Philly: Corner Bakery and Markets

I got over 10 hours of sleep but still slept in quite a bit on Saturday.  So did my parents and Kyle.  Eventually we made our way to center city for brunch.

 

You can’t go wrong with the Corner Bakery Cafe.

 

We got a bunch of things  – some to share, some to hoard.

 

Look at the spread.

 

Kyle and my dad both got the same thing – the Farmer’s Scrambler – with eggs scrambled with red and green bell peppers, red onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and cheddar cheese.  Normally it’s served with either oven-roasted breakfast potatoes and harvest toast, but they were out of potatoes.  This broke Kyle’s heart, but he made to with just the toast.

 

He reluctantly swapped fresh fruit for the taters.

 

A few of us shared the Crunchy Honey Banana Oatmeal which had homemade steel-cut oats topped with crunchy granola, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, fresh sliced bananas, and a drizzle of honey.

It came with a homemade raisin pecan sweet crisp (but since we were sharing several orders they gave us more than one).

 

It looked like a thinly sliced piece of cinnamon raisin bread with extra sugar that had been doubly toasted.  I’m not a huge fan of biscotti, or pecans, so I left it to the others.  My mom is a biscotti fiend so it was right up her alley.

We shared a new menu item, the Baked French Toast & Eggs.  Usually it comes with bacon, but neither of us eats bacon, so we swapped it for more eggs. 

  

They bake their cinnamon-swirled brioche bread in a rich vanilla custard and it’s pretty easy on the taste buds.  I used the syrup too of course. 

Mmmm…

After lunch we began wandering.  First we hit up the Farmer’s Market in Rittenhouse.  The two stands that stood out to me were the hummus and the gluten free breads.  I’d be a regular for that reason alone.

A few bullet points:

• Farm to City operates the markets.  Just google “buy fresh, buy local” and you’ll see how far and wide this movement is reaching.
• It is open from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturdays (starting May 1st).
• The breads are from Amaranth Gluten Free Bakery (in Lancaster).
• The hummus is by FreshaPeel Hummus (in Lancaster).

Next stop on the tour de food, Reading Terminal Market.

 

I adore this place.  It brought back so many memories.

Basic 4 vegetarian snack bar 

Join the vegelution.

 

Termini Bros. 

Chocolate by Mueller

They have truffle flavors beyond your wildest imagination, and gag gifts aplenty. 

 

I’m not sure who enjoyed the puns more, my dad or Kyle.  Ok, ok, I liked them too.

 

The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company.

 

Freshly dipped in chocolate.  Drool.

  

My parents got a warm chocolate chip cookie to split, while Kyle just licked the window (seriously).

Flying Monkey Bakery.

Oh buddy are these treats sinful.  I think I saw a few pounds of butter and peanut butter in each ball…not to mention the crazy decadent fillings, like butterscotch chips, M& M’s, and chocolate chips.  Yowza.  That’s one helluva dessert.

Most of their creations are full of whimsy, like the Junk in the Trunk Brownie with pretzels, white and dark chocolate and Oreos.

 

But they do make a vegan chocolate chip cookie for anyone wondering. 

After all the ogling, we were ready to see something non-food related, so we made our way to the Liberty Bell.  Disclaimer: we have all seen the crack before.  Some more than once.  Accordingly, our level of interest in waiting in line for a second third viewing was pretty low.  Fortunately, it’s surrounded by a glass window, so unless you’re trying to see Benjamin Franklin’s fingerprints on it, you can see the bell just fine from afar.

Before my mom went into mega history lesson mode, Kyle and I decided to split off on our own.  My parents had a med school gala thing to attend, so while they went back to the hotel to get ready, Kyle and I decided to grab some food.