Beau Monde - Gettin' Snooty with it!

Just when you thought the only places I reviewed were greasy spoon type dives that offered cheap booze and cheaper food, I bring you a review of a fancyshmancy french rest-aurant! Okay, I admit it: It's not really fancy, but it is french!

Beau Monde, roughly translated to "Beautiful People" thanks to Babelfish is a hipster creperie (that's creperie, not crapery) just off of South Street at 6th & Bainbridge that I've wanted to try for ages. Often passed over in favor of the old reliable South Street Souvlaki I finally bitched, and whined, and stomped my little feeties until my eating companions caved.

We sat out on the patio to enjoy the be-a-u-tiful weather that day. We also got to see a car get towed for illegally parking, something that brings a tear to my eye. The patio is small, so make sure you choose eating companions who:
a) You really like.
b) Bathe regularly.

Fortune smile upon me as I sat down to a late lunch with Sir Forksalot, CreampuffGrrl and Spoons Macgee.

The waiter was pleasant and promptly brought us a round of water. I believe that they must have some sort of filtration system in place since their water was tasteless and most Philadelphia water needs to be chewed. Chewless water is obviously a bonus. Under the recommendation from the lovely lass at Passional, CreampuffGrrl and I ordered the Ace's Hard Cider. Yum-Yum-Yummity-Yum! I've never tried this stuff before but I was very impressed. I will be serving it the next time my family invades my house for Thanksgiving! According to Sir Forksalot they also had nice clean bathrooms.

CreampuffGrrl ordered an appetizer of a crepe-pizza. There was a fancy name for it, but alas, I didn't write it down. I am really falling down on the job.



The buckwheat crepe came topped with a tomato sauce with slices of red onion mixed in it. The red onion really brought out the sweetness of the tomato. The cheese was very mild, but yummy all the same and not over powering. I did feel that the spinach could have been sauteed a bit more as it was slightly soggy. CreampuffGrrl said that she felt like a bit of a heel for saying it, but the crepe wasn't quite tough enough to hold up to the toppings. Perhaps a slightly thicker crepe would make it easier to eat. Yes, we both realize that thicker crepe would indeed be a pancake.


Sir Forksalot ordered a cup of French Onion Soup. Crappy picture to follow.

This is what I get for forgetting my digital and having to use a disposable instead. Sigh.


He deemed the soup very good. This was a departure form the French Onion Soup I am used to, as anytime I have encountered it is has been in a beef based broth and BeauMonde was using a poultry stock. While not disagreeable, it wasn't what I was expecting and I was a bit disappointed. Further disappointing me was the lack of Gruyère cheese which I believe truly tops off French Onion Soup with the right amount of robust flavor to offset the sweetness of the onion. Rather, they used emmenthal cheese instead which has a much more mild flavor. This could be because they were afraid of over powering the flavor of the much milder poultry based soup. I think they'd do better to relabel this "White French Onion Soup", as those of us expecting a robust flavor punch were sadly disappointed.



Spoons Macgee skipped the appetizers and went straight for the meat, just as soon as he got done throwing his Red Stripe on me. He had a Ham & Cheese. No, really.



It was according to him both "Cheesey" and "Hammy". Not over sized, he easily finished the entire thing by himself save for a bite given to CreampuffGrrl. Though a source of bitterness, she did not receive a bite that had adequate Ham&Cheese to her liking. She did say it lacked the smokey flavor she expects in ham.

Sir Forksalot ordered the Beef Bourguignon.
That's fancy french talk for "Beef Stew with Booze".



This was probably my favorite of the crepes I personally tested. Sir Forksalot has an annoying habit of ordering things that I like better than what I ordered myself. He felt it was under stuffed. Sir Forksalot, CreampuffGrrl, and I all agreed it needed SALT. The flavor was very good, but lacked the "umph" to put it over the edge of full out toe-curling delicious goodness. The smell and flavor of wine was strong and brought together the rich flavors of beef, carrots, mushrooms and leeks in harmony. It just needed a little more seasoning to be perfecto.


Onward to the "Special".

You can even see my notebook and hard cider in the background! Yay!

CreampuffGrrl and I both ordered the special. A buckwheat crepe stuffed with tomatoes, ricotta, spinach, and prosciutto. CreampuffGrrl was not amused with the abundance of fat and grizzle left on the prosciutto. I have to say I wasn't too amused either, but found it less offensive then she. I understand that prosciutto is a fatty meat, but it should be trimmed down. The spinach again should have been sauteed longer to prevent it from becoming soggy. The flavors were subtle but good, and I did enjoy my leftovers for the next morning's breakfast. CreampuffGrrl and I were also quite astonished at the $17.50 price tag when our bill came. Ours contained no meat or exotic ingredients yet cost almost 50% more than Sir Forksalot's Beef Bourguignon! Bad show, Beaumonde, very bad show.


Sadly, we had to skip out on dessert. We have all decided that next time we'll skip eating our meal there and instead just head over for dessert.

Blue Moon Diner - Gem of Gardner

On a recent trip that took me to New-Fucking-Hampshire I had the occasion to get up at 6am one morning, still very hungover, and leave my hotel room in search of something to eat. For reasons I won't bore you with, I happened to be staying the the small hamlet of Gardner, MA. Gardner is best known as the home of the world's largest chair (Or at least it was around the turn of the century). I drove aimlessly around Gardner in hopes of finding something more promising than the Dash-In/Dunkin'Donuts. I found my way to The Blue Moon Diner. As soon as I turned onto Main Street and saw the pre-fab building of the with it's yellow and blue colors, I knew I was home.

I settled up to a seat at the grill, and was promptly handed a menu by the woman working the counter, who just as quickly filled my request for coffee. First good sign of the day was the coffee which wasn't too hot, too weak, or too strong. Perfect cup of diner coffee. The fact that she promptly recognized my need for extra extra cream, also won me over that much more.

I feel madly in love with the "Ten Commandments" listed on the menu that included "Thou Shalt not covet fast food convenience". I wish I could remember all of them, but I was hunger over and without a note pad. The breakfast selections are named for 50's icons. This is a tribute to the establishment itself, which has been around in varying forms since the 1950's. Charm out the wazoo, it's walls are decorated with editorials, reviews, and old advertisements for The Blue Moon. I selected the "Big Bopper" breakfast with a side order of a pancake. The "Big Bopper" consisted of two eggs, toast, home fries, and corned beef hash. This is where I began to get really giddy: the girl working the grill asked me if I wanted the homemade style corned beef. Turns out they make they actually make their own corned beef hash on site. This was the second sign of a damned fine eatery.

While I waited for my meal, I sat front in center at the grill watching the potatoes cooking on the back of the stove and listening to the chatter between the waitresses and the regulars who trickled in. I learned a long time ago that if you want to find a good place to eat, ask the old locals. That is, ask anyone over the age of 60. Reason being they've been around long enough to know what's good and they know what's hearty rather than hip.

My meal arrived and my eyes grew wide with excitement. The pancake was huge, moist, cakey, and settled in my stomach with a nicely unlike some diner pancakes that hit you like a lead brick. The potatoes were crispy and well seasoned. I believe I detected a hint of onion in them. The corned beef hash...I'm drooling on my keyboard thinking of it. The corned beef is cooked with long thin slices of onion in it, and cooked in a fashion that leaves it soft on the inside with a crispy shell. It was well seasoned with that familar spiciness that good corned beef is known for. I especially enjoyed the fennel seed which really brought out the flavors.




My bill including coffee, extra pancake, and tip came to under $13. This place was truly a delight, and I'll be sure to visit them should I ever land anywhere near Gardner again.

Pink Rose Pastry - Almost Quaint

I'm going to have two blogs featuring places I ate at on a recent South Street trip. Yes, I do eat on South Street fairly often. Shopping at Passional makes me hungry, and they always require you to eat before making a visit at Infinite or Body Graphics. Since these are the top three reasons I go to South Street, it leads to a lot of noshing in Philly.

Today I'm going to feature The Pink Rose Cafe. Sir Forksalot, CreampuffGrrl, and SpoonsMacgee went there one evening after a day of shopping. I've been there twice in the past. Once I was ignored by the two people working behind the counter for so long I skipped out and went across the street to Famous 4th Street Deli for cookies instead. The second time, I had a very nice time and the service was friendly. However on the third time out of the gate, I think I have to give up. Our waitress acted very put out by our presence. My original selection wasn't available, so I asked for a few minutes longer to decide. I went to the counter to tell her my order (as she was the only one there and currently getting our drinks) and she ignored me, walking by me twice.

The decor is done in a shabby-chic french countryside look, heavy on the pink. This look would be better accomplished if you couldn't see into the very industrial, cramped, dark, almost dirty looking kitchen area. This would be a fine time to invest in better lighting or block off that area from view. They also have a large snapple refridgerator that throws off the look as well, not to mention causing the place to lose several notches in my book for serving snapple tea rather than the real deal.

Their bathroom is a tiny closet tucked away in the corner. The sink leaks, and the this literal water closet (it's as small as one) reeks of my Grandmother's house - like stale cigarettes. Using the bathroom is a challenge for anyone who weighs more than 150lbs, as you will have to twist yourself inside out to get into the facilities.

If you take the time to walk through the bakery and read all of the plaques on the wall, you'll realize the bakery has actually won many awards for it's baked goods. Look a little closer, and you'll notice the dates which tell you this place used to be a really awesome place to eat....In the late 90's.

Here's the lowdown:

-Iced coffee is so bitter you'll wonder what tar pit it was scraped out of. I like strong coffee, but this stuff could have powered my SUV for at least five miles.

SpoonsMacGee had an Ultimate Brownie:


Price: $4

He deemed it "delectable". Obviously too large for a person to eat in one sitting, unless said person had recently had a bad breakup or was suffering from an especially heinous case of PMS, this brownie is meant to be shared. He said it felt like once it hit his stomach, it expanded like a ballon being inflated. Despite this statement, we have no reason to believe he is a drug mule, simple that this is one heavy piece of chocolate goodness.


Next up, Sir Forksalot's Millinais:


Price: $2

What the hell is a Millinais? It's a french hazelnut flavored sponge cake. That's how the menu described it, although Sir Forksalot said it ate more like a pound cake. Very dense, crispy on the outside and moist in the center, covered with powdered sugar. This was the smallest of the desserts we ordered, and could be easily enjoyed in a single sitting. I had a bite, and although I wasn't blown away it was an enjoyable bit of sweetness that would go well with a good cup of coffee and morning paper. Obviously, not coffee that you got at the Pink Rose.


CreampuffGrrl ordered the Raspberry and Creme Napoleon.


Price: Err... I forgot.

According to her, it was dynamite. Right mixture of Raspberry Preserves and Creme, it had a light taste and a touch of tart from the raspberries. However, due to the toughness of the pasty, you needed a steak knife to eat it. Her attempts at using a fork and butter knife left her looking like she'd been involved in a cocaine bust. I did get to enjoy a bite of hers, and I will say I was envious of her pastry choice.

And finally, my Signature Eclair


Price: $7

The picture doesn't quite capture how incredibly massive this thing is. It's literally the size of a softball, and then some. I only ate a quarter of it, and forced CreampuffGrrl to take a quarter of it home with her. The cream is isn't overpoweringly sweet and the chocolate is semi-sweet, however I wish they'd top it with more strawberries to give it a better balance of sweetness. My main axe to grind was the puff pastry. Any part not covered in chocolate was stale as a crouton. Not enjoyable at all. It seems that although enjoyed by my companions, the Pink Rose Cafe and I are doomed to dislike each other. Especially after I read that the Signature Eclair is mentioned in the book "Good In Bed" that I particularly hated.


Though my dining companions might not agree, my final vote is to skip this wanna-be tearoom and head across the street to Famous 4th Street Deli where they give you a smile with your cookies.