I should probably win an award for “blogger who can go the longest without blogging.” We’ve been traveling quite a bit for family obligations, but we’re finally back in California now. Once all the traveling was done, it took me a while to regain focus and discipline to blog again, so I let days and days go by without even thinking of my next entry. Thanks for bearing with me while I rested and got over my writer’s block.
While we were in Philadelphia, of course we ate cheesesteaks. We also had some awesome Chinese food, pizza, salmon salad…you name it. But I’d say the most memorable meals were probably with my sister and brother-in-law, the last two days we were there.
My brother-in-law pre-purchased a chef’s tasting meal for four at Raw: Sushi & Sake Lounge. Each of the courses were so unique, tasty, and best of all, paired with a different kind of sake! It had been a while since Joe and I ate a really good meal at a fancy place, so this was a true treat. Stuff like this helps stretch me as a chef and gives me great new ideas for plating.
First Course: Salmon Tataki. Seared salmon with micro greens. This was my sister’s and my favorite. It was raw salmon, slightly seared only on the outside. It had great flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth buttery texture. Don’t be fooled by my camera angle. This little nugget was a tiny tot.
Second Course: Walu Wrap with Roasted Garlic. White fish with king crab, and creamy roasted garlic sauce. One big bite of pure lemony, garlicky, seafood joy.
Third Course: Suzuki Carpaccio. Thinly sliced striped bass flash seared with sesame oil, garnished with tobiko. This was interesting. It was definitely raw, but just barely kissed with heat by the hot oil. So it was kind of like hot sashimi?
Fourth Course: Surf ‘n’ Turf with Miso Risotto. Steak, shrimp, and scallop served with peach balsamic vinaigrette. The main entree was significantly larger than all of the other tasting size portions before it. We didn’t expect it to be so substantial, so we ordered a few rolls before it. By the time this dish came around, we were stuffed like turkeys. But that didn’t stop us from eating our Fifth Course of creamy and thick green tea ice cream to polish off the meal.
The next day, on the morning of our last day in Philly, the four of us went out to the city again to eat at Marathon before we were off to the airport.
This is one of my sister’s go-to restaurants for brunch. Everything is good here.
But we went there especially for the award winning “Sally’s Chicken Matzoh Ball Soup.” This has won “Best of Philly” and I totally get why. I dream of this soup.
Slurp! Slurp! The broth is clean and the huge matzo ball is savory and delicious. It really helped us to nurse our nasty colds. So if you’re ever in Philly, visit Marathon and TRY THE MATZO BALL SOUP!
I ordered my favorite “splurge” brunch item, which is a toasted sesame bagel with lox, of course with Philadelphia cream cheese. But what I appreciated the most was the tons of fresh veggies that came with it. Mmm… there’s just something about biting into a toasty sesame bagel with cool cream cheese, salty smoked salmon, and fresh cucumbers.
And Joe ordered his favorite “splurge” brunch item, a big waffle with bananas and strawberries. It looked more like dessert to me, especially with that whipped cream and powdered sugar action. He definitely has a sweet tooth.
We grabbed coffee to go and strolled around a bit more to digest.
And I tried my best to get all of us in the picture together, including my nephew in his stroller. I had to sacrifice half my face to get it.
And then we said our goodbyes. As were being dropped off at the airport, our nephew totally lost it and started doing his famous “close-eyed cry” while chewing on a Starbucks straw. It was so cute and sad at the same time. Awww…it’s nice to feel loved!
Being in Philly made me nostalgic about my college days. But back then, I couldn’t afford to eat at places like Raw. Heck, I still can’t now! We were lucky to have experienced all these good eats. Oh Philly, you are definitely more to me now than just cheesesteaks.
