The 2011 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards

Welcome everyone to the first-ever 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards!

Why the Scarpettas? On the About 22nd & Philly page, we detail why we started this blog and how we define a good food experience: "at the end of the day, if Bradd cleans his plate with a piece of bread, you know it was a good meal." Little did we know there is an Italian phrase for using bread to clean your plate, Fare La Scarpetta. We learned about the word from Anthony Bourdain's show, The Layover, when he visited Rome.

What better way to characterize our own "Best Of" awards for Philadelphia?

The Scarpettas are based on the eateries we visited in the past year, food quests, local events, readers and friends we’ve met, among other considerations. It's our way of pointing out some of our favorite - and least favorite - discoveries within local food scene during 2011. Either our plates were clean, or something was left to be desired.

And the 2011 Scarpettas go to...

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).