CHOW NOW: Pumpkin Pancakes at Sabrina's

Located just on the outskirt of campus, Sabrina’s Café is fairly well known among Penn students for good reason. However, if you haven’t frequented Sabrina’s this winter, hurry now to try their pumpkin pancakes before this extra sweet brunch special goes out of season!

For my friends and me, pumpkin flavored anything is guaranteed to please. But Sabrina’s didn’t stop there. Rather, the pancakes were topped with Nutella, fluffy ricotta, white and milk chocolate chips, toasted walnuts, fresh berries, and a generous “sprinkle” (more like blanket) of powdered sugar and cinnamon. If the description doesn’t say it on its own, this was quite the extravagant and delicious indulgence – well worth the Saturday morning trek against forceful winds in freezing temperatures. The pancakes soft and the chocolate chips melted, this dish brought back nostalgia for the comforts of winter break in the best way possible. If you are an avid pumpkin lover like us, you have to CHOW NOW on these pancakes!

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Chow Now: Pear & Bleu Flatbread from Harvest Seasonal Grill

If you haven’t yet checked it out, Harvest Seasonal Grill (40th & Walnut St) is one of the newest additions to the restaurant repertoire that Philadelphia boasts. From the décor and ambience, you will notice upon first glance that this farm-to-table restaurant provides organic and sustainable choices for its customers, so the dishes are wholesome and hearty (it also helps that 90% of the menu is under 500 calories!). Our table immediately fell in love with the Pear & Bleu Flatbread, a dish recommended to us by our server. This dish, featuring seasonal pears, Milwood Springs bleu cheese, baby arugula, and fig glaze, is the ultimate starter for an amazing meal to come. The mix of flatbread toppings is a perfectly fresh blend of sweet and pungent flavors, and the thinness of the toasted flatbread keeps the meal light and easy on the stomach. Chow NOW because Harvest’s menu seasonally changes, and where else will you find a fruity-and-cheesy-less-than-500-calorie flatbread?

--Roopa Shankar

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Chow Now: Szechuan Shoestring Fries from Continental

It has been a while since I’ve explored the restaurant scene in Philadelphia, but a group of friends and I found the perfect place this past weekend. Located at 1801 Chestnut Street, the Steven Starr restaurant “Continental” is an absolute gem for international dishes with a quirky flair. Our table ordered the Szechuan Shoestring Fries for our appetizer, which was listed under the “Classics” section of the menu. For just $8, you have to CHOW NOW on this incredible creation! The plate of shredded fries resembles a pile of hay, but it is the most delicious pile of hay you will ever find. The Continental twist for this dish, of course, is the hints of Asian flavoring with a classic American staple; the thin, crispy fries come with a special serving of “Chinese mustard sauce” which adds a tangy spice to the flavor of the fries. The thinness of the fries keeps the dish interesting as the fries melt in your mouth and give you the illusion that you haven’t actually eaten as many fries as you think you have, and the sauce (which is reminiscent of a light wasabi flavor) is the unique finishing touch. CHOW first on this appetizer and then proceed with delight to your main course options!

--Roopa Shankar

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Chow Now: Egg and Beef Bi-bim-bob

When you're craving a light dinner or perhaps a light lunch, and are at a loss for what to eat, this is the dish for you. The Egg and Beef Bi-bim-bob (quite the mouthful, I know) at Tampopo is a light meal with clean flavors that won't leave you feeling like you need to take a nap once you've finished it. So what exactly is a bi-bim-bob? In this case, it's white jasmine rice, topped with cooked shredded carrots, zucchini, spinach, bean sprouts, grilled beef and a sunny side-up egg. Served with a special spicy sauce, the bi-bim-bob is a must-try when you visit the hidden treasure that is Tampopo. The dish can be served vegetarian style or with chicken, and the egg is optional. It's tasty, the perfect portion size, and each component is well seasoned and really adds something to each bite. I like it best when you mix it all together and get a combination of everything with each mouthful. Visit Tampopo (44th between Spruce and Locust) and CHOW NOW!

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Chow Now: Edamame Dumplings at Sampan

In recent years, edamame has spiked in popularity. Whether it's being eaten as a popular afternoon snack simply boiled with a little sea salt or being shredded into tacos for a clean appetizer, edamame is taking the food scene by storm. I had the chance to dine at Sampan and when I saw edamame dumplings on the menu, I knew I couldn't pass them up. Three edamame dumplings were served in a golden sake broth with pea shoots and truffles. They were heaven; light in taste, velvety in texture. A chewy outside dough gave way to a mint colored inside that totally melted in your mouth. While you can order them as an appetizer for dinner at a price of $7, if you go to Sampan's happy hour, every day from 4pm-7pm, you can score them for $4. Basically, you have no excuse not to try these little edamame pillows of delight: you must go to Sampan to CHOW NOW!

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Chow Now: Egg White, Spinach, and Cheese Sandwich from Lyn's.

Now I know I am preaching to the choir when I say that lately, it has been impossible for me to get out of bed. The only thing dragging me out from the comfort of my room is my countdown until midterms are over and Spring Break '12 begins! That being said, I've recently been needing a little something extra to get my mornings started and have been able to get my fix right on campus. There is just something magical about a great egg sandwich, and Lyn's offers just that. While the cart does provide one with countless egg/meat/vegetable combinations, I've found one that just really does it for me: picing hot fried egg whites, tossed with some steamed spinach, topped with oozing gooey provolone cheese, and tucked between two toasted pieces of wheat bread sprinkled with some sriracha, salt, pepper, and ketchup. Okay so it's kind of a complicated order, but Lyn's got it down and it is oh-so-good. It's salty and melty and amazingly delicious and it also happens to be the best deal on campus at only $2.75. So hit up Lyn's right outside the lower quad gate, (the line moves fast), and start your morning off right and CHOW this NOW!

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Chow Now: Corned Beef Sandwich at Famous 4th Street Delicatessen

Everybody has those days when they are in the mood for a big, hearty, Jewish-deli style meal. Well, I was having one of those days, and I knew just where to get my fix: the Famous 4th Street Delicatessen.

It’s something about one of these meals that just makes you feel like your at home. Maybe it’s the monstrous size, or perhaps the flavors that remind me of comfortable couches and fleecy blankets, but this is the type of food that everyone needs when they’re a little drained and are in dire need of a rejuvenating pick me up. Nothing screams classic Jewish deli fare like fluffy rye bread piled high with warm slices of corned beef and some brown grainy mustard.  The corned beef is salty, savory, thick, and OH-SO juicy. The rye bread acts as the perfect pillow, gently sandwiching the massive mounds of corned beef. Also, you get a latke on the side, so what's not to love?And while it’s nearly impossible to take a bite of the entire sandwich at once, it is definitely worth trying, so, go on and CHOW this NOW!

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Chow Now: Crème Brûlée French Toast at Green Eggs Café

We are excited to introduce a new weekly series to the Penn Appetit blog: Chow Now! Every Monday, we'll spotlight the latest must-eat food that you HAVE to try.

My latest obsession is anything that has to do with French toast. Because I am also a dessert monger, when a dessert-French toast combination is on the menu, it is on my plate. When I was at the Green Eggs Café for a casual Saturday brunch and was handed the menu, my jaw dropped and my head started spinning when I saw Crème Brûlée French Toast. Could it be? A combination of my favorite dessert in the world and my newest obsession? I quickly made my order and was hyperventilating by the time the waitress placed it in front of me. I had to sit on my hands to stop myself from attacking it before she set it down. It was stunning. Fluffy pieces of brioche toast were smothered in a crème brûlée thick sauce, topped with beautiful strawberries and dolloped with fresh whipped cream. It was totally, and utterly sinfully delicious and for that reason must be chowed NOW.

-Amanda Shulman

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