Tag: philadelphia

A bit of London in Philly at The Dandelion

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If you’ve ever found yourself daydreaming about strolling through London — popping into a cozy pub, ordering a proper pint, and pretending you understand British slang — but then remembered you live in Philadelphia… I have very good news for you.

Let me introduce you to The Dandelion — aka a tiny slice of London tucked right into Rittenhouse.

And when I say tucked, I mean tucked. Walking in feels less like entering a restaurant and more like discovering the chicest townhouse in Notting Hill that just happens to serve fish and chips. When Jake and I are missing London, we head to the Dandelion for a pot of tea – because that’s a thing there – or for some of our favorite British meals. One of the times we were there for a late lunch, we were enjoying our scones and tea listening to a family next to us complaining about the food. Why, you ask? Because the food wasn’t American and didn’t taste the way they were used to. Jake and I chuckled because its authenticity to British food is why we love it so much.

Jake has spent more time in London on work trips than me, but as soon as you walk in, you are transported to a British pub. With the dark paneling, vintage portraits, dark wood furniture, and candlelight, it feels lived in and homey.

Don’t want a full meal? Then sit at a stool at the bar and hang out with a friend with a pint. Philly has sooo many options to grab food or drinks to choose from it can be overwhelming at times because there are too many options. But when we are out running errands in the area, and Jake suggests Dandelion, it always makes me smile and say yes because when we go there, the restaurant vibes encourage you to just slow down and enjoy each others company over a pot of tea or a pint of beer.

Highly suggest getting the cheese board and trying their British themed cocktails! Came for the pub vibes, stayed for the scones & cocktails 🍸 

It’s proof that sometimes the best trips are the ones that don’t require a passport. Just a reservation.

If you haven’t been yet, consider this your sign. And if you have… you already know.

Cheers. 🥂

Welcoming Borromini to the neighborhood!

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After spending my teens and twenties fully obsessed with shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, I always dreamed of that glamorous city life — you know, hopping from art gallery openings to the buzziest restaurant of the moment, preferably in heels I couldn’t actually walk in. I feel like I had that dream become a reality when Jake and I were talking about what restaurant to make a reservation at for our one year wedding anniversary. We settled on Parc because it’s one of our favorites, and it’s turned into our go-to for celebrations. The next day, Jake texted me that there was one opening available at the just opened Borromini restaurant in Rittenhouse Square. While Philly is not like New York City, it’s still a city with an amazing food scene. Jake and I are both foodies, and we love trying new places and trying new things. So when a reservation was available at a restaurant with a very known long wait list – I knew we had to jump on it.

I loved the vibe right away. From the moment I stepped through the doors, I could tell a lot of time and money went into transforming this space. The space is massive (it occupies two floors in what used to be a Barnes & Noble) and yet somehow still cozy. With the vaulted ceilings, mosaic tilework, rustic oak beams, exposed brick, and these soft warm lights that make you feel like you’re somewhere you should be dressed up but also comfy. It has that fancy restaurant vibe, but also a place I would be comfortable going to grab dinner after work. The best way to sum it up is that it was built for Philly because we like nice things, but we are also down-to-earth.

I’ve heard complaints that the restaurant was too loud, but I didn’t find it hard to have a conversation. If anything, it added to the positive energy with people being excited to be there. The resturant just opened, but it already had that this is the place to be and gather. The waitstaff is also very friendly; we bonded over the Eagles loss, and they are very knowledgeable about the menu. The waitstaff are attentive but don’t hover and don’t rush you through the meal. Since we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, the restaurant was kind enough to surprise us with glasses of prosecco with our desert that came out with candles. It’s that little extra touch that goes a long way!

It’s a small menu, but you can tell that each item has been perfected and is selected to pair well with other dishes. We started with the Caprese and the focaccia while looking over the menu. It was hard to choose one because everything sounded so GOOD! I went with the spaghetti al pomodoro, and Jake ordered the 100-layer lasagna.

We already decided we need to come back again during the week when we wanted to get a drink after work. The aperol spritz was refreshing, and the Pomodoro Martini was heaven in a glass.

If I had to describe the food, I’d say that it’s fresh – not overly seasoned, just fresh ingredients to highlight the already delicious dishes. You could taste the fresh tomatoes in the spaghetti al pomodoro, and the lasagna was light and fluffy unlike traditional lasagnas.

Borromini is a great addition to the neighborhood, and I’m excited to come back again! We are already planning the next time we can stop by the bar and grab a drink and enjoy the restaurant vibes!

Lunch at Royal Boucherie in Old City

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It was July 4th weekend and our original plan was to walk around Old City but the heat wave made that difficult. We still wanted to spend some time in Old City, walk past Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and get in the holiday spirit. So what better way to celebrate the 4th than go to Royal Boucherie? It’s been on my list to try for a long time and I’m glad we could make it happen.

A dimly lit restaurant and bar is around the corner of Chestnut Street on 2nd Street. The floors and walls look like they have their original panel walls and hardwood floors. We sat at a table in the corner by the window to enjoy the pub aesthetic of the restaurant. How could we pick just one thing? The menu has a classic French menu but enough selections for patrons new to French food. We joked that Royal Boucherie is the delicious peasant food compared to the fancy and formal French restaurants we have visited before. Could it be that Royal Boucherie has better food than another well-known French restaurant in Philly?

We started with cocktails and chuckled at the creative drink names like Franklin’s Mistress and Wham Bam Thank You Cran. If you don’t have time to sit down for a meal, I highly suggest you order a drink at the bar to enjoy the custom-made bar and mingle with fellow patrons.

Since we are foodies, we wanted the full food experience and started with a Fromage Tasting Board and escargot a lail noir, black garlic braised escargot, ratatouille, panisse, crispy garlic escargot to share. The cheeses were perfectly selected to pair with a baguette and jams that we were making notes to make this board at home. I should note that the portions are more similar to what I’ve experienced in Europe, smaller portions with high-quality selections. At first glance, I thought there wouldn’t be enough of the Fromage board for both of us to share, but I was left satisfied without being too full for the main course.

For the main course, Jacob went with a boucherie burger, foie gras, brie, onion confiture, frites. He said it was probably the best burger he has ever had with the perfectly melted brie on the burger. I wanted to try something new than my usual order of modules and went with the crab cakes, blistered cherry tomatoes, roasted broccolini, saffron rouille. The crab cakes were not your traditional style like you expect in beach towns but instead had a French twist with unexpected flavors. Every bite was delicious!

We split a chocolate mousse tart as a special treat before heading back out into the heat. Restaurants like Royal Boucherie are hard to come by with their dark moody interior, friendly staff, and perfectly curated menu. The next time you are looking for a good meal out with an experience, I highly recommend stopping by here. We’ll be back again soon because it’s been a week and we are still talking about the fromage board!

Our Entryway

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The unpacking process is taking way longer than I thought it would but I keep telling myself to enjoy the process and that it will all get done! I really like to have a clean, minimalist look and with everything to have a home. Before we purchased anything for the house, we started to unpack and use the furniture and items that we had. Then we made a list of areas that needed some extra TLC and what storage solutions were needed. One area that was being neglected was our entryway. There is a little foyer that is really practical and had so much potential! The space was small but I knew we could get creative to make it functional. After a few months of forgetting where I put my keys, piles of mail on our coffee table and forgetting to bring something to work, I decided we needed a system for a drop zone.

I already had the magazine holder which was perfect for keeping our mail and important papers but I wanted to get hooks for keys and such. I spent what felt like forever trying to find a cute and practical solution. Luckily, I was able to find this key organizer on Amazon and it has been great at keeping our items organized and prevent it from getting chaotic! I like to keep my keys, train pass, umbrella and headphones – literally anything that I may forget to bring with me on the hook so I can remember to grab them before I leave. It’s a small space to finish decorating but it makes us one step closer to finally being settled into our new home!

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wall mount key holder // similar magazine rack (mine is from Homegoods)