Blue Belly BBQ Review

Craving BBQ one night, I hopped on Dining In and saw that they offered delivery from Blue Belly BBQ, located in South Philly. I've often lamented the fact that Center City lacks decent southern BBQ, with Fette Sau holding its own beyond the north borders and Blue Belly BBQ down south. So disregarding last year's Twitter drama over a bad Yelp review (especially because Chef Gene Giuffi has since apologized), I was excited to finally get a taste of Blue Belly BBQ for myself.

Painted Hills Beef Brisket ($15)
Mac n Cheese, Corn Cakes, Red Cole Slaw

At first, the glutton in me was a bit disappointed in the quantity of brisket in the platter. But considering that quality trumps quantity and in fact, the platter was filling in its own right, I stand corrected. Chef Giuffi of Cohon BYOB fame smokes his meats for up to 12 hours, and on the brisket, the smoke ring clearly shows. The brisket is tender, toothsome, and juicy, with a salty bark. Nice. Would totally love to eat the burnt ends off of these.

Berkshire Pork Shoulder ($15)
Brussels Sprouts, Mac n Cheese, Fingerling Potato Salad

The oft-lauded Berkshire was up to caliber here. The marbling of the pork was on point - the pork was perfectly cooked, moist, and succulent. There was a hint of smokiness which I enjoyed.

But for me, when considering good BBQ, the sides are almost as important as the meats. Luckily, the platters came with the choice of three sides each!

Fingerling Potato Salad

The potato salad was a nice iteration - creamy, eggy potatoes with hints of chives and onions.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts can't get much better than this - a perfect char on the greens, with sauteed red peppers and onions. The crisp nuggets of extremely thick-cut bacon added heft to this side. I could eat these as a main. 

Corn Cakes
 

The thick corn cakes had whole kernels of corn interspersed throughout. A product of delivery, these were slightly soggy, but still hefty and delicious. The accompanying white sauce added a tart, bright element to this side. 

Red Cole Slaw

The vinegary red slaw provided an appreciated countervailing balance to the heft of the meats.

Mac n Cheese

Every decent BBQ joint has great mac n cheese and Blue Belly BBQ didn't disappoint. The perfectly al dente macaroni noodles were coated with an extremely creamy cheese sauce - a mix of cheddar and American perhaps. 

I'm happy to say that Philly can hold its own in the BBQ arena, thanks in part to Blue Belly BBQ. I wish there were more options in the heart of Center City, but it's nice to know that there are reasons to venture beyond outside those borders. But perhaps it's a good thing. Because the belly of this pig would definitely be a lot bigger. 

Blue Belly BBQ

600 Catharine St.

Philadelphia, PA 19147

(215) 238-0615

http://www.bluebellybbq.com

Dim Sum Garden Review

Shoutout to Philly Phoodie for recently highlighting Dim Sum Garden. Otherwise, I would have easily skipped the trip under the dark bus tunnel behind Reading Terminal Market. But if you're willing to look past the dim facade, you'll be rewarded with delicious treats.

As you enter, things don't get that much better. For the most part, it's clean - but we're talking about plastic chairs and a layout typical of a Chinese takeout joint. But that's OK - because it's all about the dumplings here. 

They are handmade - Shanghai style - also known as Xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings.

Not to mention - they're incredibly affordable - I got all this for $17! Just a note though, they don't take credit cards unless your order is at least $20.

 

Shanghai Steamed Pork Juicy Buns ($4.50)

These are clearly the star. A gossamer thin wrapper surrounds juicy pork and a broth that envelops your mouth (or your plate if you're not careful!) as soon as you bite in.

What a revelation - a savory, yet sweet broth fills your mouth along with juicy pork. How good are they exactly? As soon as I was finished them, I wanted to go back for more. I thought about them the next day. These are all signs that I've found something worth repeating.

Napa and Pork Pan Fried Dumplings ($5.75)

I had to try some pan fried dumplings as well. These were slightly greasy, yet delicious. The dumpling is gluttonous, filled with juicy pork and Napa cabbage.

 

Mapo Tofu ($5.50) 

I saw mapo tofu on the menu and knew I had to get one of my favorite dishes. They provided the tofu sauce and rice separately when asked, which was appreciated. This was certainly one of the spicier iterations I've tried. The chilies are moderated by the fresh tofu and scallions, with the ginger coming through on the finish.

The tofu used here is a bit more toothsome (brick tofu perhaps?) than the ones I'm used to at Korean-Chinese restaurants, which are silken. Still, this was a hearty dish and delicious. Beware of the spice though - the heat fills the inside of your mouth and lingers on the tip of your tongue. 

Yelp

It's easy to see why Iron Chef Jose Garces brings his family here and considers this his favorite place for dumplings. In fact, he sources a few items for his newly opened Yuboka at the Revel Casino! The food is delicious, yet simple and humble. It's uncomplicated, yet unique. And better yet - it's incredibly affordable! You'd be completely remiss if you didn't check out what's right behind RTM.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/dim-sum-garden-philadelphia

Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival

This is a great time to be out and about in Philly. A few weekends back, the GF and I went to the South Street Festival and had a blast. So we were looking forward to the Rittenhouse Row Festival, which had even more vendors, including popular restaurants that we tend to frequent. So we started on the eastern boundary of Broad Street, and made our way west along Walnut Street.

On an overcast day, there were still loads of people out to enjoy the festivities.

Numerous vendors were out, including 500 degrees, which unfortunately was offering just hamburgers and cheeseburgers, no specialty burgers.

Still, even Beefy the Bulldog was out on his skateboard! 

But in terms of our first pit stop for food, it was Stephen Starr's Butcher and Singer. 

Crab Cake Sandwich ($6)

The crab cake itself was decent enough - crisply fried with mostly crab meat that seemed a bit encumbered by filler. The slaw offered a nice contrast, but really, the brioche was a let down. It seemed a bit stale, as if it had been out for hours. 

I appreciated the fact that Top Chef Kevin Sbraga was out supporting the festival.

There was a sound stage, with a band, and a frontman sporting an Eagle's Jersey. 

There were numerous lobster rolls being offered, including one from Oyster House.

Typically priced at $26 (with fries), these were comparable with Luke's Lobster's prices. Is a price reduction in the works?

Even cotton candy / candy floss was on hand for festival goers. 

The GF and my second stop was at the Happy Rooster, 

a Rittenhouse watering hole we've never been to. 

So we decided to give both offerings a shot.

Maine Lobster Roll ($7)

Speaking of lobster rolls, the Happy Rooster offered one as well. These were mini-sized, overcooked, and chewy. Especially so soon after tasting Luke's Lobster's goodies, these were disappointing.

Dry Aged Beef Slider ($4)
Blue cheese, sauteed onion, morel mushroom
 

This slider fared better. The dry aged beef shined and partnered well with the funky blue, though the morel mushrooms did not come through.

Honeygrow was offering slightly healthier eats.

The festival also offered banquet seating throughout - a nice break from the walking, tasting, and perusing.

But on with the tasting! We stopped by Cavanaugh's, which has three locations, including the one at Rittenhouse. Think pub/tavern grub.

House Baked Mac & Cheese ($5)

The real reason we stopped here was for the Mac n Cheese. Unfortunately, this was was all butter and barely any cheese. The accompanying hot sauce had a nice piquancy to it, but unfortunately couldn't salvage the roux-laden mac. 

Pulled Chicken Sliders ($6)

This duo of chicken sliders had a nice heat to them, courtesy of the house hot sauce. Decent, but something I could easily make at home.

Shake Shack was offering delicious bites, no doubt.

As was Vernick, though most of their skewers were sold out within about an hour or two! In fact, by the time we got there, only grilled asparagus skewers were left.

By the time we got to Rittenhouse square, we realized just how much Stephen Starr has invested in Philly. In fact, at this corner, all the vendors were pretty much Stephen Starr-affiliated.

But before we continued on to the food, we took a break in the center of the park and saw a familiar sight from the south South Street Festival - the Sonny Holliday Magic Show!

But moving onward, we noticed a huge stage where culinary 

demonstrations have been going on all day.

We chanced upon Barclay Prime's pastry chef, Christina Christina Diekewicz, who showed the audience how to make s'mores bars. Unfortunately, tastings weren't a part of these demonstrations, to the disappointment of quite a few viewers. Still, it was nice of Starr Restaurant's efforts to support Philabundance, through both a raffle and auction of their dining silverware. And of course, an abundance of Starr Restaurant's desserts were for sale, including macarons from Parc.

Starr's The Dandelion offers British gastropub fare, so we knew we had to try the Cornish pasties.

Cornish Pasties ($5) 

Beef short-rib

 

These were crisply fried, without being greasy. Buttery, flaky, delicious.

The innards had a nice depth of flavor, with stewed carrots, onions, and short-rib.

Finally, moving north of 19th street, we chanced upon the Koru yogurt truck, which often offers samples on 16th and Market Street. 

Their offerings are incredibly creamy and taste like a dessert custard. For the sweet tooth's out there - this is a good bet.

Overall, the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival was a success. A large number and variety of vendors offered delicious bites for Philadelphians to sample. Hopefully this will drive even more people to support the incredible food scene is offered by this great city.