Philadelphia

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
21

Thanks… I know… [cheers.gif] it was a last min trip. Going to dinner with my son and a couple of his friends so wasn’t overly worried. A lot of stuff was booked up.

I will let you know next time I am in with more time and advanced planning.

22

George (and others) - please do! We love to entertain, and have built a house here which we designed largely for that purpose. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

23

i’ll Be right over :stuck_out_tongue:

24

Believe me — the house and hospitality are unmatched!!!
Great food, great ambiance and very nice people.
Oh - they also have a few bottles of good wine.

25

Thank you for the kind words, Ted! I think we still have your wine totes here. Let’s make a plan for a hand off sometime soon.

26

Headed to Philly next month for a guys trip, any suggestions? Typical favorites include steak, beer, etc…

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27

While beer is not a huge thing for me, Yards Brewing Company was one of the best I’ve had in the USA. The historical beers, especially Franklin’s spruce beer recipe, are worth trying among a bunch of others.

28

The new Barnes building is a disgrace.

29

Steakhouse recs?

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30

I don’t go to steak houses often. Here is a list form Eater.
Del Frisco’s has a deep wine list.
Prime Rib has always been good.
Barclay Prime is probably the premier steak house but externally expensive.

31

The (not bad) critic for the local paper recommends restaurants that serve better steaks than the steak houses -

32

Barclay Prime. Get the cheesesteak, yes, it is worth the $130.

Also if you don’t frequent here much hit up these other staples: Pizzeria Beddia, Zahav, and South Philly Barbacoa

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33

I will add to the Philadelphia restaurant thread as I was looking for WB recommendations for a recent trip to Philadelphia.
Thought it was my time to contribute as I have been the beneficiary of folks’ insights on restaurants in other cities.

Mabu Kitchen.

Described as “French inspired southern comfort food.”
BYOB - located near Center City.
Nice small restaurant, with a French bistro feel. Very good food.
And the BYOB was a plus as I had brought a 2015 Ceritas Porter Bass Pinot that paired well with the confit chicken and waffles, grilled octopus and frisée salad, and the beef.

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34

Can anyone recommend a particularly nice restaurant in downtown for a visit in Dec.? Made a reservation at Mabu per above (looks great!) but if there is something new/special we are missing or other dearly beloved choices in town I’d love to hear about them. Two unfussy eaters but not looking to wear suit and tie. TIA

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35

Vernick is still quite good, as is Vernick Fish. I had a good meal recently at Friday, Saturday, Sunday. No place I can think of that requires a suit or tie.

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36

If you are willing to venture to old city, Forsythia is quite nice. Same chef/owner as the old Will BYOB.

37

So I currently have reservations at Mabu Kitchen and Lasar Wolf and am on the wait list at Fiorella. Any feedback? I need to do some canceling by tomorrow to be fair to the restaurants.

38

No wonder I picked these two. Both were very good, but Friday,Saturday, Sunday was better. Need to like a tasting menu though.

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39

Despite living in the Philadelphia suburbs, we find ourselves generally heading to NY for dinners (just a little further away). Coming into the city tomorrow and have some time before dinner, have any decent wine bars popped up downtown in the last few years worth seeking out?

40

Wine bars, not so much. If you have time, I’d go see my buddy Tim Kweeder at Bloomsday. It’s Old City, but an easy Uber. An excellent list, which you can view online, good cocktails, house made vermouth.