#monk's cafe

[machetelanding]

The set of Seinfeld

[binghamtonbeer]

Tilquin Oude Mure - Also from the Monk’s fundraiser event. Had never heard of this before then. Will probably never get to try it again. But it was great. Tons of blackberry with balanced sourness. 

[machetelanding]

The sets of Seinfeld

[binghamtonbeer]

Russian River Pliny the Elder - At the Monk’s Sierra Nevada fire relief fundraiser.  Wish all charitable donations tasted this good.

[binghamtonbeer]

Cantillon Gueuze, Russian River Pliny the Elder, Russian River Blind Pig - A Monk’s trifecta.  Food was amazing. Had the sea bass for the first time and would highly recommend it.  

[mapsoffun]

When I went to Philly to photograph the old Wanamaker store back in February, I grabbed a light early lunch at Monk’s Cafe of their house-made chicken liver mousse and I was floored. I took my husband and my BIL here prior to going to our final stop of the night and had them try it, and they loved it. My husband usually isn’t a chicken liver person, but the flavor wasn’t too strong and the texture was lovely, so he was sold! It’s been a minute since I’ve made my own chicken liver mousse, and it’s definitely feeling like it’s time to make some at home again.

Also their fries with their house bourbon mayo is always a good decision, as it was on this particular day.

[mapsoffun]

My first visit to Monk’s Cafe was back in July of last year, and in realizing how close it was to all of my favorite Center City spots, I decided to drop in for an early lunch because my train was in just over two hours and this would give me plenty of time to get back to 30th Street. 

I ordered the chicken liver mousse with local focaccia because it looked so good on the menu (and was even better eating it), and on a lark I wanted to try the spicy bourbon mayo so I ordered the fries, forgetting that the serving size was pretty damn massive. The chicken liver mousse was so good it inspired me to make my own later that week at home, and knowing that this place is a short walk from where my preferred Center City hotel is, I will be coming back here more often than not.

[mapsoffun]

As a self-proclaimed beer fan, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to finally visit the beloved Monk’s Café. In my defense, when I lived in Philly during college, I a.) didn’t have a ton of money, and b.) wasn’t much of a beer snob as my older friends introduced us to cocktails first. Since then, we usually follow my BIL’s lead as he lives in city, and for whatever reason we never would end up here. 

Better late than never, I guess!

Walking in feels a bit like a labyrinth as you go through a few doors, and then you enter the front dining area. The bar will likely be full, but don’t despair; a walk past pews-as-booths will take you to the back bar! We were able to grab the last two stools there, for which I was grateful, even if it was a bit snug. What’s nice is that you can order beers from either the front bar or the back bar, which is really nice!

Monk’s food--mainly a pub-ish take on Belgian classics, like moules frites--is pretty damn phenomenal. We were having a later lunch and we had an early dinner reservation, so I didn’t want to go crazy, so I found myself opting for their veggie burger (made with discernable vegetables!) topped with cheddar and bacon. On the side came a little serving of Monk’s house-made bourbon mayo and their frites, both which were perfect. The next time we’re in the city, I’m going to request to make a stop here just to get some of their delicious frites with bourbon mayo since it’s pretty close to other spots we like to go to in the Center City area.