Food, Music, and Travel are the keys to my heart
Food so GOOD.. that it’s absolutely wrong for it to be so perfect every time I dine here. Haha @fiorefinefoods
The lineup from sweet to savory to refreshing. The dessert will truly make you want to cry with delight
Until I get to return to Italy.. Justine, Ed, & Gina (all trained in Italy and have impeccable NYC resumes) @fiorefinefoods provide just the right dose of absolutely amazing Italian food.
Buon Appetito
And my cocktail, as I’m feeling optimistic that warm weather is near was the Frizzante for me it’s “sunshine in a glass”
Which absolutely from the 1st sip took me back to my time on the Amalfi Coast.. not believing that I was there and thinking how lucky I am.
Pasta- just like I’ve had in Italy
- Potato Gnocchi in a light porcini butter and thyme sauce!!
~These gnocchis literally evaporate when they touch your tongue. They are so light and perfetto!!!
~A true sign of homemade gnocchi is that every one is not perfectly round. This like all of their dishes is fresh made each day.
Casonecelli - for me it reminds me of thanksgiving wrapped in a beautiful perfectly al dente handkerchief. A creamy sweet potato filled pasta with sage and balsamico.
Cheese - this presentation of Parmigiana Reggiano with gnocchi fritto( pillow like hollow puffs) with aceto balsamico. Is not only tasty but fun to eat. Break open one of the frittos, take a piece of cheese.. smear it in the balsamico and tuck it inside the slightly warm puff. Wow! It reminded me of a perfect mini grilled cheese sandwich. This cheese plate clearly represents all things good from Modena.
Torta Caprese al Limone super light campari citrus cake with a toasted almond gelato and marcona almond pieces.. absolutely one of the BEST desserts I ever had.
Milk Chocolate Budino a brown sugar plum cake with red wine caramel
Out of this world vegan 🌱 dinner.
Every one of the 5 courses was 💥
The setting felt as if I was in a family members home but back in the 50’s.
Each course was what I would envision a family preparing for for a special persons birthday.. bringing out all of the favorites and all of the stops
An intimate setting allowed myself and 21 other diners to have an absolutely perfect cozy dining experience. The service and vibe were fantastic and Rachel, well she’s awesome so personable, humble and an amazing chef. Check out the pics to see all of the goodies I loved as well as the menu.
Super yum.
Cheers!
Al dente spaghetti in a wonderfully balanced pomodoro sauce @crybabypasta
Newly opened, super cute place by well establish chef/restaurateur..casual yet extremely well managed and professional, personable staff. Fun cocktails and a nice selection of wine.
Yes, I cried like a baby, bc I wanted more.
Top picture is a delicious Pasta Pomodoro.
Yum
Freshly toasted bruschetta with ricotta, honey and basil
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
* I love to learn, and to get to do so with beautifully executed, delicious cuisine by Chef Brian paired with special wines selected by Sommelier Kyle...fantastic. Not a bad way to learn.
Featured:
~ Sommelier Series by Vetri Cucina, Philadelphia.
~ Region of focus - Emilia Romagna, Italy.
Buon Appetito
Vetri Pasta Magic
Yesssss!
Food is everything. 💋 Lisa Lukasiewicz Welch
#foodporn
Walk in it feels like a place from the 50’s
Frank Sinatra playing “Strangers in the night, then followed by Fly me to the moon and some jazz.
And showing some Eagles love as shown by their business card💚
Happy Friday 💋
*Added bonus the staff is#1! I love how they refer to you by 1st name when they serve you and when you say goodbye. Although it is my 1st time here, it felt very comfortable and familiar *
Breakfast sandwich ~ Scrambled eggs, cooper sharp cheddar, arugula on potato bread. Yum yum (Perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs)
Whipped ricotta with masala house-made Jam on milk bread with lemon zest
(So tasty, the ricotta is so light and the jam not to sweet and perfect with the lemon zest)
This old school neighborhood pizza spot is absolutely OMG! You have to call ahead to reserve your dough as they only make so much each day.
💯 paper thin and crispy with the right amount of garlic. The crust is so tasty, like a perfectly flavored crouton.
Featured 1/2 original and 1/2 white pizza with spinach and tomatoes. Yum💋
September 9, 2018
June 23, 2018
Philadelphia, PA
You can tell everything about pizza from the 1st bite. And the 1st bite of this, I closed my eyes and it reminded me of the pizza I had in magnificent Positano 💕
The crust is super thin, paper like not too crispy and the dough under the sauce a little soft and the sauce... perfection
Fork and knife pizza all the way.
Plus walking distance to the Barnes Foundation and the Rodin museum.
Buon Appetito💋 — eating pizza at Pizzeria Vetri (1939 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia).
February 21, 2018
What’s a birthday without a pizza party and Aunt Tess birthday love. 💋
April 7, 2019
Saturday recap..
Rock, Pizza, Gelato and Lacrosse
* watching Jordan Dream Weaver(and yes, that’s her super cool real name) channel her inner rocker girl 🎸along with the rest of her band led by Paul Green of the School of Rock at Fergie’s Pub.
Amazing young talent. I was rocking out to..all tunes reminded of me Brat Pack era movies
#supportthearts
**the a mid day snack. At Spuntino pizza.. delizioso. That crust, that sauce ...perfect while sitting in a beautiful floor to ceiling glass window restaurant in Northern Liberties. Plus one of the owners and pizza makers is well known House/EDM DJ for nearly 20 yrs.
***and the Spuntino gelato... Basil gelato 🍨 soooo good perfect for a sunny, happy day. Super light and refreshing
****wrapping up the day cheering on Geoffrey and his Lacrosse teammates from George School alongside Stephanie Hedrick Connolly Evan Connolly Terry Hetzel.
Perfect Saturday between the Burbs and Philly
March 10, 2018
Lauren Ireland- guess where we had dinner tonight. Delish!
Thank you for your friendship and for always keeping my eyebrows on point.💋
Ridiculously good comfort food that feels like it’s being served in someone’s 70’s motif styled home. (Sharon Ford Cowen - after seeing your post the other day I thought I need to go back to Bud & Marilyn’s.)
The staff are extremely welcoming, the cocktails are fabulously mixed and the food.. the kind where you are so tempted to lick your fingers.
*The two woman owners of this also own Barbuzzo and 4 other restaurants on 13th street. 🙌 boss ladies!💥
So so good. Definitely left this meal feeling... tapped out. But so worth it!💋
the super yummy warm pretzel rolls that are topped with a beer cheese sauce and chives
The summer corn on the cob with miso-ginger aioli, pepitos, pepper, lime (this is the finger licking good item)
The summer corn with zucchini and squash pasta..tasty
Oh yeah, the beautiful purple cocktail called The Lakeside- vodka, fresh lime, violet and mint
Warm biscuits with honey butter
The mashed potatoes were exactly on point!
And last but not least this super tall funfetti cake with rainbow sprinkles on top of strawberry sauce. Delish!
On Sundays we Brunch.. and today it was at the gorgeous Maison 208 a French inspired restaurant (located in the Washington Square West section of Philadelphia).
When you walk in you’re greeted by what feels like someone’s personal upscale home. The 1st floor has one of my favorite features an open air kitchen and beautiful bar and clever birdcage light fixtures. And the sounds of an absolutely fantastic acoustic guitar player named Anthony DeCarlo.
Upstairs is called “The Social” a fun loungey space with 2 bars and an awesome retractable roof. I think the only one in Philly right now.
The menu created by season 14 Top Chef contestant Chef Sylva Senat so tasty.
The staff was personable and attentive, while having a nice relaxed and happy factor.
Can’t wait to go back for dinner. Of which Tues-Saturday they have live Jazz upstairs from 9pm-2am. 💋 — eating brunch at Maison 208.
Creme’ Brûlée French Toast with chantilly and berries ~ absolutely heavenly and just the right amount of sweet.
Coconut pancakes - fluffy and light
Truffle Parmesan Fries - the perfect amount of truffle, cheese on top of a just amount of crispy french fry.
Pics from a few nights ago at Suraya ~ rightfully voted the best new restaurant in Philly. This was my 2nd dining experience and just as wonderful.
*Think Zahav but from the perspective of Lebanese cuisine *
The space from its entrance way captures what one would believe a true Lebanese restaurant/marketplace would be. Beautiful tiles, vibrant with wonderful flavorful dishes.
The hostess and servers are extremely attentive and warm.
While the space is spacious they somehow have created an atmosphere that feels intimate as you dine.
Absolutely love the large open kitchen with counter seating.
The tapas style items we had were so so good. The kind where you use your pita to wipe the sauce from the bottom of the dish.
The cocktails are exactly on point, representative of the culture and tasty.
An absolute must dine experience.
Warak Enab - slightly grilled grape leaves stuffed with fluffy rice and served with lemon yogurt, crispy shallots and barberries.
Batata Harra - crispy potatoes with garlic, cilantro need I saw more
Fatar Meshwi - a savory wild mushroom dish
Squash blossom and zucchini special that was so so good the sauce was amazing, that I forgot the Lebanese name of.
Had to check out the #1 restaurant in Philadelphia as ranked this month by Philadelphia Magazine in their top 50 issue.
The Hungry Pigeon located on a cute corner on Fabric Row in Queens Village.
A place that locals love to frequent for its locally sourced comfort yet creative food menus as they serve breakfast, lunch, “after school “ and dinner with a nicely sized counter bar that serves up tasty creative cocktails. And their fresh baked goods, outstanding.
The owners explained its a place where some of their dearest friends contributed to the decor from the plants to the prints to the light fixtures. Sounds sweet right. It is and they were all extremely humble and approachable although they have been selected #1. One of the owners was the former pastry chef for Balthazar for many years.
The bread basket perfection, our meals super tasty and the drinks were right on point. And the dessert heaven!
They are known for their braised and fried chicken, being a vegetarian I didn’t try but it looked amazing as did everything that came out.(Pics of dinner/cocktails menu are at the end) my favorite of the night the zucchini and cucumber salad and the berry brioche bread pudding.
A fantastic, clever and tasty dining experience 💋
Enjoying a “Summer Water”~Aka Rose’ food pairing at Fond. While listening to a medley of Guns n’ Rose’( cute right)
The scene- Last night was a beautiful evening in South Philly while sitting in the best table, the open air window seat for two
The experience a fabulous Rose’ dinner with a spectacular assortment of specially selected Rose’ wines for each of the 5 courses. The wines were selected by David Snyder, that is the ultimate foodie and wine connoisseur while having a day job as an Attorney @ philafoodie.
The dining experience was wonderful before each course Chef Lee Styer and his team would come out and Chef would have each team member describe the course while David would describe the wine.
One of the cutest things of the night was when David said ...Pairing food with wine is not about always hitting a home run, it’s like a relationship, avoiding conflict”. 💯. True that!
So feast your eyes on last night’s selections, I took photos of both those created for the menu and those that Chef slightly altered for me without protein.
Everything was super yum! Two highlights for me were
The watermelon starter was sooo so good the watermelon was infused with basil and topped with this sweet as candy individual kernels of cancha corn, cherry tomatoes ...absolute tasted like summer.
And the strawberry rhubarb shortcake was divine!! While eating it I would get a random surprise sugar crystal. I took some of the chantilly and smeared it on top of half the shortcake and let me tell you I closed my eyes savoring the taste of each bit.
Must try restaurant, beautiful corner location with a visually appealing interior I have a pic of the man that made the bar in this post as well as David the wine connoisseur. Welcoming staff and wonderfully executed food by a talented Berk’s county native chef.
A fun night. 💋
*Plus Jacki and I each received a generous gift certificate from one of the restaurant diners ... just for being so happy and having a fun time. He’s the one we are toasting with.
The Watermelon Starter
Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake
June 7, 2018
Thank you Sheena Bediako for introducing me to one of your favorite places on earth. From start to finish I felt like I was in a dream. Chef Chris- you are a true artist! Looking forward to my return! ❤️
Will byob—French restaurant
Read MoreIf you like brunch, you have to try Ela.
Sunday Brunch in the Queens Village section of Philadelphia ~ fantastic!!!
The space is visually appealing and the staff warm and personable.
The food exactly what you would want for brunch. Every single bite of each dish was so so tasty. I ordered two of our dishes to go as well.
The Elixir(drink) menu is creative and fun.
Can’t wait to go back for dinner. The menu looks great. 💋
Kale salad with oven roasted tomatoes, charred broccoli, roasted almonds, pecorino cheese with the most perfect garlic herb dressing. (I ordered an extra to go, just as good later)
Cornbread waffle with fresh burrata and chili pepper
Housemade rhubarb muffins accompanied by house made butter placed on top of Honey with sprinkles of sea salt on the edge
Brioche French toast topped with a berry rhubarb jam with kumquat slices and lavender chantilly.!!
And the most perfectly made hash brown ever on top of a chipotle crema.
Eating dinner with great friends at Barcelona Wine Bar
This weather calls for Tapas, Alfresco Dining and extremely well executed Spanish food and cool decor accompanied by two attentive servers per table. The only thing missing was 💃🏼
Absolute must try.. Barcelona Wine Bar ~ Passyunk Ave, South Philly
Had the most delicious, well actually lots of Tempranillo wine. So smooth. Perfect.
Featured: Pan con tomate - in Spain they call it crystal bread, which I would eat at breakfast and for a snack everyday when I was in Spain. It’s toasted bread that is drizzled with olive oil and topped with smooshed(I know so not a technical cooking term) fresh tomatoes the consistency of a purée and a sprinkle of salt. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was and how much it reminded me of Spain. I was so tempted to order another to take home.
Had the most delicious, well actually lots of Tempranillo wine. So smooth. Perfect.
Perfectly flavored vegetable paella 🥘 with the right amount of crunchy💋
Super tasty fried brussel sprouts. Just the right amount of crispy, a hint of brown sugar and a dash of kick. So good
The patate tortilla- very good like a potato quiche with a tortilla crust top and bottom
Pan con tomate
Today’s weather has a California feel. So to keep in the spirit of that.
Let’s have some street taco like food.
Great little place in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.
Outside casual seating, quick service, tasty fresh made food all for less than $17(The truffle mushroom quesadilla, so good)💋
There are various things that people choose to collect.. for me it’s experiences that take me to different places that lead me to meeting the most interesting, kind people.
This week a person(now a friend) I met in Barcelona a few years on one of my trips to Spain , I rented an Airbnb from him. He has 22 fabulous flats in the City. On Sunday, Jaume messaged me that he would be in Philadelphia for 3 days just finishing up his Singapore and India trip. And scavenger hunt while in India to find a “holy cow” among other things. Lol
He wanted to know what he should try to do during 1st visit to Philly.
I suggested the usual things and then we agreed to meet for lunch. That evening he would have dinner at my fav, Will Byob.
So we met at the Gran Caffe on Chestnut Street, one of my fav Italian restaurants in Philadelphia that cooks daily housemade pasta the way it should be al dente, has an innovative menu/wine list and all of the waiters are from Italy. Check it out.
Anyway, as if we were old friends, catching up on things that we have seen the other post over the years, travel, life, next chapters and of course food. He’s a foodie like me.
Both of us snapping pics and moving items from the shot for the other.
We grabbed housemade gelato and began walking.
I say to him.. “ You know, isn’t it amazing that I just so happened to find you on Airbnb a few years ago and now look at us now walking together eating gelato in Philadelphia”
Jaume - “ It is, but I never think I won’t see a person or place again at some point”
Me- “ I know, I believe that too. Truly I could go almost anywhere and know someone within a few hrs or a day or so of where I am.., my car is on the next street do you want to walk that way”
Jaume- “ Sure, I have no agenda... I’m just looking around”
Me- “ I love that, what a free way to be.. no agenda, just looking around... you know when I post this your free spirit style will inspire others”
Jaume- says jokingly..”now, wait I’m not trying to be a guru”
He’s the best, I’ll post his connect info separately. If your travel plans include Barcelona, reach out to him. He’s lovely.
I’m so glad that I’m a collector of experiences, the derivative benefits are exponential.
Yay, it’s Saturday💋
Absolutely beautiful open air restaurant & lounge space. Healthy soul food set to the soundtrack of fabulous jazz and hip hop. Today was honoring Notorious B.I.G. and similar artists.
Live jazz music most evenings.
The food was delish and so many options for meat and plant based eaters.
Pics of Sweet Potato, Wild Rice & Black Eyed Pea soup and of the Portobello wrap with collard green pesto and Gouda.💋
Sweet Potato, Wild Rice & Black Eyed Pea soup
Portobello wrap with collard green pesto and Gouda.
Few more pics of holiday fun and absolutely amazing, probably the best Japanese I’ve ever had. The perfect speakeasy type of candlelit restaurant that has a wonderful assortment of small plate options for everyone. And tons of options for vegetarians and vegans. Plus super tasty innovative cocktails and the largest sake collection in Philadelphia.
So descend down the stairs and feast your eyes on beautifully plated creative and tasty food. Absolute must try. Thank you Nicole Frick Biancofor arranging the dinner plans. Had a fantastic time with both you and Lisa Lukasiewicz Welch 💋
One example of happiness is to share a beautiful dining experience with girlfriends. We inspire one another, giggle out loud together, show compassion and true concern for one another. We simply just accept each other exactly as they are.. concluding, wow, they are all absolutely delightful.
Tonight we had the pleasure of dining at Will BYOB located on Passayunk Ave in So.Phila.
This extremely special French inspired culinary gem which features regional ingredients in a cozy intimate setting is led by Chef Chris Kearse.
Chef Chris is a true culinary genius. The 2nd oldest of 8 children born and raised in Levittown, Bucks County,PA.
He began cooking as a child, but his gift was unearthed when he took over cooking duties for his family, preparing dinner for his parents and 7 siblings every night while he was in high school.
His gift lead him to be offered positions in many of America’s top restaurants including the highly regarded French Laundry in Napa Valley, CA.
So fest your eyes on the culinary presents Chef Chris prepared for us. Bon Appetit💋
You know you are with your best friend,when you realize that you will likely have expired meter parking violations, but think it's completely worth it.
Tonight as we have done for many years Lisa Lukasiewicz Welch and I find a fantastic place to share a pre-Christmas meal in Philadelphia
This year we were fortunate to get a reservation at the #1 restaurant in Philadelphia, Laurel. This French restaurant located in the heart of South Philly is owned by my childhood friend Kristen Elmi and her exquisite and talented husband, Nicholas(America's top chef winner)
Lisa and I were beyond blown away with the level of perfection we experienced in food, presentation, and service throughout the 7 courses. The soft as cloud ricotta gnocchi with table side grated white truffle. Omg
Truthfully everything was spectacular.
I am sure A Michelin ⭐️ will be on the horizon.
Wishing continued success to Kristen and Nicholas who are truly living their dream each day.
But for me, laughing out loud with my bestie is one of the greatest gifts I have not just during the holidays but all year. Love you Lis💖
💋
