Roommate Weekend: Philly Edition

Another year has passed, and another roommate weekend was warranted, this time in Philadelphia! We had a whirlwind of a weekend, filled with food, random shopping, and catching up!

Not pictured-- Friday night we went to Monk's Cafe, where we had yummy beers, buffalo-style fried frogs legs, steamed mussels, hamburger with truffled cheese and mushrooms, and duck confit. It was a hearty and delicious start to our weekend (although very dark and hence not photo-friendly). On the way back, we picked up frozen yogurt from Yogorino, which we brought back to the apartment to sprinkle on some crazy-awesome granola I had brought with me (recipe soon!).

Bright and early Saturday morning, we took a stroll to the nearby Metropolitan Bakery and raided their day-old bin as well as bought several fresh treats. Eaten for breakfast: coffee/tea, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate croissant, nut and seed roll, lemon vs raspberry bar taste test. Not eaten but saved for later (or to take home): giant dried cherry and chocolate cookie, olive and thyme bread, cheese and apricot pastries, breakfast bars, sourdough loaf.

On the way out to the day's activities, we happened upon the Rittenhouse Square Farmer's Market, and we were immediately sucked in by the bounty of peaches and nectarines. After buying several pounds between the three of us, we dropped them off back at home and headed out once again.

Destination: Chinatown! We went to one of the two hand-pulled noodle shops, this one named Yummy Lan Zhou Noodle Shop. Lan Zhou is the region in China from which this particular style of handmade noodles originates. It was an awesome lunch-- filling but not heavy, fresh as you can get, and good value. I got the oxtail noodle soup, while my companions got the dumpling noodle soup. The oxtail was tender and flavorful, and the dumplings were gigantic and tasty. The noodles were delicate and the beef broth was light yet satisfying.

After a long walk around town to visit the Rosenbach Museum and Library for the Stephen Colbert and Maurice Sendak exhibits, followed by a trip to the Book Haven for some resident cat visiting and (what else?) book shopping, we meandered back home and prepared a bountiful picnic in the park.

I'd picked up some delicious roast duck at Chinatown, Jess pulled out the loaf of sourdough bread she'd picked up that morning at the Metropolitan, we had fruit from various sources (grapes from TJ's, dragonfruit from Chinatown, mixed fruit from Maxx's Produce), and coupled with some flavored goat cheese from the farmer's market that morning and fancy Italian fruit sodas, I'd say we had a very respectable picnic! There was a nice breeze and lots of people/dog watching to be had. Oh yes, and we ended the meal with an absolutely fabulous Amish apple dumpling (an entire apple wrapped in pastry, oozing with cinnamon sugar) from the Reading Terminal Market.

Wait, we're not done with Saturday yet! After a brief respite, we wandered out at about 10pm to grab some gelato at Capogiro. We all got the smallest size and two different flavors, so we ended up with six flavors to sample: Gianduia (hazelnut/chocolate, think Nutella), peach, prickly pear, kiwi, pistachio, and black mission fig. They were all delicious! And I liked my fig and pistachio combo even better eaten at the same time, so I am mulling over possibilities for a fig + pistachio cookie...

After waking up from our food-induced coma on Sunday morning, we felt a bit peckish, so we headed over to Spread Bagelry for some Montreal-style wood oven-roasted bagels! I ate mine with some fancy Amish peanut butter we'd picked up the day before at the Reading Terminal Market, but my partners-in-crime ordered bagel sandwiches: "the Standard" (egg whites, cheese, bacon) and "Nova Scramble" (eggs, smoked Nova salmon cream cheese, tomato, onion). We got to sample some steaming-hot sesame bagels while standing in line, and these are some of the tastiest bagels I've ever had--cripsy/chewy crust and soft, fluffy insides. However, these are by far the most expensive bagels I've ever had as well, so it's a trade-off. (Definitely worth an occasional splurge!)

Fortified by bagels, we marched on to our last major destination for the weekend: the Italian Market and cheesesteaks! We had in fact been wanting to visit Fante's, a hallowed name in the world of kitchen/baking supplies, but alas, they were closed on Sundays this month for unknown reasons, and we were foiled. But we forged on and reached the birthplace of the Philly Cheesesteak, Pat's.

We got a steak with provolone, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Ripped in three, the sandwich was eaten by all with a resounding thumbs-up. The bread was light and soft, the steak juicy, and the whole sandwich oozing delicious meat and veggie essence. Sharing the one sandwich was just right, as I don't think we had enough room to go sample the other nearby competitors! 

We had such a fun and delicious weekend! Next year is Pittsburgh!

Finally, some gratuitous Cordie photos: