Will be in Philly in a couple of weeks and have probably two nights free to check out some restaurants--was thinking of hitting Zahav and Osteria Vetri. Anyone have any must-try suggestions above and beyond these two? Thanks.

cilantro wrote:Go straight to Tommy DiNic's at Reading Terminal Market and get the "Italian pulled pork". Fantastic either by itself or adorned with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. You can thank me later.
...
It probably won't be ice cream weather, but Capogiro nearby at 13th and Sansom makes some incredible gelato.

Yep and yep. Really great sandwich, and that gelato is magnificent. The pistachio was to the nut of the same name as the mint macaron in St Armand Circle was to that herb. Really amazing stuff. The dark chocolate was no slouch either.

I could have spent a long time in Reading Terminal, and many lunches, but I was very happy to experience the pork-rabe-provolone combo, even if it meant sacrificing a cheesesteak.

Some other stops:

Snackbar--we went here to get our molecular gastronomy on, though the place had apparently changed concepts in the not-too-distant past. Eccentric service, straightforward menu, we split some okay apps and while the rest of the party ordered entrees, I got a panzanella side salad and what appeared to be the strongest holdover from its molecular, a steak tartare with balsamic chips and golden raisins, or something like that.

The panzanella was a disappointment, so deconstructed that the bread didn't get the requisite soak in dressing that defines bread salad. But the steak tartare was truly an excellent dish, high quality meat, sweet/salty/crunchy chips, and plump juicy raisins created a winning marriage of textures and flavors.

City Tavern--a gimmick restaurant purporting to offer authentic colonial-style food. Though clearly violating one of the Mike G principles, it seemed worthwhile just for the history. And as it turned out, the food was quite good. We all ordered cute things--rabbit, deer, duck--in what seemed like an attempt at authenticity. My venison medallions were cooked perfectly, with a rich flavorful sauce, and a hearty helping of toothsome barley--a nice change of pace on the starch. Also served a beer from "Jefferson's recipe" that was distinctive and tasty, a bit spicy, a bit malty. The bread service was also very good and clearly a touch unusual, though I can't speak to authenticity. Servers were all dressed in colonial garb, a harpist played in the background, and though it turned out the whole restaurant had burned to the ground twice and been reinvented. Still, kind of cool to eat in such an old spot in this country. (As an aside, in what seemed to me a very strange coincidence, the chef was Walter Staib, whose name I knew solely because I encountered a cookbook a few weeks prior at a random store in the Florida Keys, and nearly bought because I was so surprised to see a polished-looking collection of recipes offering a Tour of Swabia. It looked like quite a good book, too.)

DiBruno's--I hit up this market (Rittenhouse Square location, rather than the South Philly original) midday and got the Italian Stallion, a collection of lunchmeats and jam and greens. A very good sandwich, but I wish I was in a position to more fully exploit the market's wares--it looked fantastic.

Monk's Cafe, Eulogy Tavern, Southwark--The first two are beer bars, especially renowned for their collection of Belgians. Monk's was slightly more to my taste, but I wouldn't turn down a brew from either. Cocktails at Southwark were quite capably made, a Rittenhouse/Carpano Antica Manhattan and some other whiskey creation of the bartenders devising. A nice, comfortable environment, I'd be happy to return. I'm not sure if it's just because I was there the week after Philadelphia Beer Week, but they seem to have a very vibrant craft brew scene, with some excellent brewers that were pretty much unknown to me. Plus, Dogfish Head is just across the river. I'd think you could totally justify a beer vacation to Philly.


Snackbar
253 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5633
(215) 545-5655
snackbarltd.com

chezbrad wrote:Will be in Philly in a couple of weeks and have probably two nights free to check out some restaurants--was thinking of hitting Zahav and Osteria Vetri. Anyone have any must-try suggestions above and beyond these two? Thanks.

FWIW the Trib has a lead article on Philly food in the Travel section today (altho I couldn't bring it up).

Let me second capogiro, which now has an outlet at 20th & Sansom and one each in University City and Passyunk. By far one of the best (and most expensive) gelati I've ever had, and that includes some of the classics in Italy.

jbw wrote:
FWIW the Trib has a lead article on Philly food in the Travel section today (altho I couldn't bring it up).

I noticed Vettel did not cover Zahav, which I did, in fact, get to when I was in Philly a few weeks back. There seems to be a haute Israeli mini-trend in the works--Sam Sifton just reviewed similar-minded Balaboosta in the NYT--and I'm all for it: there can never be enough restaurants that merge the bright flavors of the Levant with the farm-to-table ethos of the modern American culinary movement; Chicago could use a place like this. I suppose I should qualify the praise by noting that the pre fixe menu and its execution got progressively less interesting as meat got involved, but I was highly impressed by the opening salvos: the excellent multi-level salad spread (of the eight, marinated carrots and pickled fennel were the standouts), exemplary hummus and house-made laffa, a fried cauliflower over labnah dish that puts Momofuku's fried brussel sprouts dish to shame, and a watermelon and feta salad that was pleasantly surprising in its savory, herbal qualities. Baklava was excellent.

I'd go back, yeah.

Aaron Deacon wrote:

cilantro wrote:Go straight to Tommy DiNic's at Reading Terminal Market and get the "Italian pulled pork". Fantastic either by itself or adorned with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. You can thank me later.
...
It probably won't be ice cream weather, but Capogiro nearby at 13th and Sansom makes some incredible gelato.

Yep and yep. Really great sandwich, ...

My God is a Tommy Dinic's sandwich good, though I haven't tried the pork yet. Just had the brisket with provolone and "rabe".

Brisket Sandwich:





That a place doing such immense turnover can produce such great food so carefully prepared is a marvel. This brisket got a gorgeous sear before a long braise in beef stock and red wine, then was sliced the right way to order, drizzled with a bit of reduced braising liquid, and adorned with perfectly sauteed broccoli rabe and provolone cheese. A ridiculously good sandwich.

Kennyz wrote:My God is a Tommy Dinic's sandwich good, though I haven't tried the pork yet. Just had the brisket with provolone and "rabe". . .
That a place doing such immense turnover can produce such great food so carefully prepared is a marvel. This brisket got a gorgeous sear before a long braise in beef stock and red wine, then was sliced the right way to order, drizzled with a bit of reduced braising liquid, and adorned with perfectly sauteed broccoli rabe and provolone cheese. A ridiculously good sandwich.

Funny, I've never had the brisket . . . the pork is so damn good that I've been scared away from altering my order. Next time . . .

Glad you enjoyed DiNic's, Aaron and Kenny! A truly great place.

Kenny, check out Termini Bros., if you're still there. I'd be curious to hear what you think.

cilantro wrote:Glad you enjoyed DiNic's, Aaron and Kenny! A truly great place.

Kenny, check out Termini Bros., if you're still there. I'd be curious to hear what you think.

And if you're still in Philly, I sure hope you make it over to nearby Capogiro. Dim Sum Garden certainly worthy of a stop too. So much more in this really underrated food city.

chezbrad wrote:Will be in Philly in a couple of weeks and have probably two nights free to check out some restaurants--was thinking of hitting Zahav and Osteria Vetri. Anyone have any must-try suggestions above and beyond these two? Thanks.

Osteria has gotten some love here, and even more in the Philly and national press. Adding to my enthusiasm was the fact that I sat next to a former cook from the place who is now chef at his own place, and his praise for the food at Osteria was substantial. Making matters even more awkward, this very nice chef and his girlfriend were kind enough to share most of their meal with me, and since the kitchen kept sending out dish after dish for them, I got to try a lot of stuff. This was awkward because I really didn't like much of it. Pastas, in particular, were way oversauced and without finesse. Housemade sausages were rubbery and salty. Vetri has such a stellar reputation, and this downscale version of the flagship has received an awful lot of positive attention. Undeserved, imo, unless tonight was just a very off night.

Kennyz wrote:

chezbrad wrote:Will be in Philly in a couple of weeks and have probably two nights free to check out some restaurants--was thinking of hitting Zahav and Osteria Vetri. Anyone have any must-try suggestions above and beyond these two? Thanks.

Osteria has gotten some love here, and even more in the Philly and national press. Adding to my enthusiasm was the fact that I sat next to a former cook from the place who is now chef at his own place, and his praise for the food at Osteria was substantial. Making matters even more awkward, this very nice chef and his girlfriend were kind enough to share most of their meal with me, and since the kitchen kept sending out dish after dish for them, I got to try a lot of stuff. This was awkward because I really didn't like much of it. Pastas, in particular, were way oversauced and without finesse. Housemade sausages were rubbery and salty. Vetri has such a stellar reputation, and this downscale version of the flagship has received an awful lot of positive attention. Undeserved, imo, unless tonight was just a very off night.

That's too bad. I've had a couple of great meals there, although I have not been there in a little more than a year. Hopefully, just an off night.

Getting right off the plane and heading into Reading Terminal for a Tommy Dinic sandwich was a fantastic way to start. Unfortunately, that sandwich was so good that it almost surely meant the eats would head downhill from there. In addition to the disappointing meal at Osteria, I had soup dumplings at Dim Sum Garden and a cannolo from Termini Bros. The soup inside the dumpling wasn't hot enough and tasted of little more than salt, though the dumpling itself had very nice texture. The Termini Bros. cannolo had a nice shell, but the ricotta filling was dense and chalky.

Dang, sorry to hear that.

I haven't been to DSG in a year or so. It's gotten a good deal of hype in the local press; I hope that hasn't contributed to it going downhill.

It's also been a while since I've had Termini cannoli (my standard order is sfogliatelle), but the filling definitely runs pretty thick. Chalky's not so good, though.

BR wrote:

Kennyz wrote:

chezbrad wrote:Will be in Philly in a couple of weeks and have probably two nights free to check out some restaurants--was thinking of hitting Zahav and Osteria Vetri. Anyone have any must-try suggestions above and beyond these two? Thanks.

Osteria has gotten some love here, and even more in the Philly and national press. Adding to my enthusiasm was the fact that I sat next to a former cook from the place who is now chef at his own place, and his praise for the food at Osteria was substantial. Making matters even more awkward, this very nice chef and his girlfriend were kind enough to share most of their meal with me, and since the kitchen kept sending out dish after dish for them, I got to try a lot of stuff. This was awkward because I really didn't like much of it. Pastas, in particular, were way oversauced and without finesse. Housemade sausages were rubbery and salty. Vetri has such a stellar reputation, and this downscale version of the flagship has received an awful lot of positive attention. Undeserved, imo, unless tonight was just a very off night.

That's too bad. I've had a couple of great meals there, although I have not been there in a little more than a year. Hopefully, just an off night.

I went to the flagship Vetri last week for the grand tasting menu and, true to all the hype, it was probably the best Italian restaurant meal I've had. Not everything was perfect (I should just stop eating gnocchi made by anyone but me) but some things were simply incredible. The whole roasted baby goat over polenta was the kind of thing you eat as slowly as possible because you just don't want the experience to end. Burrata stuffed maki roll style inside raw tuna with julienned orange rind and a subtly sweet wine sauce was another dish to savor, as was Vetri's famous foie gras pastrami, with just a hint of smoke infusion and a thick black pepper coating which worked wonderfully with the luscious lobe.

It's rare to find such a high-end tasting menu at a place where one can be comfortable dressed in jeans, and I very much appreciated that aspect of Vetri too. Service was what you'd expect for $195 per person without wine ($135 is the regular price, but it was a celebration and I opted for the $60 white truffle supplement)


I also had omakase at Morimoto last week, and left that meal feeling like a big rube. It sucked.

Kennyz wrote:I also had omakase at Morimoto last week, and left that meal feeling like a big rube. It sucked.

I had an identical experience there a few years ago.

jesteinf wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I also had omakase at Morimoto last week, and left that meal feeling like a big rube. It sucked.

I had an identical experience there a few years ago.

It was infuriating. I ordered the special matsutake omakase, which was supposedly a meal built by the chef to highlight the subtle complexity of the famous mushroom that's in season now. Instead, it was almost exactly the same as the regular omakase, except they'd swap out the shrimp or whatever in a dish and replace it with thin shroom slices instead. Ridiculous.

Kennyz wrote:

jesteinf wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I also had omakase at Morimoto last week, and left that meal feeling like a big rube. It sucked.

I had an identical experience there a few years ago.

It was infuriating. I ordered the special matsutake omakase, which was supposedly a meal built by the chef to highlight the subtle complexity of the famous mushroom that's in season now. Instead, it was almost exactly the same as the regular omakase, except they'd swap out the shrimp or whatever in a dish and replace it with thin mushroom shroom slices instead. Ridiculous.

I just went with the regular omakase (I think I picked the highest priced one). I got the toro tartare, one plate of sushi, and then a bunch pretty insipid cooked stuff. The whole time I sat at the sushi bar looking longingly at all of the raw fish that I would apparently not be eating that night.

Kennyz wrote:I had soup dumplings at Dim Sum Garden and a cannolo from Termini Bros. The soup inside the dumpling wasn't hot enough and tasted of little more than salt, though the dumpling itself had very nice texture.

Based on a recent visit, I'm happy to say that Dim Sum Garden has not had any drop-off in quality, as far as I'm concerned. Soup dumplings were as excellent as ever, as were the various turnip, pumpkin, etc. cakes. But by far the best thing we ordered was the Suzhou mooncake with minced pork. Just great.

cilantro wrote:Based on a recent visit, I'm happy to say that Dim Sum Garden has not had any drop-off in quality, as far as I'm concerned. Soup dumplings were as excellent as ever

Its possible I've never had a truly excellent example of soup dumpling, but the Xiao Long Bao at Dim Sum Garden were filled with piping hot soup and not salty in the least. Dough tender, not spring flower tender, but there was little resistance to bite through, I thought them damn tasty.

Dim Sum Garden Xiao Long Bao



We got to Dim Sum Garden about 9:45pm, and they close at 10, so the only other thing we tried was scallion pancake. Crisp, a little oily, perfect foil for the table chili oil.

Dim Sum Garden Scallion Pancake



I liked the no nonsense feel of the place, if there was time I'd of happily explored more of the menu.

Specials Menu, Dim Sum Garden

G Wiv wrote:

cilantro wrote:Based on a recent visit, I'm happy to say that Dim Sum Garden has not had any drop-off in quality, as far as I'm concerned. Soup dumplings were as excellent as ever

Its possible I've never had a truly excellent example of soup dumpling, but the Xiao Long Bao at Dim Sum Garden were filled with piping hot soup and not salty in the least.

To clarify, when I said that the broth in those dumplings tasted "of little more than salt," I did not mean that they were especially salty. Just that I couldn't detect any other flavor at all.

Steve Drucker wrote:I followed HollyEats to the Italian Market and repeated at Georges Sandwiches. George's was as good as, no, make that even a little better than Tony Luke's--and definitely different. Worth the effort

George's is a great recommendation, though no cheesesteak for me, after Pat's/Geno's I'm done with cheesesteak, but I highly recommend George's tripe sandwich, which may fall under a JeffB RBI, though I can't find the post. Think slightly spicy trippa alla fiorentina nestled in really good bread with roasted hot peppers.

George's (900-1/2 9th st)



Mark, current keeper of the George's flame



Tripe with onions and roasted hot pepper





George's packs more options into less grill space than one would think possible, in addition to cheesesteak there is tripe, tongue, veal, beef, sausage, meatball. I only tried the tripe, was on a multi sandwich stop outing, and found it extraordinary.

George's





Upthread JeffB waxes poetic about Lorenzo's Pizza, which is right next door to George's, "The big guy is the last of a dying breed. He has a feel for the dough, has been through the apprenticeship, understands the oven. This isn't rocket science, but it is millwork, or plastering, or plumbing." On the day I went there was no "big guy", just a harried thinish thirty-year-old dishing out reheated utility pizza. Place has certain big city vibe, and the slice is cheap enough to take a flier, but my recommendation is if you don't see a "big guy" making the pizza take a pass.

Lorenzo's Pizza





Enjoy,
Gary

Gary,

Rich history, diverse neighborhoods, home of rocky and the cheesesteack, none of these things have moved me to visit Philly. One look at that tripe sandwich with onions and roasted peppers, and I'm booking a trip on the Bolt Bus to make a maiden voyage to the city (can I get a tripe and tongue combo?)!

Great report, love the tripe. A similar prep, albeit not in sandwich form, can be had from La Gondola, the quirky and long standing place on Ashland here.

My Lorenzo references were to

Lorenzo & Son,
305 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Little did I know Philly has a minor "Ray's" phenomenon going on. Can't speak to the slices at the unrelated Italian Market window, though your picture mumbles volumes.

PS, on a recent swing through Philly on the way to DE, I stopped by Lorenzo & Son. Was pleased to see the Big Guy, more pleased to see his sidekick grabbing dough balls from an ancient wooden crate kept away from the oven in a cool dak place. Crust and sauce were very good, but the cheese was so cheap and flimsy it ran off my slice like water off a duck's ass. Whaddya want for 2 bucks.

G Wiv wrote:We got to Dim Sum Garden about 9:45pm, and they close at 10, so the only other thing we tried was scallion pancake.

Not to worry, the fellows I was with were old hands at Philadelphia's Chinatown, a few blocks to Ken's Seafood Restaurant where we greeted warmly by Ken. I felt instantly comfortable, clean but worn at the heels dining room, same chandelier as "Little" Three Happiness and slow moving, but surprisingly efficient waiters.

I'm going with the highlight first, stir fried eel fresh from the tank.

Eel harvested from Ken's front window live tank





Light dusting of starch, hot stir fry, scallions and crunchy fresh snow peas, one taste and my mind was running through Chicago Chinatown joints that might have live tank eel.

Stir Fried Eel, Ken's



Rest of the meal was on the mark, I highly recommend Ken's, in particular for late night Philly Chinatown dining.

Chinese broccoli with Chinese sausage



Salt and Pepper Pork Chop



Dried Scallop Soup



Ken's Seafood Restaurant
1004 Race St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-925-3837

Philadelphia has a vibrant Vietnamese population, which I had little chance to explore, though I did have a terrific bowl of pho at Pho Ha. Located near the end of a large strip mall that had two Vietnamese grocery stores, a Ba Le sandwich shop and various other Vietnamese run business, including my favorite sign.

Random Philadelphia sign



Rich warming scent of star anise, cinnamon and simmering meat as greeting, I shook off the chill with a smile on my face and ordered a summer roll and pho #44, brisket, flank, tendon and various other offal delights.

Pho Ha, Summer Roll



Pho Ha, Pho #44



Just a couple of blocks from the 9th street Italian Market, Pho Ha makes for a pleasantly light switch-up from roast pork with broccoli rabe and tripe sandwiches.

Pho Ha
610 Washington Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-599-0264

Just noticing this thread I am a former Philadelphian (I can't believe it's been almost 12 years since I left) I will add my recommendation for the "Philly" cheesesteak - known as a cheesesteak in Philly.

http://www.stevesprinceofsteaks.com/

This is the best steak in Philly. It is more of a sliced style rather than chopped. It is also off the beaten path for those spending their time downtown, but if you want the best you will have to travel a bit. Their hot and spicy fries are also off the chart. They are very much like crab fries using Old Bay as their seasoning. I would suggest getting the american cheese sauce on the side (beware it's white so don't be shocked). As far as steak rec' I would say get the cheesesteak "with" (onions) and then get either provolone or Whz depending on the style you prefer.

I will be heading to Philly in the summer, and you can bet Steve's will receive at least 2 visits from me while I am there.

On a recent trip to Philadelphia I stopped by Empress Garden in Chinatown. I read that it was a Taiwanese restaurant but when we arrived all we saw was a menu featuring typical Ameri-Chinese fare. Lucky for me, I was there with my Taiwanese in-laws who quickly learned that Empress Garden is in fact owned by a Taiwanese family. Apparently they also have a restaurant in Taiwan itself, so this is a family that has been in the restaurant business for a long time.

Our meal started with a couple Taiwanese classics - oyster pancakes and scallion pancakes. The oyster pancakes are served with a sweet chili sauce that added some nice sweet sourness to the oysters. Similarly, the scallion pancakes were served with a sour dipping sauce that definitely featured shaoxing wine. Both pancakes were exemplary and an exquisite start to the meal.

Some other highlights from the meal included beef with Chinese broccoli that had a rich brown gravy and the sanbeiji (three-cup) chicken a classic Taiwanese dish made with lots of rice wine. The dry-rub pork ribs had great texture and perhaps best of all were the hand drawn noodles that were in same class as Katy's.

The owner spoke English well, so I presume if you were to ask for Taiwanese dishes, she could take good care of you. I really wish places like this made English-language menus of their more authentic items so I could have some input on what to order (they always assume I'll be skittish). But for now I'm happy knowing there is a killer Taiwanese option in the heart of Philadelphia's Chinatown where I can take my Taiwanese in-laws out for a great meal that reminds them of home.

Empress Garden
108 N 10th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107

mattshafferHP wrote:This is the best steak in Philly.

Absolutely, and let me just add that the original (Bustleton) location is better than the others. Hey, take it from Westwood's Stan Berman if you don't believe me.

I spent my first time in Philadelphia in about 30 years, and that long ago trip was way brief and without much chow. I would say first of all, I am very anxious to return. In an afternoon to kill, I really enjoyed driving through the (extremely) narrow streets of Old City and Society Hill, seeing a bit of South Philly (by road) and figuring out where I could squeeze some tummy space into the Reading Terminal offerings (settled on the Basset's ice cream). See, second of all, I gorged on Tony Luke's pre-market, having to try two sandwiches there.

Unfortunately, as much as Philadelphia awed me, I did not walk away from Tony Luke's awed. In fact, I ended up a bit surprised that I did not like the sandwiches more. The bread, I mean the bread all you East Coast bread snobs, the Tony Luke's bread did not impress hardly at all. In fact, it contrasted greatly to my long ago experience at Jim's Steak, where I still recall excellent, crusty bread. Tony Luke offered me squish. I found the famous pork good, but I guess to my palate these days mostly accustomed to the Slagels and Swan Creek's of the world, cheap tasting. The rabe seemed a little too in the background. The cheese, however, helped overcome a lot. Then again, it had been a long two days. Maybe I was just tired.

Still, I liked the Luke's cheesesteak less. I guess, again, it was me, not them, as I did not realize one needed to specifically ask for onions. Also, for the sake of authenticity, I went with the wiz, and authentic or not, it was too wiz for me.

Like I say, I am anxious to return. Not the least, I want to try another steak or two, and DiNic's to see where it all stands as well as the many other interesting places presented in this thread and also espied in my wanderings.

Vital Information wrote:...I did not walk away from Tony Luke's awed. In fact, I ended up a bit surprised that I did not like the sandwiches more. The bread, I mean the bread all you East Coast bread snobs, the Tony Luke's bread did not impress hardly at all. In fact, it contrasted greatly to my long ago experience at Jim's Steak, where I still recall excellent, crusty bread. Tony Luke offered me squish...

VI -- I take it you're kidding... It hardly could come as a surprise that the bread is squishy crap at a tourist-destination fast-food place...

Of course, if one is going to talk about 'East Coast' bread, one goes to the serious restaurants and salumerie and delis and, better still, to the bakeries that supply them...

I was just back East myself and, as always, had some amazing loaves and rolls of various types (and ethnic origins) from multiple places in Jersey and NYC... All told, that area (North Jersey/NYC) probably has the best bread culture on the continent...

As for Philly and specifically Italian breads, well, I remember in the days when I spent a lot of time there, a lot of the best stuff was brought in from east of the Delaware but I'm sure these days there must be some serious (Italian) bakeries in Philly and the surrounding area... but I wouldn't look for their bread at cheesesteak-stands, just as you won't find anything more than the industrial, squishy Gonnella stuff at most beef-stands...

Antonius

...not for nothing, as they say, but Tony Luke's bakes its own bread. (As does Subway, so it means nothing standing alone.) In the past I have thought TL's bread worked well enough for the application. It's not great Italian bread, but in my experience is better than the lauded but no-better-than-Gonnella Amoroso's -- the standard Philly steak bread. As a company if not a bread, Amoroso is in many ways very similar to Gonnella (relatively big operation, ancient Italian local bread maker, dominates local Italiante sandwich market). Most towns would be lucky to have a Gonnella or Amoroso, given the state of baking in most of the US, but I agree with Tony that one can do much better in both cities.

More to the point, I think that VI should not be surprised by the fact that cheesesteaks, possibly even at their best, aren't phenomenal food. The thread and collective experience bear that out. Italian pork with rabe and aged prov is a different matter. I still consider it a great sandwich. Better bread would improve it, though.