Eating our way through NOLA!

Wow, is this city fabulous for those who enjoy all things rich, fried and generally delicious! I have a feeling I'm going to want to step up the workout routine when I get back, but boy is it worth it since I get to enjoy all of the delightful cuisine here. Tonight we had the pleasure of dining in a New Orleans landmark, Galatoire's, and I have to admit, it lived up to its rep. With the whole old-fashioned "jackets required" rule, the dining room made me feel like I was in another era! Everyone was dressed up and it was tremendously southern. I'd definitely recommend it if you are looking for a fancy, memorable date night. Tomorrow morning we're getting up early to venture to the famed Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter for coffee and beignets (French doughnuts) before work. If only all work travel could be this much fun.

Big Weekend

We've had a jam-packed but fun-filled past couple of days, hence my neglect of this blog. Our weekend was kicked off with delicious restaurant week dinner on Friday night. For you non-Prepadelphians, restaurant week is an agreement among many of the nice dining spots in the city to offer a 3 course tasting menu for only $35! It is a great way to try new places you might not choose to splurge on otherwise.

Saturday was our annual fall adventure to Linvilla for the farmer's market, apple picking and a picnic. Picnics may just be one of my all time favorite romantic activities. Sadly, Mr. Prepster is less keen on sharing his lunch with nature, but he was a good sport. That was followed by dinner with friends and homemade apple crisp:

5 medium tart baking apples (I used Jonagold this time)

2 T lemon juice

1/2 stick cold butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Peel, core and slice the apples and place them in a mixing bowl with lemon juice. Combine the cinnamon and nutmeg with brown sugar and pour it over apples. Stir to coat the apples and set them aside. Combine flour, sugar and oats in another mixing bowl. Slice butter into 8-12 small chunks and stir it into the dry ingredients. Mix until the butter is coated then add walnuts. Grease a square baking dish and spread the apples on the bottom. Pour dry ingredients over the top and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Try not to eat it all...

Despite the urge to camp out on the sofa, today was another high energy one as we tailgated and cheered our Eagles on to victory over the terrible towel-waving Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. Whew, I'm exhausted and feel like I need another weekend to recover from this one! Hope everyone has had an enjoyable couple of days.

Preppy Philly Places: Parc

My parents were in town for the weekend so Mr. Prepster and I treated them to a yummy Philadelphia-style brunch at Parc. Here's my review of this Preppy Philly Place.

Parc Restaurant
227 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Surprise, surprise but brunch is not such a big deal in the suburbs of the mid-sized midwestern city where they live so they love to witness the spectacle that is Sunday brunch here in Philly. Parc was absolutely hopping and lived up to its hype as the new hot spot to see and be seen - we even needed a reservation for brunch! And as you can see by the photos, it really looks like Paris inside.



If you go, try the poached eggs over polenta. Also, for all of you champagne lovers out there (like me), they have a delicious kir royale on the menu for only $8 as well as several other yummy cocktails.

Preppy Philly Places: Apothecary

Last night Mr. Prepster and I ventured over to "Midtown Village" to have dinner and drinks at Apothecary. Here's my review of this Preppy Philly Place.

Apothecary Bar & Lounge
102 S. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Happy hour was going on upstairs in the lounge bar and the roof deck connected to it. They have a whole downstairs restaurant (pictured) but oddly, that was closed off. Decor in the lounge was very modern with shades of gray and nice votive candles. There were leather lounge benches and small cocktail tables along with a bar that had seating. Very hip yet a relaxing ambience.

Well, it would have been relaxing if there hadn't been about eight girls amid the gossip session of a lifetime coupled with three cocktails each right in the middle of the lounge. Luckily, it was a nice night so we sat outdoors on the roof deck, which gave us a great view of 13th Street and although all the tables were taken, was much quieter than the lounge.

They had a creative drink menu with loads of fresh fruit and interesting cordials. Very limited snack/dinner choices though. There were only about 4 apps, 4 paninis and 4 flatbread pizzas to choose from. We got a flatbread pizza and a panini along with "El Floridita" cocktails (kind of a grapefruit capriana that was a nice pale pink color with a round lime slice, but a bit too pretty and fruity for Mr. Prepster). My pizza was yummy but I did have a bit of food envy over the girls next to us who were having wine and fondue.

All sounds pretty great, right? Unfortunately it took 25 minutes to get our drinks! The one waiter/bartender/foodrunner/host was extremely swamped and was pretty much a one man show. Clearly they did not expect to have so many patrons on a Wednesday. Even so, it was a good time and is definitely worth checking out, espcially for those who like to branch out from the usual vodka soda or cosmo. Cheers!