4 Course Meal

Ela

Ever since my dad, sister and I went to the restaurant Ela on our bacon and beer tour, we've been wanting to go back to try a full meal there!

Ela is located in Philly's Queen Village that offers new American cuisine using local and seasonal ingredients. The menu is always changing with the chefs, creative twists on the fresh ingredients.

Ela is very affordable getting a great deal of both quality and quantity of food. This restaurant offers 4 courses for $45, 5 courses for $55 and 6 course chef's tasting for $65. My sister and I both decided on having the 4 course meal, which there are a lot of "bites" to choose from!

For starters, my sister and I thought we enjoy our dinner with "elixirs". My sister, Catherine got the "180 by Summer" which is white wine, watermelon and Thai basil. I got "We Were Younger Then" which is dark rum, smoked pineapple, lime, falernum, and mint. These drinks were perfect for a hot, summer day!

For my first bite I got the Gazpacho which was made up of mangoes and hibiscus. I never had gazpacho with mangoes before, so it was nice and refreshing for a cold soup! Catherine got the Hiramasa Crudo which featured au poivre, fig, black truffle and concord vinegar. She loved the black truffle sauce!

For our second course, I got the Gnocchi which was served in crispy potato skins, sour cream and onion. It tasted just like a baked potato! My sister got the Porcini Pasta which had fava beans and saffron ricotta. The saffron ricotta was so fresh and something you're not used to having, so it was a treat!

For the third meal, I got the Lancaster Chicken which was tender cuts of chicken wrapped in ham served with parisian potatoes and asparagus. This was probably the best chicken dish I've ever tasted! It tasted like chicken pot pie without the crust. Catherine got the Rohan Duck Thigh which was served with goat cheese grits, romaine and blueberries. Now Catherine love grits and she said this was the best she's ever had, especially paired with the blueberries!

Surprisingly we had room for the "final bite" or known as dessert! I got the Cookie Dough which was warm cookie dough topped with vanilla ice-cream. This was so rich and delicious in flavor, it was one of my favorite desserts I've ever had! Catherine had the Strawberry Rhubarb Soup which had angel food cake and coconut mascarpone. It was a unique dish being served in a cold sauce, but she enjoyed it very much.

As you can see, this is a lot of food! But it's definitely worth $45, and I highly suggest going to Ela to see what it's all about!

Healthy Fast Food

Sweet Green

I am sorry I haven’t posted any food outings in a while, but I have been so busy! I have been cross training positions at work and current co-administrating the Friedreich’s Ataxia Ambassador blog (http://curefa.org/ambassadors)! I will try to return and be blogging more often now a days : )

On the go, but want more of a healthier option? Sweet Green is new to Philadelphia which is the perfect choice for eating clean. Sweet Green offers local and organic ingredients for the both their consumers and business partners well-being. This company also supports local farmers and uses sustainability to benefit the environment by using recyclable products.

Sweet Green offers products such as salads, soups, wraps and unique beverages to fit the lifestyles of their target market. Before I try any new food establishment, I always check out the menu beforehand to have my eyes set on which I would like to try. When I went to Sweet Green, I already knew I wanted the Kale Caesar Salad which is probably the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had.

The salad included: shredded kale and chopped romaine, roasted chicken, shaved parmesan, grape tomatoes and parmesan crisp topped with Caesar dressing and fresh squeeze lime juice. This salad was only 460 calories! I also got a side of the gazpacho soup which tasted so fresh and was out of this world! I felt so energized and refreshed knowing that I was eating clean.

Sweet Green has select locations of only a few states: PA, DC, MA, MD, and VA. Each menu is different according to local farms and seasonal ingredients. Each season has select food items, so make sure you are up to date with the menu changes!

Hospital Stay at CHOP

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Blog

I recently stayed as a patient at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a clinical trial to benefit the research and studies to help find a cure for the rare disease I have been faced with- Friedreich’s Ataxia. In a short version, Friedreich’s Ataxia or FA, is a debilitating, life-shortening, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder. About one in 50,000 people in the United States have Friedreich’s Ataxia. FARA is the research alliance group that conducts these clinical trials.

My doctor is a brilliant, individual based out of CHOP at UPenn. I am so fortunate to be local to the Philadelphia area because he is the “go to” person. With this disease being so rare (15,000 people worldwide), it is important to be connected and up to date with the news on any research because things are changing daily.

During my clinical trial, I was required to stay in the hospital for three days. Dr. Lynch is an easy-going person that loves to connect with his patients. Since he knows that I write for a food blog, he asked if I could write a food blog on the hospital stay! He even added to make suggestions if any! So here you go :)

I mostly had to be in my room throughout my stay because of testing and all, so my mom and I ordered “room service” for all our meals except for before I was omitted and the last night of our stay.

Before I checked-in to the hospital, I was allowed to have one last meal out. So my mom and I went to Gia Prontos, which is right across the hospital. Gia Prontos is a café that serves of variety of salads, pizza, paninis and café items. My mom and I each got a slice of artisan pizza and it was out of this world! Then afterwards we got a treat at Ben & Jerry’s :)

The “room service” selection of my stay was not so bad! The food always arrived in a timely manner and the quality and quantity of food was just right! I have to say my favorite meals were the breakfast portions! I loved the banana pancakes and omelet with the potato stars (hash browns)!

The presentation of the food and menu was adorable! Since, I was at a children’s hospital, everything was very cute and fun to entertain the kids! The menu was very feasible to order from and adorable with all the pictures and drawings of cartoons. The only issue I have is that almost every time my mom and I ordered food, an item was missing in our order.

Every day to get a change of scenery, we went downstairs to the café to get our afternoon pick-me-up. Or, we would go to the Library for some coffee, tea and afternoon snack.

All my mom and I feel like we’ve done this hospital stay is eat! We were overall satisfied with the hospital food, but by the fourth day we were running out options!

Banana Pancakes with Side of Fruit

 

Chicken Quesadillas with Side of Pears

 

Pasta with a Side Salad

 

Build Your Own Omelet with Potato Stars (Hash Browns) and Fruit!

 

Chicken Stir Fry

I thought I'd be healthy the last day and get Fruit & Yogurt with Granola!

 

Cute menu :)

Toast Philly

Toast

Toast has always been one off my favorite places to go to for either breakfast or brunch. Toast is a cozy cafe that offers local roasters, breakfast and lunch in Midtown Village. I love it here and will always return.

When I come here, I usually have one of their Egg Toasts, which is what they are mostly known for. All egg toasts include a homemade English muffin,  hollandaise sauce and poached eggs served with a side salad that typically has fresh fruit in it. 

I wanted to change it up though this time and I got the french toast topped with mixed berries because I love french toast. This meal was very comforting and the fruit  was very fresh! I definitely will be back to try more variations because you can get french toast with caramelized bananas or apple cinnamon! 

  Toast has great coffee and lattes too,  so if you are a big coffee drinker, you won't be disappointed!

Santa Fe Meets Ireland

Moriarty's Pub

Moriarty's Pub on 11th and Walnut is a Logan staple and one our favorite places to go. With it's great atmosphere, food and drinks and service, you can never go wrong with this Irish bar! My family always returns here because of those reasons and it is always one of our "go-to" places to eat..

This time, I thought I'd try something different and get the Santa Fe Burger. This burger  has monterey jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce and tomato served with french fries. I haven't had a burger in a while and was craving one. This one definitely hit the spot!  The meat was so juicy and what made this meal was the fresh guacamole. It gave the burger a refreshing, lively taste.

If you haven't gone to Moriarty's yet, I highly suggest  that you make a point to! They are voted best wings of the city and have a great list of craft beers!

Zavino Has It All!

Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria

Located on "restaurant row" of 13th Street in Midtown Village, Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria is the place to be! This restaurant offers daily specials of authentic Neapolitan pizza, homemade pasta, and meats and cheeses all incorporating seasonal items. These seasonal items are fresh and local ingredients that make the restaurant so unique.

I recently went to dine at Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria with my mom and sister for lunch one day. We've always been wanting to try it there. They're aren't that many pizza places in downtown Philadelphia, so we were excited to see what Zavino had to offer!

My mom,  sister and I each got our own pizza because we  weren't sure of the size of the personalized size pizza. We thought it would be the right amount for one person. But two people can definitely share one of these pizzas! 

My mom and I each got "The Stache" pizza which includes: whole wheat crust, pistachio pesto, mozzarella, parmesan, lemon vinaigrette and baby arugula. My sister got the "Garden Pizza" which is the chef's seasonal selection. My mom and I loved the pistachio pizza and my sister loved the freshness of the seasoned vegetables.

We will definitely be back to try more of Zavino's creations! Now is the perfect time to go as well because with the warm weather. You can dine outside enjoying the beautiful sights of Philly and people watching!

Best Chicken Parm

Little Nonna's

I am so fortunate to live in an area full of amazing bars and restaurants! I am also lucky that Little Nonna's recently opened on the same block as me. Little Nonna's is owned by Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, which owns the restaurants and shops on 13th street, such as: Barbuzzo, Lolita, Open House and many more!

Little Nonna's is an Italian American restaurant that seats 40 and has an outside garden for seating as well. Little Nonna's offers traditional Italian dishes and has a setting that you're enjoying Sunday dinner at your Italina grandmother's house.

I love to treat myself after a long week of work. So I recently went here for lunch with my friend Matt to catch up. I've been here for dinner before, but my friend Matt has never been. So I suggested we go here because I knew he would love it!

I got the Chicken Pepperoni Parm Sandwich which included: buffalo mozzarella, sarcone’s seeded bread, roasted peppers, pepperoni marinara and basil. Now I am a huge fan of chicken parm and this has to be by far the best I've ever had! What I loved most was the bead because it was fresh garlic bread and the pepperoni because it added so much flavor! Matt got the Roast Pork & Sharp sandwich which includes: herb crusted pork shoulder, sharp provolone, horseradish aioli, rabe and sarcone’s seeded bread. Both sandwiches were served with rosemary fries.

I will definitely be back to Little Nonna's again! You get such a great deal for the value and quality. It's a great place to go to for a home-style, comforting meal!