Cooperage

Hopefully everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving holiday weekend- A & I were split up as I traveled home to Florida and she stayed in the Philly area.  Before I left for home, I met up with a friend who was in town for dinner at Cooperage- a small, casual spot located in the Curtis Center on Walnut Street.  When Cooperage originally opened, the food was heavily influenced by the South, with menu items like fried green tomatoes and mac...

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Bulgar Wheat Risotto

There are a lot of culinary adventures I have yet to take- both at restaurants and at home in my own kitchen.  Some just seem scary to me, which is why I hesitate to move outside my cooking comfort zone.  One of these is risotto.  Perhaps I've watched too many episodes of Top Chef, with contestants warning other contestants to stay away from risotto, since it's apparently quite easy to mess up.  I don't even order it at ...

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Brunch at FARMiCiA

To celebrate a friend's recent engagement (congrats J & M!), we made plans to meet up downtown for brunch.  Looking for a casual, not-too-busy spot with convenient parking options, A decided on FARMiCiA.  I've eaten there for dinner and loved the atmosphere and healthy, delicious fare. On weekends, FARMiCiA serves breakfast for the early birds starting at 8:30 AM, but switches to a lengthy brunch menu at 10.  There were several...

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Royal Tavern

If I had to list some of my favorite restaurants in the city, I tend not to put the fancy-schmancy spots on the top of my list.  Maybe because we're just poor twenty-somethings and tend to eat at those places less frequently, but I also think it's due to the great number of affordable, fun eats.  Many of the cheaper spots happen to be bars, or "gastropubs" if you will.  You don't have to make a reservation, you don't have to dress...

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943

A couple of weeks ago, Groupon offered a deal we just couldn't refuse- a six-course meal for two at the Argentinian-Italian restaurant 943.  For $30.  Which breaks down to $2.50 per dish.  Are they crazy? We quickly scored Saturday night reservations- a requisite seeing as they turned down every single group that came in without one.  The space is nestled right smack in the middle of the Italian Market, in a surprisingly airy...

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Caramel Bacon Brownies

I had another bout of baking inspiration this week.  They seem to be coming more frequently... I blame the impending doom of winter.  Although I certainly can't complain about the gorgeous days we've had recently!  Anyway, Philly Weekly recently had a lovely feature of 50+ Things You Must Eat Or Drink in Philly.  I'm a sucker for a good list, but one item in particular struck my eye- the Bacon Brownies at Watkins Drinkery.  As...

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Pierogie Kitchen

When a pretty important person in my life moved to Roxborough recently, I was thrilled to have a whole new neighborhood of eats to explore.  While he usually frequents a sandwich shop and a diner (nothing against them!), I'm more excited about the specialty spots in the area.  We often drive by a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on a corner near his house, and the first time I saw it I got excited-- I mean how cute is it??The Pierogie Kitchen...

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