Diners and Dives week: BIlly's Downtown Diner (Bethlehem, PA)

Living in New York, there's no shortage of ways to get out of town for a quick weekend getaway.  We decided to visit friends in Bethlehem, PA and they in turn, knowing our love of food, took us around to their town's best high end and low brow restaurants.

So, as part of Diners and Dives week, we are showcasing their favorite low brow restaurant:  Billy's Downtown Diner.     

 

Owned and operated by Billy Kounoupis, this popular local diner features delicious dishes, many of which have a Mediterranean twist - like the Soup of the Day:  Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

 

This was as comforting as chicken soup should be, with chunks of chicken and plump orzo.  The tang of the  lemon added a nice brightness and kept the soup light.

Pulled pork and bacon?  Yes, please!  We grabbed the Koumbas Melt ($7.19).  It was filled with pulled pork with melted cheddar, smoked bacon, tomatoes, and sliced banana peppers on grilled sourdough with a side of French fries.

Our friends always get the Cuban Sandwich ($7.59).  It was piled high with pulled pork with with grilled smoked ham, spicy  mustard, kosher pickles, and melted Swiss cheese on toasted French garlic bread.  The meat was nicely seasoned with Cuban spices.

We also wanted to get something light so we opted for the Greek Turkey Burger ($6.89).  This had a grilled turkey burger with shredded lettuce, hummus, Greek feta cheese and tomatoes wrapped with a warm pita bread with a side of cole slaw.  We love turkey burgers, and the Greek salad ingredients made this wrap crunchy and fresh.

 

Our friends also got this Mediterranean sandwich with grilled chicken, olive tapenade, arugula, and cheese.  It tasted as good as it looked.    

Billy's Downtown Diner is located at10 East Broad St in Bethlehem, PA.

Great beer at Varga Bar

We had a fantastic evening at Varga Bar in Philadelphia, with both Founders' Double Trouble and Russian River Brewing's Damnation on tap. The Double Trouble (above left) was amazingly piney, citrusy, hoppy, bitter, with a great bitter finish and not much of a burn (how do they do that at 9.4%?). The Damnation (above right, 7.75% ABV) was overall quite dry (burnt rubber quality?), medium body style, with some spice and herbs, banana, grapefruit/orange peel and a pleasant smooth finish. A very balanced beer.

It was beer heaven since the Founders and Russian River beers are not available for us in NY. The food is okay, but stop by for the beers.

BBQ Pulled Pork ($10): A good, messy sandwich with cheddar cheese, broccoli rabe and bistro fries to go with the variety of beers.

North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin ($6, 9%): One of our personal favorites, and surprisingly the first time we've had Rasputin on tap. Still and will always be a winner.

Old Rasputin (left) and the last of the Founders Backwoods Bastard (right, one of our favorite beers by one of the best breweries in the U.S.). The Backwoods is not for newbies; it's a big beer that has been oak barrel aged. It was a great way to finish our trip to Varga Bar!

On tap that day were selections from Oskar Blues (we also had the Gordon on tap), Victory, Rogue, Lagunitas, Bell's and Dogfish Head. Don't forget your growler!

Varga Bar is located at 941 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, PA.

South Philadelphia Tap Room

The South Philly Tap Room was recommended by a bunch of locals, so we stopped by since we heard they might have Founders beers on tap. There were a handful of locals sipping some great microbrews mid-afternoon on a Saturday. Overall, the bar has a decent selection of rotating drafts and cask beer.

Founders Dumbo Head Wheat Ale ($5, 6%): This was the only Founders beer available so we tried a pint. We love Founders, however, we don't usually care for wheat beers. This was one of the better wheat beers we've had, most are too sweet and not very good. It was light, carbonated, with orange peel, a little hoppiness and sweetness but is a relatively drier style wheat. This is not the best beer or our favourite style but it still beats most popular wheat beers.

We also had a pint of the Duck Rabbit Milk Stout ($5, 5.7%), brewed in Farmville, NC. We liked the roast coffee with some sweetness and bitterness. A little thin for our liking, but worth a try.

The South Philadelphia Tap Room is located at 1509 Mifflin Street near S. Broad Street in Philadelphia.

The Pub on Passyunk East - Philadelphia, PA

Next stop on our Philly tour...finding some great beers we haven't seen in NYC! We had heard that the Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E.) had some great craft beer selections on tap and in bottle. The pub even has rare beers from Russian River and Hitachino.

The list of beers and drink specials looked amazing, we found ourselves eyeing all the orders of spicy Bloody Mary's.

Brunch Burger ($8): We had their loaded burger with an over-easy egg, bacon and cheddar, garlic mayo garnish and crispy fries. A great way to start an afternoon of beer drinking.

The food selection is quite broad. We also could not believe that the menu carried many vegan and vegetarian items (including a seitan cheesesteak!).

Russian River Brewing's Pliny the Elder ($7.50): We had to stop at this bar to have one of the best beers made in the U.S. (possibly the world?), Pliny the Elder. This has to be one of the boldest yet balanced beers we have ever had. Just having this beer is worth the trip since it's not widely available.

The citrus spruce nose is fantastic. The full-bodied beer has light carbonation, some grapefruit, pine with a (very) long-lasting pleasant bitter finish without any alcoholic burn (even at 8%). Definitely one of the best beers we've ever had, we hope Russian River beers will be available in NY some day.

A wide mix on tap of East and West Coast beers from Left Coast, Avery, New Holland, Duck Rabbit and Sly Fox.

New Holland Dragon's Milk ($6 bottle): An strong American ale poured dark cola brown into a tulip glass. This 8.5% ABV beer had rich and sweet chocolate malt, vanilla (from the bourbon barrel aging), some hops, with a bitter coffee finish. A really good beer that was not overwhelming because of the oak aging. This could definitely replace most after-dinner drinks.

Another Pliny before we go....we could not pass this up.

The Pub on Passyunk East is located at 1501 E. Passyunk Street in Philadelphia, PA.

Pat's King of Steaks - Philadelphia, PA

It's easy to make a weekend trip to Philadelphia from NYC. We took advantage of the Bolt Bus' short (under 2 hours), cheap ($1+ per person fare), and comfortable (leather seats, free WiFi) direct trips. So, what was the first thing we did when we got off the bus? We headed straight for an authentic Philly cheesesteak.

There's no shortage of cheesesteak places in Philly. We opted for what many locals consider to be the best: Pat's King of Steaks. Luckily, we got here before lunchtime on a Saturday so the place was not crowded yet. We could only imagine how packed it gets here late at night.

The "Rules" to ordering a cheesesteak.
1. Decide if you want onions (WIT) or not (WIT-OUT).
2. Choose your cheese.
3. Make your order: e.g. "Whiz Wit" means you want a cheesesteak with onions and cheese whiz.

Having previously tried a Whiz Wit, we decided to go for a "Provolone Wit", a cheesesteak with 4 slices of provolone cheese and onions. The meat was so juicy and tender it didn't need anything else. We had some with mustard and hot sauce, but it didn't need either sauce. Even at $8/sandwich, it was still a good value. Everyone comes to Pat's: while we were there, we ate with locals, tourists, construction workers, etc.

We know the best Philly cheesesteak is always up for debate, but we really liked Pat's King of Steaks. We suggest you go decide for yourself.

Pat's King of Steaks is located where 9th Street crosses Wharton and Passyunk Ave in Philadelphia, PA.

Beer Tour of Philly

When packing for Philly, we made sure to bring along a couple bottles of wine to enjoy at our BYOB dinners.  Though we have access to a lot of different wines in NYC, Philly is probably the best place (on the East Coast) to find different craft beers.

You can't find Founders, Port Brewing, Bell's or Russian River brews in New York but you can in Philly (although, given recent events, we hope it continues.  So glad we got our bottle of Supplication!)

Sit back and enjoy as my husband (HLFD's beer and wine guy) takes us on his beer tour of Philly.

Since we were in the Olde City area, we stopped by Eulogy Tavern, one of the better craft beer bar and restaurants. They have two bars (upstairs and downstairs) and while we were sipping our beers there was a surprisingly large dinner crowd for an early Friday evening.

The bottle selection was phenomenal. We couldn't pass up a big bottle of Russian River Brewing's Damnation, a Belgian-style strong pale ale. Another fun fact about Philly - you can buy beer to go (in bottles) straight from the bar.  Hence, we also picked up bottles of Founders Nemesis (very hard to find!) and Bell's Expedition Stout to go.

For lunch one afternoon we stopped at the new Hawthornes Cafe (since we couldn't carry cases of beer to go at Bella Vista across the street).  The food service has great potential (we think they're still working some kinks out) but the beer and growler selection is spectacular.

You can take your beer to go and stay and kick back a few while eating some food in the restaurant part. We had some beers from Dark Horse Brewing in Michigan, including the Crooked Tree IPA (photo, above right), to wash down our panini.  At Hawthornes, we were able to grab rare bottles like The Lost Abbey's The Angel's Share.

We made a return visit to Monk's Cafe in Center City. This is still one of the best beer bars anywhere, but like Hawthornes, the food and service could be a little better. Don't get us wrong, we'd go back for the beers from The Lost Abbey and Cantillon and hope we can get a seat at the front or back bar.

So if you are a craft beer lover, we recommend taking a trip to Philadelphia. Whether you stop by world-renowned places like Monk's Cafe, local places like the Pub On Passyunk East (one of our favorite bars anywhere - we've had Pliny and Bell's Hopslam there)...

 ...or finding pleasant surprises at old school watering holes like the Khyber, Philly is a great craft beer city.  So glad we had room in our suitcases to bring a few beers back to enjoy at home!  Next time we'll also hit up the South Philly Tap Room again. Cheers!

Eulogy Tavern is located at 136 Chestnut St (at S 2nd St)
Hawthornes Cafe is located at 738 South 11th St (at Fitzwater St)
Khyber is located at 56 South 2nd St (at Market St)
Monk's Cafe is located at 264 S 16th St (at Spruce St)
Pub On Passyunk East is located at 1501 E Passyunk Ave (at Dickinson St)

Little Fish - BYOB II in Philly

We wanted to take advantage of another well-reviewed BYOB restaurant while we were in Philly and so we  made reservations at Little Fish. The restaurant is the smaller outpost of Fish, another popular (but non-BYOB) seafood restaurant in Philadelphia.

We brought along our last bottle of the 2007 Conundrum from Caymus (that thankfully survived the trek from NYC to Philly).  This wine is a blend that usually combines sauvignon blanc, muscat canelli, chardonnay and viognier and possibly other varietals (the actual blend changes year to year, hence the name Conundrum). This was a great match, as the wine still had good acidity, ripe melon and the weight to match the rich seafood dishes. 

The Java Stout (photo, above right) is from Bell's, one of the best craft brewers in the U.S.  Knowing that we would likely order a chocolate dessert, we thought that this would go well with it.

Our table was right beside the open kitchen.  So after ordering, we just watched the action.  Ooh - that sashimi on the pretty pink salt rock looked really good...

Tomahawk Oysters (left, $2/each):  These East coast oysters were creamy and mild.

Shibumi Oysters (right, $2.50/each ):  Briny and salty, these West coast oysters tasted like the ocean.

Skate Wing with Wild Boar Ragout, Fried Egg and Broccoli Rabe ($26):  We were pleasantly surprised by the serving size of the skate. Usually you only get one wing (but we got both!); however, this along with the ragout and broccoli, was tough to finish.  The ragout was so rich but the egg yolk and slightly bitter greens were a good balance to the skate and sauce.

 

Suzuki with Leeks, Bacon, Littleneck clams, and Potato hash ($29):  The Suzuki is a Japanese bass fish with a light flaky texture and mild flavor.  It was perfectly seared (love the crispy skin!) while the fish meat was soft and tender.

 

With the fish came the most delicious medley of flavors.  Potatoes and leeks are a classic taste combination - and add in clams plus bacon, it tasted like an elegant clam chowder (without the fatty cream).

Chocolate Truffle Torte with Pistachio Ice Cream ($7):  How can you go wrong with chocolate?  As expected, the torte was rich and went seamlessly with our Java Stout beer.  We really enjoyed the pistachio ice cream - nutty and not unnaturally colored green.

Little Fish is located at 600 Catherine St. in Philadelphia, PA.

Continuing our Philadalphia Foodie Trip wtih Chef Jose Garces' Amada

Nothing was going to stop us from our early dinner reservation at Amada, the restaurant owned and run by Chef Jose Garces (aka the newest Iron Chef and 2009 James Beard Award winner).

Not only do we love Spanish tapas, but we knew that this restaurant was highly regarded.

So despite having our bellies full of ice cream (from Franklin Fountain) and our hearts racing from watching the Canada/USA Gold medal game, we hurried over to the restaurant for their first seating.

 

Philly has a great selection of beers that cannot be found in NYC.  We're big fans of Founders Brewery, so we ordered the Founders Centennial IPA on draft (large, $5).  

We also received this complimentary plate of large crispy tortilla chips with a meaty tuna spread.  It was much better than a plain bread basket!

Cheese special ($8):  Whenever someone mentions "sheep's milk cheese", we always respond, "Yes, please!"  That day's cheese special was a mild Spanish sheep's milk cheese (lighter and less nuttier than a Manchego).  Loved the apple tower and sweet fruit spread that came with the cheese!

 

Alcachofas Y Setas ($14):  Spanish Flatbread of Artichoke, Wild Mushrooms, Black Truffle, and Manchego cheese.

This taste of heaven looks simple but bursts with fresh flavor. The earthiness of the mushrooms and black truffles with the saltiness of the cheese made for very fragrant, addictive bites!

Revuelto ($12):  Eggs with Wild Mushrooms and Shrimp.  This dish is a favorite plate of Top Chef's Jennifer Carroll and we could not agree with her more.  The softly cooked eggs were light and fluffy while the mushrooms and shrimp made this tapas a bit more substantial.

Costillas de Ternera ($12):  Beef short-ribs, Bacon, Parmesan cheese, and Horseradish.  This Spanish flatbread was more sweet than heat, but with a balanced savory kick. 

To end our wonderful meal, we were served this complimentary almond wafer.  It was a nice, subtly sweet treat to perfectly cap off our dinner.

Amada Restaurant is located at 217-219 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia, PA.