go out with a bangarides

on a dreary, humid early-summer night in philadelphia, three friends said goodbye to their familiar gayborhood by trying something new and festive.

Shaunice, A. and i have all been dying to try the oft-lauded greek BYO called KANELLA, and my migration to a new neighborhood presented the perfect opportunity for a special treat.

our expectations were high after reading the rave reviews in The Philadelphia Inquirer and Esquire Magazine, yet we were all quite pleased. the ambience at Kanella (i think that means cinnamon, but it's all greek to me) was charming and almost exotic, while the crowd seemed to be buzzing with celebration, or at least excited tastebuds.

along with the two huge bottles of wine we brought, we started off with grilled pita bread and various dips/hummuses (hummi?), and an order of KEFTEDES (spicy meatballs with yogurt!!).
then Shaunice ordered the mahi-mahi (i tried to convince her to just get the one mahi, because she really wasn't that hungry after our appetizers), A ordered KATSIKI (some kind of baby goat stew or something), and i had the delicious MAKARONI (a familiar name, but not a familiar flavor. still delicious.). and of course we all ate off one another's plates (except no one really touched A's stew).
the chef's homemade ice cream selection was tempting, but we were all too satisfied to have another bite. we couldn't even finish our wine! for shame...

the only slightly negative aspect of our dining experience came when our passive-aggressive waiter asked, "would you like me to clear these dishes so that you guys can take more pictures?" i'll admit, we were a little over-zealous with the photography. i mean, you know how it is after a bottle of wine...
OH, another noteworthy item: the Kanella chef uses only hormone-, antibiotic-, and pesticide-free ingredients, which has been a huge priority for me this week.

if i weren't moving so far away (4 minutes via taxi), i'd definitely visit Kanella again and again.

i recommend!