A Meal with the Ithy Hippies

Let me tell you about the journey I took with coworkers. A journey 4 1/2 hours north to Ithaca, NY.

It all started at 10am Monday morning and ended at 11pm Monday night. The drive was long, long and long- or did I mention that already? We drove through parts of PA that I have always heard of, but never once seen. Places like Jim Thorpe, Scranton, Mt. Pocono...absolutely incredible! What was most shocking was the fact that there was still snow on top of the mountains and hanging out outside of the rest stop we ate lunch in near Scranton. I couldn't believe it! It was a total flashback to wintertime. We were stepping back into winter instead of moving forward into spring. After a great veggie sandwich at Quiznos for lunch, we continued on our journey through the extremely rural towns of upstate New York and saw abandoned farm houses, mud covered pick up trucks and hippie-like people (whatever that means anyway).

I saw all of this between all of the sleeping of course and because I was riding in the backseat, I took advantage of nap time. On a side note, I am extremely narcoleptic in cars for some reason, but only when I'm not driving or responsible for telling the driver where to go. I can't help but feel so relaxed in a car it's the only time where I have no other option but to sit in my seat and take in the scenery as it calmly passes by...

Anyway back to the food portion of this post- Ithaca, New York, 30 degree weather, not much going on, interviewing a nutrition expert at Cornell for work- the whole bit. Where do we stop for dinner?? Moosewood Restaurant. Where the moose is the mascot and a huge part of the decor, as well as blown up images of insects on the wall, which is a whole other story.

The menu is very simple and concise. There were only 4-5 choices for an entree and two appetizers, as well as a few soups. Each entree comes with a salad too! I decided to go with a magical green ginger tea to start. It had ginger, lemon, orange and green tea in it- very powerful and definitely gave me a energy jump that was needed after the 45 minute interview we had to do. Next we ordered guacamole and chips for the appetizer and for my entree I chose an Indian Curry dish with sweet potatoes, zucchini, tofu and other veggies over a bed of brown rice. Absolutely delicious! The curry sauce was not too soupy and was not at all overbearing, which made it a heck of a lot more enjoyable for me and my tummy (especially looking toward that long car ride home!) The food was fresh and one could tell that Moosewood is no joke when it comes to fresh, organic, vegetarian/vegan cuisine. The wood decor and earthy feel to the restaurant set a great environment to eat in. They also have a very extensive wine and beer list, which we couldn't take advantage of because of our long ride home.

The food at Moosewood warmed me up and left me satisfied as I took on the chilly air in Ithaca and anxiously awaited our return to Philadelphia (because I missed it so much!). The ride home was dark and scary, but the stars in the sky brightly shining as if I was looking up into the ceiling of a planetarium. Completely unreal. This was definitely a trip to remember. Just hope if I ever head back north that I don't have to leave and come back in a day's time because it is completely exhausting! oh the "ITH" (as my coworkers and I like to call it...)

The Melting Pot- no not America, the restaurant!

Take a stroll down Filbert near 12th St and you'll spot The Melting Pot located close to places like Maggiano's and the Reading Terminal Market. But what's so attractive about The Melting Pot is the way the food is prepared or better yet how you prepare your food. Be ready to put on your chef hat and jacket and get cooking when you sit down in front of the electric stove tops that the Pot has on its tables.

My visit was a bit different from others that have experienced the essence of the Melting Pot. I walked in for a table for one and I was sat at the bar that has a mini burner in front and a fantastic waitress on her toes and ready to take my order. The first thing I told her was that I was a veggie so no meat and no cheese, which could get tricky if you order the whole Big Night Out meal that includes the cheese fondue. However, she made things very cut and dry and helped me decide on a great veggie dinner for me to enjoy. I ordered the Spinach Portobello Salad with fresh spinach, thinly sliced baby portobello mushroom, rings of red onion, Roma tomatoes with a warm Burgundy Shallot Vinaigrette.The sweet shallot vinaigrette was so delicious that I repeatedly dipped my own fork into it just to eat it. It was a perfect compliment to the rich flavors of the green spinach and mushrooms. The salad was very colorful as well! I could have eaten another salad that's how much I enjoyed it.

When it came time for my entree my decision was quite easy and the option of THE VEGETARIAN was screaming at me. I ordered the vegetarian entree prepared the Court Bouillon way. It was a homemade, seasoned vegetable broth that the server let come to a boil before my entree came out. I was so excited to actual cook my vegetables and when the huge tray of artichoke hearts, Portobello mushrooms, Thai-peanut-marinated tofu, asparagus, spinach artichoke ravioli, edamame pods and potatoes. The two sauces it came with were a ginger plum and a thick soy sauce sort of sauce. The ginger plum is a Melting Pot unique recipe made with red and green bell peppers, ginger and just a hint of plum. Both sauces were absolutely fantastic and complimented the veggies to the max. I used so much sauce for the veggies that I had to ask for seconds. I took my time to cook the veggies and savored each bite. Each part of the entree had a different cooking time, so I kept track of it in the boiling pot in front of me.

Throughout the dinner I was fortunate enough to be sipping on a glass of Malbec. The bold red color and taste of the wine was fantastic for dinner. Although it's not my favorite type of wine, it was enjoyable with the rest of my dinner. I couldn't be happier to have eaten at the Melting Pot and the added fact that I could sip on a glass of wine made my dinner for one experience complete.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough space in my stomach to try out the chocolate fondue, but I'm planning on going back for dessert at some point!

Visit The Melting Pot in Center City to experience some of the incredible things I did and enjoy picking and choosing what you want to eat along with actually cooking it! But be ready to spend quite a bit of money- one visit to try it won't hurt though!