Omaha Steaks: Filet Mignon & Top Sirloin Product Review

Fairly recently, I took advantage of the following offer from Omaha Steaks.

True - steaks from the butcher or even the supermarket are best - fresh, tender, and juicy. But if you want high quality meats at an affordable price and delivered to your home - be sure to check out Omaha Steaks.

The way Omaha Steaks vacuum seals and packages their meats prevents freezer burn and a freshness that isn't usually associated with frozen meats!

Check out how great the filets and sirloins look! 

Just take out a cast iron skillet and get to searing!

Make sure you get a proper crust on the steaks ...

Heck, get the sides! 

Then pop a stick of butter and get ready to cook them in the oven to your desired temp! 

Let's not forget about the tender filets!

I typically turn up the oven to 425 and pop my steaks in the oven for around 5 minutes to get the steaks to a decent medium-rare to medium temp.

Just look how gorgeous the steaks look, bathed in butter and their natural juices. 

How about some sides?

How about some brussel sprouts with pancetta and onions? 

Get a nice red wine ...

Not just for drinking! Consider making a nice bordelaise sauce for the steaks.

And then get ready to dig in ...

And enjoy your meal - courtesy of Omaha Steaks! 

Or if you want an even easier route to tasteville ... marinate some filet with some soy, garlic, parsley, basil, and sesame oil.

And you can grill yourself some filet mignon fajita wraps, courtesy of Omaha Steaks! 

Cravings Review

On a recent weeknight, the GF and I decided to order in via GrubHub. We decided to check out Cravings, located by Rittenhouse Square. They had standard fare, but exactly what we were .. errr ... craving.

Pepperoni Slice ($2.50)

This was a deliciously greasy slice with a crispy crust - reminiscent of a genuine NYC slice. Yum.

Wing Dings ($5.99)

These wing dings were deliciously crispy and came 7 to an order. They also came with well-seasoned fries that were pretty good for being delivered! The wing dings weren't as good as Pandoras', but better than most. The accompanying blue cheese was chunky and funky - the perfect complement to these savory, moist wings.

Cheeseburger ($5.75)

This was an extremely small burger. Decent, moist, but housed in a flimsy bun as well. The saving grace? The fries - golden, crispy, and seasoned.

Cheese Steak ($5.95)

I suppose for the price, I got what I paid for. But even so, this was a bit of a mess. Sure - I asked for some pepper seasoning on the cheese steak, but I expected the steak itself to be seasoned and then grilled. Rather, it's clear that the pepper was simply sprinkled on. The primary disappointment lay in the meat itself. Most likely frozen, this was extremely dry. The provolone? I saw hints of the cheese at the one end of the sandwich, nowhere else.

I don't know if I would order from Cravings again anytime soon. The pizza, fries, and wing dings were decent, but the rest were extremely lackluster. I suppose one can't expect everything from one location - especially at these affordable price points.

www.cravingsphiladelphia.com 

Olympic Gyro Review

This is for a series of posts for Reading Terminal Market including: The Rib Stand, Hatville Deli, By George! Pizza, Pasta & Cheesesteaks, Olympic Gyro, Iovine Brothers Produce, DiNic's Pork and Beef, Meltkraft, and Wursthaus Schmitz.     

Olympic Gyro, or technically now 'Olympia Gyro,' has been on my radar ever since I heard about the US Olympic Committee submitting a cease and desist order to them. Seemingly ridiculous, the 30+ year institution of Greek eats had to change their name, lest it impact the financial bottom-line of the Olympic sponsors, such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola. Instead, the hard-working owners had to fork up thousands of dollars to change the name of their eatery.

In any case, I had a hankering for a great gyro with succulent meat and creamy tzatziki, so I stopped by Reading Terminal Market.

Who knows, you might find some Vikings and Marie Antoinette out and about, supporting local Philly theatre!

But let's get back to the Greek eats! I was helped by a lovely lady, who I assume was Mrs. Voulgadis, the wife of the proprietor.

Lamb Souvlaki [$7.50]
Sliced lamb, fresh pita, fresh tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki

Something you can find easily on the streets of NY, it was a familiar sight to see street meat turning on a spit. The lamb was sliced off the spinning spit and was surprisingly not dry at all. It may not be the juiciest or freshest that I've had - but pretty decent! The grilled pita was delicious, soft, pliable, and warm. The bite of the onion is subtle and not overpowering. A perfect vessel for the awesome tzatziki, which was creamy and garlicky. For all the naysayers who say the purveyors put too much tzatziki on the gyro - get off your high horse and take it off then. For those of you who like the sauce, they offer small containers of the stuff for about $2.

Chicken Souvlaki [$7.50]
Chicken cubed, fresh pita, fresh tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki

The grilled chicken was juicy, moist, and well seasoned with pepper. And of course, the ripe tomatoes, fresh grated cucumber, and that delicious tzatziki made the sandwich. 

Spanakopita [$4.75]

I couldn't leave a Greek joint without trying their spanakopita. I appreciated that they reheated the spanakopita in a steamer for you. The crispy, buttery phyllo bound the well-seasoned spinach, which had a subtle kick to it. The salty feta melded beautifully within.

French Fries [$3]

While I wished these were Greek-style fries and seasoned with oregano, they were certainly crispy. They also offer old bay fries as well. Regardless, pretty small for $3!

Olympic Gyro offers NY-style Greek eats, along with a deliciously creamy tzatziki. It's nice to see that they were able to forge on through after their fairly recent run-in with the US Olympic Committee. While I've certainly had better, I for one was certainly satisfied with this quick and affordable option in Reading Terminal Market.

 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/olympic-gyro-philadelphia

Green Eggs Cafe Review

Philly is home to many BYOs. Better yet, Philly's home to many great BYOs that serve brunch. Mimosas and bellinis anyone? So in the spirit of a brunch BYO, the GF and I recently met up with some friends at Green Eggs Cafe before catching a Sunday matinee.

Green Eggs Cafe has three locations, but the one we ventured out to was on Restaurant Row, along 13th Street. You won't see a huge sign, but just look toward the huge crowd of people staring at the nondescript door, hoping for their party's name is going to be called.

There's actually a surprising amount of space inside.

Still, put your name down and wait outside, lest the delicious smells inside render the wait interminable.

Orange Juice ($15)

 

Our friends brought graciously brought some champagne. So the GF and I ordered a carafe of OJ for our mimosas. It wasn't advertised as being fresh-squeezed so I was a bit taken aback by the 500-600% markup, which is saying something since the cost is a pittance compared to what I'm willing to spend as a supposed foodie. I suppose it's one way to pad the bill since there is no alcohol markup. Regardless, after a few glasses, I completely forgot about this and became immersed in the delicious food that came out of the kitchen. 

Pork Belly Benedict ($11)
Maple roasted pork belly and two poached country eggs on toasted brioche with rosemary-maple cream and pickled red onion

Obviously, when there's pork belly on the menu, I will order it. But when we're talking about maple roasted pork belly paired with eggs benedict, I'm all over it like a fat kid on cake. The sweetness of the maple melded beautifully with the umami of the pork belly, crisp on the outside and succulent inside. The eggs benedict were atop buttery brioche and a sweet hollandaise coated it all. The pickled onions helped to cut through the savoriness of the pork and the runny egg yolk brought this dish over the top.

Here's a close-up of one of those bad boys.

Red Velvet Pancakes ($12)
Red Velvet buttermilk pancakes with chocolate morsels layered with strawberry mascarpone and topped with fresh strawberries, maple syrup and chantilly cream

Stuffed French Toast at Sabrina's ... say hello to Green Eggs Cafe's Red Velvet Pancakes. These mammoth slabs of fluffy Red Velvet pancakes were immersed with folds of cream cheese, strawberries, and sweet maple syrup. This is over the top, so be prepared for a sugar rush, followed by a sugar-induced coma.

Pro-tip: If everyone at your table orders an entree, you can order a smaller 'kid's' order of this dish.

Chicken & Waffles Benedict ($11)
Southern fried chicken breast and poached country eggs on buttermilk waffles with sage maple and Louisana Hot Sauce hollandaise

Just like you can never go wrong with pork belly, you can't go wrong with chicken and waffles. Salty and savory paired with sweet? An explosion for your taste buds. Fluffy waffles with the crispy skin of the chicken? Textural contrast for your mouth. The creamy hollandaise and the runny eggs help to bring extra umami to the dish.

Breakfast Burrito ($12)
Habañero tortilla with eggs, corn, house made pork chorizo, potatoes, peppers, and onions, tex mex cheese topped with pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado, whole black beans, and fire roasted red pepper black bean sauce
 

The GF went with the breakfast burrito, which was a great iteration of the dish. A mix of scrambled eggs, corn, potatoes, peppers, onions, and chorizo help to make this hearty and delicious. It was all topped by creamy black beans, which could easily be the foundation for a great black bean soup. All topped with fresh avocado, I had no problems finishing off most of this for the 

GF when she said no mas. 

Chorizo ($3)

Of course, I couldn't help but order the chorizo side. This was smoky and slightly spicy - a perfect amount of grease for a Sunday morning.

Other than issues with the mixer mark-up and the fact that Green Eggs Cafe charges a quarter for their to-go boxes (c'mon - that's an innate cost of customer service, no?), Green Eggs is definitely one of my favorite places to go for brunch. To put it simply, I think of it as a slightly elevated Sabrina's. This isn't to discount Sabrina's since they offer delicious and affordable dishes that put a smile on my face and an extra notch in my belt every time. But Green Eggs offers creative dishes that are well-composed, yet homey. 

www.greeneggscafe.com

Potbelly Sandwich Works Review

Back when I was in Chicago for college, my friends and I would often stop by Potbelly Sandwich Works for a quick bite to eat. Offering delicious sandwiches, Potbelly's 'Wreck' would always hit the spot. So when I moved to Philly, I was thrilled to see several outposts. While the one near Midtown Village closed last year, there's another right in between work and home. So it was the perfect spot for a midweek lunch with the GF.

One thing that's different between the college days back in the previous decade and now - Potbelly's now 'super-sizes!' Offering Bigs, these mammoth versions of the original are truly 30% bigger. You can also opt for double the meat. But being that I needed to return to work, I opted to get just a 'Big' without double the meat.

The Wreck ($6.60)
Salami, roast beef, turkey, ham, swiss cheese
 

Just as I remember it. The bread is perfectly toasted and crusty. The Italian meats are savory and salty, complemented by the subtle hints of cheese from the Swiss. The mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, and sweet peppers are perfect complements for this melange of flavors.

Grilled Chicken ($6.20) 

The GF's beautifully manicured nails had a sandwich filled with moist chunks of grilled chicken. The mayo wasn't over the top in this sandwich, so the other flavors of the sandwich weren't drowned out.

Potbelly Sandwich Works isn't fine dining to be sure. But they offer a great sandwich for an affordable price. And the Center City location has plenty of seats and a bunch of options for every palate. Be sure to check it out!

 
www.potbelly.com