The plan was to wake at 8am on Saturday morning and dash off to the Reading Terminal Market for a breakfast of hoagies, pulled pork, apple dumplings, chocolate, and pretzels.
We ended up waking closer to noon, victims of a late Friday, beer (it was Beer Week in Philly) and wine. And the ridiculously comfy bed that John had set out. Steph and I couldn't get over how much SPACE there was in the home - with a living room easily twice times the size of ours. You don't realize just how little room there is in the city until you leave and its like whoa, this is what it is like to live in a "normal" home.
But in the end, I wouldn't trade my current lack of space in the EV for anything in the world ^_^
Energized by hot coffee, we piled into John's car, with a pile of notes from U-E's guide to the Reading Terminal Market - we couldn't have done this Reading Market trip without his post! We retraced his steps with a few minor changes.
Change I: pulled pork instead of roast pork at Dinic's.
Change II: Fisher's Dutch Treats no longer makes pretzels so we got the ones from Miller's Twist instead.
Change III: Passed on Bassett's ice cream for an third trip back to Capogiro's.
Change IV: Had the Blue Cheese Fudge in addition to the r&d chocolates at Fair Food Farmstand.
So...here we go!
Stop I: Dinic's Roast Pork and Beef
Find the menu here. We were torn between the ROAST pork and the PULLED pork, but the decision was made to go with PULLED when the gentleman in front us, "a born and raised South Philly boy" urged us to go the PULLED route. God was it good. We had it topped with "greens" and devoured the whole thing in barely a minute with hot juices soaked into the bun and dripping down our wrists. Next time, we'll add on "greens" along with provolone and peppers!
Stop II: Salumeria
Ordered: The Italian Hoagie, complete with mortadella, coppa, spicy capicola. You'll be asked, “the works?” And you must enthusiastically respond, "yesyesyes" as the woman behind the counter piles smothers on a tangy vinaigrette and follows with layers of raw onions, lettuce, sweet roasted peppers and provolone.
Stop III: Dutch Eating Place
It's called a Hot Apple Dumpling. Could there be a more beautiful trio of words?
This photo alone should be sufficient. Buttery pastry harboring a single pitted apple, lightly spiced with cinnamon and baked till the innards get all tender and molten, the pastry golden just so. To eat: warm and pour over the cup of heavy cream. Sit next to the piano player two stalls over and whittle away the afternoon.
Stop IV: Miller's Twist
We were sad to learn that Fisher's Dutch Treats stopped making fresh pretzels awhile ago. But the woman we spoke with pointed to the crowded stall directly across from them and said, "that's where you should go for pretzels."
And we did, ordering a single warm, buttered pretzel, topped with chunks of salt. It was ridiculous. Growing up in Hawai'i, the Pretzel Maker at Kahala Mall was my default after school snack - especially on Thursdays when it was $1.50 pretzel day. I was a loyal holder of the green pretzel stamp card, buy 12 get 1 free. Mom, sister and I must have gone though dozens of cards.
And then I moved to NYC where the food is amazing but the pretzels are hard. If anyone knows where I can find a good soft pretzel here, please let me know :) I'm fond of the ones at Cafe Katja on the LES but you can't just drop by for a pretzel to go. Is there really no place where one can pass in just for one warm, soft pretzel with a generous dip of butter?
Stop V: Fair Food Farmstand
We picked up a few chocolate confections here. First, a duo of Fleur de Sel Caramels by a local Philly company, r&d chocolates. These were forgettable at best, better sea salted caramels can be found back in NYC.
The Blue Sue Dark Chocolate Fudge with Birchrun Hills Blue Cheese was substantially more enjoyable, rich chocolately buttons speckled with bits of raw blue cheese.
A little more stuffed than we had anticipated, we leaned back on the metal chairs a digested. The we did the logical thing and took a walk. We walked right over to Chinatown to eat more, then went home for afternoon naps and bad television...then set off to Pat's for cheesesteaks, another trip to Capogiro's, and closed off the night at Medusa. Post to follow :)
Have a super happy Wednesday!
Reading Terminal Market
51 North 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 922-2317
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