A Random Act of Wineness: Philly's Wine Week 2014

I was thrilled when I heard that Philly was hosting its own weeklong celebration of all things wine. While I would have loved to cheers to the first annual ‘Philly Wine Week’ from one Sunday to the next, realistically it just wasn’t possible. I compromised and chose one night to celebrate my love of this city and its first official ode to wine.

The wine week organizers did a great job diversifying various tastings, pairings and toasts across the city’s best restaurants and bars. The event schedule accommodated people with different interests at all times during the day – wine and cheese pairings at lunch, one-time dinner menus created especially for the week and sparkling wine toasts at 10 p.m. every night. The temptation to partake in all of these was certainly took some restraint, but I ended up choosing a tried and true Philly staple – Barbuzzo. Chef Marcie Turney thought creatively about her contribution to the party and chose to pay homage to Sicily and its rustic wines and cuisine. She offered a Sicilian red, smoky and smooth, paired with a trio of bruschetta, arancini and asparagus that called my name. Literally.

We sat and we sipped, enjoying the crowded chatter of the other Philadelphians who came out on a Thursday night to indulge their senses just because Philly said it was wine week. I’ll cheers to that.

one-biters and a deep purple red almost too perfect to drink..almost

Mind, Body and Green Juice

We all know being healthy is equally as mental as it is physical. You want a good way to test your mental and physical strength? Try a 48-hour cleanse. As a cleanse newbie, I wasn't even going to consider the 7-14 day cleanses that the celebrities do. While we wish we had those luxuries, anyone with a family and a day job should be able to commit to a manageable cleanse without it interfering in their routine. This one was a real working person’s cleanse. I decided to try Dr. Oz’s at-home recipes not only to rid myself of the endless amounts of cheez-its swirling around in my system -- but to feel mentally renewed and clear.

The cleanse doesn’t call for prep in advance, but by the way I was dramatizing it in the days leading up to the weekend, you would have thought I was preparing for my last supper. When it came to acting on it, though, I was surprisingly reasonable. I began to monitor myself on Wednesday night and used Thursday and Friday to reduce my portions. This definitely eases you in.

Disclaimer: I am notorious for lack of food discipline. I might eat half that box of cheez-its or 10 thin mints with some guilt but no habit changes. So I was optimistic that doing a quick cleanse might help. If you can relate, this cleanse is for you.

Day 1: Breakfast: Quinoa with prunes, nutmeg and rice milk. This is not going to be the brown sugary delight that is oatmeal. The quinoa has that savory starchy flavor and I wanted the bland prunes to be sweet but with every bite they were not. At least it was solid food and held me for a couple hours.

Lunch: Next up was a fruit smoothie. The recipe was easy. Simple ingredients of blueberries, banana, almond milk and ice. The beautiful purple color was irresistible and the taste was tart but creamy. I can’t say I was completely full but I really enjoyed the thicker consistency and the sweet finish.

Snacks:  the detox calls for either green smoothies (spinach or kale, pineapple, cucumber and ice) or raw veggies at any time throughout the day. I ate snap peas like it was my job.

Dinner: You may have heard about the “cabbage soup diet” where the cabbage soup is the star. I would never survive on that diet. This soup was rough. The base is water, so you already know the flavor will be weak. I added celery, cabbage, carrots, shallots, garlic and shitake mushrooms. Overseasoned by accident with the caraway seeds, but even if I hadn’t done that, I don’t know how much of it I would have been able to eat. I had one bowl. I hate to be so down on the healthy soup, but maybe mixing up the spices would have helped. I’ll try something different next time.

Good thing about the dinner recipe is it called for apples on the side as a pseudo dessert. I baked mine with cinnamon and nutmeg and that carried me to the end of the night.

Day 2: I was thrilled with my discipline on day 1 and thought day 2 would be a breeze. I swapped the order of the recipes, having a green smoothie before the quinoa. After my blueberry lunch smoothie, I had arugula with lemon juice for a snack, tried desperately to down a bowl of the cabbage soup for dinner and finished the apples.

In the end, a Saturday or Sunday for me without splurge food was hard. But I did it. I challenge anyone to start with this small and reasonable detox plan to get yourself feeling healthy. I'm now of course back on a regular diet, but the mental and physical effects are worth trying. Bonus: you don’t have to drink kale all day.

Brewers (Really Full) Plate 2014

The Brewers Plate is the annual event in Philly where beer geeks and foodies come together to celebrate a smorgasbord of craft beer, cheese, charcuterie and other gastro treats. Its an ultra casual trade show for locals. No pretentiousness, just a good time. I did something I find very hard to do on a Sunday night and got myself ready to join the crowds of drinkers for the BP 10th anniversary.

It was worth it. While not the best space for crowd flow, the centrally located Kimmel Center accommodated the nearly 100 breweries, restaurants, bars and other local spots that came to peddle their creations. And it was one of the best, low stress and entertaining Sunday nights I've had in a long time.

After waiting in the wrap-around-line on Broad St., we beelined for the Tria table (I’ll write about Tria soon – we’re loyalists to our favorite Philly wine bar) – and to be expected, their black olive caramel topped mitibleu cheese on toasted brioche was delicious with Troegs Brewing Co.’s Cultivator Helles Bock. After that, the bar was set pretty high. I guess I thought I’d love everything but there were several meat creations and overly hoppy beers I didn’t care for. I was relieved to learn I’m not just up for inhaling everything I see and that I do actually have my own taste and standards. Thank goodness I set some boundaries for myself or I would have been bloated by table #5.

Pleasant surprises:

Vault Brewing Co.’s Oatmeal Stout – smooth and nutty. (Yardley, PA)

Philadelphia Brewing Co.’s Schwarzinger Black Lager – comparable to Guinness  (Kensington)

Abbaye’s roast pork slider with jalapeno relish and sharp provolone – great contrast of flavors and really tender meat (Northern Libs)

And my TOP 3 picks of the night:

Beer: Round Guys Brewing Co.’s Berliner Weisse – so sour and so refreshing. (Lansdale, PA)

Food: Fette Sau’s pulled pork w/ spicy slaw – one of the best sweet n’ sour BBQ sauces I’ve ever tasted. (Kensington)

Sweet: Franklin Fountain’s pumpkin ice cream – how FF slipped in there, I don’t know, and you would think I would be sick of pumpkin after last season, but tasting this made me ready to go back to fall again. (Old City)

Art in Food

It’s not often I’m so blown away by the presentation of food at restaurants, that I don’t want to eat and ruin it. 

view of the juliet balcony covered in twinkle lights accompanied by my own twinkling rose.

Vernick Food & Drink is one restaurant where for me, that was the case. It is owned and operated by a couple where the equation of his creativity in the kitchen and her friendly demeanor makes for a sophisticated, elegant and warm experience.

The space feels like a living room without the couches. We were seated upstairs where I had a peripheral view of the quaint juliet balcony and in the center of the room – a gorgeous floral arrangement placed on a butcher-block server’s station, which looked more like a chic console than a functional buffet.

colorful arrangement of beets and beef tartare on charred sourdough looked like mosaics 

doesn't get much better than handcrafted pasta and fresh ricotta

I should have known when the waiter came out with a one-sip shot of sweet onion volute with a pearl drop of parsley oil, that we were in for a modern art experience. Every plate that arrived reminded me of pieces I would see at the MOMA. We started off with a trio of beets and two types of savory toast – one topped with beef tartare and fresh horseradish, and one with pea puree and bacon. Then along came the warm handmade ricotta cheese with swiss chard, pine nuts and lemon; the brussels sprouts with ancho caramel; and the black pepper parpadelle with lamb ragu.  

I was impressed by Vernick's translation of food into art, not only in his presentation, but in his melding of flavors. He will teach you to appreciate food on new levels. Recommended.

pea, bacon, shallot, mint

A Day to Love Yourself

Valentine's Day is for lovers of love. For those of you who don't buy into the concept of the holiday, or think its overly commercialized, you can simply celebrate the love you have for yourself and indulge in something special. And with February 14 now behind us, there is no reason why it should be the only day we celebrate. Any day can be V-Day if you immerse yourself in all things love.

My favorite vehicles to instantaneously get in the loving mood -- any of the 365 days of the year:

Books:

- Love: Quotes and Passages from the Heart, edited by B.C. Aronson -- a versatile compilation of sentiments from authors, poets and philosophers.

- My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams, forward by Joseph Ellis -- the original and ultimate definition of love and partnership.

Sweets:

There's something romantic about a little package of sweetness in a pinkish hue. While I cheated and made a strawberry cupcakes from the box this year,  if you get a chance to stop by any of my favorite cupcakeries, you won't regret indulging in a sugary pop of taste and color, no matter what the occasion. 

- Tartes (red velvet) -- Philadelphia, PA

- Magnolia Bakery (red velvet) -- New York, NY

- Georgetown Cupcake (strawberry) -- Washington, DC

- J'Rae's (strawberry) -- Ft. Worth, TX

Movies:

- Sense and Sensibility -- one of my all time favorite classics, and while it is a roller coaster of emotion, the ending will make any non-believer an advocate of love.

- While You Were Sleeping -- somehow the combo of amnesia and strong human bonds show us the power of love and family.

- It Could Happen to You -- a true story that reminds us that there are good people out there.

So I'm sitting here watching 'While You Were Sleeping' post-Valentine's and wiping the leftover chocolate smear off my fingers, my heart is full and all is well.

the sweetest combo on my love day