Brunch Week! The Charm of Carman's Country Kitchen

This spring/summer I've been out to brunch more than usual. I followed up Distrito in April and Sabrina's Cafe in May with outings to Carman's Country Kitchen, Morning Glory and Xochitl in the past six weeks. All very different, each has its own flair and appeal.

In honor of this personal brunch conquest, and because I need to catch up on posts, this week has officially been declared "Brunch Week" at 22nd & Philly. Here's my take on brunch at Carman's in South Philly. Stay tuned for reviews of Xochitl and Morning Glory later this week.

Brunch at Carman's is nothing short of an "experience." It has  an incredible charm, driven largely by a colorful mix of wacky/nostalgic/random/cutesy/phallic decor and very friendly staff. Carman's is also super small, with seating for only about 10-12 people including counter spots. On weekends you can also sit outside in the flatbed of a pickup truck parked on the street (sure why not?).

It was the perfect spot to bring a few fun-loving, world-traveling girlfriends in town and ready to party down at a wedding the next night.

Everything we ate was mouthwateringly good: Challah French Toast with mangos in a peach/pineapple sauce with key lime gramcracker gelato; Buttermilk Pancakes with banana, raisins, toasted coconut and vanilla; Omelet with cheese, avocadoes, tomatoes, sweet onions, scallions and yucca with a hint of white anchovies and cilantro. Drool over them in photos below.

Generous Pour Summer Wine Event at The Capital Grille

UPDATE 6/27/12: The Capital Grille's Generous Pour Wine Event is back this summer. Seriously, it's a great deal on a crazy amount of good wine, when purchased with dinner. The deal runs from July 9 - September 2. Check out the restaurant's website for this year's wine list. Cheers!
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Several weeks ago we received an invitation for a complimentary preview of The Capital Grille’s Generous Pour Wine Event for 2011.

The Generous Pour is available at any Capital Grille from July 12 - September 4. During the event, you pay only $25 per person - when ordering with dinner - and get to try as much as you want from nine pre-selected wines (red, white and sparkling).

All the wines were chosen by Master Sommelier George Miliotes, one of only 170 wine experts in the world to hold that title. Servers will also be available to pair each wine with the food you order. Alex was our server at the Broad & Chestnut location and he was awesome.

Overall the Generous Pour experience was fantastic. For a night out to a high-end restaurant, this is a no brainer at only $25 (remember the food is regular price). Miliotes said it would normally cost $750 to purchase all nine wines at retail. They are listed at the bottom of this post along with some brief notes we took and thoughts on which wines really stood out.

Miliotes was available during our special tasting via a webcast to explain his selections and to answer live questions from participants at Capital Grilles around the country. We were also able to ask questions by tweeting directly to Miliotes' twitter handle, @TheWineExpert, using the hashtag #tcgpour11. Miliotes is active on Twitter and we suggest you ask him questions, too, using the same hashtag since it's live for the entire event. Another cool thing about using this hashtag is that you can go back and see other people's questions and his answers over the past few weeks.

The food we sampled was excellent. The bone-in kona crusted sirloin was far and away the best. The addition of an incredible caramelized shallot sauce made it one of the best steaks I’ve had in recent memory. The lobster mac n' cheese as a side was phenomenal too.

Here are the nine wines offered during The Generous Pour:

Far From Home Cafe Food Truck

Several weeks ago, we stopped by the Far From Home Cafe food truck in Love Park for a burger. Sadly, we never got around to writing about the visit before the owner, Larry Comroe, announced they were closing the truck to start a show on street food trends. The last day is today.

Overall, the burger was as good as any quick burger joint although The Mighty Jerk burger could have used more jerk sauce to kick it up another notch.  The empanadas were popular, but we did not try unfortunately. 

The service was quick and the staff was friendly.  We'll miss the idea of using a fun picture card (see below) instead of a number to know when you order is done.

Here some some camera phone pics of our visit for memory lane.

Opa! Modern Greek Hits Philadelphia's Midtown Village

Opa was one the hottest new restaurant openings of 2011. Keenly placed just off the bustling 13th Street strip near Barbuzzo, Zavino, Sampan, and El Vez, Opa hit a jackpot on location, price and food.

We spent several days in Greece on our honeymoon, where we developed not only a love for Greek food but also for the atmosphere of the restaurants. The open air, earth tones and casual-but-chic feel in Santorini, Crete and Corfu were just as memorable as the great food.

Opa stirs up those memories with very large, open front windows leading into an uber-trendy, but natural setting. The bar area and one side wall are covered with horizontal birch branches, and then the rest of the small(ish) interior is covered with a blue ceiling, natural stone columns and funky hanging lights.

Cal Pep in Barcelona with Recipes

This is the second in our series about restaurants and food-related places we visited during a trip to Madrid and Barcelona. The first was Tapac 24 in Barcelona. Up next, Cal Pep.

Forgot to get pic on night we visited

Cal Pep is a major driver of Barcelona's burgeoning reputation as a foodie destination and one of the more popular restaurants located in the hip neighborhood, El Born, not too far from Las Ramblas.

There are no reservations at Cal Pep so you either need to arrive early or be prepared to wait. We arrived around 8:30 p.m. and had to wait about an hour in a standing room only line along the wall (no, you cannot leave and have them ring your Applebee's buzzer). You can order drinks while you wait and everyone is friendly so just be patient (easier said than done, trust us).

We noticed some people going into a dining area in the back but we couldn't quite tell if they had a reservation or just knew the owner. Either way we would skip that area and sit at the counter like we did.

Celeb Chefs Headline Philly.com/Food Launch Party

Today the Philadelphia Inquirer launched its brand new food website in style. Four of the hottest local chefs provided demos right smack in the middle of Reading Terminal Market and all the proceeds from folks buying/eating the food went to Philabundance, MANNA and The Food Trust. It drew quite a crowd of lunchers, food bloggers, jurors and Bravo/Food Network fans.

Next Food Network Star winner Aaron McCargo Jr., Top Chef D.C. winner Kevin Sbraga (who said his Philly restaurant should open in Sept or Oct on the first floor of the Symphony House), Top Chef Las Vegas contestant Jennifer Carroll of 10 Arts, and Down Home Diner owner Jack McDavid all cooked, but my lunch break visit only afforded me time to eat Aaron McCargo's yummy crostini and then see Jennifer Carroll and some of Kevin Sbraga. Philly Insider's Michael Klein hosted, and as I was rushing out the door back to work I think I heard him say the Phillie Phanatic had arrived.

Check out my photos below