Restaurant Review
07 May 2007

Bonté – Philadelphia

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April 29, 2007
Cuisine: Belgian, Desserts & Bakeries, Coffeehouses

922 Walnut St, Philadelphia 19107
Btwn S 9th St & S 10th St

Phone: 215-238-7407
Website: www.bontewaffles.com

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Belgian Sugar Waffles – made fresh, served hot, just like on the streets of Belgium ($2.75)

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Bonté currently boasts three locations in Center City on 17th, 13th, and 9th all along Walnut Street. Perhaps the city should consider changing the street’s name to Waffles Street? Now, that would be rad. Since I live on Waffles Street, I walk by Bonté often and would have tried it sooner if their most convenient location on 13th wasn’t always closed when the mood struck.

On our way to the Italian Market one Sunday afternoon, The Astronomer and I took a snack break at the Bonté on 9th. For our inaugural tasting, we chose the plain waffle. White chocolate, dark chocolate, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, and pecans are available mix-in options for an additional sum.

Approximately five minutes after placing our order, a piping hot waffle was brought to our table. It smelled delicious, but the charred spots were somewhat off-putting. One bite and it was obvious that the “authentic” Belgian waffles made at Bonté have little in common with the Belgian waffles we’re accustomed to.

First off, Bonté’s waffles are made from a dough rather than a batter. I peaked behind the counter and saw the waffle artist pressing pre-made dough onto the hot iron, which explains its density and irregular shape. Whereas regular waffles are consumed with maple syrup, Bonté’s have sugar crystals within the dough providing plenty of sweetness and a great crunch. In terms of texture, Bonté’s waffles are stiffer and denser than their fluffy, batter-made counterparts. The interior of Bonté’s waffles is wonderfully flaky.

The waffles cooked up at Bonté are special and delectable. With three ridiculously convenient shops, I’m going to start making Bonté a habit because their waffles sure are tasty.

Bonte Wafflerie on Urbanspoon

Recipe
06 May 2007

Lemon Tea Bread

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  • 2 large lemons
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour two 9- x 5- x 3-inch metal loaf pans, knocking out any excess flour.

Finely grate enough zest from lemons to measure 2‚ teaspoons and squeeze enough juice to measure about 1/2 cup. Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, 2 cups sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until batter is combined well. Beat in poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and divide batter between loaf pans, smoothing tops. Bake loaves in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour.

While loaves are baking, in a small bowl stir together remaining lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Cool loaves in pans on a rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert loaves onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and pierce tops all over with a thin skewer. Repeatedly brush lemon glaze over tops of loaves until all of glaze is absorbed.

Cool loaves completely. Tea bread keeps, wrapped in wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days or, wrapped in foil and frozen, 1 month.

Makes 2 loaves or 5 mini-loaves. When we tested the smaller loaves (which innkeeper Debby Hayden prefers), we used disposable 6- x 3- x 2-inch loaf pans—sometimes called baby loaf pans—and baked the bread for about 45 minutes instead of 1 hour.

Gourmet, May 1999

[For Printable Recipe Click Here]

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Substitutions: I halved the entire recipe to yield one loaf and skipped the poppy seeds and glaze completely. I used 100% whole wheat flour, plain yogurt in place of butter and milk, a heaping teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 C of lemon juice in the batter, and half the sugar called for. These changes were suggested by individuals who tried the recipe on Epicurious. The bread had fabulous texture and was very lemony!

Restaurant Review
04 May 2007

Pat's King of Steaks vs. Geno's Steaks

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28 Comments

Cuisine: Cheesesteaks
April 29, 2007

Pat’s: 1237 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Geno’s: 1219 S 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Phone: 215-468-1546 (Pat’s), 215-389-0659 (Geno’s)
Websites: www.patskingofsteaks.com, www.genosteaks.com

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Cheesesteak with Onions and Provolone ($7)

Cheesesteak with Onions and Cheez Whiz ($7)

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While there are definitely superior cheesesteaks to be eaten in Philadelphia (Try Donny’s at The Grill at Swarthmore College), it’s Pat and Geno who get the most press and accolades due to their hilarious rivalry and close proximity. From the outside, Geno runs a cleaner and more modern shop that somewhat resembles Times Square. Pat on the other hand, has a no-frills white storefront with faded red tables for customers to dine at. Geno is a bit more notorious than Pat because sometime last year he publicly demanded that all customers order in English because we live in America! I don’t know where Pat officially stands on the issue, but it’s most likely the opposite of Geno.

Yo quiero un cheesesteak con Cheez Whiz y cebollas, por favor.

My brother and I conducted a ‘steak by ‘steak comparison three years ago during Family Weekend and concluded that Pat made a better product, but that was ages ago. For kicks and giggles last weekend, the Astronomer and I set out to determine once and for all who makes a better cheesesteak–Pat or Geno.

Before I delve into the sandwiches, it must be noted that the customer service at both establishments is horrible. The men who work behind the counter are fat, mean, and intimidating. Small talk is non-existent; Pat, Geno, and their minions want you to pay and scram. The grill at Pat’s is also really disgusting (see evidence below).

The Astronomer and I headed to Pat’s first because he isn’t a known racist. The cheesesteak was made in 2.5 seconds, which was way too fast for the provolone to properly melt. Clearly made with indifference, our sandwich was handed to us unwrapped on some butcher paper. Every table at Pat’s was occupied so we sat on a ledge across the street. My first thought as I bit into the sandwich was, “eh.” My second and third thoughts were, “the onions are still a little raw” and “there isn’t much steak here.” On a positive note, the bread was good. Surprisingly, the meat was dry considering the copious amounts of grease on the grill. I can’t believe my brother and I gave Pat’s a thumbs up.

Soon after we finished the first, we crossed the street and placed our order at Geno’s substituting provolone with Cheez Whiz. Although it would have been best to compare apples to apples, I didn’t want to risk another cheesesteak without melted cheese. The folks at Geno’s were slacking because it took 10 whole seconds to produce our sandwich. Unlike Pat’s, our cheesesteak was handed to us wrapped-up in butcher paper. Once again, we headed to the ledge to chow. The major difference between the cheesesteaks is the meat. Pat chops his meat into bits, while Geno slices his thinly. My first thought as I bit into Geno’s sandwich was, “ooh, I really like Cheez Whiz.” My second and third thoughts were, “the onions are perfectly cooked” and “the bread is just like Pat’s.”

On this warm spring day, The Astronomer and I guiltily declared Geno the winner. As good liberals we should have let Pat win, but our tastebuds decided otherwise.

Geno's Steaks on Urbanspoon Geno’s Steaks

Pat's King of Steaks on Urbanspoon Pat’s King of Steaks