Philadelphia Restaurants
Tre Scalini
1533 S. 11th St.,
Philadelphia, PA
215-551-3870
Three steps lead to some authentic Italian cooking in a typically South Philadelphia atmosphere. The seven-table downstairs room is a pleasant jumble of mirrors and wood panels, with everyone talking at once and sampling from each other’s plates. It’s a mom-and-pop operation, but they serve some surprisingly restrained cuisine sauces are consistently light and applied sparingly. Huge, fat mussels are just kissed by a tomato broth. Homemade squares of pappardelle are merely slicked with tomatoes and mushrooms. There are also abundant mushrooms with the juicy veal chop, while tiny succulent quail bear only a dusting of fresh rosemary and sage, and get roasted potatoes on the side. Bring an appropriate bottle of Italian wine, and dig in. Leave room for the superior tiramisu, sorbets and ice creams.
Bridgid's
726 N. 24th St.
Philadelphia, PA
ph: 215-232-3232
Serving contemporary European cuisine in a cozy 28 seat dining room with fireplace. Specialties like Duck Chambord, Entrecate Marchande de Vin and Bouillabaisse. Tapas are served nightly till 2 a.m.-$5. Largest selection of Belgian beers; Belgian and Microbrews on tap.
Best Of :
Food, Bargain Dinner Menu, 1998
Entrees ranging from $6 to $11 are grouped by price on the blackboard menu. A refreshing antidote to restaurants where the special prices are top secret.
Nightlife, Neighborhood Bar, 1999
Bridgid's Restaurant and Bar. The beer selection is superb, and the bartender and crowd of Fairmount locals treat every customer like a regular.
Vietnam
In Chinatown
221 N. 11th St. (bet. Race & Vine Sts.)
Philadelphia, PA, 19107-1821 (215) 592-1163
The "place to go fo' pho", this Chinatown Vietnamese is a "staple" among advocates of the "wonderful" dishes, "great value" and "attentive service"; qualms over the "ultraplain room" were addressed by a post-Survey reno that outdates the decor score; N.B. not to be confused with Vietnam Palace, it's on the east side of 11th Street.
Pattaya Grill
West Philly (University City)
4006 Chestnut St. (40th St.) Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3020 (215) 387-8533
"A pearl in West Philly" is how loyalists label this "pleasant" Thai that presents "tasty", "inexpensive" fare "beautifully" in "airy" surroundings (overall, "among the best" in town); dissenters differ on the food -- "lacks zip" sniff some, "too exotic" moan others; your call.
Illuminare
2321 Fairmount Ave.,
215-785-0202
The gorgeous Illuminare offers a big-city feel but with small-town friendliness. Oh, and fresh, authentic Cal-Italia dishes.
For seven years, Brian Augustine has been working very hard. Aside from his regular labors as a custom builder, he has been renovating the space at 2321 Fairmount Ave. Now he’s done, and the product is an absolutely stunning new restaurant, Illuminare.
First, there's a small bar area with gold-and-olive striped banquettes. The slate floor leads up a few steps to the main dining room, which continues the gold-and-green theme in the fabric of the booths. Light floods the room from the raised, painted tin ceiling and from the glass wall that opens to a lovely private patio, fountain and all. The light is necessary, for the room is essentially Mission style, with natural mahogany woods, Stickley chairs and leaded Frank Lloyd Wright windows as a dado around the outside walls. Art deco fixtures hang from the beams that bisect the lofty ceiling, and flame-shaped standards light the booths.
The menu begins with a "Mission Statement: Maintain a clean, cozy atmosphere, provide courteous and knowledgeable service and use only fresh quality ingredients in our dishes, sauces and beverages. All items are prepared to order and can be modified to satisfy individual requests." This is true -- the basically Cal-Italia menu is fairly limited, but the ingredients are as fresh and of as good quality as promised, and the service from our waitress is thoughtful and swift.
Grey Goose martinis start us off, as we are still admiring our surroundings, agreeing that there is a very New York feel about the place. Then, roasted peppers and olives and fluffy snowflake rolls appear on the table. There are a few salads -- butter lettuce, candied walnuts, strawberries and Granny Smith apples. Too sweet for me. Baby spinach is a bit better with Gorgonzola, bacon, hazelnuts and pear, but I do prefer a classic Caesar salad, with crisp romaine and just the right amount of garlic, Parmesan Reggiano and anchovies, but this dish goes one better with peppery croutons and crostini smeared with olive paste.
The wine list is small and lists nothing over $70. Our Elk Grove Pinot Gris ($34) is a good, all-purpose bottle, and it goes well with all the varied tastes. Among appetizers, the usual mussels, steamed clams and antipasto appear, but we have a yen for fried calamari, and we have come to the right place. The rings of squid are as light and crisp as a cloud, with onion rings thrown in for good measure, and the spicy puttanesca sauce on the side does them justice.
How can we resist a pizza from the brick oven that we passed on the way in? We try something a little different -- a Sicilian pie, topped with pepperoni and prosciutto di Parma (the best kind). The crust is charred and crunchy, and cold cuts give an interesting spiciness and texture. Pepperoni is standard, but the prosciutto feels silky and luxurious in this context.
Pastas come in large white bowls that have become the norm these days. It's a very handsome presentation, but my fork keeps falling into the bowl when I pause. We try the house special -- a mix of jumbo lump crab and shrimp, shallots, asparagus tips, sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh basil with fusilli in a vodka-tomato-herb broth. It's quite a mouthful, and the seafood is fresh and sweet, but it lacks the robust frisson of the rigatoni tossed with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe. Perhaps it's unfair to contrast the meaty and bitter flavors of this pasta with the more sedate special, for we manage to finish them up both with aplomb. Each serving can easily serve two people.
Entrees look fairly standard -- chicken breasts, salmon, crab cakes, filet and veal chop -- but wait, the first soft-shell crabs of the season are in! We cannot resist, and we're rewarded with two huge batter-dipped crabs reclining on a bed of soy-flavored slivered vegetables. Alas, though they are full of sweet meat, the soy dressing has soaked into them and rendered them very soggy. I mention this as my only complaint to chef Shannon Garrity, a transplant from Seattle, who ruefully agrees. When next I dine there, I am confident that the case of the soggy soft-shell will have been solved.
I note that the service moves very smoothly as our plates are cleared and dessert is offered. We get the triple dessert -- a large sampling of tiramisu, flourless chocolate cake and a crème br lée. The tiramisu is moist, dense and not too sweet -- an excellent rendering of this staple. The flourless cake is also moist, but nothing unusual. The custard is presented in a stunning rectangle topped with spun sugar, but unfortunately it has a slightly grainy texture.
Everything lives up to the mission statement at the beginning of the menu -- everything is fresh and treated with respect. The prosciutto is from Parma, and the cheese is either Parmesan Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. The service is some of the best I've seen around town. Augustine can rest from his labors, while his handiwork illuminates the neighborhood.
Bistro St. Tropez
Center City (West of Broad St.)
2400 Market St., 4th fl. (23rd St.) Philadelphia, PA, 19103-3041 (215) 569-9269
Though newcomers may "need a guide" to find this "hip", "delightful" French "jewel" "buried" in the Marketplace Design Center, the "magnificent" Schuylkill views and "head-swirling menu" are apt to make Francophiles "feel far from Philadelphia"; most sigh it's "romantic to say the least."
A true find, if you can locate it. Hidden on the 4th floor of a non-descript building overlooking the Schuykill, this a French bistro du jour: the kitchen serves up different soups, omelets, fish, risotto and pastas each day for lunch and recreates its dinner menu daily Wednesday through Sunday.
Capitol Grille
1338 Chestnut St
Philadelphia,PA19107
(215) 545-9588
Excellent! STEAK & SERVICE
I enjoyed a first date with a special friend at Capital Grille. The atomosphere was cozy, the drinks were perfect, as was my date, but most importantly the food was excellent. I had the cocktail shrimp, which were fresh and then the green salad with crumbled blue cheese. The delmonico steak (hopefully I spelled it right) with asparagus and potatoes. My date had the filet and we shared the side orders, they are so large. Our food was WONFERFUL, TASTEFUL and prepared with care. We had to take the home leftovers it was so much. I will be back to capital grille! ITS ONE OF THE BEST STEAK HOUSES IN PHILLY!!!!
Live up to expectations
After a small private wedding, my new bride and I, along with two close friends had dinner at the "Grill." The service was superb, the food was outstanding, and the wine list excellent. Above all else, the staff went out of their way to make it a special night for us and they did. We'll be back. You guys are the best. JFS
Cutters
2005 20th @ Market St. Commerce Square
Commerce Square
Philadelphia, PA
215-851-6262
Incredible!
The new Twenty-21 is an incredible experience not only for the eyes with it's newly renovated finish but also for the taste buds. Start with Chef Martin Doyle's incredible Sirloin Carpacchio and finish with the most decadent dessert- Twenty-21 freshly prepared by their own in-house pastry chef. The staff are incredibly loyal and truly know the restaurant. Don't forget to cap dinner with Mattie's famous Carrot Cake drink. Enjoy!!
Local Ownership
My husband and I have dined at Cutter's for many years while they were still a restaurant chain and always enjoyed both service and food. We recently returned and found a new menu due to their changing to local ownership. It is such a delight to know that one of our favorite restaurants is now a Philadelphia exclusive! The new menu looks delightful! I had the scallops (simply irresistable) and my husband enjoyed their signature salmon. As usual, service was excellent and it was a nice surprise when we realized it was the owner who had stopped by our table to inquire on our dining experience. That's a refreshing idea. Management/Owners actually taking a genuine interest in their guests. Kudos!
Striped Bass
1500 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA
ph: 215-732-4444
Best Of:
Food,Dazzling dining room, 1998
For the clientele as well as the dining room, Striped Bass, 15th and Walnut streets. And chef Allyson Thurber has been dazzling palates as well. Also won BOP 1997 for crabcake. Also won BOP 1996 for chef's table.
Food,Seafood, 1999
Better than ever under Chef Terence Feury, but steel yourself for steep prices: A tuna entree recently hit the $50 mark.
Food,Place to take out-of-towners, 2000
As if this stunning vault of a room with soaring leaded-glass windows isn't impressive enough, add in rising-star chef Terrence Feury's four-star cuisine--and ask your friends if they remember the anniversary dinner scene in The Sixth Sense, which was, yes, shot at Striped Bass.
Drinks,Martini, 2001
We never tire of the bar at Striped Bass, with its black-and-white photographs, mosaic tables and Ella Fitzgerald tunes. We recommend the slightly sweet Grey Goose with olives, or Ketel One with citrus. You’ll get your $12 worth, since the long-stemmed glass holds a generous five ounces.