Visiting Philly with a picky 17 year old

whitetrufflechick · July 21, 2006

Going to be taking a mini-vacation in Philly this weekend with my 17-year old, chicken finger loving, sushi hating, try nothing new daughter. She's never been and I'll be sure to get her a cheesesteak , but how about some other suggestions for places to grab a lunch/dinner.

MarketStEl · July 21, 2006

Well, obviously, you're going to have to take her to Raw. :biggrin:

I guess the question here, judging from the tone of your initial query, is: Do you want to expose her to something different that she might actually consent to try, or are you looking for someplace that does the stuff she will eat better than the chains?

You say she loves chicken fingers. Will she consider wings? Moriarty's (1116 Walnut, next door to the Forrest Theater) has the best wings in Philly, period, and a good selection of decent pub fare to go with it. Lots of good beers for you, too, if you like that sort of thing.

Or maybe for lunch, you should just take her to the Reading Terminal Market and let her roam around all the great eateries inside it. (Do not, I repeat, do not take her to Rick's Prince of Steaks for the obligatory cheesesteak, though. You will find much better elsewhere, including the famous places at 9th and Passyunk everybody knows about. Even though Rick's is run by a descendant of Pat Oliveri, the (co-)father of the cheesesteak, his product is not up to the level of the original.) Some places to try with her where she will probably find something she likes or might like include the Dutch Eating Place (homestyle fare), the Down Home Diner (ditto), Franks-A-Lot (name says it all), FireWorks (burgers, chicken, anything grilled), and the 12th Street Cantina (Mexican); for a taste of authentic Philly, you could get her a hoagie from Salumeria or a roast pork sandwich from DiNic's, or for a change of pace (I'm making some assumptions about you by saying this), you could introduce her to Southern style soul food by taking her to Delilah's. (Fried chicken is a staple of soul cooking, and you could take it from there.)

As for dinner, I'm assuming you're not doing a big, big night on the town. The old-school, red-gravy Italian places down around South 9th Street (Ralph's, Villa di Roma, Dante & Luigi) might work for her--again, I'm assuming that Italian fare is among her likes--or maybe you could go to one of the Belgian places (Monk's Cafe on South 16th Street, Eulogy Belgian Tavern in Old City), where she could chow down on something more conventional with a big order of fries while you pig out on mussels. (Both have burgers on the menu, for instance.)

She might also enjoy the various Copa eateries (Copabanana--the original--at 4th and South; Copa Too! on 15th just up from the Kimmel Center; Copa Miami in the 1700 block of Chestnut), which also have a rep for decent burgers (I believe they have some interesting chicken items on the menu too). If it's chicken fingers or bust, well...back to Moriarty's, I guess.

Hope this helps.

NaFairge · July 21, 2006

went through the same thing when my niece and nephew visited.

we hit the reading terminal market. worked like a charm. tons of places to eat, free samples, lots of action. push for a new flavour, but if the teenager pushes back, there are many 'normal' options.

for dinner, i might go with matyson on 19th. matt spector's food is great and he won't scare the kid with over the top or foreign ingredients.

another option would be the countless italian situations in south philly. tre scalinni, scannoucio's, l'ongolo, et al. good, solid food yet oh so familiar.

worst case scenario, applebee's just opened on 15th and ruby tuesday's on 17th!

Edited July 21, 2006 by NaFairge (log)

whitetrufflechick · July 21, 2006

Printing out all your suggestions... great ones, at that!

Would love to try to introduce her to new fare, but alas, had a traumatizing Dim Sum experience where she ended up merely peeling a piece of bacon off a bacon-wrapped scallop and that was the extent of what ended up as her meal.

Reading Terminal Market is a must-do and we'll be trekking to some of the other places suggested.

Funny, when she hangs around with Korean kids she knows, she ends up trying all sorts of Korean foods, including Tofu and soup with a raw egg dropped into it. Ahhh, what a little peer pressure will do.

mrbigjas · July 21, 2006

Funny, when she hangs around with Korean kids she knows, she ends up trying all sorts of Korean foods, including Tofu and soup with a raw egg dropped into it. Ahhh, what a little peer pressure will do.
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there are several korean places around town. at 21st & chestnut is miran, and 13th & locust or so is pastoral. miran is nicer and has tabletop grills, but pastoral will do the trick if need be.

you could take her to mamma palma's for pizza. everyone likes pizza, and it's good there.

you could go to el vez, that's kinda hip and noisy and might be more fun for a teenager. it offers mexican-esque food.

you could definitely hit up apamate and get her churros with chocolate for a snack.

while you're treating her to good stuff, don't forget about capogiro...

Bluehensfan · July 21, 2006

I agree the Reading Terminal Market's a great place for lunch (and they still serve pancakes at the Dutch Eating Place at noon! :biggrin: )

As far as dinner goes, you may even consider a place like Buddakan or El Vez because of the atmosphere. The food is above average and the decor and scenery may distract your daughter from different, but not too different, food.

Then again you can do a trial by fire and walk around Chinatown and see tanks full of frogs awaiting consumption...well maybe not! I guess it makes me glad that my 10 year old likes ceviche!

JasonZ · July 21, 2006

Hi Whitetrufflechick:

I have a 13 yr old carnivore and a 16 yr old ballerina who's just converting from vegetarian/fish to "chicken's OK", so I know what you're going through.

Italian Market and Reading Terminal Market are great suggestions -- remember to bring cash for IM, since some great places there don't do credit cards. If she likes Korean, you may want to look at Thai or Vietnamese as well, would suggest Pho75 on Washington Street for PhoBo, the national "make your own variety" soup ... Also would recommend cheesesteak at either Pat's or Gino's (they face each other).

For Saturday night, if you'd like to go more upscale, if you haven't already done pasta, think about Penne (restaurant and wine bar) at 36th & Walnut (Hilton Inn at Penn) ... ask for a seat at the "chef's table" and if Roberta Adamo is there (she's the exec chef and trained at the Ritz and the Brasserie Perrier, but her chef de cuisine, Eilleen Watkin, trained at CIA, so either is superb), let her know what your daughter enjoys and she'll come up with something special and spectacular (my 13 year old hates "restaurants" but loved this place and many parents come here when their kids are involved in activities at Penn's facilities) ... If you've already done pasta, try either Roy's (15th at Sansom) or Davio's (7th & Chestnut, 2nd floor). Roy's is fish/seafood, Hawaiian/Pan Asian style -- with super desserts; Davio's is a Northern Italian steakhouse that does just about anything (including chicken and Jail Island salmon) and has a pastry chef to die for. My 16 yr old loved both of them when she was back here from school (she's a full-time student at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater), and managed to eat and follow her ballerina diet without a problem ...

Edit: definitely agree with capogiro -- best Italian ice cream around -- two locations, 13th and Sansome and Rittenhouse Square ... great way to end an evening!!

Edited July 21, 2006 by JasonZ (log)

etalanian · July 21, 2006

I agree - RTM, especially if it is raining, there is so much to choose from and you can get a lot of great tastes - freshly baked hand-formed soft pretzels, wonderful sandwiches, great breakfasts; definitely capogiro for the best gelato in the region; and El Vez, which is right across the street from Capogiro.

My daughter went to a 16th birthday party at El Vez last year and all of the girls really loved it.

For a cheesesteak (I know I will hear about this one, but I can't help myself) our favorite place is Jim's Steaks at 4th and South. You can sit upstairs and watch the foot traffic on south Street. And South street is interesting in itself, also.

Have a great time!

Eileen

MarketStEl · July 21, 2006

... If you've already done pasta, try either Roy's (15th at Sansom) or Davio's (7th & Chestnut, 2nd floor). Roy's is fish/seafood, Hawaiian/Pan Asian style -- with super desserts; Davio's is a Northern Italian steakhouse that does just about anything (including chicken and Jail Island salmon) and has a pastry chef to die for.
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Minor correction if you decide to try Davio's:

It's at 17th and Chestnut.

At 7th and Chestnut, however, is a Stephen Starr restaurant that might just please all of you: Jones, his "comfort food" place with the very Brady interior reminiscent of a 1950s Southern California coffee shop, only with a bar, a balcony and a much higher ceiling. The menu at Jones offers a creative twist on all the "Mom food" favorites (roast brisket, smothered pork chops, meatloaf, stuff like that), and on the dessert menu, there's even Duncan Hines chocolate cake with a glass of milk. (Every Stephen Starr establishment I've been in except Striped Bass under his management is part serious dining, part in-joke shared with the diners. [Morimoto and Washington Square are also probably exceptions. Barclay Prime is not, thanks to that $100 cheesesteak.])

degustazione · July 21, 2006

For a cheesesteak (I know I will hear about this one, but I can't help myself) our favorite place is Jim's Steaks at 4th and South. You can sit upstairs and watch the foot traffic on south Street. And South street is interesting in itself, also.
Eileen
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i am going to have to say Jims is my favourite too however you run the risk of smelling like fried onions all day if the line is long enough... then again you save the shirt you wore as a souvenir.

RTM is probably your best over all bet i was going to mention jones' but someone beat me to it

rlibkind · July 21, 2006

Everyone else beat me in recommending the Reading Terminal Market, but defnitely go there. I concur in Sandy's caution about Rick's Steaks -- it's acceptable, but there are much better examples. Instead, go to Tommy DiNic's for roast pork with greens and cheese (he also offers beef, veal, chicken, brisket, pulled pork). Fireworks Grill has been gone for about two years; in its place is Proffi's Creperie, which is to be avoided.

Rittenhouse Square is a great urban space with people watching potential galore. Mattyson is nearby, but facing the square is Rouge where one can obtain an excellent upscale hamburger. Also close by is DiBruno's Chestnut Street emporium.

Jeff L · July 21, 2006

Everyone else beat me in recommending the Reading Terminal Market, but defnitely go there. I concur in Sandy's caution about Rick's Steaks -- it's acceptable, but there are much better examples. Instead, go to Tommy DiNic's for roast pork with greens and cheese (he also offers beef, veal, chicken, brisket, pulled pork). Fireworks Grill has been gone for about two years; in its place is Proffi's Creperie, which is to be avoided.
Rittenhouse Square is a great urban space with people watching potential galore. Mattyson is nearby, but facing the square is Rouge where one can obtain an excellent upscale hamburger. Also close by is DiBruno's Chestnut Street emporium.
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I would second ribkind's choice for an award winning rouge burger with carmelized shallots, yum. Great for people watching too with, I'm afraid, one less interesting person to watch now that Mr. Stein is incarcerated :biggrin:

Rebecca263 · July 21, 2006

Hey! We'll be in Philly too tomorrow! I'll have the 16 year old Kiddle and her friend Chipmunk in tow. I've already decided to give the progeny money and let them roam the RTM for lunch. That's really always a win win situation, and Kiddle, being the little foodie, usually buys very little lunch and spends her money on something to take home-last time it was some really good balsamic that I would NEVER spend the dough on myself! Of course, now I'm in love with the stuff, dag nab it!

NaFairge · July 24, 2006

so............truffle............how did it go?

whitetrufflechick · July 25, 2006

so............truffle............how did it go?
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Well, lets see.

Began our trip with a Segway tour and a giant sort of cold and soggy pretzel in front of the Museum of Art. Walked back to the hotel and tried to come up with someplace for dinner. I nixed the Chili's idea and showed her this thread.

I made the mistake of showing her this thread and she got crazy angry that I referred to her as trying nothing new. Apparantly, she TRIES new things... just doesn't LIKE new things....

We went over the options offered on this thread and she found a crepe place mentioned in one of the Philly mags that are placed in hotel rooms. She LOVES crepes (as long as they are either filled with cheese and chicken OR stuffed with sugar). Anyway, did a little research online and here and we ended up at La Creperie on Sansome St. It was a small, French cafe with crepes. She was happy with her chicken and cheese, I had a salmon & creme fraiche and all was well with the world for the moment.

The next morning, we went to Reading Terminal for bfast. The Amish weren't there (they are not there Mon & Tues). She ended up having a chocolate chip muffin, but did end up purchasing a really nifty "I Love Bacon" t-shirt with a pig and a farmer in a happy embrace. That was definitely a highlight of the trip for her.

We proceeded to South Street (by way of a trolley tour) where she insisted that she wasn't hungry and didn't want a cheesesteak no matter what. I ended up buying her a couple of things on the condition that she try a cheesesteak (see note above: trying OK, Liking not guaranteed). We went to Jims and I bought one with the intention of giving her a small piece. As soon as we walked in another cheesesteak issue reared it ugly head. She apparantly hates Whiz... I am a Whiz girl myself. I caved and we went upstairs with our PLAIN American cheese cheesesteak. No onions, no peppers, no nothin'. And no Whiz. All to get her to eat a lousy bite.

Anyway, I gave her her half and after salting, salting, salting it, she declared it a success and gobbled the whole thing down leaving me with the other half. Said she didn't realize how hungry she was and NO she didn't want to split another with me. Sigh. Couldn't have had a Whiz anyways.

With that, we walked around side streets to Old City, decided we had both had enough of Philly for the moment and cut our trip short and drove the 2 hours home, thus preventing either of us from having to face another dining event: dinner. The good news is, on the way home she told me she was completely enamored with the city and had a number of colleges that she was interested in interviewing at. And please, oh please, mom, can we go back to Philly in a few weeks.

ARGH.

Food recap:

Cold wet pretzel.

A crepe.

A muffin.

1/2 a cheesesteak, no whiz.

I can't wait to go back to Philly with a grown up.

Edited July 25, 2006 by whitetrufflechick (log)

philadining · July 25, 2006

That's too funny, I think i saw you folks on the segways over by the Art Museum. Pity about the soggy pretzel, there are great ones in the Reading Terminal, unless Fishers is closed mondays and tuesdays? I didn't think so...

Anyway, you stumbled on my favorite crêpe place, and Jim's isn't a bad way to get introduced to a cheesesteak. My condolences about the american cheese...

But I think you may have planted a seed, next time you'll have better luck talking her into more.

mrbigjas · July 25, 2006

aren't teenagers a joy?

whitetrufflechick · July 25, 2006

aren't teenagers a joy?
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oh yes, a joy.

She was carrying around a massive backpack with her with her life's possessions inside. When I suggested she NOT take it while riding the Segway around and leave it in the locked van they provided, you would have thought I'd asked her to leave her first born on the side of a mountain.

Did I mention I didn't get to have any Whiz?

whitetrufflechick · July 25, 2006

That's too funny, I think i saw you folks on the segways over by the Art Museum.
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Yes, we were wearing bright yellow vests. I asked the guide if they had a special one that said "My mom is making me do this," on the back. That didn't go over well.

I_call_the_duck · July 25, 2006

...but did end up purchasing a really nifty "I Love Bacon" t-shirt with a pig and a farmer in a happy embrace.
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I've gotta get me one of them T-shirts the next time I'm in RTM.

Sorry your trip was cut short. Better luck next time.

Andrew Fenton · July 25, 2006

She ended up having a chocolate chip muffin, but did end up purchasing a really nifty "I Love Bacon" t-shirt with a pig and a farmer in a happy embrace. That was definitely a highlight of the trip for her.

Getting one of these shirts would be a highlight of my LIFE.

MarketStEl · July 25, 2006

She ended up having a chocolate chip muffin, but did end up purchasing a really nifty "I Love Bacon" t-shirt with a pig and a farmer in a happy embrace. That was definitely a highlight of the trip for her.
Getting one of these shirts would be a highlight of my LIFE.
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Those are sold at the Down Home Diner.

They also have a T-shirt with a scrapple recipe on the front; the recipe contains no animal products or byproducts at all, and on the back, there's the legend "But where are the SCRAPS?" and an explanation why there aren't any.

Andrew Fenton · July 25, 2006

She ended up having a chocolate chip muffin, but did end up purchasing a really nifty "I Love Bacon" t-shirt with a pig and a farmer in a happy embrace. That was definitely a highlight of the trip for her.
Getting one of these shirts would be a highlight of my LIFE.
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Those are sold at the Down Home Diner.

Thanks, Sandy! I'ma get me one of them next time I'm at the RTM.

KatieLoeb · July 26, 2006

Truffle:

Sorry you didn't get to have your Whiz, but as others have mentioned, you've clearly planted a seed. If she wants to come back and see colleges here (I highly recommend attending U Penn if entrance is made) then you'll have your chance to have Whiz and some better stuff at RTM on your next trip. And we'll make a Whiz eater out of her yet! I don't know a single college student that can resist the siren song of either a cheesesteak with Whiz or CHEESE FRIES!! :biggrin:

whitetrufflechick · July 26, 2006

Truffle:
Sorry you didn't get to have your Whiz, but as others have mentioned, you've clearly planted a seed. If she wants to come back and see colleges here (I highly recommend attending U Penn if entrance is made) then you'll have your chance to have Whiz and some better stuff at RTM on your next trip. And we'll make a Whiz eater out of her yet! I don't know a single college student that can resist the siren song of either a cheesesteak with Whiz or CHEESE FRIES!!
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She explained to me how nachos & fries with cheese sauce were disgusting but "disco" fries were acceptable. Disco fries = diner fries with mozz & brown gravy.

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