Kicking Off Restaurant Week

So I might have gone a bit overboard in terms of "calorie-splurging" the past couple days... no regrets.

Round One: Bridget Foy's

First stop of Philly's Restaurant Week was the eclectic Bridget Foy's, a Philadelphia landmark that has been situated at the corner of 2nd and South St since 1978. The decor was pretty interesting with a lot of colorful photos, including one that looked like a family of olives singing together (unfortunately don't have a photo, but I'll let you use your imagination on that one).

Top: Cheese Steak Croquettes, these were great - the perfect combination of crunchiness on the outside and melted cheesiness on the inside. I usually do not like cheese steaks (I find them too salty), but this variation was really enjoyable
Bottom: Crab and Corn Bisque, nothing too memorable about this dish... especially because there wasn't very much crab

Butternut Squash Risotto, Dulche de Leche Cheesecake, Apple Crumble, Steak Frites

Overall, it was a nice experience being able to check this establishment off my list. Would I go back? Probably not. It's rather far from campus and the food wasn't anything that I would make a second trek all the way over to 2nd Street for. 

Wine & Dine at Melograno

I have been wanting to try Melograno for ages... ever since I saw they had a truffle mushroom pasta on their menu that people have literally swooned over. Finally managed to make my way over for a quiet Sunday date night with the boyfriend and was pleasantly surprised that they were offering their Restaurant Week menu, even though it was Sunday.

Appetizers: Fluffy focaccia with olive oil, veal/pork/beef meatballs, snail and mushroom crostone

Top: the famous Pappardelle Tartufate, with wild mushrooms, truffle oil, and pecorino
Bottom: New York Strip Steak, with arugula, cannellini beans, and balsamic drizzle

Dessert: Post-meal coffee, almond panna cotta, hazelnut-chocolate creme brulee

What. A. Meal. In all honesty, nothing disappointed. I was happy to see that the restaurant included almost all of their regular dinner items on the RW menu and did not feel as though we were treated any less because of the discounted price. The waiter kindly brought an ice bucket over to the table to keep our wine chilled, and even brought it upon himself to refill our wine glasses when he saw they were near empty. Onto the food. I wouldn't say that Melograno serves your typical Italian cuisine, though the influence still seems authentic. I especially loved the meatballs as a starter instead of a topping on a marinara-drowned pasta dish - these were much larger in size and extremely hearty. The sauce was very fresh, which I liked since I usually avoid tomato-based sauces.

The pappardelle was exactly how I imagined it to be, maybe better. The handmade pasta was cooked to a perfect, chewy al dente and the truffle flavor was apparent but subtle, mixed in with the savoriness of the wild mushrooms. What probably surprised me the most, though, was that my favorite part of this meal was dessert. Both the almond panna cotta and the gianduja creme brulee were light, yet still rich enough to leave both of us extremely full by the end. I don't normally order creme brulee, but this chocolate hazelnut variation was amazing - it reminded me more of a mousse (as opposed to the pudding-like texture they normally have) with a crunchy sugar coating on top.

Will be posting about our trip to the newest Tria addition soon as well!