October 1st, 2014

Destination? Manayunk, Streat Food Festival, Restaurant Week, Until Friday, October 10th, Philadelphia, PA, Food Trucks, Vendors, Entertainment…Philly’s First Fashion Truck!

Manayunk is located in the northwestern section of the City of Philadelphia and on the banks of the Schuykill River.  For years it was just there and in need of TLC…not anymore.  It is a city capturing the young professionals, single and with families, moving to this town that has shops, restaurants, bars, and a place to enjoy the outdoors….just a few miles from everything Philadelphia has to offer.

Main Street is long covering more than several blocks.  Restaurants have outdoor seatings, perfect for when the weather is nice.  To know more about Manayunk, please visit http://www.manayunk.com.

Manayunk’s Annual Streat Food Festival was Saturday, September 28th.  This was also the opening of their Restaurant Week, which will go on until Friday, October 10th.  Restaurant Week offers 3 courses and 3 prices.  Visit the website above mentioned for more information and to find out the participating restaurants.

I arrived at the Streat Festival early so as to find parking which, actually, ended up being very easy.  Everything was very well organized.  Saturday’s big event was the Food Trucks.  Philadelphia is known for its amazing food.  There were about 40 food trucks lining Main Street.  Some people knew exactly where they were going….they had their favorites.  I had my son, Michael, to show me the way.

Food trucks are mobile restaurants, or mobile cuisine.  The trend continues to grow and there are no signs of them slowing down.  They say that food trucks are restaurants’ worst nightmare.  In Philly you can find them around all the universities, feeding those hungry students.

Yoga on the Street…..Was I supposed to join them before hitting the food trucks?  Plenty of others did.

Musicians were available to entertain the crowds.

And, as soon as the Beer Garden opened…the crowds followed.  It was such a gorgeous day.  Perfect for a festival.

Mama’s Meat Ball was a winner.  That’s the first Food Truck we hit….my son said that their slider meatballs are just awesome.  Their address is 1426 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125.  Tel. 267-530-1493.  Website?  http://www.mamasmeatballphilly.com.  You can also find them on Facebook.

The following photo shows what we ordered:  On the left is Mama’s Ball…beef, pork, veal mix, topped with arugula and Parmesan.  On the right is my Apple Bomb made with 100% turkey mixed with sauteed spinach, Granny Smith, stuffred with roasted red pepper, Asiago, and topped with spicy Fresno Chili-Apple Chutney.  Totally the best.  People sitting around were raving about them, as well.

The smallest Food Truck was the Korean Truck Kami….small but popular.  You can find Kami at N. 33rd St. at Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.  Tel. 215-555-5555.  On Facebook, as well.

Another most popular food truck and one we did not try was Mac Mart.  It is Philadelphia’s only Mac ‘n Cheese Food Truck.  They are usually located by Drexel University.  Tel. 267-908-5662  Website?  http://www.macmartcart.com Find them on Facebook and Twitter.

We decided to stop at Delicias.  Their specialty?  Latin Food and Arepas.  Arepas are grilled corn patties that can be filled with almost anything you can think of.

The first photo shows on the left an Arepa filled with Shredded Chicken tossed in guacamole and mayo.  On the right is my own which had Shredded Beef, sweet plantains, black beans and Cotija Cheese.  This was an expensive Food Truck.  Both of those, which by the way, were completely filled and heavy, plus 2 waters…..a total price of $26!!

You can take a peek at mine…a close-up.

We were totally satisfied, but continued walking Main Street.  I found Sweet Elizabeth’s Edible Art to be at the perfect location on Main Street at 4409 Maint St…… I will have to visit them another time.  In the meantime, their edible art looked beautiful.  You can find them on Facebook as Sweet Elizabeth Cakes.  Tel. 267-331-8949.  Website?  http://www.sweetelizabethscakes.com.  They make everything from scratch, with a specialty on custom designed cakes.

Philadelphia has its first Fashion Truck….it was also mingling with the Food Trucks.  It is called Smak Parlour Fashion Truck.  http://www.smakparlour.com.

This is a girly, glam and funky truck.   The Boutique is on 219 Market Street in Old City.  The Fashion Truck travels to events throughout the city, but it can also come to your home, office or party.  It is a fun shopping extravaganza.  Smak Parlour has also its own line of in-house designed clothing.  Visit the above mentioned website to see where they will be going next.

It was time to head back to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware…..Main Street was so crowded and I wanted to have a head start….the Eagles were playing, NASCAR was also in Dover….Yikes….it took me a long time to get home but not as long as the ones that were heading north.

Note:  The Streat Festival is around the same time each year.  Save the Date…it is worth going, especially if you like to Eat…On the STREAT!!

July 12th, 2014

Destination? Annual Ocean City Greek Festival, Saturday, 7/12, Sunday, 7/17, Roland E. Powell Convention Center, Ocean City, Maryland, Vendors, Food, Entertainment, Maryland Beaches, Recipes!!

I love Greek food!!  And, this week-end is the 25th Annual Ocean City Greek Festival, sponsored by St. George Greek Orthodox Church.  The festival will have entertainment, authentic Greek food, and unique vendors.

It will take place at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center at 41st Street and Coastal Highway in Ocean City.  Saturday:  Noon until 11 p.m.  Sunday:  Noon until 9 p.m.  Parking is free, air-conditioned hall is handicap accessible.  Credit cards are accepted at the festival and there is also ATM availability.

Admission:  Noon to 4 p.m. daily is free for locals and children under 14 years of age.  Others $2/person.  Late admission after 4 p.m. is $3/person and children under 14 are free.

You can check the festival’s Facebook Page by visiting http://www.facebook.com/greekfestivaloceancity.

For more info. on the festival and the links to the menu and entertainment, please visit http://www.stgeorgebythesea.org/greek-festival.

Keftethakla

The Festival will hold 3 raffles.  You do not need to be present to win:

“Best Odds in Town Raffle” – $100 per chance with a 1:100 chance to win $5,000, enough for your own Green Island vacation!

Or, take a $10 chance on a 50cc Roketa Motor Scooter provided by Fun Cycles.

O, take 6 chances for $5 to Win a Grand!

Spanakopita

Authentic Greek cuisine dine in or carry out….Greek Moussaka, Keftethakla, Spanakopita, Papoutsakia to name a few.  Check the link above mentioned for a full menu.

Recipes:

Papoutsakia or Little Shoes  – You can find this recipe by clicking on July, 2011 of AboutMyBeaches and then scrolling to the 17th.

Another recipe that you can find on AboutMyBeaches is Greek Moussaka.  Just click on the month of January 2012 on the left-hand side of the website and scroll down to the 29th.

It is a beautiful day at the beaches….Have a good one!!