UFM Meatless Fridays Part 3...

Had a Green Smoothie for Brunch...
Spinach, Pear, Carrot, Chia, Spirulina, Chlorella, Cayenne, Turmeric, Ginger, Raw Organic Honey... 
#healthylifestyle#greensmoothie #greenshakes #simplegreensmoothies#raptorsdelight #urbanfoodmaven

Had sushi for dinner at Morimoto in Philly...

I know, I know... I fell a tiny smidge with the Foie Gras...

I have no excuse, the temptation was too great because..
well.. because it's Foie Gras and secondly, because after I move back to SF I will not be able to get this delicacy...

Other than that, I was good, I promise!

You will be able to click on the Morimoto photo above for the full details of our Meal...

It was amazing as always!

Marc Forgione American Cut Atlantic City...

So the Birthday Girl chose American CUT by Chef Marc Forgione for her actual birthday dinner...

If you could not tell by the name alone, it is a steakhouse at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City.

We had a fantastic time and a pretty extravagant meal!

Details below...

OG 1924 HOTEL CAESAR SALAD
Parmigiano Reggiano, Soft Egg, Pullman Crouton
Now this was prepared tableside and the gentleman preparing relayed the charming anecdote on how the salad got it's name, which I thought was a nice touch...
(click here for the Caesar Salad story)
From a restaurant consulting perspective, I wonder if the story idea originally came from the tableside prep guy or was he trained do so by Chef Forgione?

STEAK KNIFE WEDGE SALAD

Schaller & Weber Bacon, Maytag Blue Cheese

We had a round of Cocktails and Martinis to start but had this wonderful bottle of 2010 Roth Estates Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with our Meal...

HANGER STEAK...

10 oz

Birthday Girl loves Hanger Steak which is what led her to choose this spot in the first place..

THE ATLANTIC CITY CUT...

20 oz Bone-In Ribeye, 

Boardwalk Seasoning, Smoke

We ordered all of the Sauces & Butters for the Steaks which composed of: 

Chimichurri

Bearnaise

Au Pierre Poivre

Red Wine

Our Potato Side was the Twice Baked with Cheddar Jack and Truffle...

Carrot Glazed Carrot with Mint... Huh?

We also got the Wood-Fired Cream Spinach with Sunchokes but I slept on the photo op...

Sorry Kids! It was good though...

So there was a slight mix up with our steaks due to some miscommunication, not by our server by the way, who happened to be very good and handled the error quite well...

He in turn gave us all of the following desserts to help make up for it...

CANDY BAR CAKE

Flourless Chocolate Cake, Peanut Caramel, Chocolate Mousse, 

Roasted Peanut Ice Cream

We paired Dessert Wines of course - a Port for the Chocolate and a Sauterne & Moscato d'Asti for the rest of it...

Overall,  it was a Very Decadent Meal!

We laughed about it afterwards, saying how we were four women at dinner eating a meal that was worthy of a bunch of dudes... 

Very proud to have friends who share in my Epicurean & Raptor proclivities...

Happy Birthday to My Girl Jenn!

Amada Atlantic City...

Ah Amada... Or shall I say Chef Garces.. Amada never fails to disappoint!  

And it did not in Atlantic City.. Well.. at least the Food did not... The service on the other hand was a bit lacking.. But have found that that tends to be the case in AC. 

We had heard that the AC location was much better than the one in Philly. We found that while it was certainly a more beautifully-designed sprawling space with ocean views, the food is still deliciously the same.. So take it for what it's worth...

Here is what we had below...

Gambas al Ajillo...

GAMBAS AL AJILLO
Garlic Shrimp...

Spanish Flatbread...

COSTILLAS DE TERNERA

Beef Short Ribs, 

Horseradish, 

Parmesan, Bacon

ALBÓNDIGAS

Lamb Meatballs, 

Shaved Manchego

PULPO A LA GALLEGA

Spanish Octupus,

Confit Potato...

I will ALWAYS order the Pulpo here as it my favorite preparation of it to date...

Definitely UFM Highly Recommend... #ufmrec

CHORIZO

Paprika Garlic Sausage...

GARBANZOS CON ESPINACAS

Crispy Chickpeas & Spinach...

Went great with the Chorizo... Highly recommend them together! 

All in all, a great meal in a gorgeously designed restaurant with so-so service...

I love Chef Garces Food!

UFM Meatless Fridays Part 2...

Just a quickie...

Avocado Toast with Arugula...

Made Green Curry Shrimp with Baby Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage & Mushroom...

Elevated Southern Food at Rex 1516 in Philly...

Had Brunch the other day at Rex 1516 in Philly.. Elevated Southern Cuisine by Executive Chef Justin Swain on South Street in Philly... 

I was craving a Croque Madame but I got swayed to the Chicken & Waffle Benedict and the Shrimp & Grits because it had Pork Belly... 

Started with a nice dry French sparkling.. 

Comtes de Bucques... 

Chicken & Waffle Benedict...

Fried Chicken atop Belgian Waffles, Poached Eggs & Creole Hollandaise...

Shrimp & Grits with Fried Egg & Pork Belly...

Fried Egg, Roasted Tomatoes, Spicy Cheddar Sauce, Crispy Pork Belly & Blackened Shrimp on Creamy Grits...

Props to Chef Swain... 

Great Southern Brunch with a nice spin on it... Will hopefully get back there to try the Cajun Croque Madam before I head west... So many places to eat still in Philly, so little time...

Panko-Crusted Tilapia with a Lemon Beurre Blanc...

Ingredients:

6-8 Tilapia Filets

Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Lemon

4-6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Flat Leaf Parsley

Salt & Pepper

Cayenne

Olive Oil Spray

Spray baking dish with olive oil spray.

Lay tilapia filetson top and then season with salt & pepper, I prefer cayenne pepper.

Sprinkle with panko crumbs & lemon zest.

Bake in oven at 350 for approximately 25 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

In a sauce pan, melt butter & lemon juice and then add coarsely chopped parsley once heated through.
Drizzle on top of baked tilapia and serve with vegetable of choice.

Bar Ferdinand in Philly...

Bar Ferdinand is a wonderfully romantic tapas spot in the Northern Liberties part of Philadelphia. It has a really good wine list with unique Spanish wine offerings & great tapas. 

February 2014

Went to Bar Ferdinand for the first time when I was out with my girlfriends for Sunday Funday in Philly. Click here for the details...

March 2014

Did it typical UFM-styles...

Bellied up to the bar again with Matt behind the bar, sharing a bunch of plates while trying to pair wines with the food...

The Wine...

While I enjoyed the Les Sorts Rosat first I then went on to the red Txakoli that we had had the last time... 

👉🍷2011 Ameztoi Rubentis Getariako Txakolina - palate-opening with minerality.. 

I decided that night that I was going to start giving some of the wines that I drink a name. I know this sounds a little crazy but as we were sitting there tasting and trying all of the different wines and trying to describe them, I found that some of the wines had their own personalities.. I know.. I'm strange. But whatever.. you still love me.

So getting back to the wine.. This one, the red txakoli, I called, Lucy...

Lucy Goosey. Yeah.

👉🍷2012 Fuente Milano Verdejo Viura - bright fruit and slight effervescence.. nice ride.. Went great with the Pork Belly.. #ufmrec 

👉🍷2010 El Castro de Valtuille Bierzo Mencia - a little austere with a graphite start and commanding finish... I called her Natasha... 

What can I say? She felt like a Natasha...

The Food...

🍴Spanish Octopus with Fingerlings, Pimenton & Aged Sherry... This was a good dish.. Octopus was very tender and flavor was spot on.. 

🍴Pork Belly Roasted Crispy with Apple Pear Chutney & Bacon Sherry Emulsion... Great Flavor Profile & probably My UFM Fave Dish of the evening... I mean, I am a Filipina & it is Pork Belly served crispy.. C'mon... #ufmrec

🍴Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Iberico Ham with Romesco on the side... 

🍴New York Strip Steak with Organic Fried Egg & Truffles...

The last two dishes were well executed and beautifully prepared but could've used some salt... 

Overall, it was another great experience here at Bar Ferdinand...

Great Wines... 👉🍷

Great Food... 👉🍴

Good Vibes... 👉👍

UFM Meatless Fridays Part 1...

So here is what I ate on Friday...

Avocado Toast with a Mixed Supergreens Salad drizzled with EVOO, Lemon & Freshly Grated Pecorino & Lemon Zest...

I also had a Green Smoothie today...

Pear, Carrot, Ginger, Kale, Spinach, Chia, Cayenne, Turmeric, Spirulina & Raw Organic Honey...

Made Dinner as well...

Panko-Crusted Tilapia with a Lemon Parsley Beurre Blanc side of Roasted Asparagus...
Click Here for Recipe...

New UFM Series: What To Eat on Meatless Fridays for Lent...

Those that know me as the Raptor, know that giving up Meat even for one day is difficult sometimes... 
I mean, just last night, I was talking to my cousin Vince about craving pho today... Since I've been back in Philly, I've been averaging 2-3 times per week eating pho at my go to spot Pho75... 

Yes, I've even been told by my good friend Jennifer that I will turn into a bowl of pho some day!

Even posting this pic is awfully tempting... ugh... 

But no, I will be good and hold off to have my pho phix this weekend...

Question is, what will I eat instead????

That is simple... 

Seafood is not off limits and we will go for sushi instead... yeah!

Take That Pho! lol

So anyhow, getting back to my point, I decided to start a new weekly series on Meatless Fridays but will post on Thursdays to gets self motivated...

Stay Tuned Food Mavens...

Yours In Food...

The UrbanFoodMaven