Amis Trattoria (Washington Square West Philadelphia, PA)

Amis Trattoria
412 S. 13th Street & Waverly
(Between Pine and Lombard)
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Web: http://www.amisphilly.com/
Phone: 215.732.AMIS
Email: amis@vetrifamily.com


Amis Trattoria is a Vetri restaurant located in the Washington Square West section of Philadelphia.  The menu consists of smaller plates and personal sized portions of pasta or entrees.  Family style sharing of smaller plates is encouraged.  Due to a bit of a delay with our reservation, we had drinks at the bar and then the wait staff comped our table a plate of rascati wine cheese with shallots, garlic, and sesame crackers.  We added on orders of swordfish meatballs with polenta, brussel sprouts with lemon juice, and the special chicken sausage.

For pasta, the oxtail ragu, tortelli with pork bolognase,
whole wheat canestri with duck sausage and cabbage, and the special chicken pasta of the day were all ordered.  The pasta was fresh and made in house.  There are plenty of other items that will be required sampling for another outing.

Overall, Amis is a delightful restaurant in the collection of Vetri places and provides yet another restaurant worthy of repeat.  Definitely worth checking out in Philadelphia.

Bar-ly (Chinatown, Philadelphia PA) 2013-11-16

Bar-ly Chinatown
101 N 11th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-992-2688
Web: http://www.bar-ly.com/

Bar-ly is a new sports bar in Chinatown that offers 60 beers on tap along with Asian inspired appetizers and bar food.

Being there for a birthday event, food was not the focus of the visit to Bar-ly but a few items were sampled.  Duck dumplings had a slight Asian flair, namely it was dumplings with duck meat.  They also had a steak spring roll with cheese dip that was aptly named the cheesesteak spring roll.  Lastly, we sampled french fries with old bay seasoning and cheese wiz.  The space is nice and I would return for the beer selection alone.  The appetizers are an added bonus.

La Viola Bistro (East) 2013-11-16

La Viola East (Bistro)
253 16th St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: 215-735-8630
Web: laviolaphiladelphia.com

With the Philadelphia marathon this weekend, I hosted a few out of town friends.  There was a simple request for dinner.  Italian restaurant that offers a risotto dish.  With a party of 9, La Viola accommodated my reservation request with about a week's notice.

The venue is intimate and small.  This resulted in not being able to seat us until around 7:40.  Luckily there was space for us to stand and wait and begin our byo-ing in advance.  As it is a BYO expect the restaurant ambiance to be a bit more raucous and loud.  The clientele also trends a bit on the younger side.  Don't be surprised to see byo boxed wine (Franzia)

Cafe Lift 2013-11-16

Cafe Lift

428 N. 13th St

Philadelphia, PA

Phone: 215-922-3031

http://cafelift.com/

Cash Only

Hours: 9am - 3pm

I went to Cafe Lift after the Philadelphia 8K run.  Having been awake since 5am on a Saturday, our appetites and stomachs were a bit confused with brunch at 9am as opposed to 1pm.  The three of us eventually settled on the baked egg with beef this time, eggs Benedict, and an egg sandwich.  Lift continues to shine as a brunch spot in Philadelphia.  It never fails to satisfy but it is worth remembering that Lift is cash only.

Wide Angle Nikon 1 Lens Photos

Nikon 1 Nikkor VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 Sample Photos

Had the opportunity to test out the Nikon 1 Nikkor VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-6.5 lens with my Nikon J1.  It offers a fairly wide angle of view that borders on a fish eye perspective.  Photos were taken in Philadelphia near dusk. 

Product:

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/acil/lenses/1_nikkor_vr_67-13mm_f35-56/index.htm

Tinto Tuesdays 2013-11-12

Tinto Tuesdays 2013-11-12

Tinto
114 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-665-9150
Website: http://philadelphia.tintorestaurant.com/

Tinto offers a special happy hour from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesdays with $2 tapas that they are calling Pintxos and Montaditos along with cocktails, wines, and a beer special.  http://philadelphia.tintorestaurant.com/m/menu-pdfs/PA_Tinto_HappyHour.pdf

The fare is of traditional Tinto standards, as such Tinto Tuesdays comes highly recommended.  I would advise not bringing too large a party as seating is a bit limited.

Lemon Hill Cocktails and Dinner

Lemon Hill Cocktails and Dinner Winter 2013
(2013-11-09)

Lemon Hill
747 N. 25th Street
(Corner of 25th and Aspen)
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: 215-232-2299
Website: http://www.lemonhillphilly.com/

El Limon (Conshohocken, PA)

El Limon (Conshohocken, PA)
102 Fayette Street
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: 610-567-0120

El Limon is a small/quaint Mexican restaurant out in Conshohocken, PA.  The food is authentic, with large portions and very delicious.  The mole sauce is a highlight, if you're into that sort of thing.  There is limited seating in the restaurant, but that is part of the charm.  I would recommend eating in during non rush periods if possible.  El Limon is definitely a hidden jewel for Mexican cuisine in the area.

Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

Carnitas Nachos with Mole

Burrito (yes all of the burritos are this ginormous)

Nachos with Beef