when i bleed red, white and blue

August 2, 2010
by kellie

I don’t profess to be a patriotic person.  Sure, I’m happy to be a resident of the US of A, but I also believe there are other countries I’d be just as happy in (with the added bonus of potentially developing a charming accent, rather than the guttural twang that came about during my formative years in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey).  And, while I’m thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had in this country, I don’t get teary-eyed when I see the stars and stripes waving softly on the breeze of democracy.  (You know we live in a Republic, right?)

However, there is something that makes me feel like a red-blooded, apple pie loving, terrorist hating member of this Union: baseball.  There is no time when I feel greater pride in my country than when I’m sitting in the cheap seats at a Phillies game, sucking down the most American meal known to man – cold beer and lukewarm hot dogs – in the blazing summer sun.  Can there be a greater sense of unity than high fiving a row of complete strangers in the excitement of a walk off homerun or a stronger feeling of brotherhood created when starting the wave and seeing it ripple out over 45,000 people?

There’s a feeling of comraderie that seems to wash over me as I’m sweating alongside fellow red-shirted fans that makes my heart swell with pride at being both a Philadelphian and an American.  Perhaps I’ve been brainwashed by years of hearing baseball referred to as our “national pastime,” to the point that I can no longer separate the game from the country. Or, perhaps I’m just a simple gal who loves bad food and worse beer, and the loud hum of joy, frustration and, occasionally, sorrow from an audience wearing their collective hearts on their t-shirt sleeves.

proud to be an american.

city tap house: beer on the patio

June 19, 2010
by jenny

I first heard of the City Tap House through a Facebook ad, oddly enough.  It was one of those lists of things to do in Philly, which I usually ignore.  With the extra free time and sunlight that summer brings in the evenings, however, I decided to click on one of these lists.  Although some of them were predictable enough (go to the Barnes, check out the Mutter Museum, etc) there were at least a couple bars that sounded intriguing.  One bar/restaurant in particular was on my side of the Schuylkill (the west, of course!) and was supposed to have the most fire-pits of any restaurant in Philly. I’ve never been to any restaurant with fire-pits in Philly! So clearly, I had to see it to believe it.

The City Tap House is located on Walnut between 39th and 40th in the Radian, that brand new residential + shopping + eating complex that Penn built, which I personally feel looks like an homage to 80s tape decks.  The door was a little hard to find, sandwiched next to Capogiro, and most of the parking around there costs money, although all the meters have been replaced with kiosks.  The El would be the easiest option, SEPTA-wise, since the 40th street stop is only a few blocks away.  Once you enter, you immediately take an elevator to the restaurant, which is two or three floors up (it was hard to tell).  The look is very sleek and modern, and they have taken full advantage of being located on the second floor–the entire wall facing south is windows, and about half the place is outdoor seating.  There were the fire-pits, as advertised, with cushy bench seating around them–I saw people ordering food, but many people were choosing to just lounge around them and drink.  There was even a field of wildflowers next to the patio tables.  I suppose this was to help with drainage and make the building more green; I liked it–it made it feel like we weren’t in the middle of the city.  The view was great, too, looking out at Penn’s campus and beyond that, the city skyline.

Overall the prices seemed moderate–my Scottish Salmon BLT was $10, and most of the other “craftwiches,” salads, and appetizers were around the $10-12 range.  They also have daily specials and mussels that you can get as entrees.  The entrees were a little more, maybe around $15-20.  The beer ranged from $4-7; there’s a wine list, but with 60 beers on tap (the most in the city) I didn’t pay it any attention.

So about that salmon BLT…first, it was the size of my head, and the size was mostly salmon.  There was nothing skimpy about it.  It was also cooked to order (I got rare, and it was amazing). I had to eat it with a knife and fork because I couldn’t figure out how to pick it up, and it was fantastic.  I only managed half.  My dining partner got the mussels in a saffron sauce, and she said they were delicious.  We also got the vegetable bruschetta–you only get 4 little squares, but it was very good; however, dinner was so good that I think next time I wouldn’t bother with an appetizer.  I also got fries with my BLT; they were shoestring style, crisp and tasty.

Finally: THE BEER.  One great thing that the Tap House does is give you a card to take notes on your beer; you put your name at the bottom and they save the card for you so that when you come back, you can see what beers you tried already, and what you thought of them. For a place that sells itself on the amount of beer it has, this is a fabulous idea.  Some people are just able to remember the names of every beer they drink; while I like beer, I am not that good.  They also sorted their draft list by type of beer and gave helpful descriptions about the beer, which I also appreciate.  Their beer list changes daily, so you are not guaranteed that the beer you have one day will be there the next, but included in the list they tell you what kegs are next to be tapped in case you want to come back for one.  The draft list is also on the website; I’m guessing it is updated fairly regularly because when I went to look up what beer I had, it wasn’t listed there anymore (all I know is, I had a brown ale and then a Japanese coffee stout, and they were both great).

Dress code was fairly casual; I wore jeans and so did most of the servers, although there were several tables around us with dressed up folks.  The beauty about a restaurant near a university is that there were also tables of people all in scrubs, or workout clothes, or business suits.  They also do live acoustic music fairly regularly, although that appears to mostly happen indoors, and with this place, outdoors is where you want to be.

My summary: good food, good beer, great atmosphere–perfect for escaping the city on a summer evening, when you can’t actually get out of town. I will definitely be going back to sit by the fire pit and fill out more note cards about their beer!

you don’t have to be a patriot to enjoy an American cookery

February 13, 2010
by kellie

Last night, in an effort to stick it to snowmageddon/snowpocalypse/snowgasm/snowtorious B.I.G/snowmergency/other-ridiculous-play-on-the-word-snow, Stephanie and I slipped and slid down the icy sidewalks of Center City West to check out Noble: An American Cookery, tucked on a quiet part of Sansom Street near the Roxy Theater. Upon entering, the atmosphere was simple and a bit plain, with a seeming emphasis on minimalism and prairie living that any self-respecting, wine-bar-frequenting hipster would love (including the vintage-style plaid shirts worn by the servers). On this blizzard recovering Valentine’s weekend, the tables were mostly empty, and both floors were quiet for a Friday evening. We sat on the second floor, where the walls were white (or maybe mayonnaise) and bare save for several large, weathered wood mirrors. The street-facing front “wall” was actually floor to ceiling windows, which let in some nice light reflecting off the river of snow and ice that some would call a road below.

The drink menu was fairly extensive, with over 20 wines and the same number of beers, all of which were crafted in North America. For those of you who like your drinks on the harder side, they also have a bar with liquor, but we stuck to wine – pinot noir – and beer – coffee porter – because, well, we’re simple ladies.

The food menu was smaller than the drink menu (not necessarily a bad thing, depending on the type of week it was at work), and, though the menu changes seasonally, many of the elements stay the same, just with different complements and flavors. I began with the sweet potato-mango soup, which had a subtle sweetness and was deliciously rich and creamy. Stephanie had the scallops, which were fairly tasty, but the cold pink Maine shrimp that dressed their tops were almost gag worthy.

The main course was made up of hanger steak (with bacon, watercress and sweet potato puree) for Stephanie, and yellowfin tuna (with polenta and beet puree) for me. Both were tasty, but the sides we ordered stole the show. At the waiter’s recommendation, I ordered the wild mushrooms with garlic, even though I’m not a big mushroom fan. They were somewhat crunchy (thankfully, since chewy mushrooms induce in me an immediate desire to spit them out) and the garlic was refreshing, not overpowering. Stephanie had the roasted brussel sprouts, and the waiter wasn’t lying when he said they were “out of this world.” Absolutely delicious.

While we waited for dessert, I finally looked up toward the ceiling, noticing the wood beams, exposed ductwork and three huge skylights, which were my favorite part of the decor. I’m glad that my eyes happened to wander upward, since there was nothing in the room drawing attention to the interesting features in the ceiling. It was also at this point that Stephanie and I noticed the music, and we were thankful to have not noticed it earlier. I can’t even remember what it sounded like (my subconscious mind may be doing me a favor), but I remember that I preferred not to hear it.

Our desserts came (mine was accompanied by La Colombe coffee), mexican hot chocolate with a chocolate dipped cookie for Stephanie and mexican coffee brulee for me. I was surprised to see the brulee topped with mango sorbet, but the flavors actually served each other well, with the sweet bitterness of the coffee smoothing out the tanginess of the mango. The hot chocolate was dark, thick and enjoyable, and was best eaten by being slurped off a spoon.

Overall, Noble, while not being overtly impressive, was worth the trip (though maybe not the hour wait in the slush for a bus that never came to take me home) and is a place I would return to. The service was absolutely excellent, and wasn’t hurt by the fact that our waiter was on the cute side. If you end up trying out Noble, be forewarned; the way the portions and menu are set up, you’ll want to order a first course or a side, so the price can add up fairly quickly. And, it may just make you gassy, so try to avoid it on a first date.