Philadelphia Restaurant: High Street On Market

We had the opportunity to dine at High Street on Market this past Saturday night - and although pressed for time (we had tickets to the Arden for an 8pm show),  it was a really enjoyable meal.

The newly renovated Fork Etc, has been turned into a chic, casually dressed candle lit space with a creative menu.

We started out ordering Kale Chips and Potato Rolls with fresh butter- and after tasting- we realized we were in for a treat. Next, we shared Crispy Broccoli, Rabbit and Chestnuts, and Aged Beets - all outstanding. Our entrees included Buckwheat Orecchiette, Agnolotti, and Seaweed Bucatini,  all delicious - perfectly sized portions.

Our server was casual and efficient- and we were right on time for the eight o'clock curtain!

Buckwheat Orecchiette with crawfish and okra. 

Agnolotti with eggplant, spices, and caramelized goat yogurt.

Arden Theatre Company Presents Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov

There's quite an amount of emotional heft in Chekov's play, Three Sisters, and it resounds when performed onstage. It is a timeless drama of love, loss, family and social class and standing. The cast at Arden took a new twist to these Chekovian–made that up I think–themes and the play was more engaging as a result.

The opening act takes place in an acting studio, with who's to become the eldest sister introduced to us as an acting teacher offering instruction on Chekov's play to a room of students (studying various other parts). The artifice of the school setting gradually falls away, as each student comes to completely embody their character (the set follows).

The three acts bring to a boil the escalating pressures that each of the three sisters face in their young lives, and gives way to the key elements that grip the play; that a life worth living is a life with the freedom to choose how to live. But they lived in the shadow of their town, encumbered by their past. Moscow was their far off hope for a better life.

The actors portrayed their parts with a deep and sometimes funny yearning for significance, validity – "real" and complete lives.

An added bonus, the actors are often caught in conversation with strumming Russian folk songs, occasionally breaking out in to full song. Far from a musical, the songs just help lighten scenes, and give the play some excellent builds and transitions.

Spring metaphors

This is when I know it's officially spring…. when asparagus appears in lovely green bunches at the market. Also, the multi-colored carrots have been showing up occasionally and are such a treat. The pale yellow version is light and crunchy compared to the traditional carrot.

This asparagus was simply prepared by washing, trimming, tossing in olive oil, salt, pepper, and sautéing. 

Roasted multi-colored carrots seasoned with olive oil and cumin. Carrot is a member of the parsley family so cumin, coriander, parsley all compliment the taste perfectly. 

This was a pleasant surprise while walking around the yard this morning.

This small cluster of crocus really perks up the landscape.

Snowdrops among the winter brush. 

Salad Inspiration

After watching Melissa Clark's NYTimes video A Big Salad That Stands In for Dinner, www.nytimes.com I was inspired to do the same but using a few different ingredients. Rather than persimmons which haven't been in our local markets for a couple of weeks, I decided to use strawberries and clementines; the tartness of the clementines with the sweetness of the strawberries was a perfect balance along with baby spinach leaves, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, and large croutons all tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. Spinach salad with fruits and meats is one of the most delectable treats during late winter when a lighter meal seems so refreshing after heavier winter fare.

The Philadelphia Flower Show: ARTiculture

This year the Philadelphia flower Show's theme connects art and horticulture, with an entrance exhibit interpreting Alexander Calder's renowned art mobile. Each mobile is made from fresh and dried flowers and sits inside a gigantic picture frame. Other museums around the US partnered with designers to create visual displays of art inspired floral designs.The Flower Show is always a sure sign that spring is right around the corner.

Alexander Calder reimagined as living art - front view

Rear view, shows the large scale of the exhibit

The Guggenheim Museum in NYC partnered with Schaffer Designs in Philadelphia to create this Wassily Kandinsky exhibit. These were among my favorites.

Another Kandinsky from the side

…and through the "frame" mounted about 10 feet in front.

Pure Designs from Philadelphia partnered with the Noguchi Museum for this award winning dining setting.

Love this display of old gears and levers once used to open vents in a glass greenhouse.

"Treasures From Korea" exhibit also featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Student's art work from Philadelphia Moore College of Art

There was an interesting exhibit of shadow box art that integrated flora & fauna, some very simple like above       ….and others more extravagant like below!

This was an exquisite 1,000 square foot landscape that won a prize, this is just one part of the layout.

The Reading List

It's been a while since my last post; I've been working on various projects that have taken up much of my time, but it's good to be reading and writing again. 

The books below are my new finds from the library, and currently I'm reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Of course my absolute favorite BBC comedy is Doc Martin and I've been catching up with the new season six which is brilliant. I've also been looking forward to reading The Collected Stories by Grace Paley which includes three short stories published from 1959-1985. Wordbirds seems like a good book to bring on the train, and Leah Hagar's book I Don't Know has been getting good reviews.