Eulogy Belgian Tavern

I've written about Euloguy in the past, and my last visit was nothing different. I did, however, use it as an oppertunity to test out my new camera:

The shrimp here are massive. They're cooked in shell, which gives them a great flavor, but can also make they annoying to eat. I highly

recommend these if you're an Old Bay fan. My burger was excellent as well. The day bartender here is awesome, he's knowledgeable about beer, and I always leave having learned something. He knowledge about beer never comes off as condescending either. I love this place for lunch, and I favor this place to monk's because they always seem to have delicious beers on tap that I really love, like Gulden Draak, Kwak Amber, and St Bernardus 12. It's a little pricey overall, but worth it.

Pura Vida

I've pasted Pura Vida dozens of times on my bike, and for some reason, I've always been interested in eating here. I stopped in with Emily on Saturday night for dinner.

Right off the bat, I was surprised by how empty this place was. At 7:30 on a Saturday night, there were only two other tables. The decor here is awful; kitschy tropical themed pieces around the room outlined by Christmas lights. To top it if, terrible trance music was playing the entire time we were there. Seriously, who can take that much trance music?? Luckily, as if some kind of make up call, our servers were attentive and friendly. The service is as good as the atmosphere is bad.

Our appetizer was a grilled zucchini and cheese dish. It tasted good, nothing amazing, and was pathetically small for $7. We both ordered enchilada dishes for entrees. Orders can with rice, beans, a dollop of guacamole and three enchiladas. I mixed and got three different kinds of meat. The chorizo was pretty good, and the chicken was okay. I wish I would have gone with the shredded beef for all three because it was the only thing I ate that came close to impressing my palate. Emily was quite happy with her order of vegetarian chorizo however.

I like that this spot is a BYO, but there's not much to say about eating here. My experience was incredibly average. It looks like they have some outdoor seating, but not any when we visited.

Bottom Line: It's cheaper than most areas in the neighborhood, and also not as nice. I could provide several better recommendations, even if you're in the mood for cheap BYOB Mexican. They have Cuban sandwiches on the menu which may be the only thing that could entice me to return.

Essentials:

527 Fairmount Ave (6th and Fairmount)

215-922-6433

Avg Ent: 8-15

Cash Only: Yes

Reservations: They take them, but you'll never need them

BYOB: Yes

Koo Zee Doo

When I saw Koo Zee Doo receive several nominations from the James Beard Foundation, I knew I had to visit this spot before it completely blew up. On a personal note, I hate the name because I have a hard time remembering what it actually is, and it seems like infantile tri-syllabic mumbling. That effectively ends the negative things I have to say about this establishment. I'm afraid as I'm writing this I'm going to run out of different ways to say how much I liked my meal.

Quinn and I met on Friday night for dinner. We only made our reservations a day in advance, so there weren't any tables available. Instead, we reserved seating at the counter, right in front of the two cooks who were making all the food for the entire restaurant. It was quite a show, and I actually recommend sitting here if you have the chance. Along with the cozy, pleasant decor, everything makes for a great dining atmosphere. Our server was friendly and attentive, and the service overall is high quality. Our server was even paying attention to our wine glasses and kept them filled for us throughout the meal, which doesn't always happen at a BYO.

Currently, Koo Zee Doo is running a five course tasting menu. Our server told us it was an excellent representation of their kitchen, and gives several unique, strong tastes of Portuguese food. After deliberation, we ordered the recommended menu and chicken gizzards to round out the meal. The gizzards came out first, and they were awesome. They were perfectly cooked and extremely tender, tossed in a delicious marinade that I couldn't quite figure out what it was made of. Served alongside the gizzards were salt cod and potato croquettes. These were perfectly seasoned and crispy, and both dishes were some of the best appetizers I've had in a long time.

We next had soup with snails and mushrooms. This dish was pretty good, but the broth was too thick and oily. The snails and mushrooms, however, were great and complimented each other well. I didn't love the soup. Our next dish was deep fried rabbit with spicy aioli. This dish blew me away. The fried skin was perfectly crisp, and as I bit into the rabbit I tasted the fantastically tender, delicious rabbit meat. I can't put into words how good this dish was; you are going to have to try it for yourself. Our last dish was roasted lamb and potatoes, and it wasn't anything special, especially in juxtaposition to the last treat. Unlike all of our other dishes, the lamb was lacking and didn't seem to have a strong enough flavor to carry the dish. It was topped with

mandarin orange slices, which was a nice touch to the otherwise lacking dish.

Dessert was a caramelized almond tart, and this was a great way to finish our meal. It hones in on the restaurant's best skill: combining flavors that are not most commonly not mixed. For dessert, it was the almonds, chocolate, sorbet, and the bready crust of the tart. It's not unheard of, but exotic enough to make it really interesting. That statement basically sums up the whole dining experience here.

Bottom Line: Koo Zee Doo is exceptional. It borders on fancy, and dining here is and should be

a special occasion. Sharing is the best way to eat here, so visit with someone who has similar culinary tendencies. It is certainly making a name for itself and I hope it's the beginning of a restaurant revolution in Northern Liberties. I won't eat here often, but I already look forward to my next visit.

Essentials:

614 N 2nd St (just north of Spring Garden)

215-923-8080

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner, closed Tuesday and Wednesday

Avg Ent: 19-28

Cash Only: No

Reservations: Required

BYOB: Yes

Dos Segundos Brunch

I met with my good friend Bryana for brunch at Dos Segundos on Sunday. It was nice to sit outside, but overall, it was not nice to eat here.

As soon as we sat down, we were brought a bowl of chips and two kinds of salsa. I love their salsa verde here; it's tangy and has the perfect amount of lime. It's nice that you get chips here, even if you're just having drinks. I had coffee, and Bryana went with iced coffee. As the weather gets warmer, this option is (or should be) essential. I'm not if they were understaffed when we visited, but our server was not attentive. I had an empty coffee cup as often as it was filled.

I ordered the Huevos Dos Segundos, and I'm a firm believer that if you have a dish named after your restaurant, it should be one of the best meals on your menu and an excellent representation of your kitchen. I was disappointed with my meal. Two poached eggs were served over corn cakes with refried beans, which were both bland. The breakfast potatoes and the hollandaise sauce bordered on tasteless, as if the kitchen ran out of several key spices and decided to go on cooking without them. The worst travesty of my meal was the bacon, which was dry and looked as if it was prepared in a microwave. The presentation of the meal was pretty good, but that doesn't count for anything if the taste isn't there. My meal wasn't bad. It was mediocre, bland, and disappointing.

Botton Line: I like this spot for happy hour, half priced margaritas. For brunch, it is a poor option, and Dos Segundos is negligent on the little details that bring a dining experience up a notch. I've had better visits in the past, but nothing spectacular. With so many quality spots in the vicinity, this place needs to significantly step up the game to entice me.

Square Burger

I've been meaning to go to Square Burger basically since the day it opened. It's not in a convenient location, which may be one of the reasons I haven't made it. But yesterday, in the perfect weather, I rode my bike down here for lunch.

Square Burger is nothing more than a shack. Sure, it's owned and operated by Philadelphia's (arguably) most well known restauranteur, Stephen Starr, but that doesn't make it fancy. The atmosphere here is great though. You're in a nice, Philadelphia park with a Merry-Go-Round pumping out music and a mini-golf course nearby. There is a fountain in the middle and tables scattered around the park. On a nice day, it's a great place to eat.

The menu here is small. Cheeseburgers,hot dogs, fries and shakes are the mainstays. I believe there was also a salad, maybe a few other options. We both ordered cheese burgers and fries. The fries are fine, but nothing special. The burgers are small, but not too small. They're a great representation of outback, BBQ grilling. The buns are grilled, and the burgers are cooked on high heat to get a crunch outside, but are still well cooked throughout. The toppings here need some work, as our cheeseburger only came with diced onions and pickles. Tomatoes and lettuce go a long way.

I didn't have a milkshake, but I saw one being made. It looked fantastic. It had two butter cream TastyKake crumpet mashed in. It was the shake of the month, and next month they'll put peanut butter cupcakes in the shake.

There are two slight downsides: The line moves more slowly. Also, the prices are higher than they should be.

Bottom Line: It's nice to spend some time in the park. If you're like me, you could have a better burger at a fraction of the cost in your own backyard. The milkshakes are the biggest draw here. If you're sneaky, a trip to the Foodery at 10th and Pine can bring the whole experience up a notch.

Bottom Line:

Franklin Square (6th and Race)

Burgers: 4-5, Fries 2, Shakes 3.75

Hours: Varies according to weather, at least 10am-7pm daily, later during summer.

Cash Only: No

Village Whiskey

There are only so many ways I can saw wow. From now on, I will question anyone who says "Blah blah blah has my favorite burger..." with "Have you been to Village Whiskey?" Because it's really that good. It's an all around phenomenal burger.

Dan and I had lunch here last week. It was a beautiful day, and Village Whiskey has some great outdoor seating. They run tables along the wall like most places, but they have a bit more room than normal and an awning to provide shade. We didn't step inside, but I'm sure it has a nice atmosphere. The service during our whole meal was good; I'd be surprised to find anything less at a place like this.

True to its name, this spot has an incredible selection of whiskey. We didn't partake, but I'd like to at some point. The beer list is decent, even though everything is one or two more dollars than it should be. There are about six draft beers that rotate, along with a decent bottle list, including about ten large format bottles. We split a 25oz bottle of red and white for $25, which isn't bad at all. This Dogfish Head beer is a a whit aged in pinot noir barrels. I really love it.

We both went with the burger. There's an option to get a $24 burger with blue cheese, bacon

and foie gras on top. It sounds like overkill to me. I went with the regular burger with blue cheese. When it came out, I didn't like the looks of the burger. Large chunks of blue cheese topped a patty that looked larger than a hockey puck. I thought this huge patty was ridiculously oversized. It only took one bite to change my mind. To start, the burger was more tender and juicy than any other I've had. Second, the ground beef was so lightly packed that it was almost barely formed. This gave the meat great texture, and was why the patty seemed so large. The burger was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The blue cheese was a fantastic addition; it's quickly becoming my favorite cheese for burgers.

The burgers don't come with any sides, so we put in an order of fries. We decided to splurge and order the duck fat fries topped with Sly Fox cheddar sauce and braised short ribs. It's a bit of overkill. It's also delicious. Every part of this side dish is well executed. If you can forget that it's well over 1000 calories, you'll be able to enjoy these beefy cheddar fries. To be honest, I think I'll order the plain fries next time.

Bottom Line: The burger here is amazing, and it's reason enough to visit. It's a bit pricey, but that's what you should expect for the area. If you eat meat, I highly recommend coming here. A little more effort in the beer list is desired, but other than that Village Whiskey doesn't disappoint. I look forward to my next visit.

Essentials:

118 S 20th St (20th and Sansom)

215-665-1088

Hours: M-F 11:30-2am, S&S 4pm-2am

Avg Ent: 8-12, with a few crazy outliers

Reservations: Not taken

Cash Only: No

Cherry Street Tavern

There's one special thing about this bar: You can step out the front door and walk along the river. Other than that....nada.

It has a slightly thoughtful beer list, a few beers like Dogfish Head, Stouds, and PBC sit inbetween Miller, Coors, Harp, Guiness, ect. The prices are good, as is the service. It doesn't look like a place I'd like to grab a meal.

There's not much going on in terms of atmosphere. It looks dumpy from the outside, and stepping inside is no different. It does have a nice, large wooden bar. Other than that, there are a few tables, and a large back room.

Bottom Line: This place is fine for where it is. I'm not in this area often, and the bar has no pull at all. I'll be surprised if I am here again.

Essentials:

129 N 22nd St (22nd and Cherry)

215-561-5683

Cash Only: No