Adventures in Philly!

Philadelphia---the City of Brotherly Love, the famous Rocky steps, The Roots, Jill Scott, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin, and the most amazing invention ever: the Philadelphia cheesesteak. The City of Brotherly Love has so much to offer in terms of food---whether you are in Center City visiting Buddakan or El Vez, sneaking into Ishakibble's for their french fries, or grabbing a cannoli from the renowned Varallo Brothers Bakery, there is plenty of wonderful food all throughout the great city of Philadelphia.

Earlier in this beautiful and oddly warm month of October, we traveled up to Philadelphia for our alma mater's Homecoming weekend. Our friendship began during our freshman year at Philadelphia University, which is now known as Jefferson after their recent merger with Thomas Jefferson University (we have very mixed feelings about this, btw). While at PhilaU, we were both S.T.A.R.T Leaders, which essentially involved answering hundreds of questions from parents, giving tours of campus, and being the cool kids and welcoming student leaders and guides for incoming students during PhilaU's freshmen orientation program. We also worked as Community Assistants for two years, where we mentored first-year students and showed them how to succeed during the first year of college, as well as connected them to the support systems, resources, and important tips for success at the institution and in the city of Philadelphia via programming, volunteering, sporting events, food excursions, and cultural experiences. We are eternally grateful for these (and other) student leadership opportunities and the experiences we had at PhilaU for so many reasons, but most especially because they served as the basis of our awesome and amazing friendship.

We decided that while we were in Philadelphia that we would take a trip down memory lane with our dear friends from college and enjoy the Homecoming festivities, and also venture to some new restaurants and old favorites in and around the city #fortheblog. While on campus on Saturday, we enjoyed reminiscing during our walks through campus, tailgating and paying very little attention to the soccer games, and drinking too much at the campus' Beer and Wine Tour event. In terms of our food adventures for the blog, we went to three restaurants: we visited our old staple---The Couch Tomato in Manayunk, and two new spots---Brick and Brew in Havertown and Jim's Steaks on South Street.

The Couch Tomato is always a fun place for food, especially gourmet pizza. Anytime we visit Philly, stopping at Couch Tomato is a must, especially since it is just minutes from our alma mater. It was our first stop when we arrived to Philly on Friday afternoon. Damien ordered the Short Rib pizza, which was a perfect mix of sweetness, smokiness, and (a hint of) creaminess. The sweet and savory flavors of the meats, the mildness of the cheese (grana padano), and the bitterness of the arugula balanced this pizza out very well. In addition, the crispy bacon and short rib were both tasty, cooked perfectly, and added a nice saltiness to the pizza. Overall the pizza was fantastic, but it could have benefited from a tad more of the horseradish sauce, as it was not too spicy (a common flavor with horseradish) but really creamy and delicious. Damien also ordered the Hail Chicken Caesar salad as a side (minus the chicken), which was also delicious. The homemade croutons on the salad were nice and crispy, and the Caesar dressing was yummy and the perfect consistency. Simone ordered the Buffalo Chicken pizza, which was topped with grilled chicken, hot sauce, ancho-honey sauce, Gorgonzola, farmers cheese, and shaved celery. The pizza usually comes with either hot sauce or Couch Tomato's house ancho-honey sauce, but Simone added both and it was a great decision. The pizza was absolutely delicious, and was an awesome balance of spicy and sweet thanks to the inclusion of the ancho-honey sauce. The shaved celery was not a fan favorite for Simone, but that's because she simply isn't the biggest fan of celery. If you decide to visit The Couch Tomato, consider checking out the upstairs bistro that offers additional menu options and has more of dine-in, "formal" restaurant feel in contrast to the the café downstairs.

Brick and Brew was suggested to us by our good friend Martin, and since we had some time to kill before meeting up with him and his wife Marissa, we made our way to their Havertown location for happy hour on Friday night. Brick and Brew is a really cool joint with a nice, comfortable, and cozy aesthetic inside. The staff were all really friendly; in fact, we were greet by an incredibly nice server as soon as we came in who was very helpful and patient with us as we struggled to decide where we wanted to sit. Brick and Brew has a pretty extensive and well-crafted beer and cocktail menu. Damien had the Moody Blue cocktail, and it was incredible. It was the right combination of boozy (rum) and sweet, and the lime and honey in it were a great touch and hit you on the back end of your sip perfectly. And Simone ordered the Capone cocktail, which is a margarita made with pineapple-blood orange-habanero infused tequila. The Capone is spicy and kicks you in the teeth with spice during the first sip, but once you adjust to the spice, then it is a spicy and warm ride to flavor town. We ordered two appetizers---the Roasted Brussel Sprouts and the Brick Oven Crab Dip. The Roasted Brussel Sprouts were outstanding! The brussel sprouts were perfectly charred, creating a crispy and crunchy appetizer. And each of the flavors in the dish, especially the vinegar and cheese, worked very well together and created a harmonious dish. If you don't like brussel sprouts---try these and you may change your mind! On the other hand, the Brick Oven Crab Dip was just a decent appetizer. We felt as though the crab dip was more cheesy than crabby, and crab should always be the star in a crab dip. The homemade pita chips that accompanied the dip were good overall, though we did have a couple that were under done. However, Brick and Brew was a fantastic restaurant with really kick-ass drinks, and we would absolutely visit it again!

As we left the city on Sunday and waived goodbye to our favorite murals and Philadelphia sights, we decided to stop at Jim's Steaks on South Street for cheesesteaks. There are dozens of places to get cheesesteaks in Philly, and this time we chose Jim's Steaks because it was something different for us. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted by the smell of steak, onions, and a long ass line---this is a good sign that you are exactly where you want and need to be. A few pro tips for those who have never been to Philadelphia:

Jim's Steaks does not take credit cards, so bring cash with you.
If you order a cheesesteak, it comes with just meat and cheese; however if you order a cheesesteak hoagie, you get meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Finally, people often frown on cheese whiz on their cheesesteaks, but Philly cheesesteaks are known to come with cheese whiz and you shouldn't knock it until you try it.

We both ordered cheesesteak hoagies with provolone and hot peppers added. Our cheesesteak hoagies were pretty good, but we definitely missed the gooey marriage of cheese and meat that is gifted to this classic sandwich via cheese whiz. Overall, though, we were really happy with our cheesesteak hoagies and would definitely go back. Jim's is definitely worthy of being known as a staple in the Philadelphia cheesesteak game.

Bonus food adventure! Our lovely hosts took us to dinner on Saturday night at Firepoint Grill, which is located in Newton Square, just outside of the city. Simone really wanted to mention this restaurant in our blog post because of our dessert. We shared their Firepoint S'mores Cake, and we both agreed that it was worth the entire trip! The s'mores dessert consisted of a graham cracker crumb cake, topped with a flavorful chocolate cake and charred marshmallows mixed with meringue. We didn't exchange many words while we devoured this dessert because it was simply too good for words. If you ever make it to this restaurant, please order this dessert and just be prepared for the love you will feel. You're welcome.

This was an amazing weekend filled with memories, laughter, booze, and amazing food. Each restaurant that we visited offers something different in terms of ambiance, food, drinks, and experience. If you have never been to Philadelphia, it is a really great place to travel for a weekend trip (or even a short day trip!). Take a trip north and soak in everything that Philadelphia has to offer you. Until next time, eat something great soon!