Having had a wonderful breakfast here on Sunday, I wanted to put in a plug for this place. Philadelphia Access had only given it one star, which I think is off, to say the least. Some guides seem to assign stars based on hauteness (or hauteur?) of cuisine, rather than the quality of execution of a particular type of food.
In any case, PhilaDeli certainly delivered more than a one-star experience. We were ravenous and we wanted breakfast, otherwise we probably would have overlooked it based on the one star. As it was, we had a really hard time choosing between pancakes and waffles and french toast and bagels and omelettes. We settled on a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and smoked whitefish, and a side of corned beef hash (for me), and an onion bagel with cream cheese and nova, and a side of home fries (for my companion). The bagels were fresh and chewy, the whitefish had a lovely delicate flavor, the nova was thick-cut and succulent, the homefries were well-done with plenty of brown bits, and the hash was tasty and crispy. Coffee and freshly squeezed OJ, and we were in heaven.
The neighborhood was a bonus, too. PhilaDeli is located on South Street between 4th and 5th, in an area with a lot of fun shopping. We had an enjoyable post-lunch stroll and browse, and made some good finds in a used bookstore about a block away. Haungh ptui to Philadelphia Access, I give this one three stars for being exactly what I wanted: a delicious, well-cooked breakfast. I am adding this one to the Pork Store in San Francisco as one of my favorite places to have breakfast. Unfortunately, I still haven't found a place like this in my hometown, Boston...but I have faith. It's out there somewhere.
A breakfast believer,
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Mary Malmros Very Small Being [email removed]
Once when I was eight I asked her why it couldn't always be this way. She became very still and looked slightly sad. Gently taking my face into two very loving hands, she peered into my eyes and whispered, "If you dare to be who you truly want to be, you risk enjoying every day of your life."
- Desmond Atholl
"At Your Service: Memoirs of a Major Domo"Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia: PhilaDeli
In article , [email removed] (Mary Malmros) wrote: > Having had a wonderful breakfast here on Sunday, I wanted to put in a plug > for this place. Philadelphia Access had only given it one star, which I > think is off, to say the least. Some guides seem to assign stars based on > hauteness (or hauteur?) of cuisine, rather than the quality of execution > of a particular type of food. Well, I bet the reason for the low rating was because there's another deli around the corner from PhilaDeli that's the "real thing". It's the Famous Deli at 4th and Bainbridge Sts. Bainbridge is a block south of South St. There's little atmosphere at Famous's but it's always packed with people who actually live in and around Philadelphia. That's the difference, I think, between the two. PhilaDeli has more tourists. But I agree PhilaDeli is much better than one star. > In any case, PhilaDeli certainly delivered more than a one-star > experience. We were ravenous and we wanted breakfast, otherwise we > probably would have overlooked it based on the one star. As it was, we > had a really hard time choosing between pancakes and waffles and french > toast and bagels and omelettes. We settled on a poppy seed bagel with > cream cheese and smoked whitefish, and a side of corned beef hash (for > me), and an onion bagel with cream cheese and nova, and a side of home > fries (for my companion). The bagels were fresh and chewy, the whitefish > had a lovely delicate flavor, the nova was thick-cut and succulent, the > homefries were well-done with plenty of brown bits, and the hash was tasty > and crispy. Coffee and freshly squeezed OJ, and we were in heaven. > > The neighborhood was a bonus, too. PhilaDeli is located on South Street > between 4th and 5th, in an area with a lot of fun shopping. We had an > enjoyable post-lunch stroll and browse, and made some good finds in a used > bookstore about a block away. Haungh ptui to Philadelphia Access, I give > this one three stars for being exactly what I wanted: a delicious, > well-cooked breakfast. I am adding this one to the Pork Store in San > Francisco as one of my favorite places to have breakfast. Unfortunately, > I still haven't found a place like this in my hometown, Boston...but I > have faith. It's out there somewhere. If you ever come back to Phila., I can recommend a couple of delis that aren't in the city but near by that are great! If you liked PhilaDeli, you'll like them too. Karen Byrd U. of PA Med. School Computer