Rating: 💋 💋 💋 😘
My parents had their thirtieth wedding anniversary on March 3rd (hooray!) so the following weekend we all got together for a celebratory dinner in Philadelphia. Back in January, my dad asked all four of us kids to save the date and I was very much looking forward to it. We got all dressed up, my dad got my mom flowers, and at 4:15 we kicked the night off with a mandatory family cocktail hour. I had a great time showing my mom Caucasian James on Twitter - we could not stop laughing - and spinning around in the faux-fur lined cape she lent me for the night. For her part, my mom pranced around in her faux fur snow leopard coat all night long.
At 5:00, my dad surprised us with a car that drove us into Philly and extended our cocktail party en route.
For dinner, we went to the lovely Talula’s Garden right by Washington Square. My cousin Jill works there, and I am so grateful because she really pulled out all the stops for my parents. That meant a lot to all of us. When we arrived, there were champagne flutes and a plate with six small bites so we could each have a taste of their ricotta and date crackers, drizzled with honey. It was super yummy, and the meal only got better from there.
Our waitress was super friendly and the meal was paced so well. Each time a dish came to the table, the food runner gave a full description. At no point did I wonder where our food was, because they staggered the courses perfectly. Also, though we ended up with a lot to eat, I did not ever feel too stuffed. Each plate was perfectly proportioned and presented well, full of fresh ingredients in line with the restaurant’s farm to table concept. I was so for it.
Cocktails are my preferred beverage, but they can be so tough. The wrong mix just kills the night, and I often opt for wine just to be safe. When a cocktail is mixed well, though, it’s my favorite. I decided to take the chance at Talula’s and I am so glad I did. For my drink, I ordered The Beekeeper, their variation on a Moscow Mule, which came with citrus vodka, lime, ginger, and honey. It was fabulous. Tangy and sweet, it was like a less-sugary lemonade. I loved it. While we enjoyed our drinks, the wait staff brought out another sample plate for us - this time with a chive butter- stuffed brioche bun for all of us. Scrumptious. The fresh flavor of chives melted into the heated brioche, and the butter-glazed crust melted in my mouth. I imagine this is what it must be like for Beyoncé and Jay-Z every time they go out. I want in.
For our first course, my dad, Shannon and I all went with the Polynesian Tuna Pokè plate. It included raw yellowfin tuna, seaweed, cilantro and kimchi drizzled with a coconut lime sauce and then decorated with crisped rice. I loved the variety of textures between the sweet coconut sauce, the fresh tuna cubes, and the rice, which added a nice crunchy texture into the mix. I really dislike cilantro but, when smothered with the delicious sauce, I didn’t even mind it. That’s huge. Conor and Reilly also reported that their meatball appetizers were amazing, and my Mom enjoyed her cauliflower Caesar salad. The only problem with salad appetizers, and the reason I usually avoid them, is they are usually a touch too large. My mom was not able to finish her salad if she wanted any room for her entrée.
When our entrées arrived, there was a bit of a snafu. They accidentally brought out two salmons, and forgot my dad’s scallops. The team was super understanding about it, comped the extra salmon dish for us, and then brought my dad’s scallops out in short order. As for the dishes, they were fantastic. My brother’s lamb pappardelle skimped on the meat, so that was a disappointment, but Shannon and Reilly applauded themselves for their excellent ordering skills - the pumpkin ravioli was mind blowing. My mom was also gushing about her sea bass. The skin was crispy, the fish was perfectly flavored, and it was “so great!!” I had plenty of enthusiasm as well. My order of salmon had a crisp, juicy skin, mouthwatering salmon meat, and the cabbage and spaetzle rounded out each bite with the zippy veg and thin noodles that dripped hot Chardonnay - whole grain mustard juice with every bite. I had never eaten spaetzle before and my Mom is allergic to cabbage so it’s banned from our house. It was an exciting round of firsts for me. Talula's could not have provided a more delicious introduction.
My mom explained to me that the owner of Talula’s used to own a restaurant on South Street called Django, and my parents adored it. When us kids were little and my parents had date nights, that was their restaurant of choice. Back then, the owner was famous for bringing out her cheese plates to each table, which is really the concept origin of Talula's. My dad could not pass up an opportunity to order the cheese plate at their anniversary dinner. Unfortunately for me, cheese still has my number. Two nights before this dinner, I’d come home from work and cooked myself a grilled Brie sandwich that oozed cheesy goodness and made me feel absolutely luxurious. That is, until the cheese felled me with painful cramps that kept me up all night. With that in mind, I avoided the cheese plate, but the rest of the family had a great time picking it over. Instead, I ordered the chocolate trio. The middle contained a mini dark chocolate cake with fresh orange zest on top. Well, the zest was very bitter and I couldn’t stand it. I gave it to Shannon though and she could not have been happier about it, so that was simply a matter of taste. The other two chocolate desserts were fabulous. The cream on the salted caramel chocolate brownie was super sweet and lightened up the rich cake. The third one, a chewy milk chocolate square with a crisp shortbread crust, was my pick of the three.
Overall, I loved the dinner and it was such a fun night. I’ve heard people were talking about my parents wedding for years after the fact, and their anniversary dinner was such a good time that it seems they’ve still got it! We came home and had a dance party, complete with 80s music and dancing on elevated surfaces. I was very proud to be a Magee.
XX,
MK