late notice: staying in philly for a few days

[KatieLoeb]

I have to agree with Brent. Other than DiNic's, you didn't go anywhere that couldn't be found somewhere else and be equally mediocre. Meh. It's a shame.

[MarketStEl]

Missed this comment in my earlier reply:

originally we were going to go to susanna foo's place, alma de cuba or la fez, but i wasn't in the mood to get dressed up nor did i want to wait 2.5 hrs to eat at la fez (the rap music seemed out of place for a mexican place).

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If you knew how El Vez got its name, you might not think that, for the rap Muzak at El Vez makes about as much sense as El Vez himself.

Pronounce the name faster than you otherwise might. The restaurant's namesake performed at its opening.

El Vez (the performer, not the restaurant) Web site

Use this link instead if you don't want your eardrums blasted by punk rock on your visit

Edited to correct tense error and clear up antecedent reference.

Edited November 12, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[Alcibiades]

Moriarty's wings are patenly awful. It's a shame you were guided in that direction (or any wing rec., for that matter) since you were searching for something authentic in Philly.

Edited November 12, 2007 by Alcibiades (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

Moriarty's wings are patently awful.

Just curious: did they get worse than the last time you ate them?

Not trying to put you on the spot; but your take on them in that thread didn't read as awful.

Anyway, I agree with the consensus that next time, carpetbagger might do well to be steered in a different direction. (And let us know; I'm sure he'd easily find some local eGulletguides to lead him through the wilderness.)

[MarketStEl]

Anyway, I agree with the consensus that next time, carpetbagger might do well to be steered in a different direction.  (And let us know; I'm sure he'd easily find some local eGulletguides to lead him through the wilderness.)

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BTW, I don't think any of us have anything to be embarrassed about -- nor do I think that carpetbagger will return to Tennessee thinking to himself, "Is that the best this town can do?"

If you go back to his initial post, it's clear that he had some of his agenda set in advance.

He was going to go to Cheesesteak Corner anyway if at all possible, simply because of its reputation (IOW, an "I can say I've been" visit); the only thing I did was correct the false impression someone gave him that Cheesesteak Corner is in a dangerous neighborhood.

And he also said he wanted to check out something representative of the region's German heritage. To do so properly would have required travel to the Northeast, and it appears to me that time to venture well beyond Center City and environs was something he lacked, so he went for the one place we suggested that might come close and was close to him.

His visit to Delilah's was likewise informed by what he had seen on TV before arriving here, and none of us did anything to dissuade him, really; why should we? Her food isn't bad, after all, even if there's better to be had at the RTM.

About the only place that I suspect he would not have visited had one of us not said something about it was Moriarty's, and that was only because he didn't want to put up with either dressing up for someplace fancier or waiting for a table at El Vez (yeah, he should have tried Lolita just up the block, but he probably would have had no better luck). And he liked the wings. That, you may recall, was the only reason I recommended the place, and I added:

But you weren't coming here for Buffalo wings, were you?

It's true that I like Moriarty's, but I made no effort to pass it off as either fine dining or the best the city had to offer for anything other than wings.

I realize I'm veering dangerously close to echoing former U.S. Sen. Roman Hruska (R-Nebraska), who famously said in reference to President Nixon's doomed nomination of Harold Carswell (or was it Clement Haynsworth?) that "there should be a place for mediocrity on the Supreme Court." But none of us steered him to the mediocrity; he knew about it before coming here. And I will stand by my characterization of Moriarty's wings as not mediocre.

He will be back, and we trust that next time, he will have the time and inclination to try our better eateries, having gotten the obligatories out of the way.

[carpetbagger, esq.]

surely, i don't think i hit the best of the best.

i arrived at 10pm on wed and left at 1 on sat, with the conference running all day (8-5) on thurs and fri, and then 8-12 on sat. the conference was right around the corner from rtm, so that made it an ideal place for the lunch break. i thought dinic's looked good, and as you said, i had seen delilah's on tv. i'm sure there is better there, but everyone had a line, and time wasn't really on my side to investigate. as for dinner, i only had two nights, and wanted to try one of the "classic" cheesesteaks. that left one night for something else, and had i been able to get in somewhere easily and without getting all done up, i would've. the other thing to take into account is that the guy from work who came with me is not really into high end food. since philly is a blue collar town imho, there's something to be said for hitting the regular places.

maybe next time i'll move upmarket a bit.

i will say this, i did love staying at the ritz. great location, great architecture and a fantabulous bed.

[Alcibiades]

Fenton, your research skills are beyond reproach. And you're right to point out the inconsistency. My opinions tend to be a little stronger at 2:30 am.

[Andrew Fenton]

My opinions tend to be a little stronger at 2:30 am.

hoo boy. I think we've all been there...