What We're Eating: Beiler's Donuts

If you walked through Reading Terminal Market recently and saw a lone female patron with a box of six doughnuts, a spork in one hand and camera in the other, that was me. I had to promise a lot of bystanders that I wasn't going to eat them all.

With a random weekday off from work, I was on a mission to try Beiler's Donuts. It opened just over a year ago, filling the doughnut stand void in Reading Terminal and expanding the Pennnsylvania Dutch family's corner operation full of breads, pies, salads and pickles.

And what a delicious mission it was, as in a suddenly-competitive doughnut town, Beiler's is right up there with Federal Donuts, Frangelli's and others in my book.

First tip: don't be scared off by the line. It almost always wraps around the corner stall near the 12th & Arch entrance but moves very quickly. You can watch the entire doughnut-making process from your spot in line as you get hungrier by the second. See photos below for some of that experience; they really are made right in front you.

Second tip: Order a lot. At 90 cents each or $4.95 for a half dozen, it's absolutely worth trying more than one!

But that begs the question: If you were going in for a half dozen doughnuts, among a counter of at least 30 different varieties, what would you choose? I had to go with a classic glazed, a chocolate with sprinkles (my childhood go-to) and a Boston creme. I couldn't pass up Beiler's most famous warm apple fritter, then added in an apple harvest and a salted caramel.

Warm apple fritter. A must-try.

Salted caramel perfection.

The outcome: The apple fritter is worth every rave review - so fluffy and warm with blended in apple flavor and a hint of glaze on top. Eat it first while it's still warm. The salted caramel is equally mind-blowing, with a heavenly white creme filling, caramel icing and added sprinkled salt. You can tell they are both handmade and fresh out of the oven.

Philly Food Photo of the Year? Say Hello to the Franolli, fka the Donnoli

Social media is a funny thing. We can scrutinize and analyze and philosophize all day long about what people want/like and then all of a sudden something hits the spot. In our world, that would be the Franolli. Philadelphia's best contribution to the cronut craze, it's a delicious doughnut sliced in half with a mound of cannoli filling in the middle, created by Frangelli's Bakery in South Philly. Oh mio dio!

This shouldn't come as a surprise, considering that - despite all the incredible chefs and restaurants in Philly - our two most popular posts of all time were on cupcakes and baklava. Dessert rules.

Our Franolli instagram proved to generate more likes and tags ("OMG." "@bff we are so getting this." etc...) than any photo I can remember. And frankly, it's well deserved.

Purchased on a total whim from DiBruno Bros at 9th & Sansom

This heavenly little creation was, until recently, known as the Donnoli, so you might find more info about it under that name. Frangelli's just branded it a little closer to home. We'd read about the Franolli many places, mainly here from Phoodie.info with whom I agree that part of the appeal is that ricotta and chocolate chips cannoli filling is less sweet than other creams and fillings you see combo'd with doughnuts, so the Franolli doesn't give you a crazy sugar headache. Trust me, I ate the whole thing in, like, 30 seconds. Not to mention, the traditional doughnut would be great on it's own, too, and powdered sugar sprinkled on top is a nice extra touch. It's just all around awesome.

Frangelli's is known to make some of the best - according to some, the best - doughnuts in Philadelphia. We have yet to do a side-by-side comparison with Federal Donuts, Bieler's in Reading Terminal and others, though come to think of it... what an amazing feast that would be! (and calorie-rich but let's forget for a moment that nothing about this conversation is healthy...)

Roll down to Frangelli's at the corner of 9th & Ritner for a Franolli asap or pick one up at DiBruno Bros' bakery counter. I got mine at the new DiBrunos at 9th & Sansom. They are delivered fresh on Thursday and Saturday to both that and the Rittenhouse location. Frangelli's itself is closed on Sundays during summer though, so plan accordingly.

Giveaway: Happy Hour & Cupcake Decorating Class Avec Moi!

Drinking and decorating cupcakes. What could be more fun than that? A new venture from two 2013 Philabundance Cupcake Smash winners, Watts for Dessert and Luscious Bakery, combines these two activities into a new kind of class: Boozy Buttercream.

Aaaaand they've offered 22nd & Philly two passes to an upcoming class!! Obviously I am snagging one of these tix for myself... and YOU can win the second to come with me. Details on how to enter below. 

Boozy Buttercream partners with local bars and restaurants to host a casual, 90 minute happy hour + pastry decoration class. Students of all levels are welcome to raise a glass and fill their piping bag for a fun, social and educational experience. They host classes from Center City to West Chester so keep an eye on their website and Twitter feed for dates. 

Philly Neighborhoods: Where to Eat in South Street West

Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods that not only help define the people who live there, but also foster hyper-local passion for each area's contribution to our food culture. In a series of posts, we'll talk about what's new and where to eat/drink in different neighborhoods across the city.

Bar and a few tables inside Magpie

"South Street West," as you might expect, is the stretch of South Street that runs west from Broad, and it is really moving up in the ranks of local food communities.

Several spots opened there in the last few years, such as thai BYOB Sawatdee, The Quick Fixx for high quality takeout and Sweet Freedom gluten free desserts. They join the likes of Pumpkin, Bob and Barbara's and Jamaican Jerk Hut to make South Street West home to a variety of new drinking/dining experiences.

Miel Patisserie for les Macarons Merveilleux

A friend recently pointed me to Olivia's Palate for delicious recipes and informative posts on Philadelphia-area restaurants from a regular "jane" foodie like me. If you are intrigued by this new paleo diet/lifestyle that seems to be growing in popularity, Olivia has a good explanation of it, as well as a set of helpful links and recipes. 

Anyhow, Olivia's mention of Miel Patisserie is what caught my eye. She's french, so I trust her judgement on where to eat great macarons. I have spent nearly every weekend of the past five years wandering about Center City and passing Miel Patisserie oh, maybe, 200+ times, but never stopped in. I guess I figured it would be too fancy or expensive. Not the case.

Apricot and Salted Caramel macarons

I ventured in one Saturday, went straight for the salted caramel macaron and took a gamble on an apricot variety. The mix of soft, sweet caramel filling with the delicate crunch of the outer cookies and a few dashes of salt baked into the top was just perfect. Quel bonheur! Same goes for the apricot. The mix of textures was ideal and then the light burst of fruit flavor was even better.

Night Market: Zsa's Gourmet Ice Cream

Ordered the chocolate truffle ice cream for $3. The little crunch was a nice touch and the chocolate flavor was rich without being over done. Ideal portion size. There were about ten flavors to order.

Also got the vanilla ice cream sandwich. It was rock hard initially but softened quickly. I thought it was quite good. The vanilla mixed nicely with the cinnamon chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.