Modo Mio Dinner With The Ladies

I couldn't possibly leave Philadelphia without a last visit to Modo Mio, which I think is perhaps the restaurant to which I returned over and over again during my time in the city. Well, outside of McCrossens and other neighborhood bars. My companions for this meal were entirely fitting and some of my favorites: LW, CPM and L. L. and I discussed a few weeks beforehand my growing worry about actually being able to productively pack up all my stuff...and she was generous enough to offer me her assistance and oversight, which truly was invaluable. But also, it was just important to get to see L. one last time since I wasn't able to make it up to Brooklyn before my departure. So on a Friday about two weeks back we first gathered at my apartment and enjoyed some prosecco before heading out into the cold night for a most epic and lovely of meals. We were seated at the same table as my birthday dinner and our server for the night was one of my favorites...even though I haven't been able to make it to Modo Mio as much in this last year as I did in the years prior, she immediately recognized me/us and that is always a very gratifying experience. I shared my plans with her - re: my imminent departure from the city and plan to travel across the country for a new adventure, and she made the meal quite the send off. So much lovely food. So much lovely company. Just lovely, lovely, lovely. So what did we eat? Well, this first dish was L.'s and was a taleggio cheese, mushroom and maybe balsamic antiapasti...so oozey.

Then we were gifted the appetizer of the day, which I kind of totally forget the ingredients of, but thoroughly enjoyed.

I chose the mussels, white and spicy and was entirely happy with them. The thick crusty bread they provide at the beginning of the meal was perfect for soaking up the delectable broth once most of the mussels were properly consumed.

This, too, is a bit of a mystery to me...I think it may have been another of the specials of the evening, and alas I cannot tell you exactly what it was about...maybe roasted pig of some kind?

Now, years back when KH was in town, I took her to Modo Mio to show off how freakin' good it was. On that particular night, our server strongly encouraged us to try the night's special pasta, which was a delectable and unforgettable raviolo. Since that evening every single time I've gone to Modo Mio, a little part of me has held out the hope that the raviolo will appear again...and while so many other wonderful meals have certainly been enjoyed, it was not until this final Modo Mio meal that the raviolo made its second appearance in my life. I think perhaps its accoutrements weren't entirely identical to that dish that lodged itself in my brain in 2011, but it was awfully darn close and just as satisfying.

I don't know if this would strike someone else as tasty-looking or disgusting, but to me this screams 'I am luscious and delicious!' so I'm sorry if it screams something else at you.

I think that CPM had veal with mushrooms and eggs...

And in another kismet-ic move, the special of the evening was also almost tailor made for my culinary proclivities. Creamy polenta topped not only with pork tenderloin but a soft shell crab as well, ll in a caper tomato sauce so fresh and popping with all things right in the world.

Our server also hooked us up with additional sides. The chickpeas with greens were slightly bitter in an 'on purpose' kind of way ad the roasted brussels sprouts with perhaps leeks were just straight up good to consume.

I'm honestly not entirely sure what this is...maybe L.'s duck.

Another angle of my dish.

Then we split the array of desserts that our server brought us. All so good. So. So. good.

While this, sadly, is not the most flattering of photographs of me ever taken...my expression is entirely accurate, as variations of that face could be seen from the initial introduction to the specials all the way through dessert and coffee.

Thanks to LW for having the common sense to take photographs of people...I managed not to get a single photo of the four of us together and I regret it. Such wonderful ladies with whom to spend one of my last weekend evenings on the east coast!

A Philadelphia Night Out

When we went to Han Dynasty for my birthday, CPM and I both were quite taken with the idea of getting a punch bowl for the table, and were rather surprised by the lack of recommendation our server gave us on that front...basically they told us not to do it, so we didn't. But the idea of drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage out of a punch bowl was not to float away on the river of our lives like a loose stick from a low hanging tree. Nope. CPM and I made an alternative plan. I knew that the scorpion bowl at Sampan was pretty delightful and so I suggested we go there, which is just what we did. We originally thought we'd just wing it and sit at the bar, but mid-day Friday we corresponded and decided that a reservation was probably not the worst idea...which was entirely true, as the bar was pretty solidly packed when we got there around 7:30. We were seated and quite enjoyed perusing the menu. Though I've been to Sampan a few times, it had been quite a bit of time, so many of the things of the menu appealed. In the end CPM and I chose a nice array of plates to share. For example, these 'wonton crab tacos,' which came with avocado, cilantro and pickled shallot. The crab salad element was good in portion size and delicious.

We also ordered the hamachi ceviche, which really is just a really delightful spoonful of magic. The dish usually comes three spoons to a plate, but the server suggested we add a fourth so there would be no bloodshed. A good call indeed.

These were Korean fried chicken skewers. Succulent. Hot. So GOOD.

We also ordered the "Philly Cheese Steak," which you can see in the far left corner...honestly this was the dish that was the least successful or pleasing. I'd give it a pass.

Our server did at first suggest that we didn't need a punch bowl in our lives...but after much deliberation, we chose to have one anyway.

Kobe beef skewers were unbelievably tender and while they had a bit of sauce/external flavor, the meat itself was pretty well and good magic on its own.

Do not doubt us, Sampan server, we will order and finish a punch bowl. Don't you worry about us none.

After that it was still relatively early in the evening, so we walked west in Center City. I was quite shocked to see that a.bar, which I tried to go to with Huckleberry back in the summer, was pretty much entirely empty. So we went on in there and enjoyed two delightful cocktails that will go unnamed because I can't seem to find the drink menu on the establishment's website. They also had a pretty neat-o looking oyster bar option. While we only had a drink, I would definitely suggest to those staying in the Philly area that they check this place out far more than I'll be able to do in my dwindling days in the city.

We then made a few more stops in our night, including a cocktail at Tank Bar and getting to McCrossen's just in time to see the Eagles not quite make it through the playoffs. A lovely evening with a fun friend. I liked that we balanced our evening so that we stopped in at a variety of locations, some more familiar than others. The night was, of course, a late one. And I could never do that sort of thing with any true frequency, but such evenings always remind me of just how much of Philadelphia is still a mystery to me, even after six years.

Baltimore Brunch c/o Mt. Vernon Stable and Saloon

On my way back to Philly I dropped my dad off at the Baltimore airport and then went into the city to meet up with NC C., as she has recently relocated, which potentially should make her MD C...but we'll C about that. In any case, we walked to the nearby Mt Vernon Stable and Saloon for a lunch/brunch kind of meal. I asked for a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary and found it to be quite delicious - overlong celery stalk and all.

They also had a crab soup of the day, which I was determined to try. I generally enjoyed it but perhaps wished it had been a little lumpier in the crab department.

The crab theme continued with my main meal, which was basically eggs Benedict but with crabcakes instead of ham. Pretty good stuff.

And then it was back on the road. Traffic got kind of stupid on 95 north of Baltimore and what shouldn't have taken much longer than 1.5 hours ended up being more like 3, but that's just what happens when traveling on a Sunday after a major holiday in the U.S. I feel quite sorry for anyone who really needed to go into any of the rest stop facilities, because just stopping for gas was a madhouse feat with lines that literally took 20 minutes to inch forward to actual pumps. Madness I tell you, madness!

Delaware Beach and Camp Times

This summer flew by. Between my two biggest excursions to North Carolina and Lake Champlain, I certainly can't say that I didn't get my fair share of swimming done, but somehow I struggled to find a weekend to dedicate to my annual Delaware beach camping adventure. In previous years I've gone in the early summer and then again in the latter part of the season. This year I wasn't sure I was going to go at all. I've gained some new responsibilities at work and they were making me feel slightly less capable of taking vacation days...but I made it happen. I arrived on the Wednesday before Labor Day and quickly set up my tent. Rain was also in the forecast, so I set up a tarp so I could still enjoy at least a little time sitting outside. After setting the site up I did as I often do and went to Fin's for happy hour and oysters. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera so you'll just have to trust me when I say that I had a dozen oysters and steamed shrimp and enjoyed a Troeg's beer while making friends with an older woman who has a hair cutting license in three states.

The next day it was beach times. I brought a beer with me. I also brought Let's Pretend This Never Happened, which is a pretty good read if you're interested in a funny woman with a wacky childhood recounting her various anxieties and triumphs.

The water was really perfect that first day. The waves weren't crashing as much as lolling and I was able to comfortably float without fear of being smashed to the ocean's floor. So the campground is about a mile away from an access point for the beach. This access point is about 2 miles away from the primary beach area for the park, which features a giant parking lot,  large bath house, concession stand and life guards. Generally speaking the section of beach that you can walk to from the campground is far less crowded. The area by the beach house is always pretty chock full of bodies and umbrellas, while this more remote spot certainly isn't going to give you a sense of being totally alone but does give you a little more space between people. This was very much the case on that Wednesday, when it was pretty much me with my set up and then a young couple a couple hundred yards away from me on one side and a lady with her two sons on the other. It wasn't quite as solitary or remote as the beaches of Eleuthera, but it was still nice. Oh and there was an Amish couple playing baseball because of course. I have many thoughts about the Amish/Mennonite folks also camping but I'll perhaps share that in my next post.

After a day at the beach it was time to seek out a meal. I decided to return to the Surfing Crab and debated whether I was going to go the soft shell or hard shell crab route. In the end I decided that I was up to a solitary round of crab cracking and ordered half a dozen medium crabs. In the past I've been seated, or have seated myself, in the dining room to the left when you first walk into the space, which has long picnic tables that are perfect for large parties. This time, however, I went to the room that actually had seats with backs. I was, as is often the case, the only person by myself and the majority of the other tables were older couples on what seemed like double or triple dates. In one instance three couples came in together and quickly the men sat at one table while the women sat at another. I guess that makes sense? As a woman who sometimes finds the conversation of men more interesting than those of women (not always of course), I always hate that breakdown, but maybe after you're married for 30 years you just don't feel like hanging out in a coed group anymore?

I also ordered fries. This was a generous basket of very hot and crispy fries. I enjoyed them but didn't make that much of a dent, as my real focus was on the crabs.

This crab was a dictator in life, and a high five enthusiast in death. I made it through four crabs but couldn't quite bring myself to eat the last two. Service was good and fast. I could have perhaps done without my waiter touching my shoulder in a way that I felt was a little pitying or presumptuous. Or maybe I was just being overly sensitive. I didn't see him touching anyone else's shoulders. So it is a funny thing, my simultaneous desire to want to talk about how it actually is a little bit of a bummer to do things I like by myself and my annoyance if anyone other than me assumes that I am bummed. I had a fine time on this evening. The crabs were good. I had a book. I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. Yes, I would have liked to have a little company, but not having a companion didn't immediately make the meal (or any other aspect of the trip) suddenly sad. And yet I felt like those shoulder touches were somehow supposed to buck me up. Or it was all in my head. Hard to tell really.

And then it was a new day. The water was a little rougher and I was reading a new book, also good: Beautiful Ruins. This day was definitely more packed as far as folks, which made sense given the fact it was now a Friday on Labor Day weekend.

I worried after hearing stories all summer about these massive dolphin deaths in the Atlantic that I wouldn't see any on this trip. Luckily that wasn't the case. One of the positive things of being on a beach with other people, some of whom are children, is that I could focus on reading my book with the knowledge that if there were dolphins to be sighted, the parents would call out to their kids loudly enough for me to to into zoom photo action. As always, it was neater really to actually just watch their fins skim the water's surface than to try and photograph it. Really neat. Though I still haven't seen another one jump out of the water like I did quite a few years back.

Looking toward the main beach/bath house area.

Seafood Country Days

After CPM, R. and Brutus departed I futzed and fiddled around the house and woods and consumed a whole lot of Divergent and Insurgent. If you are a teenage girl, or have one lurking inside of you, you should really read these books. Eventually I realized that eating would probably be a good thing, and that's when I remembered that in addition to the salmon I purchased at a suburban Whole Foods, I had also seen the rather unlikely option of soft shell crabs and had gotten two. So I took care of that whole thing. Seasoned the breading with salt and pepper and accompanied the crabs with lime because I had no lemons at hand. They were generally good for previously frozen crabs. I was glad to have them at such a late point in the summer.

The next night S. stopped by and I decided to try a slightly different approach to another fillet of salmon. This was farm raised salmon instead of the more fancy Atlantic salmon, and I usually am a hater of that kind of salmon...but I will say that this version of salmon was actually a bit better. In this rendition I sliced up a sweet onion, one lemon, three stalks of lemon grass and some garlic and thyme and created a bed on which I could put the salmon. Then I salted and peppered the salmon itself and filled the baking dish up to the base of the salmon with a white bordeaux. No lie, it was really good. The salmon I made the other night was good, but this was definitely better. I don't know if it was the aromatics of the lemongrass or the fat content of the farmed fish, but it definitely was pleasing to the taste buds.

Crab Cake c/o Surfing Crowd and Philadelphia Roof Party

Ours was a Saturday to Saturday rental, so we all pretty much got on the road by eight the next morning. I drove up through Virginia, across the bay into Delaware and then hit traffic. Stupid, dumb traffic. I'm not sure I'll be able to get to Cape Henlopen for my annual beach/camping/oyster fest of previous years, but I knew that I wasn't far from it when I hit that snag of serious traffic. Though the stopped flow of cars moving north were surrounded by fast food joints and the like, I decided to take it as a sign that my need to eat warranted a detour. And with that decision I began wending my way east through some pretty good country roads for about 20 minutes in order to arrive just about on the doorstep of the Surfing Crab. I was right. It was worth it. Much like my last visit, I was on the early side and there weren't but one other family sitting in the establishment. I knew before I sat down what I was going to have and barely looked at the menu before requesting it. Sometimes a good thing is a good thing.

Still a good crab. I ordered the sandwich but ignored the bread entirely.

I arrived home around 3 or maybe 4 and spent a few hours trying to reorganize my life (I failed and have continued to fail ever since; my room is a disaster). I knew that M. and D. were having a party that night, but I wasn't sure I was up to heading out so soon after returning home. In the end after a number of hours reading a book on my deck and fixing some damage wrought upon my plants while I was away, I decided to put my party face (and dress) on and join LW, CPM and R. on their walk to the part-ay. There we enjoyed numerous finger foods, nice seats on their roof, copious beer and a few new conversations. It was a good night that didn't end in disaster. This was due, at least in part, to my decision not to join the party's bandwagon to go dancing, where I'm pretty sure only madness would have followed. I do sometimes wish when I had been 22 I was the type to understand what fun it could be to go dancing. It's never too late to know it's fun, but often the fun doesn't start until it's too late for this 31 year old to want to mess with. I am an old fogey. Let's move on.

The next day I had a number of errands to run, including a trip to Target, a need to make a stop at the Headhouse Farmer's Market, and an attempt to find soft shell crabs at Reading Terminal Market. The soft shell crab search didn't work out, but I did try a Dinic's roast beef sandwich with broccoli raabe and provolone cheese, which was good though not as amazing as I had expected.

Grilled Soft Shell Crabs with Asparagus and Kimchi

So the Modomio and Unibroue night was quite nice on the whole and ended a bit later than I had planned, but I was still able to gather myself together for a good solid drive of errands around Philly. I went to Target and bought a new dress and a few other necessities. I also purchased a single Dahlia plant and an "heirloom" tomato plant at Lowes. Then I drove down Washington Avenue and went to a fish market in the Italian Market area to buy soft shell crabs. After that I made an efficient trip to the Headhouse farmer's market to pick up a few things. Oh and I started the trip by stopping at the Asian Food Super Market on Spring Garden Street to pick up another king sized jar of kim chi. And what did I do with all these various purchases? What kind of consumer am I? Well. The crabs were first of six to be eaten in a four day period of time. I usually try different variations of breading and lightly frying my soft shells, but since I've been enjoying the whole grilling experience so much this summer, I thought I'd investigate whether grilling softs shell crabs was a "thing" that you "do." Turns out it is. I watched a little video of Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse being quite pleased with one another and demonstrating how to grill soft shells.

The grill is gas, so nothing can get a true charcoaly/woody taste, but I did use a cast iron grill pan to give the crabs some extra support. The crabs themselves were liberally coated in olive oil and then slightly less liberally seasoned with salt and pepper and a tad of old bay. Along side were hot house not local at all Campari tomatoes, the kim chi from my first errand stop, and grilled spring onions and asparagus. All with lemon slices and Whole Foods Tartar Sauce. And let me just say. I love a number of things about Whole Foods...but I keep accidentally buying their tartar sauce and h-a-t-i-n-g it. Or at the very least not finding it worth the effort of buying and trying, not liking, and then forgetting it.

Modo Mio Makes the Meal and Unibroue Brings the Brew

It came to my attention at some point in May that it had been far too long since my last meal at Modo Mio (I think I've been writing the restaurant's wrong since forever....Modomio?), which had been in December for my birthday. I don't know what happened exactly. Funds were tight. I wasn't really going to many restaurants on the whole? LW also felt that it had been too long since her last visit, so we combined forces, made a reservation and began anticipating what magic things might be in store for us. The meal began as it usually does with a little amuse bouche. This time I believe it was a fig, gorgonzola, balsamic little treat. I can't remember if I'm making up a pancetta element or not, but it might have existed.

Modo Mio, in case you didn't already know, is a restaurant where one goes for a four course meal (appetizer, pasta, entree, dessert) at a set price. You can order a la carte, but the portions and plates of each course are usually just the right size. This means that mapping out your meal necessitates tough choices. You might be drawn to three different appetizers, but you can only have one...so for me I think I was debating the crab cake, the scallop and the pork carpaccio-ish dish. LW also was weighing her pros and cons. In the end we made our choices, but our server - one terrific lady named Marie - ended up gifting us an extra plate of magic to try....and that was sauteed escargots with capers on a crusty melty cheesy piece of bread. This was LW's first snail experience, and I think it went quite well. The snails themselves were so tender and the combination of herbs with the saltiness of the capers and the ooooooozy loveliness of the crusty cheesy (provolone?) bread all worked together in a very pleasing fashion.

The appetizer I chose was the thinly sliced pork on a small bed of arugula with dried cherries, fennel, and I think gorgonzola cheese...I meant to take a photo of the menu so I wouldn't be approximating quite so much, but alas between opening our bottle of vinho verde and agonizing over my menu choices, actually documenting what those choices were slipped my mind. What I can tell you is that this was a very nice and relatively light way to start the meal, especially given my next two courses. The vinaigrette really perked things up and the pork itself was almost dainty in its texture.

I think this photograph illustrated how we felt about our first courses. We most certainly became members of the clean plate club for this round of tasty treats.

I had another internal debate when it came to the pasta. I love what they do with the rather simple amatriciana-like preparation...thick/hollow spaghetti with a vibrant tomato sauce and pancetta and sometimes a little kick. Oh man. It's just so good. But I also eyed the ravioli they had on that particular day, which was a rich ravioli with artichokes and ricotta all sauteed in an almond butter. I shared my teetering decision with our server and she suggested branching out, and so that is what I did. The ravioli was rich and happy making. See proof below.

And then there were the main course options. I had arrived thinking that I would choose a beef option, but when we were informed that one of the specials of the night was their take on a 'surf and turf' only with soft shell crab as surf, and sweetbreads as turf, that original idea went out the window. You'll see in later posts that I was already primed for soft shells, and so this became the first fresh crab I had for the season but certainly not the last. Sauteed instead of deep fried and only very lightly (if at all) breaded, it still had a crisp note to it while better displaying the overall crabby goodness. The sweetbreads were hearty and yet creamy.

LW used her camera to take this photograph...thus the completely different color cast. This is what I look like when I'm so happy I'm almost miserable about it.

We also had the opportunity to try the asparagus with over easy egg. A nice addition for sure!

And then there was dessert and esperesso. Oh man. Dessert. This I think was a walnut/strawberry panna cotta with maybe a savory element to it. I really have to write things down. I'm the worst.

And this was sort of like a trifle with blueberries, cake, and basil. There was also tirimisu in the mix, which LW declared the best.

The meal, the service and the overall ambiance was, as it always is, just fantastic. We made temporary friends with the couple sitting next to us and discussed how much we collectively loved the place. There was a birthday, but the birthday boy or girl had requested no singing...so that was sad for me since I love singing happy birthday to strangers. But not if they don't want me to:)

I had every intention of ending my night after the meal. When something is so good, it's best to call it a day instead of trying to do more. LW, however, had plans on meeting up with Jerry the Unibroue brewer. You see, it was also Philly Beer Week and LW and Jerry usually meet up to say hey at one Unibroue event or another. Since the location for the event was pretty near my place/in my neighborhood I did make a different decision once we got out of the cab, and joined LW and Jerry to try a variety of specialty brews he'd brought with him from Canada.

It was a good night full of fanciness, new tastes and good times.