Fiesta

El Vez, El Vez, El Vez.

I think I may have become Stephen Starr's biggest groupie, but I'm yet to find much wrong with any of his restaurants.

My new favorite, EL VEZ. A modern, fresh take on Mexican with a cool, urban hispanic/cholo feeling to the inside.

Seven different guacamoles (get the goats cheese one), a plethora of margaritas (the blood orange is more of a palette cleanser, but the chavez is divine. Nothing like a little Grand Mernier.)

A big enough menu but not overpowering like most Mexican can be. Lush cushioned round sofas. A circular bar with a rotating tequila bottle pyramid in the center, adorned with an old, rusty bicycle on top. Old stripstyle photobooth for you and your friends to preserve the memories.

Shrimp tacos (a serving typically for two but I asked for it for one). Make your own, style. Delish, delish, delish.

Only weird thing, communal sinks in the bathroom, for both genders. Cool new take; good place to meet people! Cannotttt wait to go back.

Gardens of Junk, Yet Anything But

Art to the next degree. These Gaudi-esque creations are a magical feat to stumble upon in the city. Recycling in the 21st century. Can find a ton down by South Street and Society Hill.

http://www.phillymagicgardens.org/

The Cutest Cupcakes

Simple, delicate, nothing inside but chocolate brown ones and a small deli counter filled with the most delicious looking cupcakes.

I ventured upon the "Petite" version off of Rittenhouse Square but the Brown Betty Dessert Boutique, a fitting title, is located off of 2nd Street. Family run and in support of the dynamic female personalities that make it up. Cupcakes, cakes and special occasions for all.

My recommendation, sent.

Brown Betty.

STARR Restaurants

So I've been a fan of Steven Starr for a few years now. For those of you who unfortunate souls who have never heard of him, he began his now extremely prosperous career at the early age of 21 (Do I have hope still then?) by promoting a combination live entertainment and dining out.

His company, STARR Restaurants, now includes multiple restaurants in Philly, NYC, Jersey and Florida. He likens his restaurant and eating out to be like "attending a theatre production" with players behind the scenes, props, lighting, rapport and an "overall dramatic effect."

His other restaurants I have been lucky enough to experience - Parc and Continental - are anything less than extraordinary, as I mentioned in my previous post about the French brasserie. But last night, I went to Morimoto for the first time on 7th and Chesnut, featuring sushi and Japanese cuisine. It's leadership adds even more prestige and credibility to its name - Chef Morimoto of Iron Chef (who we saw by the way!!!). So cool.

It was overwhelming, all in a good way. From the outside, the old building's front is covered in a thick, puddy like white material around two thick glass doors. Walking in, it is like you're entering the mouth of a fish...which could essentially be what they were trying to create. The entrance is low and dark, despite a lit mirage of a Japanese girl that alternates between a kissy face and a smile, depending on the angle at which you stand. Then you walk further straight back, to the dining room, which leads straight back to the sushi bar where massive frozen fish lay on beds of ice. Each table and booth is glass, all simultaneously lit by different neon lights that change colors throughout the course of your meal. Other than these lights, and a connected candle-esque fixture on each table, the mood is set by its lack of fluorescent, awful lighting usually found in restaurants of this cuisine (not to overgeneralize, of course). The ceiling, a young bright wood, ripples high up from where you sit, much like the spine of a fish. And the walls, a similar stucco to that seen outside, ripples and comes out of the walls in a bone-like fashion...the fishes skeleton? Who knows. Regardless, AWESOME design...whoever you are.

"This is exactly what a sushi restaurant should look like," my good friend said to me, as we sat with our jaw dropped.

Drink specials are emphasized by an upstairs lounge that offers happy hour and drink specials every day. The cocktail list looks so fun - pomegranate lemonades, lotus blossoms and guava shiso-jitos! The menu can be ordered by entree, a la carte sushi or sashimi, and hand rolls. Edamame was unreal as well, a large portion served with chunky sea salt - easily split.

Had two vegetarian rolls. The vegetable maki is to die for - not just your standard veggie roll, but rather filled with tomato, avocado, cucumber, asparagus, sprouts and mint! So refreshing. Maddie got a shiitake mushroom roll (with a nice marinade) and a california roll (apparently the best she's ever had). She swore it had lobster in it - that it was too good to just be crab and avocado.

We were too full for desserts but next time, I want one of each. Especially the Green Tea Tiramisu, the Miso Honeycake and the Vanilla Bean Martini. To DIE!

It is truly an "experience" just as much as it is a great meal out. Tables for two, and also for big parties.

Oh and the bathrooms, a good way to define a restaurant. Black floors of stones, like pebbles. Hard to describe, but you could feel each individual one through my flats...like a foot massage! The 5 person sinks have one drain at the far right end which the slanted basin leads all of the water too - like a fountain. Very aesthetically pleasing. And the hand dryers are hidden in the walls - you put your hands in and they miraculously turn on. Cool

Go, PLEASE GO! I am again, as soon as I can.

And also, onward to the other STARR Restaurants.

First-Rate, Second-Hand

Now if you're like me, nothing can really spice up an outfit in today's current trends, or those of days past, than the perfect little vintage addition. Maybe not even vintage, but second hand even. I'll offer one of my best finds thus far...although I will forever continue to search for new shops filled with those perfect pieces of yesteryear (or last year even) (or last month).

Buffalo Exchange, located on the 1700 block of Chestnut Street, is a funky second-hand shop where not only can you get some great deals but you can also drop off your own old clothes as long as they are clean and in decent condition. Recycle, recycle, recycle. Right? Male and female clothing; shoes, accessories, purses; pajamas to jeans to tops to jackets to ball gowns. Something for everyone, ranging in all prices but never expensive.

The first shop was founded in Tucson, Arizona, a store I've actually frequented a few times myself. It began this insatiable B.E. kick of mine and when I stumbled across one in Philly, I was beyond ecstatic.

Some of my great buys include a brick red, leather Cole Haan purse with purple lining and stitching. Great condition, thirty bucks! A handbag that could've easily been $400 at the actual store. I also got Coach flats, with a wooden wedge heel painted silver with a black and white bow tie that kept my feet in. Adorable, 15 bones! Definitely a $200 value otherwise. And for those of you uninterested in labels, there are plenty of eccentric finds for every taste.

Recommended for everyone on a budget, especially those looking for something funky or different. And they even offer you the option of not taking a bag but rather a token which you can then donate 5 cents towards a non-profit organization. Sustainable, charitable and fashionable - what more can you ask for these days?

VIETNAM

BEST VIETNAMESE: Vietnam Restaurant

Located on North 11th Street, the restaurant is located on the outskirts of Chinatown. Great street parking on little alleyways nearby but also a lot two blocks behind.

BUT TO THE BEST PART, ...Vietnam is not your typical, tacky Asian restaurant. No linoleum floors, no awful lighting, no horoscope paper place mats, etc. None of that. Instead, the interior is dark and modern. Chunky, lacquered wooden furniture reflect the similarly paneled walls. Live plants fill the corners and wooden blinds keeps an evening, swanky atmosphere throughout the establishment.

On the third floor, Bar Saigon offers waiting customers an elegant area to wait and chat over drinks. And they bring you a few delicious shrimp chips to nibble on, which always seem to go way to fast.

Great beers to choose from. I recommend a Tsing Tao, or if you're getting one of the five options of sake, a Sapporo. Wines as well, but the real treat...COCKTAILS. Hilarious names from The Virgin's Downfall (fitting....Warning: "Puritans, beware!") and the Suffering Bastard. If you're going with friends or on a date, you can't go wrong with the Flaming Volcano, brought to you in a huge fishbowl-esque cup, filled with umbrellas and way too many kinds of liquor. Literally "flaming," the inner cup is a shot of Bacardi 151 that is in fact on fire. HOT.

Now with ordering food,....there is an art to it. If you're trying to prolong your meal, you know..appetizers..entrees..drinks in between, do NOT order all at once. It will come out on top of each other and no one wants to be rushed, especially in a swanky, fun restaurant. Also the portions are all pretty big. Definitely fun to split. Get a few things and try a bit of everything.

The best thing really from the entire restaurant...SPRING ROLLS. Ground pork, onion and mushroom inside thin, flaky rice paper, laying on a bed of lettuce, mint leaves and carrots. Served with a side of semi-spicy, semi-sweet dipping sauce. Wrap them inside the lettuce and mix in the mint and veggies before dipping. By far, the best spring rolls I've ever had. The wonton soup is far from your average as well - not oily and generic but refreshing and simple.

Then salt and pepped squid (a little kick but just right), chicken basil (in a thin, dark sauce) and crispy duck (nuff said). The clay pots and vermicelli rice bowls are delicious as well, if you're not in the sharing mood. Get the deluxe bowl...may seem glutenous but is actually so worth it for the dollar difference. Will be delicious later too.

All in all, a cool, smooth inside and a sound menu to boot. I don't think you can really go wrong with most things on the menu. Word of warning, if there is a little flame on the side, it IS hot. Probably has extreme peppers in it...crap-your-pants hot. I digress...But it's a great restaurant. Upscale Asian which is hard to come by. Not oily, greasy, sitting in a pool of something. Fresh, new and tasty. GO!

Parc on Rittenhouse

Let's begin. Today's blog is going to be:

BEST RESTAURANT ON RITTENHOUSE SQUARE. For me, it is Parc. The Parisian-inspired Parc Restaurant Bistro & Cafe is located directly on Rittenhouse Square on South 18th Street, adequately named for its proximity to the open-space park across the street.

SEATING: On a nice day, it's hard to say whether you should sit indoor or out. Both have their perks. Outdoor seating is accommodated most times of the year, with heaters in the fall and winter. But during the summer, the windows of the restaurant's interior open up to the park outside, so that everyone can hear and experience the hustle and bustle of the city streets. The outdoor brasserie-esque seating may delude the passerby that Parc is just your average French restaurant, equal to any of the others that can be found nearby. However, once you step foot inside the large (and heavy) wooden doors, you are immediately transported to any cafe found throughout France. Not only is it very authentically French (I visited Paris this past spring - I can vouch for it) but it also takes you back to refined dining, with pristine tables settings, attentive waiters decked out in black and white suited garb and a light soundtrack playing in the background. Inside, you can choose between booth or table seating - I recommend anything in the window or the back room which is also really a time warp. The tall, pillared ceilings accent the silverly, marble-tiled floor and the old chandeliers leave a 1920's feel to the timeless room. A large, shiny bar is centrally located for seating as well drafts and cocktails. Very roaring, post-Depression, Art Deco indeed. One would expect to see a jazz band and group of flappers moving in any minute.

DRINKS: a beautiful wine list offers international Vins, split by "Exotiques," "Aromatiques," "Riches," "Elegantes," "Classiques" and more. But what really astounded me was the plethora of champagnes - twenty options for those of you wishing to celebrate! I personally nestled into a leather booth this past New Years Eve with a tall, bone-dry, skim milk cappuccino with silver and black balloons bounced off sparkles from the chandeliers. Quite possibly the best capp I've ever had (and I'm a veteran barista myself!)

FOOD: ranges from small plates to entrees - if you want a snack on your lunch break or a special dinner for you and a friend, whatever. Classic French hors d'oeuvres like escargots, onion soup, tartare or pate - some of these are plenty to suffice as a meal if you're looking to eat on the cheap. (But let me just tell you, at Parc, you are definitely going to get your money's worth.) Each table receives complementary homemade baguettes, ranging in flavor from plain French to olive to garlic or raisin. They are the perfect addition to any of the small plates mentioned above. They are also continually replenished which for me is divine...I can never get enough carbs...especially before a meal. My plan is usually to see just how much food I can enjoy in one sitting.

THINGS TO GET: From personal experience I know the following are delicious:

-Oysters on the half-shell come in a large silver tin, chilled on ice. You get your full half pond here; no jipping. Large, beautiful, succulent oysters. Beyond fair and yummy.

-Many of you may not agree with my taste's when it comes to this because you may be weirded out by the whole eating living thing. But coming from a house founded on pate, the Country Pate at Parc is delicious. It also is presented on a small wooden cutting board which makes sharing easy and fun.

-Chicken Paillard, otherwise known as chicken pounded flat and lightly sauteed, is a meal that I've had multiple times. It doesn't dry out and works nicely with the shaved salad beneath it. Lean and light and HUGE. If you order it for lunch, it will definitely be enough to bring home for dinner.

-Usually simple as ever, the Cheeseburger is anything but. The bun in and of itself is to die for - you know when they toast it on the griddle? Oh yeah. Ordering medium rare can be quite the hassle as most fear liability issues of food poisoning from undercooked meats. But it has always done just right. The cow is no longer kicking and I'm also not left to gnaw on a hockey puck.

-And last, but most certainly not least, two words: pommes frites, pommes frites, pommes frites. Well that's six words but I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having these at least once in your lifetime. French Fries at their finest. When ordered alone, they come like a flower bouquet in a paper cone mounted on a little stand. Honestly, when I first see them coming, it's more exciting than receiving flowers, anonymous admirer or not. Crisp on the outside with a soft interior. Battered but not overly done. Nor greasy. Just a dab of mayo and I'm jet-setting to paradise.

NOW GO: my mouth is watering just thinking about it, better make a trip soon! This bistro really is a don't miss in Philly, a MUST if you're a city devourer like me. For a light lunch, an au lait while you finish reading a good book, a quick bite with a friend or a big bang, celebratory meal. Part of Steven Starr's STARR Restaurants, Parc has really become a special dining experience, incorporating great food, great drinks, great location and great atmosphere. A MUST DEVOUR of Philly!