Balkan Express (Philadelphia, PA)
Glimmering Gold and Balkan Sunshine on a Rainy Day
Tutankhamun. His name is certainly not thought of on a daily basis. However, this most famous of all Egyptian pharaohs was certainly on my mind as I headed towards the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. On this night, I was meeting my cousin Andy for a lecture on the upcoming King Tut exhibit followed by a culinary adventure at Balkan Express, a small neighborhood Balkan restaurant that has recently received positive reviews.
Due to the torrential rain, we both arrived late and hurried into the lecture hall. At the conclusion of the lecture, we headed over to Balkan Express. As we approached the restaurant, a look of panic appeared on both of our faces due to the darkened interior. As we entered the restaurant we were informed that it had closed for the evening by the owners, Radovan Jacovic and his wife. I was annoyed and angrily reminded them that I had called earlier in the night to inform them that we would be arriving at 8. They told me that they had decided to close due to the inclement weather. Fortunately, they agreed to cook for us in no small part due to my eagerness and insistence.
I started with sarma, a traditional meat stuffed cabbage appetizer. The dish was highlighted by the sweet sauce, rough texture of the softened cabbage, and the tenderness of the meat. I thoroughly enjoyed the spicy beef strips, pepper, tomato and onion stew served with Duvec rice entrée that I ordered (the dish is called muckalica). The dish had a tremendous amount of flavor and the meat was tender and moist. The dish is stew-like but not to be confused with a standard meat stew due to the thickness of the sauce and the large quantity of beef strips
We finished with Balkan style baklava. Having had baklava many times in my life, I was not expecting anything new. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite. This preparation of baklava was dry and free from the typical drenching of syrup, which often overshadows the delicate phylo dough pastry. In addition, the phylo itself was denser and doughier than I am accustomed to and the nut flavoring was quite strong. Overall, I really enjoyed the dessert and appreciated their unique take on this classic dish. Despite their initial reluctance to serve us, I was very happy with the personalized service that we received. Radovan’s warmth and friendless was certainly the highlight of our meal.
The only damper on the evening was the miserable walk from 23rd and Grey’s Ferry to my car on 32nd and Walnut during the pouring rain. By the time we arrived at my car, we were both soaked and there was not a solitary dry spot on my pants. However, we had a wonderful night full of history lessons and food to remember.
The Facts
Name: Balkan Express
Address:
23rd and Kater Street
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 545-1255
Cuisine: Eastern European
Tutankhamun. His name is certainly not thought of on a daily basis. However, this most famous of all Egyptian pharaohs was certainly on my mind as I headed towards the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. On this night, I was meeting my cousin Andy for a lecture on the upcoming King Tut exhibit followed by a culinary adventure at Balkan Express, a small neighborhood Balkan restaurant that has recently received positive reviews.
Due to the torrential rain, we both arrived late and hurried into the lecture hall. At the conclusion of the lecture, we headed over to Balkan Express. As we approached the restaurant, a look of panic appeared on both of our faces due to the darkened interior. As we entered the restaurant we were informed that it had closed for the evening by the owners, Radovan Jacovic and his wife. I was annoyed and angrily reminded them that I had called earlier in the night to inform them that we would be arriving at 8. They told me that they had decided to close due to the inclement weather. Fortunately, they agreed to cook for us in no small part due to my eagerness and insistence.
I started with sarma, a traditional meat stuffed cabbage appetizer. The dish was highlighted by the sweet sauce, rough texture of the softened cabbage, and the tenderness of the meat. I thoroughly enjoyed the spicy beef strips, pepper, tomato and onion stew served with Duvec rice entrée that I ordered (the dish is called muckalica). The dish had a tremendous amount of flavor and the meat was tender and moist. The dish is stew-like but not to be confused with a standard meat stew due to the thickness of the sauce and the large quantity of beef strips
We finished with Balkan style baklava. Having had baklava many times in my life, I was not expecting anything new. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite. This preparation of baklava was dry and free from the typical drenching of syrup, which often overshadows the delicate phylo dough pastry. In addition, the phylo itself was denser and doughier than I am accustomed to and the nut flavoring was quite strong. Overall, I really enjoyed the dessert and appreciated their unique take on this classic dish. Despite their initial reluctance to serve us, I was very happy with the personalized service that we received. Radovan’s warmth and friendless was certainly the highlight of our meal.
The only damper on the evening was the miserable walk from 23rd and Grey’s Ferry to my car on 32nd and Walnut during the pouring rain. By the time we arrived at my car, we were both soaked and there was not a solitary dry spot on my pants. However, we had a wonderful night full of history lessons and food to remember.
The Facts
Name: Balkan Express
Address:
23rd and Kater Street
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 545-1255
Cuisine: Eastern European
posted by Mike at
8:00 PM
