Salvatore A. wrote: > >I'll be in Philadelphia next week. I'm staying >at a hotel at 1800 Market St. > >Any suggestions for moderately-priced restaurants >in this area that offer a bit of "local color"? Philly has some great restuarants. I'd recommend swapping lunch for dinner and eating at Le Bec Fin for a $35.00 masterpiece lunch. The same dinner would set you back over $100.00 (It's arguably the best French in the U.S.) You also might want to try Circa, a relative newcomer to the Walnut Street scene. Very Inventive, good portions and reasonable. Try to get to 4th and South for a cheesesteak from Jim's. South Street (east of Broad) is out "Greenwich Village", but a little more commercialized these days. We have two good brewpubs, Sam Adams and Dock Street (on Sansom and next to the Four Seasons respectively.) If you're here on a weekend, head south on Ninth (or hop a cab < $5.00) to the Italian Market, and eat your way through the various vendors. Chinatown beginning at 11th and Arch heading East/North has hundreds on Asian treats. Have a good stay.
Philadelphia, PA
Restaurants in Phila.,PA?
>I'll be in Philadelphia next week. I'm staying >at a hotel at 1800 Market St. > >Any suggestions for moderately-priced restaurants >in this area that offer a bit of "local color"? I almost forgot - For lunch, you MUST check out the Reading Terminal Market around 12th and Arch. Lots of Amish specialties as well as Greek, cheesteak, southern, chinese, tex-mex, chicken etc.
Someone wrote: : I'll be in Philadelphia next week. I'm staying : at a hotel at 1800 Market St. : Any suggestions for moderately-priced restaurants : in this area that offer a bit of "local color"? All the suggestions others have made in response to your question are great. Another inexpensive place to check out for a quick lunch is the food court in Liberty Place. Its at 18th and Chestnut. Also, since you're from Ohio, you might not know about the truly wonderful meal you can make out of a Philadelphia Cheese Steak sandwhich. Take a walk, or a cab (about 1.5 files) to 4th and South Streets and try a Philly cheese steak at Jim's or try one in the Reading Terminal market. Philadelphia also has a China town section a few blocks east of where you'l be staying. You might want to try one of the Chinese restaurants there, esp. the vegetarian places that have mock meat and fowl dishes. One such place is Harmony which was pretty good, and inexpensive.
Yo Stan H. You were right on in your suggestions of Jim's Steaks - a personal favorite. But - The Food Court at Liberty Place - Might as well send them to any shopping mall anywhere in the country. Nothing special there. There used to be a number of neat little restaurants up and down Sansom Street, a block away from the Food Court. I blame the Food Court, with its lowest common denominator offerings, for closing down places like the Commissary and other Sansom Street restaurants.
Salvatore A. wrote: > >I'll be in Philadelphia next week. I'm staying >at a hotel at 1800 Market St. > >Any suggestions for moderately-priced restaurants >in this area that offer a bit of "local color"? While I agree with Stan that you should not pass up the opportunity to have a genuine Philadelphia Cheese Steak, I suggest that you get one at Pat's (I believe its on Passayunk). Their cheesesteaks are the original plus you can point the place out to friends whenever you watch "Rocky" and say you were there. Mike
Mike - You recommended Pat's CheeseSteak as an alternative to Jim's. In my not-so-humble opinion, Pat's has been resting on its reputation the last few years. Remember that hunk of beef Rocky used as a punching bag? Pat's served it..
Holly M. wrote: > >If you're going to splurge, take a cab to Jack McDavid's other >restaurant, Jack's Firehouse, on Fairmont Avenue - One of Jack's many >talents is finding the freshest, most flavorful fish, fowl, meats and >produce around. Just a dissenting opinion, but if you're going to splurge, you can do a lot better that Jack McDavid's Firehouse. Although Holly (and a bunch of other critics) lionize this particular "down home" chef. I have tried the Firehouse twice for dinner, wanting to give it a second chance, and a few times for bar food. I have never had a satisfactory meal. Spices and seasonings were undetectable, even in the CHILI !! Spinach had more sand in it than a Jersey beach. Ingredients were fresh, and basically good, but if my mom had cooked like Jack McDavid I'd have left home. I can never figure what all the fuss is about ........ The down home diner will make you a decent breakfast, but again, so will every other diner in Philly. Go figure ....
> I have not lived in Philly for 6 years and am (probably >unwisely) basing my suggestion on memories of making late night trips to Pats >after the bars had closed when I was in college. I don't know about "charm" but >I have rubbed elbows with the rich and famous a few times that I went there. Pat's is well worth the trip for the ambiance alone. You can also give your jaws a nice workout chewing one of their steaks. Sometimes the romance of the whole situation makes the food taste even better. Jim's has its own South Street scene, and although not as traditional as Pat's could also bring back memories if not for the brain cell loss caused by night on South Street. BTW, if your ever around 10th and Passyunk, and want some decent Italian, try the Triangle Tavern across from Pat's. A wierd scene with lots of local color.
Jan K. wrote: > Holly M. wrote: > > > >If you're going to splurge, take a cab to Jack McDavid's other > >restaurant, Jack's Firehouse, on Fairmont Avenue - One of Jack's many > >talents is finding the freshest, most flavorful fish, fowl, meats and > >produce around. > > Just a dissenting opinion, but if you're going to splurge, > you can do a lot better that Jack McDavid's Firehouse. Although > Holly (and a bunch of other critics) lionize this particular "down > home" chef. I have tried the Firehouse twice for dinner, wanting to > give it a second chance, and a few times for bar food. I have never had > a satisfactory meal. Spices and seasonings were undetectable, even in > the CHILI !! Spinach had more sand in it than a Jersey beach. > Ingredients were fresh, and basically good, but if my mom had cooked > like Jack McDavid I'd have left home. I can never figure what all the > fuss is about ........ The down home diner will make you a decent > breakfast, but again, so will every other diner in Philly. > > Go figure .... Based on one dining experience, I confess I must agree. I was shocked at the blandness of the food...venison with a chipotle sauce had virtually no spiciness nor the distinctive smokiness of chipotles--it was just a not-terribly-good cut of venison sitting in a flavorless brown sauce. I'm not sure I'll be in a rush to return to Jack's Firehouse for dinner. I might give it a shot for brunch some time.
Cafe Nola is good, especially because they have a discount in the Entertain- ment Book. Just down the road from Cafe Nola is one of my favorite, Knave of Hearts. The Chicken Coco Loco is my favorite dish. It is Thai style, I guess, with the chicken over cous cous in a peanut butter, coconut sauce. It's almost like eating dessert for your main course. Try to get a seat by the window to people watch. Great place to take a date. Fred