We enjoy Philadelphia here at the SFB, and at a recent fact finding mission over there we were expertly guided to Vietnam Cafe by one of the locals.
There are many things to like about Vietnam. Their grilled meatballs, for example, are super flavorful. So are the “Vietnamese coffee” and “Vietnamese lemonade.” But, really, if you’re going to enjoy the restaurant properly, you can might as well just go for the “BBQ Platter,” which at $25 includes pretty much every dish ever cooked in the country of Vietnam. I kid you not! The thing is huge, and yes, includes the meatballs.
And in what can only be considered somewhat of a cruel joke, the menu states it can serve “up to 2 persons.” Seriously? The platter in question is about the size of the table.
Regardless, it is delicious. And so are the desserts—some sort of beans and dairy concoction—with recipes so secret they won’t let you remove them from the premise in takeaway boxes. Hardcore, although good as they were, really have nothing on the meatballs which they should probably be more protective of.
A rather amusing aside was one of the waiters; a jovial man who had lived for about a month in Spokane in the early 2000s. He didn’t, shall we say, love it, and insisted—and I seriously mean insisted—there would be feet of snow waiting for us when we returned. This was in mid-October. Thankfully he was wrong.
Vietnam Cafe is definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the Philadelphia area. Make sure you get the meatballs, though, as they are amazing.
Web: http://www.eatatvietnam.com/vietnam_cafe.cfm
Address: 814 S 47th Street
Tomorrow is the premiere of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but, as far as SFB is concerned, everything is not sunny in Philadelphia, what with the library closings and all! And therefore we have decided to organize yet another meeting of the Spokane Beer Party, where we will celebrate the finest television show set in Philly, while protesting the upcoming Philly library closures.
As we are all about a big community outcry, we now encourage you to set up your own “It’s NOT Always Sunny in Philadelphia: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Viewing Party, and Library Closure Protest!” (INASiP:IASiPVP,aLCP for short.) This is a simple protest that can be done by following these six steps:
- Invite a group of friends for a It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia viewing, tomorrow, Thursday, 10pm at FX. (Remember to leave some time for the actual protest.)
- Print some of our Sunny protest fliers. (Or, for more fun, make your own!)
- Drink some beer! (Or anything else.)
- Take some pictures of yourself protesting the library closures!
- Watch some Sunny.
- Send us pictures of the protest, and we’ll send them on to our Philly library contacts.
And there you go—that’s all it takes to be part of the Spokane Beer Party!
Word has reached us (through phone calls, Twitter, Facebook, and numerous other places) that the librarians got a nice morale boost from our previous gathering, and that the message climbed up the chain of command.
Do you really want to sit idly by and see one of the largest and most historically significant cities in the US close its library system? Of course you don’t—the negative effect of something like this will likely be felt far and wide. All the way (2,542 miles) to Spokane.
Join the Spokane Beer Party and fight the good fight: Save the Free Library of Philadelphia!
What?! All libraries in Philadelphia are set to close on October 2nd. This isn’t hyperbole or empty threats, but cold fact. While we can’t do much here in Spokane (although there are some more info here), we can show support to our well-read Philly brethren.
How?! By joining the Spokane Beer Party! Join us tonight to drink some brews in support of the Philly libraries.
Where? When?! Tonight! At around 7:30pm at Far West! We’ll drink a few beers, and take some pictures that we’ll send over as a morale booster for the Philly librarians, showing our brotherly love.
A bit more information about the closings:
It seems slightly odd and a bit embarrassing that the sixth most populous city in the US, and definitely one of the most historically significant ones, to be closing its entire library system. The very first public library in this country opened in Philadelphia, and the historical significance here shouldn’t be lost on anyone even if they haven’t entered a library in their life.
A bit more:
We have been asked to begin to make preparations. Virtually all employees "“ 575 full-time, 70 part-time, and 91 seasonals will be laid off.As reported before, this would lead to the closure of the Library system, the Recreation Department, Fairmount Park, and the Commerce Department; and include layoffs at police and fire, limited trash pick-up, and numerous other cuts in services.
Oh oh! Seems like there was quite the massacre last night…
Out!
- Becky! Oh Becky, we hardly knew ye. Maybe it was the lack of caffeine, maybe it was the squirrel, or maybe it was just that she was pulled down by… Well, who are the two others she is talking about?
- Spokane Food Blog! For heaven’s sake, we’re a food blog, we can’t put limits on ourselves! And while we don’t know if Jordy is still in or out, we do know that media celebrities Not Unknown at All Neva and yours truly came crashing out of the competition after inhumane Ben and Jerry tempting from a Philadelphia librarian. That’s right. We were sabotaged! And you know what? Shakes, in addition to a beer and fries from Twigs were pretty heavenly.
Still in! (Aka, The Suckers)
- Mark G! Is the kung-fu master of the competition losing his edge? With an uninspired post which wasn’t witty at all, we can’t help but wonder… Maybe Mark G isn’t the player we had expected him to be?
- Mark S! Mark S, meanwhile, is playing it cool. With his eyes on the prize (although there isn’t one), and a cool, calm exterior, Mark S might easily cruise through the contest. As for a reply to “Remi, I am amazed that you are playing nice still.”: Things are about to change.
- Andrew! Having wisely gotten to-the-door assistance from Fresh Abundance, Andrew is trying to win the game by not leaving the house. Very wise; the temptations are certainly out there. Will the winner of last 7vs7 take home another gold medal? We shall see.
Who the heck knows…
- Jordy! Are you still alive? How about your cat? SFB is counting on you.
- Paul! We have a nagging feeling Paul is out, largely because he has gone undercover to hide his shame.
When in New York, see the Statue of Liberty. When in Philly, go eat at Kingdom of Vegetarians.
I am, as my many followers and fans know, an unapologetic omnivore, and I have no dilemmas about that. So while certain contributors to this website had praised Kingdom of Vegetarians into the sky, I didn’t expect their dim sum to be that outstanding. Good, sure, but come on… Kingdom of Vegetarians? Where’s the pork?
Well, tie me down and call me Betty, but just this one time I was wrong! Kingdom of Vegetarians isn’t just good, it’s great. Fantastic even. Had I not known better I would have thought there was meat in there. The dumplings? Out of this world.
To illustrate how much I liked the place, let’s just put it this way: The next day I insisted on going back to the Kingdom for lunch. And it was, again, fantastic. The best General Tso’s Chicken I’ve ever had, and it didn’t even have chicken in it. How’s that for irony?
Going back to Philly? Actually, yes, I think so.
Location: 129 N 11th St Philadelphia, PA 19107
I saved trying bacon for a friend of mine in Philly. She loves bacon and also knows it is one of two meats (salmon being the other) that I remember eating in my youth.
We went to the Down Home Diner at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia to eat bacon. I think the meat came from Lancaster and was raised by the Amish community. I will admit the bacon tasted great, though it seemed completely unhealthy. If you were to choose eating a piece of chocolate fudge or a slice of bacon, both items probably would probably have the same affect on your body. Although the bacon was good I am not planning on adding it to my diet. I have enough “bad” foods that I love and do not feel I need one more to add to the mix.
The Reading Terminal Market is an indoor market that is open year round. It would be a great concept to bring to Spokane especially given our weather patterns. Take a look at the website for a list of fantastic vendors and restaurants. If you find yourself in Philly be sure to stop by.
A place more fantastic than this indoor market lurks just two blocks away in Chinatown. Go to Kingdom of Vegetarians. It is an all kosher vegan restaurant featuring all you can eat dim sum for $12.00.