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2,000 Calories in Philadelphia

By Jason Sheehan
March 10, 2014
Photo: Felicia Perretti
Take a tour of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in about 2,000 calories and 10,000 steps and discover the City of Brotherly Love, with all of its scenic views and delicious dining.
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A Unique Guide to Philadelphia

Photo: Edward Savara Jr.
We toured Philadelphia to find the best, most nutritious restaurants the city has to offer. Here's a unique guide to good eating and great exercise for hungry travelers.

How we did the math:
This series is meant as a fun guide to experiencing a city through the Cooking Light lens. All calculations are rough estimates and should be seen as a starting point for your own adventure.

Calorie burns were estimated using this calculator.  The approximations are based on how vigorous the activity level is for a 150-pound woman—for example, a stroll around a farmers’ market was calculated at a lower burn than when we tell you to pick up the pace.

We estimated steps at an average of 2,000 steps per mile walked.

All calorie calculations for the meal selections we recommend were rough estimates based on inputting similar dishes and ingredients into this calculator.

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Morning: Old City

Photo: Andrew Kahl
Make your first stop Iron Chef Jose Garces' new Cuban diner, Rosa Blanca. Order the Tortilla, a classic Spanish omelet with serrano ham and a touch of saffron aioli.

Grab a coffee and head out on a 3-mile stroll through Philly's most historic neighborhood, home to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the National Constitution Center, then down Market Street through the heart of City Hall and across the Schuylkill River on your way to lunch.

Burn: 170 calories
Eat: 241 calories

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Lunch: University City

Photo: Vanessa Beahn
Once you hit the bridges, you know you're almost there—to Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga's heavily researched Southern comfort-food joint, The Fat Ham. Inspired by Nashville's classic versions, Sbraga's hot chicken took the city by storm this year. It's a caloric splurge, to be sure, but it's some of the best fried chicken you'll find: buttermilk-soaked, fried crisp, tossed in cayenne-based hot sauce, and served over house-baked white bread. Pair a drumstick with a craft beer and you'll be ready to walk back into Center City for an afternoon workout.

Burn: 82 calories
Eat: 649 calories

 

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Breaking a Sweat: Center City

Photo: Jeff Von Hoene
If the hot chicken wasn't enough to raise a few beads of sweat on your forehead, then this certainly will: Yogahour at Maha Yoga provides a great workout for those of you looking to downward face your dog in a 60-minute drop-in friendly session.

Burn: 478 calories

 

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Snack Break: Midtown Village

Photo: Felicia Perretti
Now that your workout is done, it's time to eat again, right? If you're looking for a healthy snack (or just missing your veggies), head a block away to HipCityVeg for a fast-casual bite and maybe a Green Lemonade—kale and fresh-squeezed lemon juices sweetened with agave nectar. But if you have something a bit more unusual in mind, make the quick walk through Midtown Village to 10th Street, where chef Ben Puchowitz's Cheu Noodle Bar offers some of the coolest snacks in the city—like broccoli. No, seriously, like broccoli. Trust us on this: Cheu's broccoli, with just a bit of Vietnamese sausage, crushed peanuts, and soy, is unbelievable. While you're at it, add an order of the house dumplings with chili oil. Why? Because you've earned it.

Burn: 82 calories
Eat: 605 calories

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A Matter of Will: East Passyunk

Photo: Felicia Perretti
The walk from Cheu to your next stop is long, but we wouldn't send you all the way to South Philly if it weren't worth the trek. Be strong, stay on target, and head for Will, chef Chris Kearse's modernist French spot. The sweetbreads with quinoa, carrots, and black garlic are a perfect way to start the meal, followed by anything he does with a duck (flavored with persimmon and served over lentils with a toasted honey jus, most recently).

Burn: 136 calories
Eat: 1,070 calories will

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Nightcap: Chinatown

Photo: Felicia Perretti
If you're up for a little more fun, head back the way you came and stop off in Chinatown at one of the best cocktail bars in the country—the odd, partially hidden, and absolutely stunning Hop Sing Laundromat. Enigmatic owner Lee (yeah, just the one name) oversees a lovely, dimly lit space hidden behind an unmarked door on Race Street and has assembled a menu of cocktails made from fresh fruit juice and top-shelf liquors, and it's absolutely worth any trouble you might have finding it (look for the gated door and the small buzzer at 1029 Race St.). That ought to be just what you need to get you back to your bed after a day well and truly seized.

Burn: 188 calories
Drink: 207 calories

TOTAL BURNED: 1,136
TOTAL EATEN: 2,772
TOTAL STEPS: 14,000
[NET CALORIES: 1,636]

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