Happy June!

The Great Condiment Challenge

In exactly 35 days my family is leaving Philadelphia. Life has been so hectic, I have barely had time to think about the significance of this move. There was the baby’s three month birthday, Mother’s Day, Elizabeth’s bridal shower and my husband’s birthday. And now that I have time to breathe, it hits me. Philadelphia will no longer be our home in exactly 35 days.

I moved here reluctantly. My firm wanted me to work with a Philadelphia based client so I dragged my overnight bag down on the Amtrak. Well now it’s been four years. And in those four years, I’ve grown up so much.

In the last four years I took the time to really get to know some good people, I fell in love, matured professionally, made more money than I ever thought possible, got fired, lost my first mature relationship, started my own company, survived on less money than I ever thought possible, fell back in love, got pregnant, got engaged, had a wedding, found out my husband got into Anderson’s MBA program, nurtured my women friendships, and had a baby. That’s a lot of shit in four years.

At moments, it seems more than I can process. These are the times when I focus my energy on the logistics of the move. Instead of thinking about the women that held my hand on my wedding day and my baby after she was born, I’ve taped off the living room to present the measurements of the Penske rental truck. Instead of walking down all the alleyways filled with memories of stolen kisses and clacking high heels, I’ve ordered padded boxes for my mirrors. Instead of being present in all the AA meetings that got me though the highs and lows over the past four years, I’ve made 'to do' lists. It just seems easier to linger on the things I can control.

It seems like every time I move, I painfully shed a little more weight from my past. I trim down my furniture, I clean out my files, I send bags of clothes and memories to the Goodwill. But after ten moves in the past ten years, I’ve whittled down my belongings to the essential and the 'too meaningful with which to part'. How much more weight from my past am I ready to shed? And where do I even begin?

My husband looked around the house and said, “Let’s just throw it all away and start fresh.”

I held back tears and reminded him, “These are MY things. I know they don’t mean much to you, but I’ve been collecting them for years and they are special to ME. I’ve already thrown away so much of it since we met.” He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You can start with the fridge!" He said.

I opened the fridge and stared at all the condiments we had collected. My husband leaned in closely, “I’m not moving anything that requires refrigeration.”

He stepped out of the kitchen and I remained behind to stare at the jelly's that my husband and I bought at a farm while visiting my Aunt and Uncle in the Berks, fish Sauce for that time we tried to replicate the soup from David Mae Law Wah’s, six kinds of dipping sauce that we bought for the nuggets we served at my husbands 32nd birthday party.

“Use it or lose it,” he called from the bedroom.

I hate to waste things. So the condiment challenge begins. My family is leaving Philadelphia in exactly 35 days. How many bottles can I empty before we depart? And does anyone have any recipes for horseradish jelly?

Date Night (8 Days Left)

Tonight’s post will be short and sweet because my evening has been hijacked by my loving husband who decided to whisk me away for a surprise date night.

“I’ll pick you up at 3:30,” he said.

“You know we live in the same house, right?”

“Just be ready,” he told me. And at 3:30, he knocked on the door.

We walked to the center of our beautiful city, and stood staring up at City Hall. In June, Gabe and I made a list of all the things we wanted to do in Philadelphia before we moved and at the top of that list was to see the city from the City Hall Tower. Trouble is, you have to get an appointment well in advance. And well, we don’t really do advance. So all we have ever been able to do is stare up at the tower and wonder about its magnificent views. But not today. My sweet husband had arranged for us to take the very last tiny little elevator up to the tower and have the entire observation deck to ourselves to watch the sunset.

It was gorgeous, the sunlight glistening off the buildings and casting the rooftops in a golden glow. We marveled at the city stretched beneath us. The security guard that took us up in the elevator insisted that if I went into labor tonight we had to name our little girl Penny after William Penn. Thankfully, I haven’t gone into labor just yet.

We left the tower and wandered over to the Comcast center where we explored the new food court. We ate hoagies and French Fries. I told Gabe that ever since I had seen the Cosby show I had wanted to get a real Philly Hoagie and he said, “That was filmed in Philly?”

At one point, he leaned over the table and spoke in a hushed voice, “God, I have the most beautiful wife.”

I blushed.

We left the gourmet food court and stopped off at the Sony store to play the new Wild Things video game on Sony PlayStation. We walked home, only stopping along the way at Di Bruno Brothers to pick up cheese for a massive cheese platter we assembled when we got home. We took our time in the store, tasting every cheese sample and reading the labels on all the various fig jam spreads. He has a thing for fig jam.

While we were walking through the park, he took my gloved hand and kissed it gently as if I were something delicate and precious. As if I weren't so ginormous that I couldn't zip my winter coat.

When we got home, we ran a hot bath. We lit candles like couples do in the movies and took a long soak. It was an effort just lowering the extra 20 pounds of my achey 39 week pregnant body into the water and not displacing half the tub onto the bathroom floor. He sang along with songs on the XM radio, told me stories and gave me all the best details from his daily blog reads.

Afterwards, Gabe lit a fire in the living room, I assembled the grand cheese platter, and we sat in front of the fire playing Gin Rummy. I won six hands to his four and scored three times as many points. Yet he still loves me enough to be arranging some surprise for me in the bedroom before we go to bed.

I don’t know how many date nights we have in store for us in the upcoming months, so I’m really glad we got this last one in before the baby’s arrival. And I couldn’t be more grateful for a man who knows exactly what makes me happy. Sometimes, I can't believe that someone so giving, so creative, so humble and so handsome, loves me.

I got lucky when I found him.

Sometimes I forget how really great I’ve got it.

15 Things To Do In Philly Before You Move Away

2009 is slipping by quickly and there is so much my honey and I want to accomplish. Below is a list of things we have pledged to do before we leave Philly, barring any unforeseen events or further injuries.

1. See Philadelphia from the top of City Hall

2. Attend Amateur Boxing Night

3. Watch a Philly Roller Girls Derby

4. Attend a fantabulous night of Drag Queen Gay Bingo

5. Find the MacGuffin and see a Guerilla Drive-In

6. Judge “The Great Outdoors” Story Slam on June 20th at the Kimmel Center

7. See Woody Allen's film Sleepers at The Lawnchair Drive-In

8. Do The Secrets of Old Philadelphia Scavenger Hunt with Watson Adventures

9. Play with the butterflies at the Museum of Natural History

10. Visit the inside of the Constitution Center

11. Get freaked at the Eastern State Penitentiary Halloween tour

12. Do a Ghost Tour of Old City

13. Bike down Kelly Drive

14. Eat at the following:

• Buddakan
• Morimoto
• Nineteen
• Village Whisky
• Ron’s Ribs
• Pumpkin
• Supper
• Audrey Claire
• Melangrano
• Meme
• Ansill for Korean Tacos

15. Get Engaged!!

My Top 10 Favorite Philly Restaurants

May’s Philadelphia magazine fails to accurately rank the top 50 restaurants in Philadelphia. What I suspect this list more accurately reflects is the top 50 restaurants in Philadelphia to invest in promotions and advertising with Philadelphia magazine.

Zahav at number 1? While offering a distinct menu of Israeli cuisine, there is nothing unique about the dishes or special about the preparation that would lead you to think of Chef Michael Solomonov as an artist in the kitchen. The hummus, chopped liver, sausage and roast lamb that Zahav makes are just as good at Whole Foods (missing from the ranking). When I go out for a meal, I want to eat something I can’t prep in my own kitchen.

To counter Philly mags list, I’ve outlined below my top 10 favorite places to eat in Philly. I used a simple methodology: Where would I want to eat if I was asked out on a date where I was not expected to pay?

1. Tinto – My number one favorite (not just because my sweetie works behind the bar)! The prix fixe brunch and lunch specials are completely inspired and both under $20. Jose Garces is a food genius and I can’t get enough of his very special cuisine.



2. Vetri – The menu changes nightly, so there is always something new to try. It’s the only place in the city where I can find true Italian pasta the way it is meant to be prepared and served. Too bad eating here with a guest costs the same as my rent.



3. Amada – The complete package of ambiance, service and great food. I’m partial to the grilled tapas. Cilantro, garlic, and EVOO make a simple marinade for the city’s highest quality meats and seafood grilled to perfection. Iron Chef winner Garces knows that if you start with quality ingredients, the rest is simple.



4. Fork, etc. – Every Wednesday night at 8:00 PM, the Chef at Fork previews new menu items at a chef tasting available for $40, first come-first serve. It’s one big table and one very special experience.



5. Distrito – I have finally succumbed to Elizabeth’s assertion that Distrito makes the most original Mexican food in the city. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive.



6. David Mae Lae Wah – The salt & pepper shrimp is prepared with jalapenos and the dumplings are served with shaved ginger. Service and ambiance is pretty horrendous, but the food is a hidden Philly treasure. Sang Kee can not compare. Open 24 hours, take-out available, no delivery.



7. Lolita – This modern Mexican BYOB is totally sexy. Tucked into the gayborhood, darkly lit tables are surrounded by soft glowing orange walls, excellent service, and good food. They would be higher up on my list if they took reservations and didn’t make guests wait up to two hours for a table on a Friday night.



8. Lacroix – When my “ex-turned-current-boyfriend” took me here to ask me back into his life, he made a smart choice. A gorgeous buffet of little spoonfuls of gourmet delicacies is only a tease for the full offering of breakfast foods laid out in the kitchen. You are invited back into the Chef's domocile for personal souffles cups, house-stuffed sausage and a chocolate fountain that make all-you-can-eat a classy affair. At $100 a head, this is not the right place to tell your date you don’t think it’s going to work out.



9. Honey's Sit 'N' Eat – If I had mom that cooked, then this place would feel like home. Comfort food made with quality ingredients make this a favorite brunch spot. Think OJ served in jam jars and fresh strawberry preserves on biscuits still hot from the oven.
   



10. Bar Ferdinand – Oh God, the fried manchego foam simply explodes in your mouth causing a mini food orgasm. I recommend two orders.
    
    
11. **Bonus ** Vietnam - Sometimes I dream about the crispy spring roll. I like it so much that I don’t even remember anything else on the menu.
    

Other places I might want to go on a date, but need to try a few more times before I can say they are a favorite are Pumpkin, Supper, Melograno, Raw and Audrey Claire.

What did you think of Philly mags top 50? If your date phoned to ask where you wanted to go to dinner, what would you say?