Pub and Kitchen

Pub and Kitchen is a very interesting restaurant. I've walked by it a few times and you can tell it's a restaurant because there are tables outside and often the windows are wide open so you can see the bar inside, but there is no sign with a name or information about the restaurant.

J ran a 10 mile race that day and I had just returned from NYC and we were both very hungry. We both just wanted to sit outside and enjoy the weather and some comfort food. We decided to just walk around the city and stumpled upon Pub and Kitchen.

Their menu is simple, but includes items like potted duck mouse, welsh rarebit and mussels. They also pride themselves on having local and organic ingredients whenever possible, which I always like to see.

Pub and Kitchen is located at 20th and Lombard Street. It's in a somewhat residential area of the city, but only a few blocks from Rittenhouse Square and all the shopping action on Walnut and Chestnut Streets. It's definitely not off the beaten path and worth a visit. They seem to be pretty busy when I walk by and have an extensive bar.

So we just had a simple lunch while sitting outside.

 J ordered a simple hamburger with house cured bacon. The bun was nicely toasted and he said the meat was cooked to perfection. I did enjoy the french fries, which were nice, warm and crisp.

 I ordered the roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes,  sauteed broccolini and chicken jus. I'm not a huge fan of chicken or meat in general. I can go weeks without eating chicken. However, this was probably some of the best chicken I've ever had. The chicken was so moist and the jus was absolutely perfect. I've never wanted more chicken in my life. I was happy to actually have some to take home, but it didn't even last until the next day as I ate it a couple of hours later.

The only type of signage on the outside of the restaurant. I have yet to find the history of why there is no sign or where the name came from.

Tequilas

J had a very long day at work and I didn't feel like cooking, so we were spontaneous and decided to check out Tequilas Restaurant. A few months ago we were eating at Misconduct Tavern and looked over and saw a man serving flights of tequila on his head. We knew we had to check it out sometime. It is located right in Center City at 15th and Locust St., near the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

Although Tequilas has an extensive drink menu, we decided we both just wanted a classic, well made margarita.

We were contemplating ordering an appetizer, but house made tortilla chips with salsa verde, mild salsa and a variety of peppers arrived, so we quickly settled for those. The salsa was flavorful and fresh. The tortilla chips were a little thicker than I like them, but they were warm and crispy so that didn't stop me from piling the salsa on them.

As a seafood lover I couldn't pass up the Enchiladas Playa. They were freshly made flour tortillas filled with shrimp and crabmeat. It was served with a sauce made of creamy poblano and chiptole peppers. On the side was rice and strips of vegetables. I would definitely order this meal again as it was filling, but not too heavy and was plentiful with the shrimp and crabmeat.

J ordered the Molcajete de Pollo. The server suggested this meal when J mentioned that he was very hungry because he hadn't eaten lunch. The meal was chicken breast served in a lava rock bowl that is heated in the oven. The chicken is topped with a spicy salsa that has chile de arbol. It is served with warm flour tortillas so J was able to make tortillas. It also was accompanied by guacomole, beans and rice. I'm a wimp and not a fan or spicy food, so I didn't try the main dish, but J said it was very good and he ate the entire thing. I did eat most of his guacomole though and it very creamy and fresh. I wish I could've had more of that guacomole.

I wish I could've gotten more pictures of the decor, but it was dark and my camera was dying. It was a very interesting mix between rustic, quirky and festive. Not quite like any other Mexican restaurants I've visited.

Welcome...back!

Hopefully there are some people out there still reading :) J and I had great summer experiences and I have been overwhelming busy. I spent 9 days in Port Au Prince, Haiti in June and J spent 2 months in Capetown, South Africa from June until August. We both enjoyed our experiences so much that I'm going to back to Haiti in March and J is going back to South Africa in June. Life is good!

School has started back up for both of us and we're trying to balance it all. We're still loving Philly and finding new activities and restaurants to try all the time.

Clearly I have some catching up to do with the blogging...both reading others' blogs and updating my own. Stay tuned!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Haiti. The children brought me so much joy and I can't wait to see them again.  Every time I was outside (which was 90% of the time) they would be for me to take their photo, over and over again. They loved seeing themselves on my digital camera.

Bobby's Burger Palace

J and I headed to an area of the city called University City. It's west of center city and is home to Drexel University and University of Penn. J was craving a good burger and we remembered that Bobby Flay recently opened up a new burger joint called Bobby's Burger Palace in University City so we decided to head there.

Once we got there we saw the loooong line. But we were actually going to see a movie and had time to kill, so we jumped in line. The line wasn't too bad and we made it to the front in about 35 minutes. I don't think I've ever waited in line that long for a burger.

I don't eat red meat or pork and I was a vegetarian for about 8 years, so I was happy to see that they had the option of a turkey burger or grilled chicken instead of traditional ground beef. They also had salads, but I thought it would be a sin to order a salad at a burger place.

I was quite impressed with the menu. Not only do they have a wide selection of burgers, they have onion rings, sweet potato fries, milkshakes and inexpensive drinks. $4.50 for a frozen pear margarita! I resisted temptation though and just stuck with food.

I had a hard time deciding between the LA Burger and Napa Valley Burger. The LA burger had avocado and the Napa Valley Burger had fresh goat cheese, so it was a hard decision. I love cheese so the Napa Valley Burger won me over. J was excited to see that they have a crunch burger which is a traditional burger, with potato chips on it. He ordered that right away.

You place your order at the cash register, then you get a number and pick a table. The prices were reasonable and the service was great. The decor was funky and bright, which made me happy.

 

After we placed our order we only had to wait about 10 minutes for our food to arrive. I was very happy with my Napa Valley burger, which I ordered with chicken instead of a turkey burger.  I think it had a little too much goat cheese, but I just wiped some off and proceeded to eat the whole thing. The onion rings were huge and delicious. I would definitely get them again. J liked his burger a lot. I don't think it was the best burger he's ever had, but he said he would definitely come back.

I would definitely return to try a different "burger." I'm not sure if I'd wait over 30 minutes for it again, but the food was good and the prices were right. I definitely want to try one of their milk shakes and the sweet potatoe fries if we go back in the future.

Update on Us - Summer plans!

I've once again let too many weeks go by without blogging! However, I think I have a good excuse. Like always, we've been busy, but we've also cut back on our eating out around Philly. The reason: J and I both will be traveling internationally this summer! J will be teaching in South Africa and I will be providing medical care in Haiti. We are very excited and thankful for these opportunities. So we now have our summer plans finalized, which means we have been trying to save our pennies until then; hence not much eating out. However, we've found some inexpensive things to do around the city, so I'll blog about them in the near future.

Until then,  since J has been much better about blogging and has created his own blog to document his journey to South Africa, you can check his out :) 

So I've almost completed my 1st year of medical school...time really flies. We have just started our renal/pulmonary block and after 3 more tests, I will be done for the entire summer! It has been a difficult year, but I have truly been happy and am loving Philly more than ever. Some days I still don't think it's hit me that in a little over 3 years I will be a doctor. Until then I'm just taking it day by day and taking in as much knowledge as I can. 

Misconduct Tavern

Spring is here! Although I've loved Philly since we've moved here, the warm weather makes me love the city even more. J and I decided to throw on some warm weather clothes (shorts and a skirt) and just walk around to enjoy the weather.

We eventually ventured down 15th Street and spotted a restaurant called Misconduct Tavern. It's located at 1511 Locust Street in the Center City area. Since it was so nice outside we waited about 10 minutes to have a table outside. The tavern isn't anything fancy, but a great place to grab a drink and some delicious bar food.

March madness is in full effect and they have plenty of specials during any of the games. They also had a nice tv set up outside that J made sure he was in full view of while we ate. Luckily he wasn't too engrossed in the game and we enjoyed good conversation in the wonderful weather.

I'm typically not a beer drinker and prefer liquor, but I thought I'd try something different. We were eating at a tavern, so why not? I guess I kind of cheated though because I ordered a cider beer. However, it was 22 ounces and it wasn't too sweet. It had a distinct beer flavor. J didn't think I would be able to drink it all, but I proved him wrong and finished the entire thing alone. I would definitely order Doc's Draft again.

J and I had a late lunch so we decided to order 2 items off of the small bites portion of the menu instead of 2 entrees. The menu had a lot of choices and J and I sometimes have a hard time finding 2 items we both agree on. We ended up deciding on chicken tenders (how can you go wrong with chicken?) and macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese had 2 types of cheese and we added lump crab meat. Once again how can you go wrong with crab meat and mac and cheese?

We were very happy with all of the food. The chicken was crunchy and juicy. Yeah it was just chicken strips, but they really were superb and I would go back for them. The mac and cheese was also a pleasant surprise, although J said it wasn't as good as my homemade baked mac and cheese. We decided that next time I make my mac and cheese I'm going to add crab meat, which was inspired by this meal.

So if you want a good selection of beer, delicious bar food and a place to enjoy the weather, Misconduct Tavern is definitely high on the list.