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

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.

Distrito

I wanted to check out this Garces restaurant. While dining with my friend Matt, we went to check out his Mexican tapas venture. The meal is good, but doesn't blow one away. To add to the average dining experience, the decor of the entire place is quite kitschy.

Even though the portions are pretty small, they're also pretty filling. The food doesn't come out as quickly as I'd like; dinner took about 90 minutes and we were often sitting without any food on the table.


Overall, the dishes are hit or miss. For the chips and guacamole, the chips were far too salty and I've had better guac from the grocery store. We ordered two ceviches, and neither were as acidic as they should be. I believe ceviche should have a noticeable citrus base, and the shrimp and octopus didn't really. I still enjoyed the octopus, but the shrimp is a miss.
Long time since I've been out to eat!

The fruit salad with lemon sorbet was pretty solid, and overall, the mains were good. The mahi tacos has great, slightly smokey flavor. The chorizo fundido is a cheesy mess that you place on small tortillas, again, pretty good. Scallops were great too.

The best part of the entire meal was the mushroom flatbread, and it's the only thing I ate that left a lasting impression. Dessert was fine but forgettable.



Beer here is disappointing. They have about five drafts, but two were kicked, and charging $6 for Dos Equis and a dollar less for Corona bottles is is huge stretch.

Bottom Line: The meal was pretty good, and the service was good too. I just can get better food at at better price a few other places. I enjoyed dinner but don't see myself ever visiting again.

Xochitl

Xochitl was my second pick for restaurant week. I don't know why, but this place has been on my list for well over a year. I met up with my good friend Quinn for a Friday night dinner. The menu was exciting, three course plus house made guacamole.

For starters, the drink menu here is decent. There's a large list of house cocktails, a small wine list (36-42 per bottle) and a small, but decent beer list. Drafts are Negro Modello, Dos Eqius Amber and Lager, and Victory Prima Pils and they're all $5.

Throughout the night, our service was just okay, but not what I'd expect of a restaurant this caliber. The one high point of the night though, is when a drink was spilled on our table, someone (the hostess, I think) came over within a minute to help clean up the small mess.

After we ordered our drinks, someone came over and made our order of guacamole table-side. He used a fresh avocado and then asked what we wanted to be added in. We had him add everything, onions, cilantro, some spices, and a few others that I forget. It was good, but certainly not the best I've had.

We split the two appetizers The "Cazuela de chorizo y papas" (casserole of chorizo, potatoes, and kale" sounded really excited but in reality was pretty bland. There's a lot of potential with these ingredients. The same can be said for our other app, the civiche.

The first main was pork tenderloin with Brussel sprouts and turnups. It was a little overdone for my taste, but Quinn really liked it. This dish was decent. Our other main was head on shrimp, and I liked this, but it still lacked a distinct flavor.

Dessert was my favorite part of the meal. I ordered churros and hot chocolate. The churcos were sweet and had a perfect texture. Dipping them in the chocolate was fantastic. Quinn ordered a coconut and quince pie. She liked it a lot, I thought it was okay, but I don't often go for coconut desserts.

Bottom Line: The whole night was good, but not remarkable. I'd rather go to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place than a fancy one, and I don't even think Xochitl is doing the best Mexican. Still, if you find yourself here, you won't be disappointed.

Taqueria Veracruzana

Following a lead on the best Mexican food in Philly, I wondered in here for lunch on New Years Eve with my friend Rickey and his sister, Ashley. I expected it to be a tiny hole in the wall that had only enough room for a table or two and served mostly take out. And while the atmoshpere isn't much, it's better than I expected. There are about ten tables in a small dining area, and we seated ourselves. After a few moments, a waitress came over with chips and salsa. We looked over the menu, which was larger than I expected. From what we ordered, and seemingly everyone else, the tacos seem to be the obvious choice.

Three tacos are priced at $6. There are several different choices on kinds, and mix-and-match is no problem. I had a hard time narrowing it down, but finally went with chorizo, stuffed jalapeno, and pork. They are all simple tacos, with the meat sitting atop small steamed corn tortillas and garnished with raw onions and cilantro. The pork was simple, unmatinated, but flavorful. I would order it again. The jalapeno taco was interesting. It contained one large jalepeno stuffed with cheese and then breaded and fried. It was a good option, and has a decent amount of heat to it as well. The chorizo was served in crumbles, and left something to be desired. It was my lease favorite choice.

Rickey and Ashely had steak and and chicken tacos, and they both enjoyed their choices as well. When we recieved our food, the platters looked quite small. I didn't believe that it would fill me up, but we we all left satiated thanks to the surprisngly filling tacos. Veracruzana also offers imported Coke products (glass bottles and real sugar) and this is a plus.

Bottom Line: This is great Mexican, hole-in-the-wall food. Still, I have my preferences for other places that are closer to me. I don't think it's worth going out of your way, but you certainly won't be disappointed either. The price is right, and it's a BYOB with a six pack store four doors away. Still, an hour after much lunch there was the distinctive flavor of Taqueria Veracruzana lingering, and I loved 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

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.

Las Cazuelas restaurant

Through the end of the week, Las Cazuelas is offering up any item from their menu for $7 between 11am-3pm. That's a pretty sweet deal. Dan and I stopped in here on a lunch break from work. We picked up a few beers from the Foodery and stopped by.

The spot is tiny, but nice. there are about ten tables across the dining area with a small, open kitchen. The walls are brightly painted, and there are several other endearing decorations. I don't usually go crazy over atmosphere, and one shouldn't expect anything from a place on 5th and Girard, but the decor is well done.

I don't want to make a blanket statement about the service but here are two of my observation's: Las Cazuelas and the Abbaye share some staff, to my chagrin. Second, my first choice on the menu wasn't available (the last two were served moments before). I'm not a restaurant manager, but running out of a dish before lunch (let alone dinner) is finished seems to be problematic. One plus are the free chips and salsa verde as soon as you sit down.

The food came out quickly. I ended up with a dish with rice and pan-seared shrimp, along with caramelized mixed veggies. Everything was acceptable, but I can't rave about anything. The portions could have been a bit bigger. Dan went with marinated beef tips, with refried beans and avocado. He said that the meat wasn't the best cut, and it marinade could have been improved upon. Neither of us could remark about anything other that the fact that we were getting a "good deal for the money."

For our drinks, we picked up Rouge's Chili Ale, which had a great pepper taste that didn't overpower. It was a great way to start our meal. We had the Hot Rock lager from Port Brewing to finish, which was a solid, but not outstanding, lager.

Bottom Line: I'd prefer not to bash a place that is offering such a great deal. I like the initiative to get in new customers. But with a plethora of good Mexican spots, one of my favorites only a few blocks a way, I can't see myself ever going back here.

Essentials:

426 W Girard (5th and Girard)

215-351-9144

Hours: 11am-9pm

Avg Ent: 7-11

Cash Only: No

Reservations: No

BYOB: Yes

Lolita

This is part two of my four part restaurant week/birthday celebration. Delicious.

Last night, I went out with my man J Rashid for dinner. I ate outside again, which was nice, but it was a bit cooler than the it was at Audrey Claire. Lolita is a fancy Mexican inspired spot right in the Gayborhood. I've been wanting to check out this restaurant; it came high recommended. For some reason, my camera was freaking out, so I didn't get any good pictures of the food.

We ordered a tall pitcher of mint blood orange margarita. Our server mixed and poured the drink for us, and we added a little more tequila after she left. The margirita was great, and it lasted us the whole meal. Lime and Watermelon were also available. With the BYOT (Tequila) option, this is basically a must when dining here.

There were about six options for each course, and three desserts. Jonny had some salmon tostadas, while I had jack cheese filled corn cakes topped with brazed short ribs and guacamole. The meat on my was really fantastic, and overall my dish was well prepared, in presentation and taste. My appetizer was easily the apex of the meal.

Jonny main course was mahi-mahi with cumin chorizo. Again, he loved this. I went with pork short rib with sweet Mexican BBQ glaze and cornbread stuffing. The meat and glaze were good, but really, it was just BBQ pork. I could get this a million places. On top of that, the corn side dish was bland. Overall, the was a good dish, but my standards change depending on the quality I expect (and the price).

Overall, Jonny loved his meal. I'm sure he'll rave about this place. I make a note of that because I want to give contrast to my experience. I thought everything was good; nothing more. My dessert was a really nice tiramisu, and Jonny had some kind of milk biscuit/cookie concoction.

For service, Jonny had a really hard time with our server. She was a bit scattered, maybe overly friendly, but it didn't bother me. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't commented. As for atmosphere, we were outside, so we didn't experience it much. Looking inside, it seemed like a normal spot, but a bit too packed and loud for my liking.

Bottom Line: Looking back over my review, I just keep saying things are "nice" and "good." Clearly, I'm not raving. There are so many people who will give Lolita high praise. I'm not one of them. Still, at the same time, it's in the upper echelon of food and Mexican spots in the city.

Essentials:

106 S 13th St (13th and Sansom)

(215) 546-7100

Avg Ent: 18-24

Cash Only: Yes

Reservations: Needed

BYOB: Yes

Jose's Mexican Food

I like Mexican food a lot, so I'm naturally going to gravitate toward a place that is rumored to have the best burritos in town. Because of Jose's weird location and hours, I hadn't made it out there until recently. To be fair, the advertised hours are reasonable, but I went around 1pm on a Saturday before and found the place closed up tight.

Jose's is a tiny place with a great deal of character. Four small tables fill the space not occupied by the kitchen. Meanwhile, a TV in the corner of the room blares Telemundo (or another Spanish TV station. I'll admit I'm quite ignorant in this department). The service was a bit weird with some confusion whether we should order at the counter or wait for someone to come over. Jose's doesn't really focus on service or decor, so I won't either.

Really, the reason to come here is the food. Jose's also serves up Mexican Coke and Pepsi, which is made with real cane sugar. I couldn't taste much of a difference though. I ordered a chicken burrito, and it was well made and stuffed with fresh ingredients. On the downside, the meat was a bit dry. Also, the burrito came served alone, and I wished I had a bit of rice or a small salad to spruce my meal. I was with Ethan and Jonny and they both seemed to enjoy their meals.

Normally I would have been very happy with Jose's, but Que Chula has raised my standards for great, cheap Mexican food. Full disclosure: Jonny R prefers Jose's. Overall, it was a good meal, especially for under $10. Ethan and I rounded out our meals with homemade chocolate chip cookies ($.60) and that brought the whole experience up a notch.

Bottom Line: Jose's is good and has some exceptional lunch specials at $5 and $6. You might like Jose's a lot and I believe it's worth a least one try. I think tacos may be the best choice here. If nothing else, this place serves up authenticity in many ways.

Essentials:

469 N 10th St (10th and Buttonwood)

215-765-2369

Avg Ent: 6-8

Cash only: Yes

Reservations: No

BYOB: I'm not sure, but I think no.

Que Chula Es Puebla

I have passed Que Chula Es Puebla on my bike a few times since it opened earlier this year. Because I have the inclination to enjoy most Mexican food that I eat, I was expecting to enjoy Que Chula (almost) no matter what I came across.

When I walked in with my friend Lulu, they were blasting (what I think was) Mexican music. Further, I think we were the only native English speakers. This joint felt authentic. Without asking, they turned down the music a bit for us. The place was mostly empty, but clean and generally nice. We sat down right away, and were brought complementary chips. Our server, who I would guess to be one of the owners, was an adorable Mexican woman. She was sweet and attentive.

We ordered guacamole and chips as an appetizer, and I ordered a slow-roast pork grilled burrito while Lulu got a chimichanga. The guacamole was not the best I've ever had. But for being at 2nd and Master on the 2nd day of spring, I was impressed. Our food took a while, but neither of us minded. When it arrived, we had huge portions in front of us. We both got to the point in our meal where we could have stopped eating and been full, but it tasted so good that we didn't want to stop. In case I haven't made my point, the food really was delicious. Moreover, when you consider that everything was slightly less than $20, it was even more awesome.

I think I've already said enough to sell people on this place. But there is more: BYOB and free delivery. (Nick Filirdi, I garentee a more satisfying meal that your last Ekta order). I like to support local businesses, but Que Chula seems to have everything going for it. The menu is extensive enough for me to go back a few times and enjoy myself. Tacos, burritos, and other dishes can be filled with fish, meat or veggies. I would be hard NOT to find something to enjoy here. This is probably the best food you can get in the price range. If you want to go here, let me know. I am down. I've scanned the menu for your (and after I lose it, my future) reference. Menu on my flickr.

Essentials:

1356 N 2nd St (2nd and Master)

215-203-0404

Avg Ent: 6-10

Cash only: Not sure

Reservations: No

BYOB: YES