Long weekend in Philly

[KatieLoeb]

That, and I'll contact you before my next trip to Striped Bass

You're on!

[Joey]

At the risk of complete redundancy (and not just because Katie is on this post), I must agree on Striped Bass. My most recent visit was on Valentine's Day, and even with a completely packed house, the service was on and the food was outstanding. In addition to the quality of fish, the portions literally double the sizes of some other restaurants that charge nearly the same price. If you are limited to one "event" meal after Morimoto, I would make it Striped Bass.

I also think the Saloon is one of the best Italian steakhouses in the city (on 8th St. in South Philly, close to South Street). It's been around for a while but is still serving great steak and seafood.

My favorite Italian BYO of the momemt is l'Angolo. It is a small place, and it is fairly south of center city (15 and Porter), but it serves some of the best, most authentic, affordable Italian cuisine in town. The calamari fra diavolo is excellent (and legitimately spicy). l'Angolo may have even surpassed Tre Scalini, which has always been, and continues to be, near the top of my list of most favorite restaurants in Philly.

I agree on the comments re Dmitri's. If you don't want to wait for hours though (which could very well be the case if you go on a weekend), you should try his other location at 23 and Pine on Fitler Square. The menus are fairly similar (if not identical) and what you might lose in quaintness and the knowledge that you are eating in Dmitri's original restaurant, you gain in a shorter wait and a liquor license.

Finally, I don't believe the Rittenhouse Square restaurants have been mentioned. Any trip to Philly should include at least a drink at one of these restaurants. They are truly a scene, especially for Friday happy hour. For food, I would put Rouge on the top of the list. If the weather is nice, you can do a mini crawl from restaurant to restaurant, or grab a table outside.

Enjoy your stay.

[KatieLoeb]

Thanks Joey!

It's always nice to hear that it's going well downstairs whilst I toil in my office on the second floor

[Rail Paul]

Finally, I don't believe the Rittenhouse Square restaurants have been mentioned.  Any trip to Philly should include at least a drink at one of these restaurants.  They are truly a scene, especially for Friday happy hour.  For food, I would put Rouge on the top of the list.  If the weather is nice, you can do a mini crawl from restaurant to restaurant, or grab a table outside. 

Enjoy your stay.

Joey -

would you speak a little about Rouge? I was intrigued with their online menu. It would seem an interesting place. Rittenhouse is about 20th and Walnut?

Also, would you post about L'Angolo? From your comments it sounds like you enjoy the place.

Paul

[KatieLoeb]

Paul:

Rittenhouse Square is between 18th and West Rittenhouse Square (past 19th Street, but not quite to 20th, so the western border of the Sqaure is literally "West Rittenhouse Square"). Rouge is on the 18th Street side. There's a thread about it in the Pennsylvania forum that Holly started, and I spanked him for poor spelling skills. You can read it HERE

As a disclaimer, Rouge is also owned and operated by my employer, Mealticket, Inc. I also like the food there as well, and NO, I'm not paid to say that. Rouge is quite the hip and happening cocktail bar kind of place. Always packed and especially in nice weather, always a wait for the outside tables. Lots of folks with their dogs too.

[tommy]

wow. i appreciate everyone's input. there's a lot of great info here.

another specific question: my friend tells me that blue crabs are big in philly. is he full of it? if not, where? i'd love to grab a hammer, a cold beer, and some crabs and go to town for lunch.

fwiw, i'm thinking i'll be there some time in may.

[GordonCooks]

wow.  i appreciate everyone's input.  there's a lot of great info here.

another specific question:  my friend tells me that blue crabs are big in philly.  is he full of it?  if not, where?  i'd love to grab a hammer, a cold beer, and some crabs and go to town for lunch.

fwiw, i'm thinking i'll be there some time in may.

I'm thinking more along the lines of Baltimore

[tommy]

additionally, i understand that U of P's graduation is the weekend of may 16th. does anyone know if there are other weekends that i might want to avoid?

[Bux]

I had an incredible meal when Frederic Cote was cooking at le Bec Fin. My understanding was that he returned to France for personal reasons. I don't know what effect that has on the food served there, but I found his food highly original and creative. We were also treated to some things that were not yet on the menu, but all that is rhetorical now. I recall the dining room as very formal and not only did every man seem to be wearing a coat and tie, but most were in dark suits. I also heard the "Fin" of le Bec Fin pronounced as in dorasl fin by the waiters and clientel alike.

Carman's Country Kitchen is less formal. You should go back to the early threads on the this board that mention this place. Carmman herself is an impressive and opinionated woman. We've had the pleasure of eating in her place before we met her and then eating with her here in NYC. Both were rewarding experiences. I ssem to recall that there may be pictures of her truck on Holly's site. They say a lot about the woman.

[tommy]

wow.  i appreciate everyone's input.  there's a lot of great info here.

another specific question:  my friend tells me that blue crabs are big in philly.  is he full of it?  if not, where?  i'd love to grab a hammer, a cold beer, and some crabs and go to town for lunch.

fwiw, i'm thinking i'll be there some time in may.

I'm thinking more along the lines of Baltimore

no crabs in philly?

[Sandra Levine]

A long time ago, we used to go to a place called Walt's King of Crabs that served Baltimore-style blue crabs.

[herbacidal]

A long time ago, we used to go to a place called Walt's King of Crabs that served Baltimore-style blue crabs.

a long time ago, i also used to frequent walt's. dingy little place, you reeked of everything when you left.

as far as crabs in philly, the only place to really recommend is probably bonk's in the port richmond area.

never been there myself, though i'm sure others can comment.

dinardo's i get the feeling may not be up to par although the name is still pretty decent. others will have to elaborate since I've also never been.

Bonk's on Citysearch

[KatieLoeb]

Walt's is no more. It was right down the block from my house but has been closed for some time. I remember eating the mussels there and scooping entire shells filled to overflowing with minced garlic out from the bottom of the bowl. The stench of garlic would emanate from your every pore for days and hang about your person like an almost visible green fog. God damn those garlicky mussels were good! Hell on your co-workers and family, but REALLY good!

If anyone wants to go to Bonk's - call me! I'm always game for some cheap drinks and down and dirty crab pickin'. Just remember - this is a neighborhood bar that opens at 7 AM!

[tommy]

I also heard the "Fin" of le Bec Fin pronounced as in dorasl fin by the waiters and clientel alike.

so what's the actual pronunciation of "fin"?

additionally, have other members noticed the same dress convention in general at le bec fin? i.e., dark suits? (this may be a determining factor)

katie, would you say bonk's is worth a shot for crabs and beer? and are there any other options for crabs?

many thanks.

Edited March 15, 2003 by tommy (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I also heard the "Fin" of le Bec Fin pronounced as in dorasl fin by the waiters and clientel alike.

so what's the actual pronunciation of "fin"?

additionally, have other members noticed the same dress convention in general at le bec fin? i.e., dark suits? (this may be a determining factor)

katie, would you say bonk's is worth a shot for crabs and beer? and are there any other options for crabs?

many thanks.

Hi Tommy:

I've heard the "Fin" in LBF pronounced (sounds snooty and French) "Fehgn", "Feen" and (dorsal) "Fin", so I don't quite know what to think. For what it's worth, they answer the phone, "Bonjour, thank you for calling Le Bec (dorsal) Fin", and I assume they know how it's pronounced. But given all the alternatives, who knows? A friend of mine is the downstairs bar manager there, so I'll ask her. Dress code there is business casual at a minimum. I think the dark suits thing is more of a reflection of who can afford to eat there (i.e. uniformed lawyers, doctors, accountants, financiers, etc.)!

Bonk's is always a good idea for crabs and beer. In that same neighborhood there's also Byrne's Tavern (across the street from a field I used to play league softball on, so I know the tavern well from after the games ) and they also serve crabs, at least in the summer time, that are quite good. Cheap beer and drinks too. If you give me a few days to do some research, make some phone calls, etc. I'll find out who's serving what and when. I'll post back and let you know.

Another Philly food experience you should try while you're here is Taconelli's Pizza up in Port Richmond, not far from Byrne's/Bonk's vicinity. There was a segment about them on the Food Channel "Best Of" series. Pizza is really good, but the catch is you have to order your pies (how many crusts) in advance, because they only make so much dough each day. BYOB and very homey. I'd be delighted to join you there or get up a small crew of DDCers for that ride. You never have to ask people twice if they want to go to Tac's for Pizza!

[Dave the Cook]

When we were going to Philadelphia regularly (in-laws), the place to go for crabs was down to Wilmington, where there are a number of places that do crabs in volume (meaning they're fresher, and when it comes to crab, fresh is everything).

If you're staying downtown, it's quite a drive, though. Whether it's worth it depends on the size of your crab jones.

Edited March 16, 2003 by Dave the Cook (log)

[ronfland]

I can assure you, that in French, there is never a fish anywhere near LBF.

For lack of IPA symbols here - I will tell you that the word is pronounced more closely to the english word "fan" without a final n. It is the nazalized version of the vowel in the word "that".

[KatieLoeb]

Hi Tommy:

OK - here's the scoop on Bonk's Bar. They have the crabs all year around, and sell them individually by size. They run anywhere from $2.00 - $6.00/crab and the only time it's an issue is if there's a supply problem due to a storm or something. Here's a link for more info: Bonk's Bar

Byrne's Tavern also serves their crabs all year around in a similar fashion. Here's the scoop on Byrne's:

Byrne's Tavern

Both of these bars are stumbling distance from each other, so it would certainly be possible to check out the crabs at both for comparison's sake on any given evening.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance...

[Rich Pawlak]

Here's the scoop on Bonk's Bar.  They have the crabs all year around, and sell them individually by size.  They run anywhere from $2.00 - $6.00/crab and the only time it's an issue is if there's a supply problem due to a storm or something.  Here's a link for more info: Bonk's Bar

Byrne's Tavern also serves their crabs all year around in a similar fashion.  Here's the scoop on Byrne's: 

Byrne's Tavern

Both of these bars are stumbling distance from each other, so it would certainly be possible to check out the crabs at both for comparison's sake on any given evening.

I swear this sounds like another DDC suggestion.

Hmmmmmmm..

Rich Pawlak

Stirring the pot

[herbacidal]

june, july or august?

very doable.

[KatieLoeb]

Here's the scoop on Bonk's Bar.  They have the crabs all year around, and sell them individually by size.  They run anywhere from $2.00 - $6.00/crab and the only time it's an issue is if there's a supply problem due to a storm or something.  Here's a link for more info: Bonk's Bar

Byrne's Tavern also serves their crabs all year around in a similar fashion.  Here's the scoop on Byrne's: 

Byrne's Tavern

Both of these bars are stumbling distance from each other, so it would certainly be possible to check out the crabs at both for comparison's sake on any given evening.

I swear this sounds like another DDC suggestion.

Hmmmmmmm..

Rich Pawlak

Stirring the pot

Does DDC "Crab Crawl" have the right ring to it? Following the "Rib Run" and "Rodizio Road Trip" I figured I should stay alliterative

Rich - you're always stirring the pot

I think this may require some advance reconnaissance. Anybody game?

[R Washburn]

A friend of mine is the downstairs bar manager there, so I'll ask her.

She has friends? I must have caught her on a bad night last weekend, because she was definitely the least friendly manager I have seen at Le Bar-Lyonnais. I really miss Andre, though, so I may be biased.

I have never noticed anyone at the restaurant pronouncing the name of the restaurant "fin", I thought it was closer to "fan". I will have to pay closer attention next time.

[tommy]

any thoughts on the four seasons vs. the ritz carlton?

[Holly Moore]

Dining or sleeping?

[tommy]

Dining or sleeping?

damn. i *knew* i should have specificed.

sleeping.

i'm not afraid of taking cabs (and assume they're readily available if needed). i also would like to be able to walk to at least *something*. that could be shopping, a park, or whatever. i'd hate to be so isolated that a cab would be needed for every journey.