed Messy. The sundae is basically delicious vanilla ice cream with a slathering of strawberries and whipped cream. Huge. Simple. Yummy. Messy wanted a few more wafers, but made do with two. Messy could only eat half, but Picky was there to finish it all off. It should be noted that Picky had the unfair ice cream eating advantage having been raised in a family that owned a Carvel ice cream store growing up (he ate a ton of ice cream between the ages of 5 and 20). Here's the recipe for the Broken Hearts sundae straight from the Franklin Fountain website:

Broken Hearts

{recipe taken from The Dispenser's Formulary, 1910}

"…put a slice of BRICK VANILLA ice cream on a 6-inch plate. Cover the ice cream with fresh, sweetened, and slightly mashed strawberries, and over these put sweetened whipped cream; top off with two whole strawberries and serve with two nabisco wafers. Sells for 20 cents. {F. Varney}


The Brothers Berley have revived a wonderful dish (which sells for a bit more than 20¢ nowadays) and selflessly donated 50% of the proceeds garnered from people ordering that delectable sundae for a good cause. We're sad we missed the festivities surrounding the evening's events, but look forward to reading about them from everyone who made it out.

Posted in Center City East, Dessert, Events, Olde City | No Comments »

NAKED CHOCOLATE CAFE

Thursday, August 9th, 2007

naked chocolate cafe
The first time we decided to go to Naked Chocolate, the place was packed full of people with no place to sit down, so we decided to skip it. Our mistake! Naked Chocolate is not to be skipped, ever. We went back the next day and it was still packed, but we had the genius idea to take home some treats. They were so good that we went back again, the same day. And again the next.

Naked Chocolate has become a go to spot for quick, yummy desserts at all times of the day – they're open until 11pm during the week! You can't count on always getting a seat, as the secret has long been out about this place. On the corner of Walnut and Juniper Streets, it's not exactly a hidden treasure, especially with full length windows facing Walnut Street that offer a tantalizing view of what's inside.

Naked Chocolate has so many offerings, it's impossible to put them all into one post – we've tried numerous times, but have given up – so we're going to start off on their classics and branch out from there. They're probably most well known for their their hot chocolate. It's not your supermarket Swiss Miss powder with hot water and dehydrated marshmallows. It's melted pure, rich chocolate served up with whipped cream and a rolled wafer (or a plump marshmallow, if you wish). The sizes start off small, espresso-size, and go up. You may balk at the tiny portion at $3.50, but remember, it's all chocolate. The first time we tried the hot chocolate, we both had the middle size, which they call "Indulgent" ($5) and it was too much for Messy; Picky finished off his and gladly sipped up the remainder of hers as well. The espresso-size "Petit" will most likely be enough for most, even the especially sweet-toothed.

And then there are their nudos. An ever-changing lineup of inverted, pyramid-shaped brownies with frosting on top ($2). We've done our best to have them all, but they keep thinking up new ones and there are also many other treats to test. To date, we've tried their chocolate chocolate (with walnuts), chocolate chip, peanut (pictured below), blondie and peppermint. Of these, we agree that the peppermint is best.

naked chocolate cafe peanut nudo

naked chocolate cafe peanut nudo

They have much, much more in their store (cupcakes, tarts, and Messy's favorite "Junk in the Trunk" bar will be featured later in their own post) and yes, they do also make their own chocolates in house, sold individually and by the pound.

We've become something of Naked Chocolate addicts, and it's especially hard to resist with the current PhillyCarShare promotion: buy one treat, get one free (under $6, baked goods only).

Messy: ****1/2
Picky: ****

The final word: Don't worry if there is no place to sit down — grab a stack of treats to take home with you!

Naked Chocolate Cafe
Mon – Th: 10am – 11pm
Fri – Sat: 10am – 11:30pm
Sun: 11am – 9pm
1317 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 735-7310

Posted in Center City East, Dessert | 5 Comments »

ARIANA RESTAURANT

Monday, March 12th, 2007

ariana
We ended up at Ariana because we found ourselves quite hungry in Olde City on a Friday night, without reservations or boatloads of cash. After peeking into restaurant after restaurant, we glimsped some free tables at Ariana. Since neither Messy, Picky nor our dear friend LB, a restaurant aficionado, had ever had Afghani food, we were all happy to give it a try. Messy had been wanting to try Afghani food for many years – ever since she showed up to Hamid Karzai's brother's restaurant in San Francisco six years ago only to find it closed. [Apparently, the Karzai owns a string of restaurants, one of which is in Baltimore.] The rest of Messy's family ended up eating there without her on another trip and all Messy heard for a while was how delicious Afghani food was and what an amazing pumpkin dish someone had there.

The first thing we noticed was that Ariana has a very cozy atmosphere. The interior is small but not exactly cramped. There is a special no-shoes window table up front facing Chestnut Street, which appeared to seat six. The three of us had a cozy table in the back.

One of the best things about Ariana was the abudance of delicious free bread. We gobbled up so much of it neither one of us was able to completely finish our meal. We began with two different kinds of yummy sambosas, which was the highlight of the meal for Messy. When it came time to order our meals, Messy could hear her brother and sister's voices in her head raving about pumpkins, so she decided to try the pumpkin and yogurt sauce dish (Chalow Kadu, $12), even though she generally does not love anything in the squash family. The dish was tasty enough, but if you don't like pumpkins (and Messy can now confim — she doesn't) you won't particularly like this dish. It was a lot of pumpkin. Picky opted for the Lamb Corma – large cubes of lamb served with a heaping of basmati rice. All in all, this was a good hearty meal with hearty proportions. We don't know anything about Afghani food, but Ariana gave us a decent — if unspectacular — meal.

Messy ***
Picky ***

The final word: Hearty portions in a cozy atmosphere. A plus if you like pumpkins.

134 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3009
(215) 922-1535

Posted in BYOB, Center City East, Middle Eastern, Olde City | 6 Comments »

LOVASH

Monday, March 5th, 2007

lovash
Before we went to Lovash, we had not had the best luck finding awesome Indian food in walking distance. We went on a cold weeknight, and hardly anyone else was there. We were promptly seated by an adorable (in Messy's opinion) waiter, one of two who provided excellent service throughout the meal. He put us in the back, and the table was small and kind of cramped. We found it a strange choice considering the more spacious options available but the cuteness of the waiter prevented (one of) us from complaining. We were treated to some complimentary appetizers: some sort of spiral-y chip-like things with tasty dipping sauce.

Messy had the Chef's Special, one of twelve "Vegetarian Delights" on the menu (ranging from $7.95-$12.95). The Chef's Special consisted of Indian cheese, spice rounds with tomatoes, cashews, raisins and spices. It was absolutely delectable, but not entirely cheap from our perspective, at $12.95. One part of our meal was a huge bargain, though — Messy's mango lassi was only $3 and the glass was about a foot tall. Seriously, it was enormous. However, everything we ate had an excellent price-to-value ratio, considering how yummy the food was.

Picky had the Mohan's Lamb Niyamatkhani. It was listed on the menu as "our executive chef's special" and when Picky requested that it be cooked extra spicy, it came out a normal level of spicy — which irked him a bit. The portion was right though and the dish very tasty, it just wasn't spicy enough. Next time, Picky will opt for something with some more inherent kick to it.

This was the only time in our three years or so of Philadelphia dining in which the owner of the restaurant came out and asked us how we liked the food. What a nice touch!

Messy ****
Picky ***

The final word: Really good Indian food, but maybe not spicy enough for some.

Lovash Indian Cusine
236 South Street
Philidelphia, PA 19147
T (215) 925-3881
F (215) 925-3882

Restaurant Buffet Take Out
Mon – Thu: 11 AM to 10 PM 11 AM to 2:30 PM 11 AM to 10 PM
Fri: 11 AM to 10:30 PM 11 AM to 2:30 PM 11 AM to 10:30 PM
Sat: 11 AM to 10:30 PM 11 AM to 3:30 PM 11 AM to 10:30 PM
Sun: 11 AM to 10 PM 11 AM to 3:30 PM 11 AM to 10 PM

Posted in Center City East, Indian, South St | 1 Comment »

CARIBOU CAFE

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

caribou cafe
One day, out of the blue, we decided to have a post-holiday lunch at Caribou Café. It was a weekday, and the place was pretty much empty, but we got some good vibes when we walked in. Large old French movie posters dominated the walls. Tall sculpted female figurines stood on the bar serving as lamps, and screens broke up the area between the serving floor and the back area near the restrooms – a nice touch.

Messy began her meal with a good, strong coffee and a few slices of bread. We both found the complimentary bread and butter to be somehow addictive. We can't tell you exactly what made it special, but it was so good we ended up eating two baskets full. Messy had the soup of the day for $5.50 — an excellent red pepper tomato bisque. However, it didn't come with any crackers (this is where that second basket of bread came in handy). Messy also had the Salad de Chèvre (baked goat cheese in pastry with a frisée and a red beet vinaigrette). She found the salad to be a little too beet-y. If you're really, really into beets (and who is?) this one's for you. If you just kind of tolerate beets but you really like goat cheese, skip this one. Messy was also confused as to why this particular salad is $11 on the lunch menu and only $9.50 on the dinner menu. Perhaps there is a difference in size? Although Messy really liked the ambience, she was dissapointed by the menu — there are almost no vegetarian options except for soups and salads. And this is definitely not a place for vegans.

Picky's Croque Monsier came with a nice helping of fries and a salad. On the menu, it was supposed to be a choice of one or the other, but he got both and ate it all up graciously. The Croque Monsieur is a grilled Parisian ham and cheese sandwich served on a brioche. Oh, those French and their simple ham and cheese sandwiches! Picky recalls seeing many a ham and cheese sandwich in various eateries when he visited Paris as a teenager. The whole sandwich was nice and warm and the cheese melted, but not overly gooey – after taking a bite, the rest of the sandwich didn't ooze out.

Caribou also offers a $16 prix fixe lunch menu which includes the soup of the day or a small salad and one of their classic French entrees. There's also a $29 prix fixe dinner menu which includes a wider selection of first courses and entrees. In addition, Caribou offers up a weekend brunch menu which varies slightly from their regular lunch menu with treats such as omelettes and crêpes.

Messy ***
Picky ***

The final word: Good French food in a nice setting, but not a lot for the vegetarians among us.

Caribou Café
1126 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 625-9535
Fax: (215) 625-2423
Mon – Thu: 11:30am to Midnight
Fri & Sat: 11:30am to 2am
Sun: 11:30am to 11pm

Posted in Center City East, French | 4 Comments »

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