Stephen Starr never fails!

El Vez

If you’re from Philly, you know Stephen Starr! One of his best and well-known restaurants is El Vez located in Midtown Village. El Vez offers contemporary Mexican cuisine in an inviting atmosphere. Inside the restaurant has fun décor such as a photo-booth, oversize velvet couches and a motorcycle in as a center piece of the bar.

I recently went with my sister, mom and great family friend, Beverly for dinner one evening last week. We had a lovely time catching up over great food with great company!

I got the Black Bean Enchiladas which entails caramelized onions and chihuahua cheese in a smoked yellow tomato sauce. The cheese and sauce is what really made this dish because you’re not used to seeing both items! The smoked yellow tomato sauce gave the dish a nice spice and kick to it.

My mom and Beverly got the Chicken Enchiladas Suizas and my sister got the Mexican Chopped Salad which is always a favorite of ours. We have been to El Vez plenty of times before and will always return because we love the authenticity of the food!

Comfort Food - Latin Style

Rosa Blanca  

I recently went to Jose Garces’ new restaurant, Rosa Blanca which offers Cuban inspired cuisine. This establishment is open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and take-out. What I loved most about this restaurant was the décor and the food of course!

The theme of Rosa Blanca is that it’s a diner with booths welcoming you as you enter. But when you head towards the back of the restaurant, it’s more of a sit down setting. Jose Garces tried to incorporate a place where you can enjoy some of his favorite Latin dishes in the comfort of a diner or intimate setting.

I went with my friend Caitlin because we always love venturing out and trying new places! To start out, we each got a mojito and split the Guacamole Cubano. Mojitos are a signature drink to Rosa Blanca, so we had to try! They were very good. The Guacamole Cubano was amazing too. It wasn't your typical guacamole and chips. The guacamole was made with smoked pineapple and the chips were plantain chips. This was definitely a nice change up because everything tasted so fresh!

For my entrée, I got the classic Cubano Sandwich which includes: roast pork, smoked ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard served with the plantain chips. Caitlin got the Pan Con Bistec which had grilled sirloin, pickled red onions, crispy potatoes and criollo mayonnaise. We were both happy with our selections!

Rosa Blanca is a great place to dine if you’re looking to try something new and fun. I definitely will return to try their breakfast!

O Wow Cow!

OwowCow Creamery

I decided to go home to Bucks County on my two days off from work to spend time with my family and friends! One of my favorite places to go to when I visit home is Peddlers Village to shop and venture around. My mom and I spent the afternoon antiquing and boutiquing there!

On our way home, we were in the mood for a sweet treat so we stopped at the local, OwowCow Creamery at Carousel Village. I've been dying to go here because they serve artisan and handmade ice-cream with organic ingredients from local farms of Bucks County! They even have a board behind the counter listing the local ingredients and which farm it came from.

This ice-cream parlor offers unique flavors such as Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Lemon Ginger, Sweet Potato Wasabi and many more! I got Honey Lavender and my mom got Lady Grey Tea and Blueberry Lemon flavored ice-cream. The taste was so fresh with the lavender. You can tell it was fresh because of the actual pieces of lavender mixed in. As I was indulging the ice-cream, all I could think of was the beautiful lavender farms of Bucks County. My mom loved the taste of the Lady Grey Tea flavor and felt so refreshed with the Blueberry Lemon flavor that it reminded her of the warm weather.

OwowCow has another location in Ottsville, PA. Go to either/or for a special treat! I will definitely be back again to try more flavors!

Stone Harbor, NJ Meets Philly

Marabella Meatball Co.

Ever since both my sister and I have moved to Philly, my dad has been dying to try Marabella Meatball Co. The reason why he wanted to try it so much is because the original restaurant, Marabella’s is located where we go for our annual family summer vacations, Stone Harbor, NJ. To expand their Jersey Shore locations, Marabella Meatball Co. was brought to Philly to showcase one of their key ingredients: meatballs.

On the menu, there are numerous options to choose from between salads, pasta, bowls or sandwiches. I’ve been here a few times before and have never been disappointed. Before I have gotten the pasta bowl and chicken parmesan sandwich and they were both amazing!

When both my dad and I went, there was one item on the menu that caught our eye. It was the “Philly Pork” sandwich in which included: BVP meatballs (beef, veal, pork), aged provolone and broccoli rabe. My dad got the traditional size which has four meatballs and I got the Nonni size which is only served with two meatballs. The combination of the meatballs and melted aged provolone was so delicious. But what made this dish for both my dad and I was the fresh, sautéed broccoli rabe. It added that special flavor and kick to it.

Next time you’re searching for a place to eat with authentic and quick food, try Marabella Meatball Co. I’m sure with the Italian-style cuisine, anyone can find anything that they’re interested in!

Healthy on the Go

Eat a Pita

Eat a Pita in Midtown Village of Philadelphia is a great place to go for a healthy, quick meal made right in front of your eyes. Their specialties include pitas and salads. The fun part to it all is you can order an item already with select ingredients or you can “Pick Your Own Pita” or Pick Your Own Salad”. This includes choosing your own produce, protein and pour. Eat a Pita has a whole list to choose from.

I’ve been here numerous times for a quick bite for lunch or to just to have dinner. Each month Eat a Pita features both a pita and salad. This is why I recently went. I wanted to try the pita of the month which is the Black Bean Burger Pita.

This pita contained black beans, quinoa, brown rice and “all the veggies” mixed in Harissa sauce. The ingredients were so fresh and the black bean quinoa burger was very flavorful. The Harissa sauce had a nice kick and red pepper taste to it.

For a side, I got the Farro which had butternut squash, dried cranberries and spinach in a maple vinaigrette. This was simply perfect.

Eat a Pita is a great Philly local to go to if you’re on the go and want something healthy. Their special salad is the Winter Kale Salad which includes roasted beets, “all the veggies”, toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries in a lemon tahina dressing. February is coming to an end, so make sure you try!

Philly’s Two Favorites Combined

Jake's Sandwich Board

If you’re a Philadelphia native, you know that the famous chocolate bar Peanut Chews is originated and is still enjoyed by many today. Peanut Chews are decadent chocolate bars with roasted peanuts inside them. You can either get the chocolate dark or milk.

I’ve written about Jake’s before for their sandwiches and milkshakes. Ever since I first went there, I’ve always wanted to try their Peanut Chew milkshake and I am glad I finally did!

For this milkshake, you can either choose chocolate or vanilla ice cream for a base. I chose Vanilla. Also incorporated is chocolate syrup and crushed up pieces of pieces of Peanut  Chews within the shake and topped off with it. If you are a chocolate and peanut butter lover, you’ll love this!

Birthday Celebrations at Mercato

Mercato

Mercato by far is my favorite Italian restaurant here in Philadelphia! They introduce traditional Italian cuisine with New Italian American cuisine. This combination opens up your horizon to a home-cooked style dishes with a unique twist on it. My sis and I love this restaurant and we decided it’s our new place to go to when we’re celebrating each other’s birthdays.

For our appetizer, we split the Mercato Antipasto which includes: Italian cured meats & cheeses, grilled and roasted vegetables, crostini and marinated olives. Our favorite part of this dish was the pepperoni because it had fennel in it. The roasted vegetables were also good! This Antipasto reminds me of my mom’s with all the ingredients and display. It was very comforting because it reminded me of family holidays.

Since it was Catherine’s birthday, two appetizers were sent to our table compliments of the chef! The first  item was the Roasted Pork Belly Salad which had house cured pork belly, watercress, pistachio, charred scallion roasted pear mostarda, balsamic reduction. The pork belly was so crisp and flavorful! The best part was the pistachios and whole-grain mustard. The second item was the Cacio Pepe which included tonarelli pasta, extra virgin olive oil, cracked pepper, pecorino romano, bread crumbs, parsley. The Parmesan crisps on top of the pasta made the dish!

For Catherine’s entrée, she got the Short Rib Ragu which was ricotta gnocchi, broccoli race and shaved locatelli cheese. She loved how tender the meat was and that you could break it apart with a fork. I got the Chicken Cacciatore which included boneless chicken roulade, soft polenta, sautéed spinach, bell pepper, wild mushroom & tomato ragu. I loved the display of the chicken and creamy polenta!

For dessert, Catherine and I split the Trio of Gelato. The flavors of the night were raspberry, chocolate chip and peanut butter. They all were so good and fresh! You could tell they are homemade. They even lit a candle for Catherine’s birthday!

Mercato is a great restaurant to celebrate any special occasion! Between the relaxing atmosphere, impeccable food and excellent staff, you won’t be disappointed! Oh, and it’s BYOB which is always a plus!