Who says you're too old for PB&J?

Elixr Coffee

Elixr Coffee is a local, coffee shop located near Rittenhouse Square. Elixr’s staff offers the expertise and knowledge of the world’s best coffee to enhance your coffee experience! The coffee is served  hand-poured which makes it nice and fresh.

I have been to Elixr Coffee numerous times for either a quick pick me up, or afternoon lunch breaks. I recently met up with my sister, Catherine for lunch. I’ve been dying to try their PB&J Sandwich there, so we met up and went.

What I love about Elixr is that they support offer local businesses within the city. That is why I wanted to try the PB&J Sandwich because it featured crunchy peanut butter from PB&Jams Philadelphia and blueberry, bourbon infused jam from Spruce Hill Preserves.

The combination of these two spreads on grilled bread was probably the best PB&J I’ve ever had! The peanut butter is hand-crafted nut butter with local ingredients such as honey and maple syrup! And the jam comes from homemade preserves which are big on flavor and fresh!

Catherine got the grilled cheese sandwich which included: gouda, sharp cheddar and tomatoes in between grilled bread. She loved the combination between the two cheeses and the freshness with the tomatoes.

You can find either the PB&Jams Philadelphia or Spruce Hill Preserves online or at local markets or shops.

Definitely go to Elixr Coffee for these two sandwiches or their amazing coffee and other menu items such as pastries and yogurt parfaits (which are all delicious if I do say so myself)!

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Nature's Way

Eat a Pita

Whenever my sister, Catherine and I have been home and had the comforts of love from the family and of course, home cooked meals, we loved to eat healthy and detox at Eat a Pita!

I’ve written many food blog posts on Eat a Pita before. This restaurant offers delicious and healthy options of paninis, pitas, salads and soups. It is a great place to go for a healthy, quick meal made right in front of your eyes. 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.

Catherine always selects to Pick Her Own Pita. I usually go with the specialty panini or salad of the month, but this time I was feeling one of their hand-picked salads. I got the Nature’s Way Salad, which included: dried fruit, granola and spinach topped with fig balsamic vinaigrette. I added chicken for $2. I loved the combo of the dried fruit and granola because you don’t typically see that in a salad. I also got a side of orzo salad.

Again, if you’re looking for a healthy option, Eat a Pita is the place to be! They offer many fresh menu items to fit your healthy lifestyle. You can either dine- or take out if you are on the go!

Indian Cuisine

Minar Palace

Every month I meet up with my friend, Ducky to catch up on each other’s lives. Whenever we meet up, we like to go out somewhere authentic to eat and a staple to a local, Philly restaurant. This time, she picked Minar Palace, which offers traditional, Indian cuisine. I’ve never had Indian food before, but I willing to try anything!

Minar Palace is at 13^th and Walnut, which is considered the Midtown Village of Philadelphia. This restaurant offers fresh ingredients with prompt service. Ducky and I agreed to both of these traits! We thought the food tasted great and thought the staff was very friendly and helpful.

A Minar, you can order anything off the buffet line for $12.99 or pick from the menu. We both picked from the menu because we both had our eyes set on something before we arrived.

To start, Ducky and I both had Naan which is a Tandoori Bread that is made of unleavened white flour which was served nice and warm. We didn’t want to eat too much though because we wanted to accompany them with our meal.

I got the Chicken Jalfrezi which included: boneless chicken cooked in a mild curry, garnished with fried onions, green peppers and tomatoes. I got this dish because I love chicken and because the sauce wouldn’t be too spicy! The sauce was just right! The dinner was served with basmati rice which was a great combo to soak up the sauce.

Ducky got the Lamb Vindaloo which included: lamb cubes cooked with chunks of potatoes in a highly spicy curry sauce. She got this because she loves lamb, as well as potatoes. She said the curry was very spicy, but she loved the taste of it all!

Now I don’t know much of the Indian restaurants here in Philadelphia, but I do recommend going to Minar Palace if you are in search of one! The food and service is worth it! 

High Tea

The Talking Teacup

My mom, sister and I have been going to The Talking Teacup for almost ten years now! The Talking Teacup is a tea room in a 250 year old farmhouse, located in Chalfont, PA. This full service tea room provides the coziness of a country style living room with homemade, comfort food. We usually come here to celebrate birthdays or just to have a girls’ day out.

My family always comes for lunch time for their High Tea. The High Tea includes: scones with preserves and Devonshire cream, a cup of soup or salad, assorted tea sandwiches and a variety of sweets served with your own choice of tea in an individual pot! All of this is only $18.95 and it worth it because you are getting so many offerings of fresh and homemade food, so you know it’s good! And the best thing is they don’t rush you here because they really want their customers to enjoy each other’s company.

I recently came here with my mother to treat her for her birthday. To start, they serve your choice of tea with two different types of scones. My mom got the Earl Grey tea because it’s her favorite and I got the Blueberry tea in season for summer. We each got two different types of scones: honey lavender and raspberry. You know they are fresh because they are still warm when they arrive to the table and they taste delicious. They taste even more delicious with the preserves and cream.

For the second course, my mom chose the salad and I chose the cup of soup. My mom enjoyed her salad because it full of fresh blackberries, cherry tomatoes and pecans. My soup was broccoli cheddar and what I loved most was the presentation of the soup because it was in a teacup!

For the third course, we both got a selection of tea sandwiches that each have their own filling, such as: a cranberry cream cheese, cucumber with sour cream and chive, roasted red pepper cream cheese and many more! They know there that my mom doesn’t like egg salad and ham so they gladly substitute the sandwiches for us.

For the final course, dessert is served of a teapot cookie, chocolate chip almond pound cake and an apricot cake. At this point you are so full, but you have to finish the treats because they are so good!

The Talking Teacup is like a second home to us. The staff is like family and dining there brings us such comfort and joy. We always feel welcome there and I think that’s why we always go back!

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!