Archive for July, 2009

B.E.C. @ Wawa

Friday, July 24th, 2009

I’m on a quest: where is the best B.E.C (Bagel Egg & Cheese) in Philadelphia and around?

wawaAs much as Wawa are the most convenient, as much as their coffee is loved or hated, as much as their smell is the most recognizable… Their Bagel Egg & Cheese SUCKS!

First of all, there is no other option there than to pick-up something that’s in a box and has been sitting under a lamp for who knows how long. The choices are limited and none of them is meat-free. The bagel is spongy and chewy, the eggs have no taste and the cheese is burned down.

Really worth walking a few more blocks and enter a deli or a coffee-shop, where the price will only be slightly higher but the quality will be incomparable.

★✩✩✩✩

Wawa – Several locations around Mid-Atlantic states

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Are you a Commitment-phobe?

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

In my post It’s rating men, I promised a description of all those “mankind”…

Rating 5 on Little Audrey’s “scale”: the Commitment-phobe!

A man whom developed an allergic reaction to the words “girlfriend” and “relationship”

Where to find him: Anywhere… There is no rule to it, the Commitment-phobe is pretty much everywhere…

How to spot him: At first glance, it’s practically impossible. If in the conversation you’re able to get out of him that he has been collecting a few weeks to a few months “relationships” (note that the “R” word will not be pronounced) over the last few years, consider it a red flag. Red flag also, the one that talks a lot about how he got his heart broken (even if that happen way back when).

How to seduce him: Don’t put him on the spot, don’t ask anything, don’t talk about “moving to the next step”… whatever you feel like doing to grow the “relationship”, just DON’T.

What’s the catch: I think you might have guessed it by now, long-term relationships are not in the Commitment-phobe vocabulary. After a few weeks/month of happily dating and seeing each other on a regular basis, he might just broke it off without any other explanation than the following…

Something a Commitment-phobe would say: “I’m sorry, I’m just not ready to have a girlfriend.”

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Word of the day: Serendipity

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Serendipity

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely unrelated.

Definition: Wikipedia

Font: Bold by Diogene

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B.E.C. @ Tuscany Cafe (Locust & Rittenhouse)

Friday, July 17th, 2009

B.E.C (Bagel Egg & Cheese), the answer to difficult mornings, slight hangovers, need for comfort food, sudden uncontrollable hunger…  I’m on a quest: where is the best Egg & Cheese on a Bagel in Philadelphia and around?

As I was hunting the web for a logo of Tuscany Cafe to illustrate that post, I realized their either don’t have a website or have a terrible (TERRIBLE) search engine optimization. Maybe I should go and talk to them… LOL!

The breakfast experience was thankfully more fulfilling that the web-search. I made Tuscany Cafe my new favorite meeting place, since I moved my office back home. It might be less trendy than La Colombe, but the sound level is more meeting appropriate and they, at least, have a decent free wi-fi connection. Their B.E.C is on the expensive side (about $5.00, if my memory is correct, no on-line menu to confirm), but it’s so far the healthier version I ever had: the egg isn’t fried, nor scrambled/omelet, you can still see the white from the yolk (not sure how they cook it, it was pre-cooked and micro-waved); and they offer a choice of 3 “toppings”: bacon, sausage or… tomato! I ordered the tomato and it gives a fresh twist to the sandwich.  The bagel is good. The only downfall for that sandwich, beside the price: not enough cheese…

★★★✩✩

Tuscany Cafe – 222 W Rittenhouse Sq

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On the menu of the French Cafe: Pissaladiere

Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Photo credit: bbcgoodfood

Photo credit: bbcgoodfood

My friend Marialana asked me about Pissaladiere last week. It had been a while since I thought about it. I would describe Pissaladiere as the south of France version of pizza, with an edgier side to it. You got to love those onions, olives and anchovies! Because of its strong flavors, this dish is often used as finger food during cocktail parties, never really as a meal like pizza would be here.

This recipe is borrowed from Epicurious.com (couldn’t put my hand on my own, but this one was close enough)

Pissaladiere

For 6 servings

Ingredients for crust

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) water

Ingredients for filling

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon drained capers
  • 20 Niçoise olives
  • 16 anchovy fillets

Mix flour and salt in processor. Add butter and oil. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Using on/off turns, mix in enough water 1 tablespoon at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf and thyme; stir to blend. Cover and cook until onions are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Uncover and sauté until most liquid evaporates and onions are golden, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in capers. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Cool completely; discard bay leaf. (Dough and filling can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep dough chilled. Cover and chill filling. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly oil large baking sheet. Roll out dough on floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer dough to prepared sheet. Crimp edges of dough to form stand-up border. Spread filling evenly over dough. Arrange olives and anchovies decoratively atop filling.

Bake pissaladière until crust is crisp and golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve.

Bon appetit!

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Are you a Sports Fan?

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

In my post It’s rating men, I promised a description of all those “mankind”… Ladies, feel free to add your comments, gentlemen, feel free to spice-up the debate.

Rating 4 on Little Audrey’s “scale”: the Sports Fan!

A man whom believes his team(s) comes first, any where, any time, in any situation…

Where to find him: At a game, of course, whatever sport it is, he has season’s tickets; but also in a sports bar for the games he’s less into but has a night off; and more often than not on online dating sites…

How to spot him: Team hat, team t-shirt, team scarf, team jacket… should I say more? Very limited sense of style, and seen on online dating site, very limited sense of decoration: team posters on the wall, team cover on the couch, team artefacts on the shelves (yep, altogether in the same picture!)

How to seduce him: If you’re able to show more enthousiasm than the rest of the crowd when his team hits a goal/strike/put your word here, you’ll get his attention. If you know the meaning of sports terms, and the names of the players; and use them appropriately and generously in the conversation, you’ll get his respect.

What’s the catch: How does it feel to have a dozen (or more) of muscled dudes have more importance in your man’s life than you do?

What a Sports Fan would say ranking his team’s importance in his life: “I say the [insert team name here]… sex… and breathing.” (Loosely adapted from Fever Pitch)

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Word of the day: Limerick

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Limerick

A limerick is a five-line poem with a strict form (AABBA), originally popularized in English by Edward Lear, which intends to be witty or humorous, and is sometimes obscene with humorous intent.

Definition: Wikipedia

Font: Contra

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Are you a Serial Dater?

Friday, July 10th, 2009

In my post It’s rating men, I promised a description of all those “mankind”… Ladies, feel free to add your comments, gentlemen, feel free to spice-up the debate. Debate is good!

Rating 3 on Little Audrey’s “scale”: the Serial Dater!

A man who claims giving women their chances. A lot of them. Women and chances.

Where to find him: The Serial Dater is a very common specie in the United States. Less common in Europe where serial dating is considered cheating.

How to spot him: He’s hard to spot because he’s blending pretty well in the general male population. You can spot him in his favorite restaurant, several time a week with a different date each time, or hiding at a barbecue because two of his dates happen to be on the guest list.

How to seduce him: Tell him that you’re taking a break from relationships and just want to take things one day at a time.

What’s the catch: After going out with him several times, seeing him fairly regularly and feeling that things are developing into something good, the Serial Dater might surprise you by mentioning that he’s dating other women. He doesn’t see anything wrong with that because he never made any promises and never said that he was looking to settle down.

Something a Serial Dater would say: “You know that I’m seeing other people, right?”

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Word of the day: Uncanny

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

uncanny

  1. strange, and mysteriously unsettling (as if supernatural); weird
    He bore an uncanny resemblance to the dead sailor.
  2. The Uncanny is a Freudian concept of an instance where something can be familiar, yet foreign at the same time, often being uncomfortably strange. Freud describes the uncanny in his work as analogous to the German Unheimliche or unhomely. The uncanny is “something that was long familiar to the psyche and was estranged from it only through being repressed. The link with repression now illuminates Schelling’s definition of the uncanny’s ’something that should have remained hidden and has come into open”

Definition: Wikitionary

Font: WhoopAss

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On the menu of the French Cafe: Ratatouille

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Photo credit: Jan About Town

Photo credit: Jan About Town

Per Wikipedia’s definition, “Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but also may be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice or bread).” In my family you’ll find in on the dinner table at least once a week. It’s the “go-to” side dish for any grilled meat. However, my favorite version is a nice full plate of Ratatouille covered with sunny side-up eggs… Oh heaven!

Ratatouille

For 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ripe tomatoes
  • 1 lb eggplants
  • 1 lb zucchini
  • 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 2 jalapeno peppers
  • 1 onion
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 or 4 tbs olive oil
  • 1 strand Rosemary
  • Salt, pepper

Boil the tomatoes for a couple minutes, pass them under cold water and peel them. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds, and chop them.

Clean the eggplants, dice them (about 1/2 inch wide). Place the eggplant cubes in a strainer, powder then with salt and put them aside. Slice the zucchinis; cut the slices in half if too big. Clean the peppers, open them, remove the seeds and white inside parts and dice them.

Open the jalapeno peppers and remove the seeds and the stalk, and mince them thinly. Peel the onion, cut it in half and slice it. Peel and chop the garlic. Rinse the eggplant cubes and dry them with paper towel.

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large saucepan. Drop in the garlic and onion and sauted on medium until they become translucent. Add the vegetables in the following order: peppers, eggplants, zucchinis, jalapeno peppers; adding the remaining olive oil half way through.

Salt and pepper generously, then add the tomatoes and the rosemary. Cover, simmer for 45 minutes on medium heat. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Bon appetit!

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