Kid Friendly Philly Food

[NicoleF]

I’m so glad I found this post, I too have my bro & niece & nephews coming in town. I live “in the burbs” & since Nifty Fifty’s closed on Passyunk I have a hard time finding good kids places. (I have 2 myself). Most recently, I’ve taken them to Johnny Rockets on South which they LOVED. (plus, they have a pretty good Atkins-friendly bacon & cheddar salad for me).

[KatieLoeb]

re kibitz: wtf? how long has it been there? i've just not noticed it all these years?

Kibitz in the City opened to little fanfare in May of 2003. It's gotten great reviews and their soups are TDF. They also make a "Chicken in the Pot" which is the very soul of comfort food and the cure for any and all that ails you. Sandwiches look good, but I'm stuck on the stuffed cabbage myself.

maybe i'm insane.

Yeah but - we already knew that.

[cinghiale]

Kibbitz in the City would be a good Saturday breakfast or lunch,

wow, what a weird coincidence--i just noticed this place for the first time this morning. i must have walked by it a hundred times and never really seen it. what's it like? there's some other place on that corner that i saw too that i never noticed before. weird.

I've only been there for lunch

I have yet to get to Kibbitz. The first time I tried, it was Sunday -- closed. The second time, I picked up bagels from Hot Bagels on 4th St. around 8:30 on a Saturday morning, biked over to 7/Chestnut for fixins, only to find them ... closed again They don't open until 10:30 (M-S 10:30-7:30). What self-respectin' Jewish deli keeps those kinda hours???? I'm boycotting the joint on principle.

[mrbigjas]

as it turns out i have an appointment on washington square on monday at noon. i think i'll head over to kibbitz and pick up lunch then.

in the meantime, i'll have to sate my cravings (which i wasn't having before we started talking about this) with a pastrami on rye from garden fresh.

[Sfuffy]

Kibitz in the city has outrageously good homemade corned beef and brisket.... I wasnt aware that they changed ownership. When did that happen?

The sale was mentioned in passing last month in a column by LaBan about places to eat down the shore (including Cowan's new Kibitz Down The Shore in Ocean City).

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/philly/ente...ing/9049151.htm

[Sfuffy]

But we'll definitely take an afternoon at RTM and there's probably no avoiding South Street since I'm in Queen Village.

Sfuffy - we're neighbors!

Certainly there's some cool places to go in our 'hood as well. Dmitri's is great and if you go early, shouldn't be too much hassle. If she likes hummus or feta cheese they have both of those, and the best grilled pita ever to dip in it. Dmitri's Sugar Snap peas with Tomatoes and crumbled feta on top are the best vegetable side dish in Philly - hands down. New Wave has decent food and the Dark Horse is a great pub with plenty of interesting things on the menu as well as some standards a 10 year old would love like burgers or Shepherd's pie. Ristorante San Carlo at 2nd and South is good solid Italian with plenty of pasta dishes and a great antipasto they place in the window to tempt hungry passersby inside. And there's always the South Street Diner if you want to give her a huge menu that makes it impossible to make a decision!

Hi Neighbor!

Since I live a block from both Dmitri's and the New Wave I kind of take them for granted. (Though to be honest I've found that the New Wave's burgers and fries have gone downhill since Ben McNamara left. So a trek to the Dark Horse is a distinct possibility.)

I've always been curious about Ristorante San Carlo and tempted by the antipasto. But it seems they did some renovations and last time I strolled by there the window display was no more.

Being from North Jersey, I'm a bit of a diner snob and the South Street Diner has just never cut it for me. (And the big menu won't be a challenge for my niece, she'd just go for the chicken fingers or spaghetti and meatballs if I know her.)

[KatieLoeb]

But we'll definitely take an afternoon at RTM and there's probably no avoiding South Street since I'm in Queen Village.

Sfuffy - we're neighbors!

Certainly there's some cool places to go in our 'hood as well. Dmitri's is great and if you go early, shouldn't be too much hassle. If she likes hummus or feta cheese they have both of those, and the best grilled pita ever to dip in it. Dmitri's Sugar Snap peas with Tomatoes and crumbled feta on top are the best vegetable side dish in Philly - hands down. New Wave has decent food and the Dark Horse is a great pub with plenty of interesting things on the menu as well as some standards a 10 year old would love like burgers or Shepherd's pie. Ristorante San Carlo at 2nd and South is good solid Italian with plenty of pasta dishes and a great antipasto they place in the window to tempt hungry passersby inside. And there's always the South Street Diner if you want to give her a huge menu that makes it impossible to make a decision!

Hi Neighbor!

Since I live a block from both Dmitri's and the New Wave I kind of take them for granted. (Though to be honest I've found that the New Wave's burgers and fries have gone downhill since Ben McNamara left. So a trek to the Dark Horse is a distinct possibility.)

I've always been curious about Ristorante San Carlo and tempted by the antipasto. But it seems they did some renovations and last time I strolled by there the window display was no more.

Being from North Jersey, I'm a bit of a diner snob and the South Street Diner has just never cut it for me. (And the big menu won't be a challenge for my niece, she'd just go for the chicken fingers or spaghetti and meatballs if I know her.)

I was going to say that about the New Wave, but glad you are a fan of Chef Ben as well. The menu at the Dark Horse is definitely worth the walk over, and you can do a bit of South Street to amuse your niece as well.

San Carlo is quite good and I'm certain there'd be some good pasta for her and some more interesting things for you that you could let her try.

It seems we have even more in common. I'm also a refugee from North Jersey (moved here to go to Penn and never left) and have pretty high standards for diners too. I figured a 10 year old would like that, but I see I've obviously underestimated her discriminating taste. Then again, the South Street Diner is all of a half block from me and is great for breakfast. But you're right. It'll never compare to the diners of my youth. There must have been one dozen diners within a 15 minute radius of my house growing up, and every one had something great that I'd go there for. <sigh> There's no more diners like that down here.

[rlibkind]

Kibbitz is okay, but I wouldn't make a special run there. The pastrami is overly salty, and not at all NY style; in fact, the pastrami is supplied by Vienna Beef of Chicago. Not that it's not a quality product, it is; but it barely resembles a good NY-North Jersey pastrami sandwich.

Unless your niece has a hankering for that type of food, I'd stay away; if you want to show her good corned beef and pastrami, take a ride on the NJ Pike to Harold's in Edison/Piscataway, or Goodman's in Elizabeth or, for that matter, Katz's or the Carnegie or the Second Avenue Deli.

As stated previously, the RTM offers the most food excitement and variety for someone of her age. A trip to the Italian Market on 9th Street may work, but on a Saturday, as someone else noted, it can be a bit overwhelming.

I reviewed all the messages here and am surprised that no one has mentioned Capogiro. It's only a few blocks walk from the RTM so, if for some reason you pass up Bassetts and their raspberry truffle, waddle over to 13th and Sansom for some killer gelati. The only problem your niece will have is deciding which of the myriad flavors to select. Also, Capogiro is open in the evening. If your niece likes Mexican food, El Vez and another Mexican (I forget its name) are just across the street.

[KatieLoeb]

And you really MUST take her to Capogiro for gelato. Just went there recently with a young lady of approximately the same age. She was amazed and is apparently still talking about it.

[Sfuffy]

Kibbitz is okay, but I wouldn't make a special run there. The pastrami is overly salty, and not at all NY style; in fact, the pastrami is supplied by Vienna Beef of Chicago. Not that it's not a quality product, it is; but it barely resembles a good NY-North Jersey pastrami sandwich.

Unless your niece has a hankering for that type of food, I'd stay away; if you want to show her good corned beef and pastrami, take a ride on the NJ Pike to Harold's in Edison/Piscataway, or Goodman's in Elizabeth or, for that matter, Katz's or the Carnegie or the Second Avenue Deli.

As stated previously, the RTM offers the most food excitement and variety for someone of her age. A trip to the Italian Market on 9th Street may work, but on a Saturday, as someone else noted, it can be a bit overwhelming.

I reviewed all the messages here and am surprised that no one has mentioned Capogiro. It's only a few blocks walk from the RTM so, if for some reason you pass up Bassetts and their raspberry truffle, waddle over to 13th and Sansom for some killer gelati. The only problem your niece will have is deciding which of the myriad flavors to select. Also, Capogiro is open in the evening. If your niece likes Mexican food, El Vez and another Mexican (I forget its name) are just across the street.

Hmmm....according to LaBan's review last year, Kibitz's briskets came from Sy Ginsberg in Detroit (http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/ui/philly/restaurant.html?id=64399&reviewId=13698). Have they changed suppliers since then?

My niece (being half NJ Jew) was introduced to Harold's as a toddler (at his former Parsippany location) resulting in an amusing anecdote about her propensity for regurgitation that my mom likes to regurgitate every so often.

(For those not familar with Harold, he's a former manager of the Carnegie Deli and the late, lamented Claremont Diner - which gave its name to Claremont Salad - who is a Johnny Appleseed of NY/NJ Jewish delis in North Jersey. He sold the deli in Parsippany, started one in Lyndhurst where my dad would lunch when he worked up in Nutley, and then sold it and opened the one in Edison at the Raritan Center. All his restaurants are opened in or near hotels (it probably cuts down on the rent) and feature not a bowl of pickles but an actual pickle bar where you can choose all you want from garlic dills, full sours, half sours, pickled tomatoes, sauerkraut, and the aforementioned Claremont Salad (which I've actually seen labeled as such on the Whole Foods-South Street salad bar). A triple decker will feed a family of five and there's extra rye bread at the bar so you can split it up. Plus little corn muffins and his special rolls if you have room for them. It's definitely worth the trip up the Turnpike.)

I almost forgot about Capogiro - it might be because I'm gelato-ed (or more accurately, helado-ed out) after getting back from Spain last week. I'll have to see how she feels about Mexican - the spice and cilantro might be too much for her to take in.

[KatieLoeb]

I'll have to see how she feels about Mexican - the spice and cilantro might be too much for her to take in.

Well you don't necessarily have to have Mexican to go for gelato afterward do you? Or a mid-afternoon gelato snack?

I almost forgot about Capogiro - it might be because I'm gelato-ed (or more accurately, helado-ed out) after getting back from Spain last week.

[JEALOUS]How was your trip?[/JEALOUS]

[Sfuffy]

I almost forgot about Capogiro - it might be because I'm gelato-ed (or more accurately, helado-ed out) after getting back from Spain last week.

[JEALOUS]How was your trip?[/JEALOUS]

Well, let's just say it's a trip I won't soon forget.

I went to Spain to attend a wedding with some friends and was hoping for a relaxing week of great food, wine, and exploring in Galicia. Well, somebody forgot to clue Air Canada into this agenda and they promptly lost our luggage (with our wedding outfits) for five days. So we spent the first few days in Spain running around trying to get some clothes that wouldn't get us laughed out of a semi-high-class wedding. (It's amazing that they let me stay in Spain in my satin pants. )

But we were glad when we finally made it to the wedding. The reception was two hours of fabulous non-stop Spanish tapas - sublime jámon de serrano, incredible pulpo (octopus), lomo (cured pork loin), queso (manchego and roncal), crab croquettes, jumbo fried shrimp - with charming servers who never let your glass of vino or cerveza go dry. This was followed by a simple but elegant dinner accompanied by three kinds of wine and cava. The party went on until well past 4 in the morning (which we were told was early since the entertainers were booked until 7) when there was a buffet of snacks brought out with more jámon and queso plus tuna empanadas (a specialty of the region).

Then it was three days traveling along Spain's Atlantic coast sampling seafood and more jámon and queso accompanied by glasses of delightful albariño. We even had tapas by candlelight in a rustic taverna when the power went out. And I always started the day with a café con leche. If I had it to do over again, I would try to avoid all the aggravation. But all in all, it was a pretty fabulous trip.

[KatieLoeb]

It's amazing that they let me stay in Spain in my satin pants.

You obviously missed the bullfights. You'd have been in good company with the toreadors

Sounds like an absolutely wonderful adventure!

I remain PEA GREEN with envy.

[mrbigjas]

Kibbitz is okay, but I wouldn't make a special run there. The pastrami is overly salty, and not at all NY style; in fact, the pastrami is supplied by Vienna Beef of Chicago. Not that it's not a quality product, it is; but it barely resembles a good NY-North Jersey pastrami sandwich.

well, whatever it resembles, it was damn tasty. the only problem i had with it was that the 'health salad*' i got on the side was tossed in the clamshell sideways and it dripped brine on my bread making it even soggier than before.

damn good.

spensive though.

*i ordered this hoping for something a little more interesting than two tablespoons of shredded cabbage with a slice of cucumber and two slices of carrot--maybe something more like the old 'health sandwich' they used to have at foodtek on 2nd street, which was the 2nd best vegetarian sandwich EvAr. but whatev.