11/26/2006

Naked Chocolate Cafe

November 25, 2006 Cuisine: Desserts & Bakeries, Coffeehouses 1317 Walnut St, Philadelphia 19107 At S 13th St Phone: 215-735-7310 Webiste: www.nakedchocolatecafe.com -- Dessert I: Peanut Butter Nudo - One of our signature desserts, a new kind of brownie, blondie, coconut haystack, and other varieties ($2) Dessert II: Bittersweet hot chocolate (petit $3.50) - "A deep chocolate experience."

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The dessert offerings at Audrey Claire were a bit lacking, so the Marathoner and I went to the Naked Chocolate Cafe to satisfy our sweet tooths. I ordered the Peanut Butter Nudo, while the Marathoner had the bittersweet hot chocolate. Both treats were delightful!

The nudo, which is unique to Naked Chocolate according to the woman behind the counter, had a soft and chewy texture. Although the nudo is described as brownie-like, I would say that the two desserts are very different. The nudo's texture is definitely special. The pyramid shape was cute and enhanced the dessert's presentation.

My only complaint was that the nudo was made with Jif, which is not a real peanut butter (N.A.R.P.B) that contains hydrogenated oils. Sigh. I have a weakness for peanut butter desserts, so I let this tremedous flaw slide on my visit. But in the future, I'll probably have to stick to the non PB treats due to my fear of trans fats.

The hot chocolate was pure wonderfulness - so thick it was like drinking chocolate sauce. The Marathoner wished the hot chocolate was more bitter, but still found it quite delicious. Since I am not a huge fan of super-dark chocolate (65% or greater), I found the hot chocolate to be just the right amount of bitter. I also really enjoyed dipping my nudo into the cocoa and swiping some of the whipped cream. Even though the Marathoner ordered a petit, he had a hard time finishing it because the chocolate was so rich.

I'll definitely be returning to Naked Chocolate for their cupcake offerings. The Marathoner will be returning to scope out the extremely attractive staff and clientele.

Audrey Claire

The Marathoner and I sat at this window seat.
The evening's specials.
November 25, 2006 Cuisine: American (New), Tapas

276 S 20th Street, Philadelphia 19103 Between Rittenhouse Square & Spruce Street

Phone: 215-731-1222 Website: http://www.audreyclaire.com

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Course I: Grilled flatbread - Short ribs, Fontina cheese, chives

Course II: Crabcake atop a slice of cornbread, mesclun mix, garlic aioli

Course III: Grilled ostrich strip with hericot verts, roasted potatoes, and red wine reduction

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After a disastrous Thanksgiving holiday, I had a relaxing dinner with James Golden (who from here on out will be referred to as "the Marathoner") at Audrey Claire. Although the Marathoner grew up in the 'burbs of Philly, he has yet to take full advantage of the city's tasty offerings. Audrey Claire was a great start...

Since I had been to Audrey Claire once before with the Astronomer, I knew we had to start our meal with a flat bread course. The Marathoner initially leaned toward the hummus, mesclun, and smoked salmon combination, but chose the short ribs because I had already had the hummus combo during my last visit. The short rib flatbread was phenomenal. The meat was crisp, yet moist and was shredded atop the flat bread. The meat was deliciously smokey and fatty in flavor. The cheese was mild and foiled the meat nicely. The crust was soft and quite pita-like. Needless to say, we loved it.

Our next course was a crabcake/cornbread dish. The Marathoner loves crab and the Gastronomer loves cornbread, so this was definitely up our alley. Mmm. The crabcake was seasoned in a fashion so that the crab's natural flavors took center stage. The cornbread's light flavor complemented the crab beautifully in taste and texture. The aioli and greens provided a tartness that contrasted the crab and cornbread very well.

Our last course was one of the evening's specials. Neither the Marathoner nor I had ever tasted ostrich so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to try. Although we predicted that the meat would be bird-like (i.e. chicken), ostrich meat ended up surprisingly similar to beef. One difference being ostrich is much leaner than beef. The red wine reduction was a perfect accompaniment to the naturally flavorful meat -- like A1, but way better. The hericot verts and potatoes were lovely sides, but not spectacular.

The dessert offerings didn't pique our interests so we went elsewhere for treats. I enjoyed my second visit to Audrey Claire even more than my first. Well done, Professor Caskey, well done...

11/20/2006

The Coventry Deli

November 16, 2006 Cuisine: American (Traditional), Delis, Sandwiches 2000 Market St Philadelphia, PA 19103 Phone: (215) 972-8310 Website: www.coventrydeli.com -- THE BASKET LUNCH - In a wicker basket you have a choice of a salad or a deli sandwich (with two deli salads and a pickle), a piece of fresh fruit, our own baked goodie, gum, hard candy, chips, condiments, paper goods and a wet-nap ($11.75) -- The office always orders lunch when we have meetings. Today we ordered from the deli located on the first floor of our building. I've eaten there a couple of times for breakfast because they have excellent oatmeal. I had a ham and cheese sandwich on some sort of grainy bread with Dijon mustard, a tomato slice, and lettuce. The sandwich was pretty good, but sadly the cheese was American. Not a real cheese (N.A.R.C). To make up for it, the meat was piled on high. The two deli salads were a macaroni salad and a coleslaw. The macaroni salad was decent enough. Even though it tasted like a prepared salad from the grocery store. The coleslaw tasted like it came from KFC. Pass. The baked goodie was a giant cookie from an outside manufacturer. The cookie was extremely large because it contained two servings and 520 calories. I ate 2/3 and saved the rest for later. I gave my co-worker my chips (Herr'original) and candy. I saved the piece of fruit, a green apple, for later. The Coventry Deli makes a great oatmeal, but only a so-so basket lunch.

Rachael's Nosheri

November 17, 2006 Cuisine: American (Traditional), Delis, Sandwiches 120 S 19th St, Philadelphia 19103 Btwn Chestnut St & Sansom St Phone: 215-568-9565 Website: http://rachaelsnosheri.com/ -- Hickory Dickory - oven roasted turkey breast, ham, Swiss cheese, tomato slices, lettuce & Russian dressing ($6.95) Whole Wheat Bagel with cream cheese ($1.75) -- Ricky and I hit up Rachael's for lunch. I like to refer to this deli as the Astronomer's ex-Girlfriend's Restaurant. Ha! Ricky had the Hickory Dickory sandwich, hey, that sort of rhymes. He thought the presentation was lacking, but the sandwich itself was very tasty. Possibly even tastier than his sandwich from Paninoteca, but he is not certain. My bagel was perfectly toasted and smeared with a good amount of cream cheese. I like toasted bagels, but I hate melted cream cheese. What a conundrum. I'd like to return to Rachael's for some real Jewish fare, like matzo ball soup and knishes.

Maggiano's Little Italy

November 18, 2006 Cuisine: Italian 1201 Filbert St, Philadelphia 19107 At N 12th St Phone: 215-567-2020 Website: www.maggianos.com -- Entree I: Linguine pasta tossed with roasted chicken, pesto, and pine nuts in a parmesan broth with a hint of lemon.

Entree II: Spaghetti with your choice of meatballs or Italian sausage; served with our meat or marinara sauce.

Dessert I: Homemade Profiteroles - Pastry shell filled with vanilla bean ice cream and topped with our own hot fudge and fresh whipped cream; dusted with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

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The night before James Golden's marathon debut, the Astronomer and I accompanied him to Maggiano's for some pre-race carbo-loading.

James and I shared the spaghetti with meatballs, which was made with linguine. Perhaps the kitchen was out of spaghetti the night we dined? Anyhow, the linguine with meatballs was FANTASTIC. The best pasta with meatballs I've ever had! The meat sauce was slightly spicy because of the flavorful sausage bits, which James and I really appreciated. The meatballs were the size of my fist and were so delicious. We shared a large order ($14.25), but couldn't finish it so we split the leftovers. I enjoyed my half for lunch today and it was just as good as on Saturday night.

The Astronomer ordered a large order ($15.95) of his old standby - linguine with pesto. Maggiano's interpretation of pesto is quite good, but a bit on the mild side because the sauce is brothier and less oily than the average pesto.

For dessert we all shared a profiterole ($1.95). It was delicious. You can't go wrong with ice cream, hot fudge, and a puff pastry!

Even though Maggiano's is a chain, I can't help but love it.

11/05/2006

Flying Monkey Patisserie

November 4, 2006 Cuisine: Desserts and Bakeries Reading Terminal Market 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia Phone: 215-928-0340 Fax: http://www.flyingmonkeyphilly.com/ -- Dessert: Raspberry Jam Squares - Buttery shortbread crust and raspberry jam (2.50) -- Astronomer: The Raspberry Jam Square from the Flying Monkey was quite a tasty treat, with a hearty, satisfying texture and just the right amount of sweetness. Best of all, it contained no sinful ingredients (i.e. margarine). I hope to return to the Flying Monkey and try another one of their creations the next time I am in the Reading Terminal Market and hunger strikes. Gastronomer: I took a few bites of the Astronomer's square; it was pretty good. Whereas the Astronomer is a big fan of buttery crusts and fruit fillings (fairly mild flavors), I'm more of a ultra-sweet, tooth ache kinda gal when it comes to desserts. I look forward to trying the Flying Monkey's wide array of cupcakes in the near future.