Dining Guide 03.27.19

March 27, 2019 | 34st.com

DINING

GUIDE March 27, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12-13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31

Donut Tour Losing & Finding My Appetite Koukouzeli Nunu P'unk Burger Frogro Prepared Food Green Soul Learning to Love to Cook Ellen Yin Profile On Loving Earl Grey R&D In The Valley Supper Club Buk Chon Over Easy Friday Saturday Sunday Bagel Roundup Shabbat Dinner Guiseppe & Sons Italian Market Roundup Libertine Tony's Tomato Pie Rosy's Taco Bar Pickle Roundup PJ Clarke's

PRICE RANGE PER DISH $ 5-9 dollars $$ 10-15 dollars 2

$$$ 15-20 dollars $$$$ 20+ dollars

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I

used to train myself to see food as a composite of nutrition facts. I checked for added sugar, maximized protein and fiber, loaded up on vitamins, steered clear of chemicals I did not recognize. Food was numbers and data, nothing else. When mealtimes started to cause more anxiety than joy, I realized I needed to see food from a different angle.

I still try to eat healthy. But recently, I’ve been trying to focus less on what I eat, and more on how I eat it. I’ve realized that food can, and should, do more than just satiate my hunger. It’s a way to make connections and meet people. (And increase attendance at GBMs.) When I start to consider data, I ask myself: Am I wasting time thinking about an entree’s calorie count when I could marvel at the beautiful presentation, the colors of the sauces drizzling over the fish? Am I thinking too much about the carbs in the Allegro fries when I could devote my focus to my friend’s hilarious stories about her night out? When I look back on my college experience, I won’t remember the protein bars I scarfed down in between afternoon classes. I’ll remember sitting for hours at the round tables in the Hillel dining hall with friends. I’ll appreciate getting to know a new friend when we both reviewed a restaurant for the Dining Guide. I’ll laugh about wandering University City during prime brunch–time, begging restaurants to seat me and my now–boyfriend because we forgot a reservation for our first date.

This semester’s Dining Guide highlights the memories, stories, and connections we make with food. Our reviews emphasize the experience of dining out. We’ve profiled students and alumni who use food to jumpstart businesses and clubs. We tried your favorite cookie recipes. Some of us opened up about our relationships with food: the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this issue, food is the main character. I hope you’re inspired to make a reservation, bake some cookies, or throw a dinner party. Maybe you’re bold enough to try all the prepared foods in FroGro. Whatever you choose, I hope you use food to start a new story.

Eliana Doft, Special Features Editor Annabelle Williams, Editor–in–Chief Dalton DeStefano, Managing Editor Daniel Bulpitt, Audience Engagement Director Lily Snider, Assignments Editor Ethan Wu, Media Director Sophie Burkholder, Word on the Street Editor Katie Bontje, Ego Editor Sam Kesler, Music Editor Meerie Jesuthasan, Long–Term Features Editor Angie Lin, Developing Features Editor Bella Fertel, Style Editor Maryanne Koussa, Film & TV Editor Josephine Cheng, Arts Editor Emma Boey & Sophia Dai, Photo Editors Tahira Islam & Katie Steele, Copy Editors Dean Jones & Jackson Parli, Video Editors Ben Zhao, Print Director Ego Beats: Amanpreet Singh, Michelle Shen, Sophie Xi, Caroline Emma Moore, Chelsey Zhu, Sonali Deliwala

Associates: Dannie Watson, Joy Lee, Ian Ong, Jackie Lou, Anna Callahan, Isabel Liang, Christy Qiu, Nancy Kang, Ian Ong, Ava Cruz Staff Writers: Liz Kim, Jordan Waschman, Anjalee Bhuyan, Shunmel Syau, Bebe Hodges, Emma Harris, Tara OʼBrien, Jessica Bao, Mehek Boparai, Zoe Young, Sophia Schulz-Rusnacko, Alex Cook Illustrators: Anne Chen, Anne Marie Grudem, Brad Hong, Carly Ryan, Catherine Liang, Jake Lem, Reese Berman, Saranya Sampath, Jessi Olarsch, Christopher Kwok, Diane Lin, Jacqueline Lou, Sammie Yoon, Kathy Chang, Ben Joergens Staff Photographers: Sophia Zhu, Eleanor Shemtov, Alice Deng, Hoyt Gong, Sukhmani Kaur, Mona Lee, Sally Chen, Adiel Izilov, Christine Wu, Anran Fang Video Staff: Jean Chapiro, Christina Piasecki, Anab Aidid, Deja Jackson, Megan Kyne Copy Deputies: Sarah Poss & Kira Horowitz Copy Associates: Kate Poole, Serena Miniter, Erin Liebenberg, Lexie Shah, Carmina Hachenburg, Luisa Healey, Agatha Advincula

Music Beats: Beatrice Forman, Arjun Swaminathan, Teresa Xie, Melannie Jay, Johnny Vitale, Julia Davies, Paul Litwin

Audience Engagment Associates: Brittany Levy, McKay Norton, Kat

Features Staff: Katrina Janco, Shinyoung Hailey Noh, Allison Wu, Srinidhi Ramakrishna, Caroline Riise, Paige Fishman, Chris Schiller

Cover Photo by Ethan Wu & Jess Tan

Style Beats: Karin Hananel, Allie Shapiro, Jen Cullen, Alice Goulding, Diya Sethi, Hannah Yusuf Film & TV Beats: Anna Collins, Shriya Beesam, Shannon Zhang, Zovinar Khrimian, Calista Lopez, Ana Hallman, Samantha Sanders Arts Beats: Michelle Wan, Will Miller, Jess Araten, Katie Farrell, Adeleke McMillan Design Editors: Gillian Diebold, Lucy Ferry, Alice Heyeh, Jess Tan, Tamsyn Brann

Ulich, Emily Gelb, Ryan McLaughlin, Valentina Escudero, Samantha Lee, Nadeen Eltoukhy, Fiorentina Huang, Rachel Markowitz, Julia Zhu

Contacting 34th Street Magazine: If you have questions, comments, complaints or letters to the editor, email Annabelle Williams, Editor–in–Chief, at williams@34st.com. You can also call us at (215) 422–4640. www.34st.com ©2019 34th Street Magazine, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. No part may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express, written consent of the editors (but I bet we will give you the a–okay.) All rights reserved. 34th Street Magazine is published by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc., 4015 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19104, every Wednesday.

DINING GUIDE

Four Donut Shops.

Two Hours. One Tour.

Sophia Zhu | Photographer

The Underground Donut Tour rebrands Philly as the 'City of Donutterly Love' Beatrice Forman

It began on a windless but chilly Saturday morning on a block in Queens Village, sandwiched between a row of sex toy shops and pre–teens hawking Girl Scout cookies. I heavily consider buying two boxes—one of Samoas and one of Tagalongs—but, ultimately, decide against it.

After all, I didn’t come here to fuel my cookie addiction.

I came here to eat donuts.

The Philadelphia Downtown Donut Tour, an offshoot of the hit Chicago series, spans a 1.2 mile stretch from the heart of Queen Village, South Street, to the stomach of Philadelphia, Reading Terminal Market. Using the city’s vibrant mismatch of history, food trivia, and eclectic storefronts to fill the air in between doughnuts, tour guide and pharmacy student Neil crafts a Philly narrative that’s not about doughnuts, but tied together by them.

The tour, which runs on Saturdays and Sundays every weekend, begins at a Federal Donuts, started by restaurateurs Steven Cook (W ’95) and Michael Solomonov. Neil explained in a room drenched in scents of vanilla, maple, and childhood, the pair of owners merely stumbled upon half of Federal Donut’s menu. Their fried chicken, cuts of white meat glazed with the same care as a Fancy Donut, arose from experimentation, one of a laundry list of concepts aimed to turn Federal Donuts into something more than the run– of–the–mill doughnuttery. Neil then invites us to peer over the counter and into the kitchen,

where fresh, piping hot donuts are made. Simplifying a process that would probably stymie even the most dedicated Engineering student, Neil paints the Federal Donut kitchen with rich imagery and kidlike worship, making me feel like an extra in Willy Wonka.

We split cinnamon brown sugar donuts and fortify our stomachs for the rest of the tour. The donut tastes like autumn, with undertones of

spice cloaking the brown sugar flavor. The texture is some kind of wonderful, too, soft yet slightly chewy. I decide it’s my favorite donut before trying the other ones, and sneak an extra half into my purse.

Neil takes us on a roundabout walk to our next destination and vegan cornerstone, Dottie’s Donuts. On the way there, we pause in front of Jim’s Steaks, one of the original Philly Cheesesteak giants.

Neil rattles off fun facts like it’s his job (literally, it is) explaining that, much like New York’s hero, the cheesesteak is the food of Philly’s working class. A favorite among cab drivers, the

sandwich grew via word–of– mouth. Somewhere in this tangent, Neil slips in that Federal Donuts “Philadelphia invented the hot dog,” because he “read We begin winding our way about it in his texts.” I imagine our tour guide slumped toward Center City proper, over a textbook in a dimly lit with Neil showing us the imlibrary, poring over the history portant stuff—James Madiof America’s favorite pseudo- son’s brownstone, the Mother sandwich. It’s been about a half Bethel A.M.E church, Amerhour, and I’m jonesing again. ica’s first ever cobblestone. At Where is my second donut? this point, I’ve realized that We arrive at Dottie’s, a hole– silly, misquoted Ralph Emerson saying is true: it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

The Philadelphia Downtown Donut Tour isn’t about the donuts; it’s about the community that makes them. It’s about the family splitting a box of doughnuts a block away from Federal, the daughter smearing frosting on her nose. It’s about the lovely cashier at Dottie’s, who arranges the goods specifically for photos. It’s about the Beiler's love so endemic to Philly, and the doughnuts it produces.

We arrive at our third locain–the wall with a history so punk rock it should vend at tion, Sweet Charlie’s. A purWarped Tour. The product of veyor of Thai rolled ice-cream a vegan’s simultaneous rebel- in both virgin and alcoholic lion and tribute to his Italian varieties, nearly every person heritage, Dottie’s represents on the tour was confused and the future of Philly, where tra- hangry. Despite all the pervaditions breed innovation. We sive sentiments about love and split the daily specials, which community, this is a donut are typically announced on tour. The people signed up for the shop’s Instagram. One was donuts, not pasty ice cream.

Rest assured, Sweet Charlie’s a cookies and cream variety delivered.

The team whipped that tasted like getting your up versions of the Tall Charhand caught in the cookie jar, lie—an oversized ice cream roll, sweet yet mischievous, thanks to a surprisingly doughy cen- slathered in condensed milk ter. The other was ginger–fla- and sandwiched between two vored and tasted exactly like oblong glazed donuts. Fresh you’d expected it to: refresh- out the oven, the doughnuts ing with a punchy aftertaste. melt the ice cream just slightly,

making the whole experience reminiscent of french toast a la mode. It’s sticky, sweet, messy, and all around delicious, making it the highlight of the tour.

Finally, we amble our way through the hustle and bustle of the Fashion District to the hotspot of tourists, foodies, and people who thrive in crowds everywhere—Reading Terminal Market. Neil carrals us through the space with surprising precision, weaving us through selfie sticks and long lines. He paints the Market’s history in sweeping strokes, giving it an arc full of character development. It’s gone from construction nightmare to tourist destination to the final stop on our donut tour. We huddle in a corner, eating Beiler’s signature blueberry fritters. Dense yet airy, with an evenly distributed layer of blueberries, the fritter concludes the tour impactfully.

Overall, the Philadelphia Downtown Donut Tour rewrites Philly’s history to include not just donuts, but the essence of the regular person.

Book a trip if you’re a donut enthusiast, a history buff, or someone looking to fall in love with the city again and again.

TL;DR: Philadelphia Downtown Donut Tour Location: Queen Village Old City | Center City Hours: Sat - Sun: 11 A.M - 1. P.M

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DINING GUIDE

My Appetite: Lost and Found

My on-again off-again relationship to food Shannon Zhang

Anne Chen | Illustrator

I skip meals sometimes.

Eating doesn’t excite me, even though I used to relish meals as the highlights of my day.

I remember breaking up the monotony of school–homework–sleep with mouthfuls of sweet and/or savory goodness. I miss looking forward to meals. I miss snacking.

In my daily routine, my breakfast is a medium coffee from Pret, black (dark roast if hot, iced if the weather/ cold drink combination won’t freeze my fingers off on my walk to Towne). I only began drinking coffee last year, and I hated it for the longest time—not the taste, but rather the caffeine buzz that would keep me up way past midnight. I still hate it, because twelve hours after my medium coffee, my hands continue to shake, and my stomach stays tied up in nervous knots.

Ironically, the buzz is also why I have it every day— 4

I just need to stay awake.

That’s all food seems to be now—fuel to keep me moving, even if I yearn to cut it out of my life entirely. When I think about my spiral towards listlessness, I blame myself in three ways: my developing dependence on appetite–suppressing caffeine, my ambivalence towards all swipe–in dining–hall food, and my fear of failing, in relation to both my own body and my weekly midterms.

I weigh 110 pounds, give or take 5 depending on what I’ve eaten in the day or time of year (give in winter, take in summer). I stand at a (measly) height of 5’1”. My weight hasn’t changed in a decade, and I stopped growing sometime during middle school. My body hasn’t undergone much major change in years. Unhealthy as it may be, I fear change. I fear the stretch marks on my inner thighs, from when I surpassed

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100 pounds before turning ten, turning red again; I fear looking in the mirror and seeing a body that’s morphed into something different from the form that I’ve spent years prodding and observing. When I couple that with excuses like, “spend more time studying instead, you’ve got an orgo test next week” and “man, I really do hate when Commons has stir–fry,” I beat down any enjoyment I might get out of sitting down to eat a meal.

Lunch isn’t much of a problem. 11 a.m., a tomato mozz from the Accenture Café, or a fried chicken sandwich if they’ve run out of the former. Hot, salty, and fresh: I really do like the café’s food. But alas, dinner always approaches quickly afterwards. Dinner sucks.

I drink a bottle of Soylent (cacao) if I have work, or I’ll stop by Commons on the way home, if it’s open. I’m as big of a fan of Soylent as UTB is of poking fun at people who drink Soylent.

It does leave a horrible aftertaste, but the easily–consumed, satisfied stomach– feel after a bottle is worth it. And although Soylent is my go–to quick meal inbetween active responsibilities, I also drink it on tired weekends, or on nights when leaving my dorm is difficult.

My Soylent bill is a byproduct of the jumble of negative emotions I’ve developed towards eating. There are weeks when I hate my body, not because of how it looks, but because of how it feels. Pained without food, bloated with food. Never entirely satisfied. In the same way that I’m

coming to terms with half– assed work being better than no work at all, I’m drinking my calories rather than skipping over them entirely.

But although the liquid diet keeps my bloated fullness to a manageable level, I will admit that it’s not enough, not mentally. Eating at Commons gives me the same results— I appreciate dining halls for providing students with easily–accessible, hot meals, but I’m never excited to swipe in. No, I’m never upset, either—I’m just fine. Commons is fine. Soylent is fine.

At midnight, I get cravings for Nissin Demae Ramen, miso tonkatsu flavor.

Nongshim Shin Ramyun, Black used to be my favorite brand and flavor of instant ramen. It’s changed since Nissin Demae Ramen went on sale at the 99 Ranch my parents go to buy groceries.

Instant ramen reminds me of home. My mom makes our meals at home. In recent years, my dad’s taken over on Sundays, and sometimes on a weekday or two. I’ve been spoiled with nearly two decades’ worth of hot, lovingly–made Chinese food, always on the table whenever I’m hungry. I’m spoiled with the prospects of my favorite meals—pan-fried cilantro dumplings (dipped in sweet, homemade, garlic-infused vinegar), diced potatoes marinated with leftover hong shao rou and soy sauce, steamed gai lan—awaiting me whenever I return. I didn’t eat much instant ramen growing up, because my parents made sure that I didn’t have to.

Yet when dropped into a new environment, without

the comfort of my parents’ cooking (or a kitchen), I turned to a food that was originally deemed for emergencies—for when my parents worked overtime, or when I had an unexpected snow day and was home for lunch.

When my dad talked about college, he’d always talk about his usual meals—instant ramen, with some bok choy and an egg thrown into the boiling water, alongside the noodles. He found comfort in salty, brothy, instant ramen, and I do, too. Unlike the usual non–Asian food served in Penn’s dining halls (I still don't know what grits are), instant ramen satisfies my palate. Nissin Demae Ramen flavors are reminiscent of flavors my mom uses in her own dishes (Five Spices (Artificial) Beef word–for–word describes how she cooks beef ), and I miss, above everything, Mom and Dad’s cooking. I’m looking forward to going home.

I continue to grapple with my loss of appetite. I’m sticking to the daily meal routine I’ve laid out and I’m trying not to skip meals just because I don’t feel okay or idle enough to eat. My friends are also greatly patient in accompanying me to various Asian restaurants across the city (although none I’ve been to can yet fill my void of home– cooked food). I’m sure I’ll get out of this rut I’m in, whether it be through a miraculous, newfound love for pasta that I’m hoping will develop overnight, or a kitchen where I can cook for myself in my dorm next year, because I really do love food. I’ve just forgotten about it for a bit, is all.

SPONSORED

DINING GUIDE

Koukouzeli: Simply Sweet and Superb Anran Feng | Photographer

The Greek spot delivers delicacies, both traditional and innovative.

Basics of Ordering dim sum

Photos provided by Dim Sum House by Jane G’s

By DP Product Lab

New to dim sum and wondering how to order? We spoke to Jackson Fu, owner of Dim Sum House by Jane G’s at 40th and Chestnut to get the low down on the basics so you can be sure to impress your dining partners!

Arjun Swaminathan At the Italian Market in Center City, Koukouzeli beckons with its modest design, boasting its menu on a blue and white exterior. Inside, you’ll find a rustic ambiance and a cozy restaurant, perfect for a quiet dinner date with your significant other.

The walls are filled with photographs of the owner’s family and illustrations of Greece. An elevated display next to the entrance including a Greek flag and columns, it highlights the restaurant's authenticity to patrons. It helps that the employees are welcoming and invested in your experience.

The menu is chock–full of options—appetizers, salads, and gyros galore. Koukouzeli accommodates for plant– based consumers too, with numerous vegan options.

We ordered a bunch of appetizers. An immediate highlight is the Dolmades, a common mediterranean dish

with a slight twist. Grape leaves and stuffing are surrounded by a unique crisp dough, which combine to provide a rich, savory tang with a hint of a tart aftertaste. We tried Kolokithia, a flame grilled zucchini that perfectly balances soft and crunchy alongside a hint of spice, the Avgolemono, a lemon chicken soup with a heavenly aroma that neatly mixes salty and sour tastes, and the Tzatziki and Pita, a traditional dip with a burst of tangy juiciness. It would be a disservice not to mention the delicious Tiri and Koukou fries, which are topped with feta and mizithra cheese, respectively, and provide a surprising sweetness.

Moving on to the main courses, the Vegan Gyro is outstanding as the seitan, fries, tomato, and tzatziki were deliciously flavorful.

The Bifteki with fresh, well– cooked beef in a pita platter,

was satisfying and filling. The Tomatosalata felt like the essence of a Greek salad, mixing tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, pita, tzatziki, onions, and peppers in sweet–and– sour brilliance. You can’t go wrong with any entree choice.

Don’t miss the minty Wildflower Iced Tea, which flawlessly compliments the meal.

The service was efficient.

The wait for appetizers and entrees was no more than a few minutes. Furthermore, the restaurant works hard to be environmentally friendly— straws are given only upon request, and the containers for takeout are recyclable.

Overall, Koukouzeli nails it—with excellent hospitality and delicious options such as the dolmades, Tiri and Koukou fries, and vegan gyro, you can’t go wrong. The comforting locale elevates Greek food to new heights and serves as a solid dinner destination for any given night.

TL;DR: An excellent authentic selection of Greek cuisine with a few innovations, certain to satisfy your palate.

Location: 1134 S. 9th Street Hours: Monday–Tuesday: Closed, Wed–Thurs: 5 p.m.–9 p.m., Friday: 5 p.m.–10 p.m., Saturday: 12 p.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–9 p.m.

Price: $–$$

Fu says your choices should be determined by two things: who is joining you for dinner and the total number of guests. Below are the basics of ordering meals for different occasions.

We list some suggested items which can be added to a normal dim sum meal. There’s no such thing as ordering wrong, but if you order the correct items in the correct order you will impress your guests and get a nod from your waiter!

Casual dinner with Friends: Start with 1-2 carb items.

We suggest the Scallion Pancakes or Dan Dan Noodles. Then select between 1-2 vegetable dishes, popular items include the Shanghai Bok Choi or Mapo Tofu.

Next up is a meat-based item. Chicken helps

create a nice, balanced meal. If you’re looking for suggestions, try the Three Cup Chicken or Chicken Shiitake Dumplings. All meals should end with dessert.

Favorite options are Egg Tarts and Pumpkin Tarts.

Networking Event or Date Night: Just like dinner with friends you are going to start with carb based items and a few vegetable dishes.

The meat course is next and this is where you will differentiate a regular dining experience from a special night!

Seafood items are a great choice for important occasions because they show a person that you think they are special.

We suggest ordering the Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, Shrimp Sui Mai or Ginger Scallion Fish Fillet! Again, always end your meal with something sweet!

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DINING GUIDE

Ethan Wu | Media Director

Nunu: A Fishtown Twist on Traditional Izakaya Cuisine Enjoy your Japanese food with carefully curated drinks.

Jessica Bao

The first thing I notice before I enter Nunu is its enticing red glow. A little overwhelming at first, but once my eyes adjust, I begin to notice the subtleties of this Fishtown restaurant–bar: the sea of Chinese lanterns hanging above the bar, the neon sign alternatively flashing as a rooster and a hen fixed toward the back, and the variety of seat choices crowded into the small space. There are large curved booths, dining nooks fit for only two, and individual stools by the bar.

Despite being a 30–person eatery, Nunu’s design reflects its ambition. Opened just last fall by Shawn Darragh and Ben Puchowitz—owners of several hotspots throughout Philly (Cheu Noodle Bar, Bing Bing Dim Sum, and Cheu Fishtown, which is next door to nunu)— Nunu is meant to invoke a Japanese izakaya (informal pubs with great food choices), but not quite be one; to provide casual drinks and snacks, but also full–fledged meals. It's a place where you can gather with a group of friends, another person, or by yourself.

When I open Nunu’s menu, it seems like the place is more bar than restaurant. Four out of its five pages are dedicated to drinks, with a wide range of sake, many cocktails curated around Asian 6

flavors, and an interesting selection of Japanese whiskeys. Nunu also has a Toki whiskey highball tap (which turns whiskey into a refreshing champagne–like concoction by mixing it with sparkling seltzer at high pressure) as well as three choices of chuhai cocktails (a Japanese drink that is made here by mixing sake, shochu, or vodka with sparkling soda and fermented fruit). And if you don’t want to drink alcohol, there are daily selections of ice tea and mocktails, three kinds of hot tea, and various sodas.

But don't only go for the

drinks. Following the traditions of izakayas, Nunu has bar foods that go way beyond your typical chicken wings and jalapeno

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poppers. There's a wide range of skewers—from chicken meatballs to Brussels sprouts. With their refreshing mix of textures and flavors, both pair well with drinks.

I also loved Nunu's vegetarian curry, found in either its kare kare fries or smoked eggplant katsu. Made to be sweeter and lighter than traditional Japanese curry, Nunu’s curry embodies the founder’s philosophy when approaching Asian cuisine: to be informed by tradition, but not defined by it.

Amongst the bigger plates, my favorite is the chicken katsu sando—a sandwich on Japanese milk bread buns with pickles, Nunu sauce, and iceberg lettuce, served with side fries or salad.

Although katsu is a mainstay in Japanese restaurants, it is incredibly hard to make well—luckily, Nunu definitely hits the mark.

The ratio between the meat and the crisp, panko breading is just right.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for a true Japanese izakaya, with its communal and down– to–earth draw, Nunu may not be the right place. In trying to make itself warm and welcoming— with its glowing red lights and carefully mixed, Asian–centric drinks—it can be more intimi-

dating than cozy, artificial rather than old–school. Its Happy Hour deals are great for food ($5 for fries in any style and $2 for sticks), but less so for the drinks (only $1 off the draft highballs

hipster attitude.

Yet, it is this unique intersection that makes Nunu the ideal place for an ambient first date, or a fun hang–out with friends. The atmosphere, although not very

and beers, and a cocktail of the day priced at $10). Unlike the friendly charms of an izakaya, which never takes itself too seriously, Nunu feels more aloof—its flushed interior an otherworldly intersection between thoughtful Japanese cuisine and Fishtown

genuine, still promotes a sense of intimacy. After all, Nunu shows great care everywhere, especially when considering its menu. The seats are comfortable, the lights dim, and the rock–and–roll music is never so loud that you can’t have a good conversation.

TL;DR: Nunu is Japanese cuisine meets Fishtown hipster.

Hours: Mon—Wed: 5 p.m.—11 p.m.

Thurs—Fri: 5 p.m.— 12 a.m.

Sat: 12 p.m.— 12 a.m.

Sun: 12 p.m. — 11 p.m.

Location: 1414 Frankford Avenue Price: $$

DINING GUIDE

BYOB Two Ways at P’unk Burger Do not pass on those fries.

SAM KESLER

Aran Fang | Photographer

P’unk Burger in East Passyunk is organic, cash– only, and BYOB in two ways: both Bring Your Own Bottle, and Build Your Own Burger.

I ordered the lunch special: choice of burger, fries, and a soda. I chose the standard P’unk Burger: beef, black peppercorn bacon, smoked gouda, P’unk’s signature sauce, and onion rings. My photographer ordered the Juicy Philly: cheddar–stuffed beef, caramelized onion, and sautéed portobello. Instead of a soda we opted for a vanilla–chocolate shake.

My burger arrived at the table. It was stacked with beef, gouda, and bacon, and I was pretty sure it was going to topple over. After the first bite, I was spent. It was such a heavy burger, and pretty difficult to wrap my mouth around. I could feel a nap coming on. The meat was fine, but could have been more succulent, especially with such a dry cheese on top. The bacon was too overcooked for me, but the onions managed to hold together well. The burger’s saving grace was the bun. It was superb. It served its practical purpose by holding all the

ingredients together, yet was still fluffy and folded in my mouth. It was flavorful, but did not overpower the rest of the burger.

Then I went for the shoestring fries. Although they were simple, no salt or pepper, they were some of the finest I’ve had in a while.

They were crispy in spots, but soft in others. They were a little greasy, almost like fresh McDonald’s fries but with no salt. I could have eaten them for the whole meal.

I also sampled my photographer’s meal; her Juicy Philly was far better than my burger. When they say juicy, they’re not kidding. It’s like biting into a sponge soaked with flavor—it just spewed out. The caramelized onions only helped, adding enough texture to complement the meat.

The milkshake was also fantastic. At first I was hesitant, as milkshakes usually make me sick. This one, thankfully, didn’t. A relatively light shake (literally, it must have weighed just a few ounces), it went down smooth and helped to wash down any bits of meat left from the burger.

I experimented with dipping

the fries in the shake, and the two flavors paired perfectly. The shake could have been thicker, but I loved its texture.

As for the service, we were served promptly. Be sure to come prepared with cash, plus a tip, but if you forget they have an ATM on the premises. The environment is welcoming, they have vegan and gluten free options, and the price is reasonable for quality food. It’s not worth a trip out to East Passyunk, but if you happen to be in the area, be sure to drop by and order their lunch special. It’s perfect for a day out, although after eating you may just want to head back to bed.

TL;DR: A quick burger joint for when you find yourself in East Passyunk Location: 1823 E Passayunk Ave. Hours: Sun: 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Monday–Thursday: 11 a.m.– 10 p.m.

Friday– Saturday: 10 a.m.–12 a.m.

Price: $

4207 Walnut St Philadelphia, PA 19104 BistroPerrier.com

215-222-4200 Tuesday - Saturday 5:30pm - 10:00pm

Traditional French fare and tableside service, right around the corner.

Free on-site parking Full bar & wine list

Walnut Hill College DA I LY R O TAT I N G LU N C H M E N U MON-FRI: 11:00AM - 2:30PM

H AV E D E S S E RT AT

The Pastry Shop

WALNUTHILLCOLLEGE.EDU/THE-PASTRY-SHOP/

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DINING GUIDE

Ever Wonder What Frogro Prepared Food Tastes Like?

We sampled some so you didn't have to.

Sandwiched between Fresh Grocer’s alcohol and produce sections is a hot bar that offers prepared food at fairly reasonable prices. In the spirit of taking one for the team, I tried a a few options to determine the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here’s how it went.

Mac & Cheese, $4.55 - First impression: This Mac & Cheese was reminiscent of Wawa’s, which is a huge compliment considering that Wawa’s Mac is basically a national treasure.

It was that familiar shade of strangely–comforting–yet–almost–concerning–neon– yellow.

The pasta was plump and the cheese—or should I say, “cheese”—looked creamy. Com-

ing in, expectations were relatively high.

- Dining experience: This Mac was medium quality. The pasta was a little mushier than preferred, although the consistency was the right level of creamy.

Overall, Wawa-esque, but not quite on-target. Frogro Mac is solidly in the middle of the pack.

- Takeaways: The taste was elevated with the addition of some Old Bay Seasoning. Any seasoning, really, would help—black pepper, red chili flakes, oregano. There are endless possibilities.

General Tso’s Chicken & Fried Rice, $6.45 - First impression: Out of all of the options, this dish seemed the most appetizing. The chicken glistened in the exact way a steaming hot

plate of sweet, crispy, glazed General Tso’s chicken should.

The rice honestly looked bomb. I was ready to dig in.

- Dining experience: The chicken was the star of the show. The sauce was tangy and sweet. The rice was just okay; think along the lines of day– old Beijing.

- Takeaways: That being said, there’s nothing wrong with some day–old Beijing. Frogro’s Chinese food started and finished as the favorite. The portions were large and the taste almost met food truck standards.

Shepherd's Pie, $6.55 - First impression: This Shepherd’s Pie looked like it had seen better days. In all fairness, I bought this dish at around 8 p.m., so it had probably been

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sitting at that prepared bar for hours. Regardless, I wanted to be adventurous.

So, I opted for a hefty portion of what truly looked like something between your worst elementar y school cafeteria nightmare and above–par prison food.

- Dining experience: There didn’t seem to be a clear plan of attack. On one side there was a much higher proportion of raisins oozing with meat juice and on the other, the beef had started to crust a little bit, which was concerning. I opted for the middle, which consisted of a sort of conglomerate of mashed potatoes, ground beef, and meat– juice raisins. It tasted stale and strange.

- Takeaways: I went back in for some more General Tso’s Chicken to get the taste out of my mouth. My best hope for this Shepherd’s Pie was that it would be one of those situations where the taste is strange but for some reason you can’t stop eating it. It was not one of those situations.

Chocolate Cake, $3.99 - First Impression: I searched for the most delicious, picturesque slice of chocolate cake I could find. Mind you, this is pre-sliced cake. Not the large sheet cakes, which, I can assure you, are delicious. This piece of chocolate cake looked straight out of a movie—perfectly proportioned frosting, layered just so. I was

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- Dining experience: This is the first time I have EVER spit out cake. I took a much anticipated bite and right away ran to the trash to dispose of it. I was sorely, painfully, disappointed. The cake itself was dry. Since it had been sitting around in the baked goods case for so long, the emulsifying chemicals had started to break down and it just tasted like garbage.

- Takeaways: Hard pass. It’ll probably take me some time to recover from this letdown. Let the records show, however, that I highly encourage the purchase of Frogro sheet cakes.

Honorable mentions: Frogro sushi, $7.45: Frogro sushi is underrated. Yes, you read that correctly. I was starving when I was shopping for this haul, and, worried that the suspicious–looking Shepherd’s Pie just wouldn’t do it for me, I panicked and grabbed a tuna avocado roll with brown rice. Okay, it wasn’t the best sushi I have had in my life. But it sure wasn’t the worst.

The rice was the right sticky consistency, the avocado wasn’t brown, and the tuna tasted well, normal. For that, shoutouts to Frogro sushi.

Jumbo dill pickles, $0.99: There is an entire barrel of pickles hidden in plain sight right by the baked goods section.

Each pickle is probably as thick as my forearm and half as long—the perfect balance of juicy and crunchy. If you’re a pickle person, go for it.

DINING GUIDE

Walking into Green Soul on a Thursday night, the first thing we notice is how rustically modern it is. It reminds me of a repurposed log cabin—with high, slanted wood ceilings, floor–to–ceiling windows, ivory–washed walls, and dining and bar areas dimly illuminated by string lights and hanging bulbs. There’s greenery and hardwood accents all around us. Jazz piano softly accompanies the murmurs of conversations in the packed seating area.

I spot the small raised stage beside me. Although empty now, I can see Green Soul being the perfect venue for intimate performances—from jazz to poetry to coffeehouses— over dinner. There’s something

unmistakably homey about this place. It’s fitting that Green Soul promotes an environmentally sustainable and local– business–friendly approach to food production.

The restaurant serves soul food, but with various health– conscious twists. We start with the parsnip and carrot “fries,” accompanied by ketchup and mustard BBQ. We are surprised at how pleasantly similar the dish tasted to sweet potato fries. The mustard BBQ adds an appreciated tanginess to counteract the carrots’ sweet taste, and the sprigs of parsnip sprinkled on top of the faux– fries came through, freshening up our palates in preparation for our next course.

Next, we order Green Soul’s

black bean veggie burger, as well as their BBQ pulled chicken sandwich. Both of these seemingly basic entrées are delicious. The bread of the veggie burger melts in my mouth—wonderfully intertwining with the savory patty and the flavorful sauce. The chicken sandwich contains apple slaw—which adds a nice, crunchy texture to the meal. The sandwich mimicks the taste of pork, and Green Soul has no beef or pork on its menu, so this may be intentional. Both of these dishes are served with fresh salads— which were fine, but don’t add much to the main items as a whole.

While we chow down on our main course, our drink—a

er

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ambiance, admirable business practices, unique culinary takes, and mouthwatering food—we know we’ll be looking for an excuse to come back.

ging e r lemonade—arrives.

The mason jar it’s served in perfectly fits the rustic feel of the restaurant and the drink itself features enough ginger to be memorable.

We leave Green Soul’s cozy environment with a sense of fulfillment. Many of its dishes are fairly pricey considering their size—so it’s not a place we would plan on frequenting regularly. But reflecting on the friendly wait staff, warm

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Weekend Dinner: Friday—Saturday: 5 p.m.—11 p.m.

Happy Hour: Tuesday— Friday: 5 p.m.—7 p.m.

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DINING GUIDE

Jes s

Ta n|

De sig n

Ed ito r

I Love to Cook, and It’s Not Because My Mom Taught Me How a little bit of free time and patience steered me into the kitchen.

KELSEY WARREN

Before coming to college, I could confidently prepare three kinds of food for myself: pasta, sautéed vegetables, and smoothies. During high school, I felt like this was more than enough to sustain me for the rest of my life. If not, I used to tell my mom that I hoped I’d make enough money to have a personal chef.

I never wanted to prepare, cook, or clean up meals. Oh, how the times have changed.

I’m not sure where my aversion to cooking came from. My best guess is that in high school, I was always in a rush, so cooking seemed like a luxury I couldn’t afford. I often needed to eat in the ten–minute windows between school and practice. My mom is a great cook, but I never thought deeply about eating her food because at the end of the day—it was a race to eat my dinner so I could get back to my homework.

When asked to help with preparations for dinner, I would groan. To me, cooking was housework, and I wasn’t a fan.

I would peel potatoes, cut the ends off of green beans, and chop onions. I would even make my brothers shuck corn for me in return for favors. I hated it that much.

It’s not that my mom never taught me to cook. If I would’ve asked to learn, she would have been excited to help me. But I never did.

My mom tells me I’m impatient. As the oldest of three younger brothers, I’ve become accustomed to waiting for things to happen: waiting for them to be old enough to talk to, to get their shoes on to leave the house, to get down the ski slopes. I’ve never been good at waiting for meals at restaurants, or for breaks from school. I guess I’ve never wanted to cook with her, because I was impatient and hated having to be told what to do.

This past summer, with more free time after graduating from high school, and with the anticipation of only eating out of dining halls, I became more eager to cook. I made a smoothie every morning and perfected my recipes. I made chickpea pasta combinations almost every day for lunch. I had no idea what I was doing. I experimented. One day, I’d add capers and lemon, and the next day, it would just be lemon and tomato sauce. I began to tell how much oil the vegetables needed in order to be cooked, how the pasta felt when it was ready, and what the aroma

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was when my creation was ready to be eaten. I’d never been told how much to salt things or how to cook veggies. I flipped the veggies like I’d seen my dad flip bacon—it was often a mess. I would spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning, forcing my mom or brothers to try what I had made. It was nothing special, but it was something I had created on my own: no recipes, no instruction.

Something clicked during the first semester at Penn. All of a sudden I was craving a kitchen environment. While talking to my college house director one night at a house–wide dinner, she mentioned that I could cook in her apartment for her, her husband, and eight of my friends. I took up the opportunity—despite still only knowing how to cook pasta, veggies, and smoothies—and we set a date.

My friend and I came up with a menu: pesto pasta (I was confident I could cook that, at least), chicken, and Brussels sprouts.

We ended up getting a pre– seasoned chicken to keep things safe. We went to their apartment in the Quad an hour before everyone else and starting cooking.

I’d ask her for oil, salt, pepper,

butter, etc. I cut the Brussels sprouts and seasoned them as I’d done at home. Still, without any real knowledge on the proper way to cook, I rolled with it. I added dates, capers, bacon, and lemon. It was a random collection of ingredients—things that I thought would work well together. I got lucky. It ended up really good.

That night changed me. I was cooking for ten people, in a kitchen I’d never been in, and without any knowledge of how to cook what I was cooking. I told a friend who wasn’t at the dinner about this afterwards, and she was astounded that I’d had the confidence to do that without a repertoire of recipes.

The conversations that we had at that dinner in the Quad made me so happy. I loved Penn, but I was missing a homestyle forum.

We talked about school and family while sharing home–cooked food, and went in for second and third servings.

Suddenly, I was enveloped in cooking. I went home for winter break and made cookies, my Brussels sprouts recipe, and plenty of pasta. I even tried to follow some recipes.

Over spring break, I cooked

dinner for my extended family.

I bought cod, pasta, and carrots to prepare. Following a recipe for the first time in my life, I pan–cooked the cod in a bath of chickpea, onions, mint, and oil. With the pasta, I thought about what might taste good and put it on top: garlic, parsley, salt, and butter. I also tried to replicate Magic Carpet's cookies by adjusting a recipe for oatmeal applesauce cookies. In the end, as I was running out of time (amateur mistake!), my mom prepared the carrots and my brother made the cookies, but all under my instructions. I even felt fancy, and put out some burrata with crackers and olive oil. Is that how it is served? I’m not sure, but my family liked it!

Bobby Flay would be insulted by my technique, but my family and friends love my cooking, whether they know I’m improvising or not. And it makes me love it too.

Figuring out how to cook on my own has made me more confident. I may not know the proper techniques, but I’m confident that that will come with time.

Some might call it bullshitting, but I call it finesse.

DINING GUIDE

Ellen Yin: Consultant Turned Restauranteur

Street spoke to Yin about her entrepreneurial "itch to expand."

BY JOHNNY VITALE

In the days before a gentrified Fishtown, when Old City was Center City’s furthest frontier, Ellen Yin opened Fork at 306 Market Street. It was 1997, and not many restaurants could be found between Broad Street and the waterfront. Yin’s goal was just to stay open for a year. Today, Fork is critically acclaimed, and Yin is the founder and co– owner of High Street Hospitality Group, which manages five successful restaurants.

She was drawn to restaurants from a young age, inspired by her mother’s entertaining at home. Her first job was working at a local Chinese restaurant near her hometown of Robson, New Jersey. Upon feeling that she had mastered her work there, she took her next step up the ladder at a French restaurant just around the corner.

For Yin, a restaurant is more than a place to clock in and clock out, aimlessly fulfilling her duties. It's an enticing performance: “I kind of had this feeling that a restaurant is like a show,” she says. “I always felt like I was meeting new people from different walks of life and different socioeconomic backgrounds.

There was something about that which appealed to me.”

Enamored with restaurants, Yin began dreaming about one day owning her own. So, when the time came for her to go to college, Yin chose Penn for two reasons: First, if she would one day would go on to own a restaurant, she thought a Wharton education might prove helpful in understanding business. And second, Penn was close enough to home that she could easily commute back to work at the French restaurant.

While pursuing her degree in

management, she found work as a server and bartender at University City’s La Terrasse. Her three days a week there exposed her to a Philadelphia community she’d come to love.

When Yin graduated, she knew she didn’t want to leave Philadelphia. “There’s something about the community here that I really liked,” she recalls. “ All of my friends from the restaurant lived in Philly, so that social component was important for me.”

Though the thought of opening a restaurant remained in the back of her mind, she took a job at a local advertising agency.

Quickly dismayed after learning “what the advertising agency was all about,” she took a sales job at the American Heart Association. Eventually she returned to Penn’s campus to pursue her masters degree in Healthcare Administration all the while thinking to herself: Is this really what I want to do, or would I rather just open a restaurant?

Many a dream has been deferred for a consulting job, and Yin’s case was no different. “Everyone’s going into consulting and investment banking,” she remembers herself thinking. “I might as well try it.” She started out working for Coopers & Lybrand but found the bureaucracy inherent to large corporations unappealing. She knew she “didn’t fit into this large company mold,” so she would move on to work for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Still, she wasn’t satisfied.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, Yin’s dream of owning a restaurant never died. In her early thirties, she and her Wharton classmate, Roberto Sella (WG'93), made the decision to open Fork in Old City. At the time, the

neighborhood was just beginning to gain traction. Some might’ve considered it a bold move to open a restaurant in Old City, but Yin saw the empty space as an opportunity.

“There was not much competition there,” she says. “You could walk from City Hall to the riverfront and there were maybe three restaurants until you’d get to Old City.”

Yin recalls that after eight months, Fork started to become a destination. Exceeding her expectations, Fork celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017 and remains a staple of Philadelphia dining today. But Yin has contributed more than one restaurant to the Philly food scene. The way Yin sees it, “entrepreneurs always have an itch

to expand.” She’d go on to open Fork:etc, a bakery and prepared foods store, in 2004.

Though she decided to close Fork:etc in 2013, Yin converted the space into High Street on Market, a restaurant and bak- Photo provided by Ellen Yin ery that prides itself on serving delicious parent—she was nominated for meals all day. Her impetus for the James Beard restaurateur of founding High Street Hospital- the year award in 2018—she’s ity Group, an executive search quick to deflect praise towards firm specializing in the hospital- those whom she works with: ity industry, was an offer to take “Really, the people on our team over a.kitchen in Rittenhouse. are what have made me sucNow HSHG manages five res- cessful,” she says. “So for them, taurants, including High Street these types of awards really give Provisions at Franklin’s Table. focus, direction, and recognition Though the success she’s had so that they know their work is over the years is more than ap- acknowledged.”

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DINING GUIDE

My True Love's Name is Earl Grey How I fell for a steamy cup of citrusy leaf water

BY SOPHIE BURKHOLDER

I think I’m in love. His name is Earl, and we’ve been together for about eight months now.

He’s always there for me. He takes me as I am even when I’m strung out on another man. In fact, he’s sitting alongside me as I write this. Sometimes we meet in cafes just far enough off campus that we don’t run into any unwanted familiar faces. In the warmer months, we savor long afternoons together in the courtyard of museums on the Parkway. But these days, our rendezvous tend to occur around midnight on the first floor of the Van Pelt Library, at those long tables by the big open windows. Appearing to me through a metallic purple vessel, Earl brings me a ro-

mantic solace, gently keeping me awake through the most distressing of lab reports with a soft and mild dose of caffeine.

Yes, I’m talking about Earl Grey tea.

I can’t remember when it was that we first met, but I remember the others that came before him. Oh yes, there were many.

True love, after all, is so hard to find. The journey to that sweet happiness is long and arduous.

In fact, I can hardly remember when I first made the switch from abhorring tea to letting it bring the power to my life that it now does. I think it may have been in the midst of a particularly bad cold somewhere around my middle school years, when my mother and doctors

advised a diet of tea and soup.

The latter was no problem— who doesn’t love that parching salty tang of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle? But tea? No, thank you! Keep that bitter–ass, dirty water away from me!

But alas, the cold turned feverish and, briefly bedridden, I grew desperate for a cure. My sister somehow managed to look past my devilish appearance (bless her), and offered up some of her prized loose–leaf, grapefruit–infused hibiscus green tea to enliven my immune system. Simultaneously tart and floral, I could taste every last ingredient listed on the canister this amalgamation of dried leaves, flower petals, and citrus slices lived in before

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blossoming into the steaming magenta drink before me.

I digress. The point is that since despising the idea of tea, my taste buds meandered their way to a complete infatuation.

For a long time, I alternated between green or chamomile tea, sometimes experimenting with minty or fruity blends, but never straying from the base of those two categories.

But then I went to Dobrá Tea cafe. And it changed my relationship to tea forever.

Nestled in a small neighborhood of my hometown, this cafe feels as otherworldly as its tea list. With hanging beads, low lighting, mosaic–topped tables, colorful floor pillows, and the warm incense–like smell that emanated from every freshly brewed blend, each moment spent inside felt like pure magic.

Dobrá became a hub of mine, and each time I visited, I selected a new tea to try. After months of avoiding the black tea section because of its notably higher caffeine levels, I gave in to a cup of Darjeeling Himalaya, which may or may not have also been influenced by some superior hipster feelings associated with the watching of a Wes Anderson movie. From there, it was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon Earl Grey.

We were just friends at first, the kind you would actually stop and say hello to on the street for a few minutes, maybe run into at a party here and there, but really only a level or

two up from casual acquaintance. The shift began last August. My family and I spent a week at a quaint hotel on a beach in Maryland at the close of each summer, and at 3:00 p.m. daily, they served high tea to guests. My two sisters and I would run up early from the beach to beat the line, and then retreat to a group of rocking chairs armed with blueberry scones and lightly sugared cups of iced black tea. But last time, despite the 80–degree weather, we all chose the hot tea instead, garnished with only a small wedge of lemon. The slight zest of citrus gave those cups a whole new life of flavor, one that was much harder to taste in the sweetened iced version.

This same citrus is what brought me to the loving arms of Earl Grey, a black tea infused with the oil of bergamot, a fruit that's a blend between a sweet lime and a bitter orange and grows in the winter in Calabria, Italy. Gorgeous, I know. Since fully discovering its beauty, I’ve tended infrequently towards variations like the London Fog, an Earl Grey tea latte with a hint of vanilla, and loose–leaf blends like Lady Grey, which mixes the usual blend with vibrantly blue cornflower petals.

Most days though, I prefer to hang out with the classic Earl— easy, simple, no surprises.

It’s cute to talk about tea like this, to personify it, and speak of its comfort and reliability as if it were actually another human being. But I really do believe there is a bit of truth to

DINING GUIDE

from the constant voyeurism of our media–centric world, one that always leaves me wondering if I should be more adventurous, take more risks, live more freely.

But tea takes this away. Tea calms me down, steaming away these anxieties as I realize that not every day can be an exciting whirlwind of energy, that it’s okay to feel a little bored sometimes in what are supposed to be the most exhilarating years of my life. Adding time for tea has given me the power to see the mysterious enchantments of a quiet golden evening in my backyard or morning

hours passed with Woolf and a grapefruit in my pinstriped bed sheets or even a sunny mid–morning walk to class.

This still–developing patience teaches me to crave those clichéd moments of youthful catharsis without wanting to skip over the sadness or boredom that will sometimes come in between—to instead welcome those moments as an equally beautiful facet of life. Joni Mitchell put it better when she sang, “There’ll be icicles and birthday clothes and sometimes / There’ll be sorrow.” And through it all, I know that Earl will be there.

Anne Chen | Illustrator

that notion. There is a patience and a purpose in tea. It comes not just from drinking it, but the entire process of brewing it—of crafting a blend from groups of different leaves, of spooning out just the right amount into a loose–leaf in-

fuser, of selecting an appropriate mug for the occasion (my current favorite is a shade of sunset orange), of watching the rich colors of orange or pink or green or yellow bleed out from the infuser into the rest of the mug—it’s poetic and everlast-

ing.

Like nearly everyone I know, I struggle with the social pressure of wondering whether I’m doing enough—and I don’t mean professionally. I’m talking about that twinge in the back of your brain that comes

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DINING GUIDE

R&D: A Treat for Your Ears, Eyes, and Tastebuds The perfect place to unwind and imbibe.

Lily Snider The glass door swings open, and live jazz music emanates from the four–piece band on a low stage in the back right corner. The guitar, upright bass, saxophone, and drum set pulse out a melody that’s both sexy and soft, much like the interior of this newly opened bar. “Go to E–minor,” coos one of the musicians.

There is often live jazz at R&D—a bumping bar right in the hub of Fishtown, whose minimalistic, mysterious name stands for “Research and Development.” Musicians can be found playing roughly once a week, normally on Wednesdays, which luckily happens to be tonight. The presence of live music is unsurprising in a place like this—it matches the vibes of every other detail in the bar, all of which are authentically sultry.

The room is open but intimate, with the retro square bar occupying the majority of the space in the center. The furniture is all dark wood and black booths, while the light is a vibrant pink that could make anyone’s skin look sleeker and softer. It pours out of geometric orbs interspersed across the lowish–hanging ceiling—think big bubbles, but make it sexy.

R&D opened this October, after being closed for two and a half months as it was being renovated—you see, before there was R&D, there was Root, a wine bar and sister restaurant to Suraya. While much of the food from this sister restaurant remains a staple of the R&D bar snack menu, Root closed in August largely due to the small size of its kitchen. To partner Aaron Deary, the switch to a committed cocktail bar made much

more strategic sense—and so the space was quickly converted, and the bar hasn’t looked back since.

The three small plates are brought out by Deary, a charming Irishman with tattooed arms and a tangible passion for his work. The heirloom popcorn is flavored with togarashi and lime, and is the perfect quintessential

American alcohol culture. The current menu is 1950s–themed, a time period in our history that conversely, is famed for tacky drinks that are typically tough to swallow. R&D boldly chose this theme with the goal of taking these drinks’ vile reputations and turning them on their heads.

Through masterful bartending,

The ice cubes within each of these drinks are huge and pristine. The one within the White Russian even has the bar’s name embossed across its top edge.

R&D’s ice cubes aren’t like other ice cubes—they’re sliced out of gigantic three–foot–by–four– foot–by–three–inch slabs of ice given to them by the local com-

Elanor Shemtov | Photographer

light bar snack. The hummus, served with pita chips and cashew dukkah, is a subtle twist on a beloved classic. And the whipped ricotta, served with date syrup, almonds, and flax crackers, is almost addictive.

While you might come to R&D for the drinks, you will stay for the food.

R&D shares much of its food with its sister restaurants. But the kill cocktails are the staple here.

The drink menu is extensive, and it shifts seasonally, adopting a new theme. Their first menu was 1920s–themed, to invoke the roaring, prohibited peak in

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near obsession with customer experience, and distinct spins on classic recipes, they succeed.

The first drink of the night is the Old Fashioned, and it’s the smoothest of its kind that I’ve ever tried. It goes down easy with an expertly balanced ratio.

The exact same is true of R&D’s White Russian—which, according to the bartender, takes 24 to 48 hours to make. This is because the milk mix part of it goes through an extensive fat–extraction process, resulting in a beverage that is clear—it’s a an entirely unique version of the normally thick, milky drink.

thing called the “3 Martini Lunch.” Arriving in three miniature martini glasses, the drink— or rather, experience—consists of an appetizer called The Vesper, an entreé called The Gibson, and a dessert called The Martinez—all in martini form.

The Vesper is citrusy, fruity, and light, made with gin, vodka, and some other type of magic.

The Gibson is aromatic, emanating Earl–Gray–like scents, but saltier. It is the closest of the three to the classic dirty martini, but instead of olive brine, onion brine is used and the drink is garnished with a cocktail onion.

The Martinez is tall, dark, and handsome. Crafted from R&D’s own sweet vermouth, a maraschino cherry, and some other sensual secrets, this drink tastes like the bar itself, if it were liquidized and poured into a classy little glass.

R&D is pretty much everything a college student looking to get off campus could ask for in a bar: it’s intimate, unceasingly vibey, and located right in the heart of Fishtown. Get there before their 1950s menu is through, and you’ll definitely find yourself heading back again for their next theme, Tiki.

“This place is dope,” calls a white–haired man from the end of the bar as the night comes to a close. He’s absolutely right.

pany, Frank’s Ice, that churns these pieces out of a machine called a clinebell. Sometimes they are even cut from remnants of Frank’s ice sculptures. They call this process the “cracked ice” method—while many restaurants would never use it due to how much time it takes, R&D is willing to put in the time to TL;DR: R&D is way more craft ice that makes smoother sophisticated than any bar drinks. It’s classic for them to on campus. use one thick ice cube, never Hours: Mon.—Sat.: 5:30 multiple. It melts slower, makp.m.—1 a.m. ing the drinking experience last Sun.: Closed longer.

Location: 1206 Frankford The final round of drinks Avenue brought to the table is somePrice: $$

DINING GUIDE

In The Valley: Where Tastes Amazing This French–inspired American wine bar will have you rethinking your relationship with meat.

Daniel Bulpitt

Alice Deng | Photographer

When I visited In the Valley, I had to quickly dash inside to hide from the rainstorm outside.

Yet, the calming ambiance of the bar immediately set the mood for a sophisticated culinary experience. The bistro– style string lights combined with steampunk lightbulb fixtures sets the vibe for this wine bar: eclectic, French–touched, with offerings that dredge up ingredients and palates previously unimagined or forgotten. This spot is the sister bar to Laurel, and is located next door on Passyunk and 11th.

With the menu ranging from koji–cured seafood to venison meatballs, each option represents a one–of–a– kind small plate that embraces its own eccentricity. As a date night spot, In the Valley could be a fun adventure in cuisine, where romantic low lights and shared portions lend themselves to a new foray between you and another. There’s even a kicking drink menu to boot—after all, this is a wine bar. I went with a friend, a photographer for Street.

We decide to sample the beef fat biscuit, koji–cured tuna, chicken liver stroopwafel, and smoked trout rillettes.

The biscuit came first, and the tallow–based flavor profile of the pastry stood out in stark contrast to the sweet honey butter paired with it. As some-

body w h o doesn’t typically eat red meat, this pastry immediately triggered thoughts of the last steak I had—probably four years ago at this point—and gave me a sense of FOMO for beef ’s deep, earthy flavor. At just four dollars, this biscuit is a must.

Next came the koji–cured tuna, which was the biggest letdown of the meal. After watching Bon Appetit’s videos about koji—a sort of molded rice used to make various fermented Japanese dishes—this dish piqued my curiosity the most out of the whole menu.

However, when sampled, the fish imparted the slightly pungent flavor of low tide, while the sauce had only a whisper of citrus to it, leading me to believe the koji itself was lost on the tuna. Definitely steer clear.

After an unpleasant encounter with fish, I started to worry about my choice in the chicken liver stroopwafel. However, after one bite, it was clear that ITV regained all credibility.

Although the plating left me unimpressed, the tender, salty notes of the liver pate contrasted the sweet fruitiness of the blackberry agrodolce in a fury, all while the stroopwafel wafer delivered a satisfying crunch with caramel undertones. This plate was an appetizer and

dessert all in one that I’m still thinking about—an absolute must for any ITV visit.

Finally, my adventure through In the Valley’s menu concluded with the smoked trout rillettes—suggested by the server for its universal appeal in both flavor and plating.

When it came, I wasn’t disappointed. As if your morning bagel and lox went to culinary school, the creamy fish atop a perfectly–toasted sliver

of pumpernickel with effervescent roe was a surprisingly hearty end to the meal.

All in all, In the Valley offered me a unique perspective on small plate dining. While some of the options were so–so, I would strongly recommend the spot to anyone looking for something completely distinct from the type of food we’re accustomed to in Philly—that is, somebody with an adventurous palate.

TL;DR: An adventurous, eclectic, and sultry wine bar with small plates to share, perfect for any date night.

Location: 11th and Passyunk Hours: Sun.—Thurs.: 5 p.m.— 12 a.m.

Fri.—Sat.: 5 p.m.—2 a.m.

Price: $$$

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DINING GUIDE

Try Five–Star Dining from a College Dorm with the Supper Club Supper Club hosts Leah Sprague and Xander Gottfried discuss cooking on campus, improvisation, and food as a career.

CHELSEY ZHU Crisp sourdough bread, kale, and roasted mushrooms flavored with black garlic vinegar and pickled mustard seed. Soft– shelled cavatelli pasta baked in parsley cream cheese and skillet–seared eggplant. Warm slices of olive oil cake garnished with fresh figs, with a side of fior di latte gelato that adds a pure, sweet aftertaste.

These dishes sound like they belong in a restaurant with four dollar signs on Yelp, but they were actually made in a Harrison kitchen. At Supper Club, Penn students can experience extravagant, experimental, multi–course dining in the comfort of a college dorm, starting at $20–$30 per person.

Penn’s Supper Club began in February of 2018 as a way for co–founders Leah Sprague (C ‘18) and Jennifer Higa (C ’20) to build a strong community around good food.

“It was really to have an excuse to invite people over, cook a lot of food,” Leah says.

She started a closed Facebook group, Supper Club, that anyone can join with admin approval. In the beginning, the events were mostly casual.

People came to potluck parties, bagel picnics, cookie bake–offs, and a Pi Day celebration featuring home–baked pies. For most events, people could either bring their own recipes or pay a small amount of money, like $2 for the cookie bake–off.

Today, the Facebook group has grown to 144 members, with events occurring one to three times a month. Leah says a unique mix of people (anywhere from a handful to as many as 25) come to every event, their only commonality being their appetite.

Last semester, Supper Club changed the game of cooking at Penn as dedicated chef Xander Gottfried (C ’21) began hosting multi–course, fine dining events. Xander was a freshman when he joined Supper Club last year. Frustrated with his limited kitchen options in the Quad and bored with dining hall food, Xander used Supper Club’s events to reconnect with his love of cooking. For Pi Day, Xander stretched his resources to bring a quality pie to the event, determined not to let his lack of a kitchen limit him.

“I made the filling literally on

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the table in my dorm room,” he says. He evokes the mental image of a young Xander shoving everything off his desk and coating the surface with flour, flattening pie dough with his chemistry textbook.

Now in Harrison College House with his own kitchen, Xander has gotten the opportunity to take his cooking to the next level. In addition to casual events, Supper Club has added “Vol. II” to the group’s menu, a series of fancy dinners made from scratch by Xander and helpers. Leah, now graduated, is still a member and often helps Xander with planning and executing his dinners.

For Vol. II events, Xander brainstorms the menu with friends as far as a month or two in advance. He usually crafts three to six courses from appetizer to dessert. In the weeks leading up to the event, he spends upwards of 20 hours shopping, preparing ingredients, taste–testing dishes, and actually cooking the meal.

For the dinner, Xander, Leah, and friends replicate an authentic dining experience by acting as servers, complete with individual plating and water refills.

Leah even lays down a white tablecloth (sometimes improvising with bedsheets).

The elegance of Vol. II has garnered attention on campus and elsewhere, leading to interesting and experimental collaborations. For Vol. II No. II, the Supper Club’s second multi–course dinner, Pennsylvania–based Keepwell Vinegar donated six bottles of its best vinegar.

Xander used a different bottle for each of the six courses,

Photos Courtesy of Penn Supper Club

resulting in some funky, innovative dishes. This included bitter lemon vinegar ice cream sandwiches with black pepper macarons for dessert. He offered straight “vinegar shots” from the bottle for his guests to sample.

Xander laughs as he mentions that not many took him up on the offer.

For Vol. II No. III, Xander collaborated with Nick McManus, a line cook from Serpico who found the club on Instagram. Since the Supper Club is not affiliated with Penn, Xander says Nick was surprised to find out that it was a student group.

The two chefs' combined four– course meal featured dishes like pork belly lacquered in pomegranate kombucha syrup.

Supper Club only charges enough to essentially break even. “Ultimately, I just want to get people together and have a lot of great food, so the cost doesn’t really matter,” Leah says.

If people find the price of Vol. II too steep, there are still plenty of other events that only cost a few dollars.

Supper Club has shaped the way Leah and Xander think about cooking. Leah credits the events with allowing her to

grow her love of baking. She has fond memories of staying up until 3 a.m. making bagels for the group’s bagel picnic in Clark Park last year. Leah says that she was “mildly delirious at the end” of the night.

Xander has also gotten the opportunity to improvise. “Supper Club has really helped me with coming up with different recipes, working with different ingredients, using new techniques,” he says. For both hosts, being involved with the organization is just a small part of the impact food has had on their lives.

Xander also works as a line cook for Abe Fisher and serves as the managing editor of Penn Appétit, Penn’s student–run food magazine. A biochemistry major, he is considering combining his passions for cooking and STEM through a career in food science.

Leah was creative director for Penn Appétit last year, and she currently works on the marketing team for Starr Restaurants.

“Whatever I do later, I want it to revolve around food and restaurants,” she says. “At the end of the day, I think food just brings people together, and that was my inspiration for Supper Club.”

DINING GUIDE

BUK CHON:

A Modern Showcase of Korean Classics

Discover the best of traditional Korean cuisine in this contemporary setting.

ai | Photographer ia D h p So

Modern–it’s easy to be wary of the term when used to describe a cuisine that’s often best enjoyed in its most traditional and home–cooked form. But Buk Chon Korean Cuisine doesn't lose sight of the rich flavors that characterize authentic Korean food. Instead, its contemporary approach is seen most clearly in its artful decor and beautiful presentation.

Our first impression was that of a relaxed neighborhood joint, a friendly atmosphere well– suited for its Old City location.

K–pop music crooned at a low volume, making easily audible the sounds of nearby conversation and the glass clinking of iced teas. The restaurant is perfect for a casual date night or a small group of friends, especially since it's also BYOB. But don’t expect to get rowdy in this quiet setting—a bottle of soju is all you’ll need.

Their menu isn’t expansive by any means, but it’s perfect if you’ve never tried Korean food before. Showcasing the most objectively popular classics, from bulgogi— mari-

nated and grilled slices of beef or pork—to Korean fried chicken, from mild scallion pancakes to

spicy stews, you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose.

Only two items are exclusive to their restaurant–the spicy pork bun and the oyster fries, both of which we immediately decided upon for appetizers. We also ordered the bibimbap, a rice dish with rib–eye beef, and the soft tofu stew. The food arrived in quick succession as we sipped on sweet lychee iced teas.

The oyster fries are presented with a gochujang–mayonnaise, but we preferred to dip them in plain gochujang sauce for an extra kick. The mayo tempered the heat of the gochujang—a red chili paste that is spicy yet sweet—in a way that the typical American palate might respond to, but we didn’t love the combination. Unfortunately, the oyster fries, while a fun textural experience, didn’t meet our high expectations as the crunchy panko breading gave way to a soft but entirely flavorless oyster inside.

On the other hand, the spicy pork buns were delightfully unique, due in part to the owner’s choice to use Taiwanese sweet buns. The sweetness of the pan– fried bun and the spiciness of the crispy pork belly tucked inside, balanced by a light layer of lettuce, all worked in tandem to create a memorable flavor. This Asian fusion treat exemplifies Buk Chon’s contemporary approach and cannot be missed. Have it as an appetizer, then order it again as dessert.

As for the main courses, they arrived piping hot. The rice in the bibimbap was still sizzling in its hot stone pot.

A colorful assortment of stir–

fried vegetables, including bean sprouts, bell peppers, pickled radish, carrots, snow peas, and edamame lay artfully on top of a bed of rice. Topped with a sunny–side–up egg and a generous amount of juicy bulgogi, the dish looked aesthetically pleasing long enough for us to snap a few photos. Then we made quick work of mixing the contents together so that each bite had a nuanced combination of rich flavors. Tinged with soy sauce and spice, this dish was absolutely delicious. The heat of the stone bowl makes the rice stick to the sides—scrape it off for extra crunch.

But for those who crave spice, their soft tofu stew (also known as soondubu) will disappoint on

LIZ KIM

that particular front. But despite the mild flavor of the stew, it’s still a filling and delicious meal, with generous portion of silken soft tofu swimming in a mix of seafood, pork, and chicken broth. It comes with a bowl of jasmine rice sprinkled with furikake. As far as Korean comfort food goes, it’s a classic that’s hard to mess up, but for all its savory flavor, it has a unsatisfying lack of heat.

Buk Chon is perfect for those looking to be introduced to the traditional cuisine with its careful selection of Korean classics, each dish beautifully presented to match the restaurant’s stylish decor. It may not be the most authentic, but when it tastes this good, who cares?

TL;DR: A delicious introduction to Korean food in a quiet, contemporary setting.

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This unbelievably juicy Smokehouse Burger is made entirely of plants & it’s right in University City

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DINING GUIDE

Take it Easy at Over Easy Breakfast Club This off–the–beaten–path brunch spot offers • decadent takes on classic dishes.

Scraps of trash bump and move across the pavement like tumbleweeds—past the barren tree, past the large cardboard box on the curb and two trash bags. Kensington is chilly—I hug myself as I walk—but inside the Over Easy Breakfast Club, my hands begin to warm up.

It’s late morning on a Friday, and the restaurant is decently full. It’s apparently a popular time for regulars. They’re an aesthetically peculiar bunch (two of nine patrons don beanies), which makes sense as this is an aesthetically peculiar brunch spot (we’re surrounded

by drop lights and plants). The host hands us a crinkled paper menu: “Over Easy Breakfast Club, Est. 2018.”

This joint might be young, but it certainly knows how to brunch. We start off with the Monkey Bread ($5)—a golden brown loaf the size of a small melon. Like most of the bread offered here, the Monkey Bread is sourced from Kensington– based Lost Bread Co., located only a mile away. The Monkey Bread stews in a pool of warm caramel, prepared à la the chef’s great–great–great–grandparent’s recipe. It’s warm, sufficiently sweet, and pulls apart

angie lin

with ease, making it a perfect starter to share. Glistening and crunchy on the outside, flaky on the inside. The flavors deepen when I spoon on the caramel sauce.

The Monkey Bread is followed by the pancakes ($9), a dense triple–stack of griddled batter. The pancakes are adorned with a handful of assorted berries, sugar dust, syrup, and a metal tin of whipped walnut honey butter. They’re a tad salty and less fluffy than I’m used to. For a restaurant to goof on such a breakfast basic would be a red flag. Luckily for Over Easy, the pancakes are other-

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wise pretty solid. They pass.

The Yelp headliner, the star of the show, however, is the Dinosaur Egg ($16). It’s one of the pricier items on the menu, and certainly the most hyped.

This prehistoric concoction consists of an egg wrapped in an avocado wrapped in bacon.

At $16, you’re paying for an admittedly ambitious concept, but Over Easy pulls it off.

Sidled with toast of choice and rested upon a mound of arugula, the Dinosaur Egg pleases both palate and Instastory. The avocado offers zero resistance to the gentle dig of a fork, and the over easy egg inside melts just as easily. The strips of bacon wrapped around the entire contraption are as smoky as they are crispy, which is to say: delicious. When you slice the whole thing open— quickly, diagonally—wisps of heat escape. It’s a visual phenomenon that tastes nearly as good as it looks.

Our die–hard campus

bruncherías have served us well, but Philly has more to offer. Over Easy Breakfast Club is but a twenty–minute Septa ride away; in other words, twenty minutes from some quality morning noms. It’s a very small price to pay.

TL;DR: Brunch off the beaten path. No ragrets.

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DINING GUIDE

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY: A Worthwhile Special Occasion Spot Sharable plates and an upscale vibe define this Rittenhouse hotspot.

ANNABELLE WILLIAMS

It’s 5:15 p.m. on a Wednesday, and Friday Saturday Sunday, Rittenhouse’s tucked–away gem of elevated American food, isn’t as crowded as you might expect. It’s one of the harder reservations to snag in Philly, and we’re here to see if the food is worth the wait.

Ambiance–wise, Friday Saturday Sunday fits well in the bi–level townhouse it occupies.

It’s reminiscent of the townhouse from the Gossip Girl series finale, somewhere your fanciest relative might host Thanksgiving. Tufted leather chairs and soft lighting lend a touch of hominess, and waiters in matching black suspenders and white shirts swirl through the restaurant asking if there’s anything they can recommend.

The walls upstairs are covered in realistic paintings of Greco–Roman seeming architecture and bathed in candlelight–a seemingly random choice, but it works. The restaurant itself is far enough away from Rittenhouse Square to feel removed from the hustle, but close enough to walk right to it.

We’ve requested a table by the window, and as we settle in to the corner,

our waiter comes over. He’s a good sport about the camera rigging and our insistence on getting “photogenic” food, and recommends the Arctic char from the raw bar ($17), the confit carrots ($13), and the roasted chicken ($25).

The char comes out surprisingly fast–or unsurprisingly, when you consider it isn’t cooked–bright pink, almost alive–seeming, swimming in a soup of the greenest cucumber green chiles and garnished with crispy nori. We dig in and drown the pieces of fresh fish in the sauce, finishing it quickly and feeling, if not full, at least amuse–bouched.

The carrots and the chicken come out together, vibrant oranges on both plates playing off each other–carrot yogurt on one side and butternut squash garnish on the other. The carrots taste like fall, sweetly glazed and crunchy but with enough give that you can tell they’ve been slow–roasted. A burnt coconut crumble on top of the carrots adds to the sweetness and gives a little extra texture.

We swirl them in the carrot yogurt and alternate bites of the chicken. And that chicken. It’s perfectly roasted, a portion big enough to share, topped with broccolini and accented with butternut squash puree. We tear into it.

Though it’s early spring, it feels decadent and wintry, the kind of food best eaten near a roaring fire with a hefty glass of red wine.

With our three plates to share –two small and one main–we

come away feeling full but not stuffed, having spent more money than is advisable on any given Wednesday night. As we walk down the stairs, we pass couples on dates, patrons sitting quietly at the bar, and a smiling staff in minimalist quasi–uniforms. Friday Saturday Sunday isn’t for every day (hence the name) and you definitely can’t wear sweatpants, but if you can snag a reservation and you have something to celebrate, it’s worth it.

Ethan Wu | Media Director

TL;DR: Come here to celebrate with some fancy classics done right — if you can get a table.

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DINING GUIDE

u r Gui de to P h i la de l ph i a B age ls o Y Who says New York has a monopoly on schmear?

By Karin Hananel

Jake Lem | Illustrator

Whether you’re cramming for an upcoming midterm, in a bad mood, or running to class and in need of a portable breakfast, Street’s got you covered with the definitive on–campus bagel roundup.

✰ Spread Bagelry ✰

Located right next to the Institute of Contemporary Art and Kings Court English College House, Spread Bagelry has an extensive, mostly–bagel menu, serving signature sandwiches, burgers, melts, and even hot dogs on bagels along with their classic homemade spreads. They put an emphasis on local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients, ensuring a high quality bagel experience where breadth (Ed. note: get it?) doesn’t compromise quality. All of Spread’s bagels are made Montréal–style, making them slightly smaller, denser, and sweeter in comparison to the classic New York–style. Additionally, Spread’s location on campus has a full bar if you’re looking to unload after a long day or have a boozy weekend brunch. There's an outdoor beer garden and patio in warmer months as well. Whatever bagel craving you have, it’ll be satisfied—from pizza–bagels to egg sandwiches to the ol’ standby: bagel with lox and cream cheese.

Address: 3602 Chestnut St.

✰ Essen Bakery ✰

Located in trendy East Passyunk, Essen Bakery is known for their decadent Jewish baked goods and James Beard semi–finalist founder, Tova du Plessis, Essen

has gained somewhat of a cult following for their bagels. They make one of the best New York–style bagels in town and make their own mixture of sourdough and rye to make a bagel that, even on its own, is out–of–this–world. Also, you can get one of four flavors they make (sesame, poppy seed, everything, and plain) with one of their homemade schmears, which are mixtures of cream cheese with scallions, veggies, or lox.

Address: 1437 E Passyunk Ave.

✰ South Street Philly Bagels ✰

A neighborhood mainstay of Queen Village for over 20 years, South Street Philly Bagels makes all of their bagels on the spot in their kitchen. South Street Philly Bagels doesn't just get to boast their homemade products, but also the crazy amount of options. Not only do they have classics like everything and sesame, but also bialy, chocolate chip, sun–dried tomato, and even french toast! Same goes for their cream cheese flavors, as they serve up inventive flavors like horseradish, pesto, apple raisin, and jalapeño, among others.

Address: 613 S 3rd St.

✰ Schmear It ✰

A noted campus food truck staple (founded by a Penn grad, Dave Fine), Schmear It has two accessible locations for bagel enjoyment near campus: a food truck that rotates its locations through campus (mostly staying on 38th and Locust), and a brick and mortar location on 36th and Market. Schmear It has a huge variety of bagel sandwiches, from five different types of egg sandwiches (some with egg and lox, others with various veggies, and one Greek–themed, made with spinach, onions, feta, olives, and tomatoes) to lunch sandwiches (turkey with avocado, caprese, tuna melt) to even dessert options (you could have s'mores or french toast in a bagel, people). However, they make it easy to customize your meal with an easy build–your–own part of the menu that lets you make your own schmear with several different types of cream cheese (vegan included!). If you’re looking for some kind of guidance with your bagel, they have several inventive schmears aside from the classics, including “Flaming Islander,” which features cream cheese, mango, and Sriracha, as well as “Philly Roll” which contains cream cheese, lox, cucumbers, wasabi, and soy sauce. Their menu is diverse and customizable.

Address: 3601 Market St. #5 (closer to Filbert St.)

✰ Philly Style Bagels ✰

Philly Style Bagels gained traction for offering up what they claimed as a better alternative to the New York–style bagel. The Philly Style bagel is boiled in beer.

They also have enough options that won't make you feel boxed in, but not so many that it's overwhelming. Flavors include cinnamon raisin, salt, garlic, and onion, among the classics as well. Along with spreads like jalapeño cream cheese and whitefish salad and vegan counterparts in the form of tofutti, Philly Style Bagels also offers up bagel sandwiches like hummus with onion, artichoke, and arugula and the Italian, which is made with three (!) types of cured meats along with provolone and arugula.

Address: 1451 E Columbia Ave. 2 2 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E M A R C H 27 , 2 01 9

DINING GUIDE

A Walk Through My Family's Weekly Shabbat Dinner Filled with blessings, challah bread, and jelly beans

By Allie Shapiro

And out come the jelly beans. Two tiny glass bowls filled to the rim with colorful sugary candies. This is how I know the meal is coming to an end.

Every Friday night since I can remember, my family gathers around the Shabbat table.

In my family, going out with friends on Friday night was just not an option. Instead, my entire house would be filled with my family, friends, and guests, all excited to bring in Shabbat.

Early in the night, I light Shabbat candles with my mother and sisters. We eventually sit down for dinner when schmoozing comes to a perfect breaking point (in a Jewish house, this will take forever).

I would first receive a special blessing from my father, in which he compares his three daughters to the matriarchs of our religion.

We then proceed to make Kiddush, the blessing over the wine, which differentiates Shabbat from any other day of the week and sanctifies the holiness of the day. Afterwards, we wash our hand with a ritual cup, before reciting the hamotzi, the blessing over the challah. Challah is the sweet delicious bread that makes almost

Jackie Lou | Illustrator

every Shabbat meal special to me.

To any person unfamiliar with the traditions, these practices appear solely as ritualistic practices. But for me, these performances signify the uniqueness of Shabbat, the differentiation of Friday from any other day of the week.

In high school and college, when every day feels like an exciting and exhausting whirlwind of new experiences, there was something extremely satisfying and grounding in knowing that every Friday night I am guaranteed to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal. I look forward to the drinking, the exorbitant amount of food, and the delicious desserts. I sit down, prepared to eat my fair share of challah for the week, munch on delicious vegetables, salads, soups, and meats, and soak in the songs and prayers of the week. At the end of every long week, it always feels like Shabbat comes at the perfect time.

Someone once asked me what makes my Shabbat dinners at home special. There are some basics at every Shabbat dinner. But in every family, there is something that makes their Shabbat different. Some

friends have told me that their challahs are homemade and filled with rainbow sprinkles.

Others perform a ritual where they take the challah and instead of cutting it, rip it and throw it around the table.

For me, it was those sug-

ary candies that always came to the table at the conclusion of every meal. While it seems inconsequential, it was a dish at my shabbat table that added so much color and sweetness. l have never seen it done anywhere else, so it felt unique

and special to my family. As I get older, and begin to bring in Shabbat in my own ways on campus, with challah, grape juice, and delicious food, I am continuously asking myself: what will make my meal just a little bit special?

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DINING GUIDE

Giuseppe & Sons is the New Kid on the Block Grab lunch or a fancier dinner at this new Italian–American eatery.

By Lily Snider

Giuseppe & Sons finds its home on the bustling 15th block of Sansom, a fresh face on a street already packed with eatery icons. Harp & Crown, Ladder 15, Oyster House, and Ocean Prime are only a few of the new restaurant’s big–name neighbors.

While the restaurant’s exterior is sleek and sultry, its location alone already begs the question: Who is this new kid on the block? And can it compete?

The short answer is yes—oh god yes, it can. The traditional American–Italian restaurant opened the week after Thanksgiving, marking the continuing

tain–clad staircase and passage through a narrow, arched hallway lined with travel photographs.

The entire interior is reminiscent of other Schulson restaurants— formal tables line the main floor, while slightly elevated areas boast cozy seating and comfy booths.

No matter its location, each table is adorned with little candles.

There’s a spot here for everyone.

The first course served from Giuseppe and Sons’ free–flowing kitchen is their classic meatballs and gravy (as in: delicious red sauce). The only adequate way to describe this dish is "supple as fuck." These three gorgeous

Anab Aidid | Photographer

expansion and success of Philadelphia restaurateur Michael Schulson, whose other restaurants include Sampan, Double Knot, Osteria, and Harp & Crown. These related establishments are all already well known for their vibey interiors, highly competent service, and most importantly, delicious food. While it may be the baby of the family, Giuseppe & Sons is no exception.

The restaurant is two floors— one at the ground entrance level that serves as a more casual space for lunchtime dining, and one below that sprawls into an elegant, warm–toned nighttime space that manages to feel airy and light while still secret and subterranean. This area is reached only after a descent down a cur-

spheres are exactly what you hope for when you order meatballs—gigantic, juicy, doused in gravy. More please, thank you, next.

The appetizers don’t stop there.

In fact—given the ultra–shareable, mix–and–match nature of the menu—they keep coming all night. The second to hit the table is the braised octopus, served with cannellini beans and an aioli subtly peppered with fennel and chili. The result is chewy and tangy with a welcome kick as the aftertaste. Third to the show are the “stuffed” artichoke hearts— yes, the menu lists their defining adjective in quotation marks, but it’s for good reason: more so than stuffed, these vegetables are lightly coated in breadcrumbs. Combined with a dash of lemon and

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dill, the dish is crunchy, light, and refreshing.

The main course of choice is the orecchiette: a medallion– shaped pasta topped with sweet sausage, balanced by bitter broccoli rabe, and finished in a soft garlic sauce. The dish is held up perfectly by two essential characteristics of a strong pasta: an even coating of subtle sauce, and a perfect, chewy consistency.

Now, let me be entirely honest—the other half of our main course is just two more appetizer dishes. There are simply so many appetizer options on the menu, they all look so good, the three that have been served up to this point have been fairly phenomenal, and convention is meant to be broken. If that weren’t enough, the man and woman at the neighboring table announce that you must not leave Giuseppe & Sons without trying the tomato pie. And they are absolutely right. The tomato pie comes out in a basket of thin, even strips that are warm to the touch. The sauce–to–crust ratio is immaculate, and every flavor of the sauce is soaked up by the bread itself, baked deep into the dough. These taste like the euphoric bagel bites of our childhood made a baby with Salvatore Ferragamo—or someone equally as sophisticated.

Plus, they only cost $5. These.

Are. Not. To. Be. Missed.

The final appetizer of the night is shrimp scampi, which comes dressed in a similar sauce to the artichokes. It has all of the flavor binaries that you look for

in a well—crafted dish: spicy but tangy, crunchy but chewy, filling but light. The scampi is pasta– free, but lacks nothing.

The meal is finished off with three decadent desserts: the lemon pie, the cannolis, and the banana cream pie. While the cannolis’ high quality is expected (this is an Italian place, people), the sheer massiveness of the pie slices and the richness of their fillings are welcome surprises. If any of these three desserts asked for my hand in marriage today, I would likely say yes.

It’s very simple: Giuseppe &

Sons is authentic American–Italian cuisine in an uplifting space on one of the best blocks of the city—and, for all of that, it comes at a reasonable price for a student. The appetizers range from $5 to $14, and the main courses begin at $12. Even more importantly, they offer an Aperitivo (read: Happy Hour) daily from 3 p.m. to close, during which the entire happy hour menu ranges from only $2 to $7—this is not a drill. Much like its stellar siblings, this place seems destined for a flourishing future and a huge fan following—deservedly so.

TL;DR: Giuseppe & Sons can compete with any restaurant on its block.

Location: 1523 Sansom Street Hours: Mon.—Tues.: 11 a.m.—10 p.m.

Wed.—Thurs.: 11 a.m.—11 p.m.

Fri.: 11 a.m.—12 a.m.

Sat.: 3 p.m.— 12 a.m.

Sun.: 3. p.m.— 10 p.m.

Price: $$

DINING GUIDE

Where to Go in the Italian Market It's not just about the pizza and pasta.

By Diya Sethi If you’re looking to take a step off campus, the Italian market is a guaranteed fresh food adventure.

Groceries Entering the Italian Market, I notice an array of grocery stores. There are two primary grocery stores that resemble the kinds of goods available at a Shoprite or Wegmans. The highlights are the more focused ones. There is a store dedicated to olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a tasting section included.

There are two main butcher shops, as well as a fish shop in the market, with slabs of meat hanging from the win-

dows. I have some vague flashbacks to an Adam Levine music video. Still, it's obvi-

Mona Lee | Photographer

ous that the food that can be purchased at these shops is fresh and of premium quality. The most enticing store is the cheese store, with miles and piles of cheese and wine scattered around the store.

The aroma feels overwhelming and leaves my stomach grumbling as I continue to travel around the market.

Restaurants There are four main restaurants littered around the market, including one Tex– Mex place. The other places are a window–shop pizza restaurant called “Lorenzo’s Pizza,” a closed family–style Italian location, “DeLuca’s Villa Di Roma,” and an upscale, candlelit dinner place. We choose to eat at the upscale location called the “Market on 9th.” The food at the restaurant was made from fresh ingredients, with fast and service.

Stands The market begins to close up as it reaches 5 p.m. However, outside the grocery store are stands for fresh vegetables, fruits, and other prod-

ucts. There were baskets upon baskets of green beans, zucchinis, apples, mangoes, and more. Across the street from the food stands is a range of stands filled with clothing items, children’s toys, and accessories. I was reminded of the Sunday market in Rome.

Shops The Italian Market is more than just food. “Betty Ann’s

Italian Market Florist” has an aroma of flowers emanating directly outside the door.

There are coffee and chocolate shops on every corner, fully lit with a warmth that drew us in. Some of the shops include “Anthony’s Italian Coffee House,” "Anthony’s Chocolate House," and “RIM Cafe.” Beyond that, “Mister John’s Music,” is filled with children ex-

ploring their love of music.

There is a happiness in the air surrounding the shops, complete with a hustle and bustle on the streets despite the 28—degree weather.

Whether you’re visiting the market for grocery purposes or for a fresh bite to eat, there’s no reason you should not be visiting the Italian market this spring semester.

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DINING GUIDE

Liberate Your Palate at Libertine 'Good eating, drinking, and fine hospitality'—Libertine’smottodoesnot disappoint.

SOPHIA SCHULZ-RUSNACKO Even on a Monday night, Libertine is packed.

The lively mood is apparent the second I walk into the restaurant. Immediately I’m struck by how colorful the restaurant looks. It's overwhelmingly pink—pink chairs, pink benches, and even pink napkins. Gawking at the abrasive color scheme, we take our seats, ready to see what other surprises Libertine has in store for us.

To begin, we ask our server for recommendations from the quirky, seasonal menu. Appetizers are listed as “snacks,” with entrées under “smaller” or “larger commitments.” He doesn’t skip a beat—“get the burger. The bun is to die for.” As a victim of peer–pressure, I abide.

While we wait for our food, a man clad in black approaches our table with a plate of complimentary (and delicious) steak tartare. We later realize that he is none other than owner/head chef Derek Davis. We watch him float from table to table, greeting every guest in the restaurant and delivering free bite– sized delights. If that’s not service, I don’t know what is.

For our appetizer, we order the panko–crusted Thai chicken buns. These mini sliders are a twist on the classic American fare—substituting papaya slaw for coleslaw and umami sauce for ketchup. The sauce hits my tongue and my taste buds go wild—it’s spicy, but not too spicy, and full of flavor.

The entrées arrive and my eyes grow as big as my burger, which is as big as my head. Our waiter is right—the brioche bun is slightly sweet and ties the whole burger together. Topped with crispy fried onions and an absurd amount of aged cheddar, it is a sight to behold.

We also ordered the handmade spaghetti topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and chili—another twist on a classic dish. The photographer looks at me with wide eyes—"the tomatoes are so juicy." At $24, the pasta is more expensive than my burger, but definitely worth it. It is no surprise that it is one of the more popular dishes on the menu.

As our meal winds down, I look around the restaurant to see Davis still meandering about the tables. Don’t let the loud decor fool you; Libertine is simply about providing a great meal with great service. It definitely does not disappoint.

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TL;DR: Classic American dishes with a contemporary twist, and outstanding service.

Location: 261 S. 13th Street Hours: Dinner: Sunday–Thursday 5 p.m.–10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 5 p.m.–11 p.m.

Brunch: Saturday & Sunday 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Price: $$$ M A R C H 27 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 7

DINING GUIDE

Tony’s Famous Tomato Pie Does More than Just Pizza Photos by Diya Sethi

Come for the pizza; stay for the service.

DIYA SETHI

The bright decor of Tony's Famous Tomato Pie pulled me in as an escape from the cold outdoors. I immediately felt as though I had been transported to a pit stop in the Midwest. Locals surrounded the bar—laughing while throwing back beer from the tap. The walls were covered in posters and exposed brick, and neon signs screamed "home–style bar".

The hostess greeted us with a beaming smile, bringing over classic red plastic Coca–Cola cups. The vibe felt homey— we could have spent many hours there and not have even noticed.

The establishment was founded in 1951 when Tony Mallamaci opened a small corner bar on 10th and Jackson streets where he served drinks and tomato pies that

entirely lacked cheese. As the shop grew, he grew the business to include his brother Dominic and moved the location to Frankford Avenue in the Great Northeast. The restaurant continued to expand—becoming a place where people were able to watch the game, kick back a few beers, and enjoy a famous tomato pie.

The menu was vast—with

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plentiful options for appetizers, sandwiches, quesadillas, pizzas, desserts, and more.

The appetizer options ranged from salads, five different varieties of fries, chicken fingers, eggrolls, and more American– style finger foods. We asked our server for the most popular items and ordered as such.

We began with cheesesteak eggrolls and pizza fries.

The cheesesteak eggrolls arrived glistening with oil, with bubbles still visible on the fried dough surrounding the juicy meat. The Sriracha ketchup was what truly tied the dish together, causing sparks to fly inside my mouth. The pizza fries served as a heavy contrast to the lighter eggrolls we had just consumed. Using steak fries rather than typical shoestrings, the fries grew soggy and difficult to lift. Once we were able to balance the ratio of cheese, sauce, and fry after a brilliant cheese pull, the freshness of the sauce and cheese was obvious.

For our entrée, we opted for a four–cheese quesadilla

and a classic tomato pie. The food came out speedily, with a cloud of steam rising as our server rested them on the table. The quesadilla was average—tasty but slightly over– seasoned. The tomato pie knocked everything else off the table. What the tomato pie lacked in cheese, it made up for in every other aspect.

The pie didn't have the heaviness of traditional pizza, with just enough cheese that made you appreciate the freshness of the tomato sauce. The slices were crunchy but not overcooked. Now, I finally understand the meaning of “thin–crust.”

The highlight of the experience was, however, the service. Our server clearly had a passion for talking with people. She chatted with us about our experience at Penn and checked up to make sure that we were satisfied.

Tony’s Famous Tomato Pie has something for everyone— even for those who aren’t the biggest tomato pie fans. If the food does not entice you enough, the homey, kind atmosphere will.

TL;DR: There’s a reason why that pie is famous Location: 6300 Frankford Ave Hours: Sunday–Thursday: 10 a.m.–12 a.m.

Friday-Saturday: 10 a.m.–1 a.m.

Price: $

DINING GUIDE

Put Rosy’s Taco Bar on Your Happy Hour Hit List Our candidate for the best margaritas in Philly.

EMMA MOORE

It's Tuesday at 8 p.m., and Rosy’s Taco Bar is almost packed. Couples and small groups huddle around elevated tables or seat perched at the bar, deep in conversation. With its dark, candlelit, intimate, and industrial ambiance, going to Rosy’s feels like a last minute date with an intriguing stranger.

Although happy hour, 4–6 p.m., was long over, my friend and I couldn’t help but order the house margarita and red wine sangria. The margarita came on the rocks, rim coated in a thick layer of chunky salt. "You have to try this,” insisted my friend, shoving it across the table. It was salty, sour, almost aggressively acidic with a delightfully strong kick of tequila. Meanwhile the sangria arrived deep scarlet, fruity, refreshing, with pops of citrus and notes of cinnamon.

We planned our trip to Rosy’s around one goal: tacos. Each day of the week Rosy’s offers a new daily special from $4 margaritas on Mondays to Quizzo Wednesday night to 50–cent beer on Thursdays.

On Tuesdays the special is $1 tacos. Further, the tacos come as a plate of 3 for $3, no mixing and matching. We decided to go with the tacos vegetales, pollo tinga tacos and the fish tacos (even though they were not part of the deal at $13).

The tacos arrived open faced, a trio of pale corn tortillas piled high with toppings. The tacos vegetales will convince even the most die– hard carnivore. Richly textured with chunks of eggplant, corn, and beans, each bite is a mouthful. A thick strip of melted cheese under the veggies holds it together. Delicate fried onion curls garnish the top, giving the taco a satisfying crunch. Next up the pollo tinga tacos came smothered in lettuce. Underneath the greenery, ribbons of chicken rubbed in chili powder tasted bland and dry in comparison to their veggie counterparts. The star was the tacos pescados: bright magenta strips of red cabbage covered juicy chunks of grilled cod, coated in a creamy sauce with luscious chunks of avocado.

For dessert, we ordered the churros. That was our best decision of the night. Piping hot, golden brown, with a crispy sugared exterior, the churros paired beautifully with the decadent dulche de leche and dark chocolate sauces.

I would go back to Rosy’s, if only for drinks and churros. Even with the special deals, Rosy’s is not cheap. The tacos were satisfying but somehow overall lackluster—the chicken tacos, in particular, failed to impress. However I’d be intrigued to try the “Boracho Brunch”, a weekend special that gives you 3 cocktails, 1 meal and an order of churros for $30.

TL;DR: Best margs in Philly? You decide.

Location: 2220 Walnut Street Hours: Mon–Thur: 4pm-2am Fri–Sun: 11am-2am Price: $$ M A R C H 27 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 2 9

DINING GUIDE

Yes, You Can Pickle That: The Pickle Lover's Roundup KARIN HANANEL

As a Philly native, I can attest that Philly just feels like a pickle kinda town. Briny, acidic, polarizing, and definitely the underdog of meal sides—pickles are much like our city in the sense that not everyone likes them, the ones who do like them a lot, and those who don’t, frankly, just don’t have good taste. That being said, pickles these days aren’t just limited to the deli dill variety (made out of cucumber) that you know and love. Chances are, if it’s some kind of naturally–occurring food product, you can pickle it. So whether you’re a traditionalist and prefer the classic cucumber/dill, or want an unconventional approach to the pickles game now that they’re trendy and cool, there’s a wide world of pickles out there at your disposal, ready to be explored.

Brine Street Picklery

Grillo’s Pickles

If you’re looking to keep it local—but not so local that you can’t get them at the nearest Whole Foods—try Brine Street Picklery’s pickle goods. Not only do they have regular dill pickles (marinated with the addition of mustard seed, which adds a tangy kick), they also have pickled green beans, spicy dill pickles, beer pickles, and spicy hoagie relish made with cherry and green peppers. They also seasonally pickle beets and mushrooms, if you’re trying to expand your horizons.

We’ll start with a modern take on an old classic: Grillo’s Pickles. With a century–old recipe and options that will please any pickle fanatic, Grillo’s Italian Dill Pickles are a perfectly garlicky accompaniment to any burger or sandwich. The spicy varieties are never so hot that you lose the flavor of the pickles themselves, and the Dill and Bread & Butter Chips make for addictive and tasty snacks.

Net Cost While Net Cost doesn’t qualify as a pickle brand per se, this Northeast Philadelphia mainstay and Russian market go–to has a huge variety of pickled fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish. While they’re known for Eastern European specialties like Russian pickles, Polish pickles, and pickled herring, they also sell pickled tomatoes, onions, apples, jalapeño, and even watermelon.

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Pernicious Pickling Co. While their branding is on point (there’s something about that alliteration that really makes people want to buy their products), with fun names and innovative flavors like Bloody Mary Bar in a Jar, Jalapeño Kisses, and Sweet Hurry Curry, Pernicious Pickling Co. doesn’t just stick with traditional pickle flavors. From classic dill pickles to pickled beans, okra, red onions, beets, carrots, and even cauliflower, their pickles are anything but pernicious, and feature a great variety as well.

Rick's Picks While Rick’s Picks keeps the branding simple, and emphasizes that their pickles are tasty while also heart–healthy and low in sodium, their provocative pickle names are what really catch the eye. From calling their spicy Sriracha pickle chips “Hotties” to their “Phat Beets," their products aren’t just tasty, but fun, too. Like many other brands, they pickle green beans, okra, cucumbers, and beets, but they also make relishes: one with corn and the other with the classic dill pickle.

DINING GUIDE

P.J. Clarke’s: A Comfort Food Institution This historic restaurant chain has finally made its way to Philly.

EMILY GELB

Since 1884, P.J. Clarke’s has been all about fresh food and good conversation.

Located in the historic Curtis building on Washington Square, the newly opened location of this restaurant chain captures the deep roots of the P.J. Clarke’s brand and the spirit of Philadelphia. As I walked through the space, I was immediately taken by the pieces of history hidden throughout the restaurant: vintage sports photographs, original stained–glass windows from the Curtis Publishing Company, and an antique scoreboard displaying the final score of the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory.

The manager led us through the dimly lit main dining room, past the raw oyster bar, and into the lounge area where guests gathered around the main bar and enjoyed the sports games being displayed on the many flat screens. We settled into a table by the window with a view of Washington Square.

Going off our waitress’ recommendations we ordered the skillet mac and cheese, the crispy Brussels sprouts, the BBQ Bleu Burger, and Pennsylvania brown trout fillet.

The Brussels sprouts came first, the strong aroma sparking the interests of the guests seated next to us. They

were served with a double– smoked bacon topping that dominated the dish. I liked the rich bacon flavor, but the topping was too sweet for my taste. Next time, I would ask for them to put the smoked bacon topping on the side to give the sprouts a chance to shine.

Next came the mac and cheese. Oh. My. God. The pea and bacon mac and cheese was everything I could have asked for in an appetizer. With a perfectly browned crispy top and gooey inside, the mac and cheese had a balance of textures and a unique blend of spices that elevated this classic dish to the next level.

And then came the entrées.

The trout was pan roasted with a thyme brown butter sauce and served with crispy asparagus and a lemon. The fried asparagus was a nice complement to the light fish, but the dish overall was nothing special.

The burger, on the other hand, was. With an entire section of the menu dedicated to Clarke Burgers, the BBQ Bleu stands out. Served with crispy shoestring French fries and topped with buttermilk bleu cheese, crispy onions, and sweet & smoky BBQ sauce, this flavor–filled burger steals the show. I don’t normally go for things with

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bleu cheese, but this mix of toppings brought everything together perfectly.

For dessert, the manager insisted we try their famous Hudson Valley Cheesecake. The cake was dressed

in a berry compote and the soft creamy core of the cake paired well with the crunchy bottom.

Overall, P.J. Clarke's is a warm, family–oriented place where everyone is bound

to find something that they like. It is a little pricey and not quite worth the Uber downtown, but if you’re in the area, it’s a fun space with good comfort food that we all need from time to time.

TL;DR: Nice people. Good food. Nothing special.

Location: 601 Walnut St. Hours: Monday–Friday: 11:30 a.m.–Until the Last Guest Leaves Saturday–Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–Until the Last Guest Leaves Price: $$$ M A R C H 27 , 2 01 9 3 4 T H S T R E E T M A G A Z I N E 3 1

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