Shoo Fry (132 S. 17th Street) primarily offers gourmet French Fries (aka French Fries with fancy toppings) and sliders. The restaurant is actually located down the stairs from the sidewalk. When you walk in, there is a pathway to the counter and to the side was the seating area. Behind the counter is the somewhat open kitchen. When I came during lunch time, it was quite empty. Only three guests came while I waited for my food.
I ordered the Truffled Feathers which was French Fries topped with two over easy eggs and truffle salt. The portion size was good. I would say it was a little more than a handful of fries. It was a tad pricey for fries, though. However, the fries were delicious. They were the right thickness. They were not all crispy around but some of theirs edges were crispy. The yolk from the egg positively added to the texture. My only dislike was that it might have been a little to salty for me which was probably due to the truffle salt. Overall, I was pleased with the meal. It was filling. I would consider stopping by again for fries. Maybe next time I will try the Classic Poutine. I never had Poutine before, but I heard it was good.
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| Truffled Feathers |
Bareburger (1109 Walnut Street) is a chain primarily located in New York City and New Jersey. I think this is the only Bareburger in Pennsylvania. The establishment tries to use sustainable, all natural foods free from preservatives. Their food offerings include pesticide free produce and grass-fed and humanely treated protein. Their ingredients are locally sourced. The place is bright and has a modern feel. There is a fair amount of seating for a center city restaurant. There are both tables and booths. Our party of three got a booth in the back.
We ordered Rings and Sweet Fries for the table. It was accompanied by smoke sauce, special sauce, habanero mayo, and curry ginger ketchup. The onion rings were crispy and good but the oil used to fry tasted a little old. The sweet potatoes weren't as crispy. They were more on the tender side but still very good. The curry ginger ketchup tasted like a tamed ketchup. I couldn't really detect any curry or ginger. The smoke sauce tasted like bbq sauce. The habanero mayo was creamy with a hint of spicy. I am not sure what the special sauce was, but it tasted a little like creamy mild honey mustard to me. Out of the four savory dressings, my favorite was the special sauce.
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| Rings and Sweet Fries |
I got the Farmstead Burger. The portion side of the burger was modest. It wasn't too big or too small. The burger was comprised of sweet potato and wild rice and came with green hummus, tomatoes, baby kale, avocado basil dressing, and collard green wrap. For the most part, I try to eat healthy but the collard green wrap was just too healthy for me. I substituted the greens with regular buns. In addition, I requested the green hummus on the side. The veggie burger was on the softer side. It wasn't too flavorful. The flavor mostly came from the avocado basil dressing and green hummus. The green hummus was refreshing and absolutely delicious. I never had anything like it before. If I had to get guess what was in the green hummus, I would say chickpeas and cilantro. The green hummus was definitely the highlight of this meal for me. It was so good I can picture myself eating it on its own.
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| Farmstead Burger |
Overall I like the food, atmosphere, and customer service. I would consider coming back to get the farmstead burger again or to try the other veggie burger on the menu.
