City Dozen

[KatieLoeb]

Drew Lazor, food editor at City Paper, just posted this great article City Dozen, Drew Lazor's Philadelphia at Saveur.com. There's some fantastic picks in there we all know and love as well as some off the beaten track choices that don't get nearly enough recognition.

What do you all think? I'm particularly stoked by the shoutout for the little known Staropolska restaurant inside the Krakus Market that never gets any play because it doesn't have its own storefront like Syrenka does. I LOVE that market and am forever surprised by the interesting cocktail findings I stumble across in there. Props to Han and the fried chicken at Meme too. Excellent choices Drew! Well done.

[philadining]

I think that's a great list. It's nice to see sincere selections from a food lover, rather than something the Chamber of Commerce might have put together, in a national publication.

I'd be interested to see what some other folks' lists would be. I'd have a hard time not just copying Drew's, but I might work on one...

[Andrew Fenton]

It's a good list. I have quibbles, like I think Meme is overrated (n.b., I haven't tried their fried chicken). And I've said it before and I'll say it again: John's water ice is just not that good. But quibbles are the point of as list like that, and it's a solid one.

[Tim Dolan]

Yeah, to put John's on there instead of Capogiro is straight crazy, but it's cool that he's showing some love to some lesser-known places.

[philadining]

It's always possible to make a case for one shade of gray over another, but I can see the logic in picking the specific places he did. It's tough to pick one place to stand-in as a representative for a whole class of restaurants, but I think he made some very clever choices.

I happen to like Mémé, but even if I didn't, it certainly works well as a representative of the small, personal, chef-owned/chef-directed neighborhood place that's such a big part of the Philly dining scene (and relatively rare in many other cities.) I think we often lazily refer to those kinds of places as BYOs, because so many of them are, but that's not really the defining characteristic. With Mémé, not only did he get the two-fer of the interesting, quirky fried chicken lunch, but by choosing this place, he takes the focus off the BYO-ness.

Of course that BYO culture is pretty important in Philly, and perhaps could have been highlighted more, except that an article in a national publication is inherently targeted toward visitors, and BYOs are most treasured by residents. I think tourists often find them confusing and annoying...

I liked the choice of Krakus Mart, even though I'm more likely to eat at Syrenka or the New Wave. But I'm certainly going to pop into Krakus for some sausages, or a container of bigos, or a package of frozen pierogies, and the tiny dining area is certainly charming, so that's a good way to sum-up that neighborhood.

As for John's, again, I see it as a good iconic symbol of a Philly thing: the old-school, small, neighborhood water ice place. It doesn't really matter whether it's the best. I have to admit that their storefront, and their ice, is what pops into my head first upon hearing that phrase "wooder ice" each summer.

And even if I wouldn't necessarily consider Cafe Lutecia in my top 12, his descriptions of the soups vividly communicated the appeal of an iconoclastic neighborhood spot. There's probably one near you worth treasuring, that deserves a place on your list.

So, let's see some lists!

Edited August 17, 2011 by philadining (log)

[Jeff L]

Man I love that little luncheonette in Krakus market. I didn't even realize it had a name! I usually go for the stuffed cabbage, yum. It's really like being in a small cafe in Warsaw.

Anyway, fine list.

[KatieLoeb]

OK - I'll play.

For BYO's you'd have to mention Fond for more high brow food, and Dmitri's (3rd & Catharine locale) for less fancy on my personal list.

Best neighborhood cafe goes to Cafe Fulya, almost directly across the street from my house. I get really good coffee, pastries and food there with regularity, not just because it's so convenient, but because it's fantastic. Nice people, pull a good shot, iced coffee already has some espresso in it, baklava and apricot cookies to die for. Not to mention they serve breakfast all day. What's not to love?