Two Colleges and a Six Course Meal

Woke up this morning and went down to get a muffin from the continental breakfast buffet on the ground floor of the hotel. In my previous experience with hotels, breakfast is usually free, but a hotel employee informed me otherwise.

"It costs $13 to eat from the breakfast buffet." He told me.

I pointed at my half-eaten muffin. "So it's $13 for this muffin?"

He paused. "No. It's... $2.50"

I'm pretty sure he took advantage of me, but it didn't really matter. The rest of the day was phenomenal.

We visited the university of Pennsylvania campus for an informational session and a tour. They told us all about UPenn and what goes on around campus. A cheery UPenn student led us around campus, telling us about school traditions like throwing toast onto the UPenn field.

It's an inside joke, and now Brandon, Henry, Marisol and I are in on it.

We then took a train to Princeton. We were a bit late so we stopped inside the admissions office to find out where the information session was. A kind woman gave us directions while Henry poured over books on Princeton in the corner.

The Princeton tour was very similar to the UPenn tour. Marisol, Brandon and I concluded that we liked UPenn more. It was in the city, it seemed livlier, and we liked the vibe.

Henry really liked Princeton. So much, in fact, he was willing to steal from it.

(I'm joking, but not about him liking Princeton).

We returned to the hotel late and had 10 minutes to get ready for dinner at the best restaurant in Philadelphia (or so we were told): Le Bec Fin. Both the UPenn informational speaker and Brandon's mom's friend swore that it was the best in Philly, and we were about to find out.

Two UPenn admissions officers joined us at the restaurant. The waiters were so nice and professional that I was intimidated at first, but I eventually warmed to them.

I will not dwell on describing the food too much, because the pictures will speak for themselves. However, I will provide an explanation for my choice of entree.

Asher Roth is one of my favorite rappers, who happens to be from Philly, and he recently came out with an album titled "Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry".

The album is amazing. However, I never knew what Seared Foie Gras was. Tonight, it was on the menu. I ordered it.

I learned that Foie Gras is just a fancy word for duck liver, and I also learned it was delicious. It's not for everyone though.

The dinner was successful. I befriended the UPenn admissions officers, and I now have a contact within the University. I really like the college, and I plan to keep in touch with them. I would have never considered UPenn or contacting its admissions offices, but thanks to the Ivy League connection, I did both.

And finally, the food photo shoot. I'd put more, but the internet is funky here and photos mess up my blog formatting. Enjoy!