C19

What kind of place can make me wish I ordered the fish over a delicious NY Strip? C19.

There's so much to like about this place.  It has a great atmosphere; there's something intangible about C19 that really makes you feel like they care about their food and the entire dining experience.

I like to take pictures of my food; but I had no chance at C19. I was too busy eating it.

To start, the service was a little slow.  But once we had our orders placed, there weren't any problems.  I highly recommend the wine flights.  The sommelier comes out and chooses several different wines to pair with the food and gives tasting notes on each wine.  He really put effort into explaining and arranging, and not because it was his job; but because he really loves wine and wants to share that.

For starters, I ordered the snails, Nutzle had the beet salad, and we both enjoyed these starters.  She then got the special, local black bass.  It was amazing. I'm salivating just thinking about it.  The NY strip I had was good; a nice dry rub, thick cut served medium rare.  But I wouldn't rave about it.

The only potential downside is that for the portions, the food is a little pricey.  But because of the location in the city, as well as the focus on fresh, local, sustainable ingredients, the prices are warranted.  I will be back soon.

PS, there's a tiny TV in the corner of the bar, so if it's playoff time and you've promised to take someone out for a nice meal, this is the perfect spot!

http://c19philly.com/
267 S 19th St
Reservations via Opentable.com

Best of Philly 2012

Philadelphia Magaznie puts together an ambition list every year called "Best of Philly." In a number of different categories, the magazine tries to describe not only the best food, but shopping, nightlife, and basically every facet of city life.

So that's a cool idea.  But I took issue with a few of the winners.  Sure, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I'm certainly over critical.  I guess that's why I'm writing this right now.  I'm submitting a few of my own revisions.  They certainly have more categories than I could every attempt on my own.  But still...please comment:

Best Raman
Philadelphia Mag: Nom Nom Ramen
My Pick: Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House:  New location makes slurping these delicious (and cheap!) noodles even better.

Best Whiskey List
Philadelphia Mag: Village Whiskey
My Pick: JRs Place:  Sure, Garces has a great restaurant.  But JRs, despite the strange location and atmoshopere, simply has more whiskey.  And it's cheaper to boot.

Best Breakfast
Philadelphia Mag: Fitzwater Cafe: Not sure how this place won. There are at least a handful doing better breakfast.
My Pick: Carmen's Country Kitchen:  I know I'm biased towards Carmen's.  But I love the idea of this place: two sweet options, two savory. Local, fresh ingredients.  A friendly staff that always asks your name when you come inside.  Maybe Carmen's isn't the best breakfast, but it's certainly my favorite.

Best Beer Shop
Philadelphia Mag: Bottle shop at Local 44
My Pick: Go to New Jersey: I know this is for Philadelphia, but seriously, the prices on 6 packs and to go beer here are so expensive, it's just a joke.  Really for the best beer in the city, Bella Vista has the best selection but highest prices as well.  Global or Bell's are the best distributors in the city.

Food Truck
Philadelphia Mag: Pitruco Pizza: Sure, they're good, and a brick oven in a truck is a cool idea.  But when food trucks hit $8-9, it's just not the best option in that price range
My Pick: Honests Tom's wins for food, and Rival Bros wins for drink:  Both of these truck focus on one thing, and do that one thing immensely well.

Best Coffee Shop
Philadelphia Mag: Ultimo
My Pick: Oneshot Coffee: Both are excellent and this is more a matter of preference, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better looking coffee shop than the renovated Oneshot. The food and coffee is great as well.

Best Cocktail Bar
Philadelphia Magazine: Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company: This is probably the winner that prompted me to write this whole list.  Over the last few years, I've witnessed Franklin take a nose dive in terms of quality and service.  Everything that made it cool, the speakeasy feel, slick service, no sign out front, etc have all been abandoned to welcome in the masses.
My pick: I haven't been to Hop Sing Laundromat yet, but I'm sure it's better than Franklin.  For a speakeasy feel, Ranstead Room offers up great cocktails as well, and succeeds where Franklin fails.

Best Chicken Wings
Philadelphia Magazine: Jug Handle Inn
My Pick: I will soon be making a trip to the Jug Handle Inn.  But they standard they will have to live up to is Moriarty's.  Because those are the best wings in the city proper.  (Hottest goes to Monks, or possibly Ortliebs.)

Best Gastropub
Philadelphia Magazine: Alla Spina: No doubt this is a great place.  But it also only added a burger a number of days ago.  Excellent restaurant, sure.  Gastropub?  You're stretching the definition.
My Pick: Kraftwork: Great food, excellent beer list, rotating on both fronts. Late night happy hour, outdoor seating, and overall just a lot of things to life.  PS, it's a gastropub.

I could keep going, but I digress.  There's a lot of great food and drink in this city, and every business mentioned here should be proud. There's also a handful of other places that are just a notch below the best.  I'm really glad to live here.  And it looks like my food to do list just grew again.

Pickled Heron

It's nice to see the neighborhood changing for the better.  The chefs at the Pickled Heron are really trying to do something different, doing something well, in Fishtown/East Kensington, and they're succeeding.

I was dining with my friend Emily, and we started with the mussels.  They came in a good white wine sauce, and were a nice way to start the meal.  For our entrees I immediately chose the duck.  While not as flavorful as other duck dishes I've had, the whole dish was well composed, especially the grilled sausage on the side.  Emily stuck with the bream and enjoyed the fish topped with fennel, mussels, and squid.  The food is solid.

Sure there are a few things to complain about.  The menu is small, six starters and six entrees.  It doesn't cater to vegetarians (that's French food for you).  The service is leisurely but not slow.  It's cash only.  But overall, there isn't really anything that takes away from the dining experience.  The biggest problem is that the dining room is overcrowded with chairs.  This would be less of a problem if the place was packed.  But I visited on a saturday night and the place was jammed full of tables, only half of which were occupied.

I like that this spot is BYO, and the servers are really attentive with the wine.  Everyone's white wines chill in a communal ice bath.  The portions are good, and the menu is reasonably priced for the food, if not a tad high for the 'hood.  And while the menu doesn't offer a whole lot of variety, I do respect places that focus on doing things well, even if there are only six of those things.

Bottom Line: Decent BYO with French inspiration.  Certainly worth checking out.

2218 Frankford Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125(215) 634-5666

Hap's Grill - Salisbury, NC

Hot dogs "all the way": Nathan's dogs on white squishy buns topped with onions, mustard, and chili.  Goes great with with the soda, Cheerwine.

I'm glad I finally got to make it to Hap's.  It's a small town eight food wide joint that's reminiscent of another time.  Visiting here is tasty, but it's more about the experience.  The bun warmer looks like it's been kicking around for over 30 years.  Everything is made on a griddle right in front of you as you order.  It's simply classic in here.

Expect a line out the door during weekends or meal times.  Also, Hap's is hard to miss; patrons stand outside eating their dogs since there's no room inside.

Era

Era is a wonderful mixture: a beautiful oval shaped bar, drunk life-long neighborhood residents, delicious food, young "edgy" college students, and cheap prices.  This is a spot where you can watch baseball, meet weirdos, and play quizzo; all at the same time.  After drinking at Era several times, I've finally dined there too.

Era is a great spot.  The bar is one of my favorites in the city, in terms of construction.  It's long, round, and right in the center of the room.  A friendly bar tender pops up and down it pouring beers and serving up the ubiquitous city wide special.  Familiar craft beers like Yards are on tap, and the keg of SlyFox 113 IPA seems to be endless.  With a pool table to boot, Era already has the makings of a decent and interesting bar.

But the menu!  Delicious Ethiopian food is servered up for lunch and dinner, and the entrees top out at $12.  Vegetarian, chicken, beef, and lamb (the only real disappointment here, as it was much too tough) are all represented on the menu with different spices and sauces.  When you order, you meal comes out on a huge plate covered in injera, an Ethiopian pancake like bread.  You dig in with your hands and make a delicious mess.  And it's honestly more food than one person can reasonably eat.

Bottom Line: Era is weird, Era is cheap, Era has good food.  The service is lax, but the whole experience is unique.  I like it.

Paloma

After a long hiatus (thanks grad school) I found some time to write about my best dining experience in a while.

Other than a bit of an identity crisis, Paloma is fantastic.  Honestly, it's been quite some time since I've felt compelled to tell so many people about my dinner.  Paloma defines itself as "Haute Mexican," while Zagat and Yelp both give a nod to French.  Honestly, it's a fusion restaurant that does have leanings towards Mexican with the glazes and spices, whatever you call it: it's damn good.

I dined at Paloma on a thursday night, and it was oddly empty inside; only two other tables.  Still, the decor is nice.  Steve, our server, has an excellent knowledge of wines.  Bring a few bottles and he'll be able to pair one best with whatever you order.  The service overall is fantastic.

During week days, Paloma runs a 3 course fixe prix menu at an even-better-than Restaurant Week $30. it's BYO to boot, so this is really one of the finest places you can dine on a budget.  Even the regular menu is filled with reasonably priced options.

I started with the mushroom flan and my date had the Caesar salad.  Both were great, just depends on how you want to start you meal. The portion on the salad was generous.

I had a 12 oz New York strip in a red wine reduction.  The chef recommends medium rare, and I heartily second that.  This dish is fantastic.  My date had the salmon glazed with hoisin and chipotle, which was also a really great choice.  Any dish will likely be of high quality.

Bottom Line: I can almost taste my food again by just writing this.  Bella Vista BYO offers delicious food with one of the city's best "bang for your buck" deals.  Get here soon.

763 S 8th St (at Christian)
(215) 928-9500
http://www.palomafinedining.com and on opentable
BYO: Yes
Cash Only: No

Stateside

(As this semester gets even more busy, I will neglect writing here.  But here's a recent snippet)

I'm really down with Stateside.  A good happy hour is one of the quickest ways to my heart, and Stateside has one of the best.  5-7 M-F the decent beer list, which is already reasonably priced, is half off.  To top it off, dollar oysters are served up by the plateful.

The atmosphere here is pretty cool, they're going for the classy 1950s era where cocktails were king.  The bartenders are dressed smartly, and the whole concept just seems to work.

For the food, none of the small plates are large enough or tasty enough to leave a memorable impression.  It's good at the time; but that's about the best I can say.  I won't be back for a meal any time soon.

The staff is working out some kinks to this new place, and the space is small, but I'm down.  The new American tapas is an interesting concept, albeit a bit pricey.  At the very least, check it out for happy hour before this place gets mobbed.

*On Passyunk just north of Tasker St.

Yumtown USA

Temple's campus is still not mecca for lunch trucks, but Yumtown is certainly doing their part to bring the environment up a notch.  They prepare fresh, local sandwiches and soups from good ingredients.  And that simple fact means that they're better than most of the other food around. 

It's pricier than the other food trucks, but he meals are well worth the price.  If you're a fan of bread pudding, swing by here to taste the variety of the day for only $4. 

When I visited, I had a pulled pork sandwich with pickled jalapenos and cabbage.  At $7, it was a decently sized sandwich on crunchy french bread.  The meat was good, and the toppings melded together well.

Bottom Line:  Yumtown is a welcomed addition I hope to see for a long time on Temple's campus.  13th and Norris.

Cuba Libre

Late nights are a nightmare here.  Brunch, however, is a real treat.  It's served tapas style, and although you can order all-you-can-eat brunch, you can certainly fill up for less than the $25 price tag. 

The decor here is pretty nice, they definitely spend a good amount of cash making the place look cool. There's even a DJ for Sunday brunch playing easy listening bossa nova.  Coffee is strong and the service is good.  Everything is brought out as it is prepared, and this can sometime be a bit much as you can have four or five dishes suddenly piled up on the table.

I was dining with my friend Holly and we ordered all of our food from the breakfast part of the menu.  We started with the assorted breakfast breads, and this was literally a mixed bag.  Some were awesome (churro) while the muffin was far too sweet.  The mango butter, however, is heavenly. The chorizo omelet was also one of the stars of the menu.

Bottom Line: Lots of small tasting plates makes for a nice, if slightly pricey brunch.  Make sure you visit with someone who likes to share.

Ressurection Ale House

A limited food menu and a good beer selection are the main points of Resurrection Ale House.  There are better spots for food and beer, especially considering the price.

Twice fried chicken is a dark, crunchy and small meal.

If I was a rich yuppie trying to convince myself I was "down with the people" and that I "love craft beer" I probably be a regular.  IF.

Lamb burger's flavor leaves something to be desired.

Trestle Inn

The Trestle Inn is, simply put, a very cool joint.  It boasts a decent beer list, and impressive whiskey list, and decent food to boot.  The decor is perfect. 

Large video projections of black and white go-go dancers play on the wall in the background.  They might make your grandparents blush, but this place is for guys and gals.

Happy hour has some decent specials, $3 Whiskey Sours are the deal.  Some of the other prices, like $7 per oz of Jamison, are flat-out criminal.  The snack plate, with little meat and veggie bites, is a near perfect appetizer and/or bar snack. 

I remember when this was a dirty, shady bar serving underage Temple students.  Other than the storefront, everything has changed.

Bottom Line:  Trestle Inn is swank.  That fact alone will bring hordes of people, including me, back again and again.

@11th and Callowhill.

Molly Malloy's

Already one of my favorite spots in the city, Reading Terminal got an upgrade with the opening of Molly Malloy's.  It's a great use of space, with a huge, long U-shaped bar.

The food menu is extensive, and the prices are pretty good too.  I stopped in here with my buddy Dan. His go to order, fish and chips, was pretty good, but a smallish portion.  I felt the same way about my order, the Irish stew.  We saw a good number of sandwiches come out of the kitchen, and they were pretty big.

The beer list here includes 24 or so taps, and while they didn't present me with anything new, the selection is still good.  The pricing is wonky, with some beers normal prices (Bud $3, blithering idiot $5 wine glass) and some outragous (Rouge Dead Guy $9).  Still, the point is there good beers are available.

Happy hour is from 4 to 6, when the bar closes.  It's a bit odd that the bar closes the same time as the market.

Bottom Line: This spot is a pretty and tasty welcomed addition to reading terminal market.  While its promises to be overcrowded with those on break from jury duty and conventions, it'd still worth a stop for your lunch break.

Polish Foods in Port Richmod

While my friend Brent was visitng a few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of enjoying two Polish joints nearby:

Syrenka Luncheonette at Richmond and Alleghany:

Delicious Polish food served up cafeteria style.  Completely authentic, and in a welcoming environment thanks to the staff willing to explain all of the food.

Pirogis, borsch,  and golapkis were all fantastic.  I believe the best way to order here is with little thought and just pick a few things that looks/sound good.  The adventure will pay off handsomely.

Syrenka is about low prices and hot delicious food.  This place doesn't have much going on besides that, and honestly, what else do you need?

Bottom line: For real Polish food, go here now (unless it's a sunday, or after 6. I failed so many times to eat here due to limited hours.



 Czerw's Kielbasy at 3370 Tilton St

Probably the most delicious kielbasy I've ever had, and I come from a Polish family.  Certainly in the top echelon.

Great selection, reasonable prices, and totally unique.  The food is good enough on its own, but visiting Czerw's (and learning how to say it) and an experience in itself.

For starters, I recommend trying the Bigos (Polish stew with a impressive number of animals included) and the smoked Kielbasy. 

Ippudo

Laura and I looked at each other as soon as we sat down, "This place is so New York."  Sure, Ippudo had a 20 minute wait at 11pm.  And the dark, slick interior is cool as can be.  Thumping club music bounces offs the wall and all the servers and cooks yell out greeting in Japanese to each new party.  The point is, Ippudo oozes atmosphere.  And places that do that usually get by with average or good food.

But Ippudo has amazing food.  Truly delicious.  Japanese gourmet ramen.  A concept that sounds so simple until you taste it. 

My recommendation: Order the pork buns for an appetizers and stick with the classic ramen.  Laura and I both loved our dishes, large bowls filled with noodles and other fresh ingredients.

Bottom Line: Ippudo has top notch food and atmosphere.  It's cool and delicious.  That's rare, and is why there is still a wait for dinner at 11pm.

East Village, on 4th Ave between 9th and 10th

Taco Riendo

After biking past here for years, I finally ventured in!  This little Mexican establishment is weird, ordering is done at a counter and the whole place has a cafeteria feel.  Charlie and I were out after a long day of work on the house, and this meal certainly hit the spot.

We ordered chips and salsa to start, and the salsa was a weak, watery excuse for salsa. Although it provided some good heat, it still left something to be desired.

I ordered a spicy shredded chicken burrito.  Overall, it was filling and quite tasty; my only compliant was that it was not spicy.  Charlie ordered the special: salmon tacos and enjoyed his meal as well.  Portion sizes are decent for the prices.

It's BYOB, they sell Mexican (real cane sugar) soda, they use fresh ingredients, and it's pretty cheap.  To be honest, there are a lot of spots similar, but that doesn't mean Taco Riendo isn't enjoyable.  The service seemed a bit slow though.

Bottom Line: If you want great Mexican food in fancy taco bell atmosphere, this is the spot.  The prices and quality make this a great spot, but I'd opt forgo dine in for to-go next time.

Interstate Draft House

A bright Interstate sign illuminates this great little new spot from an otherwise unremarkable block.  I stopped in the other night to check out what it's all about.

The Interstate Draft House is a beer bar/gastropub rendition by the owner of the late Azure in Northern Liberties.  Great craft beer selection is combined with pub and Mexican food.  The atmosphere here is great; it's really cozy, dim with candles along the bar.  A medium sized wooden bar runs half the length of the building and gives way to a dining room in the back.  Good music plays in the background until the Phillies come on.  And I love when bars play the sound for local sports casts.

There's on HD TV over the bar, and a chalkboard will the current beer selections.  With the exception of the prices noted on the beer list (and this is a welcomed inclusion), many details are reminiscent of Memphis Taproom.  I say this with a note of admiration.  I was hoping this new spot would have a lower price point, but let's face it: Fishtown is expensive now.  This place, in price and a lot of other ways, it right up there with Memphis and Kraftwork.

The staff here is attentive and friendly; more so than I expect.  I did visit while the business was quite new, but these guys still seemed genuine.  For the menu, there are a few options that sound great.  The one downside is that the mains and all sides are separate.  First, ordering a burger and getting just that on a plate is disappointing; somehow just wrong (fries are a right, not a privilege).  Second, a simple meal can inflate to almost $20 with a main and a side.

I ordered the Cubano, and this was a traditional representation of the delicious pressed sandwich.  No complaints here; good ingredients, with special props to the spicy mustard.  Rachel ordered the quesadilla and was happy with her order.  The real treat was our order of fried plantains; sticky-sweet, perfectly cooked, and overall delicious.  The might not be the best food to go with beer, but I'm happy to order them anytime nonetheless.

I like to write a lot when I visit spots and I doubt most anyone reads the whole thing.

The Bottom Line: I like this spot, it will thrive. I hope that it can keep the neighborhood feel and not get overrun.  Interesting beer lists and a tasty, albeit a bit overpriced food menu will keep the folks coming again and again.

Cash only at the moment.  On Palmer, just north of Girard.

Port Richmond Pour House

Short and Sweet:

This place is simple; and I like it.  Cheap craft beer ($4) and even cheaper bad beer.  There isn't any food, just a no frills bar deep in Port Richmond.  Friendly staff, a good mix of locals and hipsters, and a low key spot to catch some baseball.

Head bartender from Swift Half runs this joint.  Hot Dogs coming soon!

2253 East Clearfield Street

Continental Midtown

Continental has a great brunch, who knew?  I visited a few days ago, and I was impressed with the amount of tempting options on the menu.  The atmosphere is trying to be cool, but the open area seating area and large windows make for a pleasant brunch environment.


Despite the fact that our server was completely overworked, she took good care of us and was patient and attentive.  There are a lot of good drink cocktails and other brunch drinks.  The prices are actually reasonable, which I didn't expect.

For my brunch, I ordered an omelet with cheddar, monterrey jack, poblano, and corn.  The ingredients were fresh and made for a delicious omelet.   My omelet can with toast and below average breakfast potatoes.  I was dining with my friends Lacey and Megan.  Lacey ordered the bagel with lox; Megan went with crab, dill, Havarti and leek omelet with egg whites.  All of our dishes were well made and came out quickly.  Portion sizes were decent.

Bottom Line: I feel like a broken record when writing about Starr joints.  There's simply not much to say about the Continental.  He focuses on atmosphere, and the food is just okay.  But with Continental, the food and prices were better than I anticipated.  There are a lot of good food options on the menu, and I'd visit from brunch again if I was in the area.

Frankford Hall

Stephen Starr ventured into two new worlds with his latest venture: Fishtown and a beer focused location.  Last week I had my birthday party at Frankford Hall, this open air German-style beer garden.

For starters, this is a great place to have a gathering.  People can come and go as they please.  There is a lot of space.  If people want to hang out without buying anything, it's not awkward.  It's pay as you go, so at the end of the night there isn't come huge combined bill to fight with.  Friends can order food as they're hungry.  With a group of friends that is hard to co-ordinate (or simply fickle), it's perfect.

Sure, there are a few things that I could complain about.  With post-season baseball around the corner, it's hard not to remark about the lack of TVs.  The prices are a bit high, and the inclusion of valet parking in my neighborhood is laughable.  I suppose it's off set by the decently sized bike rack.

Still, once inside, there's a large indoor and outdoor area filled with large picnic tables.  There's ping pong and trees planted in the courtyard.  Overall, it's a beautiful rehab of the space.

The menu consists mainly of sausages and wursts.  I don't remember my exact choice, but I was happy with it.  Sides of delicious red cabbage or sauerkraut come with the sausages, although bread is $1 per roll.  In the middle of the space is a large condiment stand with several mustard options, which is great.

Another food option is the $5 soft pretzel imported from Germany.  After a few bites, I wished they bought it locally and lowered the price, because the taste couldn't justify the ridiculous shipping distance.

The beer comes in half and full liters.  Aside from the fact that everything is about $1 more than it is most other places, the heavy German influence on the beer list is impressive nonetheless.  When the beers are domestic, they're German influenced.  There is no price discount for buying the liter; they're all simply twice as much as the half.  Stick with the half for the choice of variety and the convenience of your beer still being cool for the last five sips.

Bottom Line: This is an awesome space, and it's good to get a whole bunch of people together.  If crowded, it could be a bit annoying, and the prices certainly deter me from being a regular customer.  But I will definitely visit again.

Blind Pig

I love trying out new spots. I've been here twice, once for drinks, once for dinner. There's a lot of good beer here, some with prices from reasonable to outrageous. Still, the selection gives you options no matter what your goal is, from sipping at heavy stout to drinking cheap pounders. I really liked that they give you a pint glass even when you order can beer.

There is a nice, long wooden bar which is the best spot at The Blind Pig. They have a few TVs, and this is a good place to catch the Phillies. There's also outdoor seating, which is fantastic if the weather cooperates.

The food menu is standard; average. There is nothing that jumps out, although lots of people rave about the Thanksgiving balls: deep fried turkey and mash potatoes served with gravy.

There was one special that I was intrigued by: Alligator sausage. It was a 70-30 blend made with pork, and the meat was delicious and flavorful, like a more gamey chorizo. It was served on a small white roll with a salad on the side. The bread was terrible. Is it too much to ask for Amaroso or Sarcone in Philadelphia? The salad was okay; forgettable.

Emily ordered a beat salad and wasn't thrilled either. The menu, overall, just seems to have little or no effort. The service was ok, but not on par with other spots I usually visit.

Bottom Line: I like the can beer selection, even if some are overpriced. The draft list offers good options, but the food is nothing special. The Blind Pig needs to find it's niche to survive, because right now, there is not much going on. Nothing bad either, but that's usually not enough.

Corner of 2nd and Fairmount.