Restaurants long gone...

[herbacidal]

Oh, Frog was there before 16th St. Grill?  Good to know.

What building on Locust?  I'm trying to think of what's there now. 

You would mean the one between the the old Locust Club

and the current Cancer Society?

The original Frög was one of the keystones in Philadelphia's Restaurant Renaissance - Steven Poses's first restaurant.

Wrong block. I meant to say the 1500. Just next to the Versaille Apartment building and, incidently, Can Do! Copies and Signs It's a law firm - I think the state's boxing commissioner is the principal there. Steven made a tremendous investment renovating the place and stood no real chance of recouping. Lasted just a few years at that location.

I know enough about Philadelphia restaurants in the 70s to know Frog and Poses' importance, but I have to admit, in my head I sort of put it in the same area as Commissary, over on Sansom.

So over on Locust, you're referring to that building between TLA Video and Versailles apartment building?

I think it's like Bochetto and Lentz, which would fit if boxing commish is there, as

that would be occasional Republican mayoral candidate George Bochetto.

Never really thought about that until now though.

Crawdaddy's is the last occupant at 5th and Bainbridge, and there was something else just before, I believe.

Katie worked at Pompano, you know.

I think they're converting the old Vega space, or at least there's a liquor license sign there. Plus I recall them beginning renovations months ago.

Slight correction and update: Zanzibar Blue was on S 11th, a site that briefly was Wilhemina's afterwards, and I believe is currently being converted to apartments or condos.

[cinghiale]

Anyone frequent Walt's King of Crabs? As I recall, the place was pretty ordinary, but it was always jammed. Big pails o' mussels...

[spikemom]

Holly,

I'm with you on Frog and The Commissary. I loved the original Frog so much that I had trouble warming up to the new one. Now that it's gone, of course, I realize that it's OK for a restaurant to grow up, and I miss it. Still have a lunch menu from the final week framed in my kitchen, and I use the cookbook all the time. When I'm feeling especially nostalgic, I head up to Roller's in Chestnut Hill, where the old Frog food lives on, including many of the desserts (and even the menu typeface).

And how about City Bites at 2nd and Walnut, Poses' really out-there marriage of contemporary art and casual food? Looking back, it was a Steven Starr-style restaurant before Starr was into restaurants. Our kids loved the cheesesteak pizza.

I miss Russell's at 17th and Lombard, and still pine for its swiss chard ravioli with tarragon cream sauce. It later became Ecco, and is now La Baia.

Anyone else remember In Season, the restaurant that Andy Schloss operated with a partner on 13th Street below Spruce? The idea was to serve whatever was in season, and the food was very adventurous. Why does venison with chocolate sauce (probably a type of mole) stick in my mind?

And since I lived just a few blocks from Holly Moore's, I climbed those stairs more than a few times.

[KatieLoeb]

Katie worked at Pompano, you know.

And still holds the record for longest lived General Manager of the restaurant at FIVE months!

To say that the owners were on a steep learning curve is about as diplomatic as I can be. Suffice to say that spending $40,000 the first season to build an outdoor dining deck that seated an additional negligible number of customers and was finally finished construction the weekend AFTER Labor Day, seemed like a wise allocation of capital to them. As if that couldn't have waited until the Spring of the following year of operations. That place succeeded utterly in spite of itself for far longer than I thought possible. But eventually the ponderous weight of bad decision making and sheer cluelessness caught up with them. They changed the name (but not the ownership) a few times, in an attempt to still get food delivered on a non-C.O.D. basis. That tactic worked for a short time too.

That space seems to be cursed. And it's a shame because it's a beautiful interior. At one point there was a rumor that the Bynum Brothers of Zanzibar and Warmdaddy's fame were interested in buying the building. Is that who owns Crawdaddy's? Is so, it's cursed for them too!

I miss Frog. I miss Commissary more. Best Carrot Cake known to man. Period. I miss Saladalley where I spent many dinners as an undergrad at Penn. Walt's King of Crabs was the cause of the most humiliating "You-STINK-to-High-Heaven-of-Garlic" incident in my entire life. But damn those mussels were good. No vampires for miles after a night at Walt's eating mussels.

During my undergrad days at Penn there was a bar/pub on Chestnut Street called The Bull & Barrel Saloon. CHEAP drinks, great burgers and less of an annoying this-is-a-college-bar vibe than Smokey Joe's. My posse of girlfriends and I did some damage there on many a night.

And Strolli's. <sigh> What a great place to go eat on a starving student's budget. That place absolutely floored me. It was stepping back into the 1940's, with the prices at the same level they'd always been. Fabulous.

[ahr]

The KC Rib Hut in Allentown, which served the best hickory-smoked ribs I can recall ever eating. It closed about a decade ago, though Wilfrid's more recent description of the product of one Texas Ted of Pennsylvania in a Washington, DC barbecue festival gave me brief hope. Alas, Google is helpful in tracking neither the Rib Hut nor Ted.

Texas Ted of PA in DC

KCRH on eG

Edit: Acronym repair

Edited April 15, 2004 by ahr (log)

[menton1]

I remember a short-lived place in Manayunk/Roxborough called BLT's Cobblefish-- it was in an old warehouse that was hollowed out, and they had very fresh, simple fish dinners there; the only peculiar thing I remember was the valet parking, which was totally unnecessary because you could park easily on the street only another 30 steps away! Anyone else remember BLT's? What is there now?

[KatieLoeb]

I remember a short-lived place in Manayunk/Roxborough called BLT's Cobblefish-- it was in an old warehouse that was hollowed out, and they had very fresh, simple fish dinners there; the only peculiar thing I remember was the valet parking, which was totally unnecessary because you could park easily on the street only another 30 steps away! Anyone else remember BLT's? What is there now?

Thanks for reminding me of yet another place I'd forgotten. And I actually worked there for a short time helping hostess on the weekends!

BLT's Cobblefish was known (in Zagat) as "the poor man's Striped Bass". An astute moniker for a place that cooked some of the most reasonably priced and creative seafood in town. One of my personal favorites were the fried smelts, and the Buffalo fish, which were tiny little puffers, battered, fried and dressed with a Buffalo wing sauce. They were, like the smelts, positively addictive. And BYOB to boot. A rare find that's sorely missed.

The space is now a pub called the Ugly Moose. I haven't been yet but have heard decent things about it. But Philly needed a Cobblefish way more than it needed another pub.

[handmc]

Outside of Philly:

The Coventry Forge - before Wally Callahan died. The man could make a Martini. More than one any you were 18 again! Good French food.

[Greg Salisbury]

I'm sure anyone who lived in University City, for one reason or another, over the last 3 decades must miss Le Bus. The real Le Bus, the one where you could get a big honkin piece of cornbread with their veggie chili, their artichoke pizza, and the adjacent bakery section. Perfect for those of us on tight budgets.

And how about Aglio in South Philly? Man, that was some good Italian!

And Olivier's first place, the one in the Bourse, I forget the name, but the best salade aux lardons in Philly. La Coupole, maybe?

Anyone remmeber Tapas, on 3rd/Girard? Amazing gambas al ajillo, great sangria, awesome flan.

And this is a stretch, since it's more about coffee than food, but European Union, on 22d St. Mike Rothenberg (probably known to a few in the biz) was, um, a character, to be sure, but he was a remorseless perfectionist when it came to his coffee drinks. Hate to say it, but the best cap I have had in the States - better than La Colombe or anyplace in NYC.

[KatieLoeb]

I'm sure anyone who lived in University City, for one reason or another, over the last 3 decades must miss Le Bus. The real Le Bus, the one where you could get a big honkin piece of cornbread with their veggie chili, their artichoke pizza, and the adjacent bakery section. Perfect for those of us on tight budgets.

And how about Aglio in South Philly? Man, that was some good Italian!

And Olivier's first place, the one in the Bourse, I forget the name, but the best salade aux lardons in Philly. La Coupole, maybe?

Anyone remmeber Tapas, on 3rd/Girard? Amazing gambas al ajillo, great sangria, awesome flan.

And this is a stretch, since it's more about coffee than food, but European Union, on 22d St. Mike Rothenberg (probably known to a few in the biz) was, um, a character, to be sure, but he was a remorseless perfectionist when it came to his coffee drinks. Hate to say it, but the best cap I have had in the States - better than La Colombe or anyplace in NYC.

Greg:

Do you mean the original Le Bus BUS? That was around when I was an undergrad at Penn and yes, it was great. Even the small cafeteria style place at 34th & Sansom was good. I used to eat lunch there pretty frequently.

:heel of hand smacking forehead: And another one I forgot! Tapas! I loved that place both for the very authentic and delicious Spanish cuisine and even more for the occasional Flamenco dance shows they'd have. What a fun evening that'd be - eating delicious food, drinking lovely sangria or Spanish wines (which were dirt cheap at the time) and watching amazing Flamenco dancers and listening to Classical and Flamenco guitarist Carlos Rubio. I hired Mr. Rubio to play at Pompano Grille when I was managing the place and he was always a hit. Gosh I miss that place. It would have been the absolutely most perfect place for a DDC dinner and Flamenco dance lesson.

[davidbdesilva]

And to think that that venerable restaurant (Tapas) moved to Lansdale in the old Tremont Inn, nobody patronized it (Lansdalites preferring the Burger King down the road and Flamenco being something you try not to catch from somebody) and quietly closed. The Tremont Inn was then torn down and now we have a lovely Rite Aid there instead. Sad indeed.

[Greg Salisbury]

Yeah, I remember when the owner told me he was moving the operation out to Lansdale. Maybe it was just a knee-jerk reaction of panic (now I would have to go back to NYC for Spanish that was 2x the price and barely as good)m but I thought to myself, " An urban center like Philadelphia can barely support one Spanish restaurant, and you're moving to a town over an hour away?!" Wonder whatever happened to him.

Katie, I am a few years too young (as are you!) to have patronized the actual bus LeBus. I just did teh Sansom St. space.

And this is going back to the late 80s, but does anyone remember this trio of Italian spots? Il Gallo Nero, SPQR, Gaetano's? One of the best meals of my life was a dinner at Gaetano's back in 88.

[porkpa]

Holly,

I searched the recipe index for your chili dish. I was unable to find it. Has it been posted. If not please do or advise how I can see it.

Thanks

Porkpa

[vigna]

I've enjoyed going back in time reading this thread, but these posts make me feel quite nostalgic. The place I miss most is the Commissary. Not only was the food great, but it was such a comfortable place to eat alone. Every time I pass Sansom and 17th, I think back to those good meals and wish for the Commissary's reincarnation. Frög (both at its original and second locations) is also very much missed. I think Poses also started the Eden chain, which was somewhat like the Commissary, but with a more restricted selection, specializing in stir fried dishes. One location of Eden was in International House, another out in Suburban Square in Ardmore, and yet another on Chestnut St., I think.

I also concur in fondly remembering Tapas, Holly's, BLT's Cobblefish, Magnolia Cafe, Salad Alley, and in another vein, the more recent European Union coffee place on 22nd St in its first rendition. Saigon was a really good place -- so inexpensive and friendly. The family that ran the restaurant really seemed to care about the food and over the years their kids grew into adults and seemed always to be there, and then it was gone! Levis' was unique and had quite good dogs when I first arrived in Philadelphia, but then went downhill.

Here are some places not yet mentioned that I miss, not in any particular order: 1) The original Gold Standard on 47th St. -- much better than the version that opened on the Penn campus in the Christian Center building; if I remember, the bill used to be presented on a laundry ticket. 2) Alouette on 4th St. and Bainbridge, later to be Pompano Grill, I think. This was a really fine restaurant, sort of French-Thai inspired with Kamol Phutlek as chef, who now runs Nan I believe. 3) Cafe Lisboa, a very good, but expensive, Portuguese restaurant, short lived, in the now decrepit complex just off Headhouse Square that used to be quite a destination. 4) La Grolla on S. Second St., a wonderful ristorante piemontese with absolutely authentic agnoletti con zucca (pumpkin). Here, the star was actually the chef's mother who, when in the kitchen, could provide real piemontese cooking. I really cannot understand why this place closed down -- it was special. 5) The Garden, a Spruce St. destination restaurant that sadly burned down only a few years ago. Everything I ate there was delicious and I remember festive celebrations in the outdoor garden area. A real shame to have lost this place. 6) Magyar Hungarian on the 2000 block of Sansom, quite authentic, with delicious pastries (perhaps now the site of Porcini). 7) Under the Blue Moon in Chestnut Hill -- great crispy duck!. 8) Hu-Nan, Susanna Foo's original (more authentic and much less expensive) Chinese restaurant on Chestnut St.

And here are some others -- Wildflowers on 5th St. (great Sunday brunch), Siva's on Front St. (a quite good Indian restaurant, I think better than the more recent University City buffet-centered ones), October (also on Front St.-- specialized in regional American cuisine; a place I enjoyed taking guests from Europe to show that there was interesting regional cuisine in the States), Cafe Nola on South St. (which was quite good before it went into a deep dive of a decline), the original La Terrasse (much better than the present version), and Kelly and Cohen's (a Penn lunch hangout once located where the new monstrous Wharton building sits on the corner of Walnut and 38th, where one could get a pretty decent, if not really special, corned beef sandwich and good matzoh ball soup, served with attitude by waiters that seemed to have been there forever; -- One day, the place changed ownership, the old waiters were suddenly all gone, and the corned beef tasted as if it were canned -- business plummeted and Kelly and Cohen quickly bit the dust).

l

Edited April 27, 2004 by vigna (log)

[Behemoth]

I'm sure anyone who lived in University City, for one reason or another, over the last 3 decades must miss Le Bus. The real Le Bus,

AMEN. Nice weather = food truck, bad weather = Le Bus. You can still get the food at the Le Buses (Les Buses?) downtown but only to go. Last time I checked the Manayunk Le Bus had all that stuff, and is a restaurant. But then again, it is in Manayunk. It's a shame the bar on locust walk closed. I hear they are opening farther west, but for me the whole point of the place was location, and the fireplace. And the patio.

I have to admit I sometimes missed Vietnam restaurant's old pink cafeteria format, since it was usually less crowded back then.

(BTW, I am a recently displaced Philly person, and feeling VERY homesick.)

[KatieLoeb]

Welcome Behemoth! Sorry you're so . Next time you make it back here to visit you should let us know. Perhaps we could plan a Pizza Club excursion in your honor.

[kretch]

it would make my day if someone could remind me of the name of the 50's style restaurant/diner that was in the Bourse (or adjacent to it?) back in the 80's...?

they had great food (from a kid's perspective, at least) and all these amazing vintage "video" (mechanical, not electronic) games in the back room...

[Behemoth]

Welcome Behemoth!  Sorry you're so .  Next time you make it back here to visit you should let us know.  Perhaps we could plan a Pizza Club excursion in your honor.

I can't say I am sad in general, but I really love Philly. Mainly (apart from family & friends of course) I miss having access to great food and being able to walk everywhere. And the Barnes foundation.

Here in my new rural midwestern home I get to meet the person who raised my hamburger. There is limited access to stinky cheese, but I can afford better wine without breaking the law to get it.

My parents still live in Philly BTW so I might actually take you up on that offer!

[kretch]

it would make my day if someone could remind me of the name of the 50's style restaurant/diner that was in the Bourse (or adjacent to it?) back in the 80's...?

they had great food (from a kid's perspective, at least) and all these amazing vintage "video" (mechanical, not electronic) games in the back room...

nobody? this is driving me nuts.

[KatieLoeb]

it would make my day if someone could remind me of the name of the 50's style restaurant/diner that was in the Bourse (or adjacent to it?) back in the 80's...?

they had great food (from a kid's perspective, at least) and all these amazing vintage "video" (mechanical, not electronic) games in the back room...

nobody? this is driving me nuts.

Bogart's or something like that?

[michaelklein]

I think you mean Heartthrob Cafe, which was in the Bourse briefly in the mid-1980s.

[Holly Moore]

Bogart's or something like that?

I seem to recall Bogart's in the Latham where Jolly's now is.

[KatieLoeb]

Bogart's or something like that?

I seem to recall Bogart's in the Latham where Jolly's now is.

I never said I wasn't geographically impaired.

[kretch]

I think you mean Heartthrob Cafe, which was in the Bourse briefly in the mid-1980s.

That's it! Thanks. Handful of nice memories of that place. "Cherry Coke" was a regular fountain Coke with real cherry syrup, etc...

[phungi]

There is a "sister" topic in the NJ forum, and seemed like a logical jumping point to PA.

Growing up in NE Philly, there was Paisan's Pizza, Jerry's Essen House, the Red Lion Diner and the Hardee's that is now Aldo's Pizzarama.