Restaurant Recommendations for Philly
As my friends used to call me "CFO" (Chief Food Officer) and I'm natively from Philadelphia, I figured I'd pass on some restaurant recommendations in the general area of the city for those that enjoy good food. I've been to a couple of these and am looking forward to checking out a couple more while I'm in town. Cheesesteak? Go to Jim's and skip the Pat's/Geno's silliness (IMO) -Dave http://www.thefarmandfisherman.com/ I haven’t been yet but the reviews are terrific. Might be BYO, not sure. Probably number 1 on my list of places that I need to check out. http://www.akitchenphilly.com/ Just opened, been here once and loved it. Getting great press, chef started Django and Tallulah’s Table. http://amadarestaurant.com/ http://tintorestaurant.com/ Love both of these places, both run by Jose Garces. Amada probably the tougher to get a reservation. Amada has several rooms, the front dining room is probably where you’d want to sit. At Tinto you’d want to make sure your table is not in the basement room. http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/ Great room, excellent food. But you probably have to be in the mood for the menu… http://www.barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/ Love this place – one concern is that the dining room might be a little crammed. http://www.biboubyob.com/ A little off the beaten path in South Philly. Another one I’ve yet to get to but always listed as on the top restaurants in town. Also byo. http://www.vetriristorante.com/ Not been here either, always up there as one of the top restaurants in town. Possibly a bit stuffy, and likely the highest priced place on this list.
As my friends used to call me "CFO" (Chief Food Officer) and I'm natively from Philadelphia, I figured I'd pass on some restaurant recommendations in the general area of the city for those that enjoy good food. I've been to a couple of these and am looking forward to checking out a couple more while I'm in town. Cheesesteak? Go to Jim's and skip the Pat's/Geno's silliness (IMO). Also, try the Roast Pork with Sharp Provolone at Tony Luke's, but skip their cheesesteak. These three are all within a few blocks of the hotel: Best chinese? I'm loathe to give the secret out on this list, but Sang Kee Peking Duck House has the best Peking Duck and Noodle Soups on this continent. Best dim sum? Joy Tsin Lau. Best in the world? Not even close. Best in Philadelphia? Absolutely. Best Vietnamese? Vietnam and Vietnam Palace, conveniently directly across the street from each other, are both great. Best blue crabs? Hit up Dinardo's for the true Maryland-style treat, 120 miles north - but don't wear nice clothing… Best Euro hankering? Monk's Cafe, great Belgian beer & food Best 2AM after-bar snack? Get a hoagie from Wawa – there's not much else open at that hour and there's nothing that satisfies an after-drinking craving like a turkey hoagie. For more fancy fare: http://www.thefarmandfisherman.com/ I haven’t been yet but the reviews are terrific. Might be BYO, not sure. Probably number 1 on my list of places that I need to check out. http://www.akitchenphilly.com/ Just opened, been here once and loved it. Getting great press, chef started Django and Tallulah’s Table. http://amadarestaurant.com/ http://tintorestaurant.com/ Love both of these places, both run by Jose Garces. Amada probably the tougher to get a reservation. Amada has several rooms, the front dining room is probably where you’d want to sit. At Tinto you’d want to make sure your table is not in the basement room. http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/ Great room, excellent food. But you probably have to be in the mood for the menu… http://www.barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/ Love this place – one concern is that the dining room might be a little crammed. http://www.biboubyob.com/ A little off the beaten path in South Philly. Another one I’ve yet to get to but always listed as on the top restaurants in town. Also byo. http://www.vetriristorante.com/ Not been here either, always up there as one of the top restaurants in town. Possibly a bit stuffy, and likely the highest priced place on this list.
Cheesesteak? Go to Jim's and skip the Pat's/Geno's silliness (IMO)
+1 on Jim's at http://www.jimssteaks.com/SouthStreet.html When trying a cheesesteak, consider whether you want cheese and what kind. Some folks get Cheese Wiz (aka "wiz"), of which I am not a fan. There¹s also usually Provolone (my choice) and American ‹ or no cheese at all. You should also decide if you want sauteed onions or not. And then you decide if you want it with Italian marinara sauce (aka a "Pizza Steak" = provolone + sauce) or not. If you do not get sauce, people either put ketchup on the steak, or go without anything extra. You can of course get lots of other toppings, from mushrooms to peppers, but these are your major choices. And you can also do a "chicken steak" which, as you might expect, is chicken instead of beef. Common orders: 1 - Cheesesteak with onions and cheese wiz 2 - Cheesesteak with onions and provolone 3 - PizzaSteak with onions
http://www.thefarmandfisherman.com/ I haven¹t been yet but the reviews are terrific. Might be BYO, not sure. Probably number 1 on my list of places that I need to check out.
http://www.akitchenphilly.com/ Just opened, been here once and loved it. Getting great press, chef started Django and Tallulah¹s Table.
http://amadarestaurant.com/ http://tintorestaurant.com/ Love both of these places, both run by Jose Garces. Amada probably the tougher to get a reservation. Amada has several rooms, the front dining room is probably where you¹d want to sit. At Tinto you¹d want to make sure your table is not in the basement room.
+1 on Amada and Tinto. At Amada (in Old City), if you have just a couple of people they have a bar-height table overlooking the kitchen (kind of like at a sushi bar) that is entertaining to eat at. Jose Garces also has a less expensive location next to Tinto - http://villagewhiskey.com/
http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/ Great room, excellent food. But you probably have to be in the mood for the menuŠ
http://www.barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/ Love this place one concern is that the dining room might be a little crammed.
http://www.biboubyob.com/ A little off the beaten path in South Philly. Another one I¹ve yet to get to but always listed as on the top restaurants in town. Also byo.
http://www.vetriristorante.com/ Not been here either, always up there as one of the top restaurants in town. Possibly a bit stuffy, and likely the highest priced place on this list.
Good list! I also like - http://thepubandkitchen.com/ (gastro pub) - http://twentymanning.com/ (bistro) - http://www.barclayprime.com/ (premium steak) If you like Belgian beer http://www.monkscafe.com/ http://eulogybar.com/ Good and close to the hotel - http://www.elvezrestaurant.com/ (mexican) - http://www.rawlounge.net/ (sushi) And, don't forget to eat lunch of course! If you exit the hotel on market, a block away is the Reading Terminal Market (http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/) which has tons of choices and is very busy at lunch. If you go there, one of my favorite local spots is Di Nic's for a sandwich. My favorite is slow roasted Italian pulled pork, with (sharp) provolone and either spinach or broccoli. See also a local magazine's list of the 50 top places to eat now (not all are in the city center) - http://www.phillymag.com/restaurants/the_philly_mag_50/index.html Jason
On 3 Oct 2011, at 16:23, Livingood, Jason wrote:
Cheesesteak? Go to Jim's and skip the Pat's/Geno's silliness (IMO)
+1 on Jim's at http://www.jimssteaks.com/SouthStreet.html
Curiously the Yahoo! map linked to from their own web site appears to be completely wrong. They've linked to "4th and South" instead of "400 South St". For Google map see http://g.co/maps/a86hm Ray
+1 on Reading Terminal Market. A personal favorite. Good for a quick snack when out and about in Philly is the soft pretzel. Best earlier in the day when freshest. Often had with mustard. Available at most corner food carts/hot dog stands. Aaron Smith First time NANOG conference attendee and long time Philly resident -----Original Message----- From: Livingood, Jason [mailto:Jason_Livingood@cable.comcast.com] Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 11:23 AM To: Dave Temkin; attendee@nanog.org Subject: Re: [Attendee] Restaurant Recommendations for Philly
Cheesesteak? Go to Jim's and skip the Pat's/Geno's silliness (IMO)
+1 on Jim's at http://www.jimssteaks.com/SouthStreet.html When trying a cheesesteak, consider whether you want cheese and what kind. Some folks get Cheese Wiz (aka "wiz"), of which I am not a fan. There¹s also usually Provolone (my choice) and American ‹ or no cheese at all. You should also decide if you want sauteed onions or not. And then you decide if you want it with Italian marinara sauce (aka a "Pizza Steak" = provolone + sauce) or not. If you do not get sauce, people either put ketchup on the steak, or go without anything extra. You can of course get lots of other toppings, from mushrooms to peppers, but these are your major choices. And you can also do a "chicken steak" which, as you might expect, is chicken instead of beef. Common orders: 1 - Cheesesteak with onions and cheese wiz 2 - Cheesesteak with onions and provolone 3 - PizzaSteak with onions
http://www.thefarmandfisherman.com/ I haven¹t been yet but the reviews are terrific. Might be BYO, not sure. Probably number 1 on my list of places that I need to check out.
http://www.akitchenphilly.com/ Just opened, been here once and loved it. Getting great press, chef started Django and Tallulah¹s Table.
http://amadarestaurant.com/ http://tintorestaurant.com/ Love both of these places, both run by Jose Garces. Amada probably the tougher to get a reservation. Amada has several rooms, the front dining room is probably where you¹d want to sit. At Tinto you¹d want to make sure your table is not in the basement room.
+1 on Amada and Tinto. At Amada (in Old City), if you have just a couple of people they have a bar-height table overlooking the kitchen (kind of like at a sushi bar) that is entertaining to eat at. Jose Garces also has a less expensive location next to Tinto - http://villagewhiskey.com/
http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/ Great room, excellent food. But you probably have to be in the mood for the menuŠ
http://www.barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/ Love this place one concern is that the dining room might be a little crammed.
http://www.biboubyob.com/ A little off the beaten path in South Philly. Another one I¹ve yet to get to but always listed as on the top restaurants in town. Also byo.
http://www.vetriristorante.com/ Not been here either, always up there as one of the top restaurants in town. Possibly a bit stuffy, and likely the highest priced place on this list.
Good list! I also like - http://thepubandkitchen.com/ (gastro pub) - http://twentymanning.com/ (bistro) - http://www.barclayprime.com/ (premium steak) If you like Belgian beer http://www.monkscafe.com/ http://eulogybar.com/ Good and close to the hotel - http://www.elvezrestaurant.com/ (mexican) - http://www.rawlounge.net/ (sushi) And, don't forget to eat lunch of course! If you exit the hotel on market, a block away is the Reading Terminal Market (http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/) which has tons of choices and is very busy at lunch. If you go there, one of my favorite local spots is Di Nic's for a sandwich. My favorite is slow roasted Italian pulled pork, with (sharp) provolone and either spinach or broccoli. See also a local magazine's list of the 50 top places to eat now (not all are in the city center) - http://www.phillymag.com/restaurants/the_philly_mag_50/index.html Jason _______________________________________________ Attendee mailing list Attendee@nanog.org https://mailman.nanog.org/mailman/listinfo/attendee
On 10/3/11 8:23 AM, Livingood, Jason wrote:
Cheesesteak? Go to Jim's and skip the Pat's/Geno's silliness (IMO)
+1 on Jim's at http://www.jimssteaks.com/SouthStreet.html
Yes, but Jim's can get just as crowded and touristy as Pat's and Geno's (arguably more so, since it's right on South St.). Of course, I'll be staying out in the 'burbs, where I have my own favorite hoagie/cheesesteak places. +1 on provolone--to me, that's a real steak. Pat's, at least, has turned into a big production operation. The steak you get there has been sitting in a steam tray and is barely warm, which is why people get it with Wiz. (Provolone wouldn't melt.) Go someplace where you can get a steak cooked to order. I think Jim's still does that, if you're willing to wait. With all of the hype around the cheesesteak, people often miss the other great foods of Philly. Here are some of my favorites (and ones that I especially miss now that I live on the West Coast). Note that most of these are available at the Reading Terminal Market (including cheesesteaks at Carmen's, which aren't bad given the close proximity to Loews): o Corned Beef Special: Corned beef piled high on hard rye bread with coleslaw and Russian dressing on the sandwich. It's a cold sandwich. And don't even THINK of replying to this message and saying "isn't that the same as a Reuben?" NO IT'S NOT. Google for both and learn. o Italian hoagie: Better than cheesesteaks IMO. Get one at the Salumeria in the Reading Terminal or anywhere they make hoagies. (Recommendations for Italian hoagies from current residents welcome.) o Snapper Soup: It's a brown fish soup that you can't get anywhere else. Served with dry sherry (which you put in the soup). Originated at Bookbinder's, but other places serve it now. o Scrapple: Yes, I really do like scrapple. My grandfather (from Pittsburgh actually) used to make it. It's more of a PA Dutch dish than a Philly-specific dish. You really don't want to know what's in it or how it's made. o Soft pretzels: Someone already mentioned the traditional ones at the Reading Terminal and they are quite good; those from street vendors are usually very dry and chewy. o Hard pretzels: This is PA Dutch country. Pick up a box of "Splits" from the Unique Pretzel Co. of Reading (Reading proper, not reading Terminal, but you should be able to get them anywhere in Philly, including the Terminal, and possibly the market at Comcast Center). You can also have them shipped directly (I do). o Provolone cheese: Already mentioned this on a steak, but in general, the sharp provolone you get in Philly is just better than anywhere else. Here on the West Coast, what we get is something flavorless that just has the texture of provolone. o Tastykakes: Nuff said. o Mayonnaise--not!: It's really nice to go someplace where people realize that Mayonnaise (or its frou-frou brother, Aioli) does NOT belong on everything under the sun! There was a Philly-themed restaurant in Phoenix (!) which claimed that in Philly, you would be fined and put in jail for 48 hours for putting mayo on a hoagie. Asking for mayo on a cheesesteak or Italian hoagie would be like going into Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco and asking for a vodka and Red Bull. Don't do it. michael
participants (5)
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Dave Temkin -
Livingood, Jason -
Michael Sinatra -
Ray Bellis -
Smith, C. Aaron