Apamate

I've been meaning to go back to Cafe Apamate for a while now, i walk past it almost every day. In a city full of overrated, expensive mega-restaurants that rarely live up to the p.r. hype that gets the suckers through the doors, a place like Apamate is a welcome change.

It's casual enough that you could just get a cup of coffee and read the newspaper, but the menu is impressive. We tried at least half of the pinxtos (tapas) menu - sausage "candies", serrano & bechamel croquettes, goat cheese with pistachios, stuffed calamari, gazpacho shooters, scallops, charcuterie plate. And the dulce de leche churros are probably the best in the city.

The food isn't as mind blowing as amada or tinto, but for a small byob with 1 or 2 cooks in the kitchen - and reasonable prices- they do a fantastic job, and you dont have to push your way through a sea of jackasses in pastel shirts & hair gel to get a table.

Cafe Apamate
1620 South St.
Philadelphia

Breakfast Remix

I work hard for the money. So when I get to finally sleep in on the weekends I want to go out for breakfast before I go back home to bleed art in my studio. Because you know what? I'm worth it. So here are my favorite options in the nieghborhood.

Apamate - Tortilla Espanol, but is a quiche with manchego cheese and chorizo with a side to strawberry pine nut salad. Eggs sunny side up with delicious crunchy potatos.





Ant's Pants - Bacon Stack - Most ruling egg on a stack of bacon tomato and greens on yummy thick toast. Delicious avacado chedder omelet with homemade salsa.




Pumpkin Market - I forgot my camera (I know I know) - A drawing of my smoked salmon platter - Everything Bagel, cream cheese, yummy smoked salmon, romaine, caper
berries, and olives.



Apamate
1620 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 790-1620

Ant's Pants
2212 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 875-8002

Pumpkin Market
1609 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 545-1173

Small Foods vs. Fatty Glory

I read in the NY times that the world is retaliating from the small food trend. Large plates of overwhelming fatty food were going to come back with avengence and California clean cuisin will die in it's oily spit. With steakhouses opening everywhere and Momofuku Ramen serving sweetmeats or delicious parts of pig from Mario Battali, I await the rest of the world getting awashed with this food tide. Soon maybe we'll be spreading marrow on our toast. I can't wait.

Untill then though, I will ohh and ahh over tiny meticulously plated cute food.

Here are some shots from super hip *Bar Ferdinand.










A delicious cheese plate with quince cubes, tuna croquettes, charred watermelon with prosuitto, delicious brussel sprouts, asparagus flan and the most delicious tomato salad. The dessert flan was okay, but who can argue with flan ever? We had churros too but I prefer the ones at **Apamate.

* inspired by the most beautifully well illustrated childrens book of a bull who would rather smell flowers then fight. ( as I wipe a tear from my eye thinking about it)

Bar Ferdinand
1030 N 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA 19123

**Most delicious and well priced small plated food in the city.

Apamate
1620 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 790-1620