The best thing about Philadelphia...

is that you get to leave. Today, for instance. My weekends are constructed of Sundays and Mondays, Sundays being the day I spend time with my Dad and brother brunching, followed by copious amounts of friend time that has been dubbed, over the years, as Sunday Funday. Mondays tend to be slightly foggy, waste-time kind of days. Today, however, I drove into Lancaster in search of one thing and one thing only...the Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Oh yes, friends. That mammoth complex is home to what must be the largest all you can eat buffet outside of Vegas. And, being located in Amish country, home to so many feel-good pork products you suffer a massive coronary just from stepping in the door. I was raised on a bizarre conglomeration of Slovak, German, Polish and Irish foods...lots of cabbage, potatoes, dumplings, and pork. There aren't many things in life that can replace comfort foods, and my heart was made happy when we discovered that not only does Shady Maple serve all of my favorites at their buffet, they have a gift shop, too!!
I can say with absolute certainty nothing could have made today better than the baked lima beans, sausage, cabbage soup and kruschiki (Polish "angel wing" cookies) - for which we we drove an hour and a half on unfamiliar back roads through intermittent downpours.
I remarked to Mike (my partner in crime) on the way that I'm having a harder time explaining to people why we seek out the destinations we do...we went to Spain in October, to the Basque Region, for no other reason but to experience their tapas culture, eat as many churros and hot chocolate as we could before exploding (our cioccolato con panna is remarkably similar, ps), and find the freshest seafood known to man. Mission accomplished, all of which in one tiny (somewhat tense,) village called Lekeito, on the Basque coast.
We're constantly looking for the best thing we can find, preferably in the cheapest, oldest, most authentic incarnation. Lancaster, Spain...last week we went to New York for a few days to experience what I can only say was the single most amazing meal we've ever had. Followed by the best milkshake I've ever had.
All I'm really trying to say is that while driving home today, fuller than I've been since, well...last week, I was thinking about how I'm totally ok with always being broke and tired. Always being broke and tired means I'm always out looking for some new food adventure. Means always finding the new best thing, if only for the two of us. Sometime's it's in Philadelphia and is the best hot dog you've ever had. Sometimes it's in Lancaster and it reminds you of your great great grandmother, who died before you were old enough to really know who she was. Maybe it's in Spain, in a tiny coastal village wracked with turmoil and violence because of their fierce dedication to independence - but you know? It was some of the best food I've ever had. It always is.
PS? There's a Pork Bonanza happening at Shady Maple in a few weeks. Who's up for a road trip?

Sparkling Oyster Goodness

On a whim, after work the other day I headed over to Sam's Oyster House for my first chance to check out their amazing Happy Hour. As far as I'm concerned, buck a shuck oysters beats the hell out of half priced anything at every other bar in the city - except with discounted draft beers as well as cocktails, and a daily oyster shooter designed by the ever so talented (and charming to boot) Katie Loeb, I'm fairly convinced it's THE happiest hour. Ever. And because we're well into "months with an r", I say go to town oyster eaters!
We ordered 24 oysters, a side of brussels sprouts and shoestring fries. The SO ordered a draft Kenzinger, and I a sparkling house wine. Katie asked if she couldn't use me as a guinea pig (of course), and added a dried hibiscus blossom with some hibiscus simple syrup. While I was looking forward to enjoying the sweet sparkle of the wine with the briney-ness of the oysters, the hibiscus was a nice change and offset the flavors well.
I have to say, as much as I love the Oyster House, I'm not super thrilled by the fries. I always go craving something along the lines of what Monk's offers with their mussels - in my opinion some of the best fries in the city - and end up underwhelmed by the very small potato crisps they serve at the O.H. They very much remind me of Andy Capp Hot Fries...hmm. But you know, I don't go to a seafood place for the fries, and I definitely don't think they should be considered a deterrent.
One of the things I like the most about the Oyster House is its roots in Philadelphia's history. In varied representations, the oyster house tradition has been going strong since the beginning of time...or on the books, about 1901. Sam's stays true to tradition with the Snapper Soup, but most noteworthy, Philadelphia's Fish-House Punch. Punches were served for any number of gatherings - Philly's never needed much of an excuse to belly up to the bar. The Fish-House was first documented in 1732, involves peach brandy, cognac and Jamaican rum, and even comes with a little ditty:

There's a little place just out of town,
Where, if you go to lunch,
They'll make you forget your mother-in-law
With a drink called Fish-House Punch.

True story, even the most seasoned punch-drinker will be taken down by this concoction - it's nothing to take lightly (PS thanks to David Wondrich and his Imbibe! for the Fish-House Punch background story)!

All in all, top points all around. The Winter Clam Bake for 2 is AMAZING, as are the Stone Crab claws from the raw bar. Hope that Katie is working her cocktail magic, and ask her to shake you up a traditional style libation. You're good to go.

Cheers.

Taqueria Veracruzana

If two years running constitutes tradition, it has become customary that on New Year's Day, while braving the chaos and beautiful tumult of the Mummer's Parade, my crew and I make a pit stop at Taqueria Veracruzana on Washington Avenue.
With minor hesitation, it is my favorite Mexican food in Philadelphia. I hesitate because my absolute favorite (tamales) comes from a van that parks outside of my work every Saturday morning, but that's a whole other story. When I go after good Mexican, all I want is for it to be simple. Limes, raw onions, cilantro and tacos al pastor are all I need in life on a day when I just can't take any more Thai or Vietnamese (staple foods).
Beautiful things about Veracruzana: the SALSAS! Absolutely wonderful, and so bright. They serve homemade tortilla chips with salsa verde and roja, which for me is reason enough to come here. So often salsas aren't seasoned enough, aren't hot enough or are just too thick - these are thinner, spicy and perfect.
Tacos al pastor - well that's just easy. Pork and pineapple with drippy greasy wonderful. The mole isn't bad, and the burritos are a sure bet.
Bonus points for it being cheap as hell and a BYO - right next to the super classy, but to date has never let me down, "40 Sto'" for all of your Tecate needs.
Basically, if you're looking to fill the down and dirty needs that only a plateful of queso and greasy pork can supply, don't go to one of the American "Mexican" places - you know which I'm talking about...Veracruzana is all you need. (Go on the weekends and ask for tamales!!)

Cheers.