How do you appease the varying diets of a group of hardcore healthy living food bloggers on the hunt for dinner and spirits in Philly? March right down the street, then wait, turn around, no, go RIGHT! Wait, there's a car whipping around the corner! Ok, look one way before you cross... then go to FarMaCia, which I think is near the Historic District, but correct me if I'm wrong.
All twelve of us cruised right into FarMaCia not really expecting to be seated together, through we did ever so casually throw out that we were a flock of food hungry bloggers which may or may not be how we got the perfect sized table almost immediately. The restaurant has a great vibe, and I loved the view of these giant sunflowers that I was right in front of.
This place really does cater to all tastes. They also had a gluten-free menu for the celiac in our group. This is just a sample of what they have, not to mention the creative cocktails and refreshing tonics that are on the other side of the menu.
I started off with a Black Cherry Cola cocktail, which was so good, I barely tasted any alcohol in it. It was glorious... and gone in less than ten minutes, if that.
Meanwhile, we had delicious (whole wheat?) bread with scallion butter. Those little green flecks added a lot of flavor to the butter!
I then ordered corn ravioli, not realizing that it was only an appetizer. It was delicious too, I never would have thought to put corn into ravioli dough, then top it with Parmesan cheese and baby squash and zucchini!
After packing this away pretty quickly, I scanned the menu for something else filling yet light, and a new taste that I'd never tried before, and settled on the French lentil salad with baked goat cheese. I wasn't sure what to expect, and this beauty came out in no time. Ohh it was SO good. The goat cheese was warm, tangy and creamy against the firmer bite of the lentils, with the crisp lettuce as a cool backdrop. Lentils on lettuce is a combination I never would have thought of, and I was glad that I had made the mistake with the corn ravioli and was able to order this.
If you're ever in Philadelphia, I would definitely recommend this restaurant that prides itself on using local, organic and artisan ingredients that are prepared in a way that is simple and unique. For those Columbians reading, I would liken it to Terra, if Terra catered more to people with unique dietary twists (who knows, maybe they will soon!).
