Rembrandts (Fairmount/Art Museum, Philadelphia PA)

Rembrandts (Fairmount/Art Museum, Philadelphia PA)
741 N. 23rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215.763.2228
http://www.rembrandts.com/

For dinner, I popped into Rembrandts with a few friends.  Located in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia this restaurant & pub is known for its beer selection and surprisingly decent food offerings.

We skipped the raw bar and cocktails and zeroed in on dinner items.  Supper consisted of the bone in short rib with carrots, celery, onion and potatoes;   the roasted 1/2 chicken with tuscan kale; and the burger with porter onions, bacon and white cheddar.  To round out the meal we split a side of mac & cheese.

Service was prompt and courteous and everything was properly cooked. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the Fairmount area.

Estia (Center City, Philadelphia)

Estia (Center City, Philadelphia)
1405 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
http://www.estiarestaurant.com/

I had the pleasure of having lunch at Estia in Center City for a networking reception.  Estia is an upscale Greek restaurant that specializes in whole grilled fish and Greek/Mediterranean cuisine.  For the reception we had a prix fixe menu consisting of a tomato, onion and feta salad; a choice of a main entree (I chose the Moussaka -A traditional Greek casserole layered with seasoned ground beef, sliced eggplant, potatoes and topped with a Kefalograviera béchamel); and lastly with a dessert of walnut honey cake called Karidopita.

I enjoyed the salad/appetizer and my entree was very decadent, rich and filling. The Karidopita was flavorful but not my cup of tea.  The cake was soggy and soaked in a sugary honey liquid which was not my favorite texture in a dessert.

All in all the event was very pleasant and I really enjoyed the layout, ambiance and decor of the restaurant.  The food was overall well done and I look forward to coming back to try other dishes.
 

Underdogs (Center City, Philadelphia)

Underdogs
132 S. 17th St.
Philadelphia, PA
215.665.8080
Sunday-Thursday: 11am-9pm
Friday-Saturday: 11am-4am
http://www.underdogsphilly.com/

Underdogs serves hotdogs and sausages.  It reminds me of Spikes Junkyard Dogs in New England around the Rhode Island/Massachussets areas.  Key differences are the bread used.  Underdogs uses more of a standard hotdog bun as opposed to Spikes.  Its closer to CriffDogs in New York City.  Where it differentiates itself is in the use of other meats for sausages.  As a result the menu is a little more varied.  As such, venues like this are the perfect late night spot to visit to conclude an evening out and about.

Square 1682 (Center City Philadelphia)

Square 1682
Located in Hotel Palomar in the Rittenhouse area of Center City Philadelphia

121 South 17th Street

Philadelphia , PA 19103
Adjacent to
Hotel Palomar Philadelphia

Tel: 215.563.5008

Square 1682 is a fun contemporary American Restaurant located within Hotel Palomar in the Rittenhouse area of Philadelphia.

We only stopped in for a drinks and a light dinner fare but the experience was fun and refreshing.  The decor is warm, modern and energizing. The truffle butter popcorn with citric salt was a highlight and seconds and thirds were ordered.  The cocktails and drinks fit the food and mood of the restaurant and the dishes ordered were very well liked by all.

Dishes sampled included: shrimp and pasta; gnocchi with feta, mushrooms, and braised beef; and a calamari dish.

Noche (Center City, Philadelphia)

Noche (Center City, Philadelphia)
1901 Chestnut Street
http://www.nochephilly.com/

Mostly good news!  Noche has brought back happy hour pizza.   Local grad schoolers, college students and cheapsakes rejoice!  Half price pizza now runs from 5:30pm to 7:30pm again.  I was saddened when they revamped and relaunched Noche as a Mexican restaurant in the Fall of 2012.  We sampled their margaritas and limited beer specials along with updated cuisine and stopped going.  It looks like they heeded our advice and kept the margaritas but brought back the pizza and modified the menu a bit.  Also they now open at 5:30 instead of 4.

For national margarita day, my party and I decided to check it out as their margaritas from the relaunch weren't bad and as such they were still up to bar as a good value margarita.  The fancier hibiscus margarita and flavors have been trimmed down into three varieties.  Standard, fruit, and grapefruit.  During happy hour a glass runs $4 and a pitcher runs $12.   Tecate is normally an all day special but for Happy Hour on Friday it was $2 cans.

As it stands now, Noche has potential to be a new happy hour hot spot again.

Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 G

Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 G

Latest lens added to my glass collection.  I really like my 35mm f/1.8 G lens and I decided to add to my prime lens collection.  The build is very similar to the 35mm.  More updates to come after I experiment with the lens.  I think the 50mm will be great for portraits, some closer ups but might be a little too long for casual indoor photography.

The lens runs about $220 on Amazon, B&H and various other retailers.

Original boxing

Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G comes with lens, lens cap and soft cover

Lens with lens hood.

Extra Fancy (Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY)

Extra Fancy (Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY)
302 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
website: http://www.extrafancybklyn.com

Extra fancy was gracious enough to allow us to host a party for a friend headed to the other side of the pond.  The cuisine focuses on seafood with a modern American take.  They have a fun, well put together cocktail menu.  The waitresses and bartenders were super attentive and accommodating.  Combined with good food, friends, a fun space and atmosphere, a grand time was had by all.  Unfortunately, in the merriment, I was unable to capture all the food items such as the oysters but everything was cooked properly and good.

Bourbon Cocktail

Single Malt Scotch cocktail

Deviled Eggs with chips

Fish and Chips

Parsley Fries

Chicken Liver Patte with Pickled Veg, Caramelized Onions and Bread

Talde (Park Slope Brooklyn, NY)

Talde (Park Slope Brooklyn, NY)
369 7th Ave, Park Slope
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: 347-916-0031
Web: taldebrooklyn.com

This weekend I had brunch/lunch at Talde.  A casual Asian-American Restaurant and Bar from season 4 Top Chef Dale Talde.  As a Top Chef follower, I have been waiting for an opportunity to check out his restaurant.  Reminded of his restaurant from this season's Life After Top Chef where the chefs had lunch at Talde, checking out Dale's Brooklyn efforts was fresh on my mind.  I made a day trip to see a friend off as she transitions for work to a new city.  To commemorate the occasiona we decided on brunch for four at Talde.  Luckily it was a Sunday and we beat the crowd by 10 minutes.  We sat the the bar and had ordered the Korean Chicken and Waffles and Lobster bao with cocktails while we waited for a table.  Within 30mins we were seated and we almost ordered the entire brunch menu.

The bar has a very unique asian ambiance and it carries through the dining areas but the style is most heavy handed and fun in the initial bar space.  The restaurant has a classy asian restaurant appeal and the service was excellent.  The staff was very polite and prompt.  We sat in the back and got the see the kitchen prep, cook and work.  The layout is reminiscent of the new trend of showcasing the kitchen work for diners.

Overall the cocktails and food were delicious.  My favorites included the pork shoulder, korean fried chicken & waffles, and the shiitake mushroom and scallion chang fun.  A must go to for any Top Chef fan and anyone who enjoys well cooked asian inspired food.

Tall Bloody Mary

Bar Decorations

Bloody Mary and Bellini

Bar at Talde

Korean Fried Chicken and Waffles

Lobster Bao

Tater Tots

Sririacha Ketchup

Shiitake and Scallion Chang Fun

Pretzel Pork and Chive Dumpling with Mustard Sauce

Char Siu Braised Pork Shoulder

Shrimp Toast with Meat Gravy

Bacon Pad Thai with an Egg