Django substitute?

[fchrisgrimm]

Django is booked for the April Saturday on which we are visiting Philadelphia (for the Dali exhibit).

Any recommendations for something comparable? Regional cuisine, fresh/organic ingredients?

BYOB would be awesome (it is a rarity, here in Connecticut) - though not completely necessary.

Meeting friends. Prefer to not break the bank.

[Rich Pawlak]

Django is booked for the April Saturday on which we are visiting Philadelphia (for the Dali exhibit).

Any recommendations for something comparable?  Regional cuisine, fresh/organic ingredients?

BYOB would be awesome (it is a rarity, here in Connecticut) - though not completely necessary.

Meeting friends.  Prefer to not break the bank.

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Matyson, 19th St. below Market

Branzino, 17th below Locust

Cafe Viola, 16th below Locust

Butchers Cafe, 8th and Christian

are just a few exceptional BYOB options.

[Capaneus]

Django is booked for the April Saturday on which we are visiting Philadelphia (for the Dali exhibit).

Any recommendations for something comparable?  Regional cuisine, fresh/organic ingredients?

BYOB would be awesome (it is a rarity, here in Connecticut) - though not completely necessary.

Meeting friends.  Prefer to not break the bank.

←

Marigold Kitchen has been widely praised, I think deservedly. In the same neighborhood, I also like Rx very well. Next is, I think, underrated. At least my experiences there have been very good. These are all New American. There are other possibilities in other cuisines.

[Andrew Fenton]

Chloe (2nd and Arch) is another New American BYOB that has never steered me wrong.

Lolita (13th and Sansom): Mexican-influenced BYOT-- bring your own tequila, to add to their terrific margarita mix. And afterwards you can go across the street to Capogiro for the best gelato you've ever tasted.

[shacke]

Pif is my fave. french byo bistro fare - not cheap (~100 per couple?) Takes reservations only one month in advance I think. They have a tasting menu for two at the "bar" table - a little known and fun secret.

evan

[Buckethead]

Chloe (2nd and Arch) is another New American BYOB that has never steered me wrong.

Lolita (13th and Sansom): Mexican-influenced BYOT-- bring your own tequila, to add to their terrific margarita mix.  And afterwards you can go across the street to Capogiro for the best gelato you've ever tasted.

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If you're not a margarita fan (which I am not), you are also welcome to bring a bottle of wine or whatever to Lolita.

Has anyone ever had dessert there? I've heard they make good desserts, but with Capogiro right across the street I've never been able to find out..

Have to disagree about Next. I was there when they first opened, it was just slightly above-average. I had a salad with steak on it, the beef was about half fat. Maybe it's improved since then. I did like the individual french presses that our coffee was served in.

[Andrew Fenton]

Has anyone ever had dessert [at Lolita]? I've heard they make good desserts, but with Capogiro right across the street I've never been able to find out..

I've tried a couple of desserts and remember them being quite good. I'll be damned, though, if I can remember just what they were. I seem to remember a cheesecake? with a chocolate-ancho crust? Something like that. I definitely liked it, whatever it was.

Have to disagree about Next. I was there when they first opened, it was just slightly above-average. I had a salad with steak on it, the beef was about half fat. Maybe it's improved since then. I did like the individual french presses that our coffee was served in.

Here is an eG review of Next. And another one. I was underwhelmed; but I ought to give them another try one of these days.

[Behemoth]

I've never been disappointed by Dmitri's in Queen Village. The trick (with your companions' permission) is to order all appetizers for the table, mezze style, and maybe one or two main dishes to share. Saturday might be a bit of a wait, but that's what the New Wave Cafe is for

[Capaneus]

Have to disagree about Next. I was there when they first opened, it was just slightly above-average. I had a salad with steak on it, the beef was about half fat. Maybe it's improved since then. I did like the individual french presses that our coffee was served in.

Here is an eG review of Next. And another one. I was underwhelmed; but I ought to give them another try one of these days.

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Yeah, the wild disparity of impressions everywhere was the reason I qualified my rec. It's strange, because all my half-dozen meals were very good. Makes me wonder if I'm missing a defect somewhere. Still, if our esteemed Ms. Loeb is in my corner I can't be *that* far off

Unless she's just being nice again...

[KatieLoeb]

Have to disagree about Next. I was there when they first opened, it was just slightly above-average. I had a salad with steak on it, the beef was about half fat. Maybe it's improved since then. I did like the individual french presses that our coffee was served in.

Here is an eG review of Next. And another one. I was underwhelmed; but I ought to give them another try one of these days.

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Yeah, the wild disparity of impressions everywhere was the reason I qualified my rec. It's strange, because all my half-dozen meals were very good. Makes me wonder if I'm missing a defect somewhere. Still, if our esteemed Ms. Loeb is in my corner I can't be *that* far off

Unless she's just being nice again...

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You're being too kind to me, and giving me far too much credit. I will qualify by saying that the owner of Next is a former co-worker and buddy of mine. I've had several (three or four) very nice meals at Next. I don't think the service I received was different because I'm an "in-the-biz" pal of the establishment, but I'll never really know the answer to that. Indeed I would have found the food I had very good and the service quite pleasant whether I were friends of the house or not.

There have been any number of excellent suggestions on this thread. Dmitri's is a great choice too, although the wait on a Saturday night can be tedious, as Behemoth suggested, the New Wave bar across the street is an excellent "waiting room" where a few beers or cocktails can be had prior to your fabulous dinner at Dmitri's. Dmitri's is always a place I take out of town guests because it's so comfortable, affordable and the food is spot on consistent.

Evan's suggestion of Pif is also a good one!

[fchrisgrimm]

Many great recs, thanks - I believe I'll be shooting for Marigold Kitchen first and Pif second. Need a res - so that shuts out a couple of options.

Can I ask what the deal is with Philly and BYOB establishments? That is a really nice alternative to inflated wine list pricing and/or unreasonable corkage fees.

As I said in my original, there is virtually no BYOB in Connecticut - corkage is even frowned upon in many places (which is a drag when one has a fair to middling size wine basement).

[Capaneus]

Many great recs, thanks - I believe I'll be shooting for Marigold Kitchen first and Pif second.  Need a res - so that shuts out a couple of options.

Can I ask what the deal is with Philly and BYOB establishments?  That is a really nice alternative to inflated wine list pricing and/or unreasonable corkage fees.

As I said in my original, there is virtually no BYOB in Connecticut - corkage is even frowned upon in many places (which is a drag when one has a fair to middling size wine basement).

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It's an unintended consequence of our restrictive liquor laws: there is a limit on how many licenses can exist in a given area. Since once issued they are transferable, they trade at market price. Currently, that is something like $75k in Philadelphia. For a young chef, wanting to set out on his/her own, that can be prohibitive. So, many forgo the profit from liquor sales in exchange for much lower startup costs. At the same time, wine-selling restaurants have to buy from the LCBP, and at what essentially amount to retail prices, creating restaurant wine lists that are even *more* overpriced than they are elsewhere. Take both together and you get a thriving BYO culture, for which I am ever-thankful.

[Rail Paul]

The Wall Street Journal has a nice mention of two special wine dinners tieing the foods of Spanish regions to the Daili show at the Philadelphia Museum. Gerry Dawes will be the host of these sold-out dinners.

April 22 offers the food and wine of the Levante region, while May 13 features dishes from Castilla-León accompanied by wines of the Ribera del Duero.

Dali Show

That would seem like a wonderful idea for other Philadelphia restaurants to emulate. Create a palette of Spanish themed wines and food with relevance to Dali's life