2016 In Review

2016 was a rather quiet year in the scope of new restaurants but that doesn’t mean it was an off year for trying new cuisines, dishes and experiences.  Here is a rundown of some of the great, good and merely “aight.”

Favorite new restaurant- Rob: Helm, Kensington

Cassie: Wm. Mulherin’s Sons, FIshtown

Favorite dish-  

Rob:  Pan seared salmon at Lincoln in Portland, OR. There is no shortage of salmon in the Pacific Northwest but Jenn Louis’ has the quality of the best beef fillets back east. 

Cassie: Lefse from Viking Soul Food in Portland, OR. Norwegian meatball wraps and the most sweet and savory thing ever created.  

Favorite cheap dinner- 

Rob:  The Halal Guys, King of Prussia.  This branch of a NYC franchise will give you about 2 pounds of chicken, gyro or falafel on a platter for under $10.  Be forewarn the red sauce is probably the most uncomfortable hot sauce I’ve ever tried.  One packet is more than enough.  

Cassie: Not a new one. I still will prefer Dizengoff’s hummus over almost any other cheap eat ever. 

Favorite new trend-  

Rob: Privately owned coffee shops that utilize local coffee roasters and pastries.  Starbuck’s is not on its way out but meticulous work and quality output by local coffee purveyors make a fresh cup or cold brew much more satisfying.

Cassie: Food at microbrews. This varies from simple bites at places like Conshy Brewing and the food trucks at Levante to full menus at Forest and Main and Round Guys brewing.  

Absolutely ruined me- 

Rob: The beef brisket at Lambert’s in Austin.  All other brisket is judged in comparison but will inevitably fail.

Cassie: Pizza from St. Egidio in Ridgewood, NJ. Straight up best pizza I have ever had. Period. 

I’ve waited a long time for- 

Rob: Philly Style Bagels in Fishtown.  Finally there is a bagel I can brag to my New York friends about.

Cassie: My butchering class at Kensington quarters. I am fascinated by the idea of roasting a whole pig and butchering it myself. 

Biggest surprise- 

Rob: A good upstart brewery and excellent wood oven pizza 100 feet apart?  In the dry town of Pitman, NJ?  Yup.  It happened. Mannino’s pizzeria and Kelly Green Brewing sent a jolt of progress through my hometown.

Cassie: Dito on the Mannino’s. 

Thanks but no- 

Rob: La Condessa in Austin, TX.  Our big restaurant stop in Austin had much hype but failed to deliver.  

Cassie: This is one that we agree on. La Condessa was a serious disappointment. Over-crowded, unattentive staff, and subpar food.

Still going strong- 

Rob: Wyebrook Farm in Honeybrook.  A change in chef and menu did nothing to disappoint.  

Cassie: In Riva in East Falls. To say we love our pizza is kind of unnecessary at this point. But this one never gets old. Between the classics and the new seasonals, you will never go wrong. 

Fork- Old City

A mere blurb…

A recent “business” dinner provided an opportunity to finally experience the Old City restaurant that just this year joined the pantheon of Craig Laban’s 4-Bell Philadelphia restaurant (the highest honor from the Inquirer food critic).  Cassie and I lived in Old City until 2011, a time when Fork recently opened its doors in the OC.  I recollect the small establishment by purchasing fresh baguettes and bread on occasion.  What I remember vaguely as a country general store motif certainly evolved into an enclave of fine dining.  The restaurant is larger than I imagined with a full bar and dining area that seats 100 people, a mere guestimate.  A very cordial, attentive and knowledgable wait-staff maneuvered around the grounds.  The wine and drink selection were extensive; modern mixologists were whipping up sweet tasty Manhattans while the wine list included unique selections from Greece and Croatia.   While many upscale restaurants in Philadelphia and the country offer a great variety of modern cocktails, rarely do I see a wine list with so many countries represented, particularly in wine by the glass options.

If you’ve never had Skrlet wine before it’s probably because the varietal was on the brink of extinction near the end of the 20th century.  There has been a revival through conservation and this grape is grown exclusively in Croatia around the inland city and capitol of Zagreb.  Fork just so happens to have this varietal on the menu and since I’ve never seen it let alone tasted it, my eastern European blood kicked in and I pounced on a glass.  The wine producer is Kosovec (a bottle will usually sell for around $16 if you are able to find it).  I found the taste complex and unique, even somewhat of a ‘chemical, in-a-good-way’ sort of flavor.  Many alcoholic beverages from that area of Europe is meant to grow hair on your chest so I just assumed this uncharted wine was just an acquired taste.  When I later looked it up online, notes of Skrlet are “light and crisply acidic, with fresh aromas ranging from newly cut hay to quince and green apple.”  I got none of these.  

I now think the wine may just have been bad.

But I digress.  

The food was very well imagined and prepared.  I had an appetizer of Cape May conch (I never even knew Cape May had conch), white turnip and ruby grapefruit.  Reminiscent of hamachi, the conch was sliced thin enough not to be too chewy.  The grapefruit did not do too much to add a bright citrus punch.  I like white turnips so that was good.  The two winners of the night were the “lasagna” and smoked monkfish.  The lasagna was not an ordinary Italian baked pasta dish; rather it was more like a delicate crepe.  With red cat cheese, sweet potato, pickled apples and walnuts, this dish could pass for dessert with the rich texture and sweet and savory flavors.  The smoked monkfish, heirloom beans, pickled apples was a flat-out outstanding dish.  I don't believe I ever had monkfish.  This Finding Nemo cameo has a firm texture without a strong flavor.  The preparation was perfect; the fish was very tender and in  a broccoli “gravy” the green veggie and beans complimented the texture of the fish.  I feel a little too much more time on the heat and this fish would be dry jerky.  

The dessert options had a nice variety but were ordinary.  That’s about it for dessert.  I ordered a chocolate hazelnut concoction that was indifferent at best. In short, Fork has a classy atmosphere with some very well prepared selections and some deceptively bad wine.   Granted, I only tried a small selection from the menu but I do not think this OC stop will rank amongst the tops in the city in my book.  I’m glad Old City has an upscale option but I’d rather take my money back to the likes of Vernick, Helm or Abe Fisher.

Butchering class at Kensington Quarters, Fishtown

Before & After

Wyebrook Farm Revisited

Wyebrook Farm is our poster child for locally sourced and sustainable food.  With the exception of a few menu items, all meats, veggies and herbs are sourced from the premises.  The few items not from there are hyperlocal and usually can be found within a few hours drive of the farm. The restaurant is rustic to boot and now it has an indoor expansion from the main barn.  We first experienced and raved about the dinner at Wyebrook 2 years ago when we sat inside the main barn.  We had a Sunday brunch as a second experience last year with friends when the weather was nice enough to allow us to sit outside.  On our return this month, we had the privilege of dining in the new addition and see the evolution of this buzzing place.  

The menu still changes weekly based on what is readily available but the chef opted to design the menu as a 3-course meal.  Small plates, salads and soups initiate your meal followed by a pasta and a meat entree as the final course.  This is only a suggestion, you can design your dinner as you wish which is exactly what we did.  We started out with sharing a cheese plate and lamb terrine.  The terrine was served in fine deli meat slices and paired with mustard, pickled cauliflower and cranberries.  Alone, the terrine had a very herbal flavor with a hint that iron-like flavor that reminds you that you’re eating an elegant bologna.  The herbal hues disappear when paired with the accompaniments.  The pickled cauliflower alone is excellent. 

Blue Cheese Sformato, red beets, celery, charred onion, arugula

Pumpkin & Apple Soup, brown butter apples, pecans

Our second course consisted of apple & pumpkin soup and blue cheese sformato.  The apple & pumpkin soup was a perfect embrace of the autumn, and with the addition of salted pecans, a great balance of salty to a very sweet was created for this dessert-like dish.  The warm thick broth was a great compliment to a chilly and windy November Friday.  The blue cheese sformato had the texture of whipped mashed potatoes and the blue cheese was not overpowering even when eaten alone. When paired with the beets, lettuce, and the sweet onions it is balanced well. 

Rather than opting for meat entrees we decided upon pasta for our third course.  A sweet potato gnocchi was sweet and rich with a creamy texture.  Oyster mushrooms, brown butter and English peas added some earthy and salty flavors, but the gnocchi was the queen. The lamb lasagna was a nice portion that at first seems just right. But once you dig into it and realize how rich it is, then it almost seems like too much. The marjoram is spread peripherally along the plate and the lasagna is simply pasta, lamb, and cheese without sauce. The flavors paired with the marjoram make you forget its not tomato sauce as they work so well together. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi, oyster mushroom, english peas, brown butter

Milk-Braised Lam Lasagna, ricotta, marjoram, black pepper

As a quick reminder, the place is a BYOB, making it more reasonable for your wallet. The new space is nice, giving a slight feel of outside without actually being in the open elements. Plenty of heating lamps and the option of blankets give it a cozy camp-like feel. There is live music on the weekends as well, which adds to the atmosphere. The one thing that appears to be lacking is the service. Slow and appearing relatively inexperienced, things took longer than needed and not in a “give you your space” kind of way. 

Summer of Cold Brew

The latter weeks of summer 2016 were pretty darn hot.  It presented plenty of time and opportunity to find cooling beverages to make the 95 degree heat feel more like 90.  I explored the budding coffee scene in the northwestern Philadelphia suburbs in search of hip, cozy cafes as well as cold brew, a new trend in cold coffee beverages.  Cold brew seemed to jump onto the scene only within the last couple years but the concept of it has been around for several years.  Don’t dismiss it for regular iced coffee; it’s brewed entirely different (and remarkably easy).  Coffee beans are obviously ground and allowed to steep in room temperature water for at least 24 hours.   (To make cold brew at home, grind beans, place in a french press, fill with water and stir until all grinds are hydrated.  Cover and sit for 24 hours in a cool place.  Filter with french press lid and voila.)   This brings out a more mellow coffee flavor, usually less acidic and free of bitterness from the hot brewing process.  It also allows for a richer coffee flavor and dilution with ice and/or a touch of water will bring down the intensity. Different coffee shops and distributers obviously have different variations on this brewing style.  Here is a small list of some coffee shops where you can indulge and rehydrate- well, sort of.

La Colombe-  Fishtown and Bryn Mawr

My favorite cold brew stop.  The Trattoria in Fishtown offers much more than coffee for it is a distillery, serves local beer and has a sizable breakfast and lunch menu (the ham and butter sandwich is divine and a great deal).  An occasional trip to the Fishtown location was a midday treat but the opening of a closer location in Bryn Mawr was just flat-out spoiling.  The Cold Brew at La Colombe is served from a tap.  You can also opt for a draft latte or a ‘black and tan’ which is half cold brew and half latte in which the creamy latte and coffee is reminiscent of coffee ice cream.  The regular brew has flavors of chocolate and earth with a very mild, smooth aftertaste and hardly any bitterness.  

Volo Coffee- Manayunk

My usual biking pitstop or outright destination while on the Schuylkill River Trail, this shop offers pastries from local bakers, paninis, platters and plenty of seats inside or out depending on the weather.  The coffee served here is from La Colombe Coffee Roasters.  That’s probably why I like it so much.

Riverbend Cycles- Spring Mill

Another coffee stop closer to home along the Schuylkill River Trail with a clientele of bikers, very local residents and workers on break.  Riverbend utilized local coffee roasters for their coffee and nitro-served cold brew.  This brew more citrusy, acidic and recommended without ice for a more intense flavor and caffeine rush.

Feine- Conshohocken

Feine is a cozy shop with a rustic living room motif.  It has multiple coffee and tea options as well cold brew on nitro.  This option has a lighter body but more of an acidic, winey taste with a hint of ash.  Corny, I know, but I can’t describe it any other way.

Green Engine Coffee- Haverford

Tucked away in downtown Haverford, Green Engine is a great shop with paninis, a delicious variation of pastries and Philadelphia-based Rival Bros. coffee selections.  The house cold brew is fairly standard but splurge a bit more for the Kyoto-Style Cold Brew, brewed 24 hours in a brewer imported from Japan.

Soltane Cafe- Phoenixville

In addition to delicious pastries and local Counter Culture Coffee, this downtown cafe also a part of Camphill Soltane, a social enterprise for individuals with disabilities.  The increased prices are for a deserving cause.   The cold brew is rich with flavors of chocolate and winey notes. 

Starbucks- anywhere inhabited by humans, including US Navy vessels (look it up)

Normally, I completely avoid franchises when it comes to food blogging but the cold brew from Starbucks is worth mentioning because this is where the phenomenon began for me.  This is also where you can get both iced coffee and cold brew and really taste this difference.  The cold brew is richer, smoother with little to no acidity.  It also doesn't taste like Pike Place Roast which has been sitting around all day.  When there are no other options I don’t hesitate to stop here for a brew.

William Mulherin's Sons- Fishtown

We love Fishtown.  This old residential enclave recently underwent a Renaissance to make this neighborhood appealing to those who seek the trendy.  This is not the first neighborhood to pursue fine dining but some of the notable Philadelphia restauranteurs already made their mark on Frankford Ave. with Fette Sau and Frankford Hall.  A few blocks from the bustle of the Frankford and Girard corner is William Mulheron’s Sons, a 6-month old restaurant with Italian inspirations.  The restaurant is situated next to the el and right across from one of the best dive bars, El Bar.  There is quite the contrast between El Bar’s famous $3.50 whiskey shot with PBR can and the grappa selections of WMS that are upward of $20.  

First things first, this place has a cocktail special, which is something more places should apply, but the nightly cocktail menu is very interesting as well.  The servers are incredibly knowledgable about their libations, even knowing the specific quantity of liquor(s) poured into each drink. 

We kicked off our dinner with a few small shared plates which initiated with a hamachi crudo.  A solid, fresh, citrusy fare, there is nothing to boast or diminish about our raw fish appetizer.  

Next up were dates were stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped in speck (Austria’s version of prosciutto). The speck gave it the meaty flavor and a nice texture. The flavors were okay but it begged for something extra-mint maybe? Sounds crazy, but it was the first thing that came to mind. 

The home made angel hair pasta with black trumpet mushrooms, garlic, fava beans, and parmesan was nothing short of amazing perfection. As the special pasta of the night, we could not pass it up. One of us got flavors of pierogies, the other of lipton pasta packets. You don’t have to think real hard on who came up with each.

Our main courses were a grilled lamb steak with waxed barlotti and roma bean salad.  The steak was relatively flat and reminiscent of a ham steak.  It was well seared and still exhibited the prototypical lamb flavor.  The steak was seasoned, perhaps too much, which gave it a very salty flavor overall. 

A real winner was the suckling pig.  The cut and preparation of the pig was reminiscent of a well prepared belly; nice crispy sear on the outside with some molten fat and tender meat in the middle.  Heirloom shell beans added some earthy hardiness and grappa braised peaches (which were amazing on their own) lent some sugary sweetness to the naturally salty meat.

Something must be said of the outstanding service here, being knowledgable, friendly, patient, and enthusiastic. Outdoor seating is loud with the el right there, but still nice on a warm night. The inside is well decorated and nicely done. A new brand of hand soap/lotion was discovered here (cowshed) that was nothing short of life changing for one of us who is obsessed with herbal and citrus scents. 

Pizzeria Manninos- Pitman, NJ

Having grown up in Pitman, NJ, I have long been accustomed to eateries and businesses opening and closing in Pitman’s famous and ‘historic’ downtown.  The turnover of restaurants in this town seem to be like the changing a calendar each year.  There was little room for success in this conservative dry town notorious for “rolling up the sidewalk” and ending business hours prior to 8PM.  Then, earlier this year the borough counsel approves for Pitman’s first Brewery, Kelly Green, due to a loophole in state laws.  Pitman was able to legally sell alcohol for the first time in its history and the brewery has so far taken off in popularity.  Subsequently a second brewery will open its doors about 30 feet up Broadway from Kelly Green.  To add to the sustenance and libation trends in the region, Pitman witnessed the opening of Pizzeria Manninos in a decades-old corner building on the edge of Broadway. They are piggy-backing on the success of the brewery, staying open on the weekends an hour later than the brewery.

Pizzeria Manninos utilized a wood-fire oven and ages its dough is a style very similar to accomplished and authentic pizzerias in Philadelphia and New York.  On our first visit to Manninos we opted for three selections on the menu:  pesto, boardwalk and rustica. The boardwalk seemed to be the group favorite, being a standard cheese pizza with the exception of cheddar cheese as well as mozzarella. The cheddar didn’t seem overly noticeable, but more of a texture thing. The sauce is the standout of this pizza being the perfect amount of sweet (I hate when a sauce is too sweet but also hate it when its too acidic). The pesto was a nice white pizza  with oven roasted tomatoes. The pesto was plentiful but didn’t take away from the cheese. The over roasted tomatoes had a nice meaty flavor to them that was surprising. The rustica was still good but the least favored of the 3. The ricotta was amazing but the italian sausage didn’t’ seem to mesh as well with the cheeses as the other pizzas did.

Top to bottom:  Pesto, Boardwalk, Rustica

The last thing worth mentioning is a nice gelato selection, including affegato, a combo of vanilla gelato and espresso (also known as dessert heaven). They have multiple selections of homemade flavors worth trying, including a pretty awesome hazelnut.

Overall, this is a great spot for Pitman. Good pizza with even better hours of business in a place where business fails because of poor hours. More importantly, gourmet pizza is not a thing renown to South Jersey, so this is a place to be proud of.

Philly Style Bagels- Fishtown

“No toaster on premises” is written on the bottom of the chalkboard menu as you enter this corner bagel shop in Fishtown.  It turns out that a lack of bagel toasting is quite alright at Philly Style Bagels, winner of Philadelphia Magazine’s best bagels 2016 and Bon Appetite Magazine’s best new sandwich in the country.  The outside of the bagel is nice and crispy with a soft doughy interior- truly unlike any other bagel I had while living in the Philadelphia area.  This contrast creates a perfect balance that requires no further toasting.  

The menu options are pretty standard:  bagel selections, cream cheeses and bagel sandwiches.  The ‘Classic Lox’ bagel recently won ‘Best New Sandwich’ in Bon Appetite Magazine.  Our order of the ‘classic’ exhibited a perfecto portion of salmon, tomato, cucumber and red onion complimented with the rich cream cheese but textures of the bagel (in this case an everything bagel) stole the show.  

Classic Lox Bagel

Philly Style Bagels has predominately morning hours and will close early when the day’s stock is all sold.  A line out the door and up the sidewalk can be common even at 9AM on a Sunday. However, the quality of the bagels, cream cheese and sandwich options will definitely call for multiple return trips, even if it requires a 30 minute wait. 

Lincoln- Portland, OR

Portland is a great city for food enthusiasts.  The city is a melting pot of influences from Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and of course the Pacific Northwest.  One can find fare of most any nationality in upscale, casual or food truck grab-and-go dining.  (The city boasts the most food trucks of any US city; and these are the modern form of a food truck from trained chefs, not the classic coach you find on a city street corner during business hours.)  

During our trip to the Pacific Northwest we opted for one nice, pre-planned meal on our entire trip since most of our days were planned last minute and spent much time outdoors. We wanted to find something that embodied the vibe of Portland and carried a wide variety of food options. Complete your food choice with a pairing of local wine, spirit (craft distilleries are numerous in the NW and making their way east) or beer (the most craft breweries of any US city per capita).  Pair this with a philosophy of simplicity and local sustainability and you discovered the workings of Lincoln in Portland’s Northeast neighborhood.

We started with grilled dates and macrona almonds and wow were they amazing. Served on toothpicks in lime sauce and sea salt they were so savory but small and light so just one bit with a total of six pieces. Next was the asparagus hummus with shrimp. Now one of us likes asparagus and the other hates it so this was concerning. And for no reason. The hummus was amazing with light accompaniments that allowed the creamy, earthy texture to shin without being too much like asparagus. The shrimp added a briny flavor that was unexpected as it seems like it would not fit with this dish. But it totally did. Lastly we had the heirloom tomato salad. I have little to say about this as it was by far the most underwhelming dish of the evening. Seriously, not even close. The tomatoes were good, I guess?

Grilled dates with macron almonds (top) and asparagus hummus with local shrimp

The first entree was the spatzli with lardo, morel mushrooms, and pickled persimmon. The sauce was thicker than expected, giving it more of a feel of very savory and fatty mac and cheese. The lardo was more present than I would have expected but was well balanced with the mushrooms. The portion was definitely plentiful and I was unable to finish it all although I made serious attempts to do so. 

Spatzli with lardo

The second entree was a special made up of pan-seared sockeye salmon, wild rice and greens.  This was hands-down the best salmon I ever tasted.   While the flavor was a mild “salmon” flavor, the preparation was virtually immaculate.  The sear was perfectly executed allowing the skin to be edible and crispy with some rendered fat underneath to provide extra flavor and a butter-like texture.  

Pan-seared salmon

We opted to forego dessert on this evening as our appetizers and entrees provided more then optimal nourishment.  Overall, Lincoln serves as a representative of the trending food culture of Portland while an award-winning and published chef (Jenn Louis) is at the helm.  There was nothing exotic about the menu options or preparation but a professional way of presenting locally sourced and fresh ingredients. 

Salt and Straw- Portland, OR

Full disclosure- we are not ice cream people; we like it but who doesn't?  However, we do not bend over backward to attend ice cream parlors or make it a part of our daily, weekly or even monthly lives.  There are exceptions such as Bassett's or Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia.  On our travels to Portland, Oregon, we specifically marked the very popular ice cream shop Salt and Straw.  This is not completely traditional ice cream flavors such as vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.  Instead, you have gin spiced blackberry jam with chocolate chips, Stumptown Coffee & Burnside Bourbon, and an occasional ice cream derived from bone marrow.  During our (first) visit to Salt and Straw bone marrow was not on the menu, but it is berry season in the Pacific Northwest.  We opted for a "flight" of ice cream and sampled 4 flavors.  Traditional cups or house-made waffle cones are also available.  Our flavors were honey lavender, Portland Creamery's goat cheese with marionberry & habanero, Arbequina olive oil, and pear with blue cheese.  

We disagreed only slightly on our favorites. The top two for both of us were the honey lavender and pear with blue cheese. Lavender is a popular crop around here and the honey in the ice cream is made from local honey apiary, Bee Local. Both flavors were well balanced, with lavender being a little more prominent but not in your face. The pear and blue cheese was not a smooth ice cream but rather had chunks of both in it. The pear was intensely sweet but the blue cheese was a good balance for this.

Foreground - background:  Honey Lavender, Olive Oil, Pear & Blue Cheese, Goat Cheese with Marionberry & Habanero

We both listed the olive oil and the goat cheese ice creams as less favored. That doesn't mean we disliked them, we just didn't like them as much as the others. The olive oil was pretty strong flavored, which is nice if you like the oil and cream combo. The goat cheese was prominent in that scoop with the marionberry and habanero being sadly more mild that expected with only a little sweetness and spice to it at the end. As it was the only limited edition ice cream we tried, I think we were hoping for a little more from this one. 

The beauty of Salt and Straw is not only the out-of-the-box thinking for ice cream flavors but the passion and focus to utilize local provisions and businesses as the backbone of their ingredients.  When browsing inside the parlor there is a shelf dedicated to the purveyors of the ice cream ingredients with their specific products (i.e. the olive oil and Bee Local Honey) for the consumer to purchase. While this symbiotic relationship between small businesses is not unique should be praised and admired.  It is, after all, the first time we've seen this when it pertains to ice cream.

A Little Blurb About Us

Sometimes this blog seems so impersonal because all we ever write about is food we eat at other places. We never actually talk about foot we make ourselves. This needs to change. After we get back from our trip to the Pacific Northwest (currently on the plane there!) we will start working on writing about our own dishes and meals. We have no intention of turning into a recipe blog, but rather writing about dishes that we make and what we like and don't like about cooking and food. 

We tend to try to do more dishes from scratch in a farm to table fashion, locally sourcing our veggies from either our garden (very local) or from our crop share (Jack’s Farms Pay-as-you-go crop share-link at the bottom of the page). We try to locally source the meat as best we can and have some favorites. We try to be creative with new things but have some standard dishes that we do on a consistent basis. Ethnic dishes from both our backgrounds tend to be the most interesting to make, mainly because we are both the most critical of these. 

I (Cassie) have also taken up canning and pickling with Rob helping with this occasionally. I love doing it as much of it comes from our garden or our crop share and is completely fresh. And its nice to be able to make your own tomato sauce, jellies, peppers, and pickles that will last a whole year. 

So more on these things in the future. Will likely bunch things together in categories. Excited to try something new!

A couple stops at Pike Place Market:

In a corridor off the main street in Pike Place Market lies Oriental Mart, a family-run Filipino lunch stand that whips up homemade traditional fare including salmon tip soup.  Salmon tips are usually discarded and rarely available for public purchase.  The tips include the meat and anatomy around the gills and pectoral fin and includes some more fatty (and therefore tastier and very tender) pink salmon meat.  Served in a sour lemon grass broth with a tamarind and tomato base, the consumption process may take some patience and dissection but the pay-off is well worth the effort.

A block away from the main hub of Pike Place Market is Seattle Coffee Works.  We knew that Seattle folk take their coffee very seriously but SCW takes their coffee making to a new scientific level.  Enter the vacuum pot, a device that utilizes vacuum filtration to make your pot of coffee.  The result is a light-bodied, mellow, and drinkable cup (or carafe) of coffee.  The barista refers to it as "coffee tea" which is entirely accurate. Once this coffee is served it is meant to cool which unlocks some of the natural flavors of the coffee; in our case, mild berry, dark cocoa powder and a slight metallic (in a good way) aftertaste.

Some treats from the Pacific Northwest:

Smoked salmon, brie, roasted garlic and guest

Washington is littered with espresso kiosks

Grilled salmon BLT, Alaskan rockfish tacos at Pike Brewing Co.

Daily Dozen Donuts in Pike Place Market with the conveyor which produces the fresh fried delectables.

Yogurino- Paoli, PA

Yogurino is an Italian frozen yogurt franchise with only 3 locations in the United States:  Paoli, Princeton and New York City.  This is not your typical smorgasbord of trendy frozen yogurt.  Simplification is key with only one flavor of yogurt which is 'yogurt.'  It is frozen imported Italian yogurt which is super creamy, rich, and slightly sweet.  It is more bitter than what you will normally find for froyo, but the appeal to that is you know what you are getting. For additional flavors you have to add a selection of sweet fruits, syrups, dried nuts and imported Italian pistachio or hazelnut sauces.  This is a splendid blended treat and with a serving size similar to gelato, this is an indulgent break from your typical frozen yogurts.

Philadelphia Burger Challenge 2016

We slide into the depths of 2016 carried by the momentum (and dare I say popularity?) of last year’s pizza challenge.  It is fun, after all, to find “the best” food categories throughout a city with overwhelming and growing selection.  So, we decided to find the best burger in Philadelphia during the late winter and early spring of 2016.  This poses a greater challenge as it is a well- known fact that Philly knows its burgers and there are plenty to be had around the city. We cultivated out list using a combination of social media, recommendations, personal experiences, and major publications (Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine).  For this challenge, we are considerably more specific than our pizza challenge; we’re just looking at the burgers themselves.  We’re not concerned about atmosphere, drink selections, desserts, or the sides that accompany the burger.  Some places have one burger on the menu, others have multiple.  We will select the one or two items that have the most appeal or popularity per the restaurant staff.   Our selected eateries are spread throughout the city as a matter or circumstance, not intention.  We will give an overall evaluation based on the following:  meat quality & preparation, bun, toppings, and cheese when applicable.  We will set a standard of “medium rare” burger temperature when allowed.  So, get ready to get enticed!

Our listing is a ranking of lowest to highest.

12.  Varga Bar-  941 Spruce Street

Kobe burger with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions, greens, heirloom tomato and optional fried egg make up the construct of this rather average/ordinary burger.  Points are lost when you order a medium rare burger but it’s presented well done. On the other hand, when delivered as ordered (as was the case with Cassie’s burger) the meat is quite good with the sweet bread and onions add a good contrast to the meat. 

11.  Rex 1516- 1516 South Street

The burger at Rex is the winner of Philadelphia Magazine’s Best Burger 2015.  Well prepared with bacon, homemade pimento cheese, onions and bibb lettuce on a sweet bun.  The optional fried egg is what made the burger the winner this past year.  All together, it’s very tasty, a bit of a mess, but rather busy.  The strong flavors of the bacon and pimento drown out the flavors of the meat.  The lettuce added absolutely nothing. The highlight has to be the bun, a nice addition of sweetness that is meant to balance out the spicy of the pimento cheese, which is pretty spicy. 

10.  Rouge- 208 South 18th Street

This is often on the tops of the city’s best burger list.  A long time favorite of Robert’s, there were high hopes for the Rouge Burger to top the list.  The 1/2 pound patty comes with caramelized onions and gruyere  on brioche.  The bun is sweet with sear that renders it a tad salty.  The caramelized onions and cheese are a couple of the best accompaniments to a burger on the challenge;  it adds its own special flavor without overwhelming the taste of the beef.  Preparation, however, was a bit of an issue.  On this unfortunate time at Rouge one of the two ordered burgers was seriously undercooked.  Ordered medium, this burger came out with room-temperature rare beef in the middle of the patty.  Inconsistency can certainly affect one’s opinion on a place and this was enough to make it almost intolerable.

9.  Mak Attack- Lucky's Last Chance, 4421 Main Street

2 griddle fried 4 oz. paddies plus mac and cheese on a Lisco’s roll.   Initially I thought I was eating a burger with a side of macaroni and cheese.  By the second half of the burger, I felt like was eating a very cheesy burger.  The macaroni added a texture to the cheese which made it seem creamier.

8.  Pub & Kitchen- 1946 Lombard Street

Putting years of old nostalgia aside and forgetting the old burgers from here, we went in with a clean mind and clean slate. The Pub and Kitchen burger comes with two patties, lightly pickled cucumbers, lettuce, onion, and cheddar cheese on a more traditional bun.  This is the closest to good old fashion burger that we tried and they do old fashioned well. Juicy meat and just the right amount of cheese means no added ketchup is required for this guy. 

7.  House Grind Burger- Blue Duck, 2859 Holme Ave.

Beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion on brioche have all the accompaniments of a standard burger and that is basically what this is.  Better than average, the meat was well prepared and the bun provided some sweetness and body to absorb all the juices.

6.  Sketch- 413 East Girard Ave.

This is a no frills dive where you can draw and color a picture while you wait and potentially have the illustration added to the massive mosaic on the walls. The menu includes kobe beef, plain beef, turkey as well as specials including bison and buffalo chicken.  The sauces range of house made ketchup and chipotle sauce to green goddess and siracha based sauces. They are free, you can try as many as you want, and anything goes. A must have starter is the cheese fries with a nice mixture of cheeses and green onions that add a great touch. We both got slightly different but relatively standard burgers made of beef (kobe beef and beef with onions) with all the toppings and cheese of choice (options are american, chedder, provolone, and swiss). The all american burger with a hipster twist of sauces. Not the best meat on the menu or the best burgers. But the atmosphere and the specials have us wanting to go back anyways.

5.  PB & Bacon- Lucky's Last Chance, 4421 Main St.

Two 4 ounce burger patties with cheese, bacon, and peanut butter on top with a side of raspberry jelly doesn’t sound all that appealing. But when the bacon is done right and the jelly is house made (not to mention a very appropriate bun to hold things together) it is amazing. These are by far some of the best toppings we experienced. The meat is not the center of attention, nor is it meant to be. Its simply there to complete. 

4.  Standard Tap- 901 North Front Street

This has been on many lists as one of the best for years.  A solid staple of Northern Liberties, Standard Tap boasts one burger and only needs one. The Standard burger comes simply with toppings of cheddar cheese, lettuce, onion, and green tomatoes.  The burger was nicely seared and crispy on the outside but tender, juicy on the inside.  The addition of thinly sliced green tomatoes added a sour-sweetness.  

3.  Beast of the Northeast Burger- Blue Duck, 2859 Holme Ave.

This patty is a combination of beef and wild boar.  The addition of the wild boar makes the meat lighter, less fatty but still has plenty of flavor.  Throw on some gouda, tomato jam, bacon and sriracha-coated onion rings and you have a quite a plethora of flavors and textures; sweet, spicy, salty; it’s all included in a given bite.  But here’s the kicker:  these very different flavors blend well on this particular sandwich.  We’ve tried many burgers that throw a bunch of strong flavors on top of a patty.   This version, however, makes all the flavors balance very well with each other and the meat.   Many burger flippers have tried but The Blue Duck succeeded.  

2.  Kensington Quarters- 1310 Frankford Ave.

Kensington Quarters was voted “Best Butcher 2015” by Philadelphia Magazine; it is no wonder their ground kobe beef burger is generating some much press. The meat is top notch and the toppings of cheddar and onions do not overwhelm the meat. All of this is in what has now become the only way to eat a burger, a brioche bun.  They clearly go to great pains to highlight this fact with the meat being done just right and a large patty to make it the obvious center of attention.

1.  Village Whiskey- 118 S. 20th Street

A quiet Sunday early dinner allowed us to sit nicely in the bar area at Village Whiskey where reservations are not accepted. With one of the best additional accompaniments menu for burgers, this one packs a lot of promise. We opted for simple additional of Jasper Hill Cheddar for one and chèvre for the other. With toppings of crisp (and i mean crisp and fresh) bibb lettuce, tomato, and unfortunately thousand island dressing, the meat does most of the talking and the talking is good.  The chèvre cheese was by far the better addition, making one of us extremely jealous of the other but still very satisfied nonetheless.  Prepared just as requested with meat that just melts in your mouth, going back for another shouldn’t be too hard. 

The winner- Village Whiskey's Village Burger with chèvre