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Movable Feast
Now that winter has settled in to stay, midday thoughts are likely to
turn to the predictable, sustaining pleasures of comfort food. But that
doesn’t have to mean pizza or a cheesesteak every time the mercury
plummets. On and around campus we’ve found a host of hearty dishes
to keep the mid-winter chills at bay.
Savory stew
Fatou & Fama, 4002 Chestnut St., 215-386-0700
If you’re craving warmth, you’ll find it as soon as you walk
into this cozy pink dining room decorated with brightly colored kinte
cloth. The service is warm, too, and the heat just rises as you follow
the spicy aromas to the buffet lunch set up in the rear of the restaurant.
While the à la carte menu shows off the full range of chef/owner
Fatou Ndiaye’s culinary influences—with Senegalese staples like
the richly savory yassa stew, along with West Indian and soul food dishes—the
lunch buffet offers simple, comforting fare that might include ginger
turkey, chicken curry or black-eyed peas. At $7.95, it’s a bargain,
and the slow-cooked sauces, redolent of onions, peanuts and peppers provide
nourishment for the soul as well as the belly. Need more heat? Try a glass
of Mama Fama punch, a perky brew made with ginger root and fresh sorrel.
Hot cereal
Cereality, 3631 Walnut St.,
215-222-1162
You’ve probably heard the buzz about this cereal-only restaurant
by now, but even if you’re prepared for cereal overload it’s
easy to get flustered trying to choose among the 30 varieties of brand-name
cereal offered. For $2.95 you get two 8-ounce scoops with the topping
of your choice, from almonds to malted milk balls. For serious mid-winter
solace, though, try one of Cereality’s hot cereal combos like the
Banana Brown Betty—a generous serving of hot oatmeal, bananas, molasses
sugar and streusel topping. Though the café offers wireless access,
a couple of couches and a flat-screen TV, you may find it a tad crowded
and hectic for true comfort. Leak-proof cardboard cartons—think oversize
Chinese takeout containers—make it easy to carry your carb-fest back
to the office.
Nachos
White Dog Café, 3420 Sansom St., 215-386-9224
Nachos have been a mainstay of the White Dog bar menu for as long as we
can remember. Though there are plenty of healthier options on offer—spinach
salads, veggie burgers, hummus with flatbread—when the days are short
and spring seems far away the appeal of Tex Mex fast food is hard to resist.
This rendition of the classic bar fare hits all the right notes, with
crispy corn tortilla chips and ample helpings of refried black beans,
salsa and sour cream under a blanket of soothing melted jack cheese. Though
$7.95 may sound steep for a plate of chips and dips, there’s plenty
here for two, and the feeling of wellbeing should last you all the way
to dinner.
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