We spent a good amount of November in Pennsylvania. One weekend was spent in the Philadelphia area for visits with family and friends, as well as a cousin's fencing tournament. Another long weekend was spent all over southern and southwestern Pennsylvania from Gettysburg to Pittsburgh and everywhere in between. On both trips we ate EXTREMELY well. We had Italian and Moroccan in Philly (and a cheesesteak of which there is no photo). And we had Civil War cuisine and home-cooked Persian food in Gettysburg and Pittsburgh. Let's just say that this was not very good moderation to prepare for the Thanksgiving calorie intake...but it was worth it.
Friday night dinner on Weekend One was spent at Modo Mio in Philly with my beautiful cousin. If you live in or plan to visit Philly, this hole-in-the-wall BYO Italian restaurant is a dining requirement. It serves legitimate Italian cuisine and offers a very affordable four-course prix fixe menu. If these samples don't get your mouth watering, you are inhuman...
Italian bread with olive oil, ricotta cheese, and spices. And good red wine!
Antipasti: Bruschetta with snails; Sformato (crab and ricotta cake); Lingue (braised calf's tongue)
Pasta: Raviolo (mozzarella stuffed with apricots and sage); Gnocchi with porcini and Gorgonzola cream; Agnolotti (veal and rabbit ravioli with sage butter)
Secondi: Melanzana Ripiena (tomato braised stuffed eggplant with mint and ricotta); Anatro (prosciutto wrapped duck breast with figs); Vitello (braised veal cheek with fruit chutney)
Delicious Desserts that I can't remember...
We graced the college fencing tournament at Temple University on Saturday of Weekend One...
And then we enjoyed Moroccan food (with an Italian twist) at the delicious BYO Novita Bistro (you can thank the Quakers and their limited liquor licenses for all of the fantastic Philly BYO restaurants): Delicious bread with olives and oil; Calamari and Merguez (Moroccan lamb sausage); Lamb Tagine; and Roast Duck Breast with Lentils
Our Sunday was spent at the Valley Forge National Historical Park and watching football while eating cheesesteaks.
Weekend Two was full of stamps for my National Parks passport. Gettysburg National Military Park, David Wills House, and Eisenhower National Historic Site were visited on Veterans Day.
We also dueled at lunch at McClellan's Tavern with the hubby's Confederate Burger and my Union Beef.
11/12 at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Downtown Johnstown, Flight 93 National Memorial, Fallingwater, and Ohiopyle State Park. PS - I can't legally post photos of Fallingwater. Email me if you want to see them!
11/13 in downtown Pittsburgh and Point State Park, as well as Oakland for the Learning Chapel (University of Pittsburgh) and the Carnegie Museums.
11/14 at Friendship Hill National Historic Site and Fort Necessity National Battlefield.
Let's just say we had a great time in Pennsylvania - with both food and travel. Hold tight for Tropical Thanksgiving details and recipes...
