More at www.PhillyBlog.com
Restaurant Section



Joel



I was chatting with Jo, one of the owners at Caffe Carmen.
We were discussing the fact that Italy is almost two countries .......

the sunny, cheery, sun-drenched Mediterranean area to the south
while the area around Turin is highly industrialized and the people
are quite different.

This has its effects on the cuisine! Many of Jo's offerings are
unusual blends of the two cultures.

Joel
__________________



Joely
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Joely
Send email to Joely
Find all posts by Joely
Add Joely to Your Buddy List

#3 Yesterday, 04:26 PM
Joely
Tastykake Maker Join Date: May 2005
Location: 7th and Pine Streets
Posts: 411



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some people had PM'ed me asking exactly where its located,
so I finally got the pictures uploaded. Do not mind the goofy
date on the bottom right corner ~ I still can't figure out how
to change it!

Joely

PS ~ See the snazzy copper awnings?



...





...
__________________



Joely
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Joely
Send email to Joely
Find all posts by Joely
Add Joely to Your Buddy List

#2 05-31-2005, 11:32 AM
HogIslandGrip
Tastykake Maker Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: South Philly/Passyunk Square
Posts: 315



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the review. I gotta check this place out, now.

HogIslandGrip
View Public Profile
Send a private message to HogIslandGrip
Find all posts by HogIslandGrip
Add HogIslandGrip to Your Buddy List

#1 05-31-2005, 11:09 AM
Joely
Tastykake Maker Join Date: May 2005
Location: 7th and Pine Streets
Posts: 411

Carmen Review - Caffe Carmen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carmen Review - Caffe Carmen

Jeannie and Vince like to travel into the city every couple of weeks so
we can catch up with all of the Philly gossip and enjoy a bite to eat.
They moved out from South Philadelphia and took up residence over there
in Marlton after Vinnie's business took off big time. "Huge mistake,
Dude," I keep telling him! I always tease Vinnie about the time I heard
they paved over those dirt roads leading to Fudrucker's. Yes, that is
actually a retaurant in Voorhees.

So two weeks ago the phone rang and its my buddy Vinnie. He is asking
if we could meet them over at that McJones place at 7th and Chestnut
for a quick bite.

"No way, Guy!" I told him. "Don't you remember what happened last
time?"

Our service was slow and the meter maid got to Vinnie's car before we
did. What's worse was the fact that this was Vinnie's third ticket. We
picked up the car at the impound lot.

Besides, I hate when our waitress begins,

"Oh I am Susan, I will be your waitress today. Would you care for a
glass or a bottle of today's special wine?"

"Oh hell, just bring me a whole case," I am thinking. This is supposed
to be comfort food. How comfortable can I be when I am being upmarketed
before I even get a chance to see the menu? If I want to be upmarketed
there is always Olive Garden.

Now this wine they are peddling is usually something like the Francis
Ford Coppola kind of stuff, that in the Pennsylvania State Stores sells
for eighteen bucks a pop but at most restaurants it will set you, the
customer back $36. This is around $9 per 6.5 ounce glass. So that
second bottle (or YIKES! the third bottle) starts to crack the $72
limit (or $108) for a whole bunch of not-so-good wine. Sorry Francis. I
like your movies but I really hate your wine.

So this time around I suggested my spanking brand new place.

I serendipitously found the place one afternoon while buzzing down a
shortcut through Moyamensing Avenue. For out-of-towners, the best
Philadelphia spots are always found on those hard to pronounce, out of
the way places. Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods. Just to upset
strangers, Moyamensing Avenue does a crazy cross-traffic sort of thing
meaning at one point you come to a traffic light only to find yourself
actually on the left side of opposing traffic while they are to your
right! It sounds complicated I know, but simply staying alert will keep
you out of trouble. Once I was around Emily Street I immediately
noticed those stunning European-style copper awnings that set Caffe
Carmen's building off from the rest of the neighborhood. I parked my
car (no meter maids, no fear), and ambled over to closely inspect the
place.

This little gem is located in the heart of Pennsport along Moyamensing
Avenue, very close to Emily Street. Its three or four blocks in from
Snyder Avenue and Moyamensing Avenue and its located on the east side
of the street. Moyamensing intersects Snyder around Third Street or
Fourth Street.

So there we were last Wednesday evening sitting at our little outdoor
table, enjoying OUR wine and enjoying the cool summer breeze. Unlike
Center City, there were no street people hovering over our table asking
us for quarters and there were no shoppers brushing up against my food.
Vince had brought with two superb bottles of our own selection of wine
(from New Joisey yet, better selection, and less costly!) and we
swirled and sipped as we looked over the menu.

Now please forgive me here if there are any errors. I am writing this
strictly from memory.

There are excellent soups and a nice assortment of Panini Italian
Sandwiches. Jeannie ordered Carmen's Muffuletta which is roasted red
peppers, olive pate, prosciutto and mozzerella which was around $6.50.
Vince started off with a house specialty platter of fresh mozzarella &
prosiutto while I had the grilled chicken sandwich with onion and
pepper on panini ($6.50). Vince ordered the Sofia - a twelve inch
gourmet pizza consisting of arugula diced tomatoes and mozzarella
cheese ($8.00). The Annare is a garlic, mozzarella, cheese and shrimp
pizza ($9.00). The salads were outstanding. My Maria Salad ($6.50)
consisted of gorgonzola, grapes, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds,
honey dew with mixed greens and sherry vinagrette.

So what makes this place special and what makes it stand out? It is an
authentic European caffe!

Well, they make their own gelato right on site! Jeannie ordered gelato
with the fresh fruit flavor because the fruit flavors are 100%
lactose-free. HINT: Do not even ask about why. Jeannie is the type of
person who likes to describe her medical conditions in complete detail.
As a matter of fact, I learned my lesson all too well one evening back
at their house when after dinner, Jeannie asked the gang whether we
wanted to see the VCR-tape of her giving birth to their third child.
Now I am still shaking my head in complete disbelief. I still think
they are starved for entertainment in New Jersey.

But this evening, all is copasetic. All is well with the world. Here we
are extremely mellow and wondering what new delight awaits us. Our
waitress explains, there are several fruit flavors including Amarena
(sour cherry), Ananas (pineapple), Fragola (strawberries), and Pesca
(peach). There are cannoli ($2.50) and excellent expresso. I had the
expresso double ($1.95) which had an invigorating bold aroma about it.
I couldn't decide whether to have Gianduja (hazelnut and cocoa cream
flavoring) or the Torrone Limoncello grana grossa with my gelato. At
these prices there's no need to decide! I told our waitress that I will
be back tomorrow!

This wonderful spot is a bakery, a gelateria, a European caffe and a
truly wonderful dining experience. So my advice is to leaveall those
commercial places far behind. Enjoy the company of good friends, while
tasting exquisitely prepared food in great surroundings. Come over to
Pennsport for an authentic European dining experience. I do not miss
all those bus fumes on Chestnut Street either! Besides, as you can
already imagine, I do not even care for the $14 valet parking!

Next time I am going to bring with my digital camera and I hope to post
a few shots of Caffe Carmen right here. Its worth seeing. So if you see
me down there, do not confuse me with some kind of tourist!

If you go, let me know how you like the place!



Joel M. Eichen