Oh the
City of Brotherly Love. How you gotten so close to my heart? Why through food
of course! History too but that’s in a later post.
After
Benjamin Franklin and his grave, the best parts of Philly are the restaurants I
consider a must when arriving to town. Like any other Italian I want to share
with Philly’s fellow Brothers the ways in which a good meal here will have you
coming back for more whenever you are in proximity (even entering P.A. seems
like motivation to stop for a cone at Franklin Foundation (next blog), and I
have done that!)
But
before dessert we need to eat a real meal. Real meals in Philly usually come in
the form of a hoagie or cheesesteak sandwich. There are many varieties but this
series will focus on the highs so you can avoid the lows.
Mixto
Restaurant
Since
breakfast is the most important meal of the day, that is where we will begin
our foodie tour through the City of Brotherly Love. The first breakfast I had
on my first trip in 2009, also included a food I had never tried before but it
sounded too good to pass up. I ordered Tostadas Rancheras, which is a Mexican
breakfast meal that is made up of a crispy tortilla topped with refried black
beans, pico de gallo, two eggs, queso fresco, avocado, and tomatillo sauce. It
is served with a side of home fries, not that I needed them. I adore refried
beans of any kind so this dish was even better than I pictured. My mouth was
watering as it was placed in front of me. Each part seemed to make the other
even better. I would most definitely get that again no matter where I was. This
menu is so huge you can find something for everyone whether it is for brunch,
lunch, or dinner.
Bobby’s
Burger Palace
I believe
it was on my second trip to Philadelphia in 2010 when I landed here. It was the
first place of Mr. Flay’s chain I had been to and was the one closest to my
house at the time. Since then they have seemed to pop up everywhere. This is
still the only one I have visited but I go whenever I’m in town. Somehow it
seems more special that way.
Now
that I think about it, it reminds me of a lot of Wahlburgers, the chain created
with huge success in Boston and around the world by New Kids On The Block
artist Donnie Wahlberg and his family. Chains of fast food are a dime a dozen
nowadays it seems each new eatery is trying to provide alternatives to the days
when your choices were only McDonald’s or Burger King. By focusing on the main
dishes of burgers and fries these new establishments are seeking to find their
claim to fame is it the owners, chefs, and/or quality of their product.
While
it has been open now for several years, only increasing in popularity, Bobby’s
Burger Palace fits neatly in this box. I originality heard about it from the
Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate”. Besides Samantha Brown on the Travel
Channel, Best Thing I Ever Ate is the second biggest influence on my travels
and meals.
At
Bobby’s place you are treated to a brightly colored mid-size restaurant where
you can pick your burger from a long list of choices or create one yourself.
The best feature there is the option to “crunchify” your burger. That is, to
add chips on top, something I have been doing forever to any kind of sandwich I
eat. A little crunch goes a long way. In addition there is also a special
burger of the month; currently it is the Caesar burger. It certainly sounds
delicious. On the table you’ll find different sauces to try out on your fries.
While I
enjoyed my time here it’s been a while and I have had MANY burgers from those
new chains that have popped up. I think I will have to revisit Bobby’s to make
sure I love them as much as I remember.
Know
that whatever you eat you will leave happy and full. A palace for burgers it
certainly is.
Creperie
Beaumonde
On that
same trip to Philly where I explored Bobby’s Burger Palace, I also came here
for the legendary crepes. It was to be my final meal on that trip and we wanted
to finish with a bang. It is no coincidence that this recommendation came from
“The Best Thing I Ever Ate” as well. Alton Brown was discussing his love of
their savory and sweet crepes and when I heard that I knew I would be eating
them someday soon.
Here is
his explanation of why this is a must have food in Philly, from “Best Thing I
Ever Ate: Wrapped”:
In
order to make sure I had the best of the best I ordered exactly what Alton did:
a savory crepe with mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and roasted almonds. I also got a
savory crepe with pears (which had been baked in apple cider and brown sugar),
with chocolate and chestnut cream. These meager ingredients don’t do the taste
any justice. I cut each up and was simultaneously eating them both. It looked
like a mess but it was amazing.
Each
crepe had been made with different ingredients before it was ever poured onto
the stove to be cooked. These crepes were matched perfectly with the
ingredients it would hold and allow the flavors to sing. They never broke! Not
that I had too much time to notice. They were gone as fast as they came. This
restaurant was out of the way in a residential neighborhood but well worth it.
I haven’t made it back there in any of my recent trips to Philadelphia but I
think I am do for one or two, the next time I am in town.
I would
like to add that outside of Paris there is no better place to have a crepe.
Sarcone’s
Deli
Since I
was already out and about I took a walk over to Sarcone’s Deli after my
crepe-feast. I knew I couldn’t possibly take another bite of anything but I
wasn’t leaving empty-handed. I was heading for my train ride home and I thought
a sandwich should accompany me. I was even nice enough to bring them back for
my family.
This
deli reminds me of an Italian deli I have in my neighborhood. There are cold
cut sandwiches by the dozen along with any other lunch item you can think of.
These sandwiches are longer than most subs and Sarcone’s Deli has the
distinction of being known as the home to the best hoagie in Philadelphia. This
place almost always has a line but you can call ahead to place your order so
that it will be ready and waiting when you arrive. Their bread is the key to
making a sandwich feel more like an experience.
I
remember Sarcone’s Deli for another non-foodie moment too. It was October 2009
and it was the first time my migraine abortive meds failed me. It was the first
time I learned that you could have a migraine that wouldn’t break and all of
the things that accompany that, including but not limited to, a not so fun
train ride back to N.Y.C. Even under those conditions I could still
appreciate my hoagie and the bread, which for being made outside Brooklyn, N.Y.
was rather tasty.
Sarcone’s
is so beloved that it places as number seven on this list of classically Philly
foods (http://philly.eater.com/maps/map-iconic-classic-foods-philadelphia).
I agree
it certainly deserves to be there. I also think the last item on this list is
going on my to-eat list for the future. I have never heard of inside-out
Florida pizza pockets but they sound awesome. This is somewhat confusing
because Florida doesn’t seem to have any good pizza or hoagies for that matter.
Oh well only I will be able to tell if they live up to the hype.
Jim’s
Steaks
When
returning from a trip to Philadelphia one of the first questions you
will inevitably be asked is; did you have a cheesesteak? Was it from
Geno’s or Pat’s? Ah, if it were only that simple. There are as many cheesesteak
places as there are statutes of Benjamin Franklin. I decided to not
partake in either of these places or their legendary feud as neighbors and
competitors. My Frommer’s guidebook recommended Cosmo’s but a friend of mine
mentioned Jim’s to me. He swore he did a taste test during his visit and that
these were the very best. I had never had one before and I wanted my experience
in Philly to be as authentic as it was delicious. Boy was he right.
Jim’s
Steaks had steak and onions cooked to perfection with a heavy hand of Cheez Wiz
poured all over it, especially when I asked for an extra scoop. I was so
worried I wouldn’t like it being that I am not really a meat eater but it was
sublime. I could have gone back for every meal that day and not have been bored
with my food. It opened up a whole new food category for me. It also taught me
that when something is properly made I can love it even if it is something I
would normally stay away from. Oddly enough a few of these cheesesteaks would
follow me home for those who had not been on this journey. Are you noticing a
pattern here? Thankfully this was not the trip that included Sarcone’s Deli. In
case you have a craving and are not near Philadelphia, Jim’s delivers so go
ahead, order, and then wait by the door.
Jake’s
Sandwich Board
Lastly
on our food journey I must tell you about my most recently discovered favorite
place to eat in Philadelphia. That would be Jake’s. I had randomly read about
it and their notorious garlic bomb cheesesteaks so I made a mental note to go
there as soon as I got the chance. Only a few months had passed last year when
I was driving through Philly and stopped here for an early lunch.
The
location is ideal with a parking garage right across the street. Anyone that
has experienced city travel knows that it can be hard to park. The restaurant
has a long but wide layout too so you can spread out all of the good things you
need to have at Jake’s.
The
garlic bomb cheesesteak was of course what I ordered. It is made with their
homemade garlic spread, provolone cheese (you can opt out for Cheez Wiz), and
topped with fried, crispy, whole cloves of garlic. That last part is the best
part although it will look funny to you but the taste will have you hooked.
They go right down and create a layer of crunch and garlic between you and the
meat. It definitely was a hit and is in close second with Jim’s. Both sandwiches
were too large for me so I always have to have someone to split it with.
Luckily that is never too hard for me to find.
Now
that we have had our fill of salt, it’s time for something sweet, on to the
next blog post we go.
Up
next: For the City of Brotherly Love, Benjamin Franklin, and Betsy Ross's
House: Snacks.
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