Vino Volo: in the airport!

Matt and I usually get to the airport with tons of time to spare, so on Friday, before we boarded our plane to Pittsburgh, we stopped at Vino Volo for a quick drink and bite to eat. This wine bar chain currently has locations in about 10 airports in the U.S. and it’s a welcome change to the overwhelming fast food options you usually get.

Impressive, albeit small, wine list with some fun flight options. (Heh, get it?)

These are cute and come with each glass.  Not your basic, run-of-the-mill wine guide with standard terms, but still user-friendly.

Matt’s artisan cured meats (small size for $8) were yummy but really just made him more hungry for a real dinner.

My brie & prosciutto sandwich (small size for $6) was surprisingly tasty. The brie was slightly melted and warm and the fig spread was ooey and gooey (in a good way).

It’s nice to have Vino Volo in the Philly airport, because when we were early in Pittsburgh coming home, we sat in a Friday’s. Not as nice.

Los Caballitos

Matt and I seem to be starting a tradition of checking out random South Philly restaurants. Matt had a performance at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday so on our way home we parked off of Passyunk at Morris and wandered around until we found Cantina Los Caballitos.

Seats outside on a warm autumn day definitely swayed our decision to stop here, along with the brunch menu all day and cute decor.

The prices were reasonable and the menu had some standard choices along with some unique ideas, such as the costillitas, which Matt ordered.

The specials included Mexican Hot Dog and the breakfast empanadas, which I ordered.

We got free (yay!) homemade tortilla chips, fried fresh every morning with two salsas: spicy tomatillo and sweet tomato.  The chips were perfect. I liked the tomatillo salsa and Matt liked the tomato, so it worked out really well for us.

$4.50 classic margaritas! Good amount of liquor! And yummy! The perfect size and perfect price.

Matt’s prickly pear margarita was $5.50 and a bit sweet, but he ordered a second so I am assuming he liked it.

Matt’s ribs with pickled jalapenos and pineapple were tender, sweet and sour, and a bit spicy. The appetizer size for $12 came with 5 ribs.

My breakfast special, empandas with egg, spinach, tomato, and cotija, were $8. The cotija dip was like crack.  It made this dish. I don’t know what else was in it besides the cheese and some cilantro, but if the chef knows what’s good for him, he won’t give away the secret recipe to anyone.

The filling wasn’t amazing–the egg was a bit crumbly and tasteless, but the outside was crisp but a little doughy with great fresh flavor.

Did I mention the cojita? I almost licked clean this tiny bowl and asked for more.

We’ll be back. That seems to be a thumbs up/thumbs down barometer for us these days.

There is a moral to this story, too, readers: you can have fun when times are tough. If you can’t afford to leave your town or city or state for a weekend or longer, explore your own. Matt and I had never walked around this part of Philadelphia before even though we live here so this afternoon was like a travel adventure. We turned our phones off and experienced the food, the neighborhood, the day. It lifted some worry from our hearts and weight from our shoulders.

Makiman Sushi: Take 2

Makiman Sushi is right down the street but we rarely eat there because it is a bit pricey. We had a good experience with their take-out a few months ago but this most recent try was a little dicey.

Their sushi is good, but we are going to stick to traditional maki from now on. The Caterpillar (pictured below) was supposed to have eel in it but we could really only taste the avocado. Not that I’m complaining, because I would stand a good chance at winning an avocado-eating contest, but I also wanted to taste some eel.  The sesame seeds on top and tobiko on the inside were a nice touch.

Matt’s report on the tako su was disappointing. Usually the octopus is soaked in enough citrus to semi-cook it (kind of like a ceviche) but this version was not even close. It was completely raw and rubbery.

The tonkatsu was really tasty, but we like our breading crispy. We concluded that tonkatsu is not appropriate for takeout as, even though the flavor was spot on, the breading got soggy on its way from the restaurant to our house.

The tempura that came with the udon had a nice variety: shrimp, broccoli, green pepper, sweet potato, carrot, and onion. The consistency was nice, too, and we were happy that it came in a separate container from the soup so it maintained its crispy breading.

We loved the udon because the broth tasted completely authentic and the noodles were nice and doughy.

Makiman deserves another try, but we have definitely learned that the quality is hit or miss depending on what you order.  The next time we eat here we will stick to more authentic and standard options and forgo the fancy and flashy.