Have you ever heard of donuts, fried chicken, and coffee… served together? I hadn’t either! One day last week after work, a few friends and I drove into the city to enjoy Federal Donuts. Serving Korean- style fried chicken with a honey donut, Federal Donuts has turned Philadelphia a “fried chicken destination” according to an online article from last year. While we didn’t have to wait in line like I was expecting because of its popularity, the quickly dwindling donuts behind the counter were evidence of a busy and good day for the eatery. While I have to admit I wasn’t sure how I felt about the savory and sweet mix, the combination of tangy ranch and sweet honey was just right.

I was excited to share my Federal Donuts experience with some of my closest friends. Celebrating our last weekly dinner for our student group First Go-ers, it was the perfect little escape for all of us in between finals. As a senior in the group, it hit me how quickly the end of my time in Philadelphia was approaching as we spent time in the city. After our dinner adventure early in the week, I spent the next couple days working as hard as I could to finish my remaining finals. I am elated to share that last Thursday, I officially finished my undergraduate career. To celebrate, my best friends and I went into the city on Saturday.

We went to El Vez, a restaurant we have tried for two and a half months to get a reservation for. After eating there, it was suddenly very clear why it was so hard to get a table! El Vez boasted six different kinds of guacamole which individually were big enough to share between four of us. For my entree, I ordered a taco sampler plate, and as you can see, it came with a little bit of everything! I got to try their pork carnitas, beef, chicken, crispy mahi mahi, and sea bass tacos, all of which were out of this world. If only we had discovered the restaurant earlier!

With less than a week left before graduation, I realized after that these two outings to Federal Donuts and El Vez were probably my last tastes of Philly, at least for now! I’d say we ended our culinary experience and college career in Philadelphia on a high and delicious note!