What’s the dilly? Just touched ground down in Philly. The City of Brotherly Love. Also the home of some of the sports teams I hate the most. The only thing we have in common is our hatred for the Patriots. Despite being a Giants fan living in enemy territory, Philly captured a little piece of my heart after living there for a few years post college. Not only did I get to experience the inner and outer suburbs, Center City, South Philly (Jim’s on 4th and South is the ONLY place to get a cheesesteak) and beyond, but I was doing it with seven of my closest girlfriends from College. Living with my besties, entering the workforce, meeting new boys in a new city and having a blast while doing it all. It bonded us for life and is the reason that Philly will always have a place in my heart.
One of my favorite Anthony Bourdain episodes is not from Parts Unknown but his previous show, The Layover. The Philadelphia episode not only highlights the diverse and delicious ethnic cuisine strategically placed all throughout the city, but “Tony finally does Philadelphia — 36 hours of food, drink, history, art … and absolutely no cheesesteaks.” I love that he knew back then (2008), when I was just getting going with my Facebook account, that each city he visited was not about being a tourist. It was about being a local and finding the places they enjoyed going to. Enjoying the food from each of the unique neighborhoods, not only in Philly but in any city you visit, is truly some of the best advice that a well traveled (and well fed) person can offer you. Enjoying good food and good company, and really making the most of the time you have in each place, no matter how short of a stay it may be, is the way I have approached life and my travels ever since.
My girlfriends and I instituted a monthly girls dinner a few years back to ensure we made time in our busy schedules to see each other. I give my girl, Lauren, all the credit for it. You pick a date, i.e 2nd Tuesday of every month, and whoever can make it goes. No rescheduling or trying to align everyone’s schedules. You know the dates well in advance so you can plan accordingly. We usually try and pick a new place, and last time only a couple of my girls could make it so we hit one in Center City called Mercato . I highly recommend it if you are looking for a BYOB with ambience and amazing Italian food. Their meat and cheese board was divine, with an array of Italian meats and cheese they choose for you, but you should pass on the olive oil tasting since you get bread and olive oil to start. My favorite dish was the Pyramid Seafood Pasta. WOW. The freshly made pasta layered with lobster, shrimp, fresh ricotta and parmesan in a light garlic sauce and dressed with asparagus and tomato was one of my favorite pasta dishes to date, and I have eaten A LOT of pasta in my day. The non-traditional Cacio e Pepe kept me interested, but not for a full meal, so I loved that we split everything so I could sample it all (my preference when going out to eat).
You should go on Monday or Tuesday for the $35 tasting menu. You get to choose an appetizer, entree and dessert and the choices were great (pretty much what I would have ordered from the menu anyway). My other girlfriend went for the small plates, which were all delicious and nicely sized portions as well. The Fontina Stuffed Meatballs were good til the last bite and the Asparagus with a Sunny Side Up Egg was beautifully presented. The staff were super friendly and walked us through the entire menu as well. I give it a 10/10 which I don’t usually give outside of NYC or Italy, so check it out the next time you’re in the City of Brotherly Love. Peace, Love & Pasta.
XoXo,
Avril