HIGH DIVE

 

If there is one thing I still enjoy it's going to a club and dancing...but if one would have told me that I'd ever enjoy just bars or lounges, I'd thought you were nuts. But over the last 10 years I've enjoyed a good drinking bar, to hang and have a laid-back night with friends. The last three weeks found me with the Clan and other friends at what just might be a new haunt, the High Drive. It is kind of like a dive bar, but goes high on style and great libations. The place is the baby of the owners of another favorite place, The Millworks and Tom McGrath, who is a mixologist extraordinaire bartender. The place is housed in what was the Third Street Cafe, which had a bad reputation, shootings, and a seedy atmosphere and then remained vacant since 2021. The property goes back as early as the early 1900's which started out as a bar, then housed the Keystone Trust Company Bank, which later moved across the street. Later it housed a pharmacy and two other bars. The place has a rustic, chic, yet sexy vibe. The owners and contractor kept many of its original historic charms, yet brought back inspiration for the two-story bar, from a trip they took to Havana.

I loved that they keep many parts of the integrity of the historic vibe, as one can see layers of the years. Loved this wall of old match books for the previous places and others in the area.

 DON'T get me started on the drinks and food enjoyed there already. Quite a creative sharable menu. Why do you think I keep going back! MM#1 Fan on his visit had a drink where there was a flaming cinnamon stick in it!!! And it tasted incredible! Some of our delish, mind-altering drinks and dishes.

On our first visit I went to order the Scorpion Bowl. The waiter told me that it serves 3-4 people. To which the Capital Street Duo relied; "Have you seen this bitch drink?"

Hmmmm. I don't know...but this place feels comfortable enough for a neighborhood, daily pop-in. Next thing you know, I'll be like Norm and have my own barstool like I have in Ptown. I may or may not be already smitten with one of the bartenders, so there's that.

FOOD PORN

 The dinner was a complete success and if I may toot my own horn, almost everything tasted just like many of the family recipes. The house smelled wonderful, and it was a three-hour affair. Everyone was stuffed. How full? When the visiting Lad and I turned in, we bypassed sex!!! But the bird!!!

Before

After

It also came up about a funny story about our late dog Lilith who was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She was a great lover of turkey, so I do reckon Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday, and turkey being her favorite treat. But overall, she was what I called a kitchen dog. ALWAYS in the kitchen when cooking was being done.  We recalled one year, years back, where her patience and persistence were on display for almost the full four hours the turkey roasted...and would not let the oven out of her sight, till the bird emerged at long last.

What a riot she was, and she always got some. Good times!

 In other news, my cousin Frankie proposed to his girlfriend over the pumpkin pie last night during dessert. So there was that excitement!

PEARL AND MARY

 
The last time this summer I found myself in Philly with friends I couldn't resist trying Pearl and Mary's. 1, it used to be my favorite Italian place to eat, 13, and 2- we have a friend named Mary Pearl, and she is practically on par with a drag queen especially with her sets of eyelashes. The place adds to the list of excellent dinning places offered by Michael Schulson, who opened Pearl and Mary, a casual seafood and oyster house. The name pays tribute to his mother and grandmother I was told. While I'm not a huge fan as in NOT a oyster eater, please, my libido is already through the roof, I do enjoy seafood to a point, mostly shellfish and a few fishes. One can expect the freshest catches, small and large plates where seafood is the star, tasty and well-made cock-a-tails at a very fun bar and a polished and cheerful staff who really do seem genuine. I think it's going to be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I have yet to not see a nice crowd there. Loved the vibes of the place, a very neighborhood feel to the crowd, and the color palette of fresh whites, dimensional greens and deep browns make for a great and classic coastal vibe, all while being in the city. I couldn't complain over my dinner or my cocktails. While the boys were shucking and slurping their oysters, I was thinking about shucking our waiter!

My DELISH deviled eggs, since I don't do oysters.

Nice touch I think.

Pearl and Mary.

MORNING RITURAL

Yes, morning! This shot was taken before sunrise before the thermal baths one morning. The above shot is the Gerbeaud Cafe. Warbucks is a early riser. Come to think of it, he's also a night owl. I bet he get four hours a sleep at night. So come morning he loves his coffee among other things!!! Most days he had already two coffees before I even cracked my eyelids. I had no idea that Budapest has quickly become the global burgeoning hot spot for great coffee and coffee shops. When Warbucks moved there, specialty and third wave coffee shops exploded he said in popularity but didn't displace the Hungarian capitals historic old coffee houses and grand cafes and dessert houses. Some of these places...I'd never seen anything like them...gold accented mirrors, crystal chandeliers, marble topped tables and curved wooden chairs...all offered a flavor of the old-world charm. Once a hub for Hungarian writers, artist and revolutionaries, these cafes have an impressive history to themselves. And I'll be honest, cards on the table....I had some of the best tasting coffee I've ever had outside of Costa Rica, who still has the best coffee.

Gerbeaud Cafe, by far had the most decadent desserts!!! This place got its start in 1858.

My cherry Bon-Bon infused with cognac. To . Die. For

Meanwhile at the New York Cafe...a Renaissance style coffee house is located in the New York Palace Hotel, built in 1894.The place eventually closed in the 1940's but was acquired by an Italian company, renovated the place and returned it to its former glory.

On this day it was afternoon tea followed by desserts. Warbucks thought he would be funny and have Happy Birthday written on my plate. But this plate got brought to our table by accident. It actually says Happy Anniversary. But then the joke ended up on us both as it occurred to us that we met at the Raven Resort, almost 8 years to the date that morning. How weird is that?

The Parisi Passage Cafe was established in the early 1900's of the Parisi Udvar Hotel. Durning the day it has the feeling of a teeming cafe and excellent breakfast place and come evening it offers a special but laid-back vibe with excellent dining, all characterized with soaring domed ceilings and luxurious design.

Isn't this a lovely breakfast? We stopped in for coffee in the afternoon but ended up ordering several desserts. Who the hell needs to fit in square cuts this summer? You'll notice I also have two waters. Sweets make me more thirsty.

Truth be told, some days we didn't go out in the morning. Several days we had no plans at all. I fell in love with Warbuck's flat. He is very much a minimalist...but his style against the aged building...I loved the contrast. And his rent made me sick. It would go for well over $2,000 a month here! He even had pockets doors to the bedroom.

See...he does have a coffee maker! Even though he had coffee brough in.

And yes...I think my ass is even bigger. I am also sure the airplane flew considerably lower the flight back. Though the guy at the security checkpoint seemed to be a bit fascinated with my cakes.

MARKET DAYS

 

You know I love me a good market!

Just about a ten-minute walk from Warbucks flat and not far from the Danube River is Budapest's Great Market Hall...housed in a stunning three-story neo-Gothic building that date back to the late 18th century...and in size rivals Philadelphia's own Reading Terminal Market.  The ground floor features food stalls of all sort...selling everything from the freshest of produce of all kinds, cured meats, most of the butchers, cheeses, candies and pastries, caviar and Fois gras, mushroom and truffles, spices, pastas and oils...even wines. You'll catch whiffs of sauerkraut and vinegars as you descend into the basement where the fishmongers and seafood is sold, as well as pickled vegetables. There is also a selection of game down there and stalls selling kitchen utensils. The big staircases in the center of the market take you to level three, where you'll find huge selections of sausages and langos. At the borozos, marketers down shots of Unicum...and NOT from me... accompanied by shoddy wine. There are also many stalls selling handy craft, folk art, knicks-knacks and handmade linens.

I loved the place. We had a few days with no plans, and I accompanied Warbucks, like they were just a usual day. I tasted my first few spicy Hungarian Goulash's and chicken paprikas here. The nice thing is, the locals Warbucks was telling me, do their entire grocery haul here, several times a week or even daily...as the "grocery store" is not a huge thing there, like in the US. There are certain things at the Great Hall to be tried, and to get the feeling of living there, this shouldn't be missed. I was very thrilled by the experience and delighted by the smells, selection, and the fun of watching everyone shop and look over their selection while wheeling and dealing.

Our goulash for lunch one day with some cold brew

As you can see, Warbucks enjoyed not only Unicum, not pictured btw, 

while I was there, but also a good 8".