Small Bites

Little Vittles

After my oral surgeon spent three hours ripping out my wisdom teeth and sewing my gums back together, he sent me home with a slightly loopy anesthetized feeling — and a care packet that included a gift certificate to Rita's Water Ice. I stopped over expecting to pick up a quart of an uninspired flavor like cherry to ease the pain. But through my codeine-induced fogginess, I was met, with pleasant surprise, by Rita's newest flavor — sweet tea. What's already everyone's favorite summer drink is now even colder. Try it with a scoop of lemon water ice to create the illusion that you've squeezed in some sliced citrus. —Danielle Zimmerman

Rachel Playe

Located in front of the Howard Gittis Student Center at 13th and Montgomery, Temple's Sexy Green Truck is the school's only eatery with a stated mission of sustainability. It's also one of a handful of venues around campus whose primary revenue isn't derived from the sale of free radicals on a bun. Owner Ruzhvi Gurra buys local to cut down on emissions, and no item is more local than the mini samosas, made right in West Philadelphia. Each samosa is part-soft, part-crispy shell with potatoes and a single pea inside — sort of like a pearl in a clam. Flavors range from citrus-y to spicy to tomato-y, so it's like a wax paper pouch full of surprises. And at six for $1.50 or 12 for $2, they're an inexpensive way to eradicate that last bit of post-lunch hunger. —Andrew Thompson

We've all heard about aloe's skin-primping properties. But you might not know that the stuff you spread on your chapped hands also comes in drinkable form. Available at numerous Chinatown convenience stores as well as on hmart.com, Haioreum's aloe juice comes in a bright green 16.9-ounce bottle, seemingly to remind you that the stuff you're gulping is derived from a lush plant that oozes slimy medicinal goo. The label instructs you to shake well before drinking, and Hairoeum isn't kidding: It's pulpy. Just pour it into a glass and observe all the suspended plant fibers. Thing is, it tastes better than any chilled flora-matter beverage has the right to — sweet and tangy, with a hint of something fruity. (Citric acid and grape flavor explain the zing.) —Meaghan Dorff

The recently opened Cornerstone Market & Produce (19 W. Girard Ave., 215-634-4800) is the first place in the city to sell the Crizza (CREET-zah), a dessert/pizza hybrid created by Cris Defino, the sister of a good friend of Cornerstone co-owner Mike Wilkens. The pastry, which actually looks more like a pie than a pizza, pairs perfectly with java — good thing $2 individually wrapped pieces are kept near Cornerstone's Torreo Coffee station. (Customers can also pony up $15 for a frozen kit to make a whole 9-inch Crizza at home.) For now, the buttery shortbread crusts are available with two fillings: chocolate pretzel and cinnamon crumble. Defino, however, says she's always open to new flavor suggestions for her snacks. —Kelly White