Pumpkin

Pumpkin Restaurant in Philadelphia
1713 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146 (215) 545-4448

Pumpkin Restaurant in the Rittenhouse Square area is a hidden gem among the Philadelphia restaurant scene. They offer new American Cuisine with local ingredients.  BYOB and cash only.

Inside the restaurant is an intimate environment with seating for 26.

(above) The owners have taken great care restoring the place even putting in interesting lighting and ceiling tiles.

(above) Chilled Golden Beet Soup

(above) Scalops, Cauliflower

 (above) Malted Milk Pot De Creme.  Chocolate, Banana, Caramel, Praline

After dinner pumpkin seeds were a nice finishing touch.

The New American Bistro

The New American Bistro
Local BYOB restaurant in the Folsom, Pennsylvania area
217 Morton Ave, Folsom, PA 19033
(484) 497-8111

This family restaurant is not too imposing on the outside, but inside awaits great food with great prices.  This is sure to please any gathering of friends and family.  It is also a BYOB, which leaves a little more in your wallet.

A chalkboard inside the entrance lists the day's specials and regular fare.

(above) A standard shrimp cocktail to start.  Shrimp was good and the cocktail sauce was not too spicy.

(above) The standard house salad was pretty tasty indeed.

(above) Chicken Parmigiana served with Capellini* Pasta
*diameter between 0.85 mm and 0.92 mm is a very thin variety of Italian pasta.

(above) Chicken Saltimbocca. This is chicken cutlets that enclosed a mix of prosciutto, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Very tasty.

(above) Caesar Salad.  Not too much to be said here, standard caesar salad.  Was what one would expect, and not particularly memorable. Dessert was a different story.

(above) delicious Limoncello cake.  Cream Cheese frosting, strawberries, whip cream.

(above) Double Chocolate cake, strawberries, whip cream.

Yanako

Yanako
4255 Main St, Philadelphia, PA 19127 (267) 297-8151

This terrific sushi jaunt is nestled on Main St, Manyunk amid a bustling, mostly affluent, yuppie community. The decor was enticing so I decided to pop in for something to eat. And I'm glad I did.

(above) I started out with some standard edamame, a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod, found in the cuisine of Taiwan, China, Japan. They were slightly salted as is common and the beans are extracted (inside your mouth) from the pod, and the pod is discarded into a nearby receptacle.  In my opinion, the beans were cooked a bit too long, I like a more crispy, chewiness to my edamame, but that is personal preference.

(above) Negimayaki.  Pan seared scallions wrapped with thinly sliced New York strip steak and tossed with a house-made teriyaki sauce.  This was a delicious course.  The components melded together well and the teriyaki sauce was very sweet.

 (above) Since the main course had such extensive detail and variety, it required several pictures to capture its beauty.  The top row was the Seven Seas roll which was made of tuna, yellowtail, cucumber and tobiko topped with alvocado, tempura crunch and spicy aloli. The middle row was the Kimono which was smoked salmon, eel, avocado and cream cheese, topped with tempura crunch and eel sauce. The bottom row was the Younger Sister roll composed of tuna, avocado, cucumber and kaiware topped with salmon and wasabi tobiko.  The middle row was flanked on the sides by a standard shrimp tempura roll.

Fun Facts:
tobiko: Japanese word for the flying fish roe. It is most widely known for its use in creating certain types of sushi. The eggs are small, ranging from 0.5 mm - 0.8 mm.
tempura: Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried
aloli: Provençal traditional sauce made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and usually egg yolks. There are many variations, such as the addition of mustard
kaiware: sprouted daikon radish seeds. Frequently used in Asian cuisine.
wasabi: more or less Japanese horseradish

 (above) another view.  Furthest left row is Seven Seas, the middle row was the Kimono, and the bottom was the Younger Sister.  Flanking the middle row was a shrimp tempura roll on either side of the Kimono.

(above) detail of the Younger Sister roll.

(above) Flourless chocolate cake with a mint syrup.  Sesame brittle and semi ice cream all house made. Delicious, the mint syrup was a unique touch.

One fun thing about the restaurant is they have their own rewards card you can get points on and redeem for free food. Thought that was pretty cool and certainly will be back for more.  Also nifty is the ability to sit behind the sushi bar and watch your food being prepared.

Sampan

Sampan
124 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 732-3501

This is tapas paradise.  Chef Michael Schulson is a master serving up delicious small plates against a backdrop of an awesome blue/green wall simulating the underbrush of a tropical rain forest.

Hamachi Ceviche. Tempura flake, soy, truffle.  Absolutely delicious.  Make sure you take it down all in one gulp, it helps to mix all the flavors together.

General Tso Soup Dumpling. Chicken, Soy, Vinegar. Fantastic taste, not too sweet either. Just right.  Presentation wasn't exactly the best but the taste more than made up for it.

Calamari Salad: Kale, Spicy Cashew, Apple. So tasty, especially the apples. Could have used more of them though. Lovely dressing and a delicious mix.

Kobe Beef: Apricot, Soy, Mirin*
*Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning.
The apricot seasoning made the dish.  The Kobe beef was nicely cooked however.

Soy Glazed Chilean Sea Bass. Cauliflower Puree, Long Bean Salad. Possibly the best dish of the night.  Fantastically cooked sea bass with a lovely sweet sauce engulfing the beans.  Cauliflower puree offset the sweetness and gave everything a fantastic creamy texture.

Korean Rice Cake: Sweet Sausage, Kim Chee, Yu Choy.  Fantastic dish but way too spicy.  If you're into spicy foods could be a good choice. Flavorful but a bit too overpowering for my taste.

Vietnamese Filet: Sweet Potato, Chimichurri, Bok Choy*
Bok Choy is Chinese cabbage.  Pretty tasty, the sweet potato sauce was a bit sweet.

La Baia

La Baia
1700 Lombard St, Philadelphia, PA 19146 (215) 546-0496

La Baia, a corner-situated restaurant on 17th/Lombard offers good tasting Italian cuisine at a fair price. On the night we went, the service was not that great, but the quality of the food was good enough that I'd return for another meal.

(above) Insalata Di Rucola E Mele Arugula parmigiana cheese & apples in a balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was very tasty, but the candied apples were scarce. Would have liked to had at least 3-4 more apple slices in there with my salad. Towards the end I ended up rationing my apple chunks to enjoy the salad more.

(above) $16.00 Vitello Cleopatra Veal scallopine w/ apples & argula in brandy sauce

(above) Pollo Piccata Chicken breast sauteed w/ lemon & white wine sauce

a.kitchen

a.kitchen
135 S 18th St, Philadelphia 19103

This is  modern, contemporary styled restaurant specializing in tapas (small plates).  Deliciously sized portions and exquisite drinks.

Queen Wasp: 11.  Gin, White Pepper Honey Cordial, Lemon, Angostura
*Angostura bitters is a concentrated bitters, or botanically infused alcoholic mixture, made of water, 44.7% alcohol, herbs and spices, by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago.

(above) Uni Rice Cakes (2pc) smoked pork jowl, japanese mustard ~ $12

(above) Steamed Manila Clams white wine, black garlic, chili paste ~ $11

(above) American Wagyu Steak blackened “frenched” onion, alpine cheese ~ $25

(above) Smoked Beets beet gribiche*, crisps ~ $11
*mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce in the French cuisine, made by emulsifying hard-boiled egg yolks and mustard with a neutral oil

(above) Toasted Emmer Wheat Pound Cake.  Lavender honey, rhubarb, toasted oat ice cream

(above) Cajeta Custard. Almond crunch, violet, maple syrup

Serafina - Philadelphia

Serafina
130 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 977-7755

Imagine a restaurant that is combined with an electronic dance music club.  While Serafina tends to cater to the Italian, upper-middle class crowd, there was overt dance music playing throughout the entire evening's dinner.  I felt like I was at a rave and I should get up and dance while enjoying my calamari.

Serafina boasts a nice bar, and the restaurant is well decorated.

Large glass windows give the restaurant an open air feel with tables outside for al fresco dining during the summer months.

(above) It may not look like much, but this cocktail was amazing. Lazzaroni Bocci Ball: Lazzaroni Amaretto Liquor, Orange Juice over ice. $12.  Sweet.  Tasted like a creamsicle.  May have had 3.  Or 4.  They really could have done something better about the presentation here however.

(above) Carpaccio Malatesta: thin slices of marinated beef w/ organic baby arugula, vegetables and aged parmigiano

(above) Calamari fried calamari served w/ a special tomato dip

(above) Pappardelle Di Portofino homemade pesto sauce, string beans, pine nuts & potatoes

(above) Tagliolini Con Petti Di Pollo homemade w/ chicken, baby peas, mushrooms & a touch of cream

(above) Gelati E Sorbetti served in an almond shell

(above) Focaccia Alla Nutella special nutella sauce and strawberries (nutella contains hazelnut and peanut oil) perfect to share!