4th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup

Philadelphia is a great city. I'm always bragging to new visitors about the city's wealth of history, culture, museums, restaurants, and parks. Then I prepare them for the shock of how dirty and littered Philly is.

I love you Philly, but there's a reason you're called Philthy Philly.

So, to help but a shine on Philly, I encourage you all to take part in the 4th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup this Saturday, April 2, from 9am – 2pm. All you have to do is go online and sign up for a project you'd like to take part in. There are many projects all over the city, so finding a convenient one should be easy.

Last year, Philly Spring Cleanup resulted in 1,340,000 pounds of trash collected. ZOMG!

Then, after you're done on Saturday, I'd like to challenge y'all to *every day* pick up the random pieces of trash in front of your house, apartment, and business that float in from who knows where. A little bit every day will help a lot.

Keep up the sweep up!

Tacos mi Pueblito

Have y'all seen the silver Mexican food truck that parks near the corner of Washington Ave. and 8th St? I don't think I've heard nary a peep or mention of the nondescript, silver box truck hawking Mexican fare from the Philly foodie community. The truck's name is Tacos mi Pueblito, but is written so tiny on an advertisement poster that it's hard to find.

What caught my eye when I noticed the truck's appearance last fall is that the handwritten poster board menu plastered to the side of the truck expressly listed a handful of items as vegetarian. Failed lunch attempts last fall, then a miserable winter where no one would dare eat on the street kept me away, but I finally got on over to Tacos mi Pueblito a couple of weeks ago.On our visit the poster board menu had recently been ripped off the side of the truck unbeknownst to the owners, so when we asked what was available, they just pointed to the side of the truck. I had to tell them that their menu was missing, which is a shame because, besides wanting to post a photo of the menu, without a menu or the name of their business plastered prominently, it's hard to tell what they're selling.

Meritage

In the past year, I've been to a handful of restaurants that have perfectly lovely food and atmosphere, but have let those experiences go without a writeup on the blog. I almost didn't bother to write about Meritage, the warm and cozy bar and restaurant serving small plates on the corner of Lombard and 20th St., but changed my mind for a couple of reasons.

For starters, I was very impressed with Meritage's bartender who was not only friendly and warm, but handled the drink end of his job, as well as all the food orders and questions from those dining at the bar without even the slightest bit of ire. Kudos to pleasant bartenders!

Also, even though the menu at Meritage is small, and has limited non-meaty dishes, you should know that the kitchen knows what's up with vegan (Meritage even used to do a Tuesday night vegan tasting menu), and has some vegan dishes on the menu even though they are not denoted.Meritage's chef, Anne Coll, likes to slip elements of Asian cuisine into her plates, and did so with a sweet, rice vinegar and ginger pickled vegetable plate (only $3!) composed of cucumbers, radish, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, baby carrots, pearl onion, beets, and red onion. If you like the pickled ginger on sushi platters, you'll love these faintly reminiscent pickles. There are two pieces of each vegetable, so this plate is perfect to share with a friend without fighting over the odd piece.

Tutti Frutti

Frozen yogurt shop?

Don't care. Don't care. Don't care.

Hey, what's that? Are those cream-filled choux pastries in the back of your frozen yogurt shop, Tutti Frutti?

We care a lot!Oh, I've been avoiding the Tutti Frutti chain serving frozen yogurt ever since they opened last year on Walnut St. in Center City. Why? Not because I love frozen yogurt (I like it enough), and am afraid I'll overindulge, but because I freakin' love choux-pastries (profiteroles, eclairs, beignets, and churros to name a few), and the Japanese cream puff, a choux pastry filled with cream, is their main draw in Tutti Frutti's back-of-the store bakery.

Yep, just walk right past the wall of frozen yogurt nozzles like you just don't care.

Raw Kale Salad with Root Vegetables

So, how's my personal challenge to actually cook new recipes from books, blogs, and magazines going?

Not too shabby! I've managed to cook two to three new recipes each week. The variety and change in nightly dishes has been wonderful, but actually discovering recipes that I'd make again has been a bit elusive. Out of ten or more recipes we've tried out, only two have been winners, one of those being a very simple kale salad perfectly suited for winter.
This salad is so simple, it's almost absurd to write a formal recipe, but it does involve a nifty technique to "soften" uncooked kale (also works on collards) by massaging them with oil, vinegar, and salt. I've been meaning to try this massaging technique for years now, but somehow haven't.

I am now an experienced kale masseuse! A little oil, vinegar, and salt, plus a tender touch does wonders on raw kale, making it wilt just enough to take the edge off of raw greens.