Small Bites

Little Vittles

When you walk up to the aptly named Ultimate Bake Shoppe (Ardmore Farmers Market, Suburban Square, 120 Coulter Ave., Ardmore, 610-649-2332, theultimatebakeshoppe.com), your nose takes in dozens of home-cooked, country-style, must-be-Thanksgiving aromas. And their signature biscotti is responsible for luring in the masses. Joanne and James Dippolito have been baking their biscotti fresh from scratch every day for 20 years — even back when the Farmers Market was located inside a movie theater. Though Jim started with traditional vanilla biscotti, experimentation with bits of this and dashes of that resulted in a number of varieties. Biscotti are made with whole-wheat flour, with all-natural fruits and nuts — no preservatives or unnecessary sweeteners needed. Check out the "Trail Mix," which features apricots, almonds, raisins, chocolate, walnuts, oats and sunflower seeds. —Briana Regan

When zucchini, squash and asparagus hang out together, good things happen. At Rocket Cat Café (2001 Frankford Ave., 215-739-4526), you'll find this trio served in the form of grilled quesadillas and sandwiches on whole wheat. Season it with yeast (often used as a salt substitute) for extra healthy points. Come back the next morning for a bagel topped with their homemade spinach/garlic/onion/tofu cream cheese, or their veggie variety, swirled with chunks of carrot, onion, spinach tomato and red pepper. Our non-veg favorite is the tuna salad sandwich (pictured), which features American cheese, red onion and a surprisingly juicy layer of sliced apples. —Nadia Stadnycki

Garlic is one of the world's oldest cultivated plants, flavoring the cooking of almost every culture in history. Six thousand years of development on the ubiquitous bulb has finally borne technological innovation: Garlic Valley Farms' Cold-Pressed Garlic Juice. Sold in a convenient spray bottle, the aromatic garlic flavoring can be added to just about anything. Try spritzing garlic onto salads or mashed potatoes. Or get unorthodox: Make garlic-scented butter to melt over steaks or chops; a quick garlic vinaigrette for a fried-egg-topped frisee salad; or add the essence into your tomato sauce without the tedious Goodfellas-type razor slicing. Also, doubles as mace in the event of a vampire plague. Available at garlicvalleyfarms.com. —Felicia D'Ambrosio

Don't brew up another gallon of TheraFlu just yet — Franklin Fountain (116 Market St., 215-627-1899, franklinfountain.com) is serving up a much tastier treat for stuffy noses. The Old City ice cream shop has added (non-alcoholic) mead to its sweet menu, which you can catch on weekends during the winter months (Fri.-Sat., noon-mid.; Sun., noon-11 p.m.). Starting as hot, extra-pulpy lemon water, each cup is subtly sweetened with honey, and then infused with cinnamon and nutmeg for a spicy kick. And while hot chocolate will always rule the winter beverage category (sorry, cider, you just can't handle whipped cream), the citrusy, soothing mead is a must-sip for cold season. Of course, a couple scoops of handmade ice cream never hurt a sore throat, either. —Monica Weymouth