Ravanesi Pizzeria Napoletana

790 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA 19342
(484) 840-8912
Website

The pizza scene in the Philadelphia area is a hotly debated, often contentious topic. To make the vast Philadelphia-proper scene even more confusin, let's add the great pizza of the 'burbs to the mix. Philly may have the best pizza in the country, with Pizzeria Beddia, but South Jersey, MontCo, and DelCo hold it down as well. Ravanesi is modeled after the Neapolitan pizza of Napoli, and Dave Ravanesi's obsession is apparent in the product.

Located in a small strip mall in Glen Mills for two years now, you would not notice this place as you drove by at night, until you see the line of people out the door. They have seven pizzas on the menu. That is it. BYOB, no reservations, and no take-out on the weekends. When you are this good, you make the rules.

Dave is a great guy, hand making every pie, start to finish. He puts a level of attention into them that I have only seen by my buddy Joe Beddia. Indeed, I said it, the pizza here reminded quite a bit of Joey's pies.

See for yourself below.

Dave uses a no-yeast, 38 hour dough that lends itself to the blistering perfection and ease of manipulation. He never has more than 3 pies in his custom wood-fired oven (all hardwoods, of course, with an oak preference) and he keeps them moving so there's little loss of heat and they cook consistently in a matter of minutes.

By the time I got mine, I was drooling. Not that this was an aberration from my general state of consciousness, but this time it was food related. On top is the Sopressata Piccante, topped with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spicy sopressata,  Parmigiano Reggiano, chili flakes, garlic, & extra-virgin olive oil. On the bottom, a traditional Margherita, boasting San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil & sea salt.

Look at the color on that crust. The fluffy, crunchy dough is unbelievable, with a perfectly browned hue. The sauce had the zip of the San Marzano tomatoes, and was perfect in its simplicity. The mozzarella is made in-house, and was rich and creamy with a velvety texture. Finished with basil leaves, this pie is simple perfection. Easily one of the best Margheritas I have ever tasted.

My favorite, unsurprisingly, had the extra addition of salty meat. Spicy soppressata with chili flakes made this pizza shine. Again, the crust was perfectly baked, the toppings beyond reproach, and the execution phenomenal.

Look at the spicy little grease pools on this. Pure deliciousness.

Check the bottom of the crust. You can't beat the combo of slight char, and perfect browning.

This place blew away my expectations, and I encourage you to check it out as well. The only thing I can say is, if you go early to avoid a wait, be prepared for a lot of kids. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's something to be ready for. Also, don't forget the wine.

California Tortilla

200 Town Centre Dr #3
Glen Mills, PA 19342
(610) 358-5880
Website

Here we are again, traveling the Philadelphia suburbs, searching for delicious and reasonably priced food. I prefer the kind I can eat with my hands, as you already know, so in addition to sandwiches and hoagies, I'm always on the look out for a great burrito.

Can't have suburbs without strip malls. Or kids. I mean, I felt like I had just walked into a Chuck E Cheese's.

But I didn't let that get me. Too much. I had to look beyond the little people that were running into my legs so that I could start to enjoy what was coming next.

It's your usual build-a-burrito bar, but you don't get to walk down the strip and tell them item-by-item what to add. You have to tell them your fixin's order at the register, before you even get to see the fixin's, which isn't my favorite way to order a burrito. I need to really see what's offered before I tell them to just add everything. So I choked a little and got two of their "chef-inspired creations" that already has the insides chosen for you.

On the way to my seat, I spotted their 'wall of flame.' They've got seventy five (75!) different kinds of hot sauce up there at your disposal. It looks like more than that, but I'm not splitting hairs. I had to try at least a few while I waited for my number to be called.

I ordered their signature California Screamin' Burrito, with blackened chicken, rice, queso, fajita veggies, their house-made California Screamin’ hot sauce and salsa. When asked if I wanted to make it a combo, I couldn't say no to a side of chips and queso.

I'm pretty sure they use Velveeta here, which is a sign of true quality in any liquid cheese application. It wasn't bursting with salsa flavor, but it was better than your usual nacho cheese pump-action distributor. But I wasn't here for the sides.

Now, I realize that burritos do not photograph very well - they never do - but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to capture their inner beauty. The chicken was tender, juicy and packed with blackened flavor and the screamin' hot sauce had a really nice chipotle heat to it. The burrito was very well made with a perfect distribution of ingredients throughout, every bite was made of equal parts. Better than Chipotle? Hell yes. Way better. And I love me some Chipotle.

Second up was the Korean BBQ Burrito and I chose to get the pork/carnitas on this one. Served with rice, fajita veggies, sweet and spicy Korean BBQ sauce, crisp slaw, Sriracha chili sauce and cilantro, this one was the sure-fire winner. I couldn't believe a place like this managed to get their Korean flavors so accurate. It was spot on with the hot and sweet, with the gochujang flavor mingling with the gingery garlic of the traditional BBQ sauce. Simply delicious. The fresh crunch of the cabbage slaw was a pleasing surprise in every bite.

All in all, California Tortilla does a really great job with the food. Not so much on the atmosphere, but who am I to judge? (minus one cheesesteak for Chuck E Cheese likeness.)

Heirloom Tomato Festival

Hosted by Terrain
914 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA 19342
(610) 459-2400
Website

Because I was recently vacationing in Canada, I sent my field reporter, Dulceviv, out to cover this event, read on...

To be honest, when Philly Phoodie asked me to cover the Heirloom Tomato Festival at Terrain I had no idea what I was in for.

Upon arrival, I was greeted with the bloody mary table and then I knew I was in the right place. How can you go wrong with a choose-your-own garnish station? Not only were there perfectly seasoned bloody marys, but also a deliciously light and summery heirloom tomato tart to sample.

In addition to the the aforementioned bloody mary stand at hand, also the Happy Cat Farm was on site for insightful and thoughtful information about different types of tomatoes.

When we got to the salsa tasting table we knew we were on to something good. There were many types of salsas to try but most notably in my opinion was the pina verde. It had such a robust flavor with nice heat. The sweetness of the pineapple mellowed the hotness of the jalapeño. There was something for every taste on that table. Ranging from extremely hot to the less intense. The tomatoes were fresh and bursting with summer goodness.

The salsa station in all of its glory did nothing to prepare us for what came next. Chef Keith Rudolf (of Terrain Cafe) prepared an heirloom tomato tasting menu that was more than a mouthful. Who would have known that beginning the meal, the amuse (our “mouth amuser”): a shot of tomato/jalapeño water with halibut ceviche and a side rice cracker, could enliven the taste buds in such a way to prepare us for the following courses.

Our server whose name was never revealed, but whose smile and graciousness will live on in memory was just as excited about our meal as we were. He described the menu in a way that kept us on the edge of our seats between courses. We were presented with the summer panzanella. I cannot state how light and perfectly fresh every part of this dish was. The burrata had a bit of sweetness, which made the saltiness of the crouton a perfect experience for the tongue.

Second came the soft poached eggs with crunchy pole beans and smoked tomato oatmeal that held a creaminess that lingered after the perfectly cooked egg exploded on top of the smoked tomato oatmeal.

Next came the lobster tail with corn tomato pudding and house lardons and corn cream. I would be hard pressed to say that you can ever go wrong with lobster and house made lardons. Top that with corn tomato pudding and you have a sweet creamy, rich mouthful that will leave you wanting more.

And just when you couldn’t shake the thought of that delicious lingering lobster sensation, out came the bourbon glazed pork loin with summer ratatouille. Sometimes when you are expecting a pork to be delicious and moist and it comes out like shoe leather, this was not the case.

Lastly, the summer inspired peach, tomato cobbler with basil ice cream was a veritable dessert adventure. It was sweet, but not over the top. It was a perfect end to an incredible meal.

Chef Keith and his kitchen crew have a handle on flavors, textures and taste - making this experience one that will live on in my memory. I can say with full enthusiasm I look forward to next years Heirloom Festival.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram @dulceviv and look for an upcoming blog by the same name!