Where in the World Will RK Eat Today?

I believe we went here in April but I could be wrong but that doesn’t even matter with what I'm about to tell you about Vernick!!

So my brother graduated nursing school and this is where he wanted to go for this accomplishment. Vernick is one of Philly’s top rated restaurants and also one of the hardest to get reservations for. Like you need to book months in advance. Luckily my brother and step dad know the owner so we were able to get a reservation with like two week notice. I cannot tell you enough how this restaurant changed my life. Yes it is expensive but I'm telling you it is beyond worth it. 

Ill go with descriptions of what I dont have pictured first. Due to us having connections with the owner we were given a couple of the breads with spreads that they have. I love bread and go to a lot of restaurants or it like Red Lobster lol. But these were too much different and I'm not going to lie they weren't all my favorites but they definitely are worth trying a couple. I can't suggest to you what to get because we had like 4 different ones shared among 6 of us and the menu does change occasionally. 

Another thing that is not pictured is a MUST get and always on the menu. The organic Amish Chicken. I tried some of my brothers and boy I’ve never had a chicken taste like that and believe I won't again until my next trip back. It had the perfect spices and was tender and juicy. SOMEBODY at the table needs to get this and I suggest splurging for the whole so you have some left for the next day. 

The picture of my entree is the veal they had on the menu. TO DIE FOR I swear. The veal was cooked to a medium which was perfect they didn't ask you the temperature you wanted it to be cooked at because the chefs know exactly how to cook the meat. It was almost a melt in your mouth quality. Along with the veal were white asparagus and a couple potato rosti. There’s not much to say about white asparagus unless you don't like regular green asparagus and that is that it has a much milder flavor and worth the try if you haven’t before, and a potato rosti is pretty much a fried mashed potato stick but it was battered and seasoned perfectly and with the little jus of the veal that dropped on it since the veal was laid on top made it that much more amazing. I would eat four  of these and not regret it. The biggest regret of this dish was honestly that it ended and there was none left to take home. 

The desert is a simple brownie and vanilla ice cream which I normally won't get but decided when in Rome right. I was honestly shocked with how moist the brownie was by itself and the flavor. Being that I enjoy cooking and food I'm well aware that people say coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate but never tried it because I don’t enjoy coffee, with this brownie I had no choice and shockingly it was one of the best brownies I've had outside of the box ones I make myself (magic fingers with box baking lol). The ice cream was regular vanilla and complemented the brownie well of course .

I have to talk about atmosphere and staff because that is something that will make or break my whole thought of a restaurant especially one that is named one of the best and is pricey as well. 

This is one of the best restaurants I've ever been in and this is a lot from someone who prefers cruise line restaurants compared to many in state restaurants (I'll give a story on that later). Center City doesn’t have a lot of huge real estate so most restaurants and shops and take out spaces are working in very little square footage and a lot you can tell and feel that. But it was completely different with Vernick. You can very well see with the lighting and sleek modern design and open kitchen that the owner was mindful of the fact that there was limited space to work in. I was only on the first floor but can only imagine that the upstairs has the same design. 

The staff was excellent. I’m a server and my brother has been a server and my dad and step dad works in hospitality and my mom understands the struggle through us, my grandmom on the other hand just isn't used to fancy restaurants unless she goes out with my brother and I. I know that sounds like were uppity and snobs but were not we've just had the opportunity to eat and see nice places because thats what we save for and enjoy so we make it work. But I digress back to the staff. Their uniforms were super neat and they looked comfortable which is awesome nothing like having a job at a great restaurant and then having to wear a uniform that is difficult to work in. They even got to wear converses as their footwear. But aside from that they were attentive and knowledgeable and polite. Also they didn't hover even given the space, well lack there of. Overall they were amazing and I made sure to let the owner know that. 

Needless to say I cannot wait to get myself and whoever back into Vernick and if I could make that a yearly or more spot I totally would and it would be worth it. 

September 6 2017

This lovely piece of goodness is buffalo chicken Mac&Cheese from Lucky’s Last Chance on Main Street in Manayunk. This was my first time having buffalo chicken Mac and cheese. and it was amazing it actually had me eating it from other places for the next week. Being someone that likes a mild spice it was a little on the hotter side for myself but I'm sure most would think it was mild but honestly the cheese sauce of the Mac and cheese is what really made the meal. It was super creamy and had an amazing flavor which I'm not really able to really tell which cheeses were used due to the buffalo sauce but definitely cheddar since thats a staple. 

The chicken was shredded and then tossed in the buffalo sauce before put with the Mac and cheese and you can tell that because the cheese sauce it still very evident which was wonderful. Also a plus of the shredded chicken was that it made it easier to get chicken with every bite so it was extremely filling. 

There wasn't a huge menu so if you're not in the mood for a burger and fries you'll pretty much be eating one of their Mac and cheese creations.

This being my first time there I want to touch on the atmosphere a little. This bar is little and has two floors. My friends and I ate in the upstairs bar at the bar. There weren't many people on the second floor so it wasn't too noisy or busy which lead the server/bartender to be attentive enough. The kitchen was a little slow but I'm sure the downstairs was packed by the time we ordered. Theres a very minimal decor so nothing to write home about on vacation but who's coming to my page for atmosphere right. The one major setback is area. Manayunk is a very hilly narrow road neighborhood with little chance of finding parking no matter what time of day. There are a couple parking lots you can pay for but most of the time if you are not walking or taking public transportation you will be driving around for awhile to find a free spot or paying for parking for the night.

Wednesday July 26th 2017

I told y'all I cook. 

So pictured is simply scramble eggs and pancakes.

For my eggs I beat them with milk about a tablespoon for two whole eggs and then salt and pepper to taste cooked over medium heat with butter. I normally use a baking spatula to scramble them while in the pan.

Tuesday July 25th 2017

HEYYY long time no see right! 

Let’s get right into it. I don't live where deep dish pizza is popular at all. In reality it’s probably not even half of Philly that has had deep dish and half of those that have didn't like it. 

I myself love it. Well that’s to be expected cause you know pizza is bae. 

Tuesday July 18th 2017

This was not dinner tonight. This was actually made on Saturday the 15th. This is not even my normal nor my best Mac and cheese, this is we had wayyy too many noodles left from the tuna Mac salad for Sunday so lets do something quick for dinner. 

This less than masterpiece is very simple. Al dente corkscrew pasta, about half a stick of butter, shredded cheese (used Colby jack, Mexican 3 cheese and mozzarella), and a milk and egg wash. 

With the cheese being shredded it doesn’t get the gooey affect that you want from a baked Mac and cheese but it still tastes good. So what you do is simply layer the bottom of the pan with the pasta, cut up some butter and lay the chunks on top (no need to be on all the noodles), sprinkle a generous amount of all three cheeses on top. Repeat those steps until the pan is full then you combine 1-2 egg with a small amount of milk (all dependent on how much you are making, this picture was 1 large egg and 1/3 cup of milk [eyeballed]) then I pour this mixture over the top making sure to pour as evenly as possible over the entire pan. 

I can make bake Mac and cheese two (well 3 including the pictured) ways. They all have different results. 

My families favorite is when I do the same process as mentioned above but with cubed cheese and shredded mozzarella only for the top. For this method I never used less than 4 types of cheeses. The best kinds to use are cheddar fontina and gouda because they melt very well. Cheeses to avoid are really sharp flavor cheese like provolone, Swiss and feta, not only for the overpowering flavor but also cause they do not melt in the time the Mac and cheese will be in the oven. 

My favorite just because of degree of technical difficulty and creaminess is a classic béchamel sauce. A béchamel sauce is made by first making a rue which is equal parts butter and flour that is cooked together until it is a paste like texture sometimes it is also cooked a little longer to create a nutty flavor. After the rue is to your liking you then add in milk (these parts of course depend on the amount you are making) stir the milk and béchamel until it starts to thicken (this process could take a couple minutes). Then you add the shredded cheeses of your choice. Again keep in mind the melting point of the cheese choices and the flavors they will bring to the dish. After the cheese has melted into the sauce fully you can either add al dente pasta to the pan you made the sauce in or you can transfer it to a separate pan and mix in there. With this method there is no need to put it in the oven but if you would like a crunch factor you are more than welcome to add a mixture of butter and breadcrumbs to the top and bake it at 350 for about 10-15 minutes.

Tuesday July 11th 2017 

I didn't go out today but i did cook. I know it’s simple but no one said it had to be a five star meal did they? So I'm sure the big question is how is she going to critique her own food? I'm not I'm going to tell you how i made it. Don't think that just cause I've always been in the front of the house (waitress and the like) that i can't cook. I throw down just as bad as the chef in the restaurants and was asked multiple times to go to the kitchen (BOH) but didn't want to. 

Lets get to it. Pictured is two regular Italian sausages. Mine are sweet cause my palette cannot take the heat of the hot kind but they would cook the same may have a little more tendency to stick though so i would suggested starting with a heated pan to eliminate that factor. 

I started by heating my pan up for not even a minute I only turned the heat on when i was getting the sausages out of the package and into the pan. I then browned the one side which took approximately 2 minutes cause the pan had to come up to temperature. Then I of course flipped them and browned the opposite side. I then browned the curved out side. After all the browning was done I put water in the pan and covered it to finish cooking the inside of the sausage. You don't need to put more than an inch of water in the pan and turn down the flame during this part since all your doing is making sure the inside is cooked through. Doing this step helps reduce the chance of burning the casing of the sausage while waiting for the middle to be cooked through. 

It is extremely important that you cook all pork and poultry products completely to prevent getting sick. This means your protein should have no pink or red hue in it when you are done and ready to eat. If you are not sure if the meat is cooked fully cut it open and check I still cut mine open and have no shame in it. I am not trying to get sick. 

Monday July 10th 2017 

So in my first post I said that I would expand on my experience with the catering company I worked for called Feastivities  Since I did not go out to eat today nor did I cook for myself (yes I ate but just like a child. i.e cereal) I figured today would be as good a day as any. 

I got this job right after high school and thought It was going to be great I was making $10 an hour and got to choose what shifts I wanted. What fresh out of high schooler summer before colleger could complain with a job like that especially since it was her second job for the summer and she wasn’t expecting to be working more than part time at the other job (ACE). Boy was I wrong. The company was not an on site caterer, this means that the company did weddings at multiple locations throughout the Philadelphia and surrounding area. Ok, I'm sure you’re reading that and it still doesn’t sound so bad but it gets worse, trust me. While the sites that they catered on are simply beautiful none of them were set up with even tables or chairs for the wedding all of that was provided and set up by the company and then broken down and taken back off site at the end of the event. Guess who had the lovely job of setting up? Yes, young padawan, the hourly staff. This meant bringing in chairs and tables and decor       -_-. Some of the tables were splintery and the managers on site didn't care that the table was 3x your size and weighed more than you could lift you better get that table in there before they start yelling at you like you're a piece of ishh a dog left on the ground. Another thing was weather. It didn't matter if it was 98 degrees out you were moving them tables from the truck into the venue. 

Let’s go back to the on site managers for a second. Not all of them were bad but a lot of them were. They didn't care if it was your first time at the site even if it was your first day with the company they would give you an order (not ask) and expect you to know where everything was and not ask questions. I don’t work like that, and intern I don’t manage like that either. I ask and I teach. So these things didn't sit well with me. Also, I'm not going to ask someone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself. I had one manager tell me to take a 10 foot rectangular table up a flight of shiny marble steps into the great hall of the site by myself, and when I told him there was no way I was able to lift the table up the steps on my own without dropping the table on the expensive steps or hurting myself he proceeded to get an attitude yell at me another task to do and move the table himself with an attitude. I called the main office about him but I only worked a couple more events after that. Then at the end of the night there was no gratitude. A lot of the events had 10 hour work shifts due to set up and break down with sometimes tight and awkward spaces for the staff to clear and just in general not be seen doing wait staff work. And not one “thank you” or “good work tonight team”. That’s ridiculous! I have no idea where managers stop seeing their employees as people but I swear sometimes they just need to be punched in the face. 

I hate to talk bad the venues this company caters at but some are not thought out to the best of their abilities. But, I have to mention them. All the venues were gorgeous in their own right but even with how pretty they were some had an awkward layout. There was one venue that was in Center City Philadelphia that was so small that the ceremony space that we set had to then be turned over into the dining room all during the one hour cocktail time. The cocktail area was maybe 200 square feet and was only separated by a curtain. Why even have your wedding there it wasn't even a picturesque part of the city it was in the middle of a block on Chestnut Street. Another place was an older I want to say Tudor style home but I'm probably wrong in that area but regardless the house was a bunch of rooms and a long hallway. None of these rooms were big enough to seat all the guests together and definitely not a place that a seated dinner could be coordinated swiftly at. This site leant itself to only be able to have a station set up for dinner and missing a lot of special moments cause everyone couldn't all be together. Needless to say that venue shouldn't have been for weddings. Yes, it was beautiful but geez was it not thought out properly. 

Being a food blog I have to mention the food. It was average wedding catering. The traditional steak, chicken, vegetarian options, appetizers that you see at most wedding. Definitely nothing to run home and plan your wedding around since your single and caught the bouquet. It was average. On top of that if we did get to eat the food we were rushed while doing so and was usually on some stairs or standing up. I get that a lot of companies do this as well and have the same time constraints but dude it just wasn't worth it. 

I ended up no longer receiving emails for shifts after I called and yelled at the head people about screwing up my tax stuff at the end of the year. Not that it mattered I was about to transition into being a college student and no longer wanted to be bothered with that job. I still had the conference place anyway and I enjoyed being there more than anything.

QUICK END NOTE: This company did introduce me to one of the most beautiful spaces in the Philadelphia area called Elkins Estate. It is a huge complex that holds multiple building but the one mansion we used for the event blew my mind away (this is the one with the marble stairs that lead into the great hall mentioned previously). Unfortunately Elkins is now in limbo with talks of being torn down :’(. I dreamed my wedding would be there after working that event but now those dreams are crushed. If you ever get a chance to get into one of the tours for this gorgeous estate GO do not hesitate as no one knows how much longer it will be there. If you find out that I ever won the lottery you can be certain I will be owning that estate

Sunday July 9th 2017

Make bets to get dinner!!! Background i bet my friend that they couldn’t spend $40 or less at Target. If i won they were to take me on a date lol. I won, therefore we went to dinner. I chose Bistro Southeast! It’s a Asian Fusion restaurant on South Street between 18th and 19th street. It’s a small space with maybe 8 tables and a bar counter for guest. Very minimal decoration and the colors and style of the restaurant is inviting and comfortable. The only flaw with it being so small is the fact that there’s no table that isn’t under an AC vent. Freezing by the time we left my ears are still cold 😂. There’s literally 4 staff members 2 are cooks the other two man the tables and the phones cause THEY SERVE TAKE OUT AND DELIVERY!!!! Go download grubhub (no they don’t sponsor me but i want you to get this food). I’ve never been during a busy day so they are always attentive and nice when i’ve been there. I know that looking at the first 2 pictures you might think they are a little on the expensive side for Asian food but this isn’t your corner Chinese store they are so much better. Spend the money tip the waitresses.

For an appetizer (3rd picture) we got the crispy shrimp (price not shown on menu but it’s available online with prices full). DO NOT go charging into these delicious pieces of ecstasy, THEY’RE HOT AF!! 🔥 As you can see they are wrapped in wonton paper which gives the crispy part of this treat a whole life changing meaning on crispy then add a flaky aspect on top…I’m still full but i need some more in my life. Getting past the wrap and to the shrimp itself the seasoning they use on this shrimp is to die for i don’t know if it’s the lemongrass that’s highly popular on this menu or something else but they have a sweet tang to them that’s surprising but mouth wateringly delicious at the same time. Seriously the best shrimp i’ve had my entire shrimp career (just started eating them like 6-7 years ago, i know , i’m late 🤦🏻‍♀️).

For the entrees we both got the rice plate. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS GET THE RICE PLATE. All of the entrees look and sound good but the rice plate is the way to go unless you dislike rice then get the noodle plate lol. The highlight of the dish is the protein. Shown are the BBQ Pork (1st, left) and the Grilled Chicken (2nd, right). I’ve also had the lemongrass pork belly and while the flavor was great it was too fatty for my liking. The best of the 3 is the chicken i cannot begin to describe the array of flavors that hit the tastebuds with this choice but i’m thinking this is the umami taste they’ve added recently. It’s euphoric. It’s one of those types of food that you continue to eat even though you know you’re full. The rice is good as well it’s regular white steamed sticky rice but paired with the chicken it’ll have you believing it has its own little flavor of goodness on its own. I’m skipping the slaw it’s probably great but i’m still picky with that so i scrapped it off the plate after the picture it’s definitely pretty though 😉(we told them not to even give us the slaw but they kind of forgot it happens but we really had no intention of having it to waste).

Honorable Mention: we’ve had their wings before and they are just as delicious as everything else we’ve had but we just didn’t order them tonight. I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu !

Sunday July 9th 2017

so I was at my moms house in Cape May for 2 weeks. so just getting back to Philadelphia I wanted to do hood rat ish with my hood rat friends lol. just kidding. but being that I wasn’t in Philadelphia for so long my friend invited me to go on an adventure. The trip was supposed to be a quick target run and going to the Italian market. for those of you who don’t know what the Italian market is don’t feel bad I am 25 and today was my first day going. basically it’s the street market in South Philadelphia on 9th street with a bunch of stands and shops and a few restaurants. The worst part of this market is the fish stands they smell horrible.

after walking around for 3 hours in an ikea that wasn’t even part of the original game plan (exaggeration for effect lol) and another 45 minutes in target we finally make it to the market. after my friend got everything he needed we were starving cause of course we skipped breakfast who has time when there’s adventure to be had. we see a guy eating pizza. it was set we had to eat pizza. i LOVE pizza i can eat it all the time i even eat the extra cheese pizza lunchables still cause that’s how much i need pizza in my life. so i know a good pizza.

Now down to the good stuff. The slice pictured is a Sicilian slice from Lorenzo’s at the market. supposedly there are other locations but i’m an introvert and if i haven’t been there i don’t know where it is. It was good the crust was crispy even the bottom, the inside was light and not too chewy, there was a great flavor to the crust alone and it had the perfect sauce and cheese ratio. but not a slice to rave about. it was great for the need of filling someone who was starving. Plus the two slices (pepperoni slice not pictured cause 1. it wasn’t mine and 2. it was a sub par look but good taste so i’m told) only cost $5.50.

Guess best place to start is with my background.

My name is Candace, but for blog sake call me RK (Renee Kateri- middle names). I’m 25 and figured the thing I do most is eat and I go to some great places. My main areas will be the Philadelphia, PA and Cape May, NJ areas but I’m definitely going to use this blog for when i travel of course.

I’ve been in the food industry since I was 16. My first job was at a nursing home in the last area a 16 year old wants to work (pretty much the end of the line for the elders), but anyway thats not really where my journey began. I literally moved across the street from the nursing home job to a waitress at a conference center (Chubb conference center formally ACE). This center not only housed meeting rooms but also hotel rooms and we did events on the weekends. The food there was mainly buffet and good food for what it was but i have to say my journey really started when the kitchen was taken over by Wolfgang Puck (five star restaurants). No I didn’t meet him I chose to have the day off when he came to the site. In September 2011 we received THE amazing chef Roshan Martin. With his many years in the company working under the Wolfgang brand and his Indian background he made some delicious food. I mean he really changed my experience with my whole aversion with even trying food. I was the pickiest eater for the longest time, but decided that it was time to try because I could see how the food was made and the way it looked after on top of all the guests raving about how good the food was. Roshan was on property for i believe it was 3 years and then decided to relocate to Georgia. If you ever are in that state please stop by the Aquarium as he is now the head chef of that amazing facility and I’m 150% sure the quality of his food has gotten even better. Love ya Rosh Miss you! <3

During the beginning of ACE i also worked for a horrible catering company called Festivities. I’ll expand on them in another post. The food was good at least, even though we barely got to eat it -_-.

I eventually left ACE and moved onto a cafeteria within the company. The food was a little better than average for a cafeteria and had some struggles due to lack of space. Head Chef James there still kicks out some good product but honestly the power house of the site is the sous chef Charles as biased as I may be because he was one of like my best friends at the property he really did bang out some good food with little help at that. 

For a season I also got to work at one of the best catering companies. Manor House at Prophecy Creek. They are the best employers hands down and the food they make is phenomenal for the space they are working out of. The Fair’s truly have a gem of a company and I cannot wait to get back into their fine establishment. 

That pretty much wraps up my working experience with restaurants for now and maybe I’ll get back into that industry in the future because I do love it but for now Im gonna be the customer. And I’m gonna take you on my journeys with me.

I will not just critique the food at the establishments i go to. I will also rate the experience, wait staff, look, vibe, and general cleanliness of it. Being that I’ve worked behind the scenes I know things get crazy and will definitely take that into consideration. But I’m not gonna lie I can be a snobby bitch with how i feel about places even still there’s only 1 reason a server will not get an 18% tip or better out of me and that is completely avoiding me due to the fact that I’m with a Black gentlemen (yes, I’m still upset about an experience I’ve had, but thats for later).