TeenwithTaste on Tour?--Senior Project Extravaganza

You may have seen me out of school--in early May nonetheless--and wondered: what is he doing with all his time? Well, when I'm not making pizzas at Snap Custom Pizza in Ardmore, PA, I'm working on my Senior Project! The Senior Project is a required study that each senior at LM has to do before he or she graduates. It's super open ended and has allowed for me to take on a project where I make most of the rules.

For my project, I'm trying to create a picture of what I think "dining out" in America will be like in the future. In the 60s and 70s when McDonald's began appearing everywhere, fast food was on the horizon for America. Now, the scene has changed. My job in a fast-casual style restaurant has caused me to think about what kind of restaurant will succeed in the future of America. Americans want food quickly--but with a level of quality. The  environment one gets from Snap, for instance, offers food quickly without compromising quality. But Snap is not the entire answer to my question--what about those who want luxurious food? Or food even more on-the-go than fast-casual can offer?

Today, I spent time exploring one path I see food walking in the future: the food truck. Food trucks are becoming a staple in cities across America. A good food truck offers high quality food served up on the go, in whatever relaxing environment it's parked in. Today, I visited three trucks parked in LOVE Park, in Philadelphia.

First, I visited the "Foo Truck," an Asian sandwich truck that--while it didn't look gorgeous on the outside--seemed to pack a flavorful punch into every sandwich it put out and draw a huge crowd--see below! The concept of the Foo Truck is that they take what would be traditional Asian dishes (Lemongrass Chicken, Thai Chicken Curry) and serve them up ready-to-go in a tortilla wrap or "Foowich." When I finally made it through the mob waiting for their food, I ordered Saigon Pork-Belly Foowich Special. Pictured below, it was a succulent combination I just couldn't get enough of! A cool and creamy carrot-daikon slaw (think fancy coleslaw) paired insanely well with the rich, sweet pork belly. I'll definitely have to catch up with The Foo Truck again in the future...and you should too! See what's happening at www.footruck.com.

Next, I visited the Vernalicious truck. A cleaner design than Foo Truck, but, confusingly, it didn't have the crowd. To make things worse, I realized that I couldn't figure out what kind of food the truck specialized in. The name "Vernalicious" didn't lend itself to any region or type of cuisine. The menu, shown below, confused me further. The top billed item was a pulled pork sandwich, but the next three items were greek specialties! I spoke with an older woman named Claudia who had dined at Vernalicious before, but she couldn't seem to do anything other than rave about the pulled pork sandwich.

I tried the Spanakopita because it's not only one of my favorite dishes to eat but one of my favorites to prepare as well. I was excited--and kind of nervous--to see how the chefs would serve what is usually known as a delicate dish in such a raucous setting, passing it out of a glorified car onto a street corner. Not only was I disappointed with their presentation--the phyllo wasn't flaky, it all seemed uncomfortably doughy--but I was also uncomfortable with the taste. Spanakopita is generally pure: spinach and feta is required; nothing else can take the front seat. With Vernalicious' spanakopita, there was some overwhelming flavor I couldn't place that absolutely soiled the taste I was hoping for from the spinach and feta. Finally, my piece was slightly burned on the bottom. If you want to catch up with Vernalicious later, check www.vernalicious.com, but I can't promise you'll like it. The plate of spanakopita is shown below.

The final truck I went to was the "Cupcake Carnivale" truck. The truck didn't have any sort of crowd, so I decided to strike up a conversation with the only employee in the truck, a nice young lady named Christine. Christine explained she wasn't worried about the fall in sales because she had been at a festival all weekend over a thousand cupcakes each day. After talking about her truck for a few minutes, Christine sold me the signature Carnivale Red Velvet Cupcake seen below. There might have been a little too much cream cheese icing on top, but the cake and the icing were both well done and I was quite pleased with the cupcake as a whole.

Overall, I had a great day in Love Park! I'm excited to see other food trucks in different neighborhoods of Philadelphia--I'll keep you updated on the mission to see if anyone can top what I tasted today!

La Taqueria me hizo feliz--Taqueria Feliz, Manayunk, PA

Hey Everyone!

As my senior year winds down, I'm finding more time in what should be less time. As I manage finishing up my schoolwork, working my job making pizzas, and doing other extraneous things like mowing my lawn and finding a matching bow tie and suspender set for my senior prom, I've also managed to try out some new and interesting restaurants and recipes. Today I have a restaurant, but I'll have a recipe soon!

A few weeks ago I read an interesting positive review of "La Taqueria Feliz" (located at 4410 Main Street in Manayunk, PA, Laban's Review, Their Website) by Philly Inquirer critic Craig Laban. So, when my family sat, wondering where to go on a cool and early Saturday night--I knew we had to try this new spot out.

La Taqueria Feliz is but one restaurant in a booming enterprise invested in by investment partners Brian Sirhal and Tim Spinner. La Taqueria is the newest, most casual addition into the family, where each restaurant incorporates the spanish word for happy into the name (see: "La Calaca Feliz") The decorations, including a sheet metal laser cut with the restaurant's name, are bright and exciting; the layout just works.

The food just works too. The chips came out hot (which is so easy and I always scowl when a restaurant can't pull it off), and the salsas and guacamoles are delicious and varied. The classic salsa is thin and soupy but packs a flavorful punch, and the guacamole is smooth and a little bit plain, but with a lovely citrus-flooded aftertaste.

The drinks, cited by Laban as the easy way La Taqueria draws the young Manayunk crowd that creates the bustling atmosphere, were tasty, but slightly undeserving of any overhype. A good mexican restaurant should serve a decent margarita, as La Taqueria does. The Dead Man Ryes (below, first) was a tickling rye whiskey and cranberry drink and the Feliz Margarita (below, further) was, as it needed to be, a formidable option. The restaurant also offers more adventurous cocktails such as the "Moonshine Margarita" and the "Three Chili Margarita" which proved too scary for any of us to try.

The entreès were where La Taqueria Feliz earned its stripes. I ordered the Enchiladas de Pollo with Mole Oaxaqueno sauce and was blown away. The tortillas, handmade in house by chef Lucio Palazzo, were stuffed to the brim with well-cooked and juicy shredded chicken. They were then bathed in a deliciously crafted mole sauce--sweet and spicy at the same time, smooth and complementary to the chicken, while not overwhelming.

 I also sampled the Brisket Al Suadero tacos coated in the famous Salsa de Arbol. The brisket was well cooked and tender, but the salsa may have been a little overwhelming. The heat was just too much to be eaten without a coolant--chef Palazzo would've done well to attach some of his smooth guacamole to the dish.

Finally, I merely witnessed consumption of the Red Snapper Enchipotlado, a well cooked piece of fish with a few sides (labeled as a "Plato Fuerte" or, "Strong plate" on the menu) like a seriously spicy corn salsa and some of La Taqueria's deliciously coated sweet plantains which we also ordered extra of as a side. It might not look awesome, but blame that on my poor iPhone photography, not the restaurant.

Overall, La Taqueria Feliz excited us. We can rarely find quality Mexican food and an exciting, hip environment without making the trek into the city, so when we can, it's quite thrilling. The most exciting part for me, is that I've only tasted one of La Taqueria's highlights: The restaurant is, arguably, better known for it's lamb barbacoa dish and its exotic "Tacos de Chapulínes" (that's grasshoppers for all you gringos). All I can say is that I can't wait to try those two when I will most certainly be going back to La Taqueria Feliz soon.

Snap and Szechuan--What have I been up to?

Sorry to all of you, my loyal readers, for the times recently that I've deflected your questions of, "When will you be posting a new entry?!?!" with "uh, soon." It's not so much that I've been busy experimenting in the kitchen or eating out lately--it's that I've been busy working. I recently got a job making pizzas at Snap Custom Pizza (http://www.snapcustompizza.com/home) in Ardmore, PA. 

Snap, which opened last Monday (March 24th), is the creation of the owner and investment team of Peace-a-Pizza (http://www.peaceapizza.com/), the locally-started pizza chain that now has multiple locations in the Philadelphia area. Snap Custom Pizza replaced the first Peace-a-Pizza location in the storefront looking out on 4 Station Ave, Ardmore. The space was completely redesigned with a rustic look in mind, using refurbished and polished wooden tables and cast metal piping for light fixtures. A small piece of the dining area can be seen below. 

The ambiance of Peace-a-Pizza was not the only element that was completely redesigned--the concept and menu are completely new. Essentially, Snap's concept could be thought of as that of Chipotle's--but with artisan pizzas. We set you up with an 11-inch personal pizza and you get to flood that pie with a wide array of sauces, cheeses, meats, vegetables, and condiments, all for one fitting price of $7.49. If you can't seem to handle the pressure of putting together a pizza yourself, we've put together 8 signature pies that we're sure yield scrumptious combinations. Below are some of the original creations my co-workers and I have come up with whilst taking breaks from serving customers: 

Come in to Snap Sunday-Thursday 11AM-9PM or Friday-Saturday 11AM-10PM! If you're lucky, maybe you'll get a pizza made by a TeenwithTaste!

Continuing--if you read the title of this post you realize we've only talked about half of what we were supposed to--I had an amazing dinner at Traditional Szechuan (No website--yes, it's that authentic) at 935 Arch Street in Philadelphia. T.S. is a true Szechuan restaurant where the menu probably has more written in Chinese characters than it does in English script. The waitstaff spoke little broken English, and most of the customers were not curly haired Jewish boys like I am. This made for a truly one-of-a-kind meal.

The menu had surprisingly few markings denoting spice: Szechuan food is notoriously hot, wielding a spice unseen in most other types of Chinese cuisine. Our waitress tried her best to hint at which foods we should and shouldn't order, some being just too spicy for our white people taste buds. We had the Garlic Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, and the Szechuan Beef Hot Pot (all below) among other appetizers and well crafted, delicate bowls of wonton soup. 

Across the board our dishes were delicious and intriguing; we had never tasted anything quite like these plates. Each bite of my hot pot brought a new fiery whirlwind of power on to the tip of my tongue. If I had any complaint, it would've been that my beef wasn't well prepped--I tasted a few too many bites of gristle and fat. However, I can't imagine that fat wasn't what made my broth taste thick and delicious. Maybe a more careful cooking/trimming process would've done the chef well.

Additionally, the menu was a hefty four pages long, showing us that we really could continually come back again and again with new experiences every time. We saw may regulars order a dish dubbed the "ChongQing Spicy Chicken," that appeared to be chicken and chili peppers presented on an elaborate aluminum foil tower. We were warned not to try it--and thus shied away--but I really couldn't stomach going back without giving that dish a shot. 

Finally, I managed to bake a little bit after one long work day. I had a cookie craving, so I whipped up a batch of these dark chocolate and sweet coconut cookies. No recipe this time...let's just call it a secret recipe ;). 

I hope to post again soon! I have plenty of culinary adventures left to show to all of you! 

-Tw/T

Breakfast in my own Backyard! Sabrina's Café--Wynnewood, PA

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the brand spankin' new branch Sabrina's Café in scenic ol' Wynnewood. From when the word of the Philadelphia favorite coming to our small suburb was barely sprouting in the rumor mill of Tronceletti's Barbershop over a year ago to the past few months when all of us gossiping townsfolk were sneaking around watching as the kitchenware was loaded into the storefront-- and finally to the opening yesterday-- the journey to having a great breakfast place in our neighborhood has been a long one. I'm happy to say the road has come to a fresh and delicious culdesac with Sabrina's Café. 

If there's any major negative to Sabrina's, it's that you can't just waltz in and start stuffing your face. Because it built up so much hype, Sabrina's has (and will have) a constant line out the door. When I got there at a crisp 9 A.M (Jews trying to beat the post-church crowd time), we were met with a 45-minute wait. We waited, despite the dearth of seating for those who pile up waiting for tables, and were finally seated after what really was a true 45 minute wait. 

After that glum start, the meal was fabulous. The menu at Sabrina's was smaller than I'd imagined, an average sized amalgamation of omelettes, griddle products, and a medium sized lunch/dinner menu of sandwiches, salads, and burgers. 

The most famous item on the menu--to be seen on any given main-line teen's Instagram feed with a flood of likes-- is the stuffed french toast. Sabrina's lays out four humongous triangles of french toast (which they argue fit into two regular pieces of toast) and stuffs them with a cream cheese frosting mixture. No one I was dining with could stomach filling their body with that much richness in the morning--it was a wimpy Sunday--but, as you can see below, one of us did order the regular french toast. It was still delicious with a sugary crust on it and coated in Sabrina's signature vanilla bean syrup. 

Another one of us got mexi-special omelette (below). This would've been great, but it was outshined by the huevos rancheros (further below). The huevos rancheros were absolutely mind blowing. It's a mouthful: two fried eggs topped with house made spicy guacamole and lime sour cream sauce over a spicy chorizo-bean-salsa mixture, also served with pico de gallo, all on top of two crispy blue corn tortillas, served with a side of fried breakfast potatoes and topped with a fried jalepeño. The dish encompassed everything that is good about spicy food in the morning: it had heat, but no element overpowered any other. At any given time I could taste the smooth guacamole, the intensely spicy chorizo, and the natural flavor of the fried eggs. If I had any complaint it would've been that the breakfast potatoes weren't quite hot. They seemed as though they'd been sitting out of the fryer for a few minutes. I guess that's what you get when you deep fry your potatoes instead of letting them sit on an old flat top. Nevertheless, the actual dish itself was arguably flawless. 

I'm so excited to go back to Sabrina's soon! Time to work my way through the rest of the menu!

For more information visit sabrinascafe.com

New Local Café Falls Flat! The Tasting Room--Ardmore, PA

I like to think that I'm pretty easy to please. I like simple food that has a developed flavor to it. I rarely leave a restaurant with little positive to say about it because most types of foods appeal to me. Yesterday, I had the privilege of trying out a brand new restaurant in my own backyard, ready to make it an everyday favorite. Let's just say I'm still looking for that everyday favorite.

"The Tasting Room" had a meager setup, just a few tables cramped into a small storefront, but was well put together. A clean appearance with a glass case holding most dishes--you order your food at the counter and see it there before it arrives to your table--and the limited menu chalked onto the rustic blackboard seen below.

Our meal started off nicely as we talked with the co-owner of the restaurant. Joe Petrucci, the brains behind the operation, explained the restaurant's unusual style. As you can see on the board above, each dish can be ordered in any of three sizes: Taste, Entreé, or Family. My dining companion and I wanted to sample a few things, so we ordered various dishes in tasting and entreé sizes. The family size is really only ideal for picking up quick and large takeout dinners--it serves 3-4 people.

The premise had me. I was enthralled with the idea that I could split up my lunch (and its cost) between different mini-courses. It seemed like such a brilliant scheme that I couldn't believe anyone hadn't come up with it before. But I had yet to taste the food...

I first tasted the sweet potato fries (above), boasted by the owner to be healthily prepared in an oven and organic (not something I'm concerned with but never a detriment to the food), a big crowd pleaser. I had never tasted worse sweet potato fries in my life. They were completely overcooked, until the oven had sapped all the delicious potato flesh out of them. The disappointment of baking french fries (as opposed to frying them) is that they simply will not taste as good. Healthier, sadly, rarely is a synonym for "more delicious." Even so, there is little excuse for overcooking them.

I also tasted the lobster bisque (above), the soup of the day. The soup base itself was just average, it didn't have much body to it but the flavor wasn't terrible. The disappointment here was that the soup had little actual lobster in it. After I scooped out two small chunks, my soup bowl might as well have been empty.

Other dishes I sampled included the brussels sprouts and the "Twenty-Something-Spice Meatloaf" (above). I think my problem with the meatloaf adequately represented my overall gripe with the restaurant: why use twenty spices when you can use two? My first bite kicked me in the pants and out the door of the restaurant.  I looked at the board, saw the explanation that the meatloaf was a mix of beef and pork, and realized that I couldn't even feel the familiar taste pork gives my tongue because the meat had been pushed aside in favor of spices.

The final dish I tasted was the "Three Cheese Mac n' Cheese" (above). This was the only dish I enjoyed. The cheeses were tasty, well selected, and well blended, and the dish wasn't killed by too many obscure herbs. Additionally, it was topped with an adequate amount of adequately toasted breadcrumbs. Sadly, I can't see myself coming back to this restaurant for one decent dish.

Finally, for those whose first time it is reading this blog, let me be clear: I hate giving bad reviews, especially to local places. I really want Ardmore to be successful and welcome new and interesting restaurants. Still, I will not recommend a restaurant if I dislike it as much as this one. I left the restaurant feeling uncomfortable: the interesting idea for a restaurant that I had been so excited about not even an hour ago had already been dumped over my head. What could have been? We will never know, unless "The Tasting Room" makes some big changes.

For more information, visit: http://jpmcatering.com/the-tasting-room/

Simplicity and Authenticity ALWAYS Win. Lee How Fook-- Philadelphia, PA

Recently, after my mother saw a positive reference to a first review of it by Philly Inquirer food critic Craig Laban, my family traveled to a restaurant called Lee How Fook in Philadelphia's Chinatown. Naturally, we had to try the spot out.

Lee How Fook is the definition of modest. The storefront (above) is meager, with an unassuming sign out front.  The restaurant can't hold more than 30 or so, and the kitchen appears to occupy at least half of the total area of the store. Nevertheless, this modesty carries to the food. The food appears simple and unassuming. Just WAIT 'till you try it.

The simply presented food packs a flavor punch that's indescribable. The pork buns, below, absolutely blew my mind. The components of the dish were laid out simply in front of me. Pork, a simple celery looking vegetable I can't say I could identify for sure, green onion, a  soft mustard sauce, the perfectly put together pork, and the "buns." The plate looked plain, almost too plain. Then, I assembled a bun. The bun itself seemed undercooked--but it wasn't. It was a strange, puffy dough I had never seen before. But it made my mouth absolutely tingle. It's emptiness let the pork shine through, the sauce tickling my tongue and the meat itself melting in my mouth. The plate was one I will never forget.

Along with the buns, I tasted the vegetable dumplings (below) and the wonton soup (also below). The dumplings were good, but I can't say any different from many others I've had. The wonton soup was pretty much perfect, one of the best bowls I've seen. The wontons were crafted so particularly, packed tightly in a paper thin wrapper. 

The main courses rolled out of the kitchen and at this point I was nearly satisfied. The restaurant had begun to prove itself and all I needed was the nail in the coffin. I'd love to say the main courses did that--but they didn't quite. Across the board they were good, but not amazing. My father ordered a sort of tofu dish that he claimed to be quite good. My mother, conservatively, ordered the chicken lettuce wraps. These were good, but no better than at any other restaurant. Probably not the best thing to order if you were interested in finding out how skilled a chef is. Finally, I ordered the lemon duck, which was pretty delicious, if a little over-fried. As you can see, all the plates are fairly simple, coinciding with the style of the restaurant. All dishes are below: the duck, the tofu, and the chicken, in that order, from top to bottom.

Nevertheless, the restaurant blew me away. The straightforward and ordinary appearance of the place and the food initially tricked me into thinking it would just be a normal meal--but I couldn't have been more wrong. I highly recommend Lee How Fook for a great, honest meal next time you're in Philadelphia in search of some good Chinese food. 

For more information, visit the website by clicking here. 

New Local Favorite! Brick & Brew--Havertown, PA

Sometimes I feel like our neighborhood lacks a real American restaurant.

While we do have the occasional underperforming pub (See, The West Gate Pub) and, on the other hand, the failed high class American dine (See, The Saint James), our area has lacked a mid-priced and delicious American restaurant. This all changes with the new Brick & Brew restaurant and bar in Havertown, PA.

Brick & Brew occupies the small storefront of 2138 Darby Road. Walk inside and you're greeted by a brand new look. Creating a classy, gastropub feel unrivaled by any other local restaurant, Brick & Brew has chalkboards with the new cocktails and ever-shifting beer list, tables supported by makeshift antique iron pipes, tables crafted out of wine crates, and well decorated walls. Though the restaurant may seem cramped at happy hour, the small atmosphere is helped by its warmth and excitement. It's not claustrophobic, it's exciting.

But of course, what we really care about here at TeenwithTaste is the food. Though the menu is a little bit limited, nearly every dish is done well. After two visits I've tasted the large part of the menu. The menu is split into starters, salads, sandwiches, and, their specialty: pizza.

The starters can be a weak spot--I've had the chicken chowder special (below) that came out only lukewarm but was crafted with good pieces of meat and just could've been better. I've also had the smoked (hot) chicken wings--a very nice set of wings, better than most in the neighborhood. Finally, I've tasted the soft pretzel special, a cute idea that was definitely good but certainly a novelty.

The salads go either way--the plating is generally superb and the presentation is usually fabulous. Some salads, like the Cobb salad below, truly look great.

The sandwiches are an underrated favorite. The first time I went I tasted the short rib sandwich, a deliciously pungent sandwich packed with tender, juicy meat. The sandwich list could use a little bit of extension, though. Only 6-8 sandwiches are ever offered at one time. Sandwiches are an easy place for any small restaurant to take on some more work--I'd like to see Brick & Brew offer a few more special sandwiches on a daily basis in addition to expanding their menu as well.

The final stop on the menu is the winner--the pizzas. Brick & Brew has a wood burning oven, outset into the restaurant with a pizza bar where the diners can watch the pizza master chef sculpt and fire his pizzas. The pizza list is filled with imaginative options like the Sausage, Potato, and Egg pizza pictured below. Additionally, the Margherita and the Summer Vegetable pizzas are pictured. The pizzas were well done, if a little burned in places, but truly delicious. Nothing beats the freshness of being prepared in an oven right next to you, and you can definitely taste just that.

Try Brick & Brew soon! It's definitely a new
go-to restaurant for all of us who crave good-old American food.

To find more information on the
website, click here