JohnEstheimer "The Delco REALTOR that Loves to Eat!"

We visited Distrito, a Jose Garces modern mexican tapas restaurant in University City, as our June event for The Greater Philadelphia Ethnic Dining Meetup that my wife an I organize.

The food was really good, and we got a lot more of it than I expected. The entire group had ordered the Diego Rivera prix-fixe Chef’s Tasting and had been told we would receive “about three courses”. However, those three courses turned out to be 10 dishes.

We started off with Chips with Cotija Cheese Guacamole and Salsa Roja. The Guacamole was delicious, but very mild, and I would have liked a bit more spice to it. The Salsa Roja was tasty, but very thin, and reminiscent to something you would find at Baja Fresh.

We also had Chilango Chop Salad with Chipotle Buttermilk Dressing and Spiced Pecans. I would normally have skipped the salad, but since it was part of the tasting, I tried it and was happily surprised. The blend of flavors was very nice.

At this time we were also served Shrimp Ceviche with Spicy Tomato, Avacado, and Plaintain Chips. As I really don’t like seafood, I decided to skip this dish. But everyone else at the table seemed to enjoy it.

The next dish was Hamachi “Estilo Og” (Yellowtail Fish) Tacos. As I mentioned, I don’t really eat seafood, but I decided to try this as some others who have been to the restaurant said it was really one of their specialties. The flavors were really nice together. The fish was very mildly flavored, and fried to a nice crisp. If I enjoyed seafood at all, I believe I would have really liked this dish.

For our next course we had Los Hongos Huaraches. This is Flatbread with Forest Mushrooms, Black Truffles, and Queso Mixto. Everyone seemed to really like, or really dislike this dish. To me, this was the best dish that we sampled. The flatbread was soft and warm and the toppings really worked well together.

Next we had Nachos Ignacio. The opinions on this were mixed. I enjoyed them, and thought there were a few components that really set it apart, but overall they were like any other restaurants nachos. The two ingredients that really made this dish for me were the Jalapeno and Chile Arbol. The jalapenos were not your ordinary pickled, out of the jar variety, and the Chile Arbol was extremely tender and delicious.

Our next course was Amarillo Mole. This was Rabbit stewed in a Yellow Mole Sauce. This was served over rice and with a side of Black Beans & Rice. The rabbit was very tender, and the yellow mole was very different. It was very nice dish.

Next we sampled Carne Asada with Creamy Corn Risotto. The carne asada was rather underwhelming. It was a New York Strip cooked to Medium, that was lacking flavor. It was just a steak. The creamy risotto served with it however was phenomenal. Very rich and creamy with a nice corn flavor.

The final dish was a Coconut Flan for Dessert. I am a huge fan of flan, and was rather dissapointed with this example. It was rather run of the mill, and was an extremely small portion compared to the rest of the meal.

I would go back to Distrito again, but not with a group of Foodies like our group. The food was too plain, and not up to the level of excitement that the ethnic dining meetup has come to expect.

We had a lot of new faces at the event – including a few people that had never done any other Meetup events previously. I can’t wait to see what we do next month!

The May event for the Greater Philadelphia Ethnic Dining Meetup that my wife and I organize was held at Zorba’s Taverna.

As organizers of the group, we always struggle with finding new places to try for ourselves versus sharing the great places we have been to with the other members. For May we decided to let the group know about this fantastic little Greek place that we had found last October.

Zorba’s is located just down the street from Eastern State Penitentiary, on Fairmount Avenue. We were going to Terror Behind the Walls, and had time to kill before our ticket time, so we decided to grab something to eat. We wondered down the street looking for some place that wasn’t over-crowded and found Zorba’s.

The food at Zorba’s was outstanding. We decided to split the Cold Appetizer Platter, which was a fantastic mix of different finger foods. We also ordered the Mixed Grill platter, which was huge and allowed us to sample many different types of meat. They food is really great.

When we were here for the Meetup event, the seated us in a large room that could be used for much larger groups. The first time we were here we didn’t even know that this place existed. The service was fantastic, and our group actually ended up being at the restaurant past closing time without them saying a word.

I would definitely recommend Zorba’s for anything from a small intimate meal, to a large party.

Maybe it’s because I grew up in Eddystone, or perhaps because I worked there for a short time while I was in High School, but Anne’s Market has always been, and always will be my standard of comparison when it comes to hoagies. I know that there is some debate about where the veggies on a hoagie should go, but I for one prefer them under the meat and next to the roll. When they are on top, they fall out all over the place. When they are under the meat, everything stays neat, and this is exactly how Anne’s has always made them. Check them out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I fell in love with Indian Food when my wife (at the time girlfriend) lived with her mother in University City. She took me to Tandoor India, on 40th Street between Chestnut and Walnut, and I absolutely loved it. The food was so full of flavor, and for the first time I actually found food that was spicy enough for me.

When my wife and I moved to Secane, near Springfield in suburban Delaware County, I was heart-broken that I could not find any Indian cuisine close by. Time would pass until my craving for the spicy delicious flavor overwhelmed me and we would make a trip back in to the city.

That all changed a couple years ago when I stumbled upon Shere-e-punjab on State Street in Media. I found it thanks to a recommendation on Chowhound, but had a hard time tracking it down since they did not have a website at the time.

It is located in a strip of storefronts right on State Street in the heart of Media Boro, near the intersection of State and Orange Streets.

The food here is incredible. I prefer going to their buffet, so that I get to try many different things, and I am never disappointed.

The vegetable samosas are huge and fresh, and definitely the best I’ve ever had, anywhere!

Another great feature is that the Naan (the flat bread that is common in Indian dining) is served fresh in baskets at the table. Other buffets keep large quantities on the warming table, and it can dry out as it sits there.

The Greater Philadelphia Ethnic Dining Meetup that my wife and I organize is having our July 2009 event at this restaurant. We’ll be meeting with a group of 10 on a Saturday for lunch.