Rediscovering my own city--Philadelphia is kind of cool.

I'm from Philadelphia--it's not a bad city. You've probably heard of it. Sometimes we're the punchline of jokes, like W.C. Field's proposed epitaph: "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." But on the other hand, this city was the go-to place for all kinds of people. Ben Franklin could have made it big in Boston--but he went here. Some important goddamn pieces of paper were written here, etc. Liberty Bell. Blah Blah blah. But, even though I usually day-trip away from my hometown, out to the surrounding 'burbs, we decided we could stand the siren call of good eats and beer no more, and descended upon Monk's Cafe at 264 S 16th St.




Sometimes I need to drink beer and eat french fries in a cool, dark place--this is exactly such a place. Because it is dark, even cellar-like, but in the way most conducive to drinking beer. The booths are like pews, the walls, wood-paneled, the decor, aged. Beer can be sipped with respect.

I want you to conceive of a beer menu as if you actually believed in Santa Claus. A really hip, beer-savvy Santa Claus who was willing to chase down kreiks and trippels and stouts the world over just to give you, O Jaded Sudswiller, something you want, need, or just haven't had in a while. And then, because Santa is good, he'd give you food you actually want to eat while you drink beer. For starters, you could sup on veal cheeks that melt in your mouth. Literally. Melt. You could have string potato pomme frites that you wouldn't mind eating by the pound.

Imagine silken beef stew, or hearty terrine, or even pots of brothy mussels, just salty enough to make you search the menu for another (out of so many) great beer?

Or just imagine a burger. The humblest of bar eats, and often done wrong--but this time, done right. A burger to be judged not upon the immense size, or the daring overuse of toppings, but upon it's...rightness.

A medium burger comes out cooked....medium. It is juicy, and in a sizable roll of bread sufficient to last throughout the eating of the burger. The toppings have been thought out for balance and tastiness--perhaps you might, as I did, select the Ardennes, a "parma" style ham & cheese burger. It was "just right"--good burger, good bread, use, but no over-use of toppings. And I had a St Bernardus ABT 12 and a Tripel Karmaleit. You ain't getting those at Ruby Tuesday's.

Also, just a smidgen away, was the Lush store (about 15th & Walnut). This is like a bath'n'body shrine. OMG. I am a sucker for all things body pampering. I had to refill my Flying Fox Shower Gel prescription (jasmine and honey and smells so good--o my!) and wanted to try....everything in the store. The salespeople there are completely awesome and know the product line well and really are helpful. I ended up with a body butter, a shampoo, a sugar scrub, and got some Herbalizm face cleanser, which is very nice for my kind of combination complexion.

We also hit a kitchen store and Holt's Cigar store--all in just a couple blocks. Craziness! I completely forgot how massively fun shopping and eating in Center City actually is.

Lesson learned. A "staycation" in my hometown is a vacation for other people--so why do I ever leave? (Like, I passed Susanna Foo--how have I not eaten there? Or at the Warsaw Cafe? And my husband hasn't hit the Reading Market lately--I did when I was last on jury duty--so much a foodie can do downtown.)