Afternoon Snack

How can you get through the day without an afternoon snack? You can't, so don't even try because you're depriving yourself. Anisha and I decided to hit up Magic Carpet before psych. She went with the Magic Meatballs (**tofu meatballs in a red sauce for all you non-MC regulars**) topped with cheese, all served with a garden salad dressed in balsamic. I got the Sultan Stew Special, a stew of hearty vegetables and raisins in a red sauce over fluffy couscous. The addition of raisins were too brilliant and good, totally turning the dish into a good to a great. Obviously I tried Anisha's, (thanks NEESH), and her meatballs, like always, didn't disappoint. So grab a friend and pick yourself up with a MC snack!
Neesh's snack:

 Special Sultan Stew, yummy couscous is under there

GOOOD MORNING.

Why aren't you starting your day with Lyn's? Newsflash: TRY IT. Yes you have to wake up 7 minutes earlier, but when you get that steaming bite of bacon egg and cheesy goodness, you'll thank your lucky stars you did. I love giving people their first food experiences. Louise, my little French lady, had never tried a Bacon Egg and Cheese. I felt it was my job, no, my DUTY, as an American citizen to educate my dear friend on a large part of our culture. And Bronwen, my baby B, had never eaten from a food cart on campus until this morning. This fact had blown my mind, because I literally live off of them, and I thought I would help her in my new endeavor to make her taste every single one on campus. Well, they both enjoyed my offerings immensely. Louise is now feeling more American then ever, and B is officially a Penn student. Also, Louise just informed me that this sandwich "illuminated her rough morning." Needless to say, mission complete.
Here's a pic of mine, egg white, spinach, cheese, salt, pepper, ketchup, an sriracha on rye. OMG SO HEALTHFUL! ...nawt.

just helping the world one helping at a time

xoxo

hungreegirl.

Just Buddha-ful

Last night me and my girls went on the town and hit up the big B, aka Buddakan. Now this was my second time at Stephen Starr's highly acclaimed hot spot, and it was just as an amazing experience as the first. My wolf pack consisted of me, Ali, Bronwen, Steph, Bree, Morgan, Anisha, iAndrea, and Al's older twin sister aka her mom. We ordered dishes family style and while I did get to sample a few new things, I can contest to Big B's consistency on those dishes that I did order last time. Buddakan's focus on clean presentation combined with clean but decadent flavors never fails to disappoint my tastebuds or those of my wolf pack that I was with. You can't go to Buddakan and not order the Edamame Ravioli, skipping this dish should be illegal. Ali wholeheartedly agrees with me because I know she dreams about these on a regular basis. I honestly bite my tongue while I type this, but I forgot how good they were and it was OH SO NICE to be reminded. They're light and velvety texture is rich and creamy and is just everything a ravioli should be.

The Chicken Ginger Dumplings were great, flavor packed and sooo delicious. Bree is now the dumpling queen in my mind because she seriously went HAM on these things. Apparently chicken ginger dumplings make her animal instincts come out. 

A new dish I tried was the Asian style Caesar Salad. While I'm not a devout Caesar fan, the hint of ginger in the dressing had me a convert. It had just the right amount of dressing and the addition of spiced nuts in the salad gave it a new and welcome spin.

The Sea Bass over roasted butternut squash, haricot verts, maitake mushrooms, and a truffle was light and refreshing. The fish had that melt in your mouth quality that sea bass has when it's done right, simply sooo good. And truffles? Foget about it. 

My favorite entree we had was the Wasabi Crusted Filet. Seriously, it was ON POINT. Thinly sliced pieces of filet crusted with wasabi were arranged daintily on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and decorated with some roasted vegetables. It was the perfect balance of heartiness yet an element of elegance and delicacy. 

The Wok Cashew Chicken was also great, a little saucy, but it was a great sauce so it worked.

The Korean Beef Fried Rice with kimchi and a sunny side up egg was awesome. It was sticky and thick and you could taste every element in it and I wanted to eat the whole bowl but had to be polite and share :( AKA hence no picture, it was eaten too fast.

Now. Dessert. Ahh, dessert. Last time I went to Buddakan I literally wrote a love poem in my review about the "Dip Sum" Doughnuts, five spice sugar doughnuts served in a Chinese take out box accompanied by a trio of blackberry jam, a rich chocolate sauce, and a gingered cream cheese. All I have to say is Do It. Just do it. In my words, just "do it" means order at least 3 orders. Fluffy, sugary, dough-nutty perfection.

We also tried the Crying Chocolate, a warm chocolate cake with a soft center and vietnamese coffee ice cream. Within seconds of touching the table, it was gone. Rich, chocolatey yet still light, it was a chocolate lover's dream. And finally the Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart; caramel ganache, milk chocolate mousse, jasmine vanilla ice cream, and caramelized bands. Can you imagine a better combination? Let me answer that, NO. 

Ya, it was a good night, certainly appreciated from my Wolf Pack because we are all severely food deprived...HA. No but seriously, it was once again amazing and now that I've been twice and have had amazing success, Buddakan can officially be added to my list of favorites and must visits in Philly.

link to first in depth review: http://hungreegirl.blogspot.com/2011/11/budda-in-muh-belly.html

hooray for doughnuts

xoxo

hungreegirl.

Girls Go Green

Woke up on a Friday morning, feeling really hungree. What else is NEW? My girl Danielle (aka D, aka Dg, aka Dgross) and Ripka and I had plans to brunch, and when I say we were hungree, we were really really hungree. After much deliberation on where to go, we walked about 9 blocks to head to RX. Unfortunately for us, or fortunately as it turns out in the end, RX was closed due to technical difficulties. Really? Making 3 hungree girls walk all the while dreaming of what to get and then ripping it away? Harsh. In a not-so-snap decision, we decided to venture downtown to a spot I went to earlier this year, Green Eggs Cafe. As soon as we sat down in the quaint yet comfy restaurant and received menus, we knew that RX being closed was a sign from God and that brunch at Green Eggs was our fate. Picking what to order here is literally torture. How does a dessert fiend like myself choose among red velvet pancakes, stuffed peanut butter french toast, creme brûlée french toast, and so much more? It's a tough life, let me tell you. As per my recommendation, DGross went with the breakfast burrito, the dish I ordered the last time I was here. It is literally massive, it should be called the red wood tree of burritos because this thing is HUGE. Stuffed with scrambled eggs, provolone cheese, crispy potatoes, onions, peppers, sausage, and then a side of black bean, fresh avocado, and sour cream, you really just cannot go wrong. Apparently, D agreed with me because she did some serious damage.

D really excited about her burrito 

 I was feeling lunch-y so I decided to tackle the veggie burger. Made up beets, french lentils, yellow onion, quinoa, jalapeños, herbs and spices and topped with lettuce, tomato and chipotle mayo on a brioche bun, it was KILLER. It had a great texture and you could really taste each component that made it up. The bun was fluffy and buttery and made each bite even better.

We ordered a side of french fries for the table and they were salty and perfect and crispy and amazing. They were small and crunchy and all the best bits of fries that you'd want. YUM.

 Ripka went with the eggs benedict, and in classic Rip fashion subtracted the Canadian bacon, can you say #crimeagainsthumanity? It was a perfect portion and really beautiful and was the perfect sized breakfast for a normal person, which none of us are.

 And for this reason, we not only felt the need, but felt an obligation and a duty to order the creme brûlée french toast. I'd like to say it was the best decision I ever made, but it wasn't a decision, it was fate. Massive pieces of brioche french toast were covered in a vanilla bean custard, fresh berry compote, and drizzled with vanilla anglaise and warm pure maple syrup and THEN topped with chantilly cream and fresh berries. I'm having a heart attack typing it because I want an order of it so baldy right now. We all agreed that it was one of the best things we've ever eaten. Imagine eating the perfect creme brûlée, and then taking amazing french toast and sandwiching them together. It was pure heaven. While Ripka and I were big contributors to to french toast, I have to say that Dgross took the cake, or in this case, the toast. But seriously, this girl is impressive and I think I found a new hungree girl.

ya she reps the clean plate club!

It took us 20 minutes to get up after eating. Like D said, "If I'm going to go downtown to eat, I'm going big or going home." Well D, I think we all can agree with you on this idea, and we certainly didn't disappoint.

get hungree or get out

xoxo

hungreegirl.