Melissa Comes To Visit And We Explore Art And Food In Philly

Finally, my very first out of town visitor came to stay! My friend Melissa flew in all the way from Kentucky to check out the fair city. Its one of the places she could possibly be moving to next year for her PHD in Art History. I did a pretty horrible job of convincing her to move here, but I did show her some good art and provide her with plenty of good food.

First we checked out the Barnes Foundation. I thought it might be a special treat for an art lover to catch one last glimpse of Barnes' legacy in it original state. The top floor was closed already for conservation but the bottom floor was full of so many Cezannes and Renoirs not mention the dozens of paintings by equally as famous and important artists from Monet to Seurat and Barnes' extensive collection of keys that I left satisfied. I also left with a dislike for the majority of Renoir's paintings and a greater appreciation of Cezanne.

A note on the Barnes Controversy. The Barnes is moving just down the block from me. Barnes' collection is being relocated and reorganized in a big, modern building on the BFP where the Foundation will also offer classes. Many people are against the move because Barnes specifically stated in his instructions that his collection should never be moved and according to my cousin he hated the city. At first I was firmly behind those who stand behind Barnes' last wished, but after further researching the matter (and becoming a member) I am excited for the move. Barnes' philosophy was to bring art of the masses. He had his factory workers take art classes in the factory, and the idea of his museum was to make art accessible. Now that his foundation is running out of money, and given the fact the SEPTA is unreliable and not helping to make the Barnes Foundation accessible to people without a car, I agree that the collection should be moved to a location where it can be enjoyed by all. I only regret that his arrangements of the paintings will probably be lost.

The next day we explored a very different museum. On the first Sunday of every month the Philadelphia Art Museum is pay what you want, so we headed over on this sunny afternoon to check out the goods.

very impressive entrance

Klee!

no trip would be complete without seeing at least one bust of this very important man!

I really enjoyed the museum. There are rooms upon rooms that have been brought over from homes in Europe or England and recreated in the museum with lovely wood paneling, curtains, and even fire places and painted ceilings. The modern section was surprisingly good, and we spent almost an hour looking at the tapestries on the second floor. After all of this we had worked up a serious appetite and walked down the Parkway named for the bust pictured above to Reading Terminal Market.

we took in one more bit of art on the way!

At Reading, we were of course overwhelmed by options, but eventually settled on Hershel's Deli. Our mouths watered while we waited in line and watched cute young men expertly slice through steaming hot corned beef, pastrami, turkey and more. We split the corned beef special (gotta have that Cole Slaw) and lapsed into silence as we munched our way through it.

no words needed


Hershel, who ever you are...thank you

self portrait no. 2 Corned Beef = Heaven

Needless to say this sandwich is worth the wait and every bit delicious as it appears in its picture. Two thumbs up!

Nam Phuong

Saturday night I opted out of seeing Jack Ass 3-D and instead enjoyed my new found power of the pocket and went out for dinner. Ok, so I only spend $10 but it felt nice to be able to spend it all on one meal!
Where did I get a delicious dinner for only $10 (including tip)? Why, Nam Phuong in South Philly of course!
I have very limited experience in Vietnamese food, but Nam Phuong has inspired me to explore this genre of food. We started with spring rolls that were steamed and tasty in that amazing peanut sauce that Lana and I kinda wanted to go swimming in. Then we each got a different soup. I wish I could remember the name but I had no notebook with me!! Regardless, I had order envy because I didn't end up with the rice noodles that Dov ended up with, but now I know what to get next time. We only did soup, but you can also get big dinner platters to share with a group. They have large tables and can accommodate big crowds. Also, our waiter was funny and attentive and the service is very fast.
It’s the perfect place to go on a very casual date, or the perfect place to bring a group. Splitting the check has never been easier as you pay at the register.
Nam Phuong is located at:
1100 Washington Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3802
Phone number: 2154680410

Main Line Crepe Co. at the Market in Northern Liberties is dericious

I have a confession to make. I love markets. I love fairs. I love any space where people put out tables, or sheets or carts or boxes with their wares. One of my favorite things to do when I get to a city is to locate a permanent market, or a weekend market and to go their immediately. As I rode down to my friend’s house in Bella Vista I looked longingly at the Fairmont flea market and swore to return next week. delicious
After a botched attempt to get into the Grounds for Sculpture on free admission day, my friend Lana suggested that we head to Northern Liberties. It was a beautiful day, I was with a great friend, and headed to a neighborhood I had never been to. Does it get any better than that? Oh yes it does! Because Northern Liberties was having an outdoor market!
There were maybe twenty tables set up. There was the standard older women selling crazy costumes and vintage stuff that looks like costumes, some tacky jewelry, some original and beautiful jewelry, some girls my friend knew were selling some of their old clothes and decorations, and then there was our featured stall for the day.

Featured stall:
Main Line Crêpe Co.
Location: Northern Liberties Main Plaza
Product: Sweet Crêpes
Price: $5 for one crêpe, $7 for two crêpes

The man behind the magic at Main Line Crêpe Co. is Matt. He stands at the ready behind his flat circular hot plate looking aloof in his stained white chef’s coat and black pants. He’s been making crêpes for eleven years, and with a practiced hand he pours the batter, uses the wooden crêpe spatula to spread the batter into a perfect circle, and flips it with an experienced flick of his wrist and his metal spatula. He’s got a lot of customers.
I’ve eaten crêpes many a times in the US and the batter is never so perfectly turned into a perfectly folded crêpe sans holes. So why does this guy who looks to be in his late twenties know how to so expertly work his crêpe magic? It’s an interesting story. Matt started making crêpes at the Renaissance Fair in Lancaster, PA. “How did you have to dress for that?” I asked. “Like a peasant” he responds as if that were perfectly normal. He eats but one crêpe per year and without hesitation he tells me that it’s a pumpkin pie crêpe. Ummm…I think…why aren’t you serving those today?
But Today he’s only making sweet crêpes out of strawberries, Nutella, chocolate, marshmallows, and a few other dessert items. As we chat he liberally doles out chocolate chips to a little boy. I go for strawberry and chocolate. The batter he uses is a little more exciting than the average French street crêpe. It’s got cinnamon and other wintery spices in it. It smells a little like the month of November.
He cooks the batter until it is crispy and light and then he is liberal with the filling. The finished product is covered in powdered sugar and I opt out of some whip cream thinking to myself that the French would sigh and shake their heads to see whipped cream on top of a street crêpe. While it is very different from a Parisian crêpe it is delicious. This one is folded over twice with either end open. In Paris they are much larger and folded four times into a triangle that is deposited into a triangular paper at eaten in your hands. Matt puts his on a paper plate and my friend Lana struggles with a fork as I pick it up and get pretty messy in the process. The ingredients are fresh though, and it tastes amazing.