Sugar and Spice

At the beginning of Girl About Philly, we started a little competition called the Cupcake Showdown. It was our excuse to sample some of Philadelphia's best sweet treats. While the showdown experienced a slow down, my personal affinity for the art of the cupcake only increased with time. And before I get to my latest ranking, I will briefly mention that I am yet to meet the match of my two all-time favorites - the chocolate peanut-butter from Naked Chocolate, and the banana with cream cheese icing from Billy's in New York (technically out of our competition's geographic boundaries).

But finally this weekend I got a taste of what Brown Betty is cookin'...and it was good. Brown Betty Dessert Boutique is one of those feel-good places with a story that you could definitely see becoming a movie. The tiny corner shop has feminine touches and a cool sense of girl-power and comradary that is palpable. You can imagine the staff singing out loud while they mix flour and eggs and breaking into powdered sugar pillow fights at the drop of a hat. The kind of place that you wished you had thought of (and had the guts and baking talent to pull off). It just looks like fun...and smells like heaven.

Then of course, there were the cupcakes. I tried the chocolate red velvet cake with cream cheese icing -- which definitely gives Billy's RVC a run for its money (and is a lot closer to my apartment). My sis had the strawberry sour cream which was subtly sweet and a creative combination. Both were fresh, moist and delicious. Brown Betty, you've officially got a new BFF.

And the scoring:

Appearance- 8; Cakiness- 9; Icing- 9; Sweetness- 8; Freshness- 10; Overall flavor combination yumminess- 9

Total: 53

Brown Betty Dessert Boutique
1030 N. 2nd St.
215.629.0999
www.brownbettydesserts.com

Get Crafty for Christmas

I just found out something that has made my day. Nay. Made my whole Holiday season.

I am going to be here for the craft/art sale at the Standard Tap this year.

I am leaving on a trip to Paris this Saturday and will be gone until the week before Christmas when shopping opportunities are going to be slim. Why not buy all my presents in Paris, you ask? Because I’m not made of money, that’s why. I’m praying there will be fun little places to buy unusual and unexpected goodies for my loved ones, but I’m not willing to bank on it. This is why I am giddy in the knowledge that I will be able to squeeze in a trip up to the Standard Tap on Saturday before I jet off.

Last year I went up there, my first time wandering up to NoLibs without the intent to booze, the week before Christmas in the hopes that the arty types of Philadelphia would be there to help me get unusual gifts. And sure enough, I got something for everyone there. I finished up with a few other things down the road at P.A.D, but got all shopping done in two hours flat.

I like buying gifts from local people because not only to you give something beautiful and didn’t come from a catalog, but you can actually give their business card too and tell people a little bit about the artist.

I will warn you that you must pay cash, so come with your wallet fat. Mind you, nothing there is going to break the bank so don’t fret too much. I am also glad that things are inexpensive enough that should I find something else on my travels, I won’t have gone over budget.

So head up to the Standard Tap on Saturday from 11am – 3pm and should you sneak in a beer while your there it’ll only help you feel more jolly for the holidays.

Standard Tap, 901 N 2nd Street, (215) 238-0630, www.standardtap.com/
Standard Craft Sale, December 9th, 11 am to 3 pm

King Ferdinand, es muy muy bien

Last night I made the commitment to go out in Northern Liberties. I say commitment because as much as everyone loves the starving artist "6th borough" feel of this perpetually up-and-coming neighborhood, no one can deny its isolation from the rest of Center City. If you find yourself unhappy with the venues NoLibs has to offer, there's most definitely a cab fare in your future to at least make it back to Old City. So as far as I am concerned, whatever happens in NoLibs, I stay in NoLibs. For the evening, that is. Sorry cabbies, but I am lazy and cheap.

So this evening we checked out Bar Ferdinand, the latest addition to the Liberties Walk community. Having spent much time in the glorious country of Espana, tapas are always on my menu. I can still remember late night bocadillos after a night out at the clubs in Malaga. And Bar Ferdinand brought me back to these noches calientes where the vino was tinto, the queso was manchego, and the Erino was drunko.

Bar Ferdinand, like many of Philly's Spanish restuarants (think Mixto and Amada) is a really attractive space. The design is flawless, and I loved the tribute to the black bull, one of Spain's most familiar emblems. The food was spot on, from the gambas al ajillo to the pinchos andaluz, it all felt the same as it did in the neighborhood bars in Jerez de la Frontera. The tempranillo wine was a perfect accent to all of the dishes we sampled (and we did dabble in quite a few). The only downside was that most of our dishes arrived almost immediately upon placing our order - definitely out of line with the far more relaxed, take-your-time attitude of an authentic Andalusian outpost.

Bar Ferdinand presents an inexpensive opportunity to experiment with the foods of Espana. Once you've savoured all the tapas you can stomach, head over to Standard Tap or Liberties for a few well-poured pints. And then hail your cab, one stop, straight home.

Bar Ferdinand, 1030 N. 2nd St. 215.923.1313

www.barferdinand.com