White Dog Cafe has three locations, and one of them is really close to me, but I’ve never gone before because it’s quite expensive. My friends and I call it a place for Mainline Moms (rich white housewives). But to celebrate finishing all three parts of our first project for our design class, Louise, Stephanie, and I wanted to treat ourselves! (and subsequently spent a total of $100 omg never again) (it was good while it lasted)
I got a double cheddar burger with grilled red onions, tomatoes, smoked bacon mayo, and truffle parmesan fries; Louise got pan seared Icelandic cod with littleneck clams, mussels, Spanish chorizo, charred fennel, fingerling potatoes, and saffron broth; Steph got blackened catfish with grilled tasso ham, roasted sweet corn ragout, and truffle-dill buttermilk. We also all shared a side of truffle parmesan fries. And despite already feeling stuffed, we topped the evening off with a chocolate haze dessert, which consisted of chocolate hazelnut mousse cake, espresso creme brulee, and buttermilk ice cream.
We were too busy with the food so I forgot to take photos of the interior, but it’s dog-themed, which was cute, but maybe also a little creepy because there were fake dog heads on the walls (like how people hang deer heads on walls). The exterior of White Dog Cafe is also quite beautiful. I think White Dog Cafe would be a good place for brunch, but we came for dinner because our class ends at 7:30PM.
After dinner, I had an hour to kill before the train, so Louise and Steph hung out with me until 10:30PM despite it being a weeknight. I’m really thankful for these two!
I was nervous about taking my first class at UPenn because 1) new campus, and 2) the vibe at a big university like UPenn is so different from the vibe in the Tri-Co (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore). But I think some of my classmates were going through the same thing; the class I’m taking is an intro design class, so there are lots of underclassmen, particularly first-years, who for them, UPenn is also a new campus.
I thought I would feel weird as a senior in a class full of first-years, but actually, I think I felt right in place. Technically, it’s my first year at UPenn too, so you could say that I’m a UPenn first-year. And also, the thing about first-years is that they’re open and eager to meet new people, because, well, everything is new for them! I felt very welcome.
Louise and Steph were the first two people I talked to from class. We’re always in the Mac lab together, in class and out of class. I slept over at Steph’s the night before our project was due because it was too late to catch the train back. The three of us had a few food parties to motivate ourselves through late nights in lab, and a fancy dinner at a fancy cafe to celebrate completing our projects. I think there’ll be much more of this to come throughout the rest of the semester! (Or at least three more fancy dinners because we have three more projects.)
3420 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 386-9224