#9 Caribou Cafe

Gift Card Number Nine was used with my friend from work, Kaitlin. I needed to take Kaitlin out for two reasons.

1.  She is definitely way more of a foodie than I am and probably appreciates my 50 gift cards more than I do. 
2. When I told her about my winnings a few months ago, she goes "You should write a blog!" And so here I am, blogging away. 

After much deliberation about which gift card to use, we randomly settled on Caribou Cafe. Caribou Cafe is a French bistro located at 11th and Walnut. The chef was on Chopped, so to me that is pretty impressive. Not only did he compete, but he was also the 'Chopped Champion'. Good for you, Chef Oliver.

We parked right across the street in a lot, and after a good two minutes of backing into a spot between an Acura & a BMW, we made our way into the restaurant. We did a slight early bird special and had 6pm reservations. Not that we needed them because the place was empty at that point. A lot of waiters were standing around. Two of them attempted to seat us at two different times. Even when we sat down I felt a bit smothered by the wait staff. Constant walk bys and one waiter standing within a few feet of our table at all times. I understand that it was pretty dead at that point, but come on, let me breathe. This could just be me because I typically prefer to have an inattentive waiter than one that is too intense. I also noticed this because they were really cramping my picture-taking. I like to nonchalantly get some pictures of the place to add to my blog without being noticed but that wasn't happening here. Oh well, I sacrificed looking like a tourist for one night.

Okay enough about the wait staff- the place was beautiful. I wish it was a nice night because there were the cutest French looking tables outside that would have really given off the "Par-ee" feel. The first thing I noticed was the bar, and not just because I like a drink here and there, but because of the design and all of the embellishments. It looks like a bar I would want to sit at and relax and drink an expensive glass of wine.

We both decided to go with the fixed price option for $28. Seemed like the best deal for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Plus both of the entrees we wanted were included in that option. We both started with the French Onion Soup. I wish I had better language to describe how amazing this was. Tons of cheese- tons, just tons. The cheese alone made the soup amazing, but also the croissant and the onions were perfect too. After we finished the soup we could've stopped there. It was so filling, we were  both stuffed! This soup is a must for anyone who goes here.

Even though we ordered all three of our courses at the same time, we weren't rushed. The food came out at a good pace, which I really appreciated. I  had time to let my food digest before bringing on the next course. For dinner I ordered the Moules Frites. AKA, Steamed mussels in wine with curry and fries. The mussels were pretty light, and were perfect for after that soup! The mussels were laid on top of a wine and curry broth that were delicious together. And obviously the fries were good. I feel a little naive saying this but, I never actually thought that French onion soup and French fries were actually food that would be served in a French restaurant? Seems like a cop out to me but who am I to complain about cheese and fries, really?

Kaitlin ordered the Roasted Chicken with brie sandwich- marinated chicken, spinach and mushroom topped with warm brie cheese on country bread served with fries. Straight from the source, "If you're looking for the French version of a Philly cheesesteak, you can find it at Caribou! While the concept sounded delicious, roasted chicken, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, topped with melted brie, I'm not a big fan of dark meat. The French fries were incredible and the sandwich itself tasted delicious despite my love for the darker meat."

I didn't think I would survive the dessert round. We were so full. But I decided to push through and just eat the Espresso Crème Brulée. And thank God I did. So freaking good! The coffee flavored custard really made the dish.

Thumbs up to Caribou Cafe. I see myself returning to sit at the bar, drink a glass of wine, eat some French Onion Soup, get dessert, and pretend I'm in Paris. Oui Oui!

#8 La Viola Ovest

Tuesday night out on the town! Although my sister and I live together sometimes it seems like barely ever see each other. We were literally planning this date for 3 weeks. Finally I got on her busy schedule and decided to go to La Viola. We haven't been out to Italian in a while, and La Viola is a BYOB. I tasked Regan with getting the wine. She came home with a bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, our mother would be so proud.

There are two La Violas, Ovest & Bistro. They are right across the street from each other, 252 S. 16th Street & 253 S. 16th Street. If that isn't confusing, I don't know what is. Luckily there was an employee standing outside of Ovest to direct us in the right direction. I was bit concerned before we got there because I had been to a La Viola before (wasn't sure which one at the time..), so technically this wouldn't be a "first meal" for me. Luckily, we dodged that bullet and ended up at the other La Viola (whew!).

La Viola Ovest was super welcoming when we walked in. There were two rooms, one in the front and one in the back. The hostess immediately asked us if which room we preferred to sit in, and even asked us which table we wanted. I liked getting those choices because there is nothing worse than sitting in a bad seat. Unlike La Viola Bistro, La Viola Ovest had tons of seating and a lot of open space. When I went to La Viola Bistro, we actually shared a table with another couple. I appreciate the small Italian BYOB spots, but come on. I don't know these people, I don't really want to share my bread basket with them. La Viola Ovest had more space but still gave off that quaint Italian restaurant feel. When we walked in we noticed a smell of a fresh home? I know it sounds weird, but we didn't smell Italian food, we smelled someone's freshly cleaned house. Take that for what it's worth, but I liked it!

We noticed a kind of assembly line with the staff. One person sat us, one person open our wine, one person poured our waters, one person told us the specials, and one person took our orders. I'm exhausted just typing this. So,we didn't really get a personal touch with one waiter, but it worked for us.

On to the fun part, the food! Since La Viola is a BYOB, we were worried that we might not spend the $50. So more of an excuse to both get appetizers and dessert. To start, Regan got a Cesar salad. I told her that I would not make fun of her for getting that, again...........

I went with a salad special. For me, it is always a risk going with a special at an authentic Italian restaurant because I am never fully sure of what the waiter is actually saying when he tells us the specials. But I thought I would be adventurous! The salad was a spring mix topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, and avocado with a lemon vinaigrette dressing. If you know me you know that anything with avocado is a go for me. And this salad was actually perfect. Even Regan, one of the least food adventurous people I know,  tried it and agreed, so that says a lot. The prosciutto melted in my mouth and the avocado was fresh and ripe to perfection. The dressing was infused in the whole salad so I could taste it in every bite. Great choice, if I do say so myself. 

Before

After

For dinner, Regan got the Lobster Raviolis, or Ravioli Alla Viola. Homemade ravs stuffed with lobster in a pink vodka sauce. Delish. I have been using my blog as an excuse to try everyone's meal and it is really working out to my advantage. The raviolis were stuffed to the brim with lobster.  I enjoyed, and clearly, she enjoyed.

Before

 

After

I went with the salmon. My friend told that I've been "getting a lot of red meat lately" in my blogs, so I went with seafood. Since this friend is the same friend who gave me the idea to blog about my outings, I will take the hint. The Salmon Di Capperi was oven roasted salmon with pearl onions and capers, with a light marinara sauce. Well, I decided that I love pearl onions. That's the most I can say about the salmon. Wasn't really impressed. Regan thinks I am officially a food snob, but I honestly have had better salmon! It was a huge dish so I was able to take leftovers. Let's just say, I am not looking forward to lunch as much as I probably could be. 

In our attempt to go over $50, we just had to split dessert. Regan and I both love cannolis and take advantage of them more times than not when we are at an Italian restaurant. However, La Viola only had cannoli cake, not plain cannolis. But if you know us, you know that we aren't picky when it comes to dessert, so we went with it. Again, not an authentic cannoli,  but still amazing. Pretty presentation as well. 

Overall we had a great sisters night out. A lot of childhood reminiscing, like the time that I broke my wrist from tripping after locking Regan in the attic (karma is real). 

We would have been okay without the dessert, the total came to $62. Two apps, two dinners, 1 dessert, NO alcohol (hey BYOs!). La Viola Ovest is a place I would love to try again. A lot of seating, so there is a possibility if I decide to go back on whim on a Friday night we would get in easily. 

8 down 44 to go!

#7 Devil's Alley

Devil's Alley was probably the best place from my list to go to after the Broad Street Run. Running 10 miles and then stuffing your face with comfort food is the way to go.

Once we finally got ourselves together post run, we went into Center City and celebrated our success as well as Cinco de Mayo. Great combo- or maybe bad combo? After drinking for the better part of the afternoon, we ended up at Devil's Alley. Why you ask?
1. Because I brought the gift card out with me
2. It was on the way home
3. I wanted a burger, bad.

Devil's Alley was SO. COOL. It literally had a tree in the middle of the first floor of the restaurant that stretched to the second floor. They also tried to incorporate their "devil" theme into the decorations. The bathroom was in a basement that looked like a basement I used to party at in college, dark, smelly, black & concrete walls...scary.

Food wise, Devil's Alley is all comfort food. They had some variations of healthy meals on their menu, but mostly just good old fashioned burgers & fries. Running Broad Street plus the pitcher of margaritas pre-meal, gave me the push to get whatever the hell I wanted regardless of calories. So, clearly, we started with nachos. Amazing. I love when guacamole is included on the nachos and not an extra charge. It's the little things.

 I went with the Bacon, Guacamole, & Cheddar burger. I thooouuughhht about the veggie burger, or the grilled shrimp salad, but nope went with my gut (which is sticking out a few extra inches today, by the way). The burger was...wow..in two words..worth it. Juicy, cooked to a perfect medium rare. The burger came with hand cut fries that make me salivate on the spot. They slightly reminded me of Ocean City boardwalk fries- but better. Well in the moment they were better.

Brendan got the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, which luckily he let me try. Fried chicken with blue cheese, bacon, cheddar, & buffalo sauce. We were not messing around. The buffalo chicken sandwich was pretty perfect, not just a slab of chicken with buffalo sauce thrown on top, but everything was evenly mixed in.

Welp, if I didn't drink back my calories earlier that day, Devil's Alley took care of it. I really want to go back here because as I am writing this blog and looking back on the menu, I noticed the Walnut Breaded Chicken Tenders. Why did I not get them? They sound delicious and may be my sole reason for returning. That and the fact that 2 beers, 2 sandwiches, 1 app was $47. So reasonably priced, no excuse not to return! Just need to give my body a few months to get back to normal.

45 still to go - is that a joke?!

#6 Square 1682

Woo off to Square 1682. Located at 17th and Sansom this walk from the Palm wasn't bad at all. The best way to describe this place would be to use words like "trendy" or "hip". Perusing the website earlier that day, Square 1682 described themselves as "Modern American". To me that means dark lighting, weird menu items, and small portions. Dark lighting- check. 

We had 8pm dinner reservations and got there right at 8. Our table wasn't ready for another 10 minutes so we sat at the bar and had a drink. Great bar. The space was fairly small- couldn't have had more than 15 tables in it plus the bar. Square is connected to Hotel Palomar so there were a lot of people sitting and eating at the bar. Once we sat down we got a look at the "Modern American" menu. Weird menu items- check. I remember thinking that I wish my dad was there to help me understand what everything meant. We kept googling the definition of things like watercress, cavatelli, and charred fennel. Maybe we should know what these things are but we are only slightly on our way to being foodies. 

The service was sub par, I kind of felt a bit neglected. But after my 11oz chard at the Palm I didn't really care too much. I will attribute my stepping out of the box on my entree choice to that same glass of wine. Before I go into what meals we ordered, I have to start with our stable app: calamari. Earlier that day I was telling some of my coworkers about my plans for the night. One of them said: "Don't get calamari again". I know, it's over done. And I owe it to my blog followers to change it up a bit, but the woman I was sitting next to at the bar was RAVING about it. She may or may not have had too many vodka martinis but, it did look delicious, so we went with it. And it was delicious. More so because of the sweet chili aioli on the side. (Please ignore my 12 year old boyfriend's finger placement in the background of the picture)

Now on to entrees. We were pretty indecisive at this point in our night. We both thought we could go with anything really. So thats what we did. I ordered the Lamb Short Ribs and Brendan ordered the Spring Beef Ragu. Small portions- no check! I was expecting 2 tiny ribs and a small bowl of ragu, but we were happily disappointed! Also I should add that the food was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. My short ribs came in a stack of 4 overtop of Lancaster cheddar grits. On top of the ribs was a corn succotash and a bourbon BBQ glaze. The lamb was so tender it actually fell off the bone and I am not just saying that. My mouth is watering as I write this. Please if you go to Square, get the Lamb Short Ribs!

Brendan got the Spring Beef Ragu. Beef short ribs, cavatelli, & wild mushrooms. I was a little wary for him because when I think of beef short ribs, it brings back bad crock pot memories. When we would come home from school when I was younger and that crock pot smell hit our noses, we all let out "oh no not the crock pot!!!" (sorry, Mom). Luckily, these beef short ribs were nothing of the sort. 

We would happily come back to Square 1682! Just a warning though, there are no bathrooms in the restaurant. You have to go up this back flight of steps into the hotel to get to the closest restroom. I might suggest bringing a buddy up those back steps because they are a little frightening. They slightly remind of an Law and Order SVU crime scene. Luckily I made it through my bathroom trip safe and sound and can now say I am a fan of modern american food! 

46 to go! 

#5 The Palm

DATE NIGHT! I get way too excited about date night. Especially when planning date night pre gift cards consisted of a Friday afternoon text from my boyfriend saying "Want to just get a case and crush beers here?". Post gift cards, we live large. Like we go to the Palm in the Bellevue Hotel for drinks before 8pm dinner reservations. The decision to do pre dinner drinks here was perfect. My gift card to the Palm expired May 1st, so I really wanted to get this one off my back. We walked into the Bellevue and found the restaurant pretty easily. 2 seats at the bar were open, just waiting there for us, the universe aligned.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous to go here. I mean, it's "The Palm" in "The Bellevue". I didn't know what to expect. I kind of figured that the rich people of Philadelphia would scoff at us while they drank their 16 year old scotch. But I was wrong. The atmosphere was really welcoming and low key in the bar area. We had an awesome bartender who ignored the fact that I said "Arrowhead" chardonnay instead of "Arrowood" while ordering our drinks. I get nervous when I order nice wine, okay! He asked 6oz or 9oz, and since it was Friday date night and we had to spend $50 in 45 minutes, I said "9!". He decided to finish off the bottle and gave me about 11oz glass of wine. Fine by me.

Brendan ordered a Kettle on the rocks with a twist. See we're getting there. Then we ordered bacon wrapped scallops as an appetizer. Brendan doesn't typically like seafood, but little by little I am getting him to try it. It doesn't hurt when said seafood is wrapped in bacon either. But these were DELICIOUS. Shout out to my CHC peeps- Chartwells has nothing on these. The scallops were tender and the balsamic reduction on the side was a perfect addition.

I gave our gift card to the bartender before we ordered, and after the scallops came out he said we were up to $49 dollars. So two drinks one app, another gift card down. Yes, good decision to come here for just a drink. Overall it was great food, atmosphere, and company. The bartender was really friendly and we had a great conversation. I typically don't tell the people working at the restaurant the story of my contest prize, but I felt like it was okay to tell him. He probably got a few tips from retelling the story to his customers later on in the night.  Really thankful we got a chance to experience the Palm! 

Okay guys on to the next!!

#4 Estia

Go Greek or go home. I  was really excited to try Estia because I am a fan of Greek food. And by that I mean that I like feta cheese and pitas. So to someone who is pretty clueless on what exactly Greek food is, I was looking forward to trying something new. Estia is located on Broad & Locust, right near the Avenue of the Arts. They seem to attract a lot of theater go-ers because they have a reduced price "Theater Menu" for $30 for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. I loved the inside of Estia. The lighting was dimmed and it had a cozy feel with wooden walls and stone tiled ceilings. The restaurant just made me feel like I was in Greece. We got a booth on a raised section of the restaurant, so that was cute.

The menu items might as well have been in Greek. Oh wait, they were. Thankfully I brought my friend Katey who started to rattle off Greek words in perfect pronunciation like she's been a native speaker since birth. Katey and I lived across the hall from each other our freshman year of college and since then its been history!

One thing I have to say about Estia is that it is expensive. If you don't go with the $30 Theater Menu, entrees are about $45. Both being 2 broke girls living in the city, we decided it was most economical to order 4 appetizers to share. We started with a Romaine Salad (aka Cesar Salad). This side salad was definitely enough for 2 people to share. It had a nice lemon kick to it which I loved. We also got the Spanakopita. Kateys recommendation. It was a phyllo dough stuffed with leeks, scallions, spinach, and feta. Spinach, feta, sounded good to me. And it was delicious, but a bit salty. Is that a Greek thing? I don't know, but I would get it again.

 Our other appetizer was the Spread Pikilia. We got to choose 3 out of 4 spreads to have with pitas and some veggies. We decided on the Tzatziki which was yogurt, cucumber and dill. A little different than the Yogurt and Chive dip I usually get from Trader Joe's. Definitely my favorite of the 3. Next we got Htipiti which was roasted red peppers and feta cheese. This had a little spice to it but still really good. Finally, the Melitzano Salata which was basically roasted eggplant. My least favorite of the 3 and probably the healthiest (typical).

Finally, our last piece to the puzzle was the Yemista Kalamarakia. I was super excited about this because it was calamari stuffed with Greek cheeses. Two of my favorite things! But I guess I didn't read the menu well enough because much to my dismay the calamari was not fried. It was still very good, but we only ate 2 of 3, so we clearly didn't like it too much.  

I am happy to say that I am now obsessed with Greek food. Even though I just lightly dipped my foot into all that Greek food has to offer, next time I think I will dive in. Overall, Estia was great. The waiter was fantastic, Katey thinks he had a crush on us (she would.) which might have contributed to our wonderful service. I was a bit nervous to order just appetizers (sometimes places get annoyed if you do that) but our waiter was great about it and told us that our choices would definitely fill us up. And if not, we could always order something else (thankfully it didn't come to that).

1 salad + 3 apps + 2 glasses of wine= $79. Imagine if we got entrees? EEK! I guess the prices are well worth the food, the atmosphere, and the service. Thanks Estia for making my first Greek food experience so worthwhile! 

#3 Friday Saturday Sunday

Friday Saturday Sunday. On a Thursday night. I absolutely LOVED this place. Hidden on 21st and Spruce, I've passed this placed a million times and wondered what it was all about. We had an 8:30 dinner reservation and when we walked in there was only one other couple in the place. The space was fairly small and had a cozy vibe. There was light jazz playing in the background which really added to the peaceful feel of the place. The walls were adorned with huge paintings and mirrors. We sat in a corner booth so that Brendan and I were actually sitting next to each other rather than across. Kind of romantic. But, not so conducive for a 6'6 guy, but he sucked it up.

Okay food time. I read some reviews online about the cream of mushroom soup, so I had to try. In a word, perfect. Those gray specks in the soup were actually mushrooms. Huge fan!

Bren got a Cesar salad (bores). Deciding on the meal wasn't too difficult. There was only about 8 choices of dinner entrées. I should point out that on the menu there were two categories: small dishes and entrées. The small dishes were about $18-23, and the entrées had basically all of the same menu items as the small dishes, but they were about $27-30. If you wanted to split an entrée it was going to be $4 extra. I had never seen this on a menu before so I was slightly confused, but we made it through. I figured since I had the soup, I would go with a small dish. Brendan obviously went with an entrée. I got butternut squash ravioli. Again, perfect. It was the perfect combination of savory and sweet and the sauce was delicious. It even had pine nuts mixed in which really added to the dish. Brendan went with the dijon chicken which was also fabulous. The chicken was breaded and layed on top of mashed potatoes.

 

As if that wasn't enough food we had to get dessert. I have to say I was not full after my soup and my small plate. That is probably just me because the amount of food that would fill a normal person usually isn't enough for me. Plus I had just run 6 miles before dinner so I really built up my appetite (lame excuse? yep.) The second I saw cheesecake with chocolate crust, that was it. Had to get it. It was probably my favorite part of the meal. Nice in size and the perfect amount of chocolate chips in the cheesecake. When Brendan took the last bite I was actually angry. Next time I'm getting my own. 

Friday Saturday Sunday was the perfect date night spot. I would definitely go back. 2 drinks + 2 apps + 2 dinners + 1 dessert= $87! That was a huge surprise to me, but just reaffirms my statement to get back there. 

3 down, where to next?!