Philly Food Part I

With my new job I got the chance to travel to Philadelphia for a convention and leadership meeting. I was very excited to visit the East coast for the first time. For months all I could think of was trying a real Philly Cheesesteak. I did my research and planned on exploring the Reading Terminal Market for every meal. Conveniently the Reading Market is located right underneath the convention center and one block away from my hotel!
The night of my arrival began with the cheesesteak I'd been dreaming about for so long. Philadelphia tradition prepares the cheesesteak with CheezWhiz, I opted for the provolone. It was good and I should have tried another one from another vendor or restaurant but I found so many other wonderful things I didn't feel the need to return to the famous sandwich.
My first big breakfast on my own was one to remember. I ventured into the Reading Terminal Market and chose a seat at the busy counter of The Dutch Eating Place. I had heard good things and a busy place is always a good sign. Each of the small counters in the market have a few seats for counter service. You take a seat where you see an open chair and the person behind the counter will get you your food. If you don't have the time to sit or there are no free seats you can order take away food at the register. I was lucky as one person, one seat was easy to find.
I ordered the raisin french toast with one fried egg on the side and a small organge juice. Sure, that sounds like standard breakfast fare but what I received was heavenly. Everything in the french toast was incredibly fresh! The butter was like nothing I'd ever tasted before. The butter actually had TASTE! ( it was home-churned) The orange juice was thick and fresh squeezed. The maple syrup wasn't Aunt Jemima, it was real Vermont maple syrup. And the atmosphere was fun sharing the counter with other tourists and locals.
For lunch the same day I returned to the Reading Terminal Market and settled on the Tommy Dinic's counter. I ordered the Italian pork sandwich and boy was it filling and fantastic! Unlike The Dutch Eating Place Dinic's didn't have a menu other than the sign that hung above the counter. There were only about five options so ordering was simple. The woman behind the counter was very nice and happily bagged the other half of my sandwich for me. If you go to the market keep in mind most places are cash only so be prepared and stop by an ATM.