Before heading to Philadelphia, I dragged Amy Hennessey to Lancaster for a day trip. People always ask, "Why would you want to go to Lancaster?!" The simple answer is, I've never seen the Amish so that's what I went to see.

We didn't get to eat Amish food as the places close early. We finally settled for the Waffle House, a true midwestern road house with unfriendly, inefficient staff. Gotta love it! Fortunately, earlier in the evening we had gone to the Kettle Kitchen Village and had fresh ice cream. Chocolate marshmallow - yummy, Butter brickle - MMMMMM. They also sell fresh potato chips and you could tell they were fresh because a couple were not cooked all the way through. Overall, rural Lancaster was a nice detour and a great way to detox before going back to our frenetic lives. Next time, I will pick grapes, roll pretzels, and drink home made root beer.

 

Downtown Lancaster is definitely a city! Go to the Central Market and take in the food, the fudge, the fruits and flowers. If you are a Fodorite, stop in at the Herb Shop and say hi to SuCo27's grandparents, who own the shop.

From there, we left for Philadelphia via Amtrak. Upon arrival in PHL at 5 p.m. on a Friday, we found that the power had gone out just a few minutes prior. The platform was dark, porters were scurrying, commuters were not allowed to come downstairs. We were trying to get a guy in a wheelchair up the stairs, while Amy & I struggled with our bags. At some point, a porter took pity on us and we suddenly had two men getting us upstairs. It was there that we could see the chaos...PHL is like Grand Central Station, with hundreds of people trying to get home at rush hour. I wanted to take a photo of the chaos but Amy's porter quickly whisked us out of the station and into a taxi. Welcome to Philadelphia!

 

 

 

I'll start off with one of the most awesome meals of my LIFE....at Morimoto Restaurant. Yes, Iron Chef Morimoto has a restaurant, brought to you by big-time restaurateur Stephen Starr. Usually I am loathe to eat oriental food away from home unless I am in Japan or China, but this is an Iron Chef!

Of course I had the Omakase (available at $80, $100, or $120) with the beverage flight (&45, $65, $85). It's not priced on how much you get, but on how exotic the dishes. Of course I go for the most exotic, which produced some of the most incredible sensations in my mouth. For example, the toro was so fresh & fatty, it felt like silk gliding across freshly shaved & moisturized skin. Or the octopus--it is flown in fresh, still kicking & screaming. The uni lends a nutty flavor, and anchors the flavors so you don't just taste, but feel the chiso & green onion. I cannot take the time or space to describe all seven courses here, but you can click here to see my photo album on it.

You know how the judges swoon on the TV show? They're not acting. I have the meal written in my journal as a very emotional meal. I rarely have a meal in which the food brings forth every adjective, emotion, and sensation in one sitting. If you're curious about the genius of a true Iron Chef, Morimoto does not disappoint.

At the other end of the spectrum is Monk's Cafe. They are known for their Belgian mussles & frites, and are supposedly packed to the gills on most nights. At 9 p.m. on a Sunday, it was fairly empty. I chose the Ghent mussels ($9.95), which is a broth of bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and onions, and comes with their famous frites w/spicy bourbon mayo.

 

I took a bite, and.....out-freakin-standing! "What is that sensation on my tongue?!" I said, and Dan the bartender just nodded, knowingly. No one flavor overpowers another, as many American dishes may do. The tastes just set up camp in your mouth and start....singing. And telling you stories. The potatoes used for the fries have a hint of sweetness. Fry them up, throw on some salt, and these girls are ready to party! The fries are addicting. I shamelessly licked the bowl.

The Plough & Stars is a happening place with good food, but be warned that their service for big parties sucks! We had our Western District Dinner here and they did not handle us too well. Nevertheless, I should tell you that the spinach & mushroom cream soup was a fabulous puree of my favorite vegetables in a savory cream, and the NY Steak with blue cheese butter was spiced to perfection. The Dvoraks said it was way better than their steak at Fork. The burnt cream for dessert was also love-worthy.