Mazag Cafe

Update: no longer open.

Walking briskly down Washington towards the Broad St. Septa line with free tickets in hand to the Sixer's game on Halloween, we made a quick detour to stop in the recently opened Mazag Cafe, a coffee shop on the corner of 10th and Carpenter specializing in Egyptian and Mediterranean bites. The small interior is definitely coffee shop-esque (Meal Ticket has some interior shots), and they do serve up coffee and a full range of drinks, but you can cobble together quite a nice meal from Mazag's small deli case.The spinach pie I ordered was my favorite item of the evening with spinach and mushrooms scented with cumin between two layers of flaky dough. Grab this to go, or have the very gracious owner warm it up for you in the microwave and enjoy with a fork and some decorum. I also ordered a small side of couscous salad studded with a melange of vegetables, olives, almonds, and goat cheese. While perfectly tasty, this dish reminded me of something I might throw together at home, so did not win any oohs and ahhs.

My partner ordered a larger side of an Egyptian specialty (not pictured) consisting of fried rice, tuna, and green peppers , but, even though he is a fish lover, found something a little off putting about the dish. A little less than fresh, maybe?This eggplant salad doesn't look like much, but it packs intense flavor and garlic, and would definitely be ordered again. The stuffed grape leaves with yogurt sauce are also great. I usually pass on stuffed grape leaves packed in oil, so appreciated Mazag's non-oily grape leaf packages.

Also not pictured, we grabbed a bag full of small cookies made in house to eat on the go -- crisp strawberry twist, apricot filled cookie, chocolate chip cookie, and spice cookie. These cookies were all delicious, but the strawberry twist and spice cookie I ate were of the crispy variety, and I do prefer chewy cookies. Next time, I'll get a slice of the chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache that tempted me so, but turned down because cookies are easier to eat while walking.

I usually don't think of eating lunch or dinner in coffee shops because I really dread the ubiquitous veggie offering of mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwich, but standard fare is not what Mazag is dishing out. Get a coffee at Mazag, but be sure to also get a bite to eat.

Mazag Cafe
1001 S. 10th St., Philadelphia, PA, 19147

Fitzwater Café

It has taken nearly three years of walking past Fitzwater Café in Bella Vista to finally duck into this once corner gas station for brunch, but I did it!

A mere five-minute wait on a weekend and we were in the door, guided past cases filled with scrumptious pastries made in-house, past a counter bar, and seated at a roomy table at the far end of the cozy restaurant, which is an Italian bistro when it’s not doing the breakfast brunch.

It’s been a long time since I’ve done decadent French toast, but I dove into the banana and Nutella toast sprinkled with powdered sugar. Good and sweet! A bit much for even dessert-loving me, but I balanced out the sweet with savory by stabbing at the plate across from me…

Scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese on one of their buttery croissants accompanied by potatoes and sliced tomatoes. I could have eaten the whole croissant, but it wasn’t mine. The sautéed potatoes lost favor with crispy potato boy.

Fitzwater Café = Good breakfast brunch basics with a short wait to get in! We did have to wait longer than normal for the bill, though. Win some; lose some!

Fitzwater Café
728 S. 7th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-629-0428

Cantina and Royal To The Rescue

Plans of visiting friends in Chester County for a home cooked meal on their farm this past Friday were abruptly derailed when one of the biggest killjoys known to man happened to my boyfriend on his way out of Philly – car wreck! He was rear-ended on I-95 during rush hour, causing him to be sandwiched between two SUV’s. Boy’s OK, but car’s crumpled.

After it was all cleaned up and taken care of, I picked him up at a body shop in Philly, and we’re kind of out of our homemade mushroom soup and stuffed squash dinner in Chester County.

What do you do when your brain’s frazzled and you’re hungry? You turn to an old standby and favorite. For us that would be Cantina los Caballitos, the mexi-bar in South Philly with great mixed drinks, many veggie and vegan choices, and a rockin’ jukebox.

This being the third post on M&C about Cantina (first and second), this joint deservingly wins the popularity contest around here. My first formal post mentions the vegan fajitas with grilled seitan and tofu (the best veggie fajitas ever), but doesn’t have any pics. I solved that with this last visit.

And here’s a shot of the tooth-pickingly good grilled corn on the cob with cilantro, lime, and queso fresco.

As an aside, the lovely bartenders at Cantina comped two of our drinks on this last visit for being honest when I pointed out that the drinks were missing from our bill. That lack of filter in my brain sometimes has its advantages.

Now, can I rant a little bit about the South Philly Pub Crawl last Saturday that was part of Philly Beer Week? Not anywhere in the promotion of this event does is say that tickets are limited and to purchase tickets in advance. We figured you could show up at any participating bar all night long, throw down $12, and get a pass. Not so! After marching down to South Philly Tap Room only an hour after the event started, they tell us tickets are sold out, and to try the next bar! At the P.O.P.E? Nope. We gave up. Who knew tickets were limited? We didn’t, and apparently a lot of other people we passed on the street didn’t either.

So, a little peeved about the South Philly Pub Crawl event promotion, we head to our other standby – Royal Tavern. Royal has been written up here once before, so I guess they’re only second behind Cantina in the popularity contest, but considering that they both have the same owners, is there really a winner?

Food pics also don’t appear in my formal write up of Royal, because it’s the darkest place I’ve ever taken food photos, and they hopelessly look like shit. There ain’t no fixin’ these photos, but here they are…

The tempeh club is the bf’s favorite, even though the towering sandwich stack rips the top of his mouth every time.

My favorite is the vegan sloppy joe, but this evening I bravely tried the vegetarian crab cake sandwich special (it’s so hard not to order your tried and true!). I’m afraid of fishy smells and tastes, but the crab cake was only subtly fishy, and quite good. If only the size of the patty didn’t leave me asking, “Where’s the beef?”

So, thanks, Cantina and Royal, for being there when our plans fell through, and lending a little comfort.

Cantina Los Caballitos
1651 E Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19148
215-755-3550
Mon-Fri, 12p.m.-1a.m. ;Sat-Sun, 11a.m.-1a.m.
bar open until 2a.m.

Royal Tavern
937 E. Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-389-6694
Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2am; Sat-Sun, 10am-2am; kitchen open ‘til 1am

Chick's

With so many wine bars in Philly, how does one choose? While I have been to a handful, I have not been to all. Eager to try more, I took a recent article in the Philadelphia Weekly that featured wine bars, nixed those I had been to, then chose what seemed to be the least pretentious establishment and closest wine bar to my Philly digs – ‘cause walking is the only way to travel when drinking.

We chose Chick’s, a small bar on the corner of 7^th St. and Kater St. just off the path from busy South St. in Bella Vista. The interior is very charming with its cozy, dark bar and tin tile ceiling, but the weather was absolutely perfect, so we dined outdoors. The wine list obviously is the star at a wine bar, but I had been drinking mixed drinks previously, so did not feel like following up with a heavy red wine. I chose a Prosecco to keep that light, bubbly feeling afloat. My partner started with the house Pinot Noir just the see if the house wine was up to snuff. The house Pinot Noir was fine, but he decided on a fuller, heavier Grenache with the recommendation of the server.

I started with the roasted beets, goat cheese, and mache listed under the vegetable small plates section of the menu. I’m rarely disappointed with beets, and this dish was no exception. The beets were perfectly tangy from vinegar and complimented by the creamy, mild goat cheese. This small plate was not minuscule like some small plates at wine and tapas bars, but perfectly portioned.

The Taleggio cheese plate came with plenty of bread, although I would have liked to see the cheese paired with cherries or some other accompaniment.

The Gorgonzola and fig flat bread was the star of the table. You just can’t beat the classic pairing of fig and Gorgonzola cheese. Again, the portions were substantial, and thank goodness, because we wanted all of it.

The brie, pear, and onion marmalade panini had my name on it, as one of my favorite sandwich spreads in onion jelly or onion chutney. I was disappointed with the panini. The sandwich could have used a little more brie and pear to balance out all that bread, which was the most perfectly crisp panini I’ve ever had. Mostly I was disappointed with the onion marmalade. The sandwich contained what appeared to be caramelized red onions that were slightly bitter, not a sweet onion marmalade. Again, this sandwich was another example of sauce (or absence of sauce) making or breaking a sandwich. The panini came on top of a stack of skinny fries which were the crunchiest, happiest skinny fries I’ve ever had, unlike the floppy, sad skinny fries I usually run into.

We were stuffed, but had to try dessert. The attentive, but unobtrusive server recommended the dark chocolate crème brulee. The crème brulee was not as rich and thick as some crème brulees I’ve had, but that was not a concern. The dessert was fabulous, and the caramelized bananas on top were the pièce de rèsistance.

The price and pretension at Chick's is low, and the quality and service is high. I can get behind that.

Chick’s Café and Wine Bar, 614 S 7th St, Philadelphia 19147
Phone: 215-625-3700

Café Nhu Y

Sorely missing the seitan Vietnamese hoagies enjoyed while living in Minneapolis, my partner thought finding this seitan sandwich would be as simple as walking into one of the many Vietnamese restaurants around Washington Street in South Philly. Not so. We kept poking our heads in Vietnamese hoagie shops that didn’t serve vegetarian sandwiches.

I had never had a Vietnamese hoagie, or Banh Mi, so was anxious to try the sandwich he so raved about. When we caught wind that Café Nhu Y served tofu Vietnamese hoagies, we were there! Café Nhu Y is a tiny store front near the corner of 8^th and Christian with barely enough room to hold the small deli case, drink cooler, one bistro table, prep area, and the owners of the store.

As I sat and watched the owners fill the long, narrow french roll with thinly sliced tofu and vegetarian paté, strips of sweet pepper and cucumber, pickled radish and carrot, cilantro, jalapeño, and sauce, I couldn’t wait to get home to see what I was missing.

The cilantro, and radish and carrot salad gave the hoagie a distinct flavor not to be found in most hoagie shops. You'll love Banh Mi if you love Asian flavors. My partner was a little disappointed, as the hoagie he loved so much in Minneapolis had seitan instead of tofu, and a tangier, sweeter sauce than the light sauce on Café Nhu Y’s hoagies. I wished the sandwich had been stuffed with more innards, but at $2.75, I guess you can’t complain.

Café Nhu Y, 802 Christian St., Philadelphia, PA 19147, phone 215-925-6544

Royal Tavern

When my partner and I want to go out to eat, but not bother with the formalities of a fancy restaurant, we immediately think of the Royal Tavern. A relaxed bar vibe, a jukebox stocked with past and present indie favorites, and good food keep us coming back. And thanks to the smoking ban, this popular and often cramped bar is immensely more enjoyable.

The Royal Tavern, an unassuming bar amongst the row houses on Passyunk Avenue in Bella Vista, is brought to you by the same people who own the Khyber. The Khyber feels like a dirty bar, and is good for live music and a drink. The Royal Tavern feels like a neighborhood bar, and is good for food and a drink.

A menu of basics (nachos, salads, burgers, pizza) is supported by a list of specials scrawled on a chalk board above the tall bar tables across from the mirror-backed, dark wood bar. There are also vegan and vegetarian offerings on the menu, and a weekend brunch menu.

My favorite menu item is the vegan sloppy joe. Vegan beef with a satisfyingly spicy tomato sauce is piled high on a brioche bun and served with a side of coleslaw. I recommend a side of onion rings if they have them on special; the accompanying garlic mayo dipping sauce is addictive.

My partner’s favorite menu item is the Tempeh club with vegan bacon, tempeh, lettuce, tomato, basil, and aioli on Texas Toast. This sandwich is huge, and difficult to get in the mouth even with a firm squashing.

I have tried the mac and cheese (of course), and I can’t say that I recommend it. This side dish is creamy (not cheesy) and bland.

Other menu items have been tried, but the sloppy joe and tempeh club are our perennial favorites to chew on while slinging back drinks to wash the work week away.

Royal Tavern,
937 E. Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-389-6694
Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2am; Sat-Sun, 10am-2am; kitchen open ‘til 1am

Shouk

Update: No longer open.

For two days straight I was having naughty thoughts involving baba ghanoush from Shouk. Naughty as in good.

Shouk is a Middle Eastern restaurant and shisha lounge located at 6^th and Bainbridge that specializes in small plates of Israeli food. Shouk opened February 2006, and, by coincidence, my partner and I were strolling past the first night the restaurant and lounge opened. The glowing sign of a hookah (a.k.a. shisha) hanging over the sidewalk enticed us. We were escorted past the mosaic dining tables downstairs and lead upstairs to a dark, plush, Moroccan-esque shisha lounge. As we smoked fruit flavored tobacco, hunkered comfortably in cushions, friends of the owners showed up to celebrate the opening and generously shared their wine with us.

Back at Shouk the other week, we ordered a handful of reasonably priced small plates. Let me exclaim that the baba ghanoush is dreamy! It has a smooth, creamy texture with subtle, smoky flavor and not a trace of bitterness from tahini. I would love to get this recipe. Can I pretend to be a famous magazine, call them up, and get the recipe?

Halloumi is on the menu, so we had to get that. We also ordered beet and feta salad, and tomato and carrot couscous. Everything was spectacular! The couscous was good, but probably the blandest and most ordinary dish we ordered. I was trying to see what was in the couscous, but the lights were so dim, that I could not make out the colors of the ingredients. The brighter colors of the other dishes were distinguishable, though. I wouldn’t turn the lights up, as low lights combined with alcohol (they have excellent martinis), tobacco, and hip music make for a great date.

It’s not everyday that pineapple is on a restaurant’s dessert menu, so we ordered the homemade pineapple tart. Excellent, but the side crust was a little too thick. Now, I’m just being picky! Feed me pineapple tart any day!

I can’t wait to go back to Shouk, gorge myself, smoke a hookah, and make out…with the baba ghanoush!

Shouk, 622 S. Sixth St., Philadelphia, PA, 19103, (215)-627-3344
Tues.-Thurs., 6-11pm; Fri.-Sat., 6pm-midnight; Sun., 6pm-11pm

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

I had heard about the long lines for Morning Glory’s weekend brunch, but was hoping that the cold, miserable rain had kept people away. Nope. Not only did I have to wait, (40 minutes to be exact) I had to stand outside in the rain for most of my wait. The diner is smallish and doesn’t have a waiting area inside.

The food had better be good because a.) I had to stand in the rain. b.) I had to wait a long time. c.) I was now very hungry. d.) While waiting inside, I was subjected to watching a patron 2 inches away eat with her mouth open. I was ready to r-i-p them.

The diner sits only about 50 people at the counter and tables. If you’re sitting at the counter you get to watch the grill cook and get knocked by people waiting for a table. It’s the more “adventurous” area of the restaurant. No matter where you sit, counter or table, the noise level is extremely loud when the place is packed to capacity. As we were leaving around 1 o’clock on a Saturday, the crowd seemed to thin, but only slightly. I’m not sure when there’s no line or it’s quiet - probably never.

I ordered the salmon, asparagus and goat cheese frittata sans the fish. Accompanying sides included a buttermilk biscuit, spiced warm apples, and grits. The frittata was the size of a Frisbee golf disk – way more than I needed since I had sides. The frittata was too fluffy and dry. The biscuit was huge, but not in the traditional, round biscuit shape. They bake their biscuits in a sheet and cut them into squares. The apples were cinnamon-y and a different, but welcome, addition to breakfast. The grits were white – I prefer yellow – and just like any grits cooked at a diner. All of my sides rocked, but the frittata was dry.

An aside: Grits should be eaten immediately after cooking so that they are still a little gritty. This cannot be done at a restaurant without making individual batches as they are ordered, so when eating grits at restaurants, they are always overcooked. Grits are better at home.

A companion ordered the tofu scramble. Again, the sides rocked, but the scramble left a lot to be desired. The scramble was not really scrambled, but cubed silken tofu with a one-dimensional curry sauce.

Lets just lay down the rules for silken tofu right now. Silken tofu can be cubed and used in miso soup and other Japanese dishes. It can be whipped and used in desserts, baked goods, or dips. It can be frozen to change its texture and then crumbled to resemble scrambled egg. Um, that’s about it. Otherwise, I never want to bite into a squishy cube of tofu.

While I’m at it, let’s lay down the rules for curry. Curry must be made from fresh, whole spices in order to get a flavor that has dimension. Curry powder does not cut it. Curry usually doesn’t come off that well unless someone’s mother from India makes it.

So, that’s all the ripping I’m going to do on Morning Glory. Now, I’m going to sing such high praises that if I could carry a note it would shatter glass.

Their macaroni and cheese is the real deal! They won me over so hard, that I’ll wait in any freakin’ line to have this side dish of theirs.

They followed the rules exactly on making the mac and cheese. They used elbow macaroni, not some fancy-schmancy shape. They used LOTS of cheese. Their choice of cheeses was not mild. It was greasy and it was g-o-o-d.

The regular menu and daily specials menu has all sorts of delicious sounding sweet treats like carrot cake pancakes with cream cheese frosting and cherry and pineapple pancakes. Unfortunately, no one at our table went the sweet route. Next time I go for brunch I’ll get one of the tempting pancakes and a side of mac and cheese. Yep, I think that’s the way to go.

Morning Glory Diner
735 S. 10th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-413-3999
Tues.-Fri., 7 a.m.-9 p.m, Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
cash only

Horizons - New Vegan Cuisine

Update: no longer open.

Imagine going to a restaurant and being able to eat everything on the menu. That doesn't happen often when you're a vegetarian, and hell might as well freeze over first if you're a vegan. Well, hell just froze over in Philly. Horizons, a vegan haute cuisine restaurant, has cast it's seed from the suburbs and sprouted a more refined establishment in the city.

I'll preface this review by saying that I had about 5 glasses of wine when I stepped into Horizons for dinner, so images and clear memories are a bit blurry. I did have four other people with me who were not as blurry eyed as myself.

Horizons recently opened south of South St. and is not completely finished. Their upstairs is open, but the downstairs is still under construction. I had hesitated going, hoping to go when everything was finished, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I'm glad I went.

The decor is reminiscent of a dining experience you might have while on vacation at a tropical resort, at least that's how I felt. The walls are painted a warm coral, tropical plants are tucked along the stairwell and room, and dark wooden fans twirl atop the vaulted ceiling. The upstairs is one open room with a long bar one walks past before entering the dining area.

I've read that Horizons offers a selection of liquor and vegan beer and wines - apparently some ingredients used in producing wine are animal based. Who knew? Having already indulged in wine, I chose the Playa - a mixed drink of rum and tamarind juice. The first sip surprised me even though I'm familiar with tamarind, but those who are not may not like tart distinctive flavor of tamarind. The rest went down quite smoothly.

The food menu is the most exciting part, because again, nothing is off limits. We started with two appetizers - edamame hummus and the exotic olive tasting. The edamame hummus was a beautiful green color and had a lighter texture and flavor than traditional chickpea hummus. The hummus was served with kimchi and rice crackers. The exotic olive tasting was presented beautifully. Asian soup spoons, each filled with a different kind of olive, were lined along a rectangular platter. The consensus of the group was that the olives were bland. They could have offered a more flavorful variety of olives.

I had the tamarind rum glazed tempeh served with ginger whipped boniato and calabaza stew ($17). Oh. My. God. My dish was out of this world. The large steaks of tempeh had a tangy, sweet sauce. The ginger whipped boniato had an intriguing flavor, almost reminiscent of curry, and kept me shoveling it in my mouth and saying,"These are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had." All of this was surrounded by a stew of sweet calabaza squash and tomatoes. My mouth watered with every bite and I kept shoveling it in faster than I should have. I'm sure if I could have seen myself, I would be have been embarrassed.

I had a bite of every one else's entree, and they were all good. Mine was the best, though. In close second, with explosive flavor, was the smoked tofu with wild mushroom enchiladas, cilantro mint chimmichurri, black beans and jicima salad ($16).

The Caribbean udon ($14) swimming in a creamy Jamaican curry was spectacular. I would have stolen more off of my friends plate, but her seating position made the passing of slippery udon a bit difficult.

Also tasted was the pacific rim grilled tofu with kochujang glaze, ginger lime butter edamame mashed potatoes, and seared yuchoy tips ($17), and the pan seared peppercorn tofu with basil fregola, creamy porcini broth, grilled asparagus and charred tomato salad ($17).

The prices are not cheap, but are comparable to any other fine dining in the city, and that's what Horizons is trying to be - not a bland health food deli, but a restaurant that really shows that vegan cuisine can be just as flavorful, filling, and as exciting as any cuisine. The ingredients, presentation, and flavors are exceptional. It puts anything I do in my kitchen to shame, and that's what I want when I'm dining out.

I was hoping for a lunch menu with cheaper prices, but they are only open in the evening. I will have to settle for evening dining, but their food is definitely worth it. I'm sure vegans and vegetarians in the city who enjoy good food are jumping for joy. A restaurant just for me!

Good luck to Horizons and their new location in the city. My friends, literally, were exclaiming how good the food was every ten minutes the next day. I'm hoping to go back very soon. Perhaps, I'll be a little more cognizant.


Horizons
611 South 7th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-923-6117
Tues. - Thurs., 6-10 p.m.; Fri. - Sat., 6-11 p.m.