Honest Tom's Tacos

"Welcome to Honest Tom's. We have one thing on the menu. And it's so good that it keeps us in business."

That's not what Honest Tom said to me when I ordered a taco on Saturday, but he easily could have. Honest Tom runs a lunch truck off of Clark Park that serves up tacos and iced coffee. I didn't have the coffee, but it is supposed to be excellent.

Tacos come in two varieties, breakfast and chicken. In order to get the best experience, I simply asked for "Two regular tacos with everything," which meant I would be getting them just as they're meant to be eaten.

The wait was longer than expected, but that's okay. It's really a testament to the quality of food. I received two delicious looking tacos. Scrambled eggs were topped with potatoes, homemade salsa, guacamole, and cheese. They were delicious. The proportions of everything and ratios were great. My only complaint is that was when my plate was empty.

Bottom Line: As far as lunch trucks go, these are excellent. Even just as far as "fast food" goes,

these are great. Even just thinking about them now makes me wish I could have one for lunch.

Definitely check these out when you're around. Lunch trucks are easily one of the hidden gems

of Philly food.

Essentials:

Clark Park (43rd and Chester)

Tacos: $3

Marigold Kitchen

It's been a while since I've been out to a nicer restaurant. That' why it was such a treat last night to go to the Marigold Kitchen, especially with my friends Jonny and Amie. Marigold is a converted West Philly house that has been opened up into a nice dining room. The decor is simple and very attractive. Even the bathroom has charm. (Check it out before you leave). We were sat quickly and looked over the menu. The service was good throughout the night. The menu has about a half dozen choices for each course: appetizers, dinner, and dessert. There were good options in each of the sections; repeat customers will not get bored.

We started with a cheese plate, three different cheeses which were each paired with accompaniments. We had a goat cheese, sheep cheese, and one other which was paired with white chocolate. I wish I could remember what it was because it was my favorite. This was an excellent way to start the meal. We enjoyed the Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA with the cheese. It's an outstanding beer. I almost can't wait to have it again.

I usually don't go crazy over food presentation, but when it's a nicer restaurant I kind of expect it. Our food was brought out and looked delicious and clean. The portions appeared to be small, but in hindsight they were prefect. Also, the plates were huge and seemed to dwarf the food a bit. I didn't get a picture of the main dish, which is unfortunate. Amie and I ordered the same thing, Salmon over leeks with butter sausage sauce and fingerling potatoes. Each bite of my meal was a treat. Jonny ordered the halibut with fava beans and a sunny side egg. He enjoyed it, but concluded the salmon was better. Nothing on the dessert menu was jumping out at me, so

we decided to call it a night. Our beer for dinner was Flying Fish's Exit 4. It was good, but couldn't come near our last beer. I'm sure Jonny will do a full write up in the coming weeks.

Bottom Line: This is excellent food. Further, it's a BYOB, and the prices are very reasonable. Tab was just under $100 for three, not including the beer we brought. Phenomenal experience and food for the price; this place is simply stellar. Lastly, Erin O'Shea is the head chef and will be moving on to work on Percy Street Barbecue, which could easily become the best BBQ in the city seconds after opening. It looks like she'll be leaving in a few weeks. If you're planning on stopping by, do so ASAP.

Essentials:

501 S 45th St (45th and Larchwood)

(215) 222-3699

Avg Ent: 19-25

Cash Only: No

BYOB: Yes

Party!

I uploaded the pictures I took the other night from the party. They can all be viewed on my flickr page. I've also just recently starting shooting in RAW and using photoshop to change exposure, color temp, and other settings on my pictures. It's really great:

vs this:

Smokin Betty's

Smokin' Betty's has been open for just over one week. I've been anticipating this place for two reasons: my good friend Brooks is working here. Secondly, I'm always looking for a good BBQ sandwich. My friend Jess and I headed out to check out this new establishment.

Usually I like to talk about food and drink first, but I have to talk about atmosphere. The inside of this place looks excellent. It's just a cool looking spot. It has two levels of seating, with a bar on both floors, and really has the capacity to be a hopping place, in terms of coolness and the sheer numbers I'm sure it will be packing in shortly (after my review is read). I recommend grabbing a seat upstairs, especially a window seat if available. The service is excellent. I'm not just saying this because Brooks was my server; all of the servers tag-team the tables to make sure that everything is taken care of quickly and efficiently.

The menu is impressive. It's much larger than ones I've seen at "real" restaurants in quite some time. There are different sections, with appetizers, small plates, entrees, soups, and salads represented. Lots of choices. There was even a small kids menu with a few choice under $5! Really, it's a great idea and basically unheard of outside of chains. There's an small plate of three sliders featuring three different types of BBQ: great for the indecisive.

I decided to just go for the beef brisquet BBQ. It was a really good sandwich, but not the best I've had. Plus there's enough other great things on the menu that I'd try first before I had this again. One downside was the tiny side of macaroni salad, especially because it was pretty good. I also had a side of onion rings which were standard, but good.

Smokin' Betties boasts sixteen taps which are arranged in order on the bar from dark to light in terms of the color it pours. While this order is a bit arbitrary and has no effect on actual taste, style, or ABV; I like it. It's better than nothing at all. All the beers are American craft brews. While most of the beers are "safe bets" and not very adventurous, there is good diversity and a lot of solid choices. I went with the Yellowtale Pale Ale from Ballast Point, which was good. An easy drinking, light pale ale.

Bottom Line: This place was very slow when I went in, but I suspect it will only be another week or two before it gets busy. It's a cool spot in a good location. The menu is massive and packed with good choices. The prices are decent and there's a few good beers to chose from. It's not perfect, but it's definitely worth a try. I'll check it out again in the future.

Essentials:

116 S 11th St (11th and Sansom)

(215) 922-6500

Avg Ent: 8-16

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Not needed now

Continental

Dear Stephen:

I really like your restaurants. I generally tell people that you're a great restauranteer, and with the number of new places that you open up seems that the general public seems to agree. But I have a few questions.

First, why don't you think beer is important? I mean, when the best thing at the Continental is Anchor Steam, it's kind of a bummer. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was slightly overpriced and really the only decent option. You definitely focus more on the food, but I think you could stand to do both. Is your next venture a beer bar? I wouldn't be surprised. But you might be too busy trying to out do (or ignore) Tochonelli's.

Second, what's up with the Continental. Maybe the question should be what's up with me, becuase I don't seem to like this place as much as everyone else seems to. The food seems overpriced, the portions are small, and the food is decent, but nothing more.

I'll admit, you've cultivated a really cool swanky diner feel where the point is for

everyone to share a bunch of dishes and enjoy themselves. Your servers are great, and overall, this isn't a terrible place. I just don't see any reason why I'd ever come back. There is definitely one shining menu item, the shoestring fries. It's pretty sweet that you can get a heaping pile of decent fries for under $4, with crazy hot mustard in toe. Honestly, if there was some decent beer, I'd stop by for a drink and some fries all the time.

Bottom Line: You're doing a great job. I just think that this place isn't your strongest effort. I'm guessing it's a lot better with a larger group, six to eight seems ideal. This also seems like an ideal people watching spot. As for food and and service, you continue to operate under the "Starr Standard" (I just coined that, how about some kickback?).

Love,

Walter G

Essentials:

2nd and Market, 18th and Chestnut

Avg Ent: 8-15 (but one won't fill you up)

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Recommended

The Abbaye

For some reason, the Abbaye consistently make my list of favorite bars. It's kind of pecular, because this place isn't amazing. I'm going to start out with the things that I dislike, just to get them out of the way.

Nearly every time I'm here, my server is just straight up weird. They don't necessarily provide poor service, unless you think being creeped out while eating or drinking is bad. To top it off, last time I was here I asked my server a simple question about the beer on tap, something along the lines of "Which of these two is more hoppy" and she responded with "I don't know, I don't drink beer." That was it, nothing about going to ask, or that she'd find out for me...not cool. It seems that you can't parade yourself as a beer bar and simultaneously employ that type of attitude. Boo.

The tap selection could be better. To be fair, there is almost always something that I want to try, but I expect more from a supposed Belgian bar. During Christmas they were pouring $6 goblet of Mad Elf, and that was awesome.

On to the good stuff: The food here is awesome, and pretty well priced. I've eaten dinner here, and brunch a few times, and the Abbaye never disappoints. The dinner menu can get pretty hearty; I've had chicken cordon-blue and stew, while the breakfast menu includes normal options like huevos ranchero and other egg dishes. If you ever have a chance to try any other th

eir BBQ, do it.

The atmosphere is nice here, with a log bar and decent seating. There's also outdoor seating when it's nice, and a dart board. This place has the tendency to get overrun with hipsters on certain nights.

Once a month the Abbaye runs a "keep your glass" special from 6 to 8. For $10 you get all you can drink of two different brews from a crafter brewery, like Trogs, Stoudts, Brooklyn, ect. Usually they are the two most basic and/or cheap brews from said companies, but it's still a great deal, and a lot of fun. Just prepare yourself for abysmal service during these specials: (Slower service=less beer for them=more money for them=less fun for me).

Bottom Line: My taste is changing, but I still like these place a lot. It's best bet to reel me in is dinner. I don't recommend that anyone goes out of their way to eat here. This is simply a solid place where you can enjoy good food and drink; a safe bet.

Essentials:

637 N 3rd St (3rd and Green)

(215) 627-6711

Avg Ent: 9-16

Cash only: Card accepted and ATM on site

Reservations: No

Silk City Beer Garden

Friday night the weather seemed perfect, so Rachel and I headed out to check out the new Silk City beer garden before watching a most supreme victory. I had been past this new spot a few times, and it looked cool. At the risk of being redundant, this place is essentially a better version of Standard Tap (which I reviewed a few weeks ago.) I am finally getting it together and taking pictures, too:

For atmosphere, this place is great. It has a lot of seating, with a separate smoking area. It's a big open area with seats for at least sixty, and it's great because there's a lot of room; they didn't cram as many tables in as possible. The decorations are brightly colored, kind of weird and beach themed, but I think it works really well. Another nice factor is that you could easily get a table for a larger group; there was a table of ten seated when we arrived. There's a nice little faux tiki bar that is as cool as it is cheesy.

When the weather is perfect, it aligns with an awesome happy hour M-F 5-8pm. It includes $2 pints of Lager and Kenzinger and $2 High Life bottles, as well as specials on cocktails. Other beers on tap include Stella, Hoegarden, Philly Pale Ale, and one of my current personal favorites Bell's Two Hearted Ale. All pints are $5 or less, and the bar is going to start serving up pitchers "soon." The beer list is weak, but the availability of Bell's makes everything alright.

The menu has a good choice of options, with a few daily specials to mix things up.

I think the prices are about $2 more than everything should be for food. I ordered the crab BLT. It was good, not excellent. The crab was breaded and the ratio was off. The portions are generous. Rachel ordered a salad with tuna and enjoyed it, but hers looked a bit small, like I could have eaten three of them. The food is pretty standard, it seems like there is an overabundance of average to good traditional sandwich and burger bar food. All said, the food is no reason to come here.

The service wasn't great, but I didn't mind too much, either. It didn't really affect me until I was out of beer.

Bottom Line: I will probably be here more than a few times this summer. The beer garden is that cool. I wish they had more beer on tap, and the food was a bit different and/or cheaper. Overall, it's an excellent spot to hit for a drink or two, especially during happy hour, before continuing on your evening.

More pictures on my flickr.

Essentials:

435 Spring Garden (5th and Spring Garden)

(215) 726-2337

Avg Ent: 9-17

Cash only: No

Reservations: No?

Yelp ROTD

I got the review of the day on Philly's Yelp home page for my write up of Iovine Brother's.  Its not much, but I think it's pretty sweet.

Smokin' Betties opens today at 11th and Sansom, and I'll be hitting that up for dinner.  More on that tomorrow.

Zagat Fast Food Survey results

Wow, I've been so busy this week, no time to go out for food or write about it, either.

Notably, Zagat just released a survey on the best fast food burgers. Here's their results:

1. In-N-Out Burger
2. Wendy's
3. Burger King
4. McDonald's
5. Whataburger

Really?? Burger Kind makes the 3rd best burger? This list is absurd. What about Five Guys? Or the little known Northwest chain of Burgerville? Or thousands of other places that are so clearly better than Burger King.

You can read the rest of the results here, which include best fries, salads, ice cream, and more on chain fast food. It contains more laughable results like the notion that McDonalds has some of the best coffee around, and Starbucks has the best (their straight up drip coffee is terrible, but I may be getting spoiled by superb coffee from blew).

Honestly, these survey results seem like a carefully calculated experiment on the fastest way to destroy credibility. Boo on you, Zagat.

Spaghetti Warehouse

It wasn't until about a year ago that I started to get into the really great food and drink scene here in Philadelphia. So as a young college student, it seemed like a good idea to hit up the Spaghetti Warehouse: Mom was passing through town and wanted to grab dinner with me somewhere close to campus. I wanted to get off of Temple's domain, but knew we didn't have too much time, so my mind instantly gravitated toward the Spaghetti Warehouse. It's pretty close and I knew right where it was, because it's impossible to miss.

True to name, this place is a big open spot and has a warehouse/cheap italian restaurant feel. you know, with plastic checkered red and white tablecloths. I guess that could be fun.

To be honest, I don't remember a whole lot about my meal here, everything was average, and in no way memorable. I do know one thing: I haven't had the slightest desire to go back here in the last four years. It's a big chain restaurant that somehow maintains business. I save seen there banner advertising a $5 lunch special, if you really feel the need to visit, lunch is the time to do so.

Bottom Line: The best part about this place is that there website is meatballs.com. Don't go here. There are a lot of better, Italian places. I've never been to Bistro Juliana or Il Cantuccio, I'm just going to guarantee they are better. On a side note, I need to check out those places.

The Plug

The Plug may very well be the best (my favorite) website on the internet.  I found it on StumbleUpon and I almost passed it by before realizing the genius.  This guy Jay blogs about building a fort out of couch cushions and a game he invented called Mystery Wardrobe.  Seriously, genius.  

The best thing I've found yet:  Internet treasure hunt.  Enjoy

Cafe Lift

I just got from lunch from Cafe Lift, and this little cafe is sweet. It's half a block from Prohibition Taproom and has been on my list of places to go for some time. It's only open for brunch and lunch, and the menu is quite limited. It's a bummer that I forgot to take pictures.

Lift markets itself as a "Euro style cafe" but basically only serves up salads and paninis. Is that euro-style? Despite this, there were a few really good options for the sandwiches, from salmon to prosciutto along with the one token veggie option. I had the Cubano sandwich with grilled pork, smoked ham and pefectly caramelized onions. Top that with fontina cheese and aioli, and you have one delicious sandwich. I had to conciously make myself slow down because it tasted so good.

My sandwich was served with mixed greens on the side with a drop of salad dressing. Overall, it was a weak side dish. Our server was mostly attentive, with the only slip up being a few minutes in between the sandwiches being delivered. That can always be awkward for a second.

Cafe Life has a pretty nice modern atmosphere, and sets a few tables outside with umbrellas when it's nice outside, which I love. This place also serves up brunch, but from the limited lunch menu, I'm guessing that brunch doesn't feature anything outstanding.

Bottom Line: The prices are great here, the food is really good, and it's relatively close to where I work. It's a great little spot, but it's not about to become your new favorite cafe. Still, the paninis are well crafted and it's a great light lunch on a beautiful day.

Essentials:

428 N 13th St (13th and Buttonwood)

(215) 922-3031

Ave Ent: 7-9

Cash only: Yes (ATM on site)

Reservations: No

National Mechanics

Since I've been cooking at home a lot, I'm going to draw on my back catalogue of dining out experiences. I've been to National Mechanics a few times, and there is one specific reason that keeps me coming back: The lunch special featuring $5 burgers and decent pitchers, with Yard's and PBC represented.

National Mechanics is a totally weird place. It's some kind of historic building (it looks like a bank from the outside) that has been converted into a great looking bar. It has a nice hardwood bar and a decent amount of high-top tables and booths. As far as service goes, don't expect much. My favorite detail about National Mechanics is there pint glasses featuring local celebs like Rocky, John Street (with Nutter drinking it), Cole Hamels, and the likes.

There is a better than average beer selection, but it's overpriced. Your best bet is to still with the local brews, and last time I went the PBC and Yards were both kicked; no replacements on the horizon. Like I said, don't expect much from the service.

The burger is very good, and at $5, it becomes excellent. It even comes with fries! This place is sweet. There's a veggie burger available at the same price for all of the non-meat eaters.

Bottom Line: This place is great for lunch. I never have been, and probably never will go to this in the evening, partly because of much better options. The beer selection and availability of pitchers is nice, especially for Olde City. There are probably a whole load of people who love this place because it's exactly their kind of "thing." I'm not one of those people.

Essentials:

22 S 3rd St (3rd and Market)

(215) 701-4883

Avg Ent: 5-?

Cash only: No

Reservations: Takes them, not needed for lunch