4/14/2010

Yesterday, work brought us into Philly.  We decided to treat ourselves and have lunch at the White Dog Cafe.   The White Dog was one of the first Philly restaurants to buy as much as possible of their foods from local farmers.  I started with the "Crisp Narragansett Bay Calamari" with Kalamata olives, oven dried tomato, hot cherry peppers, artichoke hearts and lemon-caper aioli.  Yeah, I know, it is not the most dietetic first course on the menu.  Remember my goal is to find a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.  Once in awhile I have to be able to drift a little off center.  The Calamari, olives, artichokes and peppers were cooked perfectly.  Two minor complaints. First was the omission of the oven dried tomato, not a big deal at all.  The next thing is one of those little things that can just drive you nuts.  They buy their cherry peppers with the stems on.  We once owned a restaurant, and I know why they buy these, they are cheaper.  When you get one of these in your mouth it's like biting down on a knotted shoelace.  Now imagine frying that shoelace.  Normally this was a problem for me when ordering a hoagie or cheese steak, not at a "high" end cafe.

For my entrée, I went with the "Blackened Bistro Steak Salad" with baby iceburg (sic) lettuce, organic toy box tomatoes and Birchrunhill farms blue cheese dressing.  Steak, medium rare.  It arrived on a nice big rectangular plate and served "de-constructed".  If you are not a dyed in the wool foodie, and are not familiar with that term, allow me to 'esplain.  Instead of putting all of the ingredients in a bowl or on a plate and then pouring dressing over it, you instead pour a little dressing on the large plate and then place each ingredient separately on the plate.  What's the difference?  'bout $10.00.  I'm only half kidding.

The salad was great.  Lisa had the "Free Range Amish Chicken Cobb Salad" with Satur farms organic bibb lettuce, Nodine bacon, Cluster (not to be confused with toy box) ten minute egg, Danish blue cheese, avocado and sherry vinaigrette.  Holy shit!  When the fuck did chickens take up religion?  Amish free range chickens! (however, I am glad that they let them outside)  First of all how do we know that they are not Mennonite?  Does this mean I should look out for Hasidic Jewish chickens for chicken liver pate... or Rastafarian chickens for Jamaican jerk chicken... Southern Baptist chickens for Southern fried chicken?

It is hard enough to search out good, natural, healthy foods but now I have to check if my chickens are circumsized, stoned or hiding beer?  This healthy eating thing is harder than I first thought!

I guess I'll have to cut nuts totally out of my diet, as the must surely be Muslim extremists.  I'm not even going to touch "extra Virgin olive oil"!

Before I digress into fart jokes, I'll sign off for the night.

One last thing,  remember what Confucius said: Man who fart in church, must sit in own pew.

Thanks for reading,
Bald Bill