Best restaurant in Philly?

[Azula10]

My parents recently moved to Philadelphia and I will be heading down there (I live in NYC) in August to celebrate my birthday. I've only been to Philly once but enjoyed the casual (cheesesteaks) and mid-priced (Fork) dining I did.

People I know that are from Philly that now live in NY say that the best of Philly conmpares with the best up here. Need I look farther than Le Bec Fin, which I've heard of, and Fountain, which I haven't?

What is the best French or New American restaurant in Philly?

[gabe]

Django. Make your reservation exactly one month in advance -- that's when they open and quickly fill up their book. Search this forum for people's experiences. (215) 922-7151 (it's BYO, too, which is a hallmark of Philly's exciting dining scene)

[KatieLoeb]

If you're looking for great French food try Deux Cheminees, which I sang the praises of HERE. New American food would be Django, which was already suggested, or Matyson which is another BYOB that I like very much and find equally creative to Django. The desserts at Matyson are particularly amazing, so if you're going to treat yourself to something to stick a candle into, Matyson is a good bet.

[TarteTatin]

We've enjoyed a couple of good high end French meals at Lacroix, which is the former chef from The Fountain.

Le Bec Fin had major problems last time we were there. Service issues and price, not food issues.

Django is good!

Pif is good too.

I know you've been to Fork, but its always consistent and always creative. Good wine list too.

[davidbdesilva]

Having just dined at Django last night for my birthday, I can honestly say I was overwhelmed by the textures, layers of flavors, and creativity of the food. I love the atmosphere and the bill for 2 apps, 2 entrees and 2 desserts and coffees was $88! The BYOB factor ices the cake! Having recently dined at Matyson a few weeks ago I would say that it was very good but not in the same league as Django. The desserts were spectacular though. Having dined in NYC, I would say that Django definitely stacks up with similar restaurants there, though the best meal I've had (so far) was at Blue Hill (but for over double the price of Django!).

[Azula10]

I like what I'm hearing about Django, and especially like the idea of choosing my wines in advance (not to mention the cost savings).

So other than calling a month to the day for reservations is there anything else I need to know? A particular table or request? Is the cheese course part of the meal or is it a supplement?

[KatieLoeb]

I like what I'm hearing about Django, and especially like the idea of choosing my wines in advance (not to mention the cost savings).

So other than calling a month to the day for reservations is there anything else I need to know?  A particular table or request?  Is the cheese course part of the meal or is it a supplement?

Everthing is a la carte. You could ask them to install some acoustical paneling to cut down on the noise level, but I doubt there'd be time before you got here for a job that extensive.

[cinghiale]

I like what I'm hearing about Django, and especially like the idea of choosing my wines in advance (not to mention the cost savings).

So other than calling a month to the day for reservations is there anything else I need to know?  A particular table or request?  Is the cheese course part of the meal or is it a supplement?

Be aware that the restaurant is closed for pretty much the latter half of July, so call now. Or, if you don't mind at 9-9:30 seating, one needn't reserve much in advance, I've found.

The cheese course has become somewhat of a signature for Aimee (Olexy), co-owner with chef Bryan Sikora. She accesses first-rate cheeses that novies would certainly consider unusual. She also cultivates (um, NPI) contacts with small artisans in, e.g., New Hampshire who don't sell to wholesale. She's very knowledgeable and will spend time at the table explaining the flight and answering all questions. And she's a genuine dearie to boot.

As for wine, be also aware that their stemware is pretty awful. So, if you're bringing a wine that deserves proper glasses, you should BYO them as well. In fact, a number of diners do; I've seen Riedel unpacked there on more than one occasion.

[Azula10]

The stemware comment hurts, poor stemware is a pet peeve of mine. When you say theirs is lacking do you mean proper shapes but too thick, or do they only have the standard pizzeria one size fits all goblets?

[mrbigjas]

The latter.

[R Washburn]

Alula10, what is your favorite restaurant in New York? If it is either Daniel or ADNY, then I would go with Le Bec-Fin. If you don't care for either of those then I wouldn't even consider Le Bec-Fin or The Fountain.

[stanpnepa]

My best friend lives in Philly (two hours from our home in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre), so we're speaking strictly as vistors who have hit maybe fifty places over the past two or three years.

Dollar-for-dollar/course-for-course, the clear winner is Django. We were blown away by EVERYTHING we ordered (the cheese plate is not to be missed). It's clearly obvious that Django is run by a couple who have made cooking and all of its possibilities their legacy. The combinations are astonishing. If you think you've tried it all before, you haven't. Plus, it's casual. unpretentious and very reasonable!

In the same league as Django...but totally different too...

Tony Luke's. The Roast Pork Italian may be the greatest sandwich ever!!! As my dad says, "It'll put hair on your chest"! After ten visits I've yet to order any other sandwich. Just can't.

Carman's Country Kitchen. Amazing breakfasts. Limited hours, limited seating and a limited menu---to guarantee everything's fresh. Carman's as wonderful as the food. A terrific "day off" treat.

[stephenc]

Django's weird. It's tiny, and looks like it was decorated by the vintage store next door, but the food is great.

[Azula10]

Now I'm fairly conflicted!

Django sounded great but my true goal is ultimate quality as opposed to bang for the buck. I'm also dismayed to hear about the stemware- I can understand why a restaurant that doesn't serve wine would be less than eager to take on the expense of replacing glasses, but Spieglau can be had for $5 a stem and how many glasses reallly get broken at a small, BYO place.

Is far as Fountain and LBF- I do enjoy the best of what NY has to offer, which I would say is Per Se and Jean Georges as opposed to Daniel and ADNY, but I'm only open to that level of dining if the food truly justifies the expense. I don't have any reason to believe that the best of Philly doesn't, but perhaps my first visit isn't the best test of this.

So where does that leave us. Somebody mentioned Blue Hill as a comparison to Django. Blue Hill is local to me and is very tasty but as far as where it ranks on a best of New York list I would say that top 50 is optimistic.

What are the Philly equivalents to, say: Gotham Bar and Grill? I thought I remembered hearing that Portale was taking an interest in a place down there.

[KatieLoeb]

Now I'm fairly conflicted!

Django sounded great but my true goal is ultimate quality as opposed to bang for the buck.  I'm also dismayed to hear about the stemware- I can understand why a restaurant that doesn't serve wine would be less than eager to take on the expense of replacing glasses, but Spieglau can be had for $5 a stem and how many glasses reallly get broken at a small, BYO place. 

Is far as Fountain and LBF- I do enjoy the best of what NY has to offer, which I would say is Per Se and Jean Georges as opposed to Daniel and ADNY, but I'm only open to that level of dining if the food truly justifies the expense.  I don't have any reason to believe that the best of Philly doesn't, but perhaps my first visit isn't the best test of this.

So where does that leave us.  Somebody mentioned Blue Hill as a comparison to Django.  Blue Hill is local to me and is very tasty but as far as where it ranks on a best of New York list I would say that top 50 is optimistic.

What are the Philly equivalents to, say: Gotham Bar and Grill?  I thought I remembered hearing that Portale was taking an interest in a place down there.

Chef Portale has left the kitchen at the re-opened Striped Bass in the capable hands of Chef de Cuisine Christopher Lee. I've heard mixed reviews on the new regime, but mostly the complaints had to do with service (and many were coming from the service staff themselves, my former coworkers and friends, that aren't "allowed" to greet and take care of the guests the way they used to).

I'll still back my original suggestion of Deux Cheminees. And they'll definitely have proper stemware to go with their well chosen wine list.

No BYOB in Philly is going to compare with Blue Hill or something similar in NY because the BYOBs here tend to be small, cramped and deafeningly noisy. It's part of their charm, to be sure, but it won't be a peak experience from the ambiance point of view no matter how you slice it. If you're comfortable with that, then you'll have a wonderful time, and I'll be the first to defend the fantastic "BYO culture" that Philly has developed. But for a really quality experience in the vein that you seem to be describing (pretty room, tabletop trappings, wonderful food) you're going to have to stick with one of the nicer and more formal restaurants here in town or perhaps Savona in Gulph Mills a short ride away.

Do a Google search on the suggestions you've gotten and see which one suits your ideals the best.

[Joe H]

I have not been to Django but I suspect that those who are praising it are referring you to a restaurant where the experience is not typically a celebratory experience. Rather, an excellent, creative meal at a more than fair price. For myself, for a birthday, this is not where I would go. Friday or Saturday night yes but not for a special occasion. Especially since I really enjoy wine and part of the pleasure of a restaurant for me is the presentation of the sommelier, properly decanting the bottle and pouring into better stemware. All the more appropriate if it is Vinum Extreme and the decanter is a Reidel Duck.

For this I would go to Fountain, Le Bec Fin or Philly's best Italian restaurant, Vetri. I believe all three represent the type of experience that you would find in Daniel or Per Se.

The Striped Bass was also good several years ago but I believe the first three are a step or two above.

[Rich Pawlak]

Django, for all of the difficulty of getting a reservations, is a very good choice, but, if I had to pick one restaurant for a truly terrific meal that is out of the ordinary but not pretentious or ridiculously overpriced (Vetri, Striped Bass, LBF), I would pick PASION, for Nuevo Latino of great refinement and sophistication.

[sara]

Ok, I'm jumping in here. I think 5 years ago I would've said Philly's best included places like Vetri and Pasion. No longer. IMO, they're being outdone. The best of Philly, for me, are places like Morimoto (has anyone ever had less than perfect sushi or less than original food there?), Lolita (consistently fabulous, Chloe, Django, Matyson, Rx and Azafran. Most of those are BYO, obviously not the best place to go for great wine service. Do any of those places outdo the best of NY? Probably not. And some are better 'deals' than others. But you're pretty much guaranteed a lovely birthday dinner at any of them.

ps. This past weekend was my last in Philly, since I'm moving to Madison. Where did I choose to have my last two Philadelphia meals? Lolita and Carman's. Coulda gone anywhere. 'Nuff said. Ok, one last thing--the last time I was in Philly, a month ago, I had my third-to-last meal, and that was Chloe. So you can see my top 3 at the moment. For points of comparison, my last three here in DC (my second home) will likely be Sushi Ko, Palena, and Nectar. My goodbye meals in NYC (my third home), will be at Babbo, Prune, and maybe the Tasting Room. Ah, so hard to say goodbye to the wonderful East Coast!!!

Edited July 13, 2004 by sara (log)

[Joe H]

Interesting that you're not going to either Laboratorio or Maestro which are on another level from Palena or Nectar. The latter are two are excellent but a different type of experience. For New York I could not imagine not going to Le Bernardin or Per Se. I believe this clarifies our respective choices for the various cities.

[stephenc]

How about La Croix?

Dudes there wear suits and serve nice wine, which seems to be what you're after.

Edited July 13, 2004 by stephenc (log)

[sara]

Interesting that you're not going to either Laboratorio or Maestro which are on another level from Palena or Nectar. The latter are two are excellent but a different type of experience. For New York I could not imagine not going to Le Bernardin or Per Se. I believe this clarifies our respective choices for the various cities.

It's reflective of my inability to blow a substantial portion of a paycheck on a single meal. I believe this is a more common constraint for Egulleteers than not. The only thing about our choice differences that I think it clarifies is our income differential-- other than that, I think it says litte. I spent money at Vetri just last year-- I seriously thought it was a waste.

[Andrew Fenton]

This all seems to demonstrate the impossibility (and, in my opinion, foolishness) of trying to name the "best restaurant" in Philly, or in any city of any size. Surely there are any number of "best restaurants" in various categories, each of which is appropriate for its occasion. Django and Le Bec-Fin, for example, are certainly tops in their categories.

I'd be happy to call Chickie's Deli the best restaurant in Philly: they serve the best hoagie in Philadelphia; their Italian hoagie is probably the best cold sandwich I've had anywhere in the world; and in aggregate, I've gotten more pleasure from them than from any other restaurant in this town, Le Bec-Fin included.

Edited July 13, 2004 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[Joe H]

I've written essays about the ""5,000 Mile Hamburger" (http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general18/messages/64210.html), had a wedding dinner on the hood of a convertible at Tommy's in L. A., driven 750 miles round trip to New Haven for pizza (and felt it was worth it) and have built several vacations and business trips around dinners/bratwurst/truffles/pastry in Europe.

For me it's not about the cost. It's only whether or not it's worth it. At $400 to 500 for two people Laboratorio, Maestro, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Le Bec Fin, etc. are worth it. A number of others in this range are not. Over twenty years ago I had several dinners like this and my income was a small fraction of what it is now. Then, as now, they were worth it.

But a rib dinner in Alabama that I drove 200 miles out of the way for in 1980 was an incredible waste. As was a hamburger in Fort Worth that didn't live up to its hype. Having lost 142 pounds on a diet in '79 and rewarding myself with dinner at Le Francais in Wheeling, IL in '80 on a blind date with four other friends that cost over $1,000 for the six of us (24 years ago!)-this was not only worth it but still one of the finest experiences of my life.

It's not about the cost. It's simply whether or not it is worth the investment, effort, time, calories....

[Andrew Fenton]

I agree with your sentiments to a certain extent: a year ago three friends and I celebrated our 30th birthdays at the Bec. All told, the bill was $1000, and I still have the receipt on my refrigerator. It was worth every penny. On the other hand, I've felt ripped off by a lousy $8 sandwich.

But the thing is that not everybody can afford $250 for a dinner, even for a special occasion. So, yeah, it is about the cost sometimes.

[Azula10]

We should officially change this thread from "Best Restaurant in Philly" to "Restaurant most suited for Craig's Birthday dinner."

At any rate, I'm thinking based on all of the discussion and suggestions that Morimoto is the place for me. We will be doing a lot of cooking and wine drinking over the weekend at home, so Japanese will be a good change of pace, and I saw the Food Network program on the opening of Morimoto some time ago and can still recall the slabs of Blue Fin.

Is there anything I need to know about Morimoto? I presume (and hope) that they only take reservations one month out?