Just Back From Philadelphia

15 years ago

I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show with my sister this past weekend. It was fantastic - Bella Italia was the theme this year. They even had a canal set up with a full-sized gondola in it. Just beautiful.

Anyway, our hotel was right across from the convention center which is right at the edge of Chinatown, so we had some good meals at little places around the area. We had dinner one night at Thai Lake, where they keep the seafood live, in tanks at the front of the restaurant and your order "flaps" by you as they carry it from the tanks to the kitchen! I was glad no one around us ordered the frogs - the crabs and the fish were bad enough lol!! We wanted to go to a Vietnamese place the following night, but there was a 90 minute wait, so we ended up at Panang, a Malaysian place. They have one in Boston as well, so I had already been there, but still - their food is to die for. We had roti and green curry hot pot, a spicy shrimp dish, something I think was called Ming Siam if I remember correctly - a rice noodle dish, then a chicken dish made with scallions and ginger - everything was delish.

But my favorite part of the trip was we were right next door to the Reading Terminal Market - it was like I died and went to heaven! That place is fantastic!! We have Quincy Market here in Boston, but it's like a mall food court compared to Reading Terminal Market. Any kind of food from any culture you can think of is in there. You can get any kind of fresh seafood, they had stalls with nothing but cheese - hundreds of kinds to pick from. You could get vegetables, any kind of meats, chicken, pork, all different sausages. Then there were the Amish stalls with home made jellies and pickles, the baked goods would make your eyes boggle. I managed to cram two pecan sticky buns in my luggage to have when I got home - they got a little flattened, but they still tasted good. Oh, I am going to miss going to that place for breakfast every morning!! One night we just picked up some grapes and a couple cheeses, some nice olives, etc. and had a little party in our room. We were there helping out at one of the stalls - my sister and her friend own a seed company, so we had to work the show for a couple of hours during the day and we were in pretty early at night because we had to get up so early for the show, but we still had a ball and had plenty of free time to explore around. It was my first time there and I loved it. Everyone was very friendly as well. The snowstorm Monday delayed our flight, but we got home eventually.

I wish I were back there instead of here at work!

Lisa

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Comments (14)

susie_que
15 years ago
Bravo Lisa!!

Isn't Reading Terminal FABULOUS!!!

I live about 15 minutes from there and go about 4-6 times a year. (I may be there tomorrow LOL)

I am so glad you were there when the Amish were there. They are not there some days...the fresh butter and eggs are to die for!

Did you get to the Down Home Diner?? Its a hoot they way the staff wears overalls LOL!

Lots of fresh meats, cheeses and produce and flowers...oh but you were at the flower show so you saw flowers everywhere!

If anyone is ever near Philly and wants to have a cool foodie experience, you have to check it out, heck give me a call and I'll meet you there!

Cheers!
Susie

ps...pics???
dixiedog_2007
15 years ago
Lisa that sounds like it was a wonderful trip. I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm not a very picky eater and love trying new and different foods. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for all the support!! Yes its been almost surreal...like Iam watching it all unfold in front of me but its happening to someone else-then i wake up from my daydream only to realize its happening to me, I am peeved at Ed tho...he let us leave the office the day of settlement with no where to go. I am thankful to my inlaws but since they are not used to having guests it was very uncomfortable. so we had nothing. I feel he at least could of had us stay at hotel or even pay for dinner!! I mean even have us over for dinner!! I had nothing here at all. That is all behind us now-there is no where to go but forward!! I am still waiting for a real settlment date...maybe either August 21-28, the good news is that the new buyer does not need to have an inspection or ap praisal so she can save the cash as well as the time!! So we are living with only the bare minumum...our beds are just mattresses on the floor, we have just a sofa and loveseat. our TV is on and old stand as the tv console is packed away and too big to move. I have work clothes and some knock around clothes here and just one large pot and 2 fry pans to cook....paper plates and plastic cutlery! But we are getting by alright. As for being strong...yea I am strong. If i felt kicking and screaming would have helped the situation then believe me I would have done it! But being a calm person I held it together...there have been other things going on in my world that all seem to happen during this summer that I haven't talked about publicly...so losing this deal was just part of it. I am quite sure once I get moved in and start living my new life I will have my breakdown its just right now I simply do not have the time LOL!!! Hopefully I will get a settlement date by Monday after the teacher gets a look at all the reports...I will keep you all posted!! CHEERS! Susie
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Good morning, y'all, . Thank you for the kind words, Mike. Laura, I will definitely hit you if I ever head towards Annapolis :). And thanks to all of you for the well wishes for Dave. It means more than you know. . He's better, I think. He's starting to be hungry again, and he now eats 3 meals a day. Granted, they are much smaller meals than what he used to have, and they are almost fat free, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We haven't had any setbacks since he left the hospital, so I must be doing something right in what I feed him. We are scheduled to go see some big wig at Hopkins that is specializing n Pancreatitis, so we'll see what he tells us. . The trees have been spending their days outside (except yesterday since temps were in the friggin 40's), but I've chickened out on the nights when I saw it go below 50 this week, so I brought them back in for the nights. As soon as it's steadily staying above 55, I'll just leave them out 24/7. I can't wait for that, either. I am so sick of that rain and constant drizzle and cold. I need some sunshine at least as much as my trees do. . I've also just finished giving them their first feed since last October when I brought them in for the winter, and their very first FP feed, since we decided to stop giving them the organic Grow More fertilizer I gave them last year. I've fumbled a little with the strenght to give them, and figured out 1/4 Tbsp for 1/2 gallon, as described in THIS POST I intend to use the "mikerno-approved method", and feed them every day about 10 minutes after their daily watering. I was uncertain of my FP per gallon proportions, so I decided to start low at 1/4 Tbsp / 1/2 gallon (1/2 gallon being the volume of my "fertilitzer pitcher"). . I haven't seen any scales appear back, but that doesn't mean squat, I still have to redo the Neem oil next week (Tuesday will be a week since my last application), and then the week after that, again. . I'm sorry I'm not contributing more to these boards, these days. It's just that by the time I'm done with all I have to do, I'm so drained and bone deep exhausted that I can't summon the energy to actually "write" anything. I do read your posts and replies, though, it's relaxing and allows me to think of something else, no matter how briefly. . I hope y'all have a great week end. God bless, . Atheen
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lisazone6_ma
Original Author
15 years ago
I have loads of pics, but I have to get them from my camera, onto the computer, then get them loaded on a site so I can link them here. I wish we could just load them here directly. I'm technically challenged so it might take me a while, but I'll try and get them loaded!

If I lived that close susie que, I'd be there once a week!! I think it would be great for people who live close to just stop in on the way home from work and pick up the fixings for dinner every night! And there was plenty of stuff already cooked to pick from too! I couldn't belive the wonderful Thai food you could get and the Chinese noodle and dumpling soups, the Amish stuff was fantastic. I lucked out since they're not usually there Sunday and Monday - they weren't there Sunday, but since it was the flower show week they were open Monday so I got to buy a few more things. I would have needed another suitcase to take home everything I saw that I wanted to try! I got some hand made soaps and really cute beeswax candles - I got a very unique hand made silver ring - I just loved the place. But the food was the best part, of course! I found a place that made fabulous blueberry scones on Sunday when the Amish place was closed.

I really envy you living so close! I wanted to start at one end of the cheese case and just eat my way thru to the other end lol!! And if you're that close you really should check out the flower show - it was wonderful. And check out The SeedSource in the vendor area. They're in row 200 - they have some wonderful vegetable seeds from Italy and England and they even have some from Japan. And every flower imaginable of course. I picked up all my seeds for the vegetable garden this spring.

If anyone has a recipe similar to those Amish pecan sticky cinnamon buns, I'd LOVE to have it. We had breakfast one morning at one of the Amish diners, but there were all women working there - and boy were those girls working!! They didn't stop for a second! I had apple french toast made with their homemade apple bread. Oh, I can still taste it! I would have loved to buy some butter, but coming home in the storm with the delays I didn't think having butter in my luggage was the best idea lol!!

Lisa
susie_que
15 years ago
Lisa, Sounds like you had a great time!
I always have trouble deciding where/what to eat while there. 12th street Cantina and Delilahs are 2 more faves!

I wish I could go more often but my schedule does not permit. Its best to take the train but then I'd have to lug everything home so I generally wait till hubster has a day off and we make a day of it.

I am still holding out some hope that I will be able to go maybe on Friday. DD had wisdom teeth surgery this morning so I am needed here at home...but having worked the show in the past, I can say first hand how wonderful it can be.
I was offered a volunteer spot this year but turned it down to stay home with DD.
She is doing pretty good so if she is ok I'd like to go but like I said it up to her.

Next time you are in town give me a heads up...I would love to meet a new forum friend!!

Cheers!
Susie
amysrq
15 years ago
When I was young (like 20) and learning to cook from the Silver Palate books, I would take the High Speed Line in from NJ to the Reading Terminal Market and buy ingredients for whatever I was cooking up at the time. I remember trying to find unhomogenized cream to make creme fraiche with. I found it at one of the Amish booths.

The Market was also a place where I took my then-future husband for a date early on.

Good memories! thanks!
caliloo
15 years ago
Glad you had a wonderful time! The RT Market really is something - if you have never been there, you can try to picture it, but the experience isn't complete until the smells and sounds join the sights. And I have heard great things about the flower show this year - I really wanted to go but schedule wont allow :-(

All in all it sounds like you had a wonderful time - and do give us a heads up next time you are in the area - I would love to meet a new forum buddy too!

Alexa
sushipup1
15 years ago
Lisa, did you miss the Italian Market on 9th Street?? And cheese steaks?

But it sounds like you had a wonderful visit there, and Reading Terminal is indeed, "died and gone to heaven."

Here is a link that might be useful: Italian Market
lisazone6_ma
Original Author
15 years ago
EVERYONE is asking me whether I had a cheese steak or not!! I'm afraid I didn't! There was too much other stuff I wanted to try and no offense to anyone from the area because I know Philadelphia is famous for their cheese steaks, but I can get one at home. To me, it's like having baked beans when you come to Boston! We ate at this little Chinese place for lunch one day and I got chicken noodle soup with dumplings - they had to be the best chicken dumplings I have ever eaten in my life! And I can zip over to Chinatown here in Boston on my lunch hour any time I want, so I've had plenty of dumplings. So I guess I'll have to save the cheese steak experience for another time lol!!

Being new here, I didn't know that so many of you live in the area - if I go again next year (which I would love to as long as the gals don't mind crowding me into their hotel room again!) I'll definitely give you a heads up and maybe we can all meet up at the Market one afternoon.

And I'll have to make sure I check out the Italian market as well! Except for one afternoon when we did some sightseeing (went to Eastern State Penitentiary because my daughter saw it on Ghost Hunters, so I just had to go! then the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall) we pretty much stuck to the Flower Show and the Reading Market other than going into Chinatown for dinner at night.

I'm going to try and make some cinnamon rolls this weekend - I can't get those Amish baked goods out of my head!!! I'd probably weigh 500 pounds if I lived around there lol!!

Lisa
dedtired
15 years ago
I'm so glad you nejoyed Philadelphia. It is a foodie heaven. SO far you have only scraped the tip of the iceberg. However, the Reading Terminal is mecca for foodies. Isn't it fun? When I worked close by I would walk over at lunch and then haul it all home with me. I took the Bassett's ice cream home in my tummy.

Yes, the flower show is fabulous. I may try to get down there before it closes.

If you come back, let us know and the Philadelphia CFers will be there to greet you.
Rusty
15 years ago
Lisa, I have several Amish cookbooks, and I found a recipe in one called "Caramel Pecan Buns", that looks like it would be pretty much like the Sticky Buns you mentioned. I haven't tried it, but everything else I've made from that book has been very good. It looks to be pretty much like every other Sticky Bun recipe I've read, but I will be glad to post it later today if you are interested. But really, I think the big 'secret' that makes the Amish baked goods so good is not necessarily a unique recipe, but the freshness & naturalness of the ingredients they use.
Rusty
annie1992
15 years ago
wow, that does sound like a good time and I'll keep watching for the pictures.

I want to go to Philadelphia, I love American History and want to see the sights, now I'll add Reading Terminal to my list of places to go!

Annie
lisazone6_ma
Original Author
15 years ago
Therustyone - I would love it if you posted the recipe! I was going to take one of the ones I have and see if it came out the same. They were just so "puffy" and delicious. I got a plain one without the "sticky" pecan topping and that was just as good as well, but of course the extra gooeyness of the topping made it even better.

Annie - if you are ever there you definitely have to go. I always say that Boston has everything foodwise I could ever want, from every culture imaginable, but I have to now say that we are sorely lacking in not having anything like Reading Terminal Market here. Philly has one-upped Boston in that regard!! I cannot go on enough about how wonderful it was. I'm very sad that we don't have anything like that around here. Even throwing in the fresh fruit/produce/meat/fish markets they still have in the Italian North End which are open a couple days a week can't compare. Those of you in the area are so lucky to have all that wonderful stuff to choose from in one place. And we definitely don't have anything comparable to what the Amish bring to that market here in Boston!

Lisa
debbie814
15 years ago
Lisa, I just returned from the flower show in Philadelphia, and I share your sentiments about the pecan sticky buns that I bought from the Amish at the Reading Terminal Market. I brought home a package of six, and have one left. They were so fresh and wonderful. And sticky :-) The flower show was dreamy, and swept me off my feet. I would encourage anyone in the area to attend. I took over 400 pictures which I am still getting posted to my blog. The theme this year was Bella Italia and I feel like I had a tour of Italy that didn't require a passport. We also went to the Italian Market on 9th Street, and woofed down a cheese steak sandwich. We were only there for two days, and would like to go back next year. My first time to Philly, and it won't be the last!
Rusty
15 years ago
Lisa, sorry I didn't get back here yesterday. Sometimes life just gets in the way! !

Caramel Pecan Rolls
From the Buggy Wheel Restaurant Cookbook, Vol. II
Shipshewana, IN
Contributed by Barbara Bontrager

1 package dry yeast
1 C warm water
1/4 C white sugar
1 Tsp salt
2 Tbsp margarine, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C margarine, melted
1/2 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup
2/3 C pecan halves

Filling:
2 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 C white sugar
softened margarine

In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
Stir in 1/4 C white sugar, salt, 2 Tbsp margarine, egg, & 2 C flour; beat until smooth.
With spoon or hand, work in enough remaining flour until dough is easy to handle.
Place in a greased bowl; turn to grease surface. Cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days.

Combine melted margarine, brown sugar, syrup and pecans. Spread in greased 13 X 9 X 2 inch pan.

On floured board, roll dough into a 15 X 9 inch oblong.
Spread with softened margarine and sprinkle with mixed cinnamon & sugar. Roll up, beginning at wide side and seal edge well. Cut into 1 inch slices and put, cut side down, in prepared pan.

Cover, let rise in warm place until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 min.

Just Back From Philadelphia

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