Congratulations Vernice!!

Who the hell is Vernice, you might be asking and what does she have to do with eating in the hood?? Well, everything! Vernice is one of my near and dear roomates, she came to stay only for a few months in the process of completing her degree at drexel last spring. It is now almost a year later and she hasn'tmanaged to leave Hicks St. (Caution: this street has a magnetic draw! I have threaten to venture out at least 3 time in the last few months and I just can't seem to go!!). Vernice and I worked together a few years ago, she entered my life via the fitness center at the EPA here in Philly, she has stuck ever since. Her determination and her willingness to go where no Vernice would go have been a constant source of inspiration and pride (proud to know such an amazing individual and lucky that she shares her life with me).

So I walk in my house and Vernice has had a noticeably stressful day, her and I have not connected in months so I offer up that we go down the street to Hicks and Mifflin to the South Philadelphia Taproom (a location I have not purposely left out of my recent adventures, rather I already know and appreciate its value so I have left it to the side in an effort to branch out of my culinary comfort). She invites me into her room and in a gesture of thanks for some letter I wrote on her behalf long ago, shares with me this divinely over-sized degree, her glorious name emblazoned in the middle. Vernice is a proud and OFFICIAL graduate of Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science!!

To fully congratulate her we catch up, leaving nothing out, over kick ass wings (delightfully fried minus the obnoxious hot sauce they are drenched in at other locations), the accompanying collard greens are sweet and savory, the hint of brown sugar and the rustic bacon shine through without taking away from the tenderness of the collards, the only drawback is the portion could be 3 times the size! For my entree I feast on my standard flat bread and hummus with olives and various pickled things (also something I could devour by the plateful, the variety of pickled things that they serve here astonishes me...tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, mushrooms...you can't go wrong with a pickle in my book! ;-). Vernice noshes on a well cooked burger and fries! The service is always friendly and familiar.

My wish? that the patrons of SPTR branch out in their culinary feasting' and try out Hardena at the other end of the block, or experiment with me and the fish eyes at Pendawa...any takers?

Oh, I would be incomplete in acknowledging that I did feast all day in Newbold...my breakfast/lunch consisted of un baguette from Ultimo, slathered in Chevre (OMG goat cheese, love it, who doesn't love cheese...allergic or not!) and fig spread...oh Europe how I long for you and your appreciation of fresh baked bread, slathery cheese and sweet jam!

Nighty, nighty my growing community!