|
| |
Philadelphia - Part 1
Eating our Way through Philadelphia
Written by: Janet Pope
As we ate our way through Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love proved to be a wonderful and tasty smorgasbord of history, culture, fine dining, and creative entertainment -- only a hop, skip, jump, and a 2 ½-hour ride from New York City.
As we ate our way through Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love proved to be a wonderful and tasty smorgasbord of history, culture, fine dining, and creative entertainment -- only a hop, skip, jump, and a 2 ½-hour ride from New York City.
Most of my friends would describe me as "not a car person," which translates to someone who doesn't relish the thought of a car trip. I love planes and trains; there is an excitement to them, and the feeling I can get up and out of my seat at will. This attribute is, of course, not best suited for travel writers, who by the very nature of her job will find herself for long periods in a car.
With that said, I was pleasantly surprised to find our trip from the outskirts of New York City to Philadelphia a rather short and enjoyable one. With a quick stop for coffee and a stretch, it only took us two and a half hours.
We checked into the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel on Market Street, and headed conveniently across the street to The Reading Terminal Market for lunch. What better way to get to know a city, but through its food? The Market has been here since 1893, making it the nation's oldest continuously operating market place. If you don't like crowds, this place is not for you. There are eighty merchants selling every imaginable type of food -- an eater's delight! At first we were overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and especially the smells. "So much food...so little time." We finally agreed upon an Amish eatery called The Dutch Eating Place, where we waited for about ten to fifteen minutes for two stools. I had the hot turkey special, and Don tried the grilled Reuben special. Mine came with fresh whipped potatoes, and his came with fresh-cut fries. Everything including the lemonade had that homemade taste. Our plates were empty, and our tummies were full, so we browsed around the vendors. Mostly food is sold, but there were also crafts, books, and plants.
We decided to head off and explore the city of Brotherly Love on foot, and work off some of our newfound calories. Philadelphia is easy to maneuver with a map in hand. William Penn, its founder, had a plan to set out the city in a neat and orderly grid. Five squares were laid out as places of refuge in case of fire. Most of the streets run in a north-south and east-west fashion with the streets numbered.
We had high hopes as we set off to explore the museums and work off the potatoes. Our aim was to see five museums, but we were lucky to cover two in one afternoon. The first museum we took in was the Academy of Natural Sciences, founded in 1812. This is the oldest natural science museum in the country. On a Saturday afternoon, the place was bustling with children of all sizes. It was coincidentally pin day for the cub scouts, so Donald, a scout leader for many years, felt right at home.
We roamed through the dinosaur exhibits and watched the little ones on an archeological dig. I especially loved the butterfly exhibit where they glided freely about, and if you were lucky enough would land on your hand or arm. Though we didn't have time to take in the golf range, where every hole teaches a scientific lesson, it looked like great fun for the whole family.
We headed off to the Ben Franklin Institute, a historic museum featuring four floors of hands-on science learning. Again it was very crowded on a Saturday afternoon. We waited on line for about forty minutes to see the 3D theatre, which featured a twenty-minute show titled, "Pathway to the Stars." The recently opened Fels Planetarium unfortunately had a one-hour wait, so I would definitely try to get there earlier the next time.
There is an upside to waiting on line. Usually there is one outgoing or friendly person who will strike up a conversation with you in order to pass away the minutes on line. While waiting for the 3D movie, I met a family who told us about the "City Pass" for $30 a person. A City Pass includes admission to the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Independence Seaport Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Philadelphia Zoo, and best of all the Philadelphia Trolley Tour. The Trolley tours through the city making twenty stops, and the City Pass allows you to get on and off all day at any of these stops. It's an easy and economical way to see some of Philadelphia's best attractions, and get an overview of the whole city and its history.
We had just enough time to hop on a bus back to our hotel and change before dinner. We discovered a great way to relax after a day of sightseeing. We dined at Opus 251 located in a private art museum, where the atmosphere is as elegant as the food. Built in 1906, the Philadelphia Art Alliance Building was made as a mansion, and is currently used for art exhibits, concerts, and readings. The owner of the restaurant is Bryan Marton, and the executive chef is Anthony Bonett. Mr. Marton was on hand to greet us and is very proud of his fine dining establishment. There are several dining rooms, and in the summer, there is outdoor dining in a rose garden. We sat in a room next to a cozy bar area, which was decorated with a 1920s frieze on the walls. Mr. Marton informed us that the restaurant itself has a 72-seat dining capacity with larger rooms for private parties.
Our waiter brought out our first course, a tuna brochette in Balsamic vinegar. He told us all the breads, soups, and ice creams were also made on premises. You expect the owner to rave about his restaurant -- after all it's his baby, so to speak, but our waiter raved even more. He described each dish in such detail; you yearned to try them all.
Don's appetizer was the pan-seared dry scallops with artichokes, marinated in white anchovies, and red pepper vinaigrette. I had the romaine salad with cherry tomatoes, red onions, and shaved Parmesan cheese, with a creamy truffle dressing. Both were delicious, and our empty plates proved that. After my turkey dinner-style lunch, I still felt full, but we hadn't even begun our main course yet.
Don ordered the pan-seared salmon with poached scallops, potato mousse, asparagus, and pear tomatoes with a watercress sauce. He remarked that each ingredient added a delicious blend of taste to the end result. I thoroughly enjoyed my entree' of sautéed veal tenderloins with potato, spinach, and fennel, topped with a Provencal veal sauce. Each bite melted in your mouth.
Our waiter brought us an assortment of cheese and fruit, which was so tempting to both the eye and the mouth, Don couldn't resist taking a picture of the plate. Now we have reached the epitome of being full, but how could we disappoint our waiter and turn down just a taste of the chef's famous desserts? With a heavy heart and an even heavier waistline, we plunged forward into the dessert menu. Don chose a delicious homemade sorbet, and I couldn't resist the warm apple crisp.
This proved not just to be a dinner, but a truly memorable meal. We walked to our next destination just to test our ability to move. We had tickets to see the Philadelphia Orchestra play at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. In the heart of Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center opened in December of 2001, and is the latest in the city's cultural gems. The center features a 2,500-seat hall with excellent acoustics and sight lines. This state of the art center is much more than a concert hall. It also houses a 650-seat theater with a turntable stage, lounges, meeting rooms, a roof top garden, a restaurant, bar and gift shop. Though the Kimmel Center is rather young, it will prove to be a landmark in years to come. The Philadelphia orchestra was an excellent way to end a wonderful day in Philadelphia.
Read part 2 | Read part 3
|
|
|
|
|
|
