Hai Street Kitchen Review

Other posts related to the Hai Street Kitchen empire of restaurants include: Hai Street Kitchen, Wok Street, and Ai Ramen. 

Hai Street Kitchen has been open for awhile now, offering fresh sushi burrito options to the downtown business crowd. Perhaps it was the thousands of Korean kimbap rolls I ate during my childhood, but I opted to stay away at first.

Ultimately though, the GF kept begging for a bite. So before we went to the Rittenhouse Farmers Market one weekend, we finally stopped by. I was sad to see that the Mexican pork belly combo was no longer available, so we decided to split the Hai Street Chicken, Go Zilla sized of course.

With our sushi roll intact, we decided to lay out in Rittenhouse Square to enjoy our treat.

Hai Street Chicken [$10.86]
Gozilla size, chicken katsu, black pepper teriyaki sauce, romaine, pickled red onion, red cabbage, green papaya salad

A wide swath of nori housed crunchy, crisp, moist chicken katsu, along with fresh romaine, red cabbage, and green papaya. The black pepper teriyaki and pickled red onion provided some acidity, with the brown rice lending some substantive starch to each bite (you get a choice of brown or white). Fulfilling indeed - this definitely satiated our afternoon craving. Gozilla size gives you extra meat - so for an extra dollar or two, I'd go down that route for sure.

Rose Tattoo Cafe Review

For the longest time, the GF and I thought Rose Tattoo was an actual tattoo parlor. Upon closer inspection once we moved a block away, we realized it was a cafe. So for dinner one night, we decided to pop in. 

It's creatively designed inside, with plenty of seating. The central bar is strewn with plants and lights to create an indoor-garden vibe. 

Apologies in advance for the cell phone pics! 

Chardonnay [$10/glass]
Fleur de California, CA
  

The GF went with prototypically creamy California chardonnay. 

Elder Manhattan [$10]
Bulleit, St. Germain, orange peel 

Rose Tattoo's riff on the Manhattan came out stiff and enjoyable, with a nice balance with the undertones of the elderflower liquer along with the bitters of the citrus rind and the sweet, sweet bourbon. 

Bread Service
 

The bread was cold, but I appreciated that the butter was room temperature for easy spreading. 

Crispy Calamari [$13]
Chipotle tomato salsa, remoulade, garlic lemon basil aioli
  

I was hungry so decided to go with two apps. The calamari were expertly fried and decently seasoned. It came with a troika of sauce, of which the somewhat smoky and spicy remoulade was my favorite. 

Pan Seared Provolone [$12.50]
Grilled tomato, toasted ciabatta, baby arugula, aged balsamic vinaigrette  

The pan seared provolone was a bit hard to eat with the ciabatta underneath. Even after receiving a steak knife, it was a bit of a bear to cut through the tough bread. Still, the provolone had a great crust on it, with the creaminess of the cheese marrying well with the acidity of the grilled tomato and aged balsamic. Get rid of the bread, add some fried prosciutto, and you've got a winner! 

Diver Sea Scallops [$28]
Pan seared scallops, fingerling potatoes, sauteed baby leeks, applewood smoked bacon, scallop butter sauce
  

For her main, the GF went with scallops. A generous portion justified the price, with a wonderful sear on the well-seasoned bivalves. The essence of the sweet scallops was evident in the butter sauce as well, with some nice acidity coming through from the tomato and crisp bacon to provide some heft to each bite. 

Tattoo Pasta [$25]
House cut pappardelle, sausage, short rib bolognese, cremini mushrooms 

Poorly photographed, the pasta was clearly freshly made. However, with rather uneven chunks of short rib and sausage interspersed throughout and a generally soupy bolognese sauce, this ate a bit clunky. I did enjoy the garlic bread however. 

Lemon Meringue Cheese Cake [$7]
Graham cracker crust, lemon curd, meringue, strawberry sauce 

On the way in, we noticed an array of sweets on display. So I couldn't help myself but try out their cheese cake. The graham crust crust underneath was a bit tough. However, it was buttery and delicious, especially when juxtaposed with the creamy cheesecake. This was topped with lemon meringue and a drizzle of sweet strawberry sauce provided additional sweetness to each bite. 

While there were some missteps, overall Rose Tattoo delivered on its promise of seasonal American fare and seems to be a decent option in the Fairmount area. 

Philly's Best Review

This is for a 2015 trip to Chicago, including the following posts:

Big & Little's, David Burke's Primehouse, Little Goat Diner, Philly's Best, and The Publican. 

Regular readers know that I've never really been a fan of the majority of Philly's cheese steak joints. There's either not enough cheese or the meat is really dry. That being said, my Center City / South Philly favorites are John's Roast Pork, Ishkabibble's, Mike's at the Comcast Center, Tony Luke's, and Jim's. Heck, I'll even throw in Gooey Looie's for the sheer heft! Hmm, maybe Philly has grown on me over the years (more on that later)? Admittedly, I may have had some bias because the first "Philly" cheese steak I had was at college - in Chicago. After a late night and even the next morning, there was nothing better than some cheese steaks from Philly's Best. They were always juicy, dripping, and satiating that inner craving for grease, meat, and cheese. Granted, I'll admit most of my faculties were probably not up to snuff when I ate them.

So when I came back to Chicago for a work conference, the first stop I made (even before the hotel!) was to the Greektown outpost of Philly's Best. It was late and midweek, but there were still plenty of folks from nurses to the gentlemen in blue - all stopping by for a cheese steak. You couldn't help but notice the Philadelphia Inquirer articles adorning the walls and the pride they had in using Amoroso rolls!

Cheese Fritters [$5.99]

 

I started off with the cheese fritters. I can see these being decent hangover snacks, but I couldn't help but compare them to fried cheese curds. While the fried cheese fritters were decently buttery and nicely crisped, there was no stretch from the cheese and frankly, you couldn't really discern what was within. It came with a pat of marinara. But no matter - the fritters were just an attempt to satisfy my inner fat boy. I obviously came here for the cheese steak.

Large Philly Cheese Steak [$13.24] 

Whiz & provolone, 'wit, garlic bread

These days, I have to order mine with both whiz and provolone - 'wit and on a garlic toasted roll no less. The melange of meat, cheese, and onions was just as I remembered - incredibly juicy, inundated with fried onion flavor, and well-seasoned. This isn't clean living - the taste will be on your hands 'till the next morning.

The only downfall? The whiz was put underneath the steak and thus, on top of the bread. That's a huge pet peeve of mine. In what world should the roll be breaking apart from the liquid gold? Good thing I didn't ask for delivery because that would have been a bigger mess. Dean, from Philly's Best, did let me know that usually the whiz goes on top, but the cook made the call with my request for two cheeses.

Either way, in retrospect, structural integrity is something that Philly definitely has in spades. But I still have to give it to Philly's Best (in Chicago!) - there's something about their combo of meat, cheese, and onions that makes for the perfect bite. Combine that with a fresh roll that holds up to the heft - it's definitely one of my top gustatory pleasures.

The Artisan Exchange Review

As part of their business curriculum at Wharton, students have the unique opportunity to work with local businesses to apply their education to the real-world. One of these partnerships is with Waffatopia and the Artisan Exchange, a food incubator and artisanal collaborative located in West Chester, PA. In an effort to showcase the stories of over 20 individual companies at the Artisan Exchange, the students reached out to a number of Philly-based food bloggers. 

Brian from Waffatopia generously picked us up from 30th Street Station. During our ride over to the Artisan Exchange, I was amazed with his backstory. Clearly passion was the driving force behind his transition to producing specialty waffles, as he gave up a burgeoning career as a biochemist/microbiologist after a business trip in Belgium. There, Brian and his wife, Andrea, fell in love with Belgium's Liege waffles and the rest is history.

Once at the Artisan Exchange, a literal red carpet welcomed us into a crowd of artisans. We were treated to a bit of history behind the exchange as well as some feature vendors, who allowed us to sample their products.

First up was none other than Brian. He explained that in addition to the great products produced by each of the companies, it was really more about the partnerships between all of the artisans. Whether it's getting help with the production and manufacturing process (who knew obtaining a simple barcode was that difficult?) or selling their products on one individual invoice managed by the Exchange, it truly highlighted how important collective bargaining can be for small businesses. They also have partnerships with the Brandywine Valley Tourism Bureau, which was how Waffatopia was featured on Food Network's Great American Food Finds, coincidentally hosted by Philly's Erace brothers. 

Brian & Andrea from Waffatopia, along with their Waffatiers

But let's get on with the food, because I know that's why you're all really here! Waffatopia had two offerings for us to sample. The first was their Belgian Liege waffle topped with Whole Foods fried chicken and Taste Artisanal Market's Calabrian chile honey. The waffle had wonderful texture - it truly is all about the hard-to-source pearl sugar! Their other offering was a cinnamon vanilla waffle stuffed with dark Belgian chocolate and topped with pumpkin spice ricotta. Perfect for those with an especially sweet tooth! 

Taste Artisanal Market Cheese and Infused Honey Spreads

Taste Artisanal Market brought out some wonderful pairings to highlight their cheese and infused honey spreads. My favorite was definitely the rosemary fig honey with raw milk cheddar, which had a great funk from the sharp cheddar that was balanced by the herbaceous, sweet honey. 

Motley Mustard, Rukhi Snack Squares, Rawsome Judge, Phillips Mushrooms Farms, & Artisan Provisions.

After a few other featured speakers, we were invited to head to the area where the vendors are typically stationed during their Saturday market. FYI - it's open year-round from 10AM to 2PM. I was able to hear quite a few unique backstories and sampled all of the artisanal goodies. Bourbon and mustard from Motley Mustard? Wonderful pairing with the sweetness of the bourbon marrying well with the bite of stone-ground mustard. Artisan Provisions highlighted their love for natural pickling, with their own takes on sriracha, kimchee, and kraut! And can you believe the gorgeous mushrooms from Phillips Farms? Loved the all-natural energy bars from Rukhi and the delicious, yet vegan chocolates from Rawsome Fudge! 

Heirzoom Bakery's Diane Holtaway and her Fennome pastries

One of my favorite tastes was from Heirzoom Bakery. Their trademark fennome pastries were crisp, buttery, yet wonderfully light delights. Even lovelier was Diane Holtaway, the founder, who highlighted the heirloom Hungarian pastry recipe passed down through the generations. 

Saucy Sue's Chutneys, Baba's Brew Kombucha, Aunt Mamie's Italian Specialties, & Shane's Most Wanted Sauces & Relish

Saucy Sue's showcased several of her chutneys, of which I enjoyed a tomato onion chutney, paired with pesto and mozzarella. Olga from Baba's Brew regaled us in a tale about how her family didn't have the luxury of soda back in Russia. So they turned to Kombucha and fine-tuned their recipe to develop a brew that was refreshing and surprisingly light! Aunt Mamie's Italian specialties highlighted their fresh, hand-made pastas with several offerings including ricotta gnocchi and a prosciutto ravioli. One of my favorite tastes of the night was Shane's Most Wanted, which had a lineup of various sauces and relish, including a spicy sauce that had a nice bit of heat. The spicy relish was my favorite - I can totally see myself putting it on pretty much everything. 

Mojo's Popcorn Company, Love Chunk Vegan Cookies, Earthy Crunchy Granola, Mama Donna's Bakery, & Rebecca's Dumplings

Maureen Jo and her daughter offered up some wonderful toffee popcorn and Love Chunk's vegan cookies were surprisingly moist and sweet. iSwich Gourmet had several ice cream sandwiches to sample. The bananas foster was amazing - the rich, caramelized banana flavor was undeniable. 

Rose's Cookies' Muffins , Mompops Pineapple Basil Popsicle, & Wilson's Curiously Good Foods' Mushroom Soup

Looking for a low-calorie, 100% vegan, gluten/dairy/peanut/GMO/soy free dessert? Mompops has got you covered. They had a myriad of flavors on offer - I enjoyed the refreshing pineapple basil. Wilson's Curiously Good Foods had a butternut squash pomegranate soup and a mushroom soup that was redolent with the essence of Phillips Farms' mushrooms (there's that collaborative spirit!). 

Mike of Aunt Mamie's Italian Specialties with his Gnocchi Board, Cheshire Cat Bakery's Culinary Facilities, Frank Baldassarre [Co-Owner, Founder of The Artisan Exchange], & Long Cove Foods' Vegan Scrapple.

From there, Frank, the co-owner and founder of the Artisan Exchange, whisked us to the commercial kitchen where each of the vendors have their own space to produce their artisanal products. Frank noted that for fairly minimal overhead, the Exchange takes care of the larger responsibilities associated with commercial production. Perhaps that's why there's a rather lengthy wait list! He had to dig into Long Cove Foods' fridge to showcase their vegan scrapple. Are you kidding me?! Mike from Aunt Mamie's Italian Specialties was in the back and indulged us by revealing the gnocchi board used for his hand-crafted gnocchi (sold in Whole Foods by the way!) 

Wharton Students with PhillyFoodies, Swag Bag of Goodies

And from there, the night was over, but the Artisan Exchange wasn't done with us just yet. They sent us home with a hefty bag of goodies to enjoy. The wide variety of products truly showcases the different vendors that the Artisan Exchange works with. I'd highly recommend making the trip out to West Chester to enjoy their Saturday market. These artisans have put it all on the line to pursue their passions and it clearly shows in the products they make. 

Ikea: Philly Review

If you're in the know, you know that Ikea isn't just about cost-effective furniture and couples' spats. They've got good food at more than affordable prices!

The GF was in disbelief that Ikea had decent food, but after her first trip, she's been sold ever since. 

It's a simple setup really - chicken tenders, fries, ribs, Swedish meatballs, and the like. 

They have a variety of fountain soft drinks available, with specialty flavors specific to Ikea, including ligonberry!

Chicken Tenders ($5.99)
Fries
  

The fries are crisp on the outside and creamy within - a perfect fry. The chicken tenders are moist and crispy as well - can't go wrong with this dish.

Meatball Combo ($5.99)
Swedish meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, Lingonberry sauce, soup, soda

But the true stars are the Swedish meatballs - moist and succulent, these bad boys go perfectly with the gravy. The mashed potatoes are creamy as well and the tart lingonberry sauce helps to cut through the richness of each bite. 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
 

We go a side of broccoli cheddar soup which was pretty standard, but good - thick, rich, creamy. 

Mac n Cheese ($2.29)

Expect the mac n cheese to have overcooked noodles, but it's definitely creamy and has plenty of sharp cheddar. 

After lunch, we stopped by the Ikea market downstairs to pick up some goodies to take home. 

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy ($10.99)
 

A large package of meatballs is easy to cook at home - just pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes and they'll be golden brown on the outside and moist within. 

Lingonberry & Elderflower Syrups ($4.49 each)
 

We got some of their lingonberry and elderflower syrups for use with our Sodastream and for gin and vodka cocktails especially! 

So if you're in your neighborhood Ikea - don't limit yourself to just their furniture and home goods. Do try their food and grab some market goodies to go! 

Ikea: Philadelphia
2206 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(888) 888-4532
www.ikea.com 

Total Wine: Cherry Hill Review

PA residents know that the PA Liquor Control Board has got libations on lock down. With the exception of some wine, liquor definitely cannot be imported through state lines. So if you're looking for competitive price points and a wider array of offerings, sometimes you need to venture over to NJ to check out Total Wine - which has got you covered on all fronts. Fair warning, bringing said goods across state lines is officially considered an offense.

Regardless, you've got rows and aisles filled with bottom to premium-shelf offerings. 

Macallan 25 and 30 even make an appearance when you're at Total Wine.

If you're looking for smaller volumes of spirits, they've got those too!

And if you order online, they'll have it all boxed and ready for pick up - not that I went across state lines with these goods - of course ; )

So if you're looking to get your bar cart setup with a more eclectic mix than the usual suspects shown above, check out Total Wine if PA Wine and Good Spirits hasn't got you covered.

Yakitori Boy Review

When I first came to Philly for grad school, I thought about getting a group together to head over to Yakitori Boy. It was reputed to be the place to go if you're looking for some deliciously grilled bites. And calling out to my inner Korean, it's also one of the few karaoke halls in the city. Somehow, the event never transpired though Yakitori Boy's remained on my list of places to check out. And yes, there's an actual list that's some 50+ places long.

Left to Right: Geo [Geo's Table], Megan [SwagFoodPhilly], Joanie [PhillyPRGirl, Associate Director], Gianna [SwagFoodPhilly], Kate [PhillyPRGirl, Owner], Andrew [PhillyFoodPorn].

In a bit of fortuitousness, the GF and I were talking about sushi and sake when I received an invitation from Philly PR Girl to sample some bites along with some fellow food bloggers. The added bonus of finally meeting Kate aka Philly PR Girl and fellow foodie fanatics? Who could say no to that?

One Smashed Monk 
Yamazaki 12 year, yuzu, bitters

We were seated in a back room, but had a clear view of the bustling Friday night crowd. Despite 8 years in the business come December, Yakitori Boy's still able to pack the restaurant and karaoke lounge (more to come on that!). Truly a testament to the fact that they're doing something right. And this Japanese whiskey-based tipple was all kinds of right for me. It was essentially a twist on an Old Fashioned, with the wonderful foundation of Yamazaki 12 year, the tart citrus from the yuzu, and a dash of bitters.

Lobster Udon 

For our first course, Yakitori Boy brought out a heaping cauldron of culinary delights. There was a deep, umami-laden broth, with what was seemingly a whole lobster tossed in, along with enoki and shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and spinach. Perfect for the cold nights and definitely kept me warm throughout the dinner - or was it the sake pairings?

Sake Pairing

Did someone say sake? Paired with the sushi and sashimi platters that were to come, we were brought two bottles - one was an unfiltered and sweet nigori sake, which is always a treat. The other was Murai Family Sugidama sake - really smooth and floral on the finish. 

Sashimi Platter

We were all amazed at the generous portions provided by Yakitori Boy. But I was blown away more so by the variety and the freshness, which admittedly should always be the case with sashimi! A veritable kaleidoscope included glistening salmon, sweet and snappy amaebi, fried ebi heads, tuna (yes, they had chu- and o-toro!). In addition to sweet, raw hotate (scallop), a generous heap of uni and ikura rounded things out nicely.

Sushi Platter

Don't worry - if simply raw isn't your style, Yakitori Boy has plenty of specialty rolls on offer! We tried some of their greatest hits. Did you know Yakitori Boy does plenty of charity work with the Eagles and other Philly-based sports teams? In fact, they've got a number of co-creations with them. The Eagles roll was our favorite, though the hero and magic rolls were winners as well. With subtly "spicy" sauces and crispy tempura toppings, there were plenty of textures and tastes to tantalize your palate! 

Yakitori Platter

From there, we moved on to their namesake yakitori. Grilling skewered items is truly an art in Japan and Yakitori Boy does the grilling culture proud. The "karubi" skewer was synonymous with the marinade you'd expect from Korean galbi short-ribs - tender, sweet, and succulent. The chicken scallion skewer was moist and juicy. And the bacon-wrapped quail egg? It tasted like breakfast, with a creamy quail egg yolk and tasty bacon melange. 

Beef Negimaki

The beef negimaki was beautifully basted in the sweet, soy-based sauce, though the beefy essence of the sirloin steak was not denied. The accompanying bean sprouts had good bite and a nice vinegar essence to cut through the richness of the beef.

Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura

Tempura should not be greasy or heavy. Thankfully, Yakitori's veggie and shrimp tempura was neither! The tempura was delicately crisp, with the shrimp having wonderful snap and the veggies having a tenderness that showcased technique. I appreciated that they had the proper mirin-dashi tempura sauce as well, rather than just a heavy salt-laden soy or God forbid, teriyaki. 

Dessert Sake Pairing 

Kate and Joanie from Philly PR Girl were excited to see that their favorite dessert sake was brought out to pair with dessert! And I can see why - described as the Japanese counterpart to limoncello, this yuzu-infused sake was sweet, tart, yet smooth. Yamamoto Yuzu Omoi's "Citrus Dream" sake is hard to come by in these parts, with Yakitori Boy being one of the few, if not the only, places to carry it! When they're out, it may be months before they get another so be sure to try it if it's available. Already added to my holiday gift-giving list for friends and family. 

Mochi Ice Cream

I did mention dessert right? Asians aren't really known for going all out for their dessert, but Yakitori Boy has got you covered with a favorite - mochi ice cream! They've got a variety of flavors available including the ubiquitous green tea, strawberry, mango, and red bean! It's a texture thing, to be sure, with the sweet chewy mochi encasing the flavored ice cream within. 

From there, Yakitori Boy's F&B director, Carlos, whisked us off to the second floor karaoke lounge. They've got private rooms available for $30 to $70 depending on the night and size of the room. Keep in mind, reservations are appreciated (and needed!). In fact, they're currently booked a week or two out. But if you're feeling frisky (and brave!), you can opt to pay a few dollars per tunes to sing and showcase your talents to the entire bar area. Clearly a popular choice with the Friday night crowd and it's always great fun to watch strangers belt out some of your favorite hits. 

Sake Bombs

Reliving my college days, a round of sake bombs were bought out to provide us with some liquid courage. A few of us gave it a good try with the mic, but I'll be the first to admit, probably not our finest moment! 

But in the end, it's all about having a good time at Yakitori Boy and it was clear that everyone was enjoying themselves. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for some happy hour, sushi/sashimi, yakitori, and karaoke. You don't even need to sing, it's great fun watching others have at it! I know I'll definitely be hitting up Yakitori Boy again with some friends in the near future. Perhaps even some karaoke, but I think it's safe to say that we'll limit the cacophony to the private rooms! Special thanks to Kate & Joanie from Philly PR Girl, Carlos, restaurant manager Tina, and head chef Alvin for a fantastic night! 

FTC Disclaimer: This dinner was provided gratis by Philly PR Girl & Yakitori Boy. Regardless, all opinions are mine alone and, therefore, unbiased.