John & Kira's

Gourmet, Artisan Chocolates
Currently only online – Website

Even though a chocolate-specific write-up is something I never thought I'd do as Philly Phoodie, I was recently invited to an "exclusive chocolate and wine tasting at the Independent Hotel" on Locust at 13th. It's a new 'boutique hotel' that I had no idea existed, but apparently it hits a niche market in the heart of Center City. But I digress...

Owner, John Doyle, was there to give an introduction and to talk a little bit about each of the evening's three pairings.

Although these little numbers weren't on the pairing agenda, they were scattered around the lobby for a bit of chocolate pre-gaming. How cute, little pumpkins.

They were filled with a nutmeg caramel and reminded me of November.

I won't talk too much about the wine pairings, because they seemed a bit off to me. I'm no wine connoisseur, but I know enough to know which wines taste good and which ones don't. There was a red (okay) and a white (terrible).

They really take care to making these little buggers look expensive. The Red Ganache Lovebugs are "hand-painted 62% dark chocolate shells with colored cocoa butter, filled with a delectable dark Valrhona 64% chocolate ganache and a hint of Singing Dog vanilla sourced from Indonesian farmers." Talk about fancy. Unfortunately, I couldn't help but think of Rodney Dangerfield the whole time.

Probably the greatest highlight of the evening were the figs. Talk about indulgent. Not to mention the fact that these were paired with a Fine Tokay wine, which was more of a syrupy-sweet dessert wine that really had some legs on it. This pair was actually right on.

"We import tender, organic dried Calabacita figs from a small family farm in Spain then fill them ourselves with a silky smooth, whiskey infused Valrhona dark chocolate ganache. They are then hand-dipped in 62% dark chocolate." Need I say more? Absolutely incredible.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend a purchase of John & Kira's chocolates over anything else - if chocolate is what you're gifting. Compounded by their impeccable eye for design in packaging and marketing, the company's quality ingredients are certainly worth a try.

Wedge + Fig

160 North 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(267) 603-3090
Website

Wedge + Fig (or is it Wedge and Fig?) is a small BYO bistro in Old City, and I desperately wanted to like it. But I didn't.

When you walk in the front door, there is a small shop and counter, backed by a wide-open kitchen - you can see straight through to the rear windows, all the way to their ivy'd fence. There was an incredibly awkward server/host there to make things confusing, mumbling about seating and stumbling around, but the space itself is fantastic. After a brief pause that seemed like an eternity, he managed to garble that there is a backyard-courtyard with additional seating.

You then walk back around the front of the store and back this tiny easement to a magical little oasis behind the store front and far off of the bustle of Third St. I was impressed. Mostly I was relieved he was not following me down this tiny alley.

The courtyard is great, it really has a relaxing vibe to it. Which might be a prelude to the service.

They were offering a Mad Men/March Madness(?) themed menu, so I had to bite on the specials.

After my dining partner and I were the first arrivals to the courtyard, we were instantly ignored for the next table - a group of touristy German girls sitting right next to us. We had no choice but to listen to him attempt to coax them to come to some karaoke night with him. It was a feeble attempt. This guy was like a poor man's Eddie Austin, minus the charm. Anyway, after we ordered a Lance Pryce (the character's name is actually "Lane," which should have been a sign of the errors to come), a Joan Harris and a Weaver's Way Pickle, we experienced a twenty-five minute hiatus. Things kept accelerating in the awkward and frustrating manner I had grown accustomed to. When the sandwiches came out, the Joan Harris was nicely grilled. However the Lan(c)e Pryce had a long hair sticking out of the chicken salad. I am pretty sure I spotted it before it even hit the table. Hair in chicken salad is one of my ultimate turn-offs. Something about mayo and human hair having been thoroughly mixed and set, that strikes the wrong chord. I quickly called the server back from space and alerted him. He replied "oh" and took it back. An apology would have gone a long way in this situation. Much longer than barely acknowledging the fact that there was someone's locks in my sandwich. Not these lox, but these. I tried to watch the kitchen, through the enormous back windows, intently from this point on, because I wanted to make sure they did not just pull the offending stray and "return to sender." However, it was put off for another five minutes. Luckily I could (cautiously) eat half of the other sandwich.

The brioche was nicely toasted, and filled with gorgonzola dolce, Sriracha glazed chicken, and caramelized onions. It was a good sandwich. But I was already pretty disgusted at this point.

When we had finished eating the other sandwich in its entirety, the Lan(c)e Pryce made an appearance. It was at least five minutes later. Which was kind of mystifying, as it was just chicken salad. Here's the other thing. It was good. Pretty tasty. But at this point, it would take more than Farmhouse cheddar, maharaja curry, apricots, and almonds to please me. Also, this sandwich was sort of like an illusion.

It looks good right?

Check out the bread ratio.

Even better view below.

A bread sandwich with a side of chicken salad. Yum. Besides the incompetent service, the health code violation, and the fact that both the pickle I never received and the hairy chicken salad were still on the bill (paid for the sandwich not the pickle), I really might have liked Wedge + Fig. The atmosphere is quite nice, and the ingredients are locally sourced and carefully thought out. However the execution is not there.