Tired Hands Fermentaria- Ardmore, PA

Amidst the blossoming craft brewery and brewpub scene is Tired Hands in Ardmore.  Initially opened as a corner bar in 2012 Tired Hands grew rapidly enough that more space was needed.  The brewery did not close down one operation in favor of another; they simply opened up larger Fermentaria 3 blocks away.  Unlike the initial location the Fermentaria features a full food menu along with their now nationally famous craft beer.  

Their beer can take up an entire post.  The beer was predominantly saison derivatives but the menu expanded to stouts and sours and of course the most popular of all-IPAs. For those of you who are microbrew enthusiasts, they possibility of an entire post about the beer at Tired Hands would be delightful. It is considered by many one of the best micro breweries in the country and holds a pretty strong hold on the designation of best in the state. But alas, this is a food blog.

On a snowy April Saturday night we were joined buy a couple good friends for dinner.  After grabbing some 4 or 8 ounce beers we moved on to “snacks” with pork bell  crispy buns made with kimchi mustard and pickled sesame cucumber all within a nice light bun. The asian flare the kimchi gives it makes it more savory as a whole instead of just some really good pork belly with accompaniments. Also, we got the nachos with chicken. Instead of having gooey nachos with all the toppings, the cheese dip came on the side with the chicken and jalapenos on top. Great gooey cheese is never a bad thing, but the chicken stole my heart with how moist and slightly spicy it was.

Pork belly "crispy buns"

Next up with had our entrees. Three of us opted for various tacos as this is the bulk and the center of the menu. You get two tacos loaded with the toppings. If you are looking for traditional tacos, you have come to the wrong place. While they do have chicken, fish, carnitas, and bean-the most recommended ones on the menu are the odd-balls. The best of the three (pastrami, bean and cheese, and brussel sprout) was by far the brussel sprout. Sautéed and topped with a cold apple slaw and sriracha ranch dressing, it was nicely tied together with a house-made bacon jam. Sweet, earthy, spicy, and meaty all mixed into one makes a great anything let alone a taco.   The pastrami tacos seem to be a unique blend of Eastern Europe and Mexican; the flavors of the accompaniments (carraway slaw, tarragon crema, pickled mustard seed) blend very well together for an outstanding savory and spicy flavor.  The pastrami itself was good but a tad too thick and chewy. The bean and cheese tacos are well mixed but not something to write home about. The salsa verde is pretty copious and lends most of the flavoring. I only ate the one and brought the other home with me (inner portion of taco only as the shell wound be gross as a leftover). 

Black Bean Tacos

Pastrami Tacos

The last entree was lamb belly, lemon-mint yogurt and tabouleh.  Being a huge fan of lamb pork belly, we were very anxious to get a taste of this salty fatty hybrid.  It lived up to our expectations.  Very well prepared, it combined the great taste unique to lamb with the fatty tenderness of great belly.  

Overall our experience at Tired Hands Fermentaria was very positive.  A great selection of beers and food are provided for all taste buds: sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, savory, meaty, veggie, healthy, no-so-healthy.  If you’re thorough you can find a perfect beer to compliment your food selection.  One critique often discussed about this place is the noise.  It is an open facility with little to absorb the many conversations.  It was a packed house during out time there and while it was noisy, it did not prevent or subdue any good conversation.  

Harvest- Moorestown, NJ

Moorestown Mall made a splash a few years back with the notice that they were starting to re-vamp the mall with new restaurants from big name local chefs. While Vetri’s satellite has since closed, Distrito by Garces and some other places still remain including local suburban staple Harvest. With locations throughout the Philly suburbs, the farm-to-table restaurant specializes in locally cultivated meat dishes. 

We went with friends from north Jersey, Eric and Dana, as they were in town for the night. Having a late reservation at 8:30, the place was surprisingly packed at that time and remained so for most of our meal. The server was knowledgable and patient with our decisions, guiding us as far as entrees go. An extensive wine list with well priced bottles was a notable plus early on in the meal.  In addition, there is a well-rounded cocktail list that included a “harvest fig bourbon’ which was a unique take on a classic old fashioned.

With a late dinner, the appetizers were chosen quickly and there were four of them in all. 

A baked goat cheese dish was a nice start and sated our hunger but was not exactly memorable. The charcuterie plate consisted of 4 meats, the liver pate was by far the best with appropriate accompaniments of pickles and mustard. The steak and mushroom flatbread pizza was also underwhelming, with too much cheese and not enough mushroom. Finally, the smoked duck pot stickers were one of the better ones, mainly because they were done just right and accompanied by an amazing cherry marmalade.

We all chose pretty boring entrees. The guys got the filet and the girls got the lamb shank. The lamb shank was on bone and served with a parsnip puree and cranberry demi glaze. While the lamb was done well, the cranberry demiglaze was a little too much on the sweet size. The dish didn’t seemed balanced because of this and made it hard to appreciate the dish as a whole. 

The filet, by contrast, had slightly charred outer but a buttery, tender preparation that was perfectly media rare.  The creamy garlic mashed potatoes and haricot verts serve as good accompaniments.  There was nothing too flashy about the filet, but it was very well prepared and presented.

The experience was overall underwhelming but not overly so. The service was good, especially considering we were kind of a pain in the ass to serve. The wine selection was quite good and the dishes were for the most part well executed if not exactly awe-inspiringly innovative or original. Not returning any time soon but would not say absolutely not if anyone wanted to try it out. 

S. Egidio- Ridgewood, NJ

On a recent visit to North Jersey to visit friends, we went out to a casual, unassuming Friday night dinner in the NYC suburbs.  The destination was S. Egidio, a small Italian bistro in downtown Ridgewood that seats 30-40.  There are no reservations, the wait was approx. one hour on this Friday night.  I did not know what I was getting myself into, assuming this wait was just typical for 8PM on a Friday night in early March.  However, one of their specialty pies is totally worth the 60-90 minutes it takes to get a table.  (Disclaimer:  We did not wait there physically for over an hour.  We called ahead and gave a name.  No tables will be held on a busy night but they seem loyal to first-come first-serve).

S. Egidio appeared on nj.com’s “On the Rise” amongst their NJ Pizza Power Rankings.  This is definitely saying something considering the vast number of pizza shops in all of New Jersey.  It did not crack their list of Top 25 pizzerias just yet but this may be simply due to the fact that S. Egidio only opened in 2014.  The chef and wood-fire oven both hail from Naples.  The authenticity of the pizzas are legit, at least with the simplicity of the ingredients.  The different creations the menu offers never deviate too far from authentic Southern Italian ingredients.  There are some unique ingredients (shaved truffle and chile infused honey to name a few) that add some wonderful character to the pies.  That’s about it.   The menu also offers a variety of appetizers and housemate pasta dishes.  We opted to share a few of each.

The Polpo E Patate was our appetizer of choice.  Until this point I never know the harmony that exists between chilled marinated octopus and rosemary potato.  The flavors work well together but they were also mutually exclusive.  We shared their potato gnocchi with basil pesto, pine nuts, permigiano and pecorino.  This gnocchi was an absolute homerun.  Super soft and creamy, the texture was more reminiscent of ricotta derived gnocchi.  The pesto was very simple and complimented the gnocchi well.  

Gnocchi with basil pesto

Octopus, rosemary potato

The Fiamma pie was how we kicked off the meal.  San marzano tomatoes, spicy soppressata, for di latte added some meat and depth to the pizza.  However, the chile honey stole the show.  Imagine the sweetness and earthiness of honey complemented by some heat in the aftertaste.  Nothing overwhelming, just a perfect blend of sweetness, heat and saltiness from the soppressata.  Our second pie choice was the Carciofotta, a very unique, rich pizza with artichoke creme, for di latte, pancetta, fresh egg and shaved black truffle.  This was one of the more unique pizzas I’ve tasted.  Any truffle (especially truffle oil which is quickly becoming my nemesis) can overpower the flavor of anything that would otherwise be delicious.  However, the artichoke and the pancetta balance out each slice perfectly.  You experience some truffle flavor initially, but that gives way to the saltiness from pancetta and artichoke.  The egg and cheese provide body and depth to the toppings.  More interestingly, the egg was composed of a batter rather than a typical fried egg.  

Fiamma

Carciofotta

The topping options are numerous and most any can satisfy any authentic pizza craving.  The show stealer, however, was the crust.  It was thin with enough firmness to support the toppings.  It was a perfect amount of chewiness/doughiness without tasting undercooked.  There was some flakiness to the outer crust without being particularly crispy.  This crust was hands-down the best I’ve ever had with a pizza.  This is saying something; we’ve visit a decent number of famous Philadelphia gourmet pizza restaurants and not one could match the quality, texture or taste of this crust.  In fact, the overall experience at S. Egidio would easily beat out any of the stops on our Pizza Challenge from last year.  The crust, ingredients and creativity are what big-name Napoli-inspired places like Pizzeria Vetri and Osteria attempted but so far have ultimately failed to accomplish.  Therefore, I beg to ask the question:  Is North Jersey and the New York City suburbs just that far ahead in their quality and expectations of standard gourmet pizza or is S. Egidio just that good?  Regardless, I must tip my hat to Rocco at the restaurant, you better make that Top 25 in May.

La Condesa- Austin, TX

Broken Arrow Ranch is in the hill country outside Austin.  It is home to a unique variety of wildlife from various parts of the globe.  At the ranch, the handlers hunt the desired game with rifles then promptly bleed the animals utilizing electric charges.  This pulse of electricity allows the muscles to spasm and the animals bleed out very quickly on the site they are killed.  The quicker the blood is drained, less pooling and less retention of toxins which can add peculiar flavors to the meat.  The ranch has its own butcher who does everything by hand and a slaughter trailer which is overseen by a state health inspector.  Within minutes to a few short hours, a wild game animal is killed, butchered and the meat is ready for consumption.  Why do I discuss this?  Well, learning about Broken Arrow ranch is what inspired us to try La Condesa in downtown Austin. Chef Rick Lopez of La Condesa utilizes the meat from this ranch particularly venison and wild boar among other things.  

La Condesa is a Mexican-inspired restaurant offering a variety of tapas-style plates to share amongst the guests.  It has a full bar with a large selection of tequilas and mescals that can be upward of $100 a shot for the rare varietals.  

Two of our good friends, Nate and Morgan joined us for this dinner.  We kick-started our 8-course meal with Hamachi Ceviche.  Yellowtail tuna was fresh, light, and the calamansi broth added some citrus notes.  The Habanero truffle oil added some heat to round out a great start to our meal.  

Another highlight was the Veracruzana, a red wine-brazed octopus served with tostadas.  A tender octopus was highly seasoned with charred tomatoes, saffron aioli and picholine olives.  Strong flavors of the spices overtake the flavor of the octopus but only in a good way.  The octopus itself basically served as a base for texture.

red wine-braised octopus, charred tomatoes, picholine olives, saffron aioli, tostadas

So, we highlighted two selections which were seafood based after a long discussion about a local source for game meat.  This is where things become disappointing.  The seafood options were the best plates we had on this particular night.  The land animal items proved to be less than stellar.

The middle of our meal turned to Arabicos Taquitos, seared venison with pickled cucumber (aka pickles), chipotle harissa, fennel pollen yogurt and bacon fat tortilla.  This is where I was expecting La Condessa to start shining.  All the flavors worked very well together but the venison was considerably chewy.  It was served rare but it did not have a clean, tender bite I would have expected.

seared venison, pickled cucumber, chipotle harissa, fennel pollen yogurt, cilantro, bacon fat tortilla

I am a sucker for sweetbreads.  Anytime I see them on a menu I pounce on it.  The sweetbreads  at La Condessa were grilled, adding a unique charred flavor to the meat.  The meat itself was very well prepared, very tender like a great sweetbread.  The plate was a build-your-own taco with the accoutrement of charred cactus paddle and salsas.  The cactus paddle was definitely unique and offered a firm bite but the charred skin added extra bitter taste to an already bitter plant.  Combining all the items on the plate made for a good Mollejas taco but did not complement the sweetbread which just by themselves would’ve sufficed. The flavors just didn’t mesh as well as a dish like that should.

grilled sweetbreads, confit onion, charred cactus paddle, salsa manzana, salsa nopalitos

A couple other plates we indulged included a very good Pollo Rostizado, a chicken mole where the mole sauce was able to appropriately shine, and a pretty good achiote-braised pork shoulder.

La Condessa is definitely a good restaurant.  However, we came into the restaurant with a little too much hype and expectation; unfortunately this was not realized.  The atmosphere was fun and bright, the wait staff was helpful and knowledgable.  While things did not feel rushed, per se, they certainly felt a little disorganized and scattered. Nevertheless, the game selections of the menu, which were the primary draw, fell a tad short.

Looking for the “weirdness” in Austin, TX

Austin is among the fastest growing cities in the country and its food scene likewise sprawls with the city.  This is a hotbed for some of the country’s best BBQ and Tex-Mex cuisine.  However, the open-thinking and trendy population reflect the culinary advancements in the local kitchens.  Rather than ramble about our several stops, we offer a glimpse of some planned and improvised destinations during our long weekend in Austin.

Lambert’s in downtown Austin is rated amongst the best BBQ stops in a BBQ-heavy city.  The look is more of an early 20th century bistro with a modern twist.  It has a full bar with mixology cocktails, craft beers and classic cocktails.  The menu is centered around its BBQ which is mostly also prepared in a modern computerized smoker.  This is a far-cry from the conventional smoke houses and smoke rooms in the BBQ stops in other parts of Texas.  Regarding the menu, the maple and coriander glazed ribs, pulled pork were good but the standout of the meats has to be the brown sugar and coffee rubbed beef brisket.  This is easily the best brisket I ever tried.  The rub produces a delicious crispy bark that is no-way overpowering.  The magic is in the meat itself with a buttery flavor perfectly tender; the knife is rendered useless with this brisket.  Aside from BBQ, the menu features other meat-related options including an appetizer crispy savory wild boar ribs.  These finger foods provide great competition for chicken wings.

Crispy wild boar ribs at Lamberts

Brown sugar & coffee rubbed brisket, maple & coriander crusted pork rib at Lamberts

The two trendy areas of downtown Austin are 6th Street and Rainey Street.  With very different looks they manage to accomplish the simple task of providing a platform for debauchery.  6th street really helps to build the “keep Austin weird” slogan.  Door-to-door bars and restaurants light up the evening with a fluorescent rainbow set amidst corporate high-rises.  This is the spot for classic heavy metal, dive bars and cheap eats.  Casino el Camino on 6th is famous for its burgers and its immense gargoyle that greets you as you pass through the door.  The menu features 6 burgers of varying toppings.  The “hot” buffalo burger is greasy, well prepared and does not disappoint with the heat.  The Pittsburgh with mushrooms, onion, and provolone is hearty and heavy, reminding us that even though it was in the high 70’s in Austin, its still winter. We were recommended to get the chili cheese fries without the chili by a local, which is what we did. The cheese is gooey and there is plenty of it. Add all this bar food goodness to a decent local beer list and the best jukebox in Austin and you have one great vibe. 

Fried chicken sausage at Banger's

Rainey Street is perhaps the most original and unique streets I’ve ever walked down.  This is a two-block stretch by the Colorado River featuring a unique blend of food trucks, restaurants and eateries.  However, these businesses are refined houses; rather than demolish these buildings, they were converted to private businesses.  Ranging from single bungalows to multi-floor villas to a night spot literally built our of shipping containers, the eclectic nature of these places all feature live music and utilize outdoor spaces.  Bangers is an outdoor beer garden, featuring almost 100 drafts and specializes in a variety of sausages.  These include duck, bacon & fig, venison, Texas antelope and their “2nd best dish,” the fried chicken.  Little did I realize this is actually chicken sausage breaded and fried.  The sausage even with the fried better is nothing special, but the mashed potatoes, gravy and accompanying biscuits were reminiscent of southern comfort food.  The duck and fig is a nice sausage with the mix of spicy and a nice sweet from the fig. Neither overpowers the other. On the night we were there Bangers also boasted a large brass band, NOLA style, as our evening entertainment. With 3 sets and some awesome songs, they provided the entertainment for most of the evening’s drinking and eating; marking this meal as the most memorable.

Banger's beer garden

On a side note, Austin has a flourishing craft beer scene.  There is no claim to one particular style of brewing but a variety of lights, darks, hops, malts is offered.  512, Community and Austin Beer Works were some of the breweries we tried.  Bottom line, Austin is definitely a beer drinkers city.

Every Saturday morning Austin has a farmers market at Republic Square Park few blocks south of the capital building.   There is a plethora of local produce, poultry, beef and pork options available.  However, this is also known for different street food options.  A couple of the highlights include a Brazilian cheese crepe with spinach, heart of palm and mild shredded cheese.  It provided a healthy savory start to the day but the crepe itself is not prepared from regular batter.  Butter is melted in a pot and the dry DOUGH? is added with a grinder that evenly disperses the flour.  The butter absorbs this as it cooks which allows for a grainy but less dense dough.   Other offerings included Mexican breakfast tacos, tamales, vegan pastries, local home-made beef jerky and Nepalese salsa.  A kombucha stand offered several varieties for sampling and purchasing (by purchasing, you can but a jar or growler and fill it from a kombucha tap  Refills are a separate cost).  The best food item from this market (and one of the best of this trip) came from the Indian food stand Chai Wallah which makes their own traditional Indian hot food, treats and samosas.  One such Samosa was the beet, paneer and chipotle chili samosa.  Served chilled, this was a filling, desert-like treat.

Farmer's Market at Republic Square Park

"Brazilian crepe" with cheese, spinach, heart of palm

Austin was a highly anticipated trip to explore this “weird” city that embraces its state and local heritage while looking toward new ideas if lifestyle, architecture and of course food.  Regretfully, we did not stop at many of its famed food trucks but we were able to explore a wide range of different food types and cuisines.  For the most part the food was good with a few exceptional standouts.  This city and food scene are growing and this city would definitely be work the stop on another occasion.  Luckily, the city has a vast bike and walking trail network.  This is much needed to burn off all of those extra calories.

Helm- Fishtown

Helm is hands-down the best farm-to-table restaurant we’ve been to; and we like us some farm-to-table.  Helm received considerable press as of late and deservedly so.  This place on the northern edge of the Fishtown gentrification opened last year to great reviews from Philadelphia Magazine (#10 on its Top 50 list) and the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Almost more impressive than the menu and plates themselves is how this place was started.  The two chefs, Kevin d’Egidio and Mike Griffith (whose collective backgrounds include Lacroix, Stateside, Fork, Will BYO) opened the restaurant with a mere $10,000 between the two of them a and little help from their friends and family.  (This project involved renovation of the restaurant’s interior, refinishing tables, as well as online deals for chairs.)  The result is nicely quaint with simple decor and a most definite “eat local” vibe.

Upon entering the place one notices two chalkboards which serve as the menu and the small yet intimate dining space, 36 chairs in all.  There is an old record player in the corner that was unfortunately not churning out tunes during our dinner.  The wait staff was very helpful and offer a detailed run-down of the chalkboard menu items.  This run-down is extensive and mildly over-whelming. The menu does have a considerable amount of non-conventional concoctions with very conventional, local ingredients.  Furthermore, one glance of the starters, entrees and desserts, we noticed not one item was valued over $24.  Toss on the fact it is a BYO, you quickly realize you will not leave your entire wallet with the bill.  This was a pleasant surprise considering this restaurant is quickly becoming one of the best in the city.

We kick-started our dinner with two starters shared between the two of us.  One of their appetizer specials was curry squash with goat cheese inside house-made ravioli, broccoli and fermented pepper paste.  Individually, the ravioli was creamy and tasted of fine goat cheese with the curry offering a fuller bodied punch to the creamy center.  The broccoli was seared and slightly crispy.  Finally, the fermented pepper added a strong kick.  However, combine all the ingredients and it tasted like a jalapeño popper.  This is not meant to be an insult.  You get the creamy cheese, the spicy pepper and the crispy bite comes from the broccoli.  

Ravioli with curry squash, goat cheese, broccoli

Our second was a dish piled high with Gettysburg apples, guanciale, and smoked shepard cheese. Guanciale is cured pig cheek (imagine a small piece of bacon with more flavor than a whole package of the store-bought stuff). The shaved cheese is a mix of sheep and cow’s milk and tastes similar to manchego. The combo of these flavors with the apple makes the apple, while the most abundant part of the dish, just there for the texture and a little sweetness. Its a great result with plenty of dish to take in. 

The apples 

Regarding entrees, the chicken with spaghetti squash and pilsner malt totally won our hearts.  The chicken was a juicy seared breast presented sliced.  However, the side that presented with the breast stole the show.  Spicy, creamy, spaghetti squash lay atop impeccably prepared greens.  Jalapeño was definitely included with the spaghetti squash and this little slap in the mouth was not too overpowering.  The squash was also lightly fried on the outside giving it a slight crunch. It actually did complement the chicken well but this savory, spicy dish of various textures was a great way to kick-start the new year.

Chicken, spaghetti squash, pilsner malt

The coffee-rubbed pork with braised cabbage (for 18 hours), house made sauerkraut, mushrooms, and arugula pesto was dimmed in comparison to the chicken. It was not a dish to be laughed at however. The pork was nicely done and the cabbage offered some amazing sweet and earthy flavors you don’t traditionally expect with cabbage. The mushrooms rounded out some of the flavors, but there wasn’t much of them to be had in the dish. Overall it was the weakest of the dishes, which doesn’t say anything bad because it was still an impeccably done pork. 

Pork, braised cabbage

Finally for dessert we had gateau basque (an apple tart with apple butter and buttermilk cream) which quickly translates to all that is heaven. The tart is crispy on the outside and the perfect mix of creamy and flaky that words just don't do justice. The apply apple butter has a distinct caramel taste to to it and the buttermilk cream is more like ice cream. So to put it simply-best dessert ever if I am being honest. The only downside to this part of the meal is the sad lack of tea and coffee options (basic english breakfast and regular or decaf, respectively). To be fair, we are kind of tea and coffee snobs and might expect the full array of options at most places we go to. 

Gateau basque for dessert

Overall a great start to the year and an amazing standard any farm-to-table should aim to emulate. An added bonus is that we actually know some of the places they get their locally sourced food from. It so happens they get their greens from our very own CSA, Jack’s Farms, an organic vegetable farm based out of Pottstown. A very pleasant surprise to our night and a nice start knowing they get their food form a place we know and trust. 

2016, you have a lot to live up to from here on out. 

2015- Our list

As this year winds down it seems only customary to keep up with the Jones’ of culinary critiques and diaries; that is, write an entry that reviews our experiences this year.  Rather than a “Top 10” countdown or a review of all our ventures, we decided to make a list to outline 2015 and maybe lend suggestions for places to visit or avoid.  So, here it goes.

Favorite new restaurant:  Abe Fisher, Center City

-innovative dishes with amazing flavors mean even we can’t deny this Solomon gem is the real deal. Our dislike for the over-rated Zahav is completely overpowered by our adoration for Abe Fisher. 

Hungarian duck at Abe Fisher

Favorite overall experience:  Alinea, Chicago, IL

-Utilizes science and mind-blowing techniques to prepare its courses which can change nightly.

Biggest disappointment:  El Poquito, Chestnut Hill

-Slow service and underwhelming flavors combine for a bad combo that the margaritas couldn't fix.

Favorite dish:  What the duck:  Hungarian duck, Abe Fisher, Center City & Duck breast at Meat & Potatoes, Pittsburgh, PA

-Since Rob didn’t get to have the Meat and Potatoes duck, it seemed unfair to pick one over the other of these two dishes. Not sure what was on the Chinese calendar for this year, but for the Gregorian calendar, this past year was most definitely the year of the duck.

Favorite lunch spot:  Dizengoff, Center City

-Some of the best hummus anywhere at a reasonable price.

Favorite dessert:  Key lime pie, Blue Heaven, Key West, FL & Dessert Finale, Alinea, Chicago, IL

-Another tie, the key lime pie is consistent every year.  As for Alinea, the dessert on the entire table says it all.

Favorite food for value:  Zwickl, Munich, Germany

-We stumbled upon this bistro in the Viktualienmarkt that serves outstanding authentic Bavarian food at a reasonable price.

Favorite new sandwich:  Cubano Mix, Sandy’s Cafe, Key West, FL

-The ham and pork combo will melt in your mouth.  Chase down the sandwich with a cafe con leche.

Not worth the money:  Stella Blue, West Conshohocken, PA

-This place is literally 2 blocks from our house but its menu cannot compare with any eateries in the city.

Most unique item:  Green apple helium balloon, Alinea, Chicago, IL

-Fun meets delicious in this dish. And you even get the high pitched helium voice for a little while.

Not worth the hype:  Pizzeria Vetri, Fairmount

-Going back here for a second time during our pizza challenge showed that some places just don't hold up with time. Looking back, the only word we can use to describe this place now is ‘lazy.’

Favorite beer selection:  Victory Brewery, Downingtown, PA

-The brewery offers over twice the amount of Victory beers you typically find in stores and bars; and growler fills are way cheap.

Favorite cocktail:   Blood of the kapu tiki, Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago, IL

-A tropical drink in a pirate ship meant to be shared with 4 people.

Favorite coffee house:  Volo Cafe, Manayunk

-In the middle of Main Street, La Colombe coffee and homemade pastries.

Still going strong:  Noord Eetcafe, East Passyunk

-A fav. Never had a disappointing meal here.