Hello Mr. Bourdain – Philadelphia Here

You’re not alone in the skepticism, or perhaps even grudge, you obviously have for Philadelphia. I’ve been here for about 6 years and spent the first half with a fairly similar attitude. On a first impression, it is a place easy to write off. After a weekend of liberty bells, cheesesteaks, and numerous encounters with the local homeless….it is just easier to insist NYC, DC, or Boston as superior. But it’s not a city that can be understood or simply visited in a weekend. This attitude by most of the weekend visitors keeps it off the map and maintaining a certain “freshness” only the seasoned locals can truly appreciate. Anyone that lives here will be quick to explain the city of brotherly tough love mantra.

I found a few quotes you’ve given on Philadelphia during a book signing back in 2007. Sure, it’s easily generalized as the empire of Stephen Starr, and don’t get me wrong his restaurants are often delectable. However, the diva personalities and expensive tabs often found at those restaurants are not where the true Philadelphia lies.

Philadelphia, in comparison to Boston, New York and Washington DC, is the most affordable major city in the northeast. A place where you don’t need to shell out $1,000 a month for a closet sized studio apartment. Historically a working class city, this dynamic pushes a lot of the most well to-do out to the various suburbs, and leaves a total mish-mash of people inside, and along with it an exquisite blend of cultures, histories, demographics, and of course foods.

Philadelphia is often categorized according to is gridlike North/South/East/West quadrants, but often overlooked by the weekender are the cultures that are found in between Ben Franklin’s gridlines. The rich melting pot of people that have settled here, literally since the inception of the United States, has left some of the most incredible sub-cultures found anywhere in any major city in the world.

The large populations of Irish and Italians that still command respect in the city have maintained the infamous Italian Market. This is a place where any morning of the week, the homemade pastas and fresh vegetables could only be rivaled by the imported cheeses and private butchers next door.

Perhaps you are looking for some traditional German fare? There is surely no where else to go other than Brauhaus Schmidt. Less than 6 months old, this traditional bier haus features 20+ imported draft beers from the mother country and 80+ bottles. This is all in addition of course to the authentic German food of the German chef and owners.

A short 15-minute walk north and you are in one of the largest and best China Towns of any city in the U.S. Hosting a blend of Vietnamese, Malaysian, Korean, and Chinese restaurants over a 12 block area, authentic and cheap eats are available round the clock. Restaurants such as Sang Kee serve fresh peking duck, braised squid, and slow cooked sweet and sour pork as good as any I’ve ever had, right next to the likes of Pho Cali, serving consistent and authentic pho and bun.

Then there is the Reading Terminal Market, a love affair location of any foodie I’ve ever met, and personally my favorite establishment of eats in the city. Featuring baked goods brought into the city from nearby Mennonite sects to fresh octopus to authentic soul food this daily market has enough content in and of itself for an entire episode.

Northern Liberties, a revitalized part of the city defined by it’s hipster and scenester culture has become a booming underground of individually held eating establishments. Known for it’s home cooked style, sustainable and fresh produce, and cheap, local brews, it is a perfect example of all that is still going on in this city. Take The Piazza for example, a nearly year old plaza that was designed to emulate a traditional Roman piazza, and is surrounded by bars and restaurants like Rustica, a well known gourmet pizza shop.

And what are good eats without good drinks? The recent Franklin Mortgage Investment Company is an underground abode painted all black and in the appearance of a run down office; but hark, upon opening the door you are welcomed to one of the most legitimate speakeasy’s the U.S. has seen since the 1920’s. They have hired nothing but the Einsteins of the alcohol world and have a menu full of fine cocktails from eras past.

So I can only hope that by this point you are at the least asking yourself, “Is there enough for a show in Philadelphia?”. As the 5^th largest city in the country, I challenge you that it at the least deserves a shot. You better than any know that a city is best seen through the eyes of a local, and Philadelphia is no exception. So join me and see all we have to offer.

Andy Hagerman

http://www.andrewhagerman.blogspot.com/

Vermont and all the hippies, ice cream, sharp cheddar, and beer you could ever need

Vermont, at least in the summer does provide most of life’s great pleasures in one manageable state…well maybe minus the hippies.

After a rather blurred stint in Montreal, we decided to wrap up our Labor Day mini road trip by heading down through Vermont. We left around 1:00pm on Sunday and headed towards the border, after which we quickly realized we had a mere 1.5 hours to get to Magic Hat brewery to fill the growlers we’d brought for just this occasion. We put 90 on cruise and got there with a half to spare. The bartenders were friendly and generous in their never-ending sample giving and we got to taste a number of brews not easily found elsewhere, such as the Brown Rice Lager, the Single Chair Ale, and my favorite, the Belgium Chocolate Stout.

We explored Burlington for about an hour; a town I’ve been to several times before and am always eager to return. It has that small town feel with a lively personality, enriched by the University of Vermont students, restaurants and taverns that cover it. A reminder of the most true beauty of Burlington, however, is seen by looking beyond the street signs and to the enormous Lake Champlain and mountains surrounding it. These are the types of things that typify why Vermont is great if you have even the slightest interest in the great outdoors. This is a place I could spend a few years.

We cruised through the mountains and valleys on an awe inspiring drive south to our home for the night at my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Granville. We stopped along the way to pick up some lobster and ribeye’s to prepare a surf and turf feast, as eating is always top of mind for me. By the time we arrived into the small town my extended family calls home, my uncle had a fire going in the backyard with some monstrous ears of corn roasting in a wet burlap bag. An interesting method that produces an incredible smoky flavor to corn on the cob. We feasted and indulged in our new beer supply, ending the day far less action packed than the night before.

The next day we had an early departure up to Waterbury. We had an agenda. After dining on some Breakfast Burritos (eggs, chorizo, black beans, chilis, guacamole, cheddar in a tortilla) and bloody mary’s at Maxi’s Diner, we moved onto Ben & Jerry’s for their famed creamery tour. And yes folks…it was 10:00am. We took the tour and dined on some Hubby Hubby Sundaes which apparently supported gay rights? Either way it was a bowl of vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, pretzels, and chocolate which suits any true Central Pennsylvanian.

Next we moved to the Cabot’s Annex tasting room, featuring a wide variety of cheddar cheeses of the area. We indulged, and then we indulged some more. One might question our ability to consume such a wide variety of heavy foods all before noon but somehow it all worked…and well for that matter.

After draining the East Coasts supply of dairy products turned unhealthy, we decided it was time to start back on our 8 hour journey to Philadelphia. The drive again was gorgeous and set us off in good spirits, ending around 1,200 miles more traveled than we’d been 3 days earlier.

Oh, Montreal…I have no words for you

My relationship with Montreal was short and sweet. But although it wasn’t quite what I’d expected, I find myself asking for another round.

A cliff-note summary of our Saturday night in Montreal:

1. Declined any cover charge to any bar, making our selection quite difficult.

2. Saw a girl flash us several times before eventually pulling off her underwear and urinating in the street.

3. Learned not to talk to unattended Asian women.

4. Went to bed at 5 am.

5. Were declined admission to a latex party, but were invited to give the "kink lifestyle" a try, by way of a business card that was pulled out of a strange man's wasteband.

6. Spent all remaining Canadian money on alcohol.

7. Knowingly hung out on the corner of the sex district for at least 15 minutes.

8. Witnessed a massive bar fight.

9. Learned that service is not included in our beer.

10. Were publicly called out for not leaving a tip upon immediately receiving our change at the bar.

11. Tried to bum a cigarette off a pimp.

12. Were directed to a homeless man for said cigarette, by pimp.

13. Learned that in Montreal, alcohol is done by 3 am. Pills, however, can apparently be obtained by following any man around any corner, although you may end up "sleeping with a dude".

14. Smoked cigars at 4:30 am.

15. Had a bank account compromised for the sake of 3 Molson Canadian Drys.

16. Purchased 3 Gin & Tonics at Love/Hate, totaling $30 Canadian.

17. Went into a pizza shop with intentions of buying a 6-pack, that is, until we found out a 6-pack costs $36 at a pizza shop in Montreal.

18. Learned that, to our knowledge, getting drunk for cheap in Montreal is impossible.

19. Received a legitimate offer to have our chests defecated upon, by a fairly attractive woman, in an elevator.

20. Learned that in Canada, nothing is done in moderation.

*Thanks to Greg for compiling

The Extended Account

It’s been about a week since returning home from a long weekend road trip to Montreal, and it’s taken about that long to come to terms with the fact that I’ve still not the faintest idea my opinion on the city.

I came to the realization it was Labor Day weekend about a week prior and decided it must be taken advantage of. I had 3 days. I had limited funds. I had two friends that would join, regardless of destination. I had a 2006 Hyundai Elantra with about 110,000 miles on it I would borrow from my parents because flights were too expensive already. We had a few choices – Charleston (oysters, mint juleps, sear sucker…tempting); Chicago (the bean, beautiful weather, some friends in the area…hmmm); we opted for the semi-international experience thought and decided to cross the border up to Montreal.

We departed late Friday and arrived around 1am. I was fortunate enough to have some hotel nights to dispose of so we checked into the W Montreal for the weekend which was needless to say a little out of our league as a few bum Philadelphians in Chuck Taylors and backpacks with iPods and cheap whiskey in hand. C’est la vie.

We wandered the city for a couple hours and recognized what appeared to be a pretty hopping night life. We settled in a park for about 8 minutes before being shoed away for a filming of some French romantic comedy. We went to bed intrigued. Saturdy we woke with no particular agenda in mind, and just began wandering. We started in a beautiful Vieux Montreal, or the old part of the city. We came across an infinite number of great little café’s and restaurants along a nice restored waterway. It and its people were very inviting, despite my broken French.

We then strolled up to the Palais de Congres, known for it’s modern take on stained glass, featuring dozens of colorful panels of glass on the wall, that when hit by the sun produces wildly fun colors inside the building. We took a number of pictures before being asked to leave because an artist thought we were trying to copy his artwork. The building is a large convention center though and houses many of the city’s festivals and conventions it is known for hosting.

From there we went through the Chinatown which although it did not feel as if it had developed too organically, did feature a number of decent looking restaurants and vendors, one of which being Pho Cali where we enjoyed one of our favorite comfort foods despite the place we’re in.

From there we ventured into what appeared to be the more working class area of the city. It was a great contrast to the very whitewashed stone and stainless steal façade we’d seen so far. We dipped in and out of several boutique shops and record stores before finding ourselves in the midst of the sex district. Little did we know this would not be our last encounter with the neighborhood. We picked up the cars and headed out to the Olympic park, constructed circa 1960-something. It was impressive but not quite as lavished as we’d seen in pictures. Worth seeing, but probably not worth seeing again.

From this point we headed back to center city and showered and prepared for dinner. We started back in Vieux Montreal again at Trois Brassiers, a brew pub of sorts with great microbrews and fantastic burgers. It was a fun place and looking back we’d probably have stayed there had we known what all was in store to follow. At this point I’ll simply direct you to the cliff-notes above to get an idea of what occurred between 11:30pm Saturday and 5:00am Sunday. In an effort to keep this blog somewhat tasteful, I will stress only the detail of how expensive the city turned out to be. None of us had any factual expectations so perhaps it just came to a surprise, but we were not prepared to spend what it apparently takes in Montreal. The majority of clubs and bars we entered had a $10+ cover and we failed to find any type of pub or more casual establishment to which our tastes most aligned. I supposed if we had stayed at one place the whole night we would’ve missed the other 19 events on our short list of memories, so it all worked out in the end. I’ve determined in all though that Montreal is a great, clean city, but appears to be one of those places best visited with an agenda of places recommended by the locals. I have a feeling we were quick to judge on such a speedy trip, but it was a wonderful city to see least and I think at some point it will have to be examined and visited in more detail and time.

Sunday we headed to Vermont for the remainder of the Labor Day weekend. See the following post to see details…