Win a Dream Dinner at Spiga Courtesy of CityEats!

CityEats is a new Food Network venture that consolidates reservation-making, review-writing, menu-perusing, catching up on restaurant news, and checking out pictures of dishes at tons of Philly restaurants, all in a single website.  They've generously offered a $100 gift card for Spiga to one of our readers!  Spiga, with just six months on the Philly food scene, offers classic Italian comfort foods in a cozy atmosphere located right in the heart of the city.

To win, check out the menu below (click to enlarge!) and let us know in the comments what you'd order for a "Dream Dinner" at Spiga! Contest ends 10/29, when a winner will randomly be selected. Make sure to include an email address when you comment.

We're headed to Spiga ourselves to do a little taste-testing, and we'll be sure to fill you in on what we think.  I know I'm already in love with their burger!

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La Calaca Feliz

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While A was away on her Jamaican honeymoon, I decided to take my own little "tropical vacation," venturing into the warm arms of La Calaca Feliz, a contemporary Mexican restaurant in the infrequently-visited Art Museum/Fairmount neighborhood. Right around the corner from the stately but gloomy walls of the Eastern State Penitentiary, La Calaca Feliz is the perfect contrast, with a name meaning "The Happy Skeleton" and a vibrant atmosphere.  Cushy red leather banquettes and the bright colors and grins of the skeleton murals provide a thematic background that is anything but deathly.

My dinner date and I had planned for a nice, long meal where we could simultaneously catch up on life and try as much of the menu as possible- the latter always being the goal of a food blogger.  After we finished placing our order, our (very sweet and attentive) waitress informed us that she thought it was "a lot of food for two people."  Well... challenge accepted.

One complaint... Need better lighting!

 A last minute addition to our order was a bowl of tortilla soup ($5.95), which the kitchen graciously split between two bowls. The base of the soup was a tomato broth spiced with guajillo peppers- just enough to wake up our tastebuds. The sweet and spicy were expertly balanced with a squeeze of lime juice.  Chunks of chicken and kernels of corn bulked up the broth, with the addition of a few slices of melt-in-your-mouth avocado and a sprinkle of cotija cheese for garnish.  This was a terrific start to our meal, and a perfect dish for a cool fall evening.

The first true appetizer (or antojito) of the evening was the pork belly gordita ($10.95).  The star of the plate was the crispy, salty pork belly- two enormous slabs of it.  The belly perched atop the gordita- a soft cake made with masa (corn flour) and oozing melted cheese. A smoky and spicy habanero based sauce paired well with the dense cake, while a scoop of a simple radish and shredded cabbage slaw balanced the heavier components of the dish.  Similar to the cotija finish of the soup, a drizzle of queso fresco tied the plate together with a bit of cream.

One of the more intriguing app options was the duck en nogada ($12.95)- a green chili pepper hollowed out and baked to form a softened shell for shredded duck confit. The meat itself was a bit on the salty side, but a tuft of cilantro, radish matchsticks, and the fun surprise of crunchy and juicy pomegranate seeds helped to freshen the richness of the meat.  Our unanimous favorite part of this was the pool of creamy walnut sauce surrounding the pepper- made with cream, evaporated milk, a bit of sugar, and chopped walnuts, the "nogada" was unbelievable.  This dish is popular on Mexican Independence Day as it showcases the national colors of Mexico: green, red, and white. Beware- bites closer to the stem contain a serious kick!

A more recognizable dish is fundido, and La Calaca offers two varieties- one with crab and one with chorizo.  We opted for the latter ($9.95), and I admit to being a little nervous about eating a pool of cheese, but the addition of plenty of strips of red peppers and mild green poblanos actually helped fulfill my veggie requirements for the day.  We were a little confused by the soft, hot-off-the-press flour tortillas severed alongside the fundido- we expected crunchy chips for dipping.  However, making a little quesadilla with the fundido turned out to be the perfect way to consume this cheese-and-pepper-fest.

While I happily would have made a meal out of appetizers only (seriously- check out those portion sizes!), we knew we needed to try some Mexican staples- tacos and enchiladas. The Carnitas Tacos ($10.95) came as a serving of three, generously stuffed full of pulled pork braised in orange juice and Coke.  There were lots of crispy edges on the meat, providing a great texture to each bite.  The roasted red salsa as well as the sugary  braise provided a surprisingly sweet element, helping these tacos stand out from the many other carnitas tacos I've consumed in my lifetime.  Traditional toppings of cilantro, chopped white onion, and avocado sealed the deal- these are worth the trip alone.

However, the enchiladas held their own as well.  We easily agreed on a chicken filling and green chile sauce ($13.95). While the chicken and poblano pepper stuffed tortillas were tasty in their own right (good ingredient proportions, well-cooked chicken), the green chile sauce was electrically vibrant- I literally wanted to ask for a glass of it.  Ubiquitous cilantro, radish, and queso fresco garnishes were simply afterthoughts.

We passed over the short entree portion of the menu (gotta cut back somewhere!) but did split a simple dessert of ice cream and sorbet ($4.75).  Both the lime and raspberry sorbets provided punches of flavor that seemed extra-concentrated without being cloying- just the right amount of tartness.  The churros ice cream was much sweeter, packed with brown sugar, cinnamon, and crispy bits of fried dough.  After a lot of meat and cheese and peppers, this was a light and refreshing end to the meal.

I literally can not say a single bad word about my experience at La Calaca- although I do think the waitress was incorrect in saying this was too much food.  We packed up a single taco and half an enchilada, but otherwise, it was a lengthy and enjoyable meal where we savored every bite.  Craig LaBan's 3 Bells are well-deserved.  My only question is.. when can I go back??

La Calaca Feliz
2321 Fairmount Avenue

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Rehearsal Dinner at Supper

I'm back!  And life at Two Eat Philly goes on-- just one of us has a new last name.  I'd like to recap the food aspects of the wedding celebrations in a few posts (some of which may be written at a later date after photos begin to roll in).  The weekend started off with our rehearsal dinner, which was held at Supper.  During the early parts of our engagement, I imagined a small, intimate wedding reception at one of our favorite restaurants, and contemplated contacting Supper for the job.  When it became clear we would have far too many guests for a restaurant wedding, I still wanted to make this restaurant part of our celebrations.

While a few other restaurants I contacted quoted me outrageous per person or per group minimums, the representative at Supper (hi, Molly!) worked with my budget and offered us the Restaurant Week prices for a three course dinner.  Even though it turned out that our rehearsal dinner date didn't fall during the official RW, she still honored the reduced price.  Choosing two options for each course turned out to be the most difficult part of the planning process with her-- they all sounded amazing!

We were seated upstairs along the wall, with half of our group at one table and half at another.  The long, family style seating wasn't conducive for keeping conversation amongst the entire group of twenty, but... it was the style of seating I chose for my wedding, so I liked it!

The personalized menus were a cute touch, although I know it's commonplace in many restaurants.  I wouldn't say that the service was above and beyond what Supper usually provides, just the basics but always there when you need them.

While choosing the menu options, J prompted me to choose one option that my fiance would eat, and one that I would eat (anyone who has been a long-time reader knows we're compatible everywhere except the kitchen- but I'm slowly working on that!).  The "his" and "her" choices began with the first course, and more of our guests went with the "his" choice- can't blame them.  Cheddar and sage cheese puffs are like little savory cream puffs- filled with a touch of melted cheese and laid atop a creamy mornay sauce with a rich bacon flavor.

The "her" choice was right up my alley- and as the bride, I clearly get everything I want, right? (Speaking of which, how long does this fact last after the wedding...?)  The salad option isn't just a pile of boring lettuce though- freshly picked lettuces and whole-leaf herbs are tossed in a creamy, tangy buttermilk dressing and laid atop thinly sliced apples and some crunchy pieces of fried chicken skin (you know, those chewy, greasy bits that are the best part).  There was also a large cornbread "crouton" that fit my definition of a hush puppy- fried to a crisp on the outside but dense and creamy on the inside.

The two entrees actually stuck closely to the general themes of the first course, providing an option of classic American flavors with the famous Supper Burger, or a lighter, Southern-inspired choice of the Carolina Catfish.  For an extensive, so-many-more-details-than-you-wanted look at the burger, check out our review.  To spare those of you who have already been through that before, I'll leave out a glimpse of it here.  I will say that nobody who ordered the burger regretted it-- and several who didn't order the burger did.

However, their regrets were only passing, as the catfish certainly didn't disappoint.  The base of the dish consisted of a small scoop of spicy red chile grits.  I loved all of the Southern nods throughout the meal, with the grits perhaps being my favorite bites of the evening.  A soybean-corn succotash is topped with a few bits of lump crab meat, lending an extra seafood flavor to the dish.  The word "catfish" may scare some of you off, but the offensive-on-the-outside animal tastes rather mild.  It's similar to grouper, with slightly more flavor than tilapia and the like.  The piece de resistance on the dish was the smear on the back of the plate-- my dad kept asking the waiter quite seriously why his plate was dirty (a joke that you might only catch if you know my father).  One finger lickin' taste and he was hoping for more-- boiled peanuts pureed and spread into a sauce.  Genius!

After distributing gifts and spending some time chatting with those at the other end of the table, we dove into dessert.  This time there wasn't really a his and her's option, since I wanted to eat all of them!  However, I went with the Dark Chocolate Pudding, because I knew that Supper wouldn't be serving up the Jell-O variety.  The pudding was essentially the thickest, richest, fudgiest chocolate mousse I've ever tasted- and the unbelievably large serving was impossible to conquer.  The top layers were balanced well with a classic vanilla ice cream and a few fresh raspberries, but once the spoonfuls became straight pudding, I alternated between moans of delight and defeat.  The tiny butter cookies served on the side went straight to my husband-to-be -- this was seriously like fourteen desserts in one!

While I didn't get to try the blueberry cobbler, there's pretty much no chance it wasn't a delicious dessert.  Another Southern-influenced dish, fresh warm blueberries, buttery sweet biscuit and buttermilk ice cream can do no wrong.

The evening was a perfect end to the last minute craziness of the week leading up to the wedding, and an amazing start to a weekend full of love, joy, and of course, good food.  Thank you to the team at Supper for making my rehearsal dinner a memorable one!

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More Burgers at Smokin' Betty's

I promise we're not trying to be a burger only blog, but life has been crazy with this whole wedding thing and we haven't been as good about documenting all of our eats.  Thankfully I was able to sneak away from making centerpieces and wrapping silverware and participate in this month's Burger Club meeting.  I've missed the past few meetings thanks to the brilliant decision to take a class this summer, so I knew I needed to make it this month!

This month's burger venue of choice was BBQ joint Smokin' Betty's, located directly across from Jefferson Hospital.  I've been here several times for pretty average BBQ, salads, and sandwiches but had somehow never tried any of the burgers.  For our meeting, Smokin' Betty's cordoned off a section of their upstairs dining room for us burger eaters, and even printed out special menus with our logo- so fancy! Contrary to what my photo depicts, there are five burger options at Smokin' Betty's- standard Angus, turkey, or veggie burgers plus a couple of spruced up, unique sandwiches.  

Before my food arrived, I snapped a pic of a friend's housemade veggie burger ($9.95), which I thought looked representative of a really well-formed meat-free patty- nothing too crumbly or wet.  The patty appeared to include quinoa, carrots, lots of herbs, and possibly peas- a good mix of ingredients typically lends a more flavorful hand. Decorated with poblano relish, sprouts, and the requisite lettuce and tomato, the burger also comes with a side of decent hand-cut fries.

Is there some sort of sprout shortage?

I was feeling particularly adventurous (nothing new there) and opted for the Tur-Duck-En Burger ($12.50).  I have to preempt my description with my opinion that this doesn't qualify as a burger- it was actually a Thanksgiving sandwich.  Reminiscent of a solid day-after-Thanksgiving lunch of leftovers, the patty is a mix of turkey, duck, and chicken.  Juicy and flavorful, though the second patty slipped underneath the meat demanded it's share of tastebud attention.  Homemade stuffing full of sage and thyme is shaped into a smaller disc and crisped up a bit, distributing its flavors through each bite.

A chunky cranberry sauce adds sweet and tart elements and replaces any moistness that you might typically get from ketchup or other condiments.  The menu advertised southern style gravy, but I didn't notice any.  The last element was curly ribbons of sweet potato- slightly chewy and without much flavor, but they did add a bit of textural interest to an otherwise all-soft sandwich.

The other jazzed up option is the Betty Burger ($12.95), based around a hefty 1/2 pound sirloin patty.  Perfectly formed and cooked exactly to order, the meat set a delicious tone for the rest of the sandwich.  The Betty tries to do it all- a thick layer of melted white cheddar, a few pieces of shredded confit pork belly, slices of ripe avocado, roasted garlic aioli, AND a runny fried egg, all on top of the usual lettuce and tomato.

I thought that the overall flavor combination was superb, but my more minimalist boyfriend was a bit overwhelmed by this admittedly somewhat ridiculous conglomeration.  The avocado and egg made the burger lopsided, making for a bit of a mess as the bun tilted precariously after a few bites.  Speaking of the bun, the one's they use are unoffensive- not distracting in taste, texture, or density.

The two sandwiches were drastically different, but I enjoyed both- though the Tur-Duck-En alone isn't going to quench any burger cravings.  Overall I thought Smokin' Betty's was a great choice for Burger Club- the open space easily fit our larger group and the range of choices meant everyone left happy.  Smokin' Betty's is actually currently holding the second place overall rating amongst our club's rated burgers!

Smokin' Betty's
116 S. 11th Street

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Burgers with Mark Oldman

Last week, we were invited to attend a unique event hosted by a wine producer, Georges Duboeuf. The premise of the event was that wine (specifically Beaujolais, one of the specialties of this producer) and burgers pair well.  I don't claim to know anything about food and wine pairings, but the company snagged author and wine expert Mark Oldman to promote this idea.  He did a fine job of explaining the differences between seven (hence the glassware explosion on the table) different Beaujolais varieties and regaling us with some tales from the life of a "wine expert."

The reasoning behind this specific pairing is based on the fact that this particular line of Beaujolais is:

• approachable
• brings out the grilled flavor of the burger without being overwhelming
• affordable

I thought the lesson was informative and entertaining, but to be perfectly honest, I was here for the burgers.  We were promised tastings from four of the "best local burgers from top restaurants in Philadelphia," and there was no way I was turning that down.  During Mark's discussion, platters of ground beef sandwiches were delivered to our table, already sliced in half to promote sampling.

First up was the Rouge Burger, a rather well-known rendition from the Rittenhouse establishment Rouge.  The first thing I noticed about this burger was how ridiculously thick the patty was.  It was also the exact same color throughout the cross-section, implying a near well-done temperature.  The patty was only minimally adorned with caramelized onion and a bit of gruyere cheese.  There were also plenty of onions mixed into the well-seasoned beef.  In this case, the patty played the starring role with a great flavor, but I felt it was a little too heavy to really enjoy- more like a brick of meatloaf than a burger.

The Rouge Burger

 Up next was a burger from 500 Degrees- the burger-only Rouge spin-off.  Even though 500 Degrees is essentially a descendent of Rouge, the thick and fluffy bun was the only similarity between the two.  Here, the meat was coarsely ground and formed into a more approachable patty.  A nice sear on the outside gave way to a perfectly pink center.  However, the toppings definitely came into play here- a fried egg, arugula, tomato, and braised bacon- not too much of each, but certainly enough to draw the attention away from the beef.  Although I approved of the toppings and the temperature, nothing about this burger really wow'ed me.

500 Degrees

The third burger I tried was from Spiga- an odd contender in this "competition."  Spiga is a relatively new Italian restaurant (brands itself as "Modern Italian Dinning" on it's website. And yes, they spell dining with two n's.) that hasn't gotten the best reviews.  I was surprised they even had a burger on their menu- looking over the other options depicted fairly standard Italian dishes.  A burger? Somewhat strange.

However, the burger definitely looked intriguing.  A more compact sandwich made with Angus beef, the patty is topped with sauteed spinach, applewood-smoked bacon, a creamy herbed goat cheese, and a thin layer of onion mostarda.  Definitely the most inspired set of toppings, all of which came together with the meat to create a heavenly bite.  The goat cheese seemed to meld everything together, soaking into the bun and the patty- creamy and delicious.  The meat was cooked a bit more than I typically like, but the cheese and spinach helped keep everything moist.  By far, the flavor of this burger was a unanimous favorite.

Spiga Burger

The last burger was made by the house kitchen: Alfa's Route 66 American Burger.  This was the only option with a unique bun- a really eggy, almost brioche-y potato bun that I was borderline creepily obsessed with. It was a little sweet and had that smooth texture that I love.. I could have eaten just the bun and been happy.  However, Alfa must know more than one of my weaknesses, as they added thick slices of crunchy pickles on top of a layer of cheddary cheese.  A rare patty, lettuce and tomato, and this sandwich found a special place in my heart.  It took a close second after the Spiga burger.

Alfa's Route 66

I was honestly pretty surprised by the outcome of our little burger fest.  I expected big wigs Rouge and 500 Degrees to step up in a big way, and they both just fell a little flat.  Regardless, it was really fun to do some burger taste-testing and compare notes with fellow bloggers and burger eaters.  Check out Steph's post for more details on the wine and her take on the burger pairings!  Of course, many thanks to Alfa for hosting us and Georges Dubouef for organizing the event (and footing the bill!).

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Romesco Sauce

I've slowly been getting used to cooking for one in my new kitchen.  It's definitely been a learning experience!  After a few weeks of trials and errors, I was finally brave enough to invite A and her fiance over for dinner.  Ever since we had dinner at Jamonera, I've been thinking about the romesco sauce served with their deviled egg dish.  A couple of dinner guests gave me a great excuse to try making it myself!  I based this meal on  Healthy.Delicious.'s recipe for Romesco Roast Salmon, with a few alterations, of course.

This well-balanced meal had four components: a protein, a sauce, a starch, and a veg, so I was lucky A showed up early to lend a helping hand.  Before she arrived, I whipped up the romesco sauce- the easiest part of the dish!  

Romesco Sauce

2 tomatoes

2 roasted red bell peppers

2 cloves garlic

handful slivered almonds

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 t red wine vinegar

2 T olive oil

The first step is to roast the tomatoes.  My new place has an energy efficient halogen oven and I have yet to summon up the courage to try it out (help?!).  Instead, I made hatch marks on the top of the tomatoes with the tip of a knife and microwaved them for three minutes along with a clove of garlic.

The tomatoes cooked down perfectly well in the microwave, so I tossed them into the blender along with the rest of the ingredients (hold the olive oil).  I felt like this sauce was straight off Sandra Lee's show "Semi-Homemade" since it was so easy.

A quick blend of the components was all it took- I added the oil while the blender was going to help emulsify it.  If you like a chunky sauce, it only needs a few pulses- mine came out pretty smooth.

The other reason this recipe really stood out to me was the carb involved: pumpkin grits.  I had coarse yellow cornmeal on hand, so I used that instead of true grits.  Unfortunately, I didn't follow the directions on the bag to first mix the cornmeal into cold water, then add boiling water.  The result was a clumpy mess that required 15 minutes of whisking to make presentable... Oops!  The addition of half of a can of pumpkin to the water and cornmeal was easy enough, just had to decrease the water a bit (I used 1 cup grits, 2.5 cups water, 1 cup pumpkin).  Note to self: Polar brand pumpkin contains carageenan. Gelatinous pumpkin=not very appetizing.

I have limited burner space, so I sauteed the asparagus first for ten minutes or so- just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Thankfully, I got lucky at the grocery store, finding some really tender, skinny asparagus that cooked quickly.

After I transferred the asparagus to a covered plate, I started the salmon.  I splurged on perfectly cut fillets from Whole Foods, which made splitting the salmon into portions a non-issue. 

So pretty. So expensive.

The meal came together quickly as soon as the salmon was cooked through (I like mine a bit pink in the center).  Top the salmon with a few spoonfuls of sauce, add kalamata olives to a scoop of pumpkin grits, a hearty serving of asparagus and you're ready to eat!

The replacement of oven baking with stovetop cooking meant the sauce wasn't cooked alongside the fish.  Next time I'd toss it into a saucepan to heat it up before serving (need extra burners...).  Otherwise, the romesco was just the way I remembered it- nutty, garlic-y, with a little acidity from the tomatoes.  Overall, a great pairing with the fish.  The kalamatas added a needed saltiness to the grits while the pumpkin gave extra creaminess and that fall flavor that everyone seems to love.

I had lots of romesco leftover- it's a really versatile sauce: I've eaten it over eggs for breakfast and as a spread on sandwiches for lunch.  Like hummus or pesto, the sauce itself could also be made in many alternative ways- different types of nuts, the addition of olives or beans, various fresh herbs, etc. I'll definitely be making it again!

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Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival

It seems like every new blog post I see is highlighting the next big food festival around town!  It's a great time of year for them, as the weather is almost sure to be nice- the autumn months are what make me fall in love with Philly all over again every single year.  In this years festival line up, there's a new guy in town- one definitely worth taking a second look.  Manayunk StrEAT (ha! so cute!) Food Festival is basically a street fair, a farmer's market, and a Night Market (over twenty food trucks!) all rolled into one.  Plus, it's located along Manayunk's Main Street-- one of our favorite places in town.

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The event takes place next Saturday afternoon, September 29th.  The early birds can arrive at 10AM, or you can treat it as a brunch, lunch, or late afternoon activity as it will be going full-swing until 5PM.  The fair acts as a kick-off event for Manayunk's Restaurant Week, which runs September 30th through October 5th.



The Restaurant Week runs at the same time as Center City's Restaurant Week, but offers prices that are a little more budget-friendly.  Options range from $10-$30, always featuring a special three course menu.  The full list of restaurants is available on their website, but we'd highly recommend Winnie's Le Bus, The Tomato Bistro, or Han Dynasty in the mid-range prices, as well as Gemelli on Main and Jake's and Cooper's at the higher price (a great deal!).

If you've been needing an excuse to hit up Main Street, the perfect fall weather and twenty of your favorite food trucks should provide just the reason you're looking for.  Pick up some produce, window shop, take a yoga class, stop for coffee or frozen yogurt, or try a new-to-you food truck (and make history, since this is the first time EVER that food trucks will be allowed on Main Street!).  All of the food trucks will be offering an item for just $3-$5, leaving you plenty of cash to check out more than one.  If there wasn't this whole wedding thing happening the same day, we'd definitely be there too!

Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival
September 29th, 10AM-5PM
Main Street Manayunk

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