These Tamales Will Get You Up Early on Saturday Morning

There are a lot of great breakfast options around Philadelphia, but for something really different get up early one Saturday morning and go to Mole Poblano for tamales.

Just fold open and devour with a spoon.

The South Philly taqueria is supposed to be a great spot for all sorts of authentic Mexican food (we haven't been for lunch/dinner yet) but the real gem here are the tamales, available early morning on weekends only. Husband and wife, Papá Pedro Ríos and Ynes Sandoval get up at 5:30am to start making tamales by hand and have them steamed and ready for sale from about 8:00am - 10:00am. Perfect for a morning treat, or a way to make your next venture to the Comcast Service Center on Delaware Ave not suck (worked for us!).

Tamales look fairly simple, but are packed with a variety of rich, fresh flavors - and major TLC from the hands that make them. The inside "dough" is masa corn flour mashed with lard and homemade chicken and pork stock, then folded inside corn husks to steam along with any other stuffings picked that day.

We literally just said "one of each, please" and ended up with four: chicken, tomatillos and salsa verde; shredded pork with roasted salsa; vegetarian with stringy Oaxaca cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions; and our favorite, pork with the chefs' housemade mole sauce. The mole added volumes of deep, rich flavor, baked right into the meat. As you unfold the corn husks, the aroma alone will capture your heart before you even take a bite.

The Daddy Wad Takes on Hoagie Quest

An all-time Sandwich Quest favorite is Paesano’s Bolognese, a brilliant combination of fried lasagna, mozzarella, provolone, red sauce and a fried egg served on a delicious roll. No wonder it was the 2011 Scarpetta Award winner for best sandwich.

The question for Hoagie Quest, then, was: would Paesano's Italian hoagie, called the Daddy Wad, inspire the same level of love?

The short answer is that the Daddy Wad fulfills all the requirements of a great Italian hoagie and is one of the best in Philadelphia.

We'll get to the actual hoagie in second, but Paesano's itself needs some explaining.

It's often the atmosphere of a hoagie shop or the care a chef puts into his creations that can elevate a meal or sandwich from good to great. For me, being in the heart of the Italian Market conjures up images of the young Vito Corleone roaming the streets with his fellow immigrants, surrounded by push carts sharing their wares.

Yes, most of that image is from a bygone era, but the dreamer in me still likes to think I can recreate it, if only for minute.

On any given day, Paesano's is filled with locals just looking for a good sandwich. It's a small space so you need to sit elbow to elbow on a crowded day. You'll find yourself talking to others and asking them what they think of their hoagie, helping others know where to order, etc. It's that type of experience that helps make a place like Paesano's stand out. I'm sure others that reach the top of Hoagie Quest will also offer similar experiences. Salumeria surely benefits from the liveliness of Reading Terminal Market, but in turn creates a different, but equally special, experience.

Okay, on to the hoagie already.

The Better Show Features Philly Food... and Us!

Check it out! This morning we appeared on The Better Show as part of a segment on Philadelphia's awesome food. Lesley Nagy and The Better Show came to the Italian Market Festival in May to try out Paesano's sandwiches, Isgro's pastries and more great food. We got to try Paesano's new Italian Hot Dog with delicious roasted peppers, onions and more good stuff on top, as well as a famous Isgro's cannoli. Watch the segment for Peter McAndrews' quick demo on how they make the Italian Hot Dog and our review of the cannolis.

Hot Chocolate Wars: RIM Cafe's Volcano

I'm not a coffee drinker but do crave a hot cup of cocoa pretty much every day during the winter. Last year I did a series of posts on hot chocolate drinks around Philadelphia to share which cafes, shops and stands I prefer. This year I put out feelers on Twitter for new spots to try and several followers insisted I hit up RIM Cafe.

The counter at RIM Cafe

As a chocolate lover, I'm shocked that I'd never heard of RIM Cafe before. In my personal Hot Chocolate War, RIM is the clear winner when it comes to generating pure "oh my god" (as the owner says) hot chocolatey bliss. The French/Italian-influenced cafe at 9th and Federal is a total novelty but worth the trip for its famous Volcano and to meet the Godfather-esque character behind the counter.

RIM's Volcano hot chocolate drinks come in 12 flavors from traditional to White Raspberry, and "Spicy" to Mozzarella Marshmallow Brulee. I picked Salted Caramel (the most popular) and Bradd chose Nutty Peanut Butter. The kicker is that they run from $7 - $15. Yeah, that's ridiculous for hot chocolate but I still think its worth saving your pennies and going at least once.

Owner Rene Kobeitri encourages you to watch him "make it a-happen" - a phrase you'll hear 25+ times and see on t-shirts throughout the excessively ornate shop. Not sure what his secret is behind the counter, but once prepped he pours the hot chocolate into glasses in front of you (first pic below) and proceeds to shave chocolates, nuts and fruit on top, explaining each as he goes (second pic). Between our two drinks, he added shaved dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanuts, cashews, pistachio, papaya, cranberry and more. My Salted Caramel Volcano also came with drizzled caramel squeezed across the top before all the shavings (third pic).