Welcoming Spring: Bibou + Brunch

With most of the campus sunbathing on the beaches of Punta Cana or jetsetting off to Europe, I opted to spend a quiet spring break wining and dining here on the east coast with my mom. No regrets!

Some snapshots of our food adventures this past week... much more to come ;)

Dinner at Bibou

Bibou has long been on my Philly food bucket list, but it's located in Bella Vista and I have always considered it too far (aka I'm too lazy to make the trek). We had an early dinner here on a Thursday and it became clear to me why it is always so difficult to secure a table during normal dining hours, especially on the weekends - the place is tiny and can probably seat about 30 people max... by the time our appetizers came (around 5:45 PM), the place was basically full.

Started off with a whole baguette and amazing butter
Duo de Foie Gras, seared foie gras with sauteed persimmon, persimmon gastrique, foie gras custard

Striped Bass, red quinoa, chanterelle mushroom and broccoli, zinfandel sauce

Onglet de Boeuf, hanger steak with green peppercorn sauce, fingerling potatoes, green asparagus

Coconut macaroons and meringue
Pineapple Tart, blueberries, creme fraiche

The menu here is always changing, though they do have some staples, such as the escargot appetizer and hanger steak entree. They usually have a foie gras dish that I highly recommend, though it seems they switch up the flavors every so often (it was paired with mango only a month ago, but we had it when persimmon when we visited). The foie gras custard was a little heavy for us and we struggled to finish it, but the seared portion was perfectly fatty and savory, especially when balanced with the sweetness of the persimmon.

Brunch in Brooklyn

We spent our next few days in Brooklyn and visited Maggie Brown, one of my favorite brunch places, our first morning there. They serve some of the best corned beef hash and biscuits I have ever had. Also, who can say no to bottomless coffee?

Steak and eggs, scrambled eggs with cheddar, chives, and horseradish, corned beef hash (with a surprising amount of yolks in my two eggs)

A perfect week with perfect weather! Stay tuned.