Thursday, July 22, 2010

Philly Weekend: Architecture and Pretty Good Food




I spent a wonderful weekend in Philadelphia and met up with my stepmom, who was there for a sustainable agriculture conference. We soaked in a few wonderful meals, and some even better design, a couple of our favorite things. She has a history as a blacksmith, and introduced me to the killer ironwork of Philadelphia's Samuel Yellin, which I found very inspiring.



Sort of a high/low thing going on here...

They just DO NOT make 'em like they used to.



Built in boot scraper.



We visited Capogiro Gelato, that uses local and seasonal ingredients. We both tried several flavors, then had a dish of two, then repeated that process and I don't regret that part at all. I was excited about the sweet Amish milk option, and the fact that they had pale pink Queen Anne cherry AND black cherry.



We had an awesome all-out dinner at Parc on Rittenhouse Square. A beautiful french brasserie with endless tables, interesting details, great lighting and great service. Many tables are on the sidewalk, and there is a large transitional section of indoor/outdoor space. I think I could live there.



Trout Amandine, perfectly and simply done.

Glintyness after dinner.




The lighting and floors at Parc.


A flavorful gazpacho and knockout buckwheat blueberry pancakes at a noisy hipster pub.

The train station kicks ass, in a very grown-up way.