NYC's Corner Bistro

Corner Bistro is nearly perfect. I packed in here with wonderful my sister, Laura, and a bunch of strangers on a Friday night while visiting NYC. We all stood in line in a small aisle between the bar and a few tables. The line moved pretty quickly, and the wait was made easy by the beer. McSorely's was available in two varieties, Dark and Light, which in real terms means one that's more malty, or one that resembles an amber ale. Both are decent, but I prefer the dark. At the price ($2.75 for 12 oz) you really can't beat it. I love an decently obscure local brew.

The burger is the reason to visit. The price is great, it's cooked to order, and it's damn good. It will please anyone, whether you like a big juicy burger or a little giddle patty, it's perfectly in between and so delicious. It's probably about a 7oz burger, and the namesake, the Bistro burger, comes with onion, lettuce, tomatoe, pickles, cheddar cheese, and bacon on a squishy white bun. I went with a simple cheese burger on my visit, which I recommend because the meat is flavorful enough to carry the burger. It's hand delivered daily from a butcher around the corner.

The service here is quick. I'm sure it's partly because the menu is so small, but the staff is efficient in the tiny kitchen. Alongside the burgers, fries are crispy shoestring fries that a glistening with hot oil. Like the burger, these are classic fries, and complete the meal.

Bottom Line: There's not much to say about Corner Bistro, because it needs to be experienced. I love this place, wish it was on my block, and look forward to my next visit. If you don't stick to a burger, fries, McSorley's combo, you're crazy.

Deluca's

I love good breakfast, authentic eateries, and a wild environment; and, Deluca's has it all. It's no surprise that one can wait up to an hour in a line snaking down the block for a table on Saturday or Sunday morning.

While my friend Chris and Callen were waiting in line for Pens tickets, I decided to hit up the Strip District and check out this breakfast institution. It's been featured on the Travel and Food networks, and I knew I was in store for something special. There was a huge line of people waiting in freezing weather. Since I was alone, I decided to try and skip the huge line and nab a seat at the bar, which was a stellar idea.

The service here was great. Although everyone working here was buzzing around at incredible speeds, they still regularly checked in on me. After I ordered my food, it came out quickly and I had my refills of coffee. The atmosphere here is my favorite part. A long, counter bar runs the length of the establishment. Behind it are cooks hard at work on equipment that must be at least fifty years old. It it's not broken, don't fix it! I was also in the back, in full veiw of a wipeboard that helps employees keep track of everything. They needed to order five box of coffee and also didn't want employees to forget the holiday bowling party. Simply put: this place is fun.

The coffee is whatever, not bad, not great. For the food, I knew as soon as my eyes set on it: MOAB, or mother of all burritos. This was a huge soft tortilla filled with chorizo, scrambled eggs, hot banana peppers, tomatoes, onions, avocado and homefries. It's topped with salsa, cheddar and sour cream. Overall, delicious. There's a lot of flavors going on, but I really enjoyed this, and it was certainly filling enough to keep me going until dinner. Deluca's doesn't use the best ingredients, and it wasn't the most delicious breakfast, but I really enjoyed my visit. I'd go again.

Bottom Line: Enjoy the show by sitting at the bar. Marvel at the staff, and soak up the atmosphere. The food's not bad either. Cash only.

Sassafras International Cafe

Sassafras, you're misplaced. Olde City is a sea of poor service, overcrowded bars, and annoying patrons. You escape the pitfalls and stand out.

I've been meaning to eat here for years. And there's a lot to like about this place. As soon as you step inside, the decor stands out. Simple, historic, well taken care of. A long wooden bar leads along one side with small dining area in the back. There's a fireplace, but sadly, it's not in use. There's also an awesome textured ceiling. And I hear the lady's room is a sight to see.

I was out with my good friend Cambria while we were waiting for a showtime of "Black Swan." I didn't get anything to drink, but the beer list was respectable. Lots of local beers. There isn't anything that isn't readily available elsewhere, but still good choices nonetheless. There's also an extensive whiskey list.

Our server was excellent. He had a fantastic dry sense of humor, and he was on top of everything all evening. He knew a lot about the menu, including the fat content of all of the different burgers, which was helpful info and impressive. We both opted for burgers, medium-rare lamb for myself and veggie for Cambria. They were served with sweet potatoe fries and garlic aioli, and both of these were great.

My burger was excellent. It was juicy, and cooked exactly right. The lamb was a great meat for the burger, with a different taste than beef but the same consistency and texture. There are a lot of options for toppings and cheese, but I went simple with American cheese. Overall, it's an excellent burger, and probably the best in the area. It's also pretty sizable, I'd guess between 6 and 8 oz. The veggie burger is impressive, with a red bean and wheat base. It actually tastes good and has a pretty palatable texture. I don't eat veggie burgers often, but I could certainly enjoy this one.

Bottom Line: I don't make my way down here often, and Eulogy is still my first choice. But Sassafras has a nice bar, a great atmoshpere, good service, and tasty burgers. It gets my recommendation, even if it may be quite some time before my next visit. Still, I wouldn't recommend showing up here after 8:30 on the weekends.

Primanti Brothers

I've been busy with classes, but that's all done for a few weeks. I've been doing some traveling, and I want to get some pictures up about some of the food I had outside of Philadelphia. When I get back to Pittsburgh, I always make an attempt to eat at Primanti Brothers. These sandwhichs are delicious, and impossible to imitate. They stack griddle cooked meats, prefectly seasoned cole-slaw, and fries on squishy white bread in a heavenly combination. The sandwhiches are whipped out on pieces of wax paper and the whole atmoshpere of the place is quick and gruff; get in, eat, and out.

I was out with my good friend Callen and we split two different sandwiches, the pastrami and the capicola. Both were excellent, but I prefer the pastrami, which in my mind, is the best and most classic sandwich they serve. There's actually a lot of options on the menu, but stick to the

I love this place, its a Pittsburgh institution, and I recommend everyone to hit it up when your in Pittsburgh, and regularly if you live there.

Best of: Condiment

I know, maybe doesn't seem like a sexy category for my intermittent "Best of" posts. But when you get the perfect sauce that compliments your food, it completes the meal. And a few places are taking their sauce concoctions to the next level. I have a lot of favorites, so I'm going tomention three, instead of just one.

Honorable mention: Eulogy's "Bat out of Hell" wing sauce. This is a great sauce that uses chili paste that's sold alongside sriracha. The wing sauce is a perfect combination of tangy, sweet, and hot. I love that it's unique and made in house. They didn't try and emulate other wings that you can get anywhere else, but really strove to create a new taste, and they did so with great success.

Runner up: Duck sauce at Tamarind. While dining there recently, I had the spring rolls with a side of this wonderful sauce. It blows the stuff you get out of the packets away. It's perfectly tangy, light enough to let the flavor of the spring come through. I like duck sauce in general, but this is really stepping up the game.

First Place: Mustard aioli made with Yard's Porter at Kraftwork. This is by far the best condiment I've had at a restaurant, and probably hands down. The most amazing part is that I don't really like mustard all that much, making my raving about Kraftwork's sauce even more impressive. The kitchen dishes out little bowls of this with the burger and fries, and I can't get enough. I'd buy it in a second if they put it in a jar. I'm generally on the Kraftwork bandwagon, but even if I wasn't, the mustard is reason enough to visit.

Dang, all that just made my hungry. What are your favorites?

Tamarind

I can't recall the last time I had Thai food. And I love a good Thai meal. And good BYO, and a decently priced restaurant. Enter Tamarind.

Quinn lives around the corner for this spot and had never tried it out. It was a perfect spot for us to hit before catching a movie. Before dinner, I did some research and found that a riesling is probably the best wine pairing for Asian food. I picked one up that wasn't too fruity, yet had enough flavor to compliment the relatively big tastes served up by Tamarind.

We only had a short wait on a Friday night. Once inside, we were seated quickly and the impeccable service began immediately. Before we have even settled down at our table they took our bottle of win and brought it back in a wine chiller. The atmosphere is nothing special, but enjoyable enough. It's a good place to grab food, but you're not going to impress anyone here either.

The menu offers a lot of different choices, and I could be happy eating here a few times without repeating anything. We split appetizers of the chicken spring roll and steamed dumplings to start out. Both of these offered a lot of different flavors, and they were excellent renditions of standard dishes. Neither did anything new or exciting, they were just good. And I like that.

Shortly after we finished our first course, the mains showed up. The first was a Tamarind Spicy Noodle dish with pork. I liked this a lot; with the pork stir-fried with red pepper and large noodles. It was the heavier of the two dishes we ordered. It was good, but the real star of the meal was Pad Wonsoon. it's a rendition of a standard Pad Thai dish, with chicken and shrimp. Overall, it's very tasty, with the dish complimented by glass noodles.

Bottom Line: Tamarind is not breaking new ground, but they understand their food and craft well. There's so much to like about Tamarind. It's not going to change your life, but they provide great Thai dishes at reasonable prices and a BYOB to boot.

Essentials:

117 South St (at Front)

215-925-2764

Hours: Daily for dinner, lunch also on Fri, Sat, Sun

Avg Ent:10-15

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Accepted

BYOB: Yes

Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse

While visiting Asheville, NC, I was searching for the best BBQ places to eat. While on my Internet hunt, I kept turning up results for Sweet Lucy's, which was in my hometown on Philadelphia. I didn't help me at the moment, but it instantly made it onto my must-try list.

I made the way out to the Northeast for dinner with Jonny and Kristen with out love our barbecue ready to be satiated. Sadly, we went on Monday night, which only offers a $20 all you can eat buffet. We were able to order take out though, so the night was salvaged. Peering into the dining room, I saw that we wouldn't be missing much in the way of atmosphere. The buffet was small but seemed to include most of sides and all of the meats. I can't and don't want to eat $20 worth of food, so the take out menu was a good alternative.

There are a lot of good options on the take out menu, and there are different meals to feed any number of people. For the three of us to split we ordered a pound of four different meats, a half rack of ribs, four different sides, and cornbread. We ordered and only had to wait a short time to get our food.

Back at my house, we divided up all of the food onto our plates. The first thing I had was the baked beans, and it was basically love at first taste. The baked beans, like nearly everything I ate from Sweet Lucy's, had such a good flavor. The blend of spices on the sides, meat, and sauce was perfectly blended. The mashed sweet potatoes were also a delicious side dish, and I would say those two are must-trys. I was less than impressed, however, with the creamed spinach.

For the meats, we got to try five different things. We had smoked kielbasa, which was good if you're a fan of the meat, but didn't lend itself well to the BBQ style. We also ordered the beef brisket, pulled pork, and pulled chicken. All of these were tasty, with the pork being my favorite. I was impressed with all of them. Still, because the same sauce and general cooking method is used with the aforementioned three, the only real difference lies in the texture of the meats. Stick with the one you like the best for your preferred Lucy's experience.

The ribs were very good, but not as tender as I like. The taste and blend on the meat was awesome, but the cooking could use some work. They were still excellent. The cornbread was a perfect accompaniment, tasty and moist. At the end of the evening, we all had enough to eat at about half the cost of the buffet. I can't really see any benefits to eating in at Lucy's, but it's nice that it's BYOB.

Bottom Line: I'm holding Lucy's to a very high standard. And despite that, they still pass in my book. I love barbecue and there's so many good options at Lucy's. I like this place a lot and plan to eat here again, annoying Northeast visit and all.

Essentials:

7500 State Road

215-331-3312

Hours: 11am-9pm daily

Avg Ent: 10-20

Cash Only: No

Reservations: No

BYOB: Yes

White Dog Cafe

I finally got to visit this spot. It's tucked away on the 3400 block of Sansom, which is a charming little block with great house facades that have been turned into businesses. I had never even been down this street and it's a nice stroll through the generally otherwise annoying University City area.

White Dog has a neat atmosphere; it's a maze of different rooms set up as small dining rooms. The decorations are laid on pretty thick, and it's a great conversion of a house to restaurant without losing any of the charm. The service was swift and pleasant throughout the meal. I met here with my friend Quinn on a beautiful Saturday morning. Surprisingly, White Dog wasn't even close to full at 11am on a weekend.

I've heard complaints about the prices here, but I found it in line with other brunch places. The exception is the drink menu. Bloody Marys and mimosas for $9 are just far too high. I stuck with coffee for the morning, and was happy with the fresh brew they kept pouring.

Looking over the menu, there were several good options, but I landed with the steak and eggs. The dish had a good presentation, and overall I was satisfied with my choice. My only complaint was that the texture of the steak, in fact I question whether it truly was steak. It seems like a roast that was cut into strips before being topped with the other ingredients. Nonetheless, the dish was tasty and satisfying. Quinn ordered an omelet that came with mushrooms, onions, spinach, and smoked cheddar. She loved her option for brunch and the sample I had was good. She also opted for a side of extra crispy bacon, and it was cooked perfectly to her specification (although not to my taste).

Bottom Line: There's not enough going on here to make me want to make the trip regularly, but I do believe that White Dog Cafe is serving up the best brunch in West Philly. I enjoyed my brunch.

Rumor: Turducken

I've read that Jake's Sandwich Board (122 South 12th Street) is going to feature a Turducken sandwich for the rest of the month. I'm not sure if they'll keep up with it until the end of November, so look for me to hit it up soon and post some (hopefully delicious) pictures and thoughts.

Bridget Foy's

Wednesday night, $10 for a burger and a craft beer. You really can't beat that. And it's a great idea because it got me in the door at a place I would have never gone otherwise.

There's a lot going on at Bridget Foy's. Outdoor seating, a nice sized bar with a huge plasma screen, semi fancy dining room, 3rd floor function room, and weird 2nd floor overflow seating: they all converge here, somehow. The atmosphere isn't too much. As a restaurant, I think it's a little overpriced for what it is. That being said, the service is great. Throughout the whole night our server was nice and attentive.

The tap list is small, but crafted with care. Lager and Kenzinger are standard while four taps rotate respectable beers. I had the Stoudt's scarlet lady ESB, which went nicely with my food. I was visiting with Lulu, and she opted for a pumpkin beer, I forget the exact one.

There are several different burgers on the menu, and we opted to split the Head House and the New Mexico burgers. I'm usually a medium rare guy, but I have to admit the the medium we ordered was impressive. It wasn't juicy, but the medium cooking complimented the loosely packed and well flavored meat. The Head House burger, my favorite for the night, was topped with an egg, mushrooms and gruyere. The New Mexico was also good, with a little spice added by the chipotle aioli, roasted green chiles, and pepperjack cheese.

While the burgers are well-made, the choice of toppings is also a great craft and I applaud Bridget Foy's for working to have a few, thoughtful good cheeseburgers. They come topped on perfectly buttery roles that compliment the burger.

We were too full to have dessert, and I criticize the place for offering a dessert menu without prices, but our server brought out tiny complimentary slices of a chocolate cake that were delicious. If I wasn't so full, I would have liked to have a slice.

Bottom Line: With the general atmosphere and location of this place, it's not really my spot. The prices are a little high, but when you're selling your burgers that are normally 11-13 dollars at $10 with a beer, you can expect me to show up. Wednesday night: great burgers, and a decent spot.

Essentials:

200 South St (at 2nd)

215-922-1813

Hours: M-F: 8am-10pm, S: 9am-midnight, S:9am-10pm

Avg Ent: 10-18

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Accepted for dining room, not for burger night

Photo: Copyright © 2010 Unbreaded. All rights reserved. Please contact to request use. Credit: Michaelangelo Ilagan / Unbreaded

Rumor: Stephen Starr's Bier garden

I want to stress that this post is based on no info other than my speculation. You may know that a beer garden from Philly's Stephen Starr is underway. While on my run last week, I went past the space. Work is underway, the outdoor space looks quite big, probably seating at least 75. I'm at least excited to see how this all turns out. If nothing else, hopefully it will convince Johny Brenda's to charge reasonable prices for their beer.

Slack's Hoagie Shack

I was checking in on a claim that Slack's has an excellent cheesesteak. Since Griladelphia went out of business, I've been craving a good cheesesteak place close to my house.

We ordered cheesesteaks while my mom was in town. She knew I'd be posting arrview, so she took notes as she picked up the food. The place was friendly and busy. There seemed to be a lot of regulars, and everyone behind the counter was at work on the lunch rush. Slacks has a pretty large menu, with subs as the main player, but wings, ect ect.

They charge extra for cheese wiz, which when talking about Philly cheesesteaks should be standard. Other than that, I was quite happy with everything from Slack's. The hoagies are pretty big, and everything here is reasonably priced. The meat is high quality, thin sliced and griddle cooked, as it should be, and it's clearly a good representation of a Philly cheesesteak. It's bigger, better, and cheaper than something you'd grab at Pat's or Geno's.

Bottom Line: There's not too much to say about this place. It doesn't blow me away, nor does it disappoint. Slack's doesn't do anything amazing, but it's a good cheesesteak, and I now know where to go when I need one.

Essentials:

2499 Aramingo Ave

215-423-4020

Avg Ent: 5-8

Cash Only: No

Victory Brewpub

Victory is a great brewery. I'm glad to have it in the area. Still, I wish the brew pub was a bit closer. It's about a 45 minute drive from Philadelphia, but is completely worthwhile. Upon walking in, I was surprised. The brew pub, which is tucked away in a forgotten corner of a suburban housing development, is huge. Despite the size, and I'd guess it seats around 200, the place was packed. I was visiting with my good friends Allie and John and we had to wait almost an hour for a table.

Waiting here isn't really an issue. You can make your way to the bar and order drinks. Everything comes in two different sizes, and the prices on beer are reasonable. Victory boasts an impressive beer list, 22 Victory taps, four of which are hand-pump. While you're ordering at the bar, marvel at the growler filler that seems to have come from the future. Victory has their standard rotation, as well as one offs, rare, and out-of-season beers. I had the delicious Zeltbier, an Octoberfest style lager that is so new that I couldn't find a shred of information about it online. Growlers are on sale on site ($15) and cost between 7 and 11 dollars to fill. It's a great deal on some brewery fresh beer.

You can also visit the on-site store while waiting. They have interesting merchandise for sale, although I'm always confused as to why I can't buy koozies at breweries. The atmosphere overall is a bit weird, it's large and crowded like a beer hall, but filled with families, yuppies, and suburbanites. The service was a bit lacking too. Once we were seated, it wasn't bad, but we saw tables sit dormant for upwards for 20 minutes while parties crowded the door waiting for seats.

The menu here has a lot of interesting options, and I love that they suggest a beer pairing for every menu item. It's divided into two parts, a standard menu that consistently offers traditional bar and pub fare, as well as a large rotating menu that offers seasonal and special dishes.

I opted for the spicy pork loin topped with blue cheese and pear on a bed of sweet potatoes. There was a lot going on with this dish, and the chef perfectly blended the flavors. I was quite happy with my choice, especially considering this is the kind of place where I'll usually ordered a cheeseburger and not expect too much. Allie ordered the same dish I did and was also satisfied with it. John ordered a jerk chicken grinder that was a great rendition on a fairly standard sandwich. As a side we ordered fries, and were served with a bowl of steak and sweet potato fries topped with leeks. The fries, like all the other dishes we had, have an extra touch that put them above what you'd normally expect.

Bottom Line: I like victory's beer, and I like this place. It's way too far out of town for me to become a regular, but the option for limited edition beer and the cheap growler fills are definitely a draw. Everyone should visit at least once.

Essentials:

420 Acorn Lane, Downingtown, PA 19335

610-873-0881

Hours: M-Sat 11:30-12, Sun: 11:30-10

Avg Ent: 10-17

Cash Only: No

Reservation: Not taken

Best Of Philly: Chicken Wings

I don't need to write too much, because my best of Philly chicken wings write up is likely to be a repeat of my previous entry on Moriarty's. I won't focus on the less than finer points of this establishment and get right to the wings. They're nearly perfect. For my taste, the sauce is spot on. It's spicy, but not over done. It has the classic buffalo flavor. I want to taste it right now just thinking about it. For size, these wings are great. There aren't many places that serve up full wings, and Moriaty's serves up large, full wings. They're cooked just right, with a crispy skin and tender meat underneath. No breading. And any chicken wing is incomplete without celery and blue cheese on the side. Again, Moriaty's doesn't fail. I don't love this place, but the delicious wings make me a regular customer. These are truly the best wings I've found in Philly.

Deals on Food in Philadelphia

If you haven't signed up for Groupon or their daily email, I highly recommend it. Today's deal is for the Marigold Kitchen, which I wrote about all the way back in June of 2009. It's definitely a good deal on a charming BYOB.

Also, I'm not on to repost, but I'm sure a bunch of people still need to bear about the excellent deal at Bridget Foy's. $10 on a Wednesday night will get you a 1/2 lb burger and a beer. With 60 minute IPA on the list and a menu of burgers with thoughtful toppings, I'm aiming to hit this up soon.

If you haven't signed up for Groupon in the past, I'll happily take your referral. We both get $10 credit after your first purchase. My email address is wgkealey at gmail. Let me know of other deals, let me know where you find the best ones. Opentable.com just launched a group buying programs where they offer half off $50 gift certificates from a different spot each week. Check out the current deal here.

Fractured Prune donuts

Driving down the Costal Highway in Ocean City, MD is fun. And while cruising with my friend Dan, he pulled into the Fractured Prune. Now I'm not crazy about donuts and I thought this joint had a dumb name, but when he walked in to order a half dozen, I followed him nonetheless.

Upon entering, I was pleasantly surprised; nay, blown away. After navigating through the small crowd of hungover bros, we stepped to the counter. Behind the register was a conveyer belt of hot fresh donuts pouring into a small bin in the staging area. They were just old fashioned, regular donuts; no glaze. Even by themselves they would have been some of the best donuts I've ever tasted.

Here's the trick, they're basically made to order donuts. They have several glazes, and more than a dozen crushed toppings. They will basically make anything you can think of, but the menu consists of the most tried and true. You can have their take on a reese's cup: peanut butter glaze with mini chocolate chips. Or my personal favorite: mocha glaze with crushed oreo crumbs. You can check out the whole menu here.

Bottom Line: They start with awesome donuts, and they're hot and fresh. Topping them with great glazes and ingredients only makes things better. These are delicious donuts, and this place is open to franchise. Please someone hop on this for Philadelphia and I'll do my best to personally keep you in business.

here's a picture I didn't take:

Best of Philly: Bartender

In an effort to bring more content to my blog, I'm going to start a "best of" category. I'd like to do this weekly, but the amount of research required, along with the relatively low priority of this blog compared to other things going on in my life, will inevitably lead me to fall behind.

To start, I'd like to mention my favorite bartender: Dave from Eulogy. He's usually working the lunch shift during the week when I'm lucky enough to make it down there. He's friendly, attentive, and on top of his job as a server. It almost seems that everyone is a regular.

He has a great deal of beer knowledge without coming off as condescending. He is able to give great beer recommendations, and I've had some excellent beers served by him. Too bad I usually go for the most expensive beers.

He's also started his own website, which I'll take an opportunity to plug: sketchjobs.com.

Bottom Line: I really enjoy going to Eulogy, and Dave just makes the experience that much better. I recommend visiting and asking him for some beer selections, and then seeing where the day takes you.

Noble American Cookery

I can't tell you the last time I so quickly decided that I wanted to revisit a restaurant. Noble was one of my picks for this round of restaurant week. I'm not sure how it ended up on my radar, but I'm really happy that I ended up there.

I dined with my good friend Quinn, and we met for dinner on a Friday night. We were seated quickly and began to look at the menu. The decor of the place in simple, earthy and elegant. I didn't see the bar, but I've heard it's also nice.

While we were still looking over the menus, we were brought a small taste, fried haddock with capers. It was good, and piqued my interest for the rest of the meal. For our appetizer, we both ordered the scallops. They were good and well cooked, but they should have more thoroughly washed. They were a still a bit sandy, but this was my biggest complaint of the night.

For my main course, I ordered the hanger steak. I ordered it as the chef recommended, medium rare, and was really happy with this dish. The steak was a good cut, and cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was served with mushrooms which accompanied the steak quite well. Quinn ordered a gnocchi, which was fabulously done. Perfect portion, cooking, and presentation made this tasty dish a real star.

Dessert was good, a great well to end the meal at Noble. I ordered a parfait that came with delicious toffee syrup. Quinn had a Vanilla pana cotta with berries. We both enjoyed our desserts. We swapped for a moment, but we generally like what we order on our own.

Noble also features local and organic food. While this idea can sometimes become a gimmick, it's not at Noble. They are serving excellent food and also happen to be conscientious about where it comes from and how it is grown. Impressively, they have a rooftop garden which features ingredients in several of the dishes. This idea is even extended to the beer selection, which consists of a lot of respectable locals, Yards, Victory, Troegs, PBC, and the likes while also offering featured beers from lesser known breweries in the US. To top it off, some of these featured beers are generally unavailable in the city, which is impressive for Philadelphia.

One of my favorite things about Noble is there is a beer and a wine pairing suggestion for each item on the menu. The pairings are well thought out, and our server was knowledgeable enough to talk about the menu, pairings, and drinks. The service was leisurely, but overall good. Our server was a little goofy, but added to our overall experience.

Bottom Line: Like I said, I can't tell you the last time I so quickly declared I wanted to revisit a place again. There's a lot to like about Noble. It's pretty, the food is good, and the menu has a lot of interesting options. I'm looking forward to my next visit. (Want to go, Mom?)

Essentials:

2025 Sansom St (at 20th)

215-568-7000

Hours: T&W: 5-10; Th&F: 5-11; Sat: 12-11; Sun: 11-9

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Strongly recommended

BYOB: On Sundays!

Kelliann's Bar & Grill

I've ridden my bike past Kelliann's at least a hundred times. And while that's no exaggeration, I didn't know the name of this place until I visited last week. If you're unclear of the spot I'm referring to, you may know it as I did: "Crappy Irish place on the corner of 16th and Spring Garden." But my previous title and judgement were way off the mark.

This place is pretty small; a long bar greats you at the door and runs almost the entire length of the skinny space. Some outdoor seating surely helps this place from seeming too crowded. Upon entering, I looked towards the taps to judge the place. Some regular locals, plus Sam Adams, a few Irish brews, and the real star of the day, Spaten Octoberfest. This is a tasty beer, and at $5 for a 20 oz mug (in proper glassware, if that's your thing) it was a great deal. Overall, the beer list is nothing special, but you should be able to find something that will pacify if not satisfy.

The place doesn't have much atmosphere for itself, but it surely has an interesting collection of patrons. Off duty nurses, construction workers, staff and students from nearby CCP, and folks like myself are elbow to elbow at the bar. To help me feel more at home, our bartender was friendly welcoming, and attentive.

Looking at the menu, I received the biggest shock. Almost everything on the menu was between 5 and 7 dollars, and included items such as a cheeseburger, turkey club, 10 piece chicken wings, steak sandwich, and the likes. Not incredible food, but decent food at a good price. I had a few wings, which were solidly average, but enjoyable. The turkey club was also good, and included a ridiculous amount of sliced turkey, and was topped with cheese. I'd eat here again.

Bottom Line: Kelliann's isn't amazing. But the good deals on food and beer, coupled with good service and real people make this an enjoyable joint. Everyone should at least give it a chance.

Essentials:

1549 Spring Garden (Spring Garden and 16th)

215-563-6990

Avg Ent: 5-7

Cash Only: No

Reservation: No

St Stephen's Green: Is this normal?

Am I crazy, or are experiences like this abnormal?

Wow. I've visited this place before an been indifferent. But my last visit was a different story. I walked into the pub for lunch, and was causally browsing the beer list. It seemed a just slightly overpriced to me (if everything would have been even just $.50 lower I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.) $7 for Southern Tier's Pumpkin beer, $4.50 Brawler, $4 Yuengling, etc. Not the best prices around by any stretch.

As Dan and I were browsing the beer list, the bartender looked over at us and said, "If you're going to think about having a beer, I'm going to need to see your ID."

I jokingly replied, "Well, you don't need to see ID if I'm thinking about it, just if I'm going to order one." I meant no harm at all, and continued to look to decide on a beer. But said bartender was not amused. The response I received was, "If you want to order a beer while you're here, I'm going to need to see your ID, RIGHT NOW."

Woah dude. You're taking this a bit far. It's lunch time, there's four people sitting at the bar. You're not overworked, and I'm taking my time looking at the beer. No crime here.

I quickly decided that I didn't want to be here, and as I was walking out the bartender said bid us fairwell, but in a tone that suggested "Get out of here and don't come back."

We had one more exchange, and I can't recall exactly what was said, so I won't try to paraphrase and then misrepresent his or my words. What I've written in quotes in nearly verbatim. He projected the message clearly that if we didn't show ID immediately, we were not welcomed at the bar, even to browse. Keep in mind I'm talking about 1pm on an uncrowded weekday.

I actually had my ID on me, and don't mind getting carded. I do mind being treated with condescension and rudeness.

I decided I didn't really like the beer list, and certainly did not like my potential bartender. I walked out and will never visit again.

Le Bec Fin

With Le Bec-Fin aiming it close its doors in the near future, and a chef's tasting menu running, I jumped at the chance to make reservations and dine here. The atmosphere is wild; it's like eating in a elaborate hotel. I don't know if I've ever dined at a place this fancy.

The service is an almost perfected choreographed show. Each person had a specific job; there's the bread person, the wine person, food runners, waiters, dessert cart people, ect. It's fun to watch them run around and literally wait on you hand and foot. I did see a few slip ups, like a bottle of champagne that was spilled, or a dish dropped on the floor. It's like seeing a mistake in a movie, it doesn't really bother you and it's fun to notice.

Le Bec-Fin boosts an impressive wine list, but the prices steered me away. I'd have to know a lot about a wine to want to drop 60-160 dollars on the bottle. I was out with Quinn, and we ordered the same appetizer to start our meals. We had octopus that was expertly grilled and seasoned. It was a great way to start the meal.

For my main course, I had stuffed quail. It was a good dish, but I wasn't blown away. Quinn ate salmon, and I think she felt along the same lines. After diner we were both served with a small slice of sheep's cheese from Spain. Again, good, not amazing.

The portions here seem small, but once you reach the end of the meal, it truly has been enough food to eat. At this point in our meal, I was satisfied, but certainly not raving about the meal or the experience. Still, we weren't finished: I had seen the dessert cart pushed by our table a few times while we were dining. I thought I knew what to expect.

The dessert cart girl came over and told us the dozen or so options. I really could have ordered three or four that I would have loved. That's why I was so happy when she told us that we each got to pick two desserts! To top it off, it came with a small dish of dessert bites, compliments of the pastry chef. I had a triple layer rum soaked chocolate cake that was truly amazing. The rum and chocolate flavors combined perfectly for this excellent dessert. My second choice was a coffee cake with cinnamon and a few other additives; the description of it sounded so good but I didn't pay too much attention. Quinn got a coconut cake topped with strawberry and kiwi, which I thought was mild and combined the flavors well. Her last choice was a milk chocolate cream cake with vanilla custard.

Bottom Line: Le Bec-Fin is fine French dining. It's not the kind of place I'd normally eat, and I probably wouldn't go again. That being said, the experience is worthwhile, if not more enjoyable than the food. The dessert cart is the best part of Le Bec-Fin. It's an experience everyone should have at least once. A few hours will fly by before you notice.

Essentials:

1523 Walnut Street

215-567-1000

Hours: 11am-11pm

Four Course Dinner: $80, Six Course: $120

Accepted Cards

Reservations Required

Bar Ferdinand

Bar Ferdinand is a fancy place, and their brunch is no exception. Bryana and I visited on a beautiful Sunday . We ate outside, and the server brought over a water dish for Crosby. Throughout the whole meal, we had great service. The wait staff was attentive at bringing out and picking up dishes, which is crucial because you get so many during the meal. The menu for brunch is small, but offers interesting options. It was a prix fixe menu; each of the three choices was $15. They also offered tasty iced and hot coffee.

The presentation of all of the dishes is great. They also brought out all of the food as it was prepared. It's a bit weird having a side of bacon with nothing else to eat, but I don't know many people who'd be bothered by that.

My meal included the following: thin toast with a sweet tomato paste. It was a great way to start our meal. I followed up with a side potatoes, which were delicious and the most perfectly cooked potatoes I've ever had. My main course was a baked egg; a egg was placed in a bowl with tomato, chorizo, onions and peppers and put in the oven. Green beans were added, and major props for making them a breakfast food. It was an awesome dish. I finished with homemade granola and yogurt, lightly drizzled with fresh honey. I could have eaten a larger dish of this and been satisfied, it was that good.

Bryana and I shared a few things, and she got her own egg dish, which she also enjoyed. We both had enough food to eat, and were able to try a lot of different dishes that had a great variety of tastes.

Bottom Line: This is a great brunch spot. The outdoor seating, quick service, attractive presentation, and delicious dishes are all reasons to start your weekend at Bar Ferdinand.

Essentials:

1030 N 2nd St (at Liberties Walk)

215-923-1313

Takes Cards: Yes

Takes Reservations: Yes

Royal Tavern

The "Royal Burger" is a hot item. If you don't believe me, steer over to the write up about it on Food Network, which calls it the best burger in the state. A more credible write up can be seen at A Hamburger Today. And if you still need more reading material, check Unbreaded. I needed to add myself to this laundry list of bloggers who have written about this famed burger.

I've been to the Royal a few times, and it's never struck me as a great place. The tap list is small, the prices aren't great ($9 for the burger is decent however), and the bar doesn't have much character. I went hoping the burger would be a reason to bring me in.

Before I finished my visit, I had another reason to avoid the Royal. I had the worst service I've experienced in Philadelphia in quite some time. Our drinks took far too long, as did the check. Empty glasses were left on our table, and I was brought the wrong beer. One or two of these may have been understandable, but the overall result was pretty poor.

I was dining with my friend Danny, and he ordered the chicken sandwich. He enjoyed it, but didn't really have too much to say, either. Nothing special. I was hoping that my burger would be something to rave about. On paper, it sounded fantastic: bacon, caramelized onions, smoked Gouda, pickled long hot peppers, and chili mayo.

The pickled long hot peppers had great taste, but they weren't strong enough to stand out with the rest of the flavors. That may be the problem with the burger; too many good flavors mixed together in a way that they just cover up each other.

The bun was thick and dense, and left a lot to be desired. I ordered medium rare, and it came out medium. The result was a dry burger, which wasn't even remedied by the chili mayo. I was underwhelmed by the burger.

Bottom Line: Not the best burger in Philadelphia, or even South Philly. Poor service and a limited beer selection leave a lot to be desired. I haven't been for brunch in years, but I remember liking this spot. They have a lot of veggie options. $17 for fish and chips is a complete joke.

Essentials:

937 E Passyunk (Passyunk between Carpenter and Montrose)

215-389-6694

Hours: 11:30-2am, opens at 10 on weekends

Avg Ent: 9-17

Cash Only: No

Reservations: No

Photo from: A Hamburger Today

McMenimins

I've been meaning to go to McMenimins for months now. It's supposed to be the best bar in Germantown, and I needed to investigate this rumor.

I went out to dinner with John, Allie, and Rachel. The atmosphere here is pretty standard, a long dark bar greets you as from the front door. There is a back dinning room with a handful of tables, and a small outdoor seating area. The quality of seating varies in the outdoor area; one end is quite nice while the other is cramped, separated from the sidewalk only by a chain link fence. Choose your seat wisely.

The prices here are great for the food, and reasonable for the beer. As far as the beer list goes, it is good, even by Philadelphia standards. There have several American craft beers and a few Belgians. I started with the Kwak and then tried an IPA, but the names escapes me now.

Everyone else went with the fish and chips, while I opted for the burger. The rest of the group really enjoy the fish, and liked the fries even more. The first are the twice cooked fries that deliver crispy, perfect consistency inside and out; many spots could take lessons on these great fries.

For my burger, it only came with potato chips, which aren't the ideal side. Other than that, I was very happy with the burger, and would put it in the upper echelon of burgers in the city. The size and proportion of everything was great. I ordered medium rare and it came cooked to specification. It was large and messy, dripping with juices, and if I wasn't in such good company I may have been embarrassed by the process of eating this great burger.

Bottom Line: This is one of the best spots in Germantown. It doesn't have what it takes to bring me from my part of the city, but it's certainly worth visiting if you're in the neighborhood.

Essentials:

7071 Germantown Ave

215-247-9920

Hours: M-S: 11:30-2am; S 4pm-1am; Sunday during NFL 12:30-1am

Avg Ent: 7-15

Cash Only: No

Reservations: No

Pink

I've been traveling a boat load this summer, so I haven't eaten at any new places in Philadelphia in weeks upon weeks. On the way down to Asheville Tim, Jonny and I stopped at the Pink Cadillac diner. This tiny, Elvis themed eatery is located right of the interstate, and seems to be a stop for locals and passerbys alike.

The decor here is crazy. As the name indicates, a Pink Cadillac is sitting in front of the

restaurant. Oddly, there is also a King Kong and Humpty Dumpty out front. Once inside, it seems like a 1950s diner, one that understandably pays homage to Elvis with nearly every inch of wall space.

The service here is fine. Our waitress was pleasent. I don't expect the same speed or quality that I'm used to in Philadelphia, which is good because the South operates at a slower speed.

We got to the restaurant shortly after 11am, which is when breakfast ends. I wasn't thrilled about this, but looked over the menu and ordered the Elvis burger. It's a basically a good version of the Big Mac, right down to the bread in the middle. Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting much from a roadside diner, or maybe it's because the food was great. Either way, the burger here was great. The patties were perfectly cooked and all of the ingredients were to perfect proportions. It was topped with a "special" sauce, and overall was a very enjoyable

burger.

The excellent fries I had as a side order were thick and crispy. Tim ordered onion rings as his side and they were some of the best I've had in a long time. Great meal overall, and a fun place to stop.

Bottom Line:

If you're driving through VA on I-81, Pink Cadillac is a great place to stop at and an even better place to eat a cheeseburger.

Essentials:

4337 S Lee Hwy

Natural Bridge, VA 24578

540-291-2378

Sazon

A faded blue sign hangs over an exterior that needs a lot of TLC. From the outside, Sazon does not look impressive. I didn't know what to expect as I walked into this Venezuelan BYOB. The inside looks much better than the outside, and as we were walking through the dining room to our table, I stole a couple of looks at other people's dishes. I was instantly hooked.

I was out with my fried Sean; we split a bottle of Pinot Noir from Chile. The wine was okay. Our server was nice and attentive. While we were eating, the jovial owner stepped out of the kitchen to check in the with tables. He's passionate about the food and this was a really nice touch. The menu here is pretty extensive. They offer a good mix of appetizers, sandwiches, and entrees, making this a great place for lunch or dinner. The prices are a little bit higher than I expected, but it's offset by the fact that you can bring your own alcohol.

Our appetizer dish came with an empanada stuffed with black beans and cheese. It was basic, but not bad. The corn pastry stuffed with shredded pork was a step up. The meat was well seasoned and cooked, making for a nice little treat. To finish this dish, there were three cheese sticks, but they had puff pastry dough instead of a deep fried shell. The result was the best mozzarella stick I've ever had.

For dinner, we split the huge surf and turf special. The shrimp was decent.The chorizo was excellent, it was well cooked and had a perfectly spicy flavor. The serlion tips were my favorite part of this dish. They were well cooked and incredibly tender. There was a huge flavor to them, but the texture was so good that I didn't care. The dish came with a side salad, avocado, and fried yucca, all which went fantastically with the meat and seafood. It was a great thing to share, because it was a lot of food.

At this point, I was happy with my dining experience at Sazon. But it wasn't quite over. We were staring at a menu with several different hot chocolates that were too enticing to pass up. I can't put into works how good this was. It was a perfect dessert, depite being the middle of summer. I can't imagine how much better it would be on a wintry night. The classic hot chocolate, which is a "must taste", is a thick blend from five different kinds of chocolate. It's reason enough on its own to visit Sazon. We also ordered the orgasmo, which was a blend of peanut butter and Kahlua. It was good, but nothing compared to the classic.
Bottom Line: Sazon is a unique spot that is definitely worth visiting. The food, service, and atmosphere are all good, but not amazing. The hot chocolate, however, is fantastic.

Essentials:

9th and Spring Garden

T&W 5:30-9, TH 5:30-10, F 5:30-11, S 11:30-10, S 11:30-9

Accepts Cards

BYOB

Pope: Pub on Passyunk East

I recently revisited this spot. Because it's so far from where I normally hang out, I rarely make it here. The Pope is an all around solid spot, and I'm sure I would visit a lot more if it was closer to me. Everything that they do is well done, but nothing stands out as excellent.

For atmosphere, this place is dark and cozy. If you're visiting during the day, expect to be blinded as soon as you walk out the door. The bartenders are friendly and attentive. The beer selection is very good, even by Philadelphia standards. They had a few beers that I hadn't seen on tap in the city or had not seen in a good while. It's nice to find a bar that can craft a good beer list in a city where standards are so high. They have one flat screen TV in the corner if you're trying to catch some sports.

For food, I had the Pope Burger. I'm drawing a blank on the toppings, I think I had a red onion, lettuce, tomato, and American cheese. I ordered medium rare and it came out cooked perfectly. While not the best burger in the city, it will certainly satisfy you. Dan ordered fish and chips, which he deemed best fish can chips value (at $8) that he has found in the city.

Bottom Line: Pope isn't doing anything amazing, but they're doing everything very well. You won't be disappointed when you visit.

Misconduct Tavern

While I was initially thrown off by the overly enthusiastic seafaring theme at Misconduct Tavern, I do aim to try out all different kinds of bars. Coupled with their 1/2 burger Monday, it seems like a good place to try out.

Dan and I visited for lunch. It wasn't busy, and the server was pleasant and attentive. The beer list here is good and has some nice variety and smaller breweries, but not outstanding. $5.50 for Bell's Quinnanin Falls Lager (12 oz), $6 Ommegang Witte oints are slightly overpriced. I dislike bars that don't clearly advertise their prices, and Misconduct provides a tap list without any indication of price.

We ordered wings and cheeseburgers. The wings served are whole wings, I believe an order or five was $9. At that price, I expected nothing short of condor size wings in the most delicious sauce available. In short, they're more expensive and less falvorful and enjoyable than the wings served up at Moriarty's.

We both ordered medium rare burgers. We both received well done burgers. I don't like sending food back to the kitchen, so I ate and enjoyed my burger, but it was an oversight that shouldn't have occurred. The fries served alongside are okay, nothing special.



Bottom Line:

I can get better food, drink, prices, service, and atmosphere within a two block radius. On the other hand, there are far worse places in the same vicinity. If you're going to visit, at least do so on a Monday, when you can get a handsome burger for $5.

Elevation Burger

A few weeks ago I grabbed a great deal on Groupon: A $20 Elevation burger coupon for $10. I've been meaning to make the trip out here for a while, and at 50% off it's even more worthwhile. Dan and I drove out last weekend. We both love a good cheeseburger, and expectations were high.

In appearance and atmosphere, the location is a pretty standard fast food joint You order at the counter, and take a seat while your food is made. For counter service, the girl taking our orders was pleasant and helpful.

Everything is made to order. The "Elevation Burger" comes with two patties and two slices of cheese on a small bun. I believe they only offer cheddar cheese. At any rate, we weren't offered any choices. Toppings are free, and I went with Elevation sauce (basically Thousand Island dressing), lettuce, tomato, and caramelized onions. The patties are small and thin, but to the perfect amount. The ratios of all of the ingredients are great. The burgers aren't cooked to order; everything here comes out close to well done. While it's not my preferred style, Elevation serves up a delicious cheeseburger. The meat tastes great, and the patties are still juicy despite being well cooked. Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the burger, especially as it was a delicious, well crafted small patty burger. And all that is priced at a cool $6.

I ordered a vanilla shake and fries to round out the meal. The fries are thin cut. Essential, they're a forgettable filler when compared to the burger. You could skip them completely, or order one basket to share among several people. The shake was very thick, but lacked any real flavor and/or texture. I feel like I could make a better one in the comfort of my own home. Neither of these were worth ordering in comparison to the burger.

The Bottom Line: Elevation Burger is delicious. I like their sustainable approach, and it's the closest to In-N-Out we're going to get in PA. While the fries and shakes leave something to be desired, the burgers themselves are reason enough to visit this suburban location. I'll visit again.

City Tap House

Not wanting to squander a rare lunch break in West Philly, Dan and I ventured in search of the best bar in the area. We ended up at City Tap House. This huge new space is beautiful, if weird. Located in the heart of University City, it has the potential to attract an annoying crowd. But we didn’t deal with any of that on our visit. The staff here is great, and our bartender was knowledgeable about his beer. He was willing to pour samples and offered carefully thought suggestions.

The space is beautiful. The bar is probably the largest in the city, and City Tap house also boasts a sizable dining room with an open kitchen. To top it off, there’s an great outdoor area complete with faux fire pits. Overall, the space is impressive and well used. even the bathrooms leave a good impression.

Let’s move on to the important part: Beer. The first time I visited City Tap House I was part of a record setting night: Most taps by a brewery in a single place at once. Ever. The brewery was Bell’s and there were some great beers available. Still, on a normal day, the Tap House boast a quite respectable list. With the sixty taps available, they offer something for everyone and are simultaneously able to have more than a few rare and impressive drinks on tap. I had a black IPA, Hop in the Dark, from Deschutes Brewery, and, at the moment, City Tap House is the only place in the state that has beer from Deschutes. I cannot imagine the person (other than those who do not like beer at all) that is unable to find something enjoyable.

The menu here is impressive. While ordering, I was wrestling between several different choices, and there is a dinner menu available that I didn’t even see. Because I believe the cheeseburger is the standard to which all other food at an establishment can be benchmarked, I ordered one medium rare with mushrooms and bleu. It came out quickly and well cooked. It was a huge burger, and in reality, I should have only ate half of it. Everything on the burger was high quality, with the bleu cheese as an incredible standout. While not my favorite burger I’ve ever had, I have no hesitation putting this on the highest echelon of burgers in the city. The thin, crispy fries perfectly round out the dish.

Dan ordered a pizza, and it came out perfectly cooked. The pizza is cooked in a brick oven, and the result is a crispy, thin pizza that, like the burger, is excellently crafted. Also like the burger, one pizza is more than enough food for one person. City Tap House offers several mouth watering combinations of toppings for the pies.

Bottom Line: Prices are on par with everything else in this area. The space is beautiful and huge, just like the tap list. The food rounds out this contender for the best bar in West Philadelphia.