The Franklin Fountain, Philadelphia PA

This summer whenever we've been passing through Philly, we've made a point to stop in Old City to get ice cream at Franklin Fountain.

Franklin Fountain, and its sister store the Shane Confectionery, are the brainchild of the Berley Brothers. Both establishments are loving and meticulous re-creations of an old-timey ice cream parlour/soda fountain, and an old-fashioned candy store.

From the vintage cash registers (with iPads actually doing the transactions), to period uniforms and tin ceilings, the stores are an homage to simpler times. And the ice cream is really darn good!

Redneckhunter is a purist and sticks to his black and white milkshake.  I have never dared to order one of the massively huge sundaes or banana splits, though they look amazing. Instead I stick to the "college" scoop - one scoop and one topping - my go-to is peanut butter ice cream with their own super rich homemade hot fudge.

I've also tried their fountain creations. Above is a phospate with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, and strawberry syrup -- fizzy and refreshing and lighter than an ice cream soda.

There's always a line, but it generally moves quickly, and definitely worth the wait!

The Franklin Fountain
No. 116 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19106
Telephone (215) 627-1899 

Pig's Head at Alla Spina, Philadelphia

Redneckhunter's brother came to visit and flew into Philadelphia airport, so we picked him up and immediately took him to Alla Spina for dinner. We sat in the "lounge" area, and the whole place was an entirely different atmosphere from brunch.  Much more bar-like with low lights, low-key hip-hop.

As soon as the waitress (the same one we had at brunch incidentally) told us that night's special was a pig's head for 2 served with thick cut toast and a blueberry reduction, we all knew what we were having for dinner.

We got that along with some starters -- homemade pretzels (served in a wooden cute piggy bowl) with beer cheese dipping sauce, rabbit terrine, and poutine with guinea hen ragu. The prices were similar to the brunch prices, so totally reasonable. Redneckhunter and his brother naturally ordered some sampling flights, and we settled in.

The starters were good (if I would have one complaint, it would be that I wished there were more cheese curds on the poutine), but the pig's head was absolutely heavenly!  The meat was falling off tender, juicy, with just enough gooey cartilage to be delicious but not fatty.  It went well with the wonderful sticky gooey sweet and tartness of the blueberry reduction. Even the toast was buttery and divine. I picked that poor piglet's head apart, but it was the perfect size for 3 people to share. 

Alla Spina
1410 Mt Vernon St
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-600-0017

Alla Spina, Philadelphia

Sorry for the long absence in posting!  We're hoping to get more out and about in the spring.  We did have a great meal recently at Alla Spina, part of the Vetri family of restaurants in Philly. We pretty much wanted to eat everything on the menu, so did our best to sample as much as we could among 5 people.

We started with the testina hash poutine (pig head, french fries, mozzarella curd and sunny side up eggs) and donuts as starters.  The soft runny eggs on the poutine were the perfect addition to the Quebecoise classic, and the pig's head has was slightly crispy and very porky.  The donuts (a mix of 3 flavors) were disappointing though.

Redneckhunter and J. happily did a tasting flight of 3 beers - I could not even begin to remember the names, but there was one nice sour raspberry Belgian that even I liked!

K. got a tasty bloody mary, but D. and I were disappointed in our "mocktails." Not only were they very small considering their $5 price tag, but my basil spritz barely had any basil flavor.

But then the entrees came.  I got the alla spina gnocchi (with porcini mushrooms and tallegio).   Wow - such amazingly soft pillows of deliciousness.  Marc Vetri does know how to make great gnocchi - I remember fondly the brown butter spinach gnocchi we had at Vetri. 

K. got a beautiful smoked salmon salad - those soft-boiled eggs look amazing don't they?

Redneckhunter opted, of course, for their spin on his beloved biscuits and gravy -- these were sage biscuits with veal ragu and poached eggs.

D. got pancakes made of squash with bacon-maple syrup and walnut butter, and J. got  the “necci crespelle” chestnut crepe, honey, breakfast sausage and over easy eggs.

We also shared a side order of cheesy parmigiana polenta.

After another tasting flight of beer by Redneckhunter and J. and an after-brunch Negroni cocktail (that no one else liked), it was time for dessert. 

D. ordered the "choco taco" and Redneckhunter got the donut bread pudding. 


As J. put it, this place would be very dangerous to the wallet if it were in our neighborhood...

Alla Spina
1410 Mt. Vernon St.
Philadelphia, PA 19130
P: 215-600-0017

Federal Donuts, Philadelphia PA

We were on a quest for French export butter-in-a-tin in the Vietnamese groceries in South Philly, so we took the opportunity being in that neighborhood to stop in at the new-ish Federal Donuts.  It's a take-out joint solely serving donuts and fried chicken -- it doesn't get much better than that!

The place stays open until they run out, so we were lucky to still find it open after 5 pm on a Sunday.

The specialty donuts were sold out, but they will fry fresh donuts to order and toss with your choice of sugar and spices.  We got one of each kind:  Appollonia, Indian Cinnamon, and Vanilla-Lavender.  I can't remember exactly what spices were on the Appollonia, but that one (the dark one) was my favorite.  While hot donuts are always good, I have to say, they weren't as decadent as the Fractured Prune (on the Delaware-Maryland shore).  We have been spoiled.

But I'd go back to Federal Donuts for the chicken.  We got a half order for $9 -- a four-piece box.  You could choose either Crispy with a dry topping (Za-atar or Coconut Curry), or Glazed with a wet topping (Chile-Garlic or Honey-Ginger).  I opted for dry, since we were going to have to eat in the car (of the Ikea parking lot no less) and went with coconut curry - it was indeed very crispy - freshly fried a second time and topped with the delicious spices.

It was a great (albeit counterproductive) last meal before I embarked on a 3-day Catalyst Juice Cleanse!  (And as an aside, I didn't document the raw foods and juices I got as part of the cleanse, but the Mexican Lasagna -- made with thinly sliced zucchini, tomato puree, avocado, and hazelnut "cheese" -- was fantastic, as well as the lemon, agave, and cayenne juice. I would happily eat and drink them guilt-free every day!  They really should add the lasagna to the menu at their Jar Bar in Philly.)

Federal Donuts
1219 South 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

(267) 687-8258 Catalyst Cleanse Jar Bar 113 S 12th St  Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 923-1600

Mémé, Philadelphia

Fried Brussel Sprouts

Grilled Quail

Fougoo, Xtine, and I made a trip to Philadelphia to have dinner at Mémé, chef David Katz's casual eatery located just west of Rittenhouse Square. Fougoo picked the place because of the Ralph Steadman designed logo as well as having read some good reviews of the food.
The menu was seasonal and really simple: starters, mains, and desserts. I love eating out with family because we decided to share everything.
We saw a lot of tables getting the roasted bone marrow, cut longitudinally, served with bread and caper-parsley radish, and it looked good. However, Fougoo had recently had her share of marrow at her recent dinner at Beacon.

Sautéed Veal Sweetbreads

We ordered three starters. First up was fried brussel sprouts that came with a ham croquette all topped with a zesty lemon aioli.
We got the grilled quail served with pickled onions, candied bacon, date purée, and aged balsamic.
The sautéed veal sweetbreads were my favorite of the three starters. They were tender and creamy. It came with roast grapes, mushrooms and a walnut purée.

Magret Duck Breast

We ordered two main dishes. First was the Magret duck breast with chard, beets and a port reduction. The duck was cooked beautifully- it was tender, juicy, and wonderfully fatty. I also really loved the chard and beets.
The "Catch of the Day" was a trout stuffed with chorizo cornbread that was served with an heirloom tomato coulis.

Trout with Chorizo Cornbread

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Heirloom Apple Crisp

We saw all the desserts on the menu and decided to order all three of them. There was a wonderful dark chocolate ganache cake with vanilla gelato and an heirloom apple crisp also with the vanilla gelato.
My favorite was the vanilla panna cotta with port cherries. The texture was smooth and rich, and the vanilla flavor went well with the cherries.

Vanilla Panna Cotta

2201 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 735-4900

A.Kitchen, Philadelphia

We were up in Philly to see the Brothers Quay beautiful new film shot in the Mütter Museum, and Fougoo arranged for us a reservation at A.Kitchen, a restaurant near Rittenhouse Square that opened this past spring.
We had dinner family-style, sharing several of the small plates they had to offer. We started with a "breakfast" frisee salad that had a warm hash brown, poached egg, and bacon.

We then ordered two items from their "Fish" menu. I really wanted to try to octopus with caramelized watermelon. The octopus was grilled beautifully and it was complemented by the sweetness of the watermelon.There were also drizzles of hot sauce as well.
We also ordered the skate Provençal with fingerling potatoes.

Afterwards, we decided on two pasta dishes. They make their own pasta in house, so it was all very good. First was corkscrews with duck, chanterelle mushrooms, and butternut squash.
We also had the tagliatelle with veal ragu.
For dessert, we shared a lovely chocolate panna cotta.

135 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 825-7030

Smoked coconut club sandwich at Memphis Tap Room, Philadelphia

We found ourselves at the Memphis Tap Room in the Fishtown section of Philly, and just had to try their famous vegan club sandwich. Yep, we said it - the evil V word - "Vegan." The "bacon" was made from smoked coconut, with tofu as the "meat" and a tomato-based "mayonnaise."

The chef did an amazingly great job mimicking the crisp-chewy texture of real bacon, and capturing its smoky flavor. I never would have believed I was eating coconut.

See below to see how it's made:



Memphis Tap Room
2331 East Cumberland Street
Philadelphia, PA 19125
215-425-4460

Revisit to Cochon, Philadelphia

Redneckhunter and I had to be in South Philly for an event last Friday night, so we took the opportunity of being in that neighborhood (where we rarely find ourselves) to eat at Cochon with some friends, throwing Lenten tradition out the window by choosing a restaurant that worships the pig...

It was a cold night - perfect for pork and other hearty fare. For starters Redneckhunter got his beloved fried chicken livers - a very generous bowl of them (not too photogenic, though). One friend got frog legs served over a fennel salad, and I got a pan-fried gnocchi with pork ragout (or maybe it was wild boar, I can't quite remember...)

For main courses, we tried a variety of that night's specials. The had just ran out of a pork belly dish from the specials - served over lentils and brussels sprouts, but they adapted the dish with a pair of quails.
I got pork tenderloin served with gratin potatoes, swiss chard, and 2 sauces - a balsamic reduction and a roasted red pepper emulsion. The pork had a nice smokiness to it.

They also had cassoulet as a special, so as soon as it was mentioned, I knew Redneckhunter would order it. As he noted, everyone makes cassoulet in vastly different ways. This one had a rich flavorful sausage in it, but I prefer my beans a little softer and wetter.

Since we'd already sinned by eating meat, why not indulge in dessert, we thought. The one that caught our attention was "Poor Man's Pudding" - which indeed was a pudding chomeur.

The biscuit was deliciously crumbly, floating in warm maple syrup - yum!

Cochon
801 East Passyunk Avenue
Philadelphia - (215) 923-7675

Deep Dish at Garces Trading Company, Philadelphia

I finally made it back to Garces Trading Company in Philadelphia to try their classic deep dish pie. Sure, it was massive and sure, I was by myself eating there on a Friday afternoon eavesdropping on a group of ladies talking about getting into a fistfight the night before. However, I planned on trying this last year.

I started with an order of the grilled Spanish octopus served with slices of apple & fennel and a glass of delicious sangria.
The deep dish was lovely. It's crust was about 3 inches thick. The classic is packed with just tomato confit, gruyère and fresh mozzarella. So simple and good. The crust is really tasty. Next time, I go perhaps I'll try one with their housemade sausage or duck confit.

1113 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 574-1099

Roast Pork at Tommy DiNic's, Reading Market Terminal

Alongside the Philly cheesesteak, Philadelphia is known for it's roast pork sandwich. Inside the Reading Terminal Market, Tommy DiNic's Roast Pork & Beef serves one of the better versions of this tasty treat.
The pork is seasoned with Italian herbs and spices and then slow roasted so it remains extremely tender and juicy. Additional juices is poured generously onto the meat once in the roll.
I ordered mine with the usual sharp provolone, broccoli raab, and hot peppers. The end result was so good and messy.
1136 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA‎
(215) 923-6175‎