Fancying it up at Garces Trading Company

My friend and I decided to go to Garces Trading Company (1111 Locust Street) for dinner one evening. That particular week it was the 10 year anniversary of one of its sister restaurant, Amada, so  the restaurant was offering a special tasting menu for the week. Of course, we took up the opportunity and got the tasting menu. I think the tasting menu was based on the chef preferences because I saw tables around us who ordered the tasting menu but got some different things (eg. the table next to us go macaroon for dessert and we got creme brulee). Below are the foods we got.

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper

For appetizers, they served us Fresh Mozzarella Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper. The mozzarella was fresh and tender. The olive oil as well as the salt and pepper that accompanied the mozzarella bought out its fresh taste. The red peppers were sweet and tendered but they had some kind of salty pickled fish on top of them which I did not like ( I think the fish might have been anchovy or sardine, but I really don't know). Out of the two, the mozzarella tasted the best. 

Fig with Cheese, Bacon Bits, and Pistachio

Next, one of waitresses bought this very small glass cup of what I recall her saying was some kind of cheese with fig, bacon bits, and crush pistachios. Since it had bacon bits, I did not taste it. Per my friend, it tasted weird. The fig was good but it didn't really go well with the other components in the cup.

Pizza

On the tasting menu, it said margarita pizza would be served, but like I mentioned earlier I don't think the chef went by the menu. Margarita pizza as I know comes with red sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves. Well, this pizza came with some other cheese, pepperonis, and some kind of green herb. I had to pick out the pepperonis.  The crust was thick and somewhat chewy and the cheese in some parts was crispy. I usually like my crust crispy and thick and my cheese gooey so this pizza was just okay for me.

Steak and Frites

Steak and frites were next. Of course, I didn't eat the steak but my friend ordered medium done and it appears to cook that way. Per my friend, the steak was good. The fries were made of duck fat. I ate some of it and I thought it was okay. I think some of fries got burned. And just thinking the fries were made of duck fat didn't really make it appetizing for me. Usually, when I eat fries, I get additive to them but just the thought of duck fat turned me off.

Mini Creme Brulee

The last picture I have are the mini Creme Brulee for dessert. They were delicious. They were creamy and not too salt. It was topped with what I think are diced pouched pears and dried cranberries. The topping complemented and added another layer texture to the creamy creme brulee. I wish that gave us a large bowl of the creme brulee instead  mini glass cup of just a mini glass cup with about 2-3 bites in it.

Food that we also had not featured in this post were the usual bread the restaurant starts customers with during dinner time, the sangrias drinks part of the tasting menu, and the green salad with light vinaigrette. Unfortunately, it just slipped my mind to take pictures of the sangria. And I forgot to take pictures of the bread and salad because my hunger took over. My favorites of the night was the fresh mozzarella, salad, and creme brulee. Overall, I thought the food was good, but not worth price I paid.

Fitzwater Cafe- A Taste of Heaven

I have been wanting to try Fitzwater Cafe (728 S. Fitzwater Street) with my friend, but on the one Sunday afternoon we went, there was a ridiculous 40 minute wait for 2. That was not acceptable for growling stomaches at that time so we eventually just picked a boring place and got a boring meal. Luckily, when I went again on a Saturday and at an earlier time, the wait wasn't as long. It was only about 20 to 25 minutes wait for 2. I am glad we waited because what I got was totally worth it. The cafe was small but cozy. It had a diner feel to it. 

Creme Brulee French Toast

I got the Creme Brulee French Toast, Vanilla Sauce, and Fresh berries. The vanilla sauce reminded me of condense milk, but the consistency was thinner and the taste was much more refined. It was heavenly and really made this plate phenomenal. The bread was thick, fluffy, and delicious. The berries were fresh. The only thing I could do without was the whipped cream. I am not a huge fan of whipped cream. For me, the toast, vanilla sauce, and berries were enough. I savored each mouth full of the toast with vanilla sauce and berries. I sincerely recommend this French toast for all the French toast lovers out there as well as the sweet tooth lovers. 

Something else I like about this place is that it uses fresh ingredients. The fruits were fresh. They offer fresh orange juice. The potatoes that came with my friend's breakfast burrito looked homemade. It did not look like the frozen packaged potatoes. I will definitely be coming back here to get the the French toast again and also to try other things on the menu.  

Zinburger

Hello. I took a month break from blogging but I am back now:) Hopefully, this month I will able to post more to make up for October.

One day, I ended up visiting friends in New Jeresy and they wanted to go Zinburger Wine and Burger Bar for lunch.  Zinburger, a gourmet burger joint that serves alcohol, is located on 923 Haddonfield Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002. This isn't the most vegetarian friendly place, but they did have salads and one veggie burger which you can actually get as vegan too.

Clint's "Almost Famous" Veggie Burger

I got the veggie burger as known as Clint's "Almost Famous" Veggie Burger. The manager actually came up to our table to tell us it was going take a little longer because they had to prepare/make it. This could of meant that not alot of people order the veggie burger so there weren't enough prepared or it could mean this burger was pretty popular. Either way, I was very satisfied with the burger. The burger came with mozzarella cheese, avocado, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. It was delicious. The avocado really added to the burger. Not sure what the veggie pattie was made of  but it was tasty. The texture of the burger was actually on the softer side which i don't mind. Usually veggie patties are soft anyway. I would definitely consider coming here again for another veggie burger.

Cake and the Beanstalk

Cake and the Beanstalk is a cute establishment located on 1112 Locust Street. My friend and I decided to visit this cafe to do some work. There was a separate room for seating. The room had large glass window for the sun to shine in and also the window overlooked a garden next to it. The chairs are all painted cutely with drawings and words on them. I should have taken a picture of one of the chairs. Next time I will take a picture of the chair(s) and add it to this post. 

Chai Latte

Grilled Cheese on Multigrain Bread

During my time there, I got a chai latte. The chai latte was actually milky and sweeter than other places I got chai latte from. I realized I actually prefer it this way. It was tasty. For food, I got a grilled cheese sandwich on a multigrain bread (from Le Bus Bakery). I believe the cheese was American cheese. It taste good but there was nothing really special about the grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese was gooey and the bread was somewhat toasted. 

I will definitely come back here to do work and try their baked goods. 

Indeblue

Indeblue (205 S. 13th Street)  is an Indian restaurant located in around gayhorbood area in Philadelphia. Apparently, it was rated in the top 50 restaurants in Philadelphia on FooBooz. The restaurant was quite packed when we went for a late dinner. It was quite dark and quite noisy inside that I had a hard time hearing my friend.

Malai Kofta Bukhara

The food was good. I got the malai kofta bukhara (house-made paneer, apricots, cashews, and creamy cardamom sauce). The portion side was reasonable. It wasn't too small nor was it too large. The sauce was flavorful, creamy, and tomatoey. It came with four kofta. The kofta had a good texture. It was somewhat firm. It also had little crushes from the cashew pieces inside. The kofta and sauce tasted really good with the rice. Sorry for the poor quality picture. It was kind of dark inside the restaurant.

Kilimandjaro Restaurant

For dinner one day, we decided to try something new...African cuisine. This restaurant had great reviews on yelp and was the top suggestion. Kilimandjaro Restaurant is located in West Philly (4317 Chestnut Street). I would admit the menu is very limited for vegetarians. Based on the reviews on yelp, I wanted to get some kind of yassa. Yassa, I believe is some saucy marinated protein. I wanted to get the fish yassa; however that was on the lunch menu and when I inquired to see if I can get it for dinner, the servant told me there was no more yassa:( I was a little disappointed and wished they had a website that posted their menu online so I can view it ahead of time).

Fried Tilapia with Couscous

Since I couldn't get the yassa, I opted to get tilapia  from the dinner menu. You can either get it grilled or fried and I chose the unhealthier version (aka fried). Everything on the dinner menu came with a side, there were a number of sides you can choose from such as rice, couscous, plantain, etc. I got the couscous.  The fish was well fried and tasty. It was crispy on the outside and its white fresh was tender. No sure what spices that they used but it was flavorful and somewhat spicy. The couscous was cooked well...not too soggy. I feel like the several times I attempted to cook couscous I put too much water. The couscous was hot and flavorful. As I ate more of the couscous, I saw tiny diced jalapenos so I pretty sure the heat in the couscous came from the pepper. The was some marinated fried onions on top of the couscous. The onions were tender and tasty.  Overall, I like the dish.

Mango Ginger Juice

I also got the Mango Ginger Juice per the yelp review suggestions. The ginger taste was potent and there was a hint of mango taste. I thought the ginger was a little to strong for my taste. It did taste better when it was water down by the melted ice. I am glad that I tried the drink but I don't think I would get it again.

A.Kitchen

A.kitchen is located right at Rittenhouse Square (135 S. 18th Street). It is an American restaurant. The restaurant's windows opened to the outside and there were seating outside. We choose to sit inside. The ambiance of the restaurant was somewhat fancy and romantic. The lights were dimmed inside and there was an open kitchen. I would say that would be a great place for a date in the evening or for people watching at Rittenhouse Square during lunchtime.

Spiced Cauliflower

For an appetizer, I got the Spiced Cauliflower (black garlic, avocado). Per my friend, everything on the menu is grilled. The cauliflower was very tender and had a somewhat charcoal taste. The flavor was exceptional. I can taste the garlic along with other herbs. On the top.there were what appeared to be sauteed onions. On the bottom was tangy creamy avocado sauce and some grilled peppers/chill which I think they were probably jalapenos. The cauliflower tasted good with its spices and also tasted good with avocado sauce. This was really a superb dish that had me savoring every bite.

Grilled Octopus

For my entree, I selected the Grilled Octopus (summer squash, roasted pepper, fried chickpeas). The octopus was cooked to perfection. It was tendered and had the right amount of chewiness. I think octopus can be easily overcooked which can result into a rubbery texture. This dish was far from that. The octopus was accompanied by some light yogurt sauce, roasted squash, roasted pepper, and something I would call round rice puffs. The octopus was somewhat salty which for some reason really tasted well with the components of the plate. The roasted squash and roasted pepper had a sweetness to them. The round rice puffs tasted like somewhat toasted Kix cereal. I would say that the rice puffs were unique addition to the dish and the dish would have been fine without them. I sincerely enjoyed my menu. My head was shaking in approval with each bite and I tried to savor each bite. I definitely wanted to come back to this restaurant.