1112 Dining Guide - University of Toronto Dynamic Graphics Project

The daily Pennsylvanian
Page 10 Wednesday, november 12, 2008 D ining guiDe
By HALEY PHILLIPS
The Daily Pennsylvanian
When you make your sojourn
off campus and head
down South Street, look out
for Chickpeas, a viable alternative
to the oft-crowded
Hummus.
I was a bit nervous as I made
my way into the restaurant because
I had just gotten a cold,
and I feared the Middle Eastern
fare would be too harsh and
spicy for my throat.
Luckily, Chickpeas’ delicious
onion soup, which was complemented
by pita, soothed my
throat.
Chickpeas offers support for
those unacquainted with Middle
Eastern fare. If kufta kebab
and sabbich pita sound foreign,
Step 1: See DP.
Pick Up
Your Copy of
The Daily Pennsylvanian
Today!
Disclaimer: Results not guaranteed. For
guaranteed hotness, refer to 34th Street.
Taking South Street to the Middle East
you can consult the large, colorful
illustrations of the menu
decorating the wall.
The artwork fits in with
the Middle Eastern theme. A
large orange pepper reigns
supreme on the walls, as does
an illustration of Turkish coffee.
As I ate my dinner, I could
hear owner Yoni Shabtai speaking
in Hebrew both in the store
to customers and over the
phone. There was a crowd of
Hebrew speakers in the store,
and I felt like I was in the middle
of Jerusalem.
Shabtai, born in Israel, hopes
to expand Chickpeas into a
chain, planning to spread to
Temple, Drexel, Penn and beyond.
for Dummies
Step 2: Read DP.
Step 3: Reap the benefits
of being hotinformed
koShEr
The staff is extremely outgoing.
They took my order right
away and recommended the
best dishes, adding to the warm
atmosphere.
The pita, which comes in
whole wheat and white bread
freshly baked in the store, is
tasty and fluffy. I was disappointed
that my meal only came
with one pita.
My chicken kebab platter,
replete with kebab, Israeli
salad, cabbage salad, hummus
and french fries, as well
as the pita, was well worth the
price.
The hummus was a highlight.
It was garnished with Middle
Eastern spices and sated my
dinner date, who is a vegetarian.
By CYNDI CHUNG
The Daily Pennsylvanian
Located in the outskirts of Philadelphia,
Tierra Colombiana is
an unassuming restaurant on the
outside.
Even inside, the decor walks
the fine line between authentic
and tacky. Wines are kept in a
WaWa-like cooler. Electric candles
are mounted on the walls.
The cheap tabletops double as
billboards — Mojito Thursdays!
Reggaeton Fridays! — advertising
the nightclub upstairs. It has
the feel of a Latino Philly Diner.
But a drunken midnight
breakfast at Philly Diner cannot
compare to the food at Tierra
Colombiana. Its mojitos ($7) are
perfectly sweet and minty, with
the tropical mojito in particular
balancing banana, mango and
pineapple flavors.
Fruit shakes ($4) are offered
in flavors from mango to soursop.
The restaurant also makes
its own sangria, which, after the
mojitos, we merely watched after
remembering that we still had to
drive home.
The rest of the voluminous
menu is divided into Colombian
and Cuban food. Appetizers include
mejillones en vino blanco
(steamed mussels with chorizo,
onions and corn in a white wine
My other friends ordered
shawarma and kufta kebab
platters, which were perfectly
spiced.
The servings were large
and included a diverse sampling
of Middle Eastern delicacies.
The salad bar also
offers a wide variety of vegetables.
The tables outside, adorned
with mosaics, are perfect for
a stop on a sunny downtown
shopping excursion.
Chickpeas is easily reachable
via SEPTA, cab or on foot
if you’re in the mood for some
exercise. It is surrounded by
an interesting array of eclectic
shops, including a car stereo
shop across the street.
While perhaps not suitable
SoUth AmEricAn
and garlic sauce, $8.50), maduro
frito con queso (fried sweet plantains,
$3.50) and empanada de
camaron (shrimp-filled turnover,
$2.50).
The simply prepared mussels
smell incredible and are wellbalanced
by a thick garlic sauce
and spicy chorizo. The plantains
are buttery in texture and sweet
enough to make you want more.
The flaky empanada, though not
greasy, is nothing remarkable.
One of the most popular entrees
is the churrasco Argentino
(broiled Argentinean style outside
skirt steak, $16.50). It arrives sizzling
hot, accompanied by a sweet
and sour chimichurri sauce. This
combination of spices and tenderness
managed to convert even
me into a steak lover.
The paella valenciana (rice
with chicken, sausage, shrimp,
lobster, clams, scallops, mussels
and squid, $35 for two) is filled
with huge portions of seafood, but
the rice itself has little taste. It
comes with a side dish of tostones
(crispy plantains), which are
bland without the garlic-Ranchlike
dipping sauce.
Also on the menu is pargo rojo
frito al horno ($19.95), which is a
fresh, whole red snapper that is
seasoned simply and effectively
with lemon.
CHICKPEAS
Middle Eastern
630 South St.
215-922-0300
Delicious pitas and hummus are
highlights among a wide variety
of choices
for a first date, due to the fluorescent
lighting and metal
tables, Chickpeas is a prime
lunchtime destination for a day
when your course load is light
or a Sunday afternoon.
The feel of a diner with Latin spice
TIERRA COLOMBIANA
South American
4535 N. 5th St.
267-297-1151
$$$$
All the flair of a Latin-style diner
with incredible flavors
For dessert, the flan de leche
($2.25) is meant for one person
or, in our case, two extremely full
people. Normally I find this rich
dish to be too sweet, but Tierra
Colombiana has the sugar content
just right.
They also have after-dinner
coffee. The mixtoccino ($6.50) is
a particularly successful combination
of creamy cappuccino
with Malibu rum and Paul Masson
caramel liquor.
Though we found ourselves
groaning from the volume of
food, we were both completely
satisfied. Tierra Colombiana
may be off the beaten path, but
with its reasonable prices and
extensive menu — and cute
waiters — it is well worth the
trip.