Philadelphia

Kalaya {Philly} – Pilgrimage Worthy

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Ziggy

The last season of Chef’s Table was both exciting and upsetting. At least they ended with the upsetting part allowing us to enjoy the show until that point. The last episode was about a restaurant in Mexico City that proudly shows sensitive political stances on the menu. Not sure I would like to live in a world where every restaurant or business I support shows where they stand on certain issues, some of which may be sensitive to some groups. We go out to be entertained, not preached. We have CNN and FOX News for that.

Compared to the last episode, the Kalaya episode was wildly refreshing. Not only for the great looking food but the owner’s bubbly personality, and her story. I immediately went to Google Maps to mark it only to find out its already marked. Why havent I visited until now? I ran out of daughters (that might go to school there), and my love affair with the Philly Cheesesteak never really changed. I was so enamored with one particular handsome beast (John’s Roast Pork) that it took me ages to even try another.

Kalaya not too long ago moved to the up and coming Fishtown. A fitting name for a new culinary powerhouse, especially if you stretch the border a little to include places like Laser Wolf. The place has the look and feel of a sprawling well oiled machine that’s quite far from your typical Thai. Great food, ample lighting, efficient service, and strong drinks. What else a boy can ask for. Dumplings shaped like birds?

The dumplings at Kalaya are the exception to the rule. Get them for the look, and hopefully you’ll enjoy the taste. The signature bird shaped dumplings with caramelized cod and preserved radish had a mild interesting funk but didnt exactly blow me away. The flower shaped chicken dumplings had a more agreeable flavor and texture. But the biggest surprise was how tiny they were. You could easily kill two birds with one bite.

While I didnt really explore the Appetizers column, I get the sense that Kalaya’s strength is with large entrees. A perfectly steamed whole Branzino topped with all sorts of delicate goodies was pure joy with every morsel. A fall off the bone Lamb Shank on an outrageous, well balanced Massaman curry, with potatoes, onions and almonds was fall off the chair wowzer. One we couldnt finish. The silky Cabbage side was another winner.

Rarely you see great looking desserts at Thai places. The mammoth shaved ice is a show stopper, but our shrinking stomachs went for the more than fine Thai Tea Tiramisu. I also rarely talk about drinks here because they are either not memorable or something I can do at home. The Lum Yong drink was neither. An unforgettable blend of Gins, Coconut, Lemongrass, lime and spices. Go!

Kalaya
4 W Palmer St, Philadelphia
Recommended Dishes: Both Dumplings, Lamb Shank Massaman, Branzino, Cabbage, Tiramisu

Categories: Philadelphia | Tags: food, Kalaya, Kalaya Philadelphia, restaurants | Leave a comment

Angelo’s Pizzeria – The #1 Reason to Visit Philly

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Ziggy

There are many reasons to visit the City of Brotherly Love. Like, well.. hmm, I cant think of any right now. Give me a minute.. Oh ok, so there’s this bell that tourists are queuing up to see, but I hear its broken. There are also these famous steps where tourists run up and down. Such fun! And how can I forget the prison, Easter State something. See, plenty of things to do and see, but perhaps most importantly, to eat.

Philly gave birth to two of my favorite mini empires.. Han Dynasty, and Michael Solomonov’s. Hummus is not exactly the first or 10th thing that comes to mind when you think Philly. But between Zahav, Dizengoff, and Laser Wolf you will be hard pressed finding better Israeli food or hummus anywhere else. I’ve yet to set foot inside a Vetri place because good Italian is just too easy to find in NYC, but thats another big part of the local food puzzle.

But to me, first and foremost, its the Philly Cheesesteak. I met enough people who raised eyebrows at the notion of going to Philly for a greasy sandwich, but thats most likely because they simply havent had a good one. I can probably find a decent Philly Cheesesteak in NYC (Shorty’s is one). But everything I tried paled in comparison to my long time fave… John’s Roast Pork.

While tourists flock to the more accessibly popular 70’s boy names, Geno’s, Pats, Jim’s, we settled on the more local, remote John’s. But love can also be blind. At some point I woke up in cold sweat realizing that I liked John’s more than my family and friends. While my taste was more in tune with the local John’s fanatics, the cheese, or lack of wiz, and the overall flavor just wasnt appreciated nearly as much by my closest, namely Mrs Z.

Enter another boy’s name, Angelo. As in angels singing when you take your first bite of this beast. As a New Yorker, I dont know if I’ll ever try their pizza, also much hyped about, especially after a Barstool review a few years back. While many go for the great looking pies, the vast majority of the 30 or so last Saturday were waiting for the crown jewel sandwich.

The scene at Angelo’s is part of the experience. A doorman helps with the traffic, and directs you straight to a cashier. Inside the kitchen area is what looks like a dozen strong, factory like operation. The only problem is, and its not a small one, there’s nowhere to eat it. At least at John’s you have the outdoor space. We took a walk along the block, and after 30 minutes our sandwiches were ready.

We ate ours in the car across the street. Tight parking in that part of Philly. The first thing we noticed is the bread. A seeded roll, somewhat remarkably also baked in-house. I got mine with the suggested Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions, while adding mushrooms to the mix. She got it naked with sweet peppers on the side. She liked hers a lot.

I cant help but use the “best I ever had” cliché every chance I have. But in this case I have very little doubt about that. The ribeye/cheese balance and quality, the bread, and the rest of the ingredients produced a very satisfying, rich bite. The bread especially made the bulk of the difference. I wasnt planning to write about this, hence took a few poor shots of this, but you can see it better in this most excellent post. Generally these sandwiches are not very photogenic, but once you have it, you start drooling over them pics.

As someone wrote on my Insta page, “Angelo’s will do that”. My loyalty to the fantastic John’s is in serious jeopardy. I cant speak for consistency, but this was just about perfect. A destination sandwich that will give the rocky steps you’ll need to do after, a little bit more meaning.

Categories: Philadelphia | Tags: Angelo's Pizzeria, Angelo's Pizzeria Philadelphia, Cheesesteak, food, Philly Cheesesteak | Leave a comment

Zahav (Philly) – Almost Golden

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Ziggy

Courtesy of Zahav

It only took 10 years. Pretty much everyone I know including my oldest who now lives in Philly made it to Zahav before me. Winning the coveted Outstanding Restaurant at the 2019 James Beard awards, the Oscars of dining in America, didnt help my quest. It doesnt seem like its mission impossible, but over the years, every time I tried, I failed to reserve a table. So last Sunday I sent an email declaring myself available in case of a cancellation, and lo and behold, an hour later I had a table reserved for four.

The story is inspiring. While it was Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook’s third restaurant when they opened Zahav in 2008, it wasnt an immediate success. They barely made it through year one. Judging by the number of hosts we spotted last Sunday, these guys have gone a long way. To get the James Beard prize a restaurant must be open for 10 consecutive years. Solomonov and Cook struck gold, or “Zahav” which means gold in Hebrew. But Zahav in this case is more of a reference to Jerusalem, city of gold. The food touches on Jerusalem’s street food, and the room mimics elements of its hidden courtyards. Supposedly! It was a little dark.

Ordering at Zahav is like a surprise math quiz that you dont want to screw up. The much touted Tayim tasting menu works for some, but not all. For our family, it made more sense to order a la carte. iPhone flashlight was used to see the menu, take some god-awful shots, and on occasion make sure the people sitting across are still my children. Gone are the days when I get embarrassed when someone uses flash at my table. I’m now that guy.

The food for the most part lived up to the hype. The Salatim, miniature size rotating salads of the day were all on point, with everyone reaching for different favorites. More scrumptiousness followed with the Mezzes, where the cauliflower, the Israeli staple, and Haloumi being particular standouts. The good news is that the signature silky smooth hummus is awesome. The bad news is that the silky smooth hummus is awesome. I’ll explain.

The grilled section dubbed “Al Ha’esh” (literally means “on top of fire” – my favorite kind of grilled) were well-thought-out, expertly cooked tapas size “mains”. The Lamb merguez was good but overshadowed by the the others. The excellent grilled eggplant reminded me of eggplant in some Chinese restaurants. The Chicken Shishlik (Kebab in Russian, one of the many influences in Israeli cuisine) was zesty and quite juicy. And the two bites I had of the Branzino were great.

Everything was cooked well and featured nice combination of flavors and textures. But at the end of the day something was missing. It could be the only large dish of the house, the signature whole-roasted lamb shoulder which is only available via the larger “Mesiba” tasting menu. I’m pro business. I dont usually suggest how restaurateurs should conduct their business, as they do things for a reason in order to survive the game. But as a consumer, it would have been nice to have this dish available for us. Some of us got smaller stomachs (mine is shrinking), and the Mesiba (party in hebrew) just meant way too much food. I didnt want a party, but a casual get together. Instead we watched this glorious looking plate parade all over the room, while we take small bites off our tapas.

I suppose we could have chosen more than one chicken or fish, and had our own mini Mesiba if you will. But on your first visit, you fall into the trap of trying various dishes, and the habit of ordering a dish more than once is foreign to us. The lack of large plates meant a couple of bites in some cases, and just when your taste buds start to warm up to a new flavor, its gone. At the end of the meal we all agreed that our favorite was the hummus, a dish I’ve had many times at Dizengoff. Granted, it was even more awesome here. But on my highly anticipated first visit, I was craving a knockout dish I hadn’t had before. Otherwise, the prices are fair, and its a true gem in center Philly that would do fairly well in NYC.