Glassware (Whisky/Scotch)

Glassware for whisky and scotch.

Recently, I've been getting into scotch.  It's fun, has history, and seems to bring people together.  As a scotch novice, I started researching the subject in my free time.

A few fun examples of glassware follow below. 

Relatively new to the scene are glencairn glasses.  These remind me of brandy snifters with the bulbus bottom.  They are designed to allow for nosing of scotches as the shape holds and focuses the aromas.  While endorsed by the scotch whisky association, you will be hard pressed to find these in use at most bars.  Worth considering for anyone who wishes to dabble in scotches.

Traditionally, it appears old fashioned tumblers are what come to mind to most folk, and they're a bit more versatile and less specialized for functioning as a general glass.  Traditionally a cut crystal Old Fashioned glass is what is seen in old movies, rather iconic in a way. 

I opted for a round crystal old fashioned glass.  For entertaining, I found rather nicely priced glass, not crystal, "rocking" glasses.  These are made by Sagaform and have a bottom that is not flat.  As a result the glass sits tilted and allows for easy rocking of the beverage, in theory.  It may also lead to more spills.  Updates to come after they are used in a large group.

Lastly, as a notice to glassware makers.  Can you please use a sticker that is easier to remove?  I don't want your paper sticker on my glasses when I use them and yet they are quite difficult to remove without leaving a gross residue.

Yang Yang Dumpling House (Upper Darby, PA)

Yang Yang Dumpling House (Upper Darby, PA)
107 Fairfield Ave.
Upper Darby, PA 19082
215-666-6636

If you're in the mood for a BYOB Chinese restaurant that offers some less Americanized Chinese comfort cuisine, check out Yang Yang Dumpling House.  They also have a variety of dumplings that freshly hand made and soup dumplings.

I let my friend who grew up in Northeastern China order some dishes and this is what resulted.
Dish 1: Tomato and Egg Noodles
Dish 2: Wide Mung bean (glass noodles) with sesame sauce, carrots, and wasabi. (The Wasabi adds an interesting kick to the dish)
Dish 3: Mung bean soup with pork, ginger root, and sour pickled mustard greens
Dish 4: Stir fried sliced potato with spicy pepper.
Dish 5: Crispy sweet glazed pork.
Dish 6: Lions Head Meatballs (Pork with vegetable meatballs with steamed bok choy)

Sriracha Mayo

I've posted a few times about the 2 and 3 dollar bites at square peg so I'll avoid beating a dead horse to death.  A recent pass by there showcased sriracha and mayonnaise, a combination that I've been using for years.   If you're ever bored with the condiment choices in your fridge when making a sandwich or snack, this is a good go to and you may find yourself using it on your french fries or other snackables.  Merely mix in sriracha into store bought mayo or for those of you with the time add some to your homemade mayonnaise and you'll have a new condiment to use.

At Square Peg they added sriracha mayo into the cheese and added old bay seasoning and scallions for an Asian inspired appetizer.

Hiro Ramen House (Center City, Philadelphia, PA)

Hiro Ramen House (Center City, Philadelphia, PA)
1102 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-939-5558
Email: info@hiroramen.com
Website: http://hiroramen.com/

Hiro Ramen House is next door to Milkboy.  I frequent Milkboy quite frequently for coffee and drinks, occasionally food as well.  I've always noticed that Hiro Ramen House is next door but haven't really given it much thought.

There has been a bit of a Ramen explosion on the east coast.  Near the end my time living in Manhattan, Ramen was one of the latest food fad/trends that was taking over the area.  Recently, that trend had started invading Philadelphia and Ramen places have started appearing in center city.  Generally, I'm not a giant fan of ramen for meals as the pricing is never as cheap as a noodle house in Chinatown and it is rare that I find ramen that knocks my socks off.  Still, as a foodie and out of my building curiosity, I had the opportunity to grab an early dinner/late lunch at Hiro Ramen House.

They offer a few choices for ramen bowls and apparently the menu rotates a bit so it might be different by the time anyone else goes.  I selected the Pork Ramen with an extra addition of charsau in the bowl.  The noodles weren't anything spectacular and were more on the salty side.  The meat was also more on the overly salted side and with the two combined together; the dish definitely was a bit heavy handed on salt.  The broth was a bit underwhelming and didn't have a strong flavor profile, it definitely leaned on the bland side of ramen broth.  All in all it was an average serving of ramen until you realize that it ended up being a 10 dollar item.  When you're competing with Pho bowls in the area that offer more food and flavor, I am hard pressed to choose ramen over Pho.  (I'm aware they're two different things for the hardcore ramen lovers.)  Lastly, the menu is pretty limited, its Ramen and small side dishes.  Unfortunately, they were out of the kim chi so I didn't even get to sample that.

Anyone looking to check off their ramen restaurant checklist in Philadelphia should check Hiro out as it does have a very charming atmosphere that matches the ambiance of Milkboy next door, and the ramen is decent, it's just not one of the wow bowls of ramen I've had at ten dollars.

Macro Photography (Nikkor 40mm Micro F/2.8 DX Lens)

I started testing out the Nikkor 40mm Micro Lens F/2.8 DX (Nikon's Macro lens).  I paired the lens with a Nikon D5100.

It works well as a 1:1 Macro lens and takes decent general 40mm shots as well.  With an f/2.8, it handles most normal lighting well.  I do miss the f/1.8 of the 35mm prime but this lens allows for some closer shots.  For those really interested in macro photography a longer lens might be needed as getting in close can cause shadows.

City Hall Employee Entrance Stairwell (Philadelphia, PA)

City Hall: Employee Entrance Stairwell (Philadelphia, PA)

I snuck a photo at City Hall in Philadelphia from the employee entrance.  It's a neat perspective but unfortunately I only had my 40mm Macro lens on my Nikon D5100 so I couldn't get the whole view in frame.  This will have to do.

Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor Lens

Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor Lens
Lens runs approximately $280 USD.

I made the splurge on my first macro lens, Nikon uses the micro designation for its macro lenses. Confusing, yes.

As my photography focus generally is more on candids,  people, scenery, and food, I didn't want to make a large splurge on a very zoomed in macro lens (e.g. 80 or 100mm)  The 40mm macro allows for closer focus ranges and also allows for general 40mm photography so I decided on trying this lens out.  It might not fit my general use purposes as well as my 35mm f/1.8G prime lens especially in low light but I am already seeing major differences in up close photos so the balance between the two lenses in usage will need to be explored.  More to come over time.

Franklin Fountain (Old City, PA)

Franklin Fountain (Old City, PA)
116 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215 627-1899
http://www.franklinfountain.com

For anyone in the mood to splurge on ice cream (a small runs about 5 dollars) go to franklin fountain in old city.  There are many flavors to try and is quite popular so be prepared to wait in line for a bit.

Continental Midtown Philadelphia, PA

Continental Midtown Philadelphia, PA
1801 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215 567-1800
http://www.continentalmidtown.com/

The Continental is another Steven Starr Restaurant in Philadelphia, that's known for its cocktails and rooftop bar, Continental also has a decent food menu.  With a larger party, many dishes were ordered and I was surprised but the quality of the dishes and the price points.  Worth going to with a larger group to share items family style.  Fits the bill for cocktails/drinks with dinner perfectly.

David's (Chinatown, Philly)

David's Mah Lai Wah
1001 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-627-2610
Open late until 3am (4am on Fridays and Saturdays)

David's in Chinatown is a staple late night venue for post evening activities, whatever those might be.  To wrap up a long evening, we stopped by for noodles, Beef and Tomato over rice and dumplings.  It always hits the spot and is reasonably priced.

Moriarty's Pub Philadelphia

Moriarty's Pub

1116 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 

website: http://www.moriartyspub.com/

There are many Irish pubs in Philadelphia.  I enjoyed drinks and bar food at Moriarty's Pub.  They offer a decent beer selection and have a nice scotch selection on the menu.  Wings were sampled and they lived up to the hype.  Definitely worth ordering the next time anyone is in the mood for bar food wings at a bar.