Philadelphia Baltimore Dollar Stroll

In West Philadelphia, there is an event called Baltimore (Dollar) Stroll, in which during two days in a year, businesses, primarily restaurants on Baltimore Ave from 42^nd to 50^th sell samples of their food for a $1. Usually one day is in summer while the other day is in Fall.  This new event started a few years ago to promote the growing businesses in West Philly.  There were a number of selections you can buy for $1 eg. a samosa, a slice of pizza, an ice sandwich, half of cheesesteak, chicken wings, egg roll, beer etc. Being the cheapstake and fatty I am, the Baltimore Stroll is highly an anticipated occurrence for me.  Unfortunately, that chosen day, it rained and some of the lines were extremely long and not worth the wait. Luckily, we came a little early so we were able to bypass the long lines for some of the restaurants and get some things to eat instead starving to death in the lines. Below are pictures and reviews of the foods I got. Of course, there were more things I wanted to try but I could not justify the long lines( eg, I still wanted to try the seitan cheesesteak from Lee’s Deli and the banana whips from Mariposa Food Co-op).

Green Line Mexican Chocolate and Coconut Sugar Cookies

Coconut sugar and Mexican chocolate cookie (vegan) from Green Line Café.  I didn’t think either of the cookies were that delicious. The coconut sugar was alittle dry and tasted like a mild sweet sugar cookie with a hint of coconut from the shredded coconut. The Mexican chocolate cookie had a rich chocolate taste and also a kick to it. There was definitely some hot spice in it (cayenne, paprika, chilli) and I think a little too much because my throat started to burn. I think the chocolate cookie would have tasted better if they the spice level down a notch.

Desi Village Samaso, Veggie Pakora, and Mango Lassi

Samosa, veggie pakora, and mango lassi from Desi Village. The samosa was good. Although I think I had better elsewhere before. It was a good size, rich in spices and in potato filling. It had a spicy kick to it. The pakora were very flavorful and the texture reminded me of fishcake. I like the pakora more than the samosa. The mango lassi was delicious. It was smooth, mild creamy, sweet, and rich in fresh mango flavor.

Gojjo Ethiopian Lentil Sambosa

Gojjo Ethiopian Veggie Injeri 
The lentil samosa and veggie injeri from Gojji Ethiopian Restaurant.  Both the lentil samosa and veggie injeri were okay. The lentils sambuso was packed full of lentils. It tasted kind of plain. The veggie injeri was a little more flavorful. The lentils complemented the injeri. I thought this lentil injeri tasted better than the lentil injeri that we got later on.

Dahlak Lentil Injeri, Spinach Injeri, and Housse Salad

The lentil injeri, spinach injeri, and sample house salad from Dahlak. I thought the lentils injeri was too salty. The spinach injeri was a little salty too but tasty better than the lentil injeri. It also had a hint of garlic to it. The house  salad was too small of a sample for me to make anything out of it. It just tasted like plain lettuce and tomato. I am not sure of the dressing.

Lucky's Chinese Restaurant Veggie Spring Roll

A veggie spring roll from Lucky’s Chinese Restaurant.  This was delicious. It was hot from the fryer. The filling was clear noodles, shredded carrots, and shredded cabbage. It reminded me of spring rolls I use to get from the corner store when I was child. It was very tasty.

Pound Cake Heaven Red Velvet Cake

Pound Cake Heaven Sample Sweet Potato Cake

Pound Cake Heaven Strawberry Shortcake Sample

Pound Cake Heaven Carrot Cake Sample

Red velvet cake and samples of sweet potato, carrot, and strawberry shortcake cakes from Pound Cake Heaven. The red velvet cake was moist and delicious. It wasn’t too sweet and the butter cream frosting completed the cake well. The sweet potato cake sample was good. The sweet potato taste was subtle and the frosting was delicious…again the butter cream frosting. The strawberry shortcake tasted like a lighter version of pound cake. It had a whipped frosting and a tiny fresh slice of strawberry. It was quite good. Lastly, the carrot cake sample tasted the best. It was sweet, moisy, had a mixture of flavors, and raisins in it.

Mama Vegetarian- Falafel and Grape Leaves

I have been meaning to try Mama Vegetarian for a while and had high expectation. I heard great things about the falafel on yelp and also from my coworker. On one lovely afternoon, I decided to get Mama Vegetarian for lunch. I ordered some rice wrapped in grape leaves and a falafel sandwich.

Falafel Sandwich

Falafel Sandwich

The falafel sandwich was a good size. Inside the pita were falafel balls, hummus, tomato, and shredded cabbage. The hummus was creamy, fresh, and tasty but I was not pleasantly pleased with the falafels themselves. As I was eating the sandwich, I started to taste bitterness.  I think the falafels had been slightly burnt; hence resulting into bitterness. Not sure, if I went on the wrong day when the falafels were not at its best. The bitterness ruined the experience for me.

Rice wrapped in Grape Leaves

Rice wrapped in Grape Leaves

The rice wrapped in grape leaves on the other hand were refreshing and delicious. It was somewhat tangy and flavorful. The rice was mushy and the grape leaves were soft. I couldn’t stop eating them.  I would totally recommend Mama Vegetarian grape leaves to anyone who enjoys slightly sour tasting foods and who want something light and appetizing. 

Tattooed Mom- $3 Veggie Burger Wednesday

My friend has wanted to try Tattooed Mom (530 South Street) for a while. Finally, a Happy Hour get together was set up for one Wednesday. From the yelp pictures, I thought this would be a grungy looking place with graffiti all over the place. But it was not grungy at all. The walls were painted bright green. It was actually kind of cozy and had a nice ambience to it. I think the couch that was toward the wall in the middle of the room contributed to the nice somewhat relaxing atmosphere. On Wednesdays, the happy hour special are $3 hamburgers or veggie burgers and half off all drafts. For the special, they handed each of us to a paper to check off what burger we want, with what topping, and also if we wanted a side of tater tots or waffle fries.

Veggie Burger

I got the veggie burger with mayo, lettuce, raw onion, pickles, and tomato and tater tots. The veggie burger had two patties and was a pretty decent side, which I was not expecting at all. The burger was just a regular veggie bean burger but tasted good and was definitely worth the $3. The burger had a good texture.  I was hungry and ate the delicious burger very quickly. Tater tots are typical sides you can find in many places but the crispiness of Tattooed Mom made it awesome. I enjoy my dinner very much. On the table, there was a paper advertising their Meatless Monday...half off veggie menu. You know I will be back for this alone. 

Tater Tots

Italian Pastries

So I got the honor to taste some pastries my friend’s lawyer got for her from Veniero's in New York. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Everything looked super delicious. I decided to try the blueberry tart. The blueberries were fresh and very pump. The creamy custard between the blueberry and crust was smooth and the perfect amount of sweet. The crust tasted like shortbread. The tart was delicious. I would totally recommend you guys to check out this place in new york for Italian pastries. 

Italian Pastries/ Blueberry Fruit Tart

Trying to be French- So Crepe

Some of my friends and I went to get crepes at So Crepe (506 South St) for dinner. This crepe place offers both of two worlds- savory and sweet. I could basically eat all the sweet crepes that were offered and four of the savory ones fitted in my diet. I felt like I had a good number of options. They all looked so good. I was thinking about getting one savory and one sweet but knowing me I wouldn’t be able to finish two crepes. In the end, I got the savory So Florentine crepe. The crepes were reasonable priced and very filling.

So Florentine

So Florentine

So Florentine was spinach and swiss cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. The crepe tasted and looked like it was made with whole-wheat flour. The portion side was big. Inside it was spinach and cheese. Although I thought the spinach would be cooked, it was somewhat raw. Nonetheless, it was still delicious. There was thin layer of melted cheese in the crepe on both sides. Finally, the crepe was topped with grapevine tomatoes and  a zigzag drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. The crepe was simple yet tasted very delicious and reminded me of a sandwich- a thin wheat bread sandwich with spinach and cheese. I think I am going to come back here to try a sweet crepe or the other savory ones.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

After rollerskating, my friends and I went to Franklin Fountain (116 Market St.) for ice cream. The line was long and extended out the door; however, it went by quite fast. Since it was later in the evening, most of the popular favors were sold out. I wanted to try cherry almond walnut, rocky road, or ginger but later discovered that all three were sold out. Then I decided to get the Maple walnut but that got sold out, too. Finally, I decided on the hydrox, but as I got toward the front of the line it sold out. My friend suggested that I try something new and the only flavor we were not sure of was Whirly Berley. After googling it, we found out it was basically chocolate and salty caramel. I got the Whirly Berley with a handmade waffle cone. You can either get the ice in Chinese looking take out boxes or in a waffle, sugar, or regular cone.

Whirly Berley Ice Cream

The ice cream was awesome but I cannot say so for the waffle cone.  The Whirly Berley was creamy, rich, chocolaty and have little crystallized caramel in it. I didn’t really taste the saltiness of the caramel. Nonetheless, everything blended well together. I was licking/eating the ice cream non stop until I finished it off completely. The waffle cone was hard and hard to chew. It was not somewhat crunchy like what I expected a waffle cone to taste like. I want to say it is stale but it’s not. It was just super hard. I guess I should have just stuck with only the ice cream which this place is known for. No more cones for me in the future.

A Not So Good Veggie Banh Mi

On one lovely day, I tried the Veggie Banh Mi from Café Nguyet. Just in case you were wondering what Banh Mi is. It is Vietnamese style hoagie or sandwich that usually comes with protein, shredded sweet and sour carrot and daikon, pate, cucumbers, cilantro, and some jalapenos. 

Café Nguyet is located in the small shopping center in Oregon Market (320 W. Oregon Ave). I was

actually expecting the café to sell more things like the Vietnamese café, Ba Le Bakery on 6^th and Washington, but when I stepped in the café I felt like it barely sold any Vietnamese goods. Behind the refrigerated glass counter on the right, there were a number of containers of foods which I wasn’t sure of what. On the menu board posted above the counter were only for the different types of Banh Mi and bubble tea.  In the refrigerator at one corner of the store, it was stocked lightly with some can sodas and some presumably homemade yogurt.  By the looks of this café, I don’t why I proceeded to order. I regret my decision.

Whole Veggie Banh Mi

Eaten Veggie Banh Mi

The Veggie Banh Mi came with tofu,  shredded sweet and sour carrot and daikon, jalapenos, and cilantro. Overall the hoagie was dry and not really tasty like the other veggie banh mi  I had in the past. I wish they would have slap some mayo on the bread. Maybe that would have made it less dry. The tofu tasted like tofu marinated with soy sauce. I would prefer the tofu to have more of a sweet and sour taste to it. The flavors of shredded sweet and sour carrots and daikon were more on the bland/less tasty side.  I did enjoy the fresh jalapeno and cilantro in the sandwich though. As you can probably tell by now I was not impressed by this sandwich and I will not be visiting them again.