Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Restaurant Week in Center City..and the 'burbs!


Ladies and gentleman of Philly- the time has come- Restaurant Week is BACK!!

Center City District Restaurant Week is sponsored by TD Bank and is January 22-27 & January 29-February 3, 2012, where you can get a three-course lunch for $20. Or a three-course dinner, $35, and over 100 Restaurants are particpating!

Mexican, Asian, Fusion, Continental, European, Greek, French, Indian, Middle Eastern- Philly food has it all and now is the time to try it if the thought of a certain cuisine intrigued you!

Since I write the Slice of Suburbia column for Philly2Philly.com, I’ve found some excellent deals out in the burbs. Restaurant Week is back at The Melting Pot - King of Prussia. January 22nd through January 27th and January 29th through February 3rd, enjoy a fabulous four-course dinner for $35 per person, which is what I set out to do.



To kick off Restaurant Week out in the ‘burbs, my best pal and I headed to the Melting Pot in King of Prussia, who have extended Restaurant Week to include KoP. And be sure to check out the Center City Melting Pot location for their amazing specials.

We began with a rich Boston Lager cheese fondue- smoky bacon, kicky Dijon mustard, and heaps of silky cheddar cheese. In which we dipped bread, carrots, granny smith apples and cauliflower. Yeah. I swooned.



The KoP Melting Pot had a few specialty drinks on tap for the week- the Classic Appletini and a Cruzan Mai Tai, along with a New Age white blend (white wine) sweet and rich, and a red, McWilliam’s Cabernet Sauvignon, hinting at juicy black currant and velvety vanilla oak finish.

For the second course, an innovative and delicious salad came our way- the Wisconsin wedge salad with blue cheese, sliced tomatoes, ranch dressing, chives and bacon- this was absolutely incredible!



Next came our main and third course. We chose one of three options. The King of Prussia, The Warrington, or The Center City. We choose the King of Prussia with cold-water lobster tail, pacific white shrimp, herb-crusted breast of chicken, and teriyaki sirloin, along with heaps of mushrooms, potatoes, broccoli and a couple asparagus spears. The cooking style was Coq au Vin, with tasty mushrooms, scallions, velvety burgundy and rich garlic. In which we plunged in all aforementioned protein!  And then the sauces- holy cow do these additions really make the meal.  Green Goddess (sour cream and chives), a plum sauce, teriyaki, spicy cocktail sauce, Gorgonzola sauce, and a curry sauce all taste fantastic with the meal and the vegetables.

At this point, we were getting way full- but isn’t that the point of Restaurant Week?!

Dessert Time. Our incredibly cool server, Abby, brought out two fondues of dessert, including a tasting of the Bananas Foster- a rich, creamy, butterscotchy treat with fresh bananas and cinnamon.





We also had a PB & J version with crunchy peanut butter and pureed berries in silky milk chocolate, and the flaming turtle- rich caramel and candied pecans in rich dark chocolate.  And to dip into these delights: Oreo covered marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, brownies, Rice Krispie Treats and red velvet cake. It was sumptuous!



Yes, Restaurant Week is a feast for the senses- go taste and enjoy!!


For reservations and a more complete listing- go to http://centercityphila.org/life/RestaurantWeek.php

The King of Prussia Melting Pot is also doing some amazing specials for Valentine’s Day- so call now! A hint- chocolate and romance are on the menu!
(610) 265-7195

Pictures by Rachel Richards.

Special Thanks to Tyler Rachal and Tony Marrone of the King of Prussia Melting Pot!!



Christine Tarlecki is a freelance writer for Philly2Philly.com, and can be reached at engchik@me.com, and on FaceBook and Twitter under engchik.

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