Common Wealth

Common Wealth (319 Market Street) was the destination for brunch on one lovely Sunday. I really like the feel of the place. The establishment was cute and homey. Since it was the holiday season, there were christmas lights up and a tree by the front window.  The restaurant was kind of empty for a Sunday afternoon except for a large party in the back. I guess alot people don't like going out when it's cold. Well, I suppose it is better that way. We had good customer service and a suitable environment to talk. Below was what I ate. Of course, as like many of my brunch excursions, I experienced both savory and sweet goodies.

I ordered the Parfait Stuffed French Toast (house-made challah, sweetened vanilla greek yogurt, walnut streusel, and cinnamon maple). It came with home fries and ketchup on the side. The toast was overall good. Although the toast was describe as stuffed, I didn't see anything inside/between the toast nor did I see any walnut streusel. It was more like fluffy bread marinated with a sweet goodness that it didn't need any syrup. The French Toast was topped with what I assume was melted butter which went well with the sweetness of the toast. The home fries were small diced potatoes fried with some greens and onions. The potatoes were fried on the outside and soft in the inside. They were not crispy but nonetheless very tasty.

Parfait French Toast

For the table, we got Shrimp and Grits to share. The dish came with the perfect amount of shrimp (5). Everyone was able to get a shrimp with some grits. This was first time I ever tried grits. I thought I would enjoy it because it looked like the texture of cream of wheat, oatmeal, and porridge and I like all of those things. I was wrong. I didn't like the grits. The taste was okay, but it was the texture that I did not like. It tasted like warm cottage cheese with many tiny little grains and some mildly bigger pieces in it. The shrimp and gravy on the hand were delicious. The shrimp was cooked to perfection and the gravy was very flavorful. I can see myself coming back to this place again to try other things if an opportunity presents itself aka if I am around the area.

Shrimp and Grits

City Tap House

City Tap House has two locations in Philadelphia- one at University City (39th and Walnut St.) and one at Logan Square (2 Logan Square). My friends and I visited the one in University City. In front of the establishment, there was a rectangular bar in the center with seating around it. Once you walk past the bar, there were many table seatings. My friends and I came here for happy hour. The bar seating was packed and some of the tables were filled. We sat in the back.

Tartufo pizza was topped with roast portabello, taleggio, sunnyside egg, and truffle. The pizza was delicious. The crust was thin and crispy. The mushroom were tendered. The yolk sauce added to the texture of the pizza. The combination of all it's components really complemented each other--- texture-wise and taste-wise.

Tartufo Pizza

Bavarain Pretzel with Beer Cheese was on the beer menu. It was recommended by one of my friends who frequented the place. So the pretzel actually came with spicy brown mustard sauce and beer cheese. I think the restaurant might had made their own spicy brown mustard sauce. I found it good but it was a little more potent than other spicy brown mustard sauce I had before aka spicy brown mustard sauce from the Pretzel Factory. The beer cheese was very creamy and savory. The pretzel was warm, soft, and chewy. Both of the sauces went well with the pretzel. Getting the pretzel was a great decision. 

Bavarian Pretzel with Beer Cheese and Spicy Brown Mustard

Overall, the food I tried were delicious. The atmosphere was nice. I can see myself coming here again either for happy hour or dinner.

The Twisted Tails

As a pre Thanksgiving dinner, two of my friends and I went to The Twisted Tails (509 South 2nd Street). I thought it would be a nice place because it had good reviews and live music on Tuesday nights. The restaurant had both inside and outside seating. Inside, the bar was located at the center of the establishment. There were tables in front of, to the left, and to the right of the bar. We were seated at a table away from the entrance side, away from the live music, and to the right of the bar. The serving sides were on the smaller end. The waitress, who had someone tailing her, recommended two plates per person.  On a side note, I pondered if the person following the waitress was a trainee, supervisor, or a stalker. It was just so weird that the waitress didn't introduce that person following her. Okay, back to the purpose...the food. We ordered 5 plates in total and received 3 complimentary desserts. I would like to apologize for the picture quality in advance. It was fairly dark in the restaurant.

Dinner came with complimentary house popcorn. I think the popcorn was made with bacon grease along with other things. It was fresh, very savory, and addictive. I also thought it was the best food of the night.

House Popcorn

The Crispy Cauliflower Flatbread with yogurt, almond, and parsley was okay. I was expecting flatbread made from cauliflower; however, we got a crispy dough with cauliflower, yogurt, almond, and parsley on top. I was disappointed that the crust was not made from cauliflower. I have been hearing good things about using cauliflower as a substitute for crusts and been wanting to try it. I became more disheartened with the fact that the dough was fried. The flatbread was like a big circular fried wonton skin. The fried dough was way too heavy for me. I wished it was just regular flatbread. The cauliflower floret along with the other topping were okay. Nothing really positively stood out for me.

Crispy Cauliflower Flatbread

The Roasted Pumpkin and Burrata Cheese with cinnamon, maple, and bourbon wasn't a favorite. I am usually surprised with the pumpkin dishes at restaurants. They had always exceeded my expectation. I decided to give this pumpkin dish a try. Unfortunately, I was wrong about this one. The pumpkin was heavily seasoned with cinnamon. I think this was my second time having Burratta and it's alright. It comes in a ball. The outside is mozzarella and firm while the inside is like cottage cheese and has a cream flavored. In my opinion, this cheese have a more milky taste versus an aged taste. The pumpkin was warm and the cheese was cold. I didn't think it was a good combination at all. I thought the dish would have been better if it was just a piece of roasted pumpkin.

Roasted Pumpkin and Burrata

The Crawfish Mac 'n' Cheese with aged cheddar and toasted breadcrumb was a little watery. I think the sauce is one of the most important factor in a mac n cheese and this sauce failed me. It was not creamy and it was bit too salty. On the bright side, the macaroni was cooked well and tender, but then again, since the dish was salty we could not really eat much of it.

Crawfish Mac 'N' Cheese

The Mushroom Fricassese Gnoochi with basil, ricotta, and parmesan was interesting and grew on me. The gnocchi tasted different than any other gnocchi I had in the past. The gnocchi I had before were somewhat firm and chewy. These gnocchi were more doughy. They were shaped into little rectangles and pan fried on the top and bottom. While two sides of the gnocchi were somewhat crispy, the rest was soft and more crumbly when you eat it. As I ate them and got use to the texture, it wasn't bad. They were unique, but good and tasted well with the parmesan, basil, tendered mushroom, and ricotta. I would say this was my favorite dish of the night except for the free popcorn, of course.

Mushroom Fricassese Gnocchi

I didn't eat the BBQ Smoked Ribs. According to my friends, the BBQ Smoked Ribs was okay.  I did get to taste the Celeriac Slaw that came with the ribs. It was very bland. The dressing tasted like watered down  mayonnaise.

BBQ Smoked Ribs

When the waitress came to take the finished foods always, she asked if we were done with the mac 'n' cheese. My friend commented yes and told her that it was salty. The waitress came back shortly and offered us complimentary desserts to make up for the subpar mac 'n' cheese.  One of the dessert was a thick coffee and chocolate ganache thing with whip cream on top. The dessert was rich in coffee flavor which was nice, but I didn't like the consistency of the ganache. I think it would be better if it was more airy and mousse like.

Coffee and Chocolate

The other desserts were Pumpkin Cheesecake and Sorbet. I thought the cheesecake was good. It was creamy, not too sweet, and there was pumpkin flavor from the puree. By all means, it wasn't spectacular but nonetheless delicious. The sorbet was okay. There was a sweetness to it, but I thought the lemon flavor was too strong.

Pumpkin Cheeesecake and Sorbet

Overall, unfortunately, I wasn't impressed by the foods. One of my friends had been there before and stated she had the mac 'n' cheese as well as other foods and they were delicious. She remember the mac 'n' cheese being creamy, but the one we got was watery. I am not sure if we ordered the wrong foods or if we came on a off night.

Giovani' s Bar and Grill

After participating in a 2 mile walk protest, my friends and I were famished. We decided to go somewhere nearby and the lucky spot was Giovani's Bar and Grill (1533 Chestnut Street). The front of the restaurant was narrow with tables against the wall on one side and a glass counter with pizzas behind as well as a kitchen. The front area mostly serviced people ordering to go. Once you walk past the pizza counter and register, there were more tables and a bar area. We were seated somewhere between the pizza counter and bar. The restaurant had a variety of American and Mediterranean foods. Below is what I got that night and what I got for lunch the following week.

I ordered the Grilled Fish Burger and Fresh Hand Cut French Fries. The fish burger was grilled tilapia with lettuce, onion, tomato, and tartar sauce on fancy burger buns. The veggies were fresh. I couldn't really taste the tartar sauce. The fish's texture was soft. Overall, the burger was just okay. I thought it was a little bland. When you are extra hungry food is supposedly better tasting. Well, it didn't apply to this case. Nonetheless, I finished the burger. The fries on the other hand were delicious. Even though the fries were not really crispy, they tasted good and fresh. The potatoes were mostly cut medium thick and some still have the skin on it. The inside was what I want to say flaky but I think crumbly is a better word to describe the texture of the fries. Definitely, one of the best fries I had.

Fish Burger

Fresh Hand Cut French Fries

I came here for round 2 the following week after a dentist appointment to get lunch. What a better way to celebrate a teeth cleaning than to get some greasy fries, right? I got an order of fries and two orders of Stuffed Grape Leaves. The fries were as good as I remembered. There were 8 Stuffed Grape Leaves in 2 orders and they came with some shredded lettuce underneath them. The Stuffed Grape Leaves were good. They were very tangy which I like, however, they were a little on the mushy side. Nonetheless, I enjoyed them very much.

Stuffed Grape Leaves and French Fries

Overall, I would say some of the foods are good and some are so so based on what I got and what my friends got and their experience. In addition, if you are staying, the service isn't as good but if you are ordering take-out, the service is excellent. I am glad I found this place because it can definitely be a regular lunch spot.

Lady M Confections- Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake

At a house warming party, a kind guest bought Lady M Confections Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake fresh from New York. The cake was hands on one of the most heavenly cakes I ever ate. The cake was a multi layer of crepe, cream, and matcha tea. It was mouse-like with all the cream. It sort of melted in your mouth except for the thin layers of delightful and somewhat chewy crepe which only required light chewing. As for the taste, it was creamy, sweet, and green tea-y. Every mouth full was just wonderful. It is amazing when I think about the tedious work that went into building this delicious creation. I tried counting the layers and I would say there were about 20 layers. This is definitely one of kind cake. I wished I could have more than one slice, but unfortunately, it was a party and you have to share 😞.

Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake

According to the Lady M Confections website, it has multiple locations in NY, a place in CA and MA as well as multiple shops in Singapore and Hong Kong. You can also order online the cakes online. I would highly recommend Lady M Confections. When I get the chance, I would like to visit one of its boutique in NY. Since it is quite pricey, I might only get these cakes for very very very special occasions.

Cafe Olé- Shakshuka

Cafe Olé (147 N 3rd Street) is a Mediterranean cafe offering coffee, tea, baked goods, breakfast and lunch foods, and Shakshuka. The cafe had a good number of seating outside and inside. It was quite busy when my friends and I visited the cafe for brunch. There was a continual flock of people ordering take out drinks and foods. 

Three of us shared the Vegetable Shakshuka. Shashuka as described on the menu is "a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine featuring three eggs poached in a lightly seasoned tomato sauce." Cafe Olé's Shakshuka is from a family recipe originating from Tunisia and has been passed down to many generation. I was very excited to try the Shakshuka because it looked delicious from the yelp pictures and it seemed like something I would like (l love eggs and tomatoes). The Vegetable Shakshuka supposedly had spinach, chick peas, potatoes, and mushrooms; however, my friend and I noticed that there were no potatoes. We were disappointed but later excused that fact because we asked for two servings of bread which essentially made up for the missing starch. The flavorful and delightful tomato sauce was served with bread. The bread reminded me of the one from the Cafe Fulya featured on this blog and unfortunately closed down. It was soft and airy inside, but hard and somewhat crispy on the outside. The bread soaked in the warm tomato sauce was amazing. The runny yolk from the eggs definitely positively added to the eating experience. In addition, there was a small bowl of feta cheese soaked in olive oil that come with this order. I am not sure if we were suppose to pour the cheese into the Shakshuka or dip the bread into the cheese. I just ended up not touching the cheese. I really enjoyed the Shakshuka. It was so tasty and hearty.

Vegetable Shakshuka

Of course, one of friends and I were being fatties and decided to share something sweet together. We got the waffle and fruits on the breakfast menu. It wasn't as good as I hope it to be. The waffle wasn't crispy on the outside and the dough was subpar. My friend commented that the dough tasted like pancake mix. I agree. It tasted like pancakes made in a waffle maker. It was dissatisfying to get a waffle that tasted like pancakes. On the bright side, the fruits were fresh and sweet.  Overall, I would like to come back for more Shakshuka and to try other things on their menu such as the pastries and sandwiches. 

Waffle and Fruits

Cheu Noodle Bar

Cheu Noodle Bar is a small restaurant located on 255 S. 10th Street with limited seating. I would say the food is fusion and gourmet. They are known for their ramen noodles.

I got the Buttersquash Rangoon as an appetizer. Rangoon is deep fried filled wontons. These rangoon were stuffed with squash, goat cheese, and poblano. One order came with four wontons placed on top of a plate that was drizzled with sweet and sour sauce. There were thin red strings on top of the wonton. I didn't know what there were and I was too afraid to eat it so I will just leave it as that. The wonton texture was great. The skin was crispy and the filling was creamy. This dish was a combination of sweet, savory, and spicy from the buttersquash, goat cheese, poblano and sweet and sour sauce. The wontons were absolutely delicious. I have not experience anything like this; hence, these wontons are considered spectacular under my standard😉 

Buttersquash Rangoon

For my entree, I ordered the Mushroom Yakisoba. The noodles were stir fried with snap peas and mushroom and topped with a pouched egg. The noodles were also sprinkled with sesame seeds and some unknown white flakes. The yolk from the eggs created a creamy sauce for the yakisoba. The noodles were soft. They tasted like ramen noodles that have been stir fried. The tendered mushrooms and crunchy snap peas added to the texture of the dish. Overall, the Mushroom Yakisoba was good. Considering the weather that day, I did wish I got noodles in a broth, but I didn't know yakisoba would be dry. Oh well, my fault for not asking or googling😟 . I know for next time.

Mushroom Yakisoba