Wednesday, June 1, 2011

232 To Go

I have eaten 6 more things!  From the list of the 239 best dishes in Philadelphia.  This makes 7 so far.  My progress was delayed for a while, but took off like whoa when I realized during the last week of my job downtown that a good number of the restaurants on the list were within walking distance.  My mission was clear.  In one day, I knocked out three dishes.  Good for my wallet, diet or health?  No.  But goals are goals, people. 

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese from Jones.  So simple and so deliciously satisfying.  I could eat this every day.  It was made even better by the company, since I was with two very dear, old friends and a couple of fantastic, new ones.  The soup was perfectly perfect and the grilled cheese was toasty, crunchy, and achieved spot on bread to cheese ratio, which is what I look for in a damn good grilled cheese.


Chana Masala from Tiffin.  What I'm about to say makes me sound horribly close-minded but prior to venturing into Tiffin, when I thought Indian food, I thought curry.  I was also afraid of it.  I don't know much about Indian food, but I assumed that one would not want to risk a bad version.  And since I had no idea what good Indian food was, I never took the risk.  I walked into Tiffin on a takeout whim because I happened to be passing and knew it was on the list.  The smells emanating from that restaurant were amazing.  Fragrant, smoky, distinctive, and intoxicating.  I wanted to eat whatever they were serving.  The chana masala was delicious, as promised, as were the 4 other dishes I ordered in the name of experimentation and broadening my horizons.  Joe and I were so into digging in, tasting and assessing that I forgot to provide photographic evidence.  Just trust me: I ate it and it was good. 

Egg Salad Sandwich from Snow White.  The list indicates that this made it because of the novelty of egg salad being prepared fresh right in front of you.  Yes, upon ordering, the cook behind the lunch counter whips out two hard-boiled eggs, peels them by hand, mixes up your egg salad right in front of you, spreads it on bread, wraps it in paper and hands it over.  But since I watched, I know that all that's in it is two eggs, salt, pepper, mayo, a squirt of yellow mustard and done.  Pure, simple, and yes, good, but list worthy?  I'm not so sure.  However, Snow White is totally one of those places that you pass by 100 times and never notice.  A little hole-in-the-wall-esque lunch counter that I would never have gone to had it not been for the list.  So in that way, the list is totally serving its purpose.  I'm exploring my city.  I've also heard that Snow White serves up a mean burger and milkshake so I'll have to go back.  Plus, a fresh egg salad sandwich for $2.75?  You can't beat it. 



Falafel Sandwich from Mama's.  Mama's also falls under the category of I probably never would have independently tried it without the list.  It's a kosher, vegetarian, Middle Eastern restaurant, and while I have no ill feelings toward any of these, it's not my typical scene.  I was so, so wrong.  This should totally be my scene.  Allow me to explain: crunchy, flavorful falafel balls with cabbage, cucumber, tomato, fresh hummus, tahini and a little hot sauce inside a wheat pita.  So good, I forgot to take a picture.

Frozen Yogurt with Hazelnuts and Milk Chocolate from Yogorino.  Not your typical frozen yogurt.  It only comes in plain, which means a bit tart and tangy, but not offensively so.  Still sweet and creamy enough to satisfy.  The list called for toppings of toasted hazelnuts and dulce de leche, but since there was no dulce de leche the day I went, I got the hazelnuts with milk chocolate.  I was not disappointed.




Turkey Reuben at Rachael's Nosheri Deli.  I unwrapped and ate this hot sandwich at a table surrounded by co-workers.  This was a mistake.  You should eat this sandwich alone, out of the earshot and sight of others, because you will want to moan and sigh in pleasure and at least have the option of licking the foil.  Again, I must thank the list, because had I gone here on my own, I would have ordered something familiar and safe to me, like a turkey club.  While I'm sure that's a good option at Rachael's too, the turkey rueben is where it's at.  Lots of hot, melted Swiss cheese, fantastically creamy Russian dressing, hot roasted turkey sliced thin topped with sauerkraut on rye bread.  More, please.



I am very much looking forward to the next 232.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT!!! I can't wait to come back to Philly and try some of these things with you! Speaking of, Russell and I just signed up to run the Philly 1/2 marathon on Sep 18! I hope we can make another trip up there before then, though! Yay!