La Na, Thai

Thai food intrigues me. I know very little about this type of cuisine, but find myself willing to try it. So, recently I stopped in to La Na, located in Media, PA, USA, for a taste. It was quite delicious, with a mixture of flavors different from what I’m used to. Here goes. We started with the Thai Treasure appetizer, which is a typical dumpling and spring roll type of assortment. What made this more interesting was the sauce, there were four to choose from. Have a look:

I’m told this is a typical dish and not very exciting, but I liked it, all of it, and would make a meal of two of these plates and be very happy. But there was more. First the Chu Chee Duck as seen here:

That duck was perfectly cooked and tasty, not the least bit dry. Then there was the Evil Jungle Princess, not sure where the name comes from, but take a look.

Dig those fresh vegetables which were cooked yet crunchy and full of flavor. The sauce here contained a little heat without overpowering the individual items, which I took to be an achievement. Too often spicy food is all heat and now flavor. La Na got it just right for me.

La Na is a BYOB place, so don’t forget your favorite bottle. I’m not sure what kind of wine to pair with this type of food. Your suggestions are welcome and appreciated. On the quest to expand my tastes, I’ll be looking for more and different food.

Published in: on January 31, 2012 at 8:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Waverly Restaurant (NYC)

The Waverly is really a diner, a real New York City diner, not a theme park styled imitation. I first visited this place in 1986 and it’s been cranking out the breakfast hits for me ever since. Lately, my visits are fewer and farther between, but enjoyable when they occur. If you’re looking for a breakfast served quick and hot, this is the place. Here’s a view of the outside.

The above photo shows how the place looks at about 6:30 in the morning. Can’t miss the retro neon. The most recent interior renovations have rendered the counter a bit shorter, but there are more booths and it is a little easier to move through the joint when it gets crowded, which it does. Scrambled eggs and bacon, French toast, all the breakfast favorites can be had here in less than five minutes. Stop in and find out for yourself.

Published in: on January 29, 2012 at 2:59 pm  Comments (1)  
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Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market

Today, I had the good fortune to pay a visit to the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. Every type of fruit and vegetable is on sale here to anyone willing to buy the minimum of a case. And you have to see all this produce, straight from the farm, in a single place, for sale from multiple vendors, all of which means the best prices around. Let’s take a look:

It was interesting to learn how the bananas are ripened, which is quite a process. Not to mention learning about where all this stuff comes from. Then there are the characters here, each operation has a personality and if you do some buying, you’ll meet them. There’s also the other customers, from the mom and pop shops to the restaurant purveyors to the people simply looking for a large quantity of something in particular. Markets like this are a marvel. I highly recommend a visit when in you’re in the mood to buy in bulk.

Published in: on January 20, 2012 at 1:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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Hostaria da’ Vittorio, Aruba

Hostaria da’ Vittorio serves solid Italian favorites with contemporary flair. I’ve had the pleasure of dining here several times over the past couple of years and each experience has been a good one. This time I started with the minestrone, which was homemade and came with a stick of fried polenta. Check it out:

The portion size of the soup was perfect, leaving me plenty of room for other things. I always order too much at this restaurant, simply because I want to enjoy all the flavors. There was a brushetta and caprese salad as you see in the next photo:

And the table bread, which is at the top of the photo above came as a sort of pizza-crust like option. Tasty with olive oil and fresh pepper and something a little different than the usual rolls. Moving on to the entrees. One was an osso buco, seen below and requiring no knife.

Finally, there was a pasta dish, this time a fusilli with crumbled sausage/red sauce. Again, the right size portion and very flavorful which almost rises out of the next image:

Of course, no room for dessert, which was probably a mistake. You have to stop somewhere, and after all this, I hit the wall. Full to the top. Service, as always, was attentive and professional, keeping my water glass topped up the way I like it. I drink gallons of water in Aruba, which thanks to the desalinization plant has one of the best tasting tap waters in the world. But I digress. You’ll enjoy your meal at Hostaria da’ Vittorio, where you can dine inside or out, go for a big meal or something more manageable. Take a group, get some wine, and make a night of it.

Published in: on November 22, 2011 at 1:54 pm  Leave a Comment  
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