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Joyce's Lulu Bang Pop Up - 1/02/17

Philadelphia has been on the rise with many food events,  food entrepreneurs and new restaurants. The pop up restaurant concept has become increasingly popular in the Philadelphia food scene. I enjoy pop up restaurants. It gives people a chance to show everyone the culinary talents that they posses. A few lucky ladies were given that opportunity for eight consecutive weeks at the Common Table (located at 310 S. 48th Street Philadelphia, PA 19143). This is a featured program launched by the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises. These ladies (Jorrae Beard, Kelly Beard and Ashley Beard) are the creators and faces of Joyce’s Lulu Bang sauces. 

The grand opening of their pop up restaurant for Lulu Bang Burgers & Wangs took place on January 2, 2017. What a wonderful way to open up the new year! Now you know I couldn’t miss out on some good food and the chance to finally taste some of their popular sauce!

Upon my arrival, there was no doubt that the public had nothing but pure love for these ladies. The place was packed with people and tables filled. I arrived within one hour of opening and there was already a line. You could tell the kitchen was being flooded with orders. If an establishment is busy, that’s always a good thing! 

After waiting to be seated, I viewed their menu and decided to go with the fried chicken breast burger and a side of fries. Being that this was their grand opening night, there was quite a wait for my entree. You what they say, good things come to those who wait! And let me tell you, it was definitely well worth it!

The fried chicken breast burger was incredible. The breast was a great size, fried perfectly and seasoned very well! Once I bit into it, my taste buds experienced a burst of juiciness and flavor! I ended up cutting it in half because it was a little too big for me to bite right into, but that’s all right with me!

As for my experience with the sauce, I chose the Asian Persuasion. Goodness gracious, I see why these sauces are so popular! This sauce had a hint of sweetness, a little spice and it was fantastic! If you haven’t picked up a jar of Lulu Bang sauce, please buy some! I now have a new favorite sauce in my life!

Congratulations to the ladies of the Lulu Bang Burgers & Wangs pop up restaurant! I’m so honored to have been apart of this grand opening. It was clear that many customers genuinely support what you ladies are doing and the love was clearly felt. I look forward to eating your food again!

For more information about Joyce’s Lulu Bang, please visit them at https://www.joycessoulfulcuisine.com

[funphillyfoodie]

Bubblefish - 12/15/16

For quite some time now, I've been on a search for a sushi burger to try. I've been seeing this interesting, yet tasty looking and beautiful creation all over Instagram. I just had to find out what all the buzz was about! It appeared to have been in other states such as New York and in California. But I haven't really found it in Pennsylvania until now.  Finally, I discovered Bubblefish. This restaurant is located at 909 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107. They feature many sushi selections, hand rolls and they also serve large selection of unique beverages.

The ambiance was very welcoming and relaxing. There was dim lighting and the décor is modern. You can also walk by their sushi station and view where their sushi and other items are prepared.

I started my dinner with ordering the Roselle Chrysanthemum tea. The way it's served is so beautiful. It came in a gorgeous glass teapot with an infuser and a candle warmer underneath. The taste of this tea was lightly fragrant and I sweetened it with black sugar. I would love to drink this every day, I really enjoyed this tea.

For an appetizer, I chose the Takoyaki. I love takoyaki, it's minced octopus molded with a batter that usually includes tempura scraps and green onions.  I thought  it was very delicious and I loved how it was served on a petite wooden tray.

One thing that I've never tried is Uni. I've seen it on many food shows and I've always wanted to experience tasting it. Well, today was my lucky day. Bubblefish had fresh Uni on their special menu. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to finally try it.

As soon as the server brought it to the table, I was immediately in awe. I thought that the presentation was very beautiful. And the flower added a nice hint of color to the dish. I almost thought it was too pretty to touch. But you know, I couldn't let such loveliness go to waste.

Now, the moment has come...Time to taste!  I'm always drawn to different things. I love to experience anything new, out of the ordinary and unique. What may be weird to others, I can find the beauty in it. I thought that the uni's texture was very soft, it melts in your mouth. If I had to describe the taste, it actually taste's like the sea (if that makes any sense to you), but in a good way. Very fresh and light. I would absolutely eat this again.

And here's what I've been waiting for....the sushi burger! WOW! It was big and colorful. It was made with spicy tuna, pepper tuna, spicy crab, avocado, lettuce fried onion and rice. I really loved the spicy kick that it had. If you're going to eat a sushi burger, you better come hungry. You can expect to get stuffed from eating this dish!

By now, you would think I should've been full by now. Well guess what...YES I was, but I can't help but eat! I wasn't in the mood for dessert, so I decided to end my dinner with something small. I chose a squid skewer. If you know me personally, then you already know that I LOVE squid. I grew up eating squid and it's one of my favorite things to eat. This picture does it no justice. It was a pretty nice size and it was grilled. Some places aren't great at preparing squid. I can say that Bubblefish did a fantastic job with this one. It had flavor and I enjoyed the tentacles.

I was very happy with my first visit to Bubblefish. I finally experienced the infamous sushi burger and I tried uni for the first time. I loved eating both dishes and I look forward to ordering them again in the future. I can officially check those things off of my foodie bucket list! If you're ever exploring Philly's Chinatown section and you're wondering where you should eat, give Bubblefish a try. They are one of many Chinatown's gems to experience.

[funphillyfoodie]

Token Philly - 11/19/16

Token Philly is a hot new Korean spot located right in the heart of Northern Liberties (1050 N. Hancock Street at the Schmidt Common's). This casual dining and to-go spot features fun dishes such as their Korean wings (spicy or Korean BBQ), rice bowls and noodle bowls, bao buns and dumplings.  They even offer to-go beer as well!

After the first week of opening to the public, I was invited along with other local foodies and food bloggers to preview their menu. We all joined Chef Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez (PhillyFoodGal @Instagram) as part of her food/travel series for this tasting event. During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting the chef at Token, Yumee Yi. She shared a few fun facts about Token! The baked goods are made from family recipes that have been passed down and that the kimchi is authentic. It's not store bought. She makes it fresh and learned from the best, her mother. It's great to know that you're eating from a place that takes pride in the quality of their food and makes it with love!

The tasting event started off with a yummy variety of dishes! We were served glass noodles (chicken and beef), bao buns (chicken and beef), fried gyozo (chicken), Korean bbq wings and a variety of donuts.

One of my favorite dishes that I sampled was Token’s beef glass noodles. The noodles were perfect and the beef was seasoned well. Their glass noodle bowls also come with a fried gyoza in each order. 

If you plan a trip to Token, you have to try their wings! They have a great crunch when you first bite into them. I hate wings that have rubbery or soft skin. When you want something fried, we all expect a great crunch. You won’t be disappointed with the wings at Token.  They’re cooked just right and have loads of flavor!

It’s definitely hard finding great Korean BBQ wings in Philly. Heck, it’s hard finding great wings, period. If you want my personally opinion, there’s nothing like homemade food. And at Token, you can always expect something made straight from the heart, cooked with love and goodies made from old family recipes. And that’s something that can’t be duplicated. If you’re having a craving for some yummy glass noodles, bao buns or even some Korean bbq wings, please stop into Token! Thank me later!

A huge thank you goes out to Token for hosting this tasting event. Everyone had a ball and the food was on point! We appreciated your hospitality and I look forward to enjoying many more visits in the future!

Here’s a list of the Instagram Influencers ( along with Instagram names/pages)  that attended Token’s media tasting event: @artlesslyblithe @Fun_Philly_Foodie @PhillyGrub @Phillyfoodgal @Phillyeeeats @Tinsel_Tine @brunchadelphia

[funphillyfoodie]

Teassert - 11/14/16

Chinatown is a wonderful place to venture into if you’re looking for unique treats. It’s a place where many locals enjoy their favorite Asian desserts. Tasty favorites such as bubble tea has become a very popular drink to many Americans. Philly’s Chinatown is home to many places that serve delicious bubble tea . Teassert is one of many places where you can definitely enjoy a great variety of bubble tea selections. I’ve been here previously for a tasting on one of my friend’s travel series, chef Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez (Instagram @PhillyFoodgal). She was invited back again to experience a few new items on their menu and she was lucky enough to invite a few local foodies and food bloggers along for the experience. I was one of the lucky invitees to this tasting and I was very excited to see what Teassert added to their menu.

As everyone arrived for the tasting, we were informed that we were allowed to taste whatever our hearts desired! Now that’s what I call hospitality at its best! The first things served to us were a nice selection of specialty bubble teas that Teassert added to their menu. 

One new specialty drink was the Batman! It consisted of chocolate, brownies, oreo and chocolate chip. This is a perfect blend for a chocolate lover! I loved tasting the little brownie pieces in this drink. I’m a huge brownie lover, so I definitely enjoyed this one. Next in line was the Spider Man. This drink included strawberry and lychee tea, lychee jelly and rainbow jelly. Lychee has a beautiful sweet taste. I would definitely recommend this tea to anyone who loves a nice, light & exotic beverage. Following the Spider Man came The Hulk! This drink has a gorgeous green color, I personally thought it was visually appealing. This drink has green apple and lychee tea with lychee jelly. Perfect combination, the flavor of green apple and lychee paired great together. The fourth specialty drink was the Iron Man. Now this is a drink for someone who enjoys a tropical taste. This included mango and passion fruit tea with popping boba and rainbow jelly. If you haven’t tried popping boba, you must experience it! It’s a fun and tasty ingredient to add into bubble tea. The popping reminds me of a very mild version of pop rocks, except the texture is very soft. I totally loved the superhero names that Teassert gave these new specialty items. The colors of each beverage matched each superhero, very cute!

Next, we were on to food. Yes, a bubble tea spot that offers a few goodies to eat while you enjoy a yummy tea beverage! Teassert added three food items to their menu. Customers can now enjoy takoyaki (this is a Japanese inspired dish typically made with a batter, ginger, green onion and octopus). I was SUPER excited to find out Teassert added this to their menu. I absolutely LOVE takoyaki! Second food item added was pork & chicken gyoza. And the third item added was spicy popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken was crispy and packed with great flavor. It had just the right amount of spiciness as well. All of these items are great additions to Teassert. 

During our visit, we also got a chance to experience a few other things. We enjoyed their Thai Milk Tea. It has a beautiful orange color with a lovely light and fragrant taste.

And lastly, we enjoyed Teassert’s Iced Matcha Latte. This drink included red beans (lovely sweet taste), Japanese green tea and lactose free milk. The presentation alone was fantastic, I loved the layer of colors in this drink. And yes, it also tasted just as good as it looks! 

This second tasting experience at Teassert was a hit with me! Especially since takoyaki is on their menu now, they score extra bonus points with me! All items were very delicious and all of the new specialty drinks were awesome, unique and very enjoyable. A huge thank you goes out to Teassert for hosting all attendees for the tasting of their new items. And another thank you goes out to chef Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez for allowing me to be apart of another travel series event! If you’re in Philly and plan on heading into Chinatown, make sure to stop by Teassert and grab one of their new items! 

[funphillyfoodie]

Bless Supperclub Pop-Up Dinner- 10/22/16

Over the past couple years, the food scene in Philadelphia has been drastically growing. There’s always a new restaurant or a new café to check out. There’s even been an increase in pop-up dinner events throughout the area. I personally think pop-up dinners are great because they give chefs from all backgrounds an opportunity to showcase their talents in a fun and more personable way.  There are many hidden gems within our city that have yet to be discovered. And within those hidden gems are the creators of the food we fall in love with. There’s one special gem that I was honored to have met. Her name is Tonia Renae.

Tonia Renae is someone who possesses the natural talent of cooking and she’s been continuously mastering her craft over the years. Tonia took her passion and decided to show it through her food at an exclusive event, The Bless Supperclub Pop-up Dinner. This would be a dinner that would be served family style. It was Tonia’s first pop-up dinner and I had the opportunity to be an attendee for this special event. I couldn’t wait to experience it and be apart of something that she was so passionate about.

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the one and only, Tonia Renae. I received a very warm welcome and was shown to the main room where the dinner would be held. She had a big night ahead of her, so she had to return back to the kitchen. As soon as I entered the room, I was greeted by the host for the evening. She was extremely polite. As for the room, you could feel it was prepared with love. The ambiance was perfect. The candlelit room set the tone for evening and it was a great feeling.

For the event, complimentary red and white wine as well as sparkling water were provided. I decided to go with wine as my first choice. There was also live entertainment provided for the evening and I arrived early enough to watch the singer and band set up. The performer for the event was named Jakeya. I could tell this was going to be an enjoyable dinner. The guest began to arrive, seats started to fill up and the band began to play. It was showtime!

The first course started to make its way out. We were served Thai curry shrimp empanadas. They were cooked perfectly and had the right amount of spicy red curry for flavoring. I love shrimp, so this course already won me over.

After everyone enjoyed their share of empanadas, it was time for the second course to come out. Next was an Asian noodle salad. It consisted of julienne carrots, edamame, red cabbage, crunchy ramen, shaved almonds and mandarin oranges. I really enjoyed this salad. It was packed with flavor, freshness and the mandarin oranges gave it a wonderful touch.

In between meals and great conversation, the band continued to play. Jakeya is an extremely talented woman. Her voice is simply captivating and singing comes naturally to her. If you haven’t heard of Jakeya, you have to look her up. She performed Aretha Franklin “Rock Steady” that evening, and goodness, when she hits those high notes she makes you feel good! You can't help but appreciate pure natural talent.

By this time of the night, everyone was feeling good and enjoying each moment. We were about to be presented with the third course. Orange chicken with scallions and sesame seeds. This course was delicious, the sauce had great consistency and I especially enjoyed the tenderness of the chicken.

Following right after the chicken, creamy coconut rice was also served. This paired well with the orange chicken.

By now, I’m feeling very proud of Tonia. Tonight was visibly a success and the night wasn’t over yet. We still had a few more things ahead of us to enjoy and so far everything was wonderful.

Next, we were served a sweet and spicy sriracha glazed salmon with sweet potato fries. I think this dish was my favorite dish of the evening. I really enjoyed the flavor of the glaze and the salmon was cooked PERFECTLY. It wasn’t dry at all and the portion was great. I would’ve never thought to pair it with sweet potato fries, but surprisingly it went exceptionally well together! 

Along with the salmon, we were also served a vegetable stir fry. This was the last dish. It’s always nice to end a meal with a light, tasty and healthy option! 

As the evening prepared to come to a close, many thank you’s and a huge round of applause was given to the one who prepared our meal. The talented, humble and amazing Tonia Renae. She came out and gave a brief speech and expressed a heartfelt appreciation for all who supported her throughout the planning of this event. She also expressed her gratitude for everyone who came out and attended. It was great to see pure happiness and feeling of accomplishment on Tonia’s face. She definitely had a lot to be proud of. A huge thank you goes out to Ms. Tonia Renae for allowing me to be apart of this beautiful event. It was an honor to attend and it was great being able to witness this milestone in her life. The dinner was a success! 

She also sent all the guests home with a special treat. Packed away all nice and cute in little individual boxes were Green Tea cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese frosting. They were so adorable and they were sinfully delicious! I enjoyed mines at home while I was tucked away in bed. What a perfect late night snack! Again, thank you Tonia Renae for your hospitality and congratulations on such an incredible evening!

If you want to learn more about Tonia Renae, you can check out a Q&A that I was able to have with her. You can also find her on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/bless.supperclub/

Enjoy!

Getting to know Chef Tonia Renae

1.       How many years of experience do you have of being a chef?

I executed my first “Sunday dinner” for a friend of mine and her family of about a dozen people at the age of 19. It was a huge spread of soul food favorites, fried chicken, baked turkey wings with gravy , greens, mac and cheese, rice, cornbread, potato salad, and pineapple upside down cake for dessert. Odd thing was, no one ever taught me how to cook any of those things. I literally woke up one morning with an urge to cook, and this was the result, and I have been dominating every kitchen I’ve had the opportunity of working in ever since and that was 22 years ago.

2.       Are you originally from Philadelphia?

I was born in Titusville PA but have lived in Connecticut the majority of my life until moving to Philly in 2008.

3.       Did anything/anyone inspire you to want to become a chef?

Cooking has always been something I loved to do. It just comes so naturally. My grandfather was a chef and restaurateur. I somehow feel that his talents were passed on to me.

4.       Are your culinary skills self-taught or did you attend culinary school?

I have a lot of background. Like I said most things come naturally, other skills I have learned over the shoulders of some truly amazing chefs that I have had the opportunity of working under. I did attend a culinary course offered by the state of PA back in 2010 and became a certified Sous Chef. I spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen perfecting my craft. Not to take anything away from furthering my knowledge by going back to school but I am not interested in learning the gastro science of cooking or any of these other modern day skills. I just want to make great food with quality identifiable ingredients. I am in no competition, I just want to express me through my dishes.

5.       Do you have a certain dish that you would consider your specialty?

LOL. I just had a conversation with my wife and I said I hate when people ask this question because I don’t have a specialty and I feel like I am supposed to. I love to cook whatever is fresh on that particular day. If you ask my wife she will say I am great at all things meat. I don’t have anything I prefer to cook over anything else. I really enjoy creating different stuffing’s for empanadas. I can also make a mean pan seared salmon.

6.       Do you have a favorite cuisine?

Right now I am on this Asian kick as you will notice by the Supper Club’s menu.

7.       What ingredients do you enjoy cooking with the most?

Once again, anything that is fresh. I really do not like to use anything frozen unless I really have to, the quality diminishes in a way that comes through in the dish and I don’t like it.

8.       Are there any challenges that you experience, or have experienced, as a chef?

Yes. All the time. Trying to make a name for myself in this field is challenging. Not having the “right” connections or resources to put yourself out there can be frustrating.

9.       Do you come across many people with allergy restriction requests? (ex. Gluten-free, soy-free, dairy free). If so, do you find it difficult to modify your recipes to accommodate the customer’s needs?

LOL. So this woman whom I have had to create menus for, who is now a good friend of mine, is gluten-free, soy-free, vegan. And I’ll leave that right there.

I’m very flexible when it comes to requests and people likes and dislikes. I would like to believe I can accommodate any and every one. I mean I myself have to scope a menu before ordering because I don’t eat pork and I don’t drink so I don’t want anything that cooked with either. But both of these items are things I cook with so I am not entirely opposed if that’s what someone wants.

10.  Is there a chef that you are inspired by? If so, what do you love about them?

 Alex Guarnaschelli. And don’t ask me why, she’s just got kitchen swag.

11.  What was your most favorite dining experience?

Most recently Phillips, Baltimore MD. Of all the places I have had the pleasure of eating. This place hit every spot. Cleanliness, customer service, quality of food, ratio vs price. The entire experience was amazing and left me wishing I could get back to there more often. This is what I am aiming for with my supper club events. I want people to be so fulfilled by the experience that they wish I had an actual spot they could dine in on a regular basis.

12.  Is there anywhere in the world you would love to visit mainly for the food experience?

If you would have asked me this question a month ago I would have said Italy because not only would I love some authentic Italian food but I would also love to take a class or two. But now its Australia, because I follow quite a few people on Instagram now that make me rethink the way I am doing things. The food looks so amazing and some of the experiences they share are things I would love to take part in.

13.  What do you love most about being a chef?

Chef? I don’t really like being called a Chef. I feel like when people call you a Chef they expect certain things from you. Certain foods. Certain plating. A certain attitude. Don’t expect anything from me other than great food. No gimmicks, no foam, no tweezer plating with edible flowers, and no random ingredient that no ones ever heard of unless they watch Chopped. Just a girl who loves to be in the kitchen, a culinarian if you will. A word that is thrown around yet there are no expectations because no one even knows what it really means.

[funphillyfoodie]

Baking with Bacon - 10/09/16

What’s one thing that most people love? It’s savory, its crispy, you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Heck, you can put it in almost anything and it’ll make it ohhhhh so good! Yes that’s right….it’s BACON!  The brilliant and very creative celebrity Chef Dana Herbert hosted another special dining event for the fall season. This one was an all dessert Baking with Bacon experience! Here’s one thing about Chef Dana. If he’s throwing a food event, you HAVE to be there! I know I’ve said this many times before and I’ll say it again. A Chef Dana experience is truly a special thing to be apart of. Since this one was featuring bacon, I knew that there was nothing but awesomeness in store for this event. 

As Baking with Bacon began, we opened up with a warm welcome and an ice breaker. Chef Dana gave an introduction and then everyone introduced themselves one by one. After everyone was well acquainted, it was time for the fun to begin! The first course was a French Toast dessert with caramelized apples and a side of bacon ice cream which Chef Dana makes himself.  Everyone sat back, listened and watched as Chef Dana explained and showed us step by step how to prepare this dish. He began with preparing the batter for the french toast. It consisted of eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla bean. Next, it was time to cook the apples and caramelize them. Cinnamon was added for flavoring. The aroma alone was enough to make you salivate. There was also one thing that made this dish special for me. Well, when Chef Dana throws an event, he usually picks a few lucky individuals to participate during each course that he prepares. I just so happen to be picked for this one! I assisted with frying the French toast. Now, that was a huge responsibility for me. “Don’t burn them” is what I kept saying to myself! Oh, the pressure! But, I handled it fairly well and the outcome was a success!

As I finished the French toast, the plating began. And shortly, everyone was served their first course. It turned out great! 

It was time to move on to the second course. Next was a peanut butter cheesecake with a graham cracker bacon crust. A few ingredients mentioned were sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and a little almond. There was more bacon in store for this course. How was more bacon going to be incorporated into this dish? Well, well, well....Chef Dana had a magnificent sheet of chocolate and bacon! It was so beautiful and so tempting! I could’ve eaten that as is, that’s how good it looked!

Chef Dana broke this up into pieces. It was going to be used to top the cheesecakes. First, chocolate syrup was drizzled around the plates. Then he began to top the cheesecakes with cherries, and then topped them with the chocolate and bacon. Lastly, the plates were garnished with blackberries and even more bacon. This dish was almost too pretty to dig into! Everything blended perfectly together. From the berries to the bacon, every single bite was outstanding. 

The third course was up next. This one was very unique and different. It was a chocolate ganache with olive oil. This was topped with a fried wonton flavored with chipotle, cinnamon, sugar and little bit of salt. The combination of the chipotle, sugar and cinnamon made the fried wonton very enjoyable. It had the right amount of sweetness and in the end you experienced a nice, light bit of heat. I also enjoyed the texture and flavor of chocolate ganache with the olive oil. This was executed very well.

The fourth course was on it’s way. By this time, I couldn’t believe it but I was actually getting full! But hey, I’m a true foodie. I could handle more, haha! Next, we had a Bacon Banana split in store for us! Ohhhh boy, who doesn’t love a banana split? Especially with bacon! This included caramelized bananas, crushed pineapples, salted caramel, garnished with white and red raspberries, strawberries and there was bacon ice cream underneath it all. Goodness, I could never get tired of this ice cream! Take my word for it, it’s incredibly delicious!

As much as we all want these fabulous dining events to last forever, they eventually have to come to an end. But first, we had to enjoy one last course. Chef Dana prepared a Peach Cobbler trifle with blueberries, maple bacon and topped it with some bacon ice cream. This was a perfect ending to such a special event.

Baking with Bacon was extremely fun. It was a nice intimate affair filled with many food lovers and we all shared one thing in common...We all had a special place in our hearts for bacon. A huge thank you goes out to Chef Dana Herbert for including me as one of the guests for this event. I truly appreciated the opportunity to be one of the attendees. I enjoyed every moment of it and I’ll be looking forward to other events in the future! To those who haven’t been to a Chef Dana event, keep your eyes open for the next one. Be apart of something fun. Be apart of a Chef Dana experience....

[funphillyfoodie]

The Halal Guys in King of Prussia- 9/29/16

The Halal Guys have been around for over two decades gracing the nation with their delicious Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. They’ve been extremely popular in New York. They are known for having extremely long lines but their faithful customers know it’s all well worth the wait! The Halal Guys have branched out in other areas throughout the U.S including their recent location in King of Prussia. I was very lucky and had the opportunity to enjoy a sneak peek of their menu before their grand opening. 

When I arrived, I was welcomed by a very pleasant staff. I couldn’t wait to order some food, dig in and experience what everyone else has been buzzing about.  I chose to go with their combination platter of falafel and chicken. This also included a generous side of rice, pita, tomatoes and lettuce. They’re also known for their special white sauce and hot sauce. I asked for extra white sauce. I don't know what the secret is with their white sauce. All I know is that it gave this platter an extra touch of pizzazz to it and I wanted it all over my dish! I had to go easy on the hot sauce as I was warned that it was very hot. I had just the right amount where I could tolerate the spiciness. 

I was quite impressed with my first experience eating at The Halal Guys. The falafel was cooked perfectly. Some places tend to over cook them, but this place has mastered preparing them just right. And the chicken was delicious, I was extremely satisfied. Let me tell you, looks can be deceiving. I thought I would be able to finish it all. Well, goodness, I was wrong. The Halal Guys sure know how to pack a hefty platter. You’ll be sure to get the right bang for your buck!

Now, it’s only right to end your meal with something sweet and tasty! I indulged on some sinfully delicious baklava! WOW....I should’ve stashed away a few more of these to bring home! The sweet, sticky goodness of this baklava was amazing. If you plan on dining at The Halal Guys, take my word and please make sure to grab some baklava. It’ll make the perfect happy ending to your meal. A huge thanks goes out to The Halal Guys for having me be apart of their preview. Everything was fabulous and I wish them much success at their King of Prussia location....

[funphillyfoodie]

IceLand Philly - 9/28/16

Iceland is a fantastic dessert spot located in the Chinatown area in Philadelphia. A friend of mines, Chef Cherryl, invited me to be apart of a tasting at Iceland. How could I pass up a dessert tasting! And this was also a tasting that would be apart of her Travel with Chef Cherryl Series. Her foodie events are always a blast! All attendees were told to bring their appetites, I was anxious to see what was in store for us!

There were so many things to try! One item was their green tea ice cream roll topped with red beans. Growing up in a Filipino household, I was accustomed to eating red beans, it’s so sweet and delicious. It’s a favorite topping of mine. 

On to the next one! Here’s the S’mores ice cream roll topped with chocolate chips, graham crackers and marshmallow. 

I really wanted to try one of their dessert beverages. I’ve been seeing them posted online usually with cotton candy and it always looked pretty cool. The first one sampled was their sparkling strawberry drink topped with cotton candy! It was almost too cute to enjoy! The beverage itself was delicious and when you push the cotton into the drink it made it even sweeter. I loved it!

The next beverage to sample was their sparkling mango green tea drink topped with cotton candy as well. Yet another fun and delicious drink! I thought the presentation of these beverages were cute, fun and creative! In addition to being cute beverages, Iceland does not use any artificial ingredients. Everything is natural.

During our visit, Iceland conjured up a special item for us to try. It was an oreo milkshake topped with pocky sticks, marshmallows, m&m’s, fruity pebbles, oreos, chocolate syrup and it was topped with a cute little cone that was made out of marshmallow.

Iceland had a very special drink that I found interesting. It was their purple passionfruit butterfly pea drink. A special ingredient used in this beverage is a blue flower that is commonly used in Thailand. When you squeeze anything citrus into this beverage, it changes the color from blue to purple. 

Out of all the ice cream rolls that we sampled, my personal favorite was the Thai Tea ice cream roll topped with lychee. I personally thought it had a sweet creamy taste. The lychee paired well with the ice cream roll. Lychee is a very sweet tropical fruit. It reminds me of a white translucent version of a peeled grape. 

My visit at Iceland Philly was filled with tons of fun and goodies. It also gave me another opportunity to meet other local food bloggers during this Travel with Chef Cherryl series tasting event. Thank you Iceland Philly for hosting our group. Your hospitality was truly appreciated and I look forward to many more visits!

[funphillyfoodie]

The Fat Ham in King of Prussia - 9/16/16

The King of Prussia Mall added a new addition to their Savor food court. Top Chef winner and restaurateur Kevin Sbraga opened a second location of The Fat Ham and it is now open for business. If you haven’t been to The Fat Ham, you can expect flavorful southern inspired dishes and yummy cocktails. I was lucky to have won reservations through a contest on Instagram to debut the menu in September before the official grand opening to the public. I never win anything, literally. So you can imagine how excited I was to win something that I totally enjoy, food!

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by a wonderful host who led me and my guest to our seats. Shortly, we were introduced to our server who was very pleasant and very informative of each item on their menu.

It was only right to start my visit off with a drink. I chose the Memphis Mule. This drink consisted of basil & grapefruit vodka, citrus, and ginger beer. This drink was quite a pick-me-up! If you enjoy Moscow Mule’s then you have to try this one.

The first dish that I ordered was the Deviled Egg Toast. It had shaved chilies and pickled onions. I loved the texture. Deviled eggs are one of my faves! This was an excellent starter...

Next, it was time for shrimp and grits! This dish included country ham, scallion and peanuts. Another great item on the menu. I’ve tasted a few shrimp and grits dishes before, but I can honestly say that this was my favorite shrimp and grits dish by far. It was filled with so much flavor that it blew me away as soon as I tasted it. I should’ve ordered one to go!

And here is everyone’s favorite, chicken and waffles! The chicken was fried perfectly, the skin was crispy, the meat was tender and the it definitely wasn’t bland! The pairing with the waffle was fantastic. The waffle had a citrus sage butter and syrup. YUMMY!!!

After all this eating, of course a few more drinks had to be ordered. If you enjoy fruity drinks, then the Low Country Punch is for you. It’s made with Jamaican Rum, Cognac, Madeira, Citrus. A few of these and you’ll need an Uber or a Lyft to get home, haha! The next drink ordered was the Stars Fell on Alabama. This was a strong one, I would say it’s more of a manly drink and not for the light-weight drinker. It’s made with Bourbon, Orange Flower, Bitters, absinthe. Both are great items on the beverage menu.

I wanted to try one of the side dishes while I still had a little bit of room left in my tummy! I went with the Baked Macaroni & Cheese topped with Ritz Cracker crumbs. Whenever a place makes their baked mac and cheese with REAL cheese, then you get the thumbs up in my book! 

And lastly, there was dessert. By now I had trouble breathing with everything I’ve been tasting! When the food is good, you literally just want to eat it ALL! HAHA! Anyways, for dessert I ordered the Peanut Butter Banana Pudding.  I loved how it was served in a little cute mason jar! It added a nice rustic flair to the presentation. The pudding was rich and sweet. I wouldn’t change anything about it!

Make sure to check out The Fat Ham in King of Prussia, located in Montgomery County Pennsylvania. If you’re in the city, then stop by their University City location. It’s definitely worth it! 

[funphillyfoodie]

The Philadelphia Zoo welcomes their Beer Garden - 7/21/16

Debuting July 2016, Philadelphia is welcoming a great new addition to the Philadelphia Zoo. There will now be a beer garden! Yay, something for the adults to enjoy! There is no extra cost to enter the beer garden, access is included with the admission price. This event on Thursday July 21st, 2016 was a preview for the zoo’s beer garden, The Watering Hole.  It was hosted by Cashman & Associates and sponsored by Victory Brewing Company.

That evening, there were many things to taste off of their light fare menu. Attendees enjoyed a grilled roasted turkey cheddar bacon flatbread with chipotle mayo, a toasted 3 cheese flatbread (cheddar, swiss and provolone), pulled pork sliders, filet sliders (they were very delicious), crudité shooters with cusabi dip (veggies with a spicy creamy dipping sauce), and grilled bratwurst.

To top the evening off, we were served house made ice sandwiches, SO GOOD! They had cookie dough ice cream sandwiches, chocolate chip with vanilla and coconut (my personal favorite) and then there was the mint chocolate.

The Water Hole is a great place for the adults to sit back, enjoy a few drinks and relax for bit.  There's a nice selection of beers, as well as some on tap. And for the individuals who aren’t beer drinkers, there is a small selection of wines available like chardonnay, cabernet and pinot grigio. Check out The Watering Hole. It'll give you another great reason to visit Philadelphia's Zoo more often!

[funphillyfoodie]

Perla - 8/17/16

After a long anticipation, Philly warmly welcomed Perla to the East Passyunk area. This new restaurant offers a modern version of Filipino food. Chef Lou Boquila, the owner and chef of Perla, puts a twist on this version of Filipino cuisine with a little bit of French influence. Prior to opening Perla, Chef Lou Boquila was the executive chef at Audrey Claire. He also did a series of pop-ups, Pelago, that were very successful. Before the official opening to the public, I was able to attend a friends and family event at Perla along with my friend Chef Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez. Since I'm half Filipino, this was something that I've been patiently waiting for. Philly desperately needed a new Filipino restaurant.

I started the evening off with a good bottle of San Miguel. If you ever attend a great Filipino party or barbecue, you'll definitely spot a few of these being passed around.

A beautiful traditional spread on banana leaves was prepared for the event. There was chicken, fish, lechon, pinakbet, garlic fried rice, pandesal (this is made in house by Chef Lou Boquila),  even the condiments were made in house.

I enjoyed about 2-3 plates. My favorite was the lechon. The skin was crispy and the pork was very tender. I honestly can eat a whole plate of lechon, that's how much I enjoy it!

An evening filled with Filipino food is my kind of night. Especially when it's all made by a great chef. I'm accustom to eating these dishes, these were some that I actually grew up eating. When you eat something that makes you feel like home, there's nothing like it. I was pleased with the early viewing that Perla offered. I'll have to make it an obligation to dine there again so I can get the full Lou Boquila modern experience. Until then, welcome to Philly Perla! I wish you much success and thank you so much for allowing me to be apart of this friends and family preview!

[funphillyfoodie]

The Chef Dana Experience - 8/16/16

Another fabulous Chef Dana Experience was hosted on August 16, 2016. I was extremely thrilled to find out that I would be able to attend a second event and be another featured guest food blogger! The first event that was previously hosted in June was out of this world. I just knew that Chef Dana would blow us out of our seats again with his scrumptious creations. For those of you who might not be familiar with Chef Dana, he is the winner of the 1st Season TLC’s Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker. He’s also been featured on the Food Network, Rachel Ray, WE TV’s Cake Wars and so much more. Not only is he a master at baking, but he’s also a genius when it comes to conjuring up a savory dish. To attend any event by Chef Dana means you will definitely experience some of the most delicious and brilliant dishes that you’ll ever taste in your life! 

The one thing that I love about the Chef Dana experience is that it’s made to be a relaxed and intimate affair. There’s open conversation, great music is lightly playing and there’s always a great story told and cooking tips to be learned. I think this is something that all attendees enjoy very much, I know I personally love it. There’s nothing like being able to talk one on one with one of the greatest chef’s around. 

The Chef Dana Experience started off with quite a bang! The first course was The Spring Bowl. This dish consisted of green onions, cilantro, lemongrass, peppers, butter, a pinch of ginger, a creamy edamame sauce, topped with Asian ginger chicken. This dish was nothing but sensational, the blend of flavors were a perfect harmony to my taste buds. The Spring Bowl became quite a favorite of the attendees that evening. With the way Chef Dana executed this dish, I am not surprised by how pleased the guests were after experiencing it.

Now, off to the second course. Next, we were served a Blackberry & Peach salad with feta cheese, candied walnuts (Chef Dana also told us how to make our own candied walnuts, awesome tip), served with a poppy seed dressing which consisted of champagne vinegar, walnut oil, and for sweetness agave nectar was added. Everything blended together so perfectly. I don’t come close to being as creative as Chef Dana when it comes to making salads. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that blackberries go absolutely great in a salad! I’ll definitely be trying to recreate this one at home. 

After enjoying two generous dishes, there was an intermezzo. We were served a refreshing lemon sorbet paired with a delightful basil spritzer which consisted of simple syrup, basil leaves, fresh lime juice and seltzer. Such a great way to cleanse your palate.

After all the anticipation, we were presented with the 4th course and entree of the evening. Chef Dana served a wonderfully cooked pork tenderloin topped with a rosemary salsa. This entree was paired with sugar snaps sautéed in butter and freshly squeezed orange juice, along with a side of barley pilaf with golden beets, parsnips, celery onion shallots, chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper. Such a savory and superb dish! 

And finally, what we’ve all been waiting for.....dessert.  Chef Dana created such a beautiful dessert. This dish was a passion fruit and mango bombe with almond lace cookie, served with blueberries, dragon fruit, blackberries and raspberry sauce. The passion fruit and mango bombe had a beautiful light texture. The taste was purely sensational. And the pairing of the almond lace cookie with added fruit were a terrific touch. I loved and enjoyed every bit of dish. Oh yes, Chef Dana is absolutely phenomenal at what he does.

My second experience at the Chef Dana event was outstanding! I’ve been amazed with his talents and I have been blessed to experience first hand how brilliant he can be.  He’s very articulate and extremely creative. Thank you so much Chef Dana for providing another unique opportunity to experience yet another unbelievable dining event! If you ever attend a Chef Dana Experience, expect to be completely amazed....

[funphillyfoodie]

Come and celebrate the successful launch of @spotluckapp in our city of Philadelphia! All you have to do is download the app to your phone for free entry. And guess what, there will be FREE BEER 🍻 If you haven't downloaded it yet, go check it out and get on board! Spotluck offers tons of dining discounts throughout the city, it's a great app to have! So come out to @uptownbeergarden on August 25th from 5pm - 10pm and get your party on 🎆🎉🎊🎈🎇 . . . #spotluck #phillygram #igers_philly #Philly #phillyfoodie #phillyeats #phillyevents #party #launchparty #blog #foodie #celebrate #checkitout #freebeer #buzzfeed #fun #beergarden #travelwithchefcherryl #swag #libations #eastcoast #rsvp (at Uptown Beer Garden)

[funphillyfoodie]

A Preview of Bar Bombón - 8/2/16

I was invited to the preview of Philly’s newest Latin vegetarian restaurant Bar Bombón located in Rittenhouse Square. Bar Bombón is owned by restaurateur Nicole Marquis, who is also the owner of HipCityVeg and Charlie Was a Sinner. This event was on August 2, 2016 and hosted by one of Philly’s most popular PR firms, Cashman & Associates. Thanks to my friend, Chef Cherryl Gutierrez, I was able to get my invite and be one of the few special attendees. I’ve never dined at a vegan restaurant before, so I was eager to see what Bar Bombón had to offer.

I started off by enjoying one of their signature cocktails of the evening. I ordered the Prickly Pear. It was very unique and different. You could really taste the smoky flavor. I've never had a drink like that before and I really enjoyed it. Now it was time for another drink. This time I went with their rose’ sangria, such a refreshing drink. This wasn’t overly sweet, it was very yummy. I love a great sangria.

These were the featured cocktails of the evening:

Pineapple Fresno- El Jimador Blanco Tequila, Aperol, Combier, pineapple, Fresno chili

Fresh Berry Daiquiri – Flor de Caña extra dry 4 year, fresh berries, lime

Smoked Prickly Pear – El Jimador Blanco Tequila, Del Maguey Vida, Combier, prickly pear, lime

Dirty Derby - Old Forester Bourbon Whiskey, mango, lemon, mint

Throughout the evening, many samples were being served. Everything from their Yuca Frita to their Pinchos. My personal favorite was the yucca frita. I had so many of them that I became full! They had a perfect crisp to them and were served with a delicious maduro sauce. Here's a peak of a few dishes Bar Bombón previewed at the event...

Cubano Club- Grilled chick'n breast, smoked tempeh, mustard aioli, dill pickles, shredded lettuce, and tomatoes

Tostada- Grilled maitake mushrooms, canela roasted beets, avocado, and grapefruit xni pec

Pinchos – Tequila seitan skewers, baby eggplant, summer squash, red chimichurri

Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos-Refried black beans, avocado, green goddess dressing, and mirepoix

After attending this preview at Bar Bombón, I was extremely impressed. Since I'm not vegan, I would've never thought to ever try a place like Bar Bombón. I'm really happy about having a new outlook on vegan restaurants, especially Bar Bombón. The food was outstanding, the drinks were awesome and the ambiance was lovely. If you're ever in the Philly Rittenhouse Square area, and you're looking for a new healthy trendy spot to dine, check out Bar Bombón. It's one of Philly's newest great gems.

[funphillyfoodie]

FoodieChats Comes to Philly - 8/1/16

Monday August 1, 2016 FoodieChats came to Philly and held their FoodieChats event at Moonshine Philly! I was invited by one of my foodie friends and chef by the name of Cherryl Gutierrez to be one of the many attendees at this exciting event. Prior to FoodieChats, I didn’t know much about them besides knowing that it was a huge online foodie community that started on Twitter. I didn’t even have a Twitter account prior to that day, but I had to jump straight in, make a Twitter account and join the FoodieChats bunch! When I arrived, I ordered an Orange Moonsicle. This included Old Smokey orange moonshine, Pinnacle Vanilla Vodka, a little soft serve liqueur and fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum! It tasted just like a creamsicle with a little adult fun mixed into it! My type of drink....

After a couple minutes, the guests moved towards the rear of the restaurant were we had reserved seating just for the FoodieChats event. Shortly after that, Steve Green made his introduction. He’s the founder and CEO of FoodieChats. It was created 5 years ago and it all started on Twitter. It’s a constantly growing foodie community with many sponsors and there are followers from all over the world. We all introduced ourselves, broke the ice and bang! FoodChats Philly was in full effect!

Our first appetizer was served to all the tables.  This was Moonshine’s short rib croquette dish. O....M...G....the tenderness of the meat was out of this world! The croquettes were perfectly fried and soooo juicy. They were served with a delicious creamy horseradish sauce. I absolutely LOVE horseradish! I recommend this appetizer for anyone who visits Moonshine Philly. If you love short rib, this one’s a winner.

Next, the fried calamari came out. Who doesn’t love fried calamari!?!? This is also a favorite of mine to eat. This was served with a spicy aioli dipping sauce. I really enjoyed it. I wish I could’ve eaten more!

Here’s an entree that was a favorite of the evening. This is a Blackened Chicken Pesto Gnocchi. This dish was a triple threat. It contained three of the most yummiest things you could eat, chicken, gnocchi and creamy pesto sauce! The chicken was really tender and very flavorful. The gnocchi went great with the pesto sauce. The chef did an excellent job on preparing this dish!

Next came the Teriyaki Salmon over a delicious risotto. Everyone cannot cook salmon well, but Moonshine did a superb job on executing this dish. It was perfect just like everything else we were served! This also had great flavor and the risotto was cooked beautifully. I also recommend this dish, it’s a must try if you’re a salmon lover.

Another short rib dish, YAY! This was the Red Wine Braised short rib dish. It was served over pasta with bits of asparagus. I know I keep saying that everything was perfect...But I’m about to say it again. This was also a top favorite of the night! And yes...It was perfect :-) The short rib was SO tender, just like the short rib croquettes that were served as appetizers. Another great dish by Moonshine! They really impressed all of us that night!

Here’s a selfie of me and the very awesome Tony Luke Jr.! He was so down to earth and super cool!

Here’s a group pic from the FoodieChats Philly event. We had everyone there from Tony Luke Jr (restauranteur and co-host of Spike TV Frankenfood), Steve Green (CEO & Founder of FoodieChats) and his girlfriend Angela, Tony Bruno (popular sports radio talkshow host), Roberta AKA HomeMade Delish (one of Philly’s hottest chefs around), Gervase Peterson (a former contestant of the CBS reality show survivor, and owner of Burnz Cigar Vault & Lounge in NJ), celebrity Chef Brian Duffy, Chef Cherryl Gutierrez and husband Chef Jason Gutierrez, Joan Verratti CEO of Pollyodd Lemoncello, John Cohl (wonderful food enthusiast, chef & food truck fanatic) and the crew from Visit Philadelphia!...Goodness, the room was literally filled with so many wonderful people!

Here’s a selfie of me and the one and only Steve Green Founder & CEO of FoodieChats! I had a blast that evening. A huge thanks to Moonshine Philly for hosting everyone from the FoodieChats event. And here’s a super huge thanks to Steve Green for allowing me to be apart of an awesome event. I’m proud to be apart of the FoodieChats community!

[funphillyfoodie]

Know Your Farmer Chef & Media Event - 7/30/16

I had the pleasure of being invited to the West Chester Growers Farmers Market for the “Know Your Farmer Chef & Media Event”. This was held on July 30th 2016 in West Chester, PA. I was thrilled to have been one of the few picked to attend this event. Since I’m from Philadelphia, I live in an area that has limited access to quality produce. So I was very eager to attend. Upon my arrival, all attendees of the event had to check in.

After checking in, we were given enormous swag bags of so many things that the market provided. I’ve never seen anything like it! We were all given everything from free vouchers to assortments of delicious jams, produce, veggies, bread, pasta, coffee, nuts, pico de gallo, the list goes on! It was such an extremely lovely gift to receive. I could tell a lot of thought went into planning this event. They definitely did a great job of making the attendees feel very welcomed.As I explored the farmers market, I instantly noticed the incredible difference between the produce that they provided and the produce that I would find in a local grocery store in the city of Philadelphia. My personal feelings on produce sold in the city….well, it sucks. I feel like people who live in urban areas are subjected to the left overs and the rejects when it comes to produce. If you venture out to the suburbs, you notice that there’s a huge difference in the quality and variety of produce that’s provided for those areas. It’s always seems to be fresher and the quality is much better. While the city does have farmers markets and co-ops, there’s still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to local grocery stores with the produce that they provide to their communities.

And now, here’s a few favorite items that I grabbed during the Know Your Farmer, Chef and Media event....

Here’s a vendor that won my heart. Chile Spot! Chile Spot is owned by Jeff Porter. The Chile Spot provides artisan chile pepper products from hot sauce to jams and a variety of peppers. As soon as I stepped up to this vendor’s table, my eyes were set on a apricot habanero jam! I love apricot, so I knew this was going to be something delicious that I just had to bring back home with me. I was able to try a sample, and oh my goodness…It was AMAZING! There was a perfect balance between sweet and spicy. The ingredients mainly contained apricots, sugar, red bell pepper, red habanero pepper, lemon, less than 2% pectin for gelling and ascorbic acid for color retention (ingredients read directly from the jar). This was a must have!

Along with the jam, I also purchased a chipotle sauce, two pints of their shishito chile peppers and their moruga scorpion cheddar cheese.

This cheddar cheese was a very spicy and flavorful cheese. I was also able to sample this cheese, and definitely needed to purchase this as well. If you’re a pepper lover, please check out Chile Spot. They also have a website where products can also be purchased at www.chilespot.com, this is a great local vendor with awesome products!

Here’s another awesome vendor that I was able to use a voucher for. Vera Pasta is owed by Italian Chef Joe D’Andrea. Vera Pasta is an artisan authentic homemade pasta. It has outstanding quality and freshness. They have everything from rigatoni, penne, spinach penne, spicy garlic fusilli and a tomato basil radiatori. I used my voucher for the tomato basil radiatori pasta. I can honestly say, that this was the BEST pasta I’ve ever tasted. It was incredibly fresh, the texture was perfect and the flavor was incredible. If you’re a pasta lover like myself, I highly recommend visiting Vera Pasta at the West Chester Growers Farmers Market. And they also have their own website www.verapasta.com

I had a voucher to receive fresh rosemary and lemon thyme from Applied Climatology LLC. It was my first time ever having herbs this fresh. Applied Climatology has everything from herbs, trees and such gorgeous perennials. The gentleman who I received my herbs from was extremely helpful. He was very informative and answered any questions on how to care for my new herbs. I really enjoyed my experience at this vendor.  

Lastly, I ended my visit at Shaeffer Flowers. I had a voucher for this vender so I chose this beautiful bouquet to come home with me. They had some of the prettiest flowers I’ve seen. If you’re ever in West Chester PA and you’re looking for flowers, stop by Shaeffer Flowers and grab some of their beautiful flowers.

Thank you so much West Chester Growers Market for throwing such a wonderful event. I was very grateful for the goodies that I was sent home with, and I'm happy to have met all the hard working farmers and locals that provide such great products and produce throughout the surrounding areas.

[funphillyfoodie]

1776 Historial Pop-Up Dinner - 7/9/16

On Saturday July 9th 2016, I attended my first pop-up dinner hosted by Chef Claire P. I’ve been following her on Instagram for a couple of months now and I’ve been wanting an opportunity to meet her and experience her cooking. She used to live in NY, but relocated to Philadelphia. I was happy that she moved to Philly, I had more of a chance to experience one of her dinners.  

The theme of that evening was a 1776 Historical Dinner. She did her research very well. Everything that she had on the menu had interesting facts about it. This was a very created theme, thoroughly researched and also unique.  These were main factors that piqued my interest for attending this event.

When I arrived at the event, I was very nervous. This was my first pop-up dinner and I didn’t know what to expect. As time passed, many conversations went on. Claire’s guests, and also her mother who attended the event, were all wonderful and very welcoming. It was great to have a room filled with great conversationalists. And to add, Ben Franklin himself was an attendee. Boy was his character on point, and his humor was outstanding!

Now on to the food! The first course was a Mock Turtle Soup. Back then, turtle was expensive. So other ingredients were used to substitute for turtle. In this course, oxtail was used. And it was topped with parsley and a quail egg. Claire did an excellent job on the flavor, and the oxtail was very tender.

For the second course, we were served Potted Venison with bread and topped with red currant jelly. I learned that back then, potting things (foods) was common. You would spice and bake the meat to kill bacteria, grind it and pack it. Then it would be sealed with a layer of butter or animal fat. This was all researched by Claire, very impressive. Well anyways, I enjoyed it. The bread was extremely fresh and soft, and the venison was delicious. The currant jelly was a perfect topping as well.

The third course, we were served a small loaf with oysters. The small loaf was filled with a creamy oyster stew. I love oysters, and the stew was really tasty. I loved the creaminess/roux and the flavor was great.

Fourth course was chicken dressed the French way. The chicken was cooked in a lemon and wine sauce w/ artichokes, shallots, roasted grapes and mini veal meatballs. Goodness, I really enjoyed every bite of this meal. I ate the chicken with the grapes together, and the combination was superb. I would’ve never thought to ever roast grapes with chicken. I’ve learned something new that I definitely will be trying at home now. Thanks Claire! The sides to this dish were buttered carrots seasoned with nutmeg and salt. And then we had Peas Francoise. It was cooked with cabbage, seasoned well and it was also done with a roux.

And last, there was dessert. We were served Portugal cakes. Goodness, was this a delicious ending. I couldn’t begin to describe the texture. I wasn’t like anything I’ve ever had. It was very moist and packed with flavor.  It was also served with dry apple rings, golden raisins and candied almonds. I could eat this every week…very excellent! If I could place a special order for these cakes from Claire, I would in a heartbeat!

Thanks to the lovely Chef Claire again! Not only was I able to meet many great people that night, I had the opportunity to come into Claire’s world and experience her artistry as a chef. She’s a talented woman, and I highly recommend anyone to experience one of her dinners if you ever get the opportunity.