Earth Bread + Brewery

I don't really get the name of the restaurant, nor have I fully wrapped my mind around its premise - brewed beers with cryptic names, "flatbread" that is really pizza - but I did enjoy Earth Bread + Brewery. After going a couple of more times, I may in fact conquer my penchant to call it "Earth, Wind and Fire."

Several folks had recommended this place to me so I was persuaded to drive out and see what all the fuss was about. I should add that there is, in fact, a lot of fuss. The place was teeming with people. It's a large, cavernous, two story, two house establishment, with tall windows and large bars on each floor. The walls are butter yellow and the rest honey colored wood, giving a warm but light feel to the place. While pleasant, the feel was odd for a brewery. Nevertheless, it is a central spot for Mt. Airy, filled with a diverse clientele made complete with a 30 minute wait for a table (but we snagged a bar table without the wait).

With names like "Total Blank" ale, the beer list takes a bit of deciphering. Printed on a chalkboard and lacking descriptions other than "ale" or "stout," you are left to your own devices. The wait staff seemed pretty friendly though, so I'm confident they could have helped. I went with the "We heavy, yo!" EBB's hip hop homage to a "wee heavy" scotch ale. Caramel, strong and a little bitter, the wee heavy hit the spot on a cold night. EBB also has an interesting selection of "guest" beers on draft, including Philadelphia Brewing Company's Walt Whit, a lighter beer than the scotch ale, but still flavorful and good.

We started with edamame, which came dressed with sea salt and lime. I enjoyed the novelty of having edamame at a brewery, but EBB's real specialty is the flatbread, or as the rest of us might call it, pizza. Between the two of us, we tried three. My dining companion ordered the pesto, with roasted potatoes and fresh mozzarella. A fan of EBB, he knew what to get -- it was the best of our choices, with fresh pesto rounded out nicely with a hint of potato and the perfect amount of mozzarella.


I went with the traditional, with "house made tomato sauce, roasted onion, fresh mozzarella, garlic olive oil, topped with seasonal greens." The "seasonal greens" were a bunch of arugula, which I found a little distracting. I also found the sauce a bit sweet for my liking, but the mozzarella was spot on, in both quality and quantity and the overall bite was tasty.


Our last pie (or flatbread) was the Mexican, with tomatoes, black beans, corn, cheese and cilantro. The beans were surprisingly sprinkled judiciously and the sauce was a nice complement to the other flavors. I didn't quite taste the cilantro.

At 11:30 pm on a Friday night, we explored the upstairs. It was fairly packed, considering how much space it consumed. Again, it had a light but cozy feeling, as though your friends were kind enough to open up a part of their house for you to hang out. Which seemed like the perfect atmosphere for Mt. Airy - a good mix of urban and suburban, yuppie and hipster, young and old.

Earth Bread + Brewery is located at 7136 Germantown Avenue, Mt. Airy, www.earthbreadbrewery.com.

Tiffin

Tiffin's arrival on the Philadelphia scene has been met with great fan fare. Filling a gap in this city's food offerings, it began as a delivery service only (which still exists, albeit with some confusing time-related requirements) and has since expanded into small restaurants. One such restaurant opened around the corner from My Chiles Rellenos Friend and I had been eager to try it.

Arriving a bit after 7 p.m. on a Thursday night, we somehow managed to beat what became an amazing rush, given that the wind outside was ridiculous. The outside was pretty much the only waiting area, save for the four somewhat oblivious souls that stood directly behind MCRF while we dined. Really, folks? I guess I'll skip the intensely personal conversation tonight (ok, it didn't stop me).

In any case, the menu is more straightforward than the on-line delivery menu and features daily specials. We tried one, the lamb keema samosas. I loved them, but probably more for the dipping sauces than anything else. Speaking of dipping sauces, the garlic naan offered plenty of opportunity to dip, along with a fresh fragrant bread. The garlic was powerful but not overwhelming.Having been spoiled by first eating Indian food during a semester abroad in London, I often crave - and miss - chicken korma. Which is what I ordered and enjoyed immensely. I was impressed that I could easily pick out the fresh ginger in the sauce, combining with other magical spices to offer a fragrant, mild, thick sauce for the all white meat chicken.

MCRF ordered the eggplant, which she described as spicy and delicious. It certainly was wonderfully fragrant. The dining room is covered in lovely butter-colored paint, a perfect complement to the warmth of the food. It's BYO, too, which is always nice and the service was accommodating and kind. A place to which I will likely return and, if I ever decide what I'm doing for dinner before 2 p.m., a place from which I would love to order delivery.

Tiffin is located at, among other locations, 7105 Emlen Street, Philadelphia. Full information is available at www.tiffin.com.

Triumph Brewing Company

Deciding to switch things up from my stand-by Old City pub Eulogy, I wandered into Triumph Brewing Company last night. I enjoyed it like I secretly enjoy newly constructed houses; there is a shiny newness, lots of space and nothing too strange lurking around the next corner. Triumph manages to offer many of the perks of larger bars while still avoiding feeling too impersonally corporate (as in Public House or Fox & the Hound).

The beer was good. The list of seven or so beers changes very frequently, according to our friendly bartender. I opted for the "Scotch Ale," a dark ale with caramel sweetness and a rich aftertaste that instantly warmed me. My companion went with the novelty beer, Jewish Rye. A lighter beer, described as "unfiltered," it tasted otherwise normal until your tastebuds are hit full on with a caraway, sourdough after taste. I don't know how, or why really, they did it, but it's a dead ringer for rye bread. I was not a huge fan, but I will say it was different. I stuck with the Scotch Ale for the second round, while my co-drinker ordered Triumph's IPA, which I wish I had ordered. It was amber color and conveyed what I thought was an interesting spiciness, an almost exotic flavor, that avoided tasting very heavy while still being complex. Excellent.

I went on to order the fig and serrano pizza, which I believe is similar in concept to other dishes out there at places like Tria and Amada. On principle, a great flavor combination. In practice, Triumph became a bit too liberal with the fig jam that formed the basis for the pizza, rendering the whole taste less delicate than it should have been. We were told that the menu just underwent a major change, so perhaps some tweaking will be done.

Overall, a nice alternative to some of the smaller bars.

Triumph Brewing Company is located at 117-121 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Brewery tours are available on-site. Photo credit to Triumph's website at www.triumphbrewing.com.