Brindle Cafe

221 East Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 279-8866
Website

Brindle Cafe was on my radar for a while, but I was waiting until I moved north to give it a whirl. It only took three days to get there, because I was reminded when I walked by after my morning coffee at Milk Crate (not that I go there all the time). These are the few days I have off between finishing law school and starting my Bar prep, and I am wringing the absolute most enjoyment from them that I possibly can. Plus, I am trying to feel out my new hood.

Brindle is a small space, but they pack the most into it. I can't say if I have ever seen a cafe that was so careful about the minute details. If you want a sandwich, say a wasabi chicken salad sandwich for example, they literally make the chicken salad while you wait. Although this would usually be a turnoff for me, as I like to let the flavors develop, in this case, it was absolutely delicious.

The owner, Scott, prepares the ingredients for my chicken salad, including freshly sliced scallions, celery, fresh ginger, lemongrass and to quote the menu "just the right amount of wasabi mayo."

Well, it certainly came together. I am not sold on this approach as far as traditional chicken salad is concerned (yet) but when the Thai-inspired components were freshly assimilated, it was magical. I loved the bite of the ginger and the aromatic lemongrass, with the sinus-clearing kick of wasabi.

The sandwich was made with love, and that's no exaggeration. Served with a crisp pickle slice, it was a fresh and relatively healthy lunch. But there's more, soon Scott said he will offer a large selection of ingredients for any type of salad combination, all at a set price. He is ridiculously accommodating and mentioned that anyone can ask for anything they want, and if he has it, he will make it (and believe me, it will be good).

He is well versed in Thai and Indian spices, as he studied in Bangkok and his wife is from India. He also has plans for expanding the dinner menu, and offering a variety of Thai inspired items. His main goal, however, is that the customer be happy, and I certainly left wanting more.

One of my favorite parts, is that he makes no "special" coffee drinks, and only offers one size, take it or leave it. That's my kind of attitude.

Grilled Pizza

I am busy finishing up school (today is my last day of Law School testing ever), and Blogger was down last week so I have had some issues. Also I moved to a new spot, so I have been kind of busy. Threw down some charcoal grilled pizza in my amazing new back yard. Also, I hit up Greensgrow, which happens to be one of the most amazing places in the city. All kinds of heirloom vegetables/plants/herbs for a reasonable price. Got one of the containers filled. Need another. Also, that pizza. It's not too hard and if you crack an egg on it, you will be loving life. Take THAT Osteria (I am just kidding, your pizza is way better than mine).

Snockey's Oyster and Crab House

1020 S 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA 19176
(215) 339-9578
Website

Snockey's has an awesome back-story: according to their website, they opened the original location three weeks after the Titanic sunk. It was posted in numerous locations around the restaurant. They also had a story on the wall about how the original owner came up as a Polish immigrant boxer and earned the money for the place by fighting. That is the kind of story that makes me instantly love a restaurant (or any store/person/story for that matter). The South Philly (just above Washington) bar, however, failed to live up to its storied past.

The inside is old-school oyster house style. Not a bad thing at all, but the whole place gave off an air of "dingy."

I was most excited for the renowned Happy Hour prices, on both beer and oysters. It turned out, they were celebrating a 99th anniversary over that week, so I was handed three menus. It was not even five o'clock yet, and I informed the server that I was just planning on some beers and some bivalves on a gorgeous afternoon. I was then told that they had a special menu, but there was a complicated ordering process as to what was on special. A second server had to be brought in to explain the increasingly convoluted ordering process. The regular Happy Hour prices did not apply, but they had a couple of specials where you inexplicably (believe me, I asked) paid more than their regular Happy Hour prices in order to celebrate having been open for 99 years. The original server now back, I was propositioned for the second of three times to try the $20 two lobster meal. It was still well before 5 o'clock, and I was already getting suspect.

When the full blown screaming match occurred right next to my table in the sparsely populated restaurant, I was looking for an out. I was ready to give each of those two waitresses involved the $4 that had resulted in this powder keg. I am sorry, but that sort of thing needs to be dealt with in the kitchen, or out back. Not next to paying customers, at the bar, adjacent to the entrance. When the owner was informed, he walked by and said he wasn't getting in the middle of it! Unfortunately I had already placed an order for the crab chowder, half a dozen Cape May salts, and a shrimp cocktail.

The Mountain Dew fishbowl glasses reading "tickle yore innards" was a nice touch, and maybe the only redeeming one.

The oysters were fine. Although there were certainly some bits of shell in them, I am not going to complain when they were $1. Except to say that the $1 Happy Hour Oysters at Sansom Street OH were clean as a whistle. The cocktail sauce was a bit weak, but they provide a side of horseradish at the table, so that was easy to resolve.

When the shrimp cocktail arrived, however, I was a bit more trepid. The shrimp just looked . . . old. They looked as though they had been off the ice for a while, and were slightly tinged with a hint of - gray? They were certainly a generous portion at $2.99 for four, but I am not sure which special that was a part of, so they might not have it all of the time.

After everything that Snockey's already had going on, the crab chowder was not looking like it was going to pan out. It was so incredibly boring. I would not have known if it were poured out of a commercial can, or homemade, had I not known it was made "in house."

The experience altogether could be likened to a seafood distributor throwing a party catered by the Melrose Diner. The front station had aforementioned lobsters, sitting, cooked, until someone ordered them. I fear the same fate overtook my shrimp. The prominently displayed microwave at the front of house didn't exactly elicit a vote of confidence either, to say the least.

Plenty

1710 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(267) 909-8033
Website

"House-smoked Tasso ham in Philly" was all I needed to hear to make a bee-line to Plenty. I had the pleasure of meeting the man responsible and shot the meat breeze for a couple of minutes.

Plenty has a variety of house cured/smoked meats, and they offer sandwiches and pre-made meals on Passyunk. This is a much needed concept, as I have often walked the Avenue wanting a bite, but not ready to commit to a bar before five o-clock, as I am susceptible to temptation.

They smoke their meat using hickory, which lends a deep, rich smoke flavor to the various proteins. The Tasso is dry rubbed, cured for a day and then smoked. The cajun rub is perfect - spicy, peppery and packed with flavor. The panini is served with all natural pork shoulder, gruyere, and creole mayo. I have to say, this is possibly the best Tasso I have had. The cure is deep, invoking thoughts of pastrami (which I am almost always thinking of anyway) and the meat is remarkably tender. I was thinking of having a go at homemade Tasso before eating this, and now I have no choice. This panini is simple perfection. My main issue now is how I can try all of the other sandwiches, knowing that I will be forgoing the ham?

Moriarty's

1116 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 627-7676
Website

A lot of people consider Moriarty's to be THE place for wings in the city. Well I disagree, but they do have some delicious bar food. My main point of contention on the wing front is the fact that they don't split them, just serve a whole wing. This just does not do it for me.

I ducked in recently to watch a playoff game, and figured that since I've had the wings, I should try something from the usual bar menu.

The French onion soup sounded good, but I figured it would be overly salty, and mediocre at best. I don't usually order out of spite, but I guess I was really on a roll. They completely proved me wrong, offering a cheesy, well browned large crock of rich soup. The bread inside was more than ample, and was easily apportioned in its crouton sized pieces, with the deeply caramelized onions and plentiful mix of Swiss and provolone cheeses. I know this is a simple dish to make, but so many places get it wrong. Too salty, too little broth, uncooked cheese, raw onions etc. It was nice to see my previous assumptions defeated.

Looking for something light(ish) to accompany the soup, I felt that the blue burger, served with blue cheese and bacon, sounded perfect. Except I subbed out the burger for grilled chicken. And I ordered a side of wing sauce to go with. Despite the quirky service, (upon being asked if it came with fries, the server responded "very") it came out correct, and was also better than I had expected. The chicken breast was thin, and the tips came out just about burnt, my favorite part of grilled chicken. The wing sauce is good, but heavy on the vinegar, and certainly nothing to write home about. Breaded fries get me every time, and this was no exception. All in all, a quick meal at a divey bar turned out to be just the ticket.