Cafe Lift

Cafe Lift

428 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA.
| 215-922-3031 |
 Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
http://www.cafelift.com

Cafe Lift has become one of my favorite brunch/lunch spots in the Center City area.  Its fair is a little lighter than Sabrinas and getting a seat with a larger group is much more managable.  The menu is fairly consistent with flourishes on their specials which are quite delicious.

The decor is more new age industrial and the focus is on the food which is perfectly fine with me.  Being a little further away from the busiest areas, I am hoping it stays a little more hidden as one of my favorite brunch spots in Philadelphia.  Everything is also reasonably priced but note that credit cards are not accepted.



Eggs florentine

Poached eggs atop sauteed spinach, crab meat, and toasted Italian Bread with homemade truffle hollandaise. 11.5



Baked Egg

Slow roasted pulled pork, fennel, zucchini, and asiago cheese finished with 2 baked eggs. Served with homemade hot chile spread and toasted Italian bread.



Breakfast Tacos

3 flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, sauteed corn, jalapenos, sweet onions, and jack cheese. finished with pico de gallo and cilantro. 9



Turkey Bacon 3.00



Potatoes 3.00



Sample aftermath - yum

Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

To conclude a weekend of adventures with friends (and to recover from the previous day of eating, adventuring, and drinking) we caught the Dark Knight Rises in the afternoon.

I think the subject may have been beaten to death and there are far better reviewers covering all the key points but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Christopher Nolans conclusion to the trilogy hits the mark quite nicely and I now have a giant nerd crush on Anne Hathaway.  Its refreshing to see a comic book character treated with seriousness and grittness that isn't always the theme.

As a comic nerd and as a follower of Batman the Animated Series and all animated forms of Batman, this movie just hit the spots.

Bottom Line: Go see this movie.  Lastly, Anne, if it doesn't work out with your fiance.  Call me.

Dim Sum Garden

Dim Sum Garden
59 N 11th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Neighborhood: Market East
(215) 627-0218

Dim Sum Garden has slowly become one of my staples for food in Chinatown.  It doesn't look like much from the outside but appearances can be deceiving.  Located near the Chinatown Bus stop on 11th street next to the Chinatown Wawa, patrons are greeted with fast, prompt service and some of the tastiest dumplings in the area. 

Soup dumplings are their speciality.  There are two types pork and crab and pork.  Both are quite good.  The restaurant hits its sweet spot with a more Shanghainese focus on cusine.  Its "dim sum" is a la carte ordering, it is not like Joy Tsin Lau or Ocean Harbors dim sum with carts and dishes can be ordered at all times of day.

The majority of their dishes are excellent small eats (think tapas style perhaps).  Bring a few friends, share items family smile and leave with a happy belly. 

Crab and Pork Soup Dumplings - Dim Sum Garden

Pork Noodles

Kong Xin Veggies

Cold Sliced Cucumber (pickled)

Citizens Bank Park

Citizens Bank Park.

I don't go to as many Phillies games as I should but everytime that I do make it to a game, I am reminded of how much I like the stadium. It was a fun outting with some old friends even if the Phillies didn't manage to win.



Lets go Phils.

Sarcone's Deli

Sarcone's Deli

http://sarconesdeli.com/
734 South 9th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 922-1717
info@sarconesdeli.com



On Saturday, I finally stopped into Sarcone's Deli in South Philly for hoagies.  I had heard about this place from a few friends who had raved about their hoagies but never had the opportunity to make it there.  This was easily remedied. 

There were six of us in my party and we decided to order 5 hoagies for a close friends, family style smorgasborg of Philadelphia Hoagie goodness.  Four types of their hoagies were sampled.

- Old Fashioned Italian (Gourmet): Thinly sliced proscuitto, Hot Soprossata, Hot Cappa, Sharp Provolone, Herbs, Oil Vinegar, Lettuce Tomato, Onions
 
This was probably my second favorite but I am a sucker for a well put together Italian hoagie.

-The Booch: Roast Beef, Fresh Asparagus, Sharp Provalone, Balsonic Vinegar & Dry Herbs.

This hoagie incorporated something that I generally don't see in sandwiches that I actually enjoyed,  asparagus!  It was well balanced with the vinegar and sharp provalone but was milder sandwich when compared to other spicier selections.

-The Sinatra: Thinly Sliced Proscuitto, Sauteed Spinach, Roast Garlic, Fresh Mozzarella, Red Wine Vinegar & Oil

This sandwich was slightly lighter, focusing on the fresh mozz and proscuitto complimented by   spinach and delicious roasted garlic.  The Red wine vinegar and oil mellowed out the entire combination.

-Junk Yard Special: Sliced Turkey, Proscuitto, Sauteed Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, Sharp Provolone, Fresh Mozzarella, Red Wine Vinegar Oil & Dry Herbs.

Reminded me of the Old Fashioned Italian with a spin.  Perhaps my favorite sandwich of the four on Saturday.

Junk Yard Special from Sarcone's Deli

The Sinatra (Sarcone's Deli)

Conclusion:

If you find yourself in the neighborhood craving a hoagie.  Give Sarcone's a whirl and perhaps take your sandwich and drink down to Washington Square Park for a impromptu picnic lunch.

Nikon D5100

A few of my close friends were in town (Philadelphia) for the weekend.  As they are slightly more tolerant of my hobby of snapping fairly random and candid photos, it was a great opportunity to test out the Nikon D5100. 


The Nikon D5100 has dropped in price recently with the release of the Nikon D3200 and an anticipated update, the Nikon D5200 is most likely pending.  As such, this DSLR can be had on amazon for about $550 with the standard camera kit lens.

Nikon D5100 front

Nikon D5100 side profile

Nikon D5100 with swivel screen

Battery Charger and Battery for Nikon D5100

I had a good time with this DSLR.  It's a relatively serious amateur DSLR.  Nothing near a professional line camera but for the average user there are many functions, probably too many to learn without spending a bit of time with it.

The shutter is snappy, it takes very good low light photos and has a quick continuous mode.  For the average person who wishes to take HD video ocacsionally, this is where the camera shines.  The swivel display is very handy.  Older, lower line models like the Nikon D60 lacked a live view display.  This is not the case with the D5100.  The battery life was superb.  I snapped about 300 photos and about 10 short 1min HD videos and i used up a little over 1/3 of the battery.  (Caveat: I did not use the flash very much)

For anyone considering a DSLR that takes HD Video and is already Nikon committed to lenses, I'd recommend it over the 3200.  Megapixels aren't everything and for the average person the D5100 is more than adequate and is pretty superb in lowlight situations.


Sample Photos:

Washington Sq. Park Fountain (Philadelphia)

Little Italy/South Philly

Citzens Bank Park, Philadelphia

Geno's Steaks, Philadelphia

And So It Begins

I've been informed by some of my close friends that I should start blogging/posting my adventures, opinions, musings, reviews, and commentary.

I'm a bit of a techie, nerd, foodie and various other fun things.  This is an experiment to see if I can actually share/express myself through this digital medium. 

Let the adventures begin.

Cafe Lift Brunch Aftermath