Café con Chocolate

I'm so, so sorry to have let Café con Chocolate sit in my restaurant to-do list for as long as it did. Don't even bother reading the recap of my meal at this small café in deep South Philly serving Mexican and Japanese dishes; just go there. You won't regret it.

Wait. Huh? Mexican and Japanese? Yes. The owner is of Mexican and Japanese decent, so it only makes sense to serve up what one knows best. One of my favorite restaurants of all time serves Mexican and Korean food (sorry, it's 600 miles away), but it works because it's what the owners know best.

We arrived at Café con Chocolate's sunny yellow building at the corner of Snyder Ave. and Norwood St. (that's between 21st and 22nd) at prime brunch time on a Sunday, and were the only ones dining in, besides a couple of older men that were obviously regulars from the neighborhood. The only reason I can guess Café con Chocolate sits nearly empty while there are long lines at other hot brunch spots is because of Café con Chocolate's location in deep South Philly. I admit that the reason Café Con Chocolate sat on my to-do list so long is it's location in a part of town I have no other business in, but now that I know how good the food is, I don't mind walking the thirty minutes it takes from our house into no man's land.Since it was cold out, we started with a big cup of Cajetuccino (basically a cappuccino with a shot of caramel syrup) and a cup of Chocolate Oaxaca. Both were awesome, but I especially loved the subtly spicy Mexican hot chocolate. There was something else about the hot chocolate other than the cinnamon and chili that I loved, but I couldn't place my finger on it; it tasted almost slightly minty.

When it's warmer out, we'll have to try some of the milkshakes, smoothies, tamarind and hibiscus water, Mexican juices, and other beverages on their menu.

I had the hardest time choosing from Café con Chocolate's menu, since almost every item is or can be made vegetarian. Tacos, flautas, burritos, enchiladas, empanadas, quesadillas, tostadas, or tortas? But what about the Japanese red curry, tempanyaki (grilled vegetables), and itokognaku (sauteed vegetable and noodles served with rice)?
I went with the Mollete from the breakfast menu. The buttered and toasted roll topped with refried beans and melted cheese with a side of pico de gallo is a simple meal, but the sesame seed roll was excellent, and the pico de gallo was so fresh I wouldn't be surprised if it was prepared after I put in my order. The Mollete was also filling (I took half home) and a bargain. The printed menu said $4.50, and the chalk board menu said $4.00, but our bill said $3.50. No matter which price you're charged, it's still cheap.My partner had the Chilequiles, fried tortillas covered with your choice of mole sauce or salsa, two eggs, and a side of refried beans ($7.00) from the breakfast menu. He chose mole sauce, and I am so glad he did. I want to buy buckets of Café con Chocolate's mole sauce, that's how much I like it! I scraped my partner's plate with my fork after he was done to get all of the sauce I could into my mouth. Not classy, but, hey. I like mole sauce, but sometimes the bitterness puts me off. Bitterness is not a problem with Café con Chocolate's mole; it has a sweet edge and ends with a warm spiciness. So good.

We had already picked out the fruit-filled empanadillas from the dessert menu, but were too full to even consider eating more after finishing brunch. Thankfully, we had a thirty minute walk home ahead of us to burn off some of what we just ate.

As we walked home we could not stop talking about how much we loved Café con Chocolate - a café serving food they know and love, doing it well, and not inflating prices. We wished this small café were closer to home, but then thought better of that dangerous idea. A little walk never hurt anyone.

Café con Chocolate
2100 S. Norwood St., Philadelphia, PA, 19145
267-639-4506
Thurs-Sat: 10 am - 8 pm
Sun: 10 am - 3 pm
Mon-Wed: closed
BYOB

Hershey's Miniatures Mint Collection

Apparently, these have been around for years, and I either don't remember them or never saw them at all, but this year, they are new to me. I usually don't choose Hershey's chocolate, but it's limited edition, so I felt compelled.

If you haven't already, I recommend reading Cybele's reviews on and articles about the reformulation of Hershey's chocolate. For example, here's one about the standard Hershey's Miniatures. She's done a lot of delving into the situation, and it's very interesting, to say the least. I can only assume that these Mint Miniatures were affected, too.


First, I tried the Mint White Creme. If this were a beauty contest, this would be the hands-down winner! It's so festive! But unfortunately, the white chocolate was chalky. The mint was nice, and it reminded me of those pastel meltaway mints with sprinkles, but the white chocolate wasn't creamy enough. At least it was pretty! B-


Next up was the Mint Sweet Chocolate. I used to like Hershey Special Dark, but lately, it tastes pretty bland. It wasn't much better with mint. The chocolate itself was grainy, and it didn't really go with the Special Dark taste too terribly well. A York Peppermint Patty would be a much more pleasing dark/mint treat. My husband liked this one, though. C-


Finally, I tried the Mint Milk Chocolate. Surprisingly, this was the best of the bunch for me. It had a mint taste reminiscent of an Andes mint, but again, had a chalky texture. The flavor was good, but I wish the chocolate was smoother. My father also liked this one best. B

Overall, these were pretty unremarkable. I can't say any of them tasted bad, but I certainly wouldn't buy them again. It was the texture that really got me, since all of them were grainy or chalky. Maybe that can be blamed on the temperature when I tasted them, though, so I'd be interested in hearing what other people think of these.

C

Hershey's Website (English)

Nestle Caramel Macchiato McFlurry KitKat

Has there ever been a KitKat with a longer name? I bought some of these KitKats while in Japan, and the package says it's a collaboration with McDonalds (hence the McFlurry part of the name). But right away, I knew this wouldn't be the KitKat for me. I'm not a huge fan of coffee-flavored things, even though I love coffee. However, with Japanese KitKats, I feel that I have an obligation to taste them.

The box boasts of a "delicate aroma and milky flavor" but the whiff I got when I opened the package was not at all delicate. Like many caramel KitKats of late, my first impression was a strong smell of caramel. I didn't pick up on the coffee or on any ice cream scent. My expectations were pretty low at that point.


It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm a sucker for pretty chocolate, and I do love a swirly looking KitKat. The coffee taste was very much in the background, with the exception of a few bites. It could have been my imagination, but I think the darker swirls in the white chocolate had a stronger coffee flavor. For the most part, the taste was a chemical-y caramel.

The white chocolate itself was creamy and decent (not chalky), and I finished one of the two sticks before my throat started to burn from the sweetness. With some bites having more coffee flavor than others, it seemed inconsistent, and they might as well have left off the McFlurry part, campaign be darned.

So, this isn't in the running for favorite KitKat by any stretch of the imagination, but at least it was better than Muscat of Alexandria (review coming soon). I was a little too kind when reviewing this last night, so as of 11/28, the rating has changed...again. Japanese Snack Reviews also has a review of this KitKat.

C-

KitKat Website (Japanese)

CakeKraft

Michelle Poole of CakeKraft is back in town, and is lovingly and masterfully baking cakes, cupcakes, vegan cakes, gluten-free cakes, cookies, and other treats with all-natural ingredients and the best local, organic, and free trade ingredients whenever possible. Expect to see her cakes soon in and around the Philly area, including the Philly suburbs, New Jersey, and Delaware, at coffee shops, restaurants, and markets.

If you're jonesin' for some cakes and cuppers from CakeKraft right now, you're in luck, because she also does custom orders. Contact Michelle on her website and place an order for your next wedding, party, or event (sitting around the TV watching Top Chef with friends qualifies as an event), and deliciousness will be delivered to your door.

I know I've presented fresh baked cupcakes from a bakery at a party before, and, gosh, besides having more variety than I would ever dare bake at once, CakeKraft's desserts are just tastier and prettier than what I can whip up.Oh, you want to know how they taste? I sampled four varieties of CakeKraft cupcakes (two vegan, and two regular) and they were all fabulous, satisfying my raging sweet tooth without being overly sweet. And the vegan cupcakes were just as delicious as the regular cupcakes. Seriously. The regular cupcakes had a finer crumb than the vegan cupcakes, but that was the only difference.

I ate (all at one sitting, of course):

• vegan pumpkin-carrot spice with cream cheese frosting (walnuts and dried cranberries had me swooning hard)
• vegan dark chocolate with chocolate ganache (not too sweet, deep chocolate flavor with espresso undertones)
• chocolate with cappuccino buttercream (that cappuccino buttercream is crazy good)
• vanilla buttercake with vanilla bean buttercream (can't beat a classic)

Now, go get some!

CakeKraft
cakekraft.com

Thanksgiving Recipes

You probably already have the T-day menu planned, but plans can change (ours did), or maybe you're just undecided. A couple of recipes on this site are getting lots of hits recently due to, I'm sure, frantic recipe searches, so I figured I'd make a post of a few of the most Thanksgiving appropriate recipes on M&C.
Balsamic-Braised Cipolline with Pomegranite - I wish these were on this year's menu.
Sweet Potato Biscuits - mmm.
Soy and Seitan Turkey - tips on Bryanna's recipe, which is on this year's menu.
Bourbon Walnut Sweet Potato Mash - skip the experiment part and go straight to the recipe.Copper Pennies - a simple, but irresistible side.
Raw Beet Salad - no cooking!
Apple-Cranberry Pie - made this last Thanksgiving and it was fab.
Rustic Rolls - carb load.

What's on our menu? Well, after our small gathering shrank to just the two of us, we nixed the baked brie, pecan pie, mashed potatoes, and salad greens topped with dried cranberries, pepitas, roasted beets, and roasted squash. We're keeping the soy and seitan turkey (already made it), my grandmother's cornbread dressing (cornbread's ready to go), nutritional yeast gravy, cranberry sauce (cranberries and oranges finely chopped and left raw, with spices and sugar), sweet potato souffle (my fav), brussel sprouts, and pumpkin pie (already ordered from MANNA). Very traditional.

Happy eating, whether it's take out or home made, amongst dozens or alone.

Orillas Tapas Bar

I'm excited about the revitalization of Wilmington's downtown lower Market St. that's been dubbed LoMa (Lower Market). I've already attempted The Rebel (gotta give it another go, since the first time failed), and a few days ago I dropped in on Wilmington's newest tapas bar and restaurant, Orillas, for lunch. At the time of my visit, Orillas had been open less than two weeks.

The long and narrow Orillas is quite cozy with a few high-top tables looking out the street font window, a wooden bar along an exposed brick wall, and linen-topped tables in the back. I sat at one of the high-tops and warmed myself while watching the first snow of the season float down, but could easily see myself returning to the bar for an evening drink and nibble.

Orillas' menu of small plates is not as veggie friendly as other tapas bars in Philly such as Bar Ferdinand, Ansill or Amada, for example. Orillas offers only four vegetarian dishes on their lunch menu (assorted olives, vegetarian croquettes, sauteed spinach, and an olive, mushroom and artichoke flat bread pizza), and adds two more veggie options on their slightly larger dinner menu (an eggplant flat bread pizza and roasted vegetables).

It seems that some dishes, like the salads and flat breads, could easily be modified to be vegetarian, but this was never suggested by my server who caught on to my vegetarianism and ran through the menu options with me. I did not press the subject since I had a few options with which to start. There is also a paella studded with vegetables on the dinner menu I noted that could possibly be vegetarian, but is unclear from the menu description, and I had quizzed my server enough on the lunch menu already.While it would be nice to see a larger percentage of vegetarian plates at Orillas, as long as there are a few options I am not that put off.

The one thing I would suggest Orillas change for sure on their menu is their cheese plate, or more correctly, cheese and meat plate. Most tapas bars and wine bars allow you to order a cheese plate independent of meat, but at Orillas the menu only gives the option of a small cheese and meat plate and a large cheese and meat plate. They should separate the two and offer a plate of assorted cheeses, and a plate of assorted meats, or, at least, an option that lets you pick and choose any combination of cheese and meat. And if this is already a possibility, please make the menu more clear.
The vegetarian croquettes were dark and crispy outside, and comfortingly soft and warm inside with a mush of onions, spinach, peppers, and carrots harmoniously blended, but never tasting overridingly or any one of the ingredients. The real flavor of the dish comes from the roasted pepper-heavy romesco sauce.
The Jardinera flat bread pizza comes topped with artichokes, roasted mushrooms, kalamata olives, pine nuts, goat cheese and romesco sauce. At $10, Orillas' flat bread pizza is a tad more expensive than flat bread pizzas found at most restaurants in the area, and for that reason there is no excuse for the canned artichoke hearts that topped this pizza. I'd suggest nixing the artichoke hearts and ramping up the flavorful roasted mushrooms in their place. The earthy flavors of the mushroom would also help balance out the salty and tangy olives and goat cheese.

This is absolutely total nitpicking, but I think new restaurants need the criticism so they can quickly correct the little wrongs. For cutting purposes, the flat bread would have been better presented on a flat wooden plank instead of a concave plate. I struggled to cut the flat bread with my butter knife as the flat bread slid up the opposing side of the plate, all the while fearing the loud clank of metal on porcelain when I finally made it through the less than paper thin, crispy crust. If not a wooden plank, at least present the flat bread on a flat plate.

Again, I'm excited for the revitalization of Wilmington's downtown and the new businesses that have arrived and are still to come. And although it doesn't seem like I'm excited about Orillas with all my nitpicking, I am. This charming restaurant is brand new, so has some kinks to work out and, hopefully, a menu to fine tune. I can't wait to go back and enjoy some wine or sangria at the bar and grab some cheese (let's get a cheese plate option!) and dessert. Hear, hear to more walkable dining destinations in downtown Wilmington.

Update: Orillas Revisited
Update: Orillas has moved up the street to 902 Market St.

Orillas
413 N. Market St., Wilmington, DE 19801
Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11am-2:30pm
Dinner: Mon-Thurs, 5-10pm; Fri & Sat 5-11pm

Good Girls Get Capriotti's

I've written about my love of Capriotti's veggie turkey sub before, and, to be honest with you, it's the one food I eat out (technically, it's take-away) more than any other food in Delaware or Philly. Capriotti's veggie turkey sub is #1 on my list of the few foods I will miss if, and when, I ever leave the area.

I almost cried (and later considered writing a letter to the owners) about a month ago when they told me the supplier of their veggie turkey had discontinued the product, and they didn't foresee ever getting veggie turkey again. But I knew to simmer down and let it go; this veggie turkey disappearing act has happened before, and then magically reappeared.

Here's where I reveal more info than you need to know, but I know blog readers just loves them some personal info to put in their stalker file: I always treat myself to a Capriotti's veggie turkey sub on the day of my annual girly exam. It's kinda like getting a lollipop at the end of a doctor's visit for being a good girl.

My doctor's visit was yesterday, and, well, what was I going to do, seeing as how Capriotti's veggie turkey had dried up? I'm a big girl; I don't haaave to have a lollipop.

Well, after waking up to a flat tire (good morning!), and then riding on the flat tire to two gas stations to find an operable air machine (just put a sign on it if it's broken - a person only carries so many quarters, you know) because I didn't have time to fix a flat before heading to the doctors (they charge you if you don't make it), then driving through snow to the doctors (I know they were just flurries and would never stick, but I hate snow and it makes me incredibly worrisome and tense) where she tells me my blood pressure is higher than usual (no, shit! I just had a flat tire and drove like a mad woman through snow to my favoritest place in the world - ugh, I pride myself on low blood pressure), then I go to work to find I can't work because Y didn't do Z, so I go get my $20 tire patch, but have to wait two hours in a waiting room with a TV spewing crap and a woman talking loudly on her cell the en-tie-yur time for them to tell me that because I drove on my flat the inside of the tire is ruined (knew I shouldn't have taken that shortcut down the cobble stone road!) and I need a new one (of course, I rock the high dollar low profiles).

What I need is a lollipop. Now.

After I paid for my new tire, I walked to my car, sat in the parking lot and called Capriotti's (it's in my cell) in hopes that veggie turkey had magically made a reappearance, and...it has!!!!!