McDonald's Shakin' Flavor Fries

Limited Time Only
Philadelphia Region

You may have seen the commercials by now, or maybe you haven't, in which case, I'll just tell you about it.

McDonald's has launched a new product in only 3 of their US test markets and Philadelphia is one of them. Along with St. Louis and Sacramento, we have the joy of trying out their newest fad-food: Shakin' Flavor Fries. Now when they say "Philadelphia," they actually mean a huge geographic region that goes as far south as Dover, DE and all the way up through Bucks County. Point is, if you're not in the city to try 'em out, do not fear, they've got the suburbs covered.

The concept is finally making its way to us after nearly 10 years - the chain introduced "Shake Shake" (fries) to their Hong Kong audience in 2005 and they've since spread to menus throughout China, India and Australia. Needless to say, we're way behind the times on this one. And yes, I was invited by the regional PR firm to give them a try...

The idea is that you can order your good old-fashioned regular fries or you can say you want to try one of their 3 new flavors: spicy buffalo, zesty ranch or garlic parmesan. Of course I had to try them all.

You get your flavor pack and an additional bag for which you do the shaking. The idea is to provide a "fun and interactive taste experience." But honestly, that just sounds like additional work for me. Work that I maayyyy be willing to to do...

They encourage you to add as much or as little of the flavor pack as you want. My test run was on the medium size fry, so I was going to err on the side of caution with my flavoring.

Commence shaking! (or "do the shake" as they say.)

They also say "Shake up your tastebuds," which is exactly what these finely ground, little clingy powders do.

They are definitely flava' full. I was a big fan of the buffalo; I only used about 1/3 of the packet and got a very thorough coverage with very little powder. The other two flavors weren't bad either and with the classic McDonald's fries coming hot out of the fryer, there's no problem with getting an even distribution.

I think everyone in Philadelphia, if given the opportunity, deserves to give them a try and even though I didn't have to pay for the extra flavor, I think it's worth the minimal up-charge to shake up your day. See what I did there?

They're only available through the month of August, so go try them and let me know what you think. You can also try to win some free sh*t if you're on Twitter: #shakinphilly. With that, I'm going to end the Shakin' Flavor Fries story with one last tip - if/when you don't use all of your flavor packet, I suggest taking it home and using the rest on some popcorn for a flavor-blasted late-night snack.

Now, since I was there, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to also try their new Clubhouse Burger. Marketed to the people who are interested in the finer things, this one boasts, "thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, caramelized grilled onions, white cheddar*, crisp leaf lettuce and fresh tomato, all lovingly layered on a quarter pound** of 100% pure beef, then topped with Big Mac special sauce. Served on our artisan roll."

Drum roll, please...
It was all right.
That said, I'll stick with my usual Big Mac order next time.

They'll never stop trying to expand their reach, but at the end of the day, it's hard to do any better than the well loved classics.

*pasteurized process
** weight before cooking 4 oz. (113.4 grams)

Postmates (food delivery app) Promo (COUPON!)

Download Postmates Here

I received an email this morning about a new-to-Philadelphia app that makes ordering food (and everything else) a breeze, and easier than tying your shoes. If you had Velcro shoes, that's probably on the same level. I downloaded Postmates and when I signed in, there was a list of suggested restaurants nearby and when I clicked on Hot Diggity, for example, their menu came up, descriptions and all. I added a dog to my cart and voila! My order was done.

Well, not exactly. There was a $9.25 delivery charge added to the order.

But, if you sign up right now they're offering free delivery through August 17. So it's worth a try.

To make matters even better - we've got our own Philly Phoodie-centric coupon code!!! Sign up and use the code PHLPHOOD and you'll get $25 in delivery fee credit, which looks like you'd get about 3 deliveries for free, which ain't bad at all.

I think it will come in handy for those days when I can't get away from my desk and when a hoagie from the Wawa around the corner just won't cut it on my short break.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Dim Sum Garden REDUX

59 N 11th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 627-0218

It seems like I never actually plan on going to Dim Sum Garden. It's not that the food isn't desirable, it's quite the contrary, but the location is so sheltered in its tunnel under RTM's overpass, I usually forget that it even exists.

I'll be passing through Chinatown and in a quick fit of hunger (sometimes non-hunger, just for fun) I stop here to quench my thirst for their succulent soup buns. To my surprise, they've kind of cleaned up their act since my last visit. They've spruced up their decor with some new furniture and even replaced the dated sauce containers.

I started with the very refreshing cold cucumber plate.

It was clean and crisp with thin-sliced chunks of cucumber tossed in a light vinegar sauce. I added some of the provided ginger sauce and hot pepper oil to taste and created my own level of spice. Delicious.

Next was the scallion pancake. Just your standard pan fried version, but at $2.50, ordering one is pretty much a no brainer.

Here again, I use my own combination of ginger soy sauce, vinegar and hot pepper oil to garnish. It was a little oily, but isn't that how they're supposed to be?

And the pièce de résistance...

Shanghai steamed pork juicy buns (8), $5.25.

I could eat 16 of these little beauties, no question about it. Use your chopsticks to get one onto your spoon, drizzle a few drops of vinegar, a bit of ginger soy sauce and a pinch of hot pepper oil on there. Bite a piece off the top, get that baby opened.

Add another drizzle of each into the hot, porky soup and take another bite. Get ready to slurp in some of that broth as you bite through the steamy dough into the tender pork ball.

Two bites each and you're in heaven. What a flavorful mid-afternoon snack!

Village Whiskey

118 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4454
(215) 665-1088
Website

I haven't been back to Village Whiskey since it was relatively new, and so I was overly excited to see how it has come along. I was very impressed last time, and this time I was just as happy. Our group arrived around 5PM on a Friday, and were able to immediately sit at a table under the canopy outside. They don't take reservations there, and in order to sit, your entire party must be present. Although it can be annoying at times, in such a small venue where they see such a high volume of visitors, I completely understand the policy and can appreciate it. Otherwise there could be people sitting and saving tables for larger parties indefinitely, while others had to stand and wait (not that anyone in Philly would do that, right?). Below is a shot through the window where we were sitting, looking in to the interior. Last time I was there, I sat at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed most everything on the menu, thanks to the generosity of the owners of this place (which has amazing home cooked Italian food if you are ever in the Ambler area).


We decided to try some of the appetizers to start, and I am so glad we did. The pretzels are a steal at $3; they came out warm & soft and were served with deliciously sharp whole-seed Dijon, a good way to cut your hunger pangs before you devour some of the smaller, more savory dishes.


The house-made cheese puffs came out next. They were served in a small cast iron skillet and were covered with grated cheese. They were good, but not great. Once again, a good starter, but nothing to write home about.


Pictured below is our third arrival for this meal, the coveted pickled cherry tomatoes. WOW. I somehow missed these little gems the last time around, and I can't believe how good they were. So fresh, vibrant and juicy, I could eat these indefinitely. They are served with a side of toasted bread, whipped ricotta, and olive tapenade. Heaven. Seriously. These were one of the best things I have eaten in a long time. When properly assembled on a piece of toast with the accompanying sides, they were unbelievable. How good, you may ask? Well last night I purchased canning jars to recreate them as soon as possible. That good. I will post the results next week.

Next up was the popcorn shrimp. Another pretty good dish, but nothing I had never seen nor had before - a simple take on a simple finger food. The dipping sauce was a bit runny and bland, but it did the trick. The shrimp would have benefited from a longer bath in the fryer to maximize the crispiness of the breading.

Since there is no chance that anything fried in duck fat can be on the menu without me ordering it, the duck fat fries with Sly Fox cheese sauce and homemade ketchup were next. I had these last time and loved them. I must say, I think they were even better this time around. Rich, fatty, and decadent, the fries in duck fat are deep-fried perfection. I also love cheese sauce (in general), and this really takes it to the next level, with a low-key refreshingly-beery aftertaste. The table ended up dipping the shrimp in it as well, it was that good (yes, we know seafood and cheese is a frowned-upon combo, but anything fried with a dip in some cheese is a good match in my book). The ketchup was also great, fresh and homemade, it was a welcome reprieve from the richness of the cheese sauce (or it was all that was left when the cheese sauce disappeared almost instantly, you be the judge). It was quite tasty though.


At this point, the diners were split. How could we order four huge burgers after we had just feasted for an hour on snacks?

Well, we could order two burgers and split them.

The regular burger at VW is more than rich enough, so I skipped the $25 burger topped with foie gras, and instead added Rouge blue cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions to the already huge patty which comes with bibb lettuce, tomato and house sauce. Medium rare came out perfectly cooked and I was in burger bliss. It is so juicy, that you can't put it down for fear of the tender beef dissipating, but at the same time, I can't fathom a situation in which you would want to put this masterpiece down, so fear not.



The other burger was ordered with cheddar and a fried egg on top. The egg was a perfect sunny-side-up and made for a juicy, earthy treat. Red meat and runny egg yolk are about as good as it gets.

I love Jose Garces' restaurants, and I have yet to be even close to disappointed with all of my indulgent experiences with them. I could eat at these places all the time, if the bank account allowed it. I would also need to invest in some elastic waistband pants to take it all in. I can't wait to go back to VW, I am already planning my next trip.

Dmitri's

795 S 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 625-0556

Okay, well this review has been a long time coming. Why? Because I didn't want any more people than already know about this Dmitri's to go there. The wait is already long enough. But alas, I cannot hide my love for my favorite BYOB in the city anymore. There I said it. Dmitri's is my favorite BYO, and one of my favorite restaurants in all of Philadelphia. It's where I like to go, if I am paying. The prices are extremely reasonable, the service is brisk, but cordial, and you can bring your own wine as you see fit. Oh, and the food is absolutely incredible. It's never-fail, fresh, simple Mediterranean food (a majority of it from the sea) of which I never grow tired. Seriously. I have eaten here more than any other "sit down" restaurant in the city. Not to mention the pita bread. Oh that pita.

I have heard they get their pita shipped down from Brooklyn and it comes in large stacks inside of plastic bags, coated with oil. Wherever it comes from, it tastes as though it arrived from heaven. They grill it fresh before it arrives to your table, and although they provide a dish of olive oil and red wine vinegar, it is worth it to wait for your order of 'half baba ghanoush - half hummus' to arrive. Because you HAVE to order a plate of it. The baba is smoky, thick and delectable, while the hummus is smooth and creamy, which makes for pita dipping perfection. Garnished with some smoked paprika and olives, this always arrives first and helps satiate your dining partners, who are no doubt ravenous after seeing other diners' plates, and smelling the fresh seafood being grilled over blazing hot grates.


So next, do yourself a favor and order the 'snap peas'. They are crisp, served with a fantastic tomato sauce and topped with chunks of feta that does not melt, but softens in the warm sauce.

Now stop. Ask for more pita!


Okay, on to the next delivery. The 'mussels saute' are delectable. You receive about two dozen of these salty, crunchy little shelled crustaceans. They are sort of a Greek version of popcorn shrimp. They are really quite good with a squeeze of lemon.


The 'meatballs' are also really good, offering a slightly crispy exterior with a moist, juicy inside. I always order a side of tzatziki, to dip them in, which really solidifies their "Mediterranean-ness" (and I love sauces).

The 'fried smelts', are not fishy at all, and have a meaty, tender interior, with a slightly crunchy breaded exterior. They are served with a sauce that seems to be some kind of horseradish dip, but it is not super flavorful. I would just suggest a liberal squeeze of lemon and really embracing the delicate flavor.


Which brings me to my favorite of these tasty small plates. You will want to make sure you have extra pita left for this little number. Dimitri's 'shrimp scampi' is, to me, one of the best presentations of shrimp around. They are cooked simply in oil and some vinegar, with red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs. But the results are fantastic. Everyone at the table was commenting on how much they thoroughly enjoyed these delicious shrimp, all the way to the last drop of that succulent oil. A must, on every trip.


A head's up, you have to order everything at once here (not by choice), because it is tiny inside, and people tend to sit for a half hour or more after they finish and shoot the breeze drinking their wine, which is fine, unless you are waiting for a table. Fortunately, the New Wave Cafe is across the street, and serves an ample array of wines and micro brews to hold you over during the excruciating waiting game that sometimes exists. The hostess will come across the street and get you when your table is ready. Sometimes I will go in and get a table right away, although I am used to waiting about 30-45, and have even once waited for an unprecedented two and half hours on a Saturday night (I really wanted grilled octopus).


The food is amazing, and the bill will pleasantly surprise you. Although they have a Fitler Square location (not a BYOB) and a new one in Northern Liberties (not sure on the liquor license status), I always stick with the original. Just be prepared for a wait, and bring cash (they don't accept cards).