The correct missing clue, of course, was the vinegar-braised rabbit frittata, which was one of the many excellent and delicious things we ate last weekend for brunch at Noord, the Dutch-influenced BYOB off East Passyunk. Smoked fish and rustic toast. Tender braised brisket over potato 'hash". Surinam-curried chicken... stroopwafels! (see my feature on those Thursday in Food)
Agreed. Lombardi's is missed... but Gennaro's Tomato Pie on Jackson St. (from the same operators as Lombardi's) definitely fills that craving. Slightly different oven (electric, not coal) but similar taste, texture and spirit.
Are you referring to the burnt rice crust at the bottom? Definitely need that to be truly authentic (my kids fight over the burnt bits...) That seems to be a bit harder to translate to a restaurant setting, for whatever reason. Many paellas you get in restos are assembled from pre-fab parts - not made-to-order like that in individual pans over open-flames. Though I've seen Bar Ferdinand do giant pans of paella on the sidewalk. On a good day, I'm sure they've let it crisp a bit.
It was a good example of a chef (Jason Cichonski) who had not laid the staffing groundwork to expand very carefully. If you can't be at both places, you better be darn sure there's someone you trust behind the stoves at your big expansion location. It didn't turn out that way.
I don't have official rankings set quite yet.. because there are so many places doing great pies now (even within the Neapolitan style), with so many little factors that separate one specialty over another. Overall, though, Pizza Vetri and Nomad are still at the top of my list... Capofitto and Pizza Vecchia in Wayne are close behind in some respects. Looking for more consistency, though, from the newbies. There is a lot of soul, though, in what both Capofitto and Vecchia do. Hair-splitting rankings, just for the sake of ranking, really do not do justice to what they're hand-crafting at each of those spots.
Great report on your tasty adventures, Lisa. That hot chocolate quest is probably one that should be pursued....
Well, Mike Geno, my favorite Philly dim sum place ever - the dearly departed Lakeside - never had rolling carts, always made dimsum to order. I've never quite found a rolling cart HK-style dim sum house in Philly I liked quite as much as my favorites in NYC or SF or Toronto (Lai Wah Heen). I'll be VERY curious, though, to see what Nom Wah tastes like when the dining room finally opens on 13th St. (I know they were already open for take-out). Went to the original in NYC a couple months ago - this is supposedly the original dim sum parlor in NYC - and they did not have rolling carts, either. So take the authenticity of the cart for what it is... it's fun and interactive, but not always best for freshness with somethign as delicate as dim sum. We like Dim Sum Garden a lot - but that's Shanghai style (soup dumplings and such), and not exactly what people think of when they're craving a Cantonese dim sum experience. And then of course, there's Bing Bing - the non-authentic, but totally fun-looking new dumpling parlor on E'punk from the guys behind Cheu. I'm sure there will be a lot of dim sum contemplation going on in the next few months on my end - so stay tuned!
Just drove by this little storefront off Gray's Ferry the other day... curious about it, so I will report back.
In general, I've preferred Ocean City (on 9th St.) to those two... but it's been a while. I'd need to return. Now I'm craving har gao and chiu chow and meat and peanut dumplings!
you don't like my pic, ar?! Not many people were eating tuna that rare on burgers in 1995....
I've been to Yank Sing, like Lisa, and it was really good. Haven't been to the other. What you might want to check out, though, is what some contemporary chefs are doing with "American dim sum" - like Statebird Provisions - which I visited a year ago and really loved. Interesting take on the rolling feast concept. And definitely an SF restaurant to try to visit. BTW - sometimes the Cafe above Chez Panisse is easier to get into than downstairs, and it's also lovely. And do not miss In-n-Out!
There are lots and lots of great patties in town these days, RWC. But if you're doing a serious burger study, those Center City classics are all still very much required research.
I'm definitely a fan of Sketch - love both the smashed onion burger and her veggie patty. But... it's way too late to start another burger thread today.
Wait as a walk-in is exactly what you do. They set aside lots of seats for this. Make it your first stop from the airport, and if you get there at 5 p.m., it'll feel like 8, so you can still be hungry. That's what I did. And, ironically, I ran into another Philadelphian who was right in front of us in line. Good food comes to the determined!
Good question. I've not been to Ireland, so I'm not sure I'm the best authority here, but have always enjoyed the fare at the Bards on Walnut St. Good live Celtic music often, as well.
Ha! You were very tricky about that qualification there, RWC... Spread is Montreal-style, and all the other decent bagel sources (Knead, Philly Style, Hot Bagels, High St.) are on the EAST side of Broad. This is the Western outpost for Hot Bagels from South Street, so they are a known good-bagel quantity. I popped in there just yesterday, in fact, and was intrigued by these flattened out "flagels". Does the pretzel have some serious new competition? Not sure about that. But it made a tasty mid-morning snack, though I had "everything" breath for hours afterwards....
Good call. There, or Hog Island, for an awesome SF experience on the half-shell.
Well, you'll have to give the new Chestnut Street flagel a try and report back, Steve!
glad to hear it! I see it from the back end, so it's hard for me to gauge usability. But that's a good first word.
