Where to Brunch in Graduate Hospital: Little Spoon Cafe

Little Spoon Cafe took over the corner of 15th & South in October, adding a nice brunch option to South Street West's emerging restaurant row. It was clearly needed in the quickly growing family neighborhood - wait times instantly soared during peak hours.

Our first visit to Little Spoon was packed with great bites. On the savory side, their version of a Monte Cristo sandwich, made with honey ham, smoked gouda, fried egg and jalapeno mayo on country white bread, was as good as it looks below and the egg scramble of the day, almond pesto, added a hint of creativity and a lot of great flavor to otherwise standard eggs. The breakfast burrito also hit the spot, but know that it's served with the potatoes inside the wrap making it quite a large endeavor!

Monte Cristo

Breakfast Burrito

The bacon waffle, which understandably draws a lot eyeballs on the menu right away, was, well, a waffle that tastes like bacon. Might be just the thing for you, but to us it was not as special as it sounds like it should be, so temper your expectations there.

Winner!! Carrot Cake Waffle

Sweet dishes always catch the attention of brunchers, and at Little Spoon the carrot cake waffle was one of the best parts of our meal. It wasn't overly sweet, even with the dollop of cream cheese icing on top and maple syrup. The waffle had just enough of that comforting, familiar carrot cake flavor without making you feel like you were actually eating cake for breakfast.

The only disappointment was the cheese plate. It rotates all the time but on our particular day the two cheeses just weren't thrilling. Also, it's not the best thing to order on a hot day, especially if you snag one of the couple tables in Little Spoon's back courtyard. Maybe save that for cooler weather brunches.

I've stopped in Little Spoon other times for quick take out, too. On the warm morning of the Broad Street Run, their Death By Sunshine smoothie (a Dominican-inspired smoothie with orange juice, pineapple juice, mango sorbet, soy milk and vanilla) hit the spot while I watched Bradd run, but my bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel did not. The bagel either wasn't toasted enough or sat too long before being stuffed and served to me - too common of a problem when getting breakfast sandwiches to go from any cafe. I need to remember that in the moment.

Little Spoon is definitely worth a little bit of a wait on a nice morning and a welcome brunch addition to the neighborhood, serving a hearty mix of traditional brunch items and fun, creative dishes. Also serves lunch food, which we hope to try sometime this summer, too!

Outdoor tables behind Little Spoon - cute area, look for their homegrown herbs!

5 Questions with Adam Richman of Man Finds Food

Adam Richman has traversed the country in search of culinary gems, eating challenges and America’s best sandwiches through his popular Travel Channel series Man vs Food and the Best Sandwich in America contest.

Of course, Philadelphians know that he named DiNic’s roast pork the best sandwich in America so he clearly knows his sandwiches.

His new show, Man Finds Food will air a Philly-focused show tomorrow night, June 3. Several sneak peak videos and photos are posted on the Travel Channel website.

We had the chance to catch up with Adam to discuss Man Finds Food, Philly’s food scene, a Philly-based dumpling idea and even some soccer.

It was a refreshing interview as Adam is a down to earth food hunting celebrity who clearly has much love for Philadelphia.

What follows is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation. Hope you enjoy!

Tell us about Man Finds Food and what you’re hoping to provide viewers with the concept? 

AR: The greatest thing about Man vs Food was that it gave people a little bit of a road map for iconic good, quality local eats that are revered by locals so you don’t fall into tourist traps. Man Finds Foods is more representational than presentational. So Man vs Food was all about the spectacles and the big challenges and stuff, but Man Finds Food is much more about what is actually in the city and showing places that locals themselves may not know about or dishes instead of very famous ones.

The other thing is showing my crew. Breaking the fourth wall by making the search for places as real as possible and being honest about the way things taste or where they are. Man vs Food was like telling you where to eat, where Man Finds Food is like giving the keys to the car to everybody so everyone gets to know what the special thing is.