Last Thursday it was hot as balls in Philadelphia, and I, in my infinite wisdom, thought nothing of walking from Center City to Passyunk & Dickinson. Sometimes I am not smart (this blog may be a written testament to my bad decision making). At any rate, I ran into Andy & his bf who graciously asked me over for a quick beer (Victory's Golden Monkey) and Caprese salad.
A note on Caprese salad: This dish is simplistic, yet one of the most elegant and lovely things I can think to eat during the summertime. I love each ingredient separately, but in conjunction the perfectly ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, good olive oil, salt and cracked pepper are... well, I'm salivating so much right now trying to think of a good descriptor it's actually distracting. We're going to settle on sublime, and we'll revisit if a better word comes along*. I am also a huge fan of drizzling an aged balsamic vinegar on as well, and if you need to buy some, then Di Bruno Brothers is great. They have three locations now, but I'm partial to the S 9th St. store, if only because it's within blocks of where I'll soon be living. Now that I think about it, you can probably get everything but the tomatoes there, and for those you can go somewhere within a block, I'm sure.
I cannot wait to live next door to the Italian Market.
So, cooled off and revitalized, I made it through the second leg of my journey to POPE, a clever acronym for Pub On Passyunk East. They had a nice looking bar, and the rest reminded me of what I think the inside of an Ivy league dining hall might look like: stone and dark wood and such. And there among the dim recesses, two shining beacons of light: my friends, Meg & Mickie. These two are amazing ladies, and I always have a really fun time hanging out with them. Truth be told, I feel like they are funnier and cooler than I am, but they are also modest, and I bet when Meg reads this she'll pshaw, or something close to that. Doesn't make it not true, though.
At POPE, I had a really good beer, and I tried it three times so I could give you guys an accurate opinion of it. For you, people, I do it all for you. It was called Pretty Things American Darling Lager. Excellent summer beer, crisp and cold, light but not weak. 4 stars, which in my scales means that if it's on the menu, I would absolutely consider buying it again. The nachos were also good, and... that's the extent of my good. I ordered chips & salsa and guacamole. I had to order chips & salsa because the guacamole doesn't come with chips, which after I got my quarter cup ramekin of guacamole, I both understood that it wasn't quite enough to warrant chips, but also, why couldn't they throw a handful chips on there? In my opinion, the dip needed salt and lemon, and the salsa needed onion and cilantro and everything else they put in salsa besides tomatoes. My friends seemed to enjoy their food, and both looked tasty from across the table: one spinach salad and one grilled cheese. Props to Mickie for the night's win: anteing up $20 leftover from our last get together.
When we were finished there, we braved the atmospheric soup outside to walk a few blocks down to the The Bottle Shop for an international beer tasting: Innis & Gunn, Estrella, Tyksie, Pilsner Urquell, and Peroni Nastro Azzurro. I liked a couple, but none really registered enough to even consider buying for a more thorough tasting. It was fun talking to Kevin, the beer guy, who taught me some things about international brewers- they don't focus so much on labels like lager or ale, etc., which is difficult for me to process because it's the lens I see my beer through. I know I like lagers and ales, stouts and porters, and I know I don't really like IPAs or pilsners (I'll keep trying, for you Anonymous Readers. All for you). It's something I'm going to have to think about more as my beer knowledge grows.
I like the Bottle Shop, because it has a huge selection, several tables to relax at while drinking, AND they offer frosty glasses. I tried Hooker Blonde Ale and a swig of Mickie's UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, both of which didn't really do it for me. However, this place is great and I'll definitely be a regular customer there.
Alright, this is long enough for today. As always, thanks for reading. I'm open to suggestions in and around Philadelphia for food or drinks, and comments on my writing as long as you're not mean about it.
* I am very specific with my words. I do not believe there is such a thing as a true synonym because each word holds a different connotation, a different feeling attached to it. This sometimes makes writing tough because, while a lot of words have a universal concept behind it, many of those ideas are personally affected by the readers' lives and mindsets, etc. I'll do my best.
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