24 Hours in Philly
It was only fitting that we were in Philly for a cooking competition — originally anyway –but it got cancelled. So naturally we had to find a way to stick with the foodie theme, so the concept was simple: four different Philly foods in just 12 hours…the other 12 were for sleeping!
First we hit &Pizza, which is actually a DC chain, so I didn’t take a picture of it! But believe that it was delicious. When a pizza place has a Chipotle array of choices for your personal flatbread, things can get real interesting; I think there was a mixture of broccoli, sausage, peppers, and pepperoni with a couple different kinds of cheese. Good job to our friend Sal on that one.
Next up we knew we wanted tacos, so it was off to the famous Barbacoa in South Philly for us. But of course it was closed! There were having an art opening event with some people from Chef’s Table, so we just took pictures with them instead! That was a win-win because we got tacos at the place next door which was surely tasty.
I am certain that Barbacoa’s Chef’s Table ensemble would have destroyed the competition, but its neighbor, Taqueria La Prima did the trick. I appreciated the setup of a charred onion on each plate, and loved biting into one after each delightfully greasy bite of al pastor, barbacoa, chorizo, and pollo asada.
I found the barbacoa to be a bit rubbery and under-seasoned for my taste, but it was nothing the sauce couldn’t fix. The fiery red one was a top choice for me, with the green salsa as a close second. Everything was fresh and authentic, but the texture of the meat was just missing something. I felt like the secret was in the combination of lime juice, sauces, and garnishes used, and maybe we just didn’t get it exactly right.
We were in the super Mexican and super Italian part of town, so of course we couldn’t leave without getting some cannoli! We hopped into a half Italian half Mexican bakery where the walls were lined with colorful pan dulces and the cases filled with tiramisu and chocolate-dipped biscotti. We found the corner with the delightfully mini cannoli and ordered a few. The shy girl behind the counter filled them up with fresh chilled mascarpone from an enormous piping bag. That’s always a good sign. It was a delicious way to cap off our time in South Philly.
Of course by now we absolutely had to pack in a Philly cheesesteak. I mean that’s why you go to Philly right? Might I remind you that all the places visited were on total opposite sides of the city. Don’t worry, it was worth it. Forget the Pat’s or Geno’s tourist traps –we were on our way to Jim’s. Let me tell you, by this time I was completely stuffed with 4 different kinds of taco and torta, and was definitely not thinking about food, but when we rolled into Jim’s at 12 AM and that cheesy meaty smell hit my nostrils, I was…considering taking maybe… a bite?
Sal grabbed one sandwich and decided that we could all split it since we’d been eating all day. The nice man at Jim’s ( Jim?!) obliged and quartered the greasy blimp for us, and we dug in. Oh my goodness, it was everything that I imagined a greasy comforting drunk food should be — but better! Those grilled onions and that fresh thinly cut steak blended together in such a way that just…made you want more. Sal picked up another sandwich, and I smashed another half. NO regrets.
And like that, our Philly micro food tour had come to an end. There were definitely some places I saw that I didn’t get around to like Stock, which honestly looks like noodle heaven. And for sure I’d go back to Philly just for Jim’s. I am still dreaming about you Jim! Maybe I’ll take like 6 to go and freeze them for emergencies.
Oh, and I stumbled upon this gorgeous little gem of a library called House of Our Own right on Penn’s frat row. The owners, a couple in their late 60’s now, started the store during the Vietnam War because they thought people just needed to be more educated. It was something of an organizing space back in the day the wife told me. I thought that was rad. She agreed.
Anyway, the city of brotherly love did not disappoint, and I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised. Philly 2020?
