Marissa's Best of Philly List

I love eating (and drinking) around the city of Philadelphia (and it's neighboring suburbs) so I thought it would be fun to keep track of my personal favorites in a variety of categories. I realize you may disagree with me, I realize that you might think I'm totally bonkers for my "Best of..." list, but I don't care, because this is my blog and I'm entitled to my own opinions. So, without further ado, ***drumroll*** I now present my Marissa Says 2015 Best of Philly list... 

A Birthday World Tour

It was a birthday to be remembered, it started in France, made a quick stop in Italy, spent the afternoon in England, and headed to Morocco for dinner. Okay, okay, so all of those "visits" occurred within the confines of the City of Philadelphia, but it was wonderful nonetheless! I'm not big on birthdays, I always feel a little embarrassed when there's a fuss made about me on that day. Typically, birthdays just involved a quiet dinner with Bry and some drinks or a rented movie after. 

Well since 28 was a hell of a year, and 29 is going to be life changing, I figured that I would take one day to do some things that have been sitting on my bucket list waiting to be checked off. We started off with a visit to the Rodin Museum (which we have been meaning to visit forever) then as our bellies started to grumble, we headed to Pizzeria Vetri for a little snack. After that, we took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and strolled along the Ben Franklin Parkway until we landed at The Four Seasons where we were scheduled for afternoon tea. After our bellies were full of sugary treats we went home and relaxed a bit and then got ready for an evening with friends at our favorite Moroccan restaurant. Check out lots of photos from our fun day.  

Mount Airy Street Fare

Last week, Bry and I made the spontaneous decision to check out the Mt. Airy Street Fare. It was possibly the most gorgeous night for a food truck festival and Germantown Ave. was packed with people, children, strollers, delicious smelling food trucks and the sounds of live music. We did one full lap of the street to check out all of our food options, Bry grabbed a beer and then we made our first stop for food. 

A trip to the 'burbs for brunch and brews

BryGuy and I have been craving lobster rolls for quite some time now, so we did a quick search online for best lobster rolls in Philadelphia and Paramour in Wayne came up. We've never been there, and Bry said it was on his wish list of places to try, so we figured we'd bring a couple of friends with us to test it out. We arrived at the Wayne Hotel, parked out front and made our way into the restaurant. The front porch was busy with diners, but the inside was empty. We were promptly seated on the front porch which was lovely, and promptly ordered beverages (fun cocktails for everyone else, water and coffee for me.) 

Softball, crabs and darts

Because I've been totally slacking on the blog this week, I'm going to make it up to you. How does two posts in one day sound to you? How's that for setting things right? I thought you would like the sound of that.

First up, a little weekend recap, featuring a softball game, a lot of crab eatin' and beer drinkin', followed by a healthy game of darts. Photos galore below.

A feast at Sbraga and cocktails at Bar Volvér

Warning: If you are hungry in any way, shape or form, close your browser tab now. You can come back to this post after you have a fuller tummy. Really. You've been warned. 

After a long work week, we had the pleasure of meeting up with some wonderful friends for a delicious dinner at Sbraga. It only took us about two months to get this dinner scheduled (we're all very important people, duh) but it finally worked out and we had the feast of all feasts. Bry and I had come to Sbraga shortly after it opened in October of 2011. We absolutely loved our meal, but unfortunately when you're in a food mecca like Philadelphia, there are so many new places to try out, sometimes it takes a while to get back to the ones you loved. Finally, we made it back, and somehow, this time it managed to blow us away all over again. Get ready for some serious food porn below. Gentlemen suitors above, fine foxes below. 

Parental visitation required

Look at those faces. How can you resist them? My parental unit, and little bro, spent a little time in Philly this past weekend. We were blessed with a super sunshiny day and we visited the creepy Mutter Museum, followed by a walk through Rittenhouse Square before we headed to Northern Liberties for dinner and bowling. After my father kicked our butts in bowling, we headed back home for family game night. It's always so nice when family visits, especially when the weather is warm, you can just walk around stop in some places for a bite to eat or a quick drink and all is good in the world again!

Taqueria Feliz a.k.a. my home away from home

Meet my friend, Mr. Fish Taco. He's a lightly battered and fried tilapia filet smothered in chipotle mayo, sitting atop a bed of cabbage slaw and garnished with a few thinly sliced radishes. He is freaking delicious. He is available at my favorite local watering hole, Taqueria Feliz. When Bry and I first moved to Manayunk we decided that we needed to be pick one bar to be our bar. We were really hoping to have that Cheers, "where everybody knows your name..." feeling. Well, that really never happened for us. We like variety, so we were always trying new places, meeting new bartenders and never being quite frequent enough to be regulars. That was all until the most wonderful of all restaurants came to our neighborhood. Slowly but surely we're making our way into the "regulars" status by visiting at least once a week. Taqueria Feliz is hands down my favorite restaurant in Manayunk. I could go there three times a week and never get sick of it. If you're ever in the 'hood, you should definitely check them out. They also have sister restaurants in Fairmount/Art Museum area (Calaca Feliz) or Fort Washington (Cantina Feliz) Keep reading for more photos and my recommendations on what to order. 

Finally got my hands on some Federal Donuts

BryGuy and I have been talking about going to Federal Donuts for like, ever. I love fried chicken. I love donuts. It seems like a match made in heaven to me! So last weekend, when we were visiting our friends at CrossFit 2 St. -- conveniently located only two blocks from the original Federal Donuts -- we decided that would be the day! We walked into the small storefront and were greeted by a warm smile behind the counter. We settled on a half order of the buttermilk ranch chicken and six chili garlic style wings (which we were told were excellent choices btw.) The lovely lady behind the counter told us she'd cut us a break and just charge us for the whole chicken instead of two halves to save a buck. Then of course, we needed to decide on donuts. Lots of their specialty donuts were sold-out so we stuck with the classics. I ordered the Indian Cinnamon and Bry went with the Apollonia Spice, then as if our day couldn't get any better, the sweet lady behind the counter told us she would throw in the Vanilla Lavendar for free, just so we could try it! Bam! They just earned themselves a lifelong customer. Check out more photos below. 

Puerto Rico, my heart's devotion

I'm so thrilled to have left beautiful views like this to come back to grey Philadelphia... NOT! Truthfully, it is good be back home again. As much as I love a good tropical vacation filled with lazy days on the beach, afternoon naps and eating dinner out every night, I missed my own bed and my regular routine. We couldn't have asked for a better vacation though. Bry's aunt and uncle were gracious hosts as always, our flights were on schedule both ways, and we had not one rain day. It sprinkled for about five minutes on our last beach day but it was a welcome break from the blazing Caribbean sun. The highlight of our trip was finding a new restaurant that we fell in love with (so much so, that we went back a second time later in the week.) See more photos from our trip and many meals below. 

Brunch fit for a king at The Good King Tavern

Boy, oh boy, do I have a great brunch spot for you to check out! The Good King Tavern opened right around the first of the year in the Bella Vista neighborhood, but this charming brasserie has only been serving brunch for about a month now. It's a total hidden gem and I'm sure that the Sunday brunch line will be around the block soon enough, but before it happens you should get over there and feast on their special brunch items, and even try out some of the regular menu items as well. 

Review of BLT in Manayunk

I'm a burger snob. I'll be the first to admit it. I judge lots of restaurants on the quality of their ground beef, how well they can cook a medium rare burger, and the texture and density of their buns. Since it's a scientific process, I always load my burger up with the same toppings, cheddar cheese, bacon, sauteed onions, and pickles (if I have the option). That's it, it's my magical combination -- crunchy, sweet and salty. So when I saw that a new burger joint named BLT was replacing the former Agiato space on Main Street in Manayunk, I was over the moon. On a sunny Saturday I was passing through and thought, what the hay, lets give this burger a try!

Snow day? You mean burger day...

When you've been trapped in the house a little too long and you're no longer entertained by this list of things to do on a snow day. Sometimes, you just gotta get bundled up, make your way out into the snowy tundra and find yourself some red meat and a brewski. 

For auld lang syne

I'm not getting a good start on the blog in 2014... totally slacking and didn't even realize that I hadn't put up photos from NYE! New Years Eve was wonderful, we shared a great meal with friends, laughed, danced and drank a lot of bubbly. Butcher & Singer did not disappoint; the aged rib eye melts in your mouth, the stuffed hashed browns are ridiculous, and the desserts were heavenly. 

A reunion dinner

I met up with these crazy girls for a little reunion dinner at the The Ginger Man in Albany. This is the first time we've all been back in the area in a long time and we had a dinner filled with laughs, hilarious gift giving, alcoholic beverages, and a special announcement! The Ginger Man is nostalgic for our group and it didn't disappoint this time. The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect for a catch-up with my bffs.

Serpico

Stephen Starr's newest Philly restaurant, Serpico is receiving a flurry of positive attention lately (Review by Craig LaBan and Philly Mag Article) and I'm going to jump right on that bandwagon. Bry and I visited Serpico for a little birthday celebration. 

We ordered almost everything on the menu. Not really, but we ordered a lot of food. And left in pure food-coma blissfulness. Upon first entrance it's a dimly lit room, the walls are decked out in subway tiles and giant chalkboards filled with beautifully written menus. We took a seat at the chef's counter so we could be on the front lines of all the happenings in the kitchen.

Things to do and see in Cape May, NJ

We recently got back from another long weekend in Cape May. It's so hard to come back to "real life" after a few days of fun in the sun. Our typical day consists of waking up and putting on our bathing suits and packing the cooler, then we head out somewhere for breakfast and hit the beach after. We usually stay on the beach until 4 or 5 p.m. and then go home, get showered up, grab a late dinner, and find a spot for some music and drinks in the evening. 

After a few summers of vacationing in Cape May, we feel right at home. It's so easy to navigate around and the little beach house we rent is a little bit off the beaten path, so it's allowed us to discover even more of the quaint vacation town. Below is a list of my recommendations, although I'm sure that some folks who've been frequenting Cape May for more years than I, will have some things to add. Let me know if I left off anything that's worthy of doing, seeing or eating! 

Lobster lovers unite

We got ya fresh lobstahs right he-ah! 

Okay. I'll stop now. 

On a whim of spontaneity -- and because we were asked by our friends Josh and Abbie, who we truly adore -- we decided to get wild on a Wednesday night and head on over to the Oystah House. Sorry, Oyster House. For their twin lobster dinner special. 

A long weekend in Cape May

This past weekend we took one of our semi-annual vacations to Cape May, New Jersey for a long weekend. We usually book at least two weekends a summer at this adorable little beach cottage in North Cape May. 

You'll see by the following photos that there is only two things we like to do on vacation. Number one: sit on the beach. Number two: eat. We had a lot of great breakfasts and dinners out and I always prepare a bunch of food so we have enough for lunch and snacks throughout the trip and thus we save ourselves a little money and don't feel so guilty when we splurge on a meal at a restaurant.