Forget the lemons and the limes...

Here is my newest favorite thing: Nice juicy orange slices in my ice water!

Brotherly Love (Part two)

SSS took me around to some other neat Philadelphia spots.

The first day we went to Reading Terminal Market. There were so many different sellers. Crepes, beeswax candles, cheese, dried fish, sandwiches, pretzel, fudge, candy, tshirts and Amish pastries all in one spot! I even ran into someone from my hometown.



The next day we started by having brunch at Hawthornes Cafe. It was a bright sunny spot on this cold winter day. I ordered S.O.S for the first time and loved it. Highlights of this place include lots of seating, a fireplace that they keep burning (couches near the fireplace), great windows, staff that is enthusiastic about where they work, and great beer selection. The thing about the beer was how it was offered. They had refrigerator cases of very interesting brews with so many local and microbrewery options. So, not only can you choose your drink this way - you can buy them to go - invent your own six pack variety. You can also buy their homemade chips to go. That is a must.
After that we went to the the Italian market on 9th street. It is the United States and oldest and largest working outdoor market. There were so many specialty shops with imported foods, butchers, bakers, discount stores, fires in trash barrels, and lots of vegetables. Luckily, the only parking spot we could find was directly in front of Isgro, an over 100 year old bakery.


SSS brought me to one of her favorite coffee spots, Chapterhouse, for our last stop before dinner. She has a friend who actually picked where to live based on proximity to it. The atmosphere was warm, bright, and stark. It has everything a proper indie cafe should - poetry readings, art exhibits, high class espresso, smoothies made with rice milk, barista's that make their own clothes and lots of different seats.



As a bonus here are some of our other favorite pics from Philadelphia.Elfreth's Alley - America's oldest residential street. It was adorable.

My initials on philly's public transit:

This sign cracked us up:

Brotherly Love (part 1)

This winter I went to Philadelphia to visit SSS while she was on a break from school. I manged to get myself sick as a dog in time for my arrival. Despite my weakened state, sickly appearance and slightly lessened gusto we still had a great time! I was the one in the corner of Independence Hall trying to discreetly drink from the cough syrup bottle....

SSS took me to two Stephen Starr Restaurants. He is Philadelphia's restaurant entrepreneur extraordinaire. He opens the kinds of restaurants that are full concepts and designed from ceiling to floor. From swinging chairs, to couches, to spinning bikes he has incorporated everything. Look at his website and peruse some of the restaurants. The websites are as designed and atmospheric as the places they represent!

The first place that we went to was El Vez. They had golden velvet booths, a giant bar and a revolving tequila display with a glowing moped atop it all. The bathroom mirror was two way, so while you are waiting outside you can see all the faces someone makes at herself in the mirror. We went for margaritas and guacamole. Both were perfect. Refreshing, sweet, and salty. So satisfying after a day of sickly sightseeing! We ended up ordering the street corn and some tacos. They were good, interesting, prepared with great skill. If I didn't know otherwise i would rave. However, I believe that I prefer the house corn and tacos from boston's own La Verdad (surprising I haven't done an entry for that yet...).One of the best parts of this restaurant is that they had a photomaton! SSS was having none of it so I went into the photobooth alone and tried to capture the essence of ill in philly. Of course, after she saw my photostrip she wanted to go! I could do these for days!
The next night we went to a potluck at SSS's friends house. SSS made a surprisingly simple upside down vegetable tart. After dinner we went out for dessert at another Stephen Starr restaurant, Continental - midtown. This place had two floors. The ground floor then had multiple levels. Upstairs was the bar and tables whose chairs were swinging baskets. From the ceiling hung an elaborate light display of many glowing orbs. There were so many interestingly and differently defined seating areas in this giant restaurant.
I didn't realy read the regular menu that claimed to be "world tapas". I went straight for dessert. They had a brilliant thing: Dessert Tapas! We had fried truffles, cotton candy, popsicles, deconstructed strawberry shortcake, somesort of peanut butter chocolate ice cream situation. I'll be honest I don't remember it all. I do remember that they had Sophia Coppola bubbly in a can with a straw.