Locanda Verde

To kick-off a lazy Sunday morning (that would lead into a productive Sunday afternoon), we made the trek from Mid-town Manhattan to TriBeCa in order to eat at Locanda Verde, a popular brunch spot known for their pancakes. It was way more than worth it. Being a big bruncher, I like to think I’m not easily blown away anymore by your typical brunch. This one definitely wasn’t. The atmosphere was really nice and festive, with decorations ready for the holiday season. The space was on the larger size, but not too large, and had both a bar area and regular dining. Plenty of light came in through the wide windows (a must for quality picture-taking).

We began with an order of sheep’s milk ricotta infused with truffle honey that came with a delicious burnt orange toast. The restaurant also sent along a tasty basket of bread with onion and spices that was a real treat. I was a bit nervous, as cheese can be a hit or miss for me, but I was extremely impressed with this dish. The subtle hints of honey in the smooth and light ricotta were delicious in a delicate and simple way. I was tempted to just eat spoonfuls of the ricotta by itself towards the end. We also ordered an apple cider doughnut from the pastry section. It had caught my attention right away and sounded so interesting I just had to try it. The doughnut turned out incredible – firm on the outside, but moist on the inside, and tasted just how I imagined (like apple cider in case you were wondering…duhh ^-^).

Sheep's milk ricotta 

Bread :)

Apple Cider Donut

For our main dishes, we ordered their famous lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries, lemon curd, and sprinklings of powdered sugar, as well as the hazelnut-crusted French toast with assorted chunks of citrus fruits and mint. It’s always a struggle to choose between sweet or salty, so to compromise, we also ordered sides of crispy garlic potatoes and homemade pork sausage. Both the pancakes and the French toast were absolutely delicious. I really liked how the pancakes were so light and simple, but still so flavorful. The French toast was a lot of fun – every bite had a mix of hazelnuts, grapefruit, orange, or fluffy toast. I also really enjoyed the potatoes, especially the small pieces that soaked in a lot of the garlic flavor. They were super crunchy as well, just the way I like them. Personally, I like to dip my sausage in a bit of syrup for a sweet, salty, and slightly spicy contrast, but the sausage was great by itself as well. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Hazelnut-Crusted French Toast

Crispy Garlic Potatoes

Homemade Pork Sausage

If the food wasn’t so incredibly delicious we probably wouldn’t have been able to finish all of it between the two of us, but as it was, we were pretty stuffed by the end. We left the restaurant full and very happy with our meal. 

Jamonera - Philadelphia, PA

This draft post kind of got lost under all the other posts that we have been doing; however, this was actually one of my favorite restaurant that I have been to over the past semester. Sorry for not only the delay on this one but also the dark photos...

We decided to tackle this one together, which makes it the first collaboration post! We randomly chose this restaurant because of its association with Barbuzzo.

Jamonera is a quaint little wine bar with a great tapas menu. Surprisingly, all the tables were occupied by reservations, so we ended up grabbing seats at the bar. (Make sure to make some reservations if you're looking to grab a meal here.) The atmosphere is classy and intimate, which is perfect for a date or even a casual night with friends. The bartender makes an effort to become your friend instantly, which really reinforces that intimate and friendly atmosphere. Overall, great restaurant. We can safely say that we would definitely be down to go back to try some of the other tapas. 

The Papa Frita was a great tapas to start off with. It was made of crispy skin potato with wood smoked garlic aioli, brava salt, and house made sherry vinegar hot sauce. As an avid lover of hot sauce, this hot sauce was great with the entire meal. 

Papa Frita

Moving away from all carbs, we had the Camarones de Ajillo, which was just garlic shrimp with arbol chile, roasted peppers, lemon, and grilled bread. The shrimp could have used a bit more seasoning, but the hot sauces from the papa frita took care of that.

Camarones de Ajillo

We also had the pork tenderloin to include at least one meat dish to our meal. The pork tenderloin was so tender and well-seasoned, and the flavors really worked together.

Pork Tenderloin

Website: http://jamonerarestaurant.com/jamonera/ 

The Fat Ham - Philadelphia, PA (PART 1)

In place of that wine bar that I'm not sure anyone went to before, Top Chef winner, Kevin Sbarga, has just opened his newest restaurant, The Fat Ham. Once I heard "Top Chef" and "southern comfort food" in its descriptions, I knew it would move to the top of my list for new eats. I planned on trying out the place on Sunday; however, I randomly ended up here on opening day with a friend who is a huge enabler. Since I'll be here twice in the span of a weekend, I will have two posts to cover the restaurant! 

Just as a preface, this place is southern inspired and involves a lot of meat. This means that if you don't eat meat or fried food, this is probably not the place for you. So let's move on to the food:

Baked Mac and Cheese

The baked mac and cheese was awesome. This isn't your run-of-the-mill mac and cheese that you can find at FroGro. Trust me, I would know as I had a few pounds of FroGro mac and cheese over Thanksgiving. The Fat Ham M&C had a nice, creamy cheese with potato chip crust. The contrast between the crunch from the crust with the pasta soft shell really made this an interesting dish that sets it apart from other M&C. The ambiance here feels very southern farm-esque, and this is really reflected in the dish aesthetic. Where else will you be served M&C in a skillet?

Hot Chicken

As a southern kid at heart, I was, of course, drawn to the fried chicken. Perhaps, this dish could have used a bit more seasoning, but the spicy aspect really made this dish. If you're really looking for something spicy, this is definitely what you'll want to try here. The hot wings top off a white bread with ranch dressing and pickles. As you see here, the plate aesthetic is well thought out and really reflects the theme. 

Apple Cobbler

Who doesn't like a-la-mode cobbler? The apple cobbler was warm and tasty, and the bourbon molasses ice cream really topped it off well. Probably my favorite dessert dish here.

Banana Pudding Doughnut with Spiced Sugar

The banana pudding doughnut was essentially an egg tart filling in a donut hole. The pudding was nice and warm; however, it wasn't particularly tasteful. You really wouldn't be missing much by skipping this one. 

Definitely loved some of the dishes I've tried here, but I'll give my final take on it soon! Look out for my next post.