dinner in Philly to celebrate college graduation

[epg13]

My girlfriend asked me for a recommendation for a restaurant in Philly to celebrate her brother's graduation from Penn. I think her family would prefer a French, Italian or American restaurant (preferably with good seafood choices), and they are currently leaning toward Brasserie Perrier.

As I haven't lived in Philly in nearly 10 years, my knowledge is way out of date, but the two restaurants that immediately came to mind were Striped Bass and Fork.

I'd appreciate any comments or other recommendations. Thanks.

[mandabear]

Wherever you choose, book now because penn grad is a notoriously booked up time in the city. Good luck!

[Capaneus]

My girlfriend asked me for a recommendation for a restaurant in Philly to celebrate her brother's graduation from Penn.  I think her family would prefer a French, Italian or American restaurant (preferably with good seafood choices), and they are currently leaning toward Brasserie Perrier.

As I haven't lived in Philly in nearly 10 years, my knowledge is way out of date, but the two restaurants that immediately came to mind were Striped Bass and Fork.

I'd appreciate any comments or other recommendations.  Thanks.

←

All of those are very good, but they kind of cover the entire cost spectrum. Do your friends have a budget limit? If not, I'd go with Striped Bass. You could also have a look at Lacroix, if they're a bit more adventurous. The new chef has gotten great reviews. Morimoto would be another very good but pricey option. The inspiration is Japanese, but there's plenty on the menu for all palates, including thinly disguised steak... Vetri is great Italian food, not particularly seafood-oriented, but a great meal.

Fork is a great place, but much less expensive - also less ambitious, and with a completely different atmosphere. In the more casual range, the choices multiply, particularly if you like to BYO. A couple of recent names that come to mind are Amada, and Garces new place, Tinto; and Vetri's recently-opened Osteria - again, great Italian (at a lower price point), but again not especially fishy - though it has the great advantage for the out-of-towner of having plenty of easy street parking.

I think you need to think of what kind of atmosphere you friends would prefer: most of the restaurants on the first list will be much more expensive, but will provide better service than the more moderately-priced places. Some of those can get very, very noisy.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Capaneus (log)

[Vadouvan]

Wherever you choose, book now because penn grad is a notoriously booked up time in the city. Good luck!

Correct.

The worst days of the year to go out to dinner in descending order are.....

New Years Eve

Valentines Day

Penn Graduation

Mothers Day

Book and The Cook

Penn and in particular Wharton Undergrad students are notorious for multiple bookings only to cancel at the last minute in several cases without bothering to call.

Book ASAP

You should supply more info like how many people........?

What do you mean by "American Restaurant" ?

[KatieLoeb]

Vadouvan is correct. There's a reason every high end restaurant in the city takes credit card numbers for Penn graduation. Too many bad experiences in the past of no-shows or late shows when they're completely booked. One of the worst experiences of my entire professional life was being a dining room manager at the White Dog during a Penn graduation. It was a nightmare beyond reason. The rudest and most clueless yet entitled bunch of assholes I've ever encountered in my life. And those were the parents.

Book now or forever hold your peace. Try go somewhere less predictable and perhaps you can avoid the throngs of your graduating colleagues. Chinatown, somewhere in the suburbs or NJ might be a whole lot more pleasant. Seriously.

[herbacidal]

Wherever you choose, book now because penn grad is a notoriously booked up time in the city.  Good luck!

←

Ditto.

I'm not sure I'd put it quite as bad as others, but it is quite the chaotic scene.

Which begs the question, do Temple and Drexel grads not have graduation dinners in the same percentages as Penn?

That said, French, Italian and American are probably good choices assuming you're likely to need to please a variety of palates.

But you do need to be more specific as to your other requirements.

FWIW, Striped Bass is probably the most expensive of those 3, and I'd put Fork and BP in the same basic range, with your total check prices at those 2 to be roughly 50-75% of your check price at SB.

[mandabear]

sunday brunch at Lacroix for penn grad, which used to be the bane of my existance, is a nice option if you wanted to do a causal meal the night of the graduation, and a big fancy get togeher the next day. It's a beautiful room with an elegant buffet with enough variety for a group.

[rooy1960]

i really like Paloma in the northeast (castor avenue near levick street). it's french-mexican fusion. very deelish and beautifully presented meals. it's kind of in a weird location for a restaurant of it's caliber and you may not have a problem with reservations.

[epg13]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am well aware of the difficulty to get reservations for that weekend and will urge them to make a decision ASAP.

In response to some of your queries, I think it will probably be a party of 6. I wasn't told a specific budget, but it is obviously a special occassion, and I was told that they're thinking about Brasserie Perrier or Striped Bass, so that should provide a general range.

By "American," I am thinking along the lines of Gramercy Tavern, Gotham Bar & Grill, etc. in New York, where I am more familiar with the restaurant scene. Although I haven't been, I've been told that Fork might be a comparable style (or maybe not?).

What do you all think about Moshulu? Is it just a nice view, or does the restaurant itself qualify as a destination for a special occassion?

Keep the suggestions coming...

Thanks.

[mrbigjas]

What do you all think about Moshulu?  Is it just a nice view, or does the restaurant itself qualify as a destination for a special occassion?

the former. my wife was there recently for lunch and said it was uninteresting at best.