New & Old Again

 More exploration into the cafes of West Philly and a return to an old favorite.

Dropped into Cafe Renata to do some mild studying with a friend, but we wound up spending 1/3 of the time eating. The homemade mozzarella cheese is outrageous, seriously the best I've ever had. The apple cream cheese cake came recommended from yelp and the owner which was also delicious, although a bit too sweet for me. They've just started serving brunch (free sparkling wine if you buy oj!!!) and Mediterranean inspired dinner. Go check this place out.

$15 prix fixe lunch at distritio? Sign me up! All of the favorites are on there including the guac and mushroom flatbread.

I walk past this place basically every other day so finally decided to drop in. My chai tea latte was quite generous in size and heavily caffeinated but service is veryy slow so only come if you have some time to kill and intend on mostly lounging/studying there. 

Some New & Old

Since I was in major food withdrawal all week, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to do some exploring and check off some restaurants on my extensive "must eats" list.

West Philadelphia Exploration

I admit I am quite a bit behind when it comes to exploring and eating at the plethora of cafes, ethnic eateries and new additions of West Philadelphia. Inspired by all of the recommendations I have been receiving, I spent most of the week taking walks west of 40th and Spruce to see what was out there.

Quickly becoming a Penn staple, this tiny taco shop offers perfectly made tacos: everything from sweet potato to shrimp and carnitas (pictured above). I'm am definitely returning this week to try out the burritos which are supposed to be even better than the tacos.

Stopped by this BYOB after seeing Marigold Cafe was closed for brunch. The menu is quite creative such as the smoked salmon crepe with carmelized apricots and candied walnuts (above), but the portions were quite small and I left feeling a tad still hungry. Good for a lunch but not what I was expecting for a Sunday brunch.

Adorable cafe with wide-range of breakfast and lunch offerings. Wasn't impressed by my particular turkey sandwich but a good place to spend a sunny afternoon away from the crowd.

An oldie (Yogorino), and one of my all time favorite dessert places in Philadelphia & a newbie (Lil Pop Shop). Thought the $3/ tiny popsicle price tag was a bit overpriced but that was before I bit into my chocolate with salted caramel brownie fudge bar which included bits of freshly baked brownie. Definitely going back to try some of the other flavors such as green tea with mochi and earl grey with vanilla bean and black pepper.

Brunch Addition

Been dying to try this pace after I heard people raving about the lemon ricotta pancakes. Will admit it was a bit difficult to find but so worth the trip! The unlimited filter coffee instantly made me a fan of the place.

Huevos Rancheros: toasted corn tortillas, topped with refried beans, roasted peppers, jack cheese, and two fried eggs, finished with grilled chorizo and pico de gallo. [AMAZING, never much a fan of spanish inspired brunch dishes but this one has converted me]
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes: Light and fluffy, was surprised it wasn't more "lemony" but I liked how the dish was really light

All Time Favorite
I lovee Jose Garces and I love love love JG Trading Company (restaurant week post here). Probably has something to do with the wine shop in the store that lets you BYO every meal...Plus, this is probably his only restaurant that regularly changes the menu which gives me reason to keep coming back.

Finally tried to duck fat fries which were fried to perfection. They do taste a bit heavier even though the fries were light and fluffy thanks to the duck fat. 

Serrano ham pizza: Brussels Sprouts, Whipped Ricotta, Pear Balsamic. This pizza is great, all of the flavors work together so perfectly and the duck fat on the dough makes it taste like a cross between a cracker and cheesy bread, I'm usually the one leaving uneaten crusts on my plate but not this time.
The Spaniard: This sandwich came at the recommendation of our waiter but it was basically an underwhelming chicken club sandwich with very dry chicken. Probably won't be ordering any sandwiches next time I come back.

The Cafes of Prague

After my plethora of Viennese cafe posts (which you can find here and here and here), you would have thought I was done with talking about cafes. On the contrary, I became a little obsessed after my visit to Vienna so I decided to scoop out the best ones in Prague. The best in my opinion, is Cafe Savoy. We came here twice for breakfast and once for an afternoon coffee and pastry. Almost everything was good minus a few slight misses. Cafe Savoy, now owned by the successful Ambiente Restaurant Group, is a Prague institution. It was considered a nouveau and decadent establishment in its day with its neo-renaissance ceiling (you can view some pics here). Now, its a somewhat tourist trap but still serves the best breakfast in the city.

+ the famous Cafe Savoy vanilla milk shake (very liquidy and different from your typical diner milkshake, good but probably wouldn't order it again)
+ the French breakfast which included french toast with maple syrup, sausages, french fries, a boiled egg, blue cheese (which I did not touch) and orange juice

I was very excited to see the french toast offering on the menu but alas it was not the usual Taphouse/Sabrina's type of french toast made with challah bread and covered in sugary/buttery goodness. However, it satisfied by severe brunch craving. The french fries were more like string fries and seasoned really well, and they even came with ketchup! (not something that happens too often in Europe). Not sure why this was dubbed a French breakfast as the only thing that was kind of French was the croissant but we were happy with the big selection of food :)

+Caffe au lait
+ Croissant (a part of the French breakfast)
+ Cheese omelet
+ Housemade bread with butter
+ A very exciting selection of mustards which came with the Prague sausages (not shown).

We also ordered the frankfurter Savoy, one of the cafe's specialties, but they really just reminded us of cafeteria hot dogs. They were also boiled like cafeteria hot dogs. What did make them different was the very interesting selection of mustards and fresh horseradish that came with the dish.  V was really not a fan although I thought they were fine. Put them on a hot dog roll with a bit of the grainy mustard and it would have been a rather classy hot dog.

Cafe Rembrandt

Cafe Rembrandt - located in an enclosed square (name unpronounciable) that used to house the goods of the merchants from the olden days.

The ambiance was quite cozy as the living area was filled with plush chairs and sparsely filled with people. 

Candlelight and champagne

My kind of flowers

This place takes flowers to a whole new level. Every ingredient, baked delight, afternoon snack and cafe drink had flowers as one of the ingredients. And to boot, there were the most gorgeous bouquets scattered around the tiny 3-table shop.  We happened to serendipitously stumble upon the corner cafe after breezing through St. Laurent but came back on our last day to savor a light brunch and some more floral beverages.

Check out the ambiance! I sure did. The cafe used to be a local corner store which is where the old looking wooden shelves and flooring comes from. Fortunately, everything was still immaculately preserved and even the round tables' tablecloth had matching flowers with an old-time feel. 

[Gorgeous magenta colored flowers; Scrambled Eggs, Tomoato & Polenta; Side Citrus Salad.] Everything was served on either vintage-y china or in these adorable mason jars. Everything sure looks a lot cuter in mason jars. 

Orange Blossom French Cake (I don't know what it was called, caramelized on the outside, almost custardy on the inside), & Cinnamon Pasty with Fresh Fruit. 

Iced Dark Tea, Orange/Rose Infused Soda Water, & Rose Infused Lemonade.  The soda water and lemonade smelled like a bouquet of fresh roses.  Who needs roses when you can have rose lemonade? :)

Rose blossom Sugar Cookies, a gorgeous arrangement of flowers & a jug of crisp water against the setting sun.

More flowers, a vintage couch in the background.

LOVED LOVED LOVED this place. I think we marveled in everything for a good twenty minutes, and then again the next day. Capo will never feel the same after this but such is life.