It wasn't well publicized and it was awhile ago so I don't know if it's still current but yeah, their sandwiches used to be 1/2 price after 5(?). Also the asian market in comcast has 1/2 price summer rolls after a certain time in the afternoon as well. Otherwise OP can always walk a few blocks south to nom nom... I think they do takeout now. Good Luck with your new job. Break a pencil?

As an aside; I was introduced to Harbison with Blais bourbon maple syrup. The combination is INSANELY good.

Okay... As far as I'm concerned, you win Valentine's Day.

Every year we do pizza and champagne; it's enjoyable and keeps things simple and relaxed. Last year we added the 80s movie classic "Willow".

OP here. I think I'm just concerned that we're going to have a group too large for the space. At this point we're looking at 8 people.

I'm prepping to make a reservation at Zahav as we've never been and are super excited to try to mesibah/lamb shoulder deliciousness. Several friends have expressed interest but I don't have an understanding of how big the restaurant space is. What would you feel is the ideal party size for Zahav to maximize the lamb shoulder and overall experience.

Thanks!

I have become hopelessly addicted to the Indonesian Oxtail Soup at Sky Cafe here in S. Philly. Their version is really nice with lots of cartilaginous meat and a rich but not oily broth. You can even suck a little bit of marrow out of some of the bones after you pull the meat off of them.

I was talking to the guy who works there and mentioned how much I liked the Oxtail soup and how nice it was that they had it available. He said that he was surprised that I found it hard to find as "most Malaysian restaurants usually have it on the menu". He then realized that he was basically directing me to other restaurants and changed the topic.

Philly Chowhounds, is this true? Is Oxtail Soup all the over the place and I've been blind? Where else have you seen it? Sky Cafe will always be my go-to since they are awesome and super-close but I do want to try other versions.

FYI: If you want to try it, it's not actually on the menu proper at Sky Cafe but under the name Sup Buntot as one of the specials on the wall.

this sounds like an amazing opportunity to fulfill some food fantasies. ex: 2 dozen oysters at the Sansom Oyster house washed down with a good martini. Regarding what to do in Philly... I would suggest wandering around either old city or the rittenhouse park area soaking up the atmosphere. Philadelphia feels very much like a european city in those areas and is extremely walkable.

It's interesting to hear you say that about South Philly because I've lived there for about 8 years now and am totally confounded by the trendy hipster craziness going on in the E Passyunk area. Maybe I'm just living in the jogging stroller-less idealized past? But I would still argue that S. Philly is queens because if you wander off the E Passyunk beaten track there are still ethnic communities with really great food ex: hardena and sky cafe.

You can probably think of Center City as a very small Manhattan, the philadelphia burbs as actually leaving NYC for like the Hudson Valley, south philly as queens (complete with good ethnic food) and west philly as brooklyn.

+ 1 zillion on Bibou. Go if you can but book it now or it won't be an option. Bring 2 bottles of good wine and have an awesome night.

meh, I guess I'm the only one not super-impressed by the trendier Gastropubs. I just feel that places like Standard Tap have become so loud and crowded that it's no longer a relaxed pub feel. I'm a fan of Good Dog a good beer and burger.

I would also like to say that you should take advantage of the BYOB scene. It's one of the few things that we offer that NYC does not. It's normal here in Philadelphia to be able to go to the liquor store, buy whatever you want, beer, wine, stuff with bubbles and drink it at pretty much any restaurant that doesn't have a liquor license. One of my favorites is BYOB brunch at Carmen's for example. What kind of food and/or experience are you guys most interested in?

South Philly Taproom might be a PITA for parking, especially in the middle of the night. I would suggest maybe Oregon Diner or Melrose Diner. Both are open 24/7, have parking lots and are off of major streets. Unfortunately neither has Wifi.

OP here. We usually do the same; where we order together kind of a a mutual top 2 tasty sounding dishes. It's just sometimes, in a particular mood, I just want to house the whole dish of nachos by myself and not feel possessive of that chip with a lot of cheese off in the corner of the dish. It's not the best version of me but it does happen.

This is all very interesting... I think I've decided/realized based on the focus on sharing that he probably just doesn't like when I (through my actions) say that I don't want to share with him and that he maybe feels it doesn't reflect well on us as a couple that we wouldn't. Now that I think of it, the issue doesn't really come up when other people order the same thing as he does, he just really objects when we both order the same thing. Although he might care and just bite his tongue when it's someone else; ha! the wonders of marriage. It really does bring out the crazy in a person. (myself included)

We do tasting menus.... most recently we did Vetri in Philadelphia for a special occasion. With tasting menus it's set up that way so he's comfortable that we're not breaking the unwritten social rule. And actually, I do remember that at Vetri they never gave us exactly the same item because the assumption is that we would share.

Hi Everyone. Thanks for the insight. To clarify: just because he doesn't like it doesn't mean it never happens, I just wanted to do a reality check. He's uncomfortable ordering the same thing I think because he thinks it's weird or embarrassing to order two of the same from the server. I don't get it but I also understand that what a person finds to be odd or embarrassing is usually based on what you were taught is the norm and clearly we weren't raised by the same family.

Again, thank you for the group reality check and I am genuinely interested if anyone else feels the same way that he does just to get more insight. He's unfortunately unable to articulate past "it's weird".

Family culture. He seems to have picked up somewhere that that it's just "not done" or embarrassing somehow. I don't quite understand it but he gets very uncomfortable. I want to be supportive and understanding but sometimes don't want to share.

My husband is not ok with us both ordering the same thing at a restaurant even if that's what we both want... I think this might be a cultural thing. Does anyone feel the same and if so, can you help me explain why.

Many Thanks!

OK I'll come out and say it. You were stereotyped and discriminated against. The proprietors of this restaurant assumed based on external indicators that you would not understand or like the items on the "secret" menu. I hate it break it to you but dude, it happens! You were deprived of a potentially tasty food experience and apparently a naive sense that the world is fair and that you are entitled to a wonderful cultural learning experience anywhere you propose to slap down a few dollars.

This is not your business, it doesn't exist to serve you personally, it exists to make money for the owners based on the choices that they make. Unless you are proposing to underwrite them, they are allowed to make whatever business decisions they choose and I think that it's been well documented on this thread that they have good, logical reasons based in past experiences to make the decision they did.

Wait but discrimination is wrong! Yes ideally life would be fair and puppies would frolic with unicorns but realistically discrimination and prejudice is embedded into the fabric of our society and lives. You now have the same choices that anyone that has experienced discrimination has; 1 - you can agitate, in which case I certainly hope you would agitate against injustice where people have been deprived of, for example, jobs, bodily integrity, respect, happiness, security or their lives, instead of starting with being deprived of a food adventure. 2 - you can accept it, which historically has been the safest course of action, not that in this case you have to worry about the institutional powers that be behind the status quo, and just go to a different restaurant with tasty food, one where they will cater to you as much as you prefer. 3 - you can individuate. Let them get to know you as the individual adventurous eater that you are and they will stop making assumptions about what you're willing to eat. I would suggest making friends with Chinese restaurant proprietors or staff, learning a few Chinese dishes and phrases or even just showing up with a bunch of research in authentic Chinese food to show that you're serious about being interested in the food. Or as other people suggested, offer to pay up front so there's less risk for them. "But that's not fair" you may say. Well neither is the fact that women are assumed to be less serious about their careers unless they work extra hard, that African-Americans have to be extra law-abiding around cops and that Jeremy Lin was overlooked for so long because it was assumed that Asians can't play ball. (No, I don't think he's best player ever but good enough to get more of a chance than he did and yes I agree he is cashing in now)

I understand that I'm being a little harsh what with the "naive" and "entitled" talk but your post kinda offended me. You came off as entitled assuming that as a random customer, you can tell the owners of a business how to best run their business. More than that, the way your original post was worded came pretty close to stereotyping and being judgmental of Chinese restaurants. Asking why "Chinese restaurants" do x without clarifying all, most, one... is the common structure of a stereotyping statement and the way you worded your complaint implies that these "Chinese restaurants" were bad in a moral way. You went to one Chinese restaurant where they decided not to give you what you said you wanted and have maybe heard of others. But to make the logical jump from that to "Chinese restaurants" in general are "hiding" the good stuff is the same thinking that makes it hard for you to get the garlic stir-fried snails.

Oh, I just realized, you ultimately got food off the chinese-language menu so your complaint isn't even why am I being denied this but rather that getting what you want should just be easy.

My point is that you should stop feeling sorry for yourself, print the picture of a tasty sounding Chinese dish off the internet and ask for something similar while treating the staff as individuals with a) free will and the authority to make decisions that might not agree with and b)experiences that might lead them to make decisions you don't agree with with good reason, and please stop referring to chinese restaurants as a monolithic whole because that is just as false as the statement "you no like this".

lol. I find that time of day is very important actually. If it's before 1:30 - 2 pm; every time I will hit up artisan boulangerie for their softball sized cream beignets. Fortunately, there's not a lot of overlap so the choice so far has always been in the hypothetical.

I just want to enthusiastically second you on the belle cakery macaroons. They are the perfect texture; a little resistance in the crust and then softness, no gumminess, just sweet enough.

Unfortunately, they do not always have them in the store and have no schedule for macaroons so I've taken to checking for them via slightly stalking behavior.

I'm so glad that you're considering Matyson; I wasn't sure if you saw or when your trip is but (drumroll) this week's tasting menu is all fois gras which just thrills my saturated fat loving heart. It's some sort of anti-protesting protest menu. You can see the details at their website.

Have you considered stopping by one of the Tria locations for a quick bite? It has a full menu of cheeses and is my personal happy place.

John's Roast Pork is actually a very quick trip by car from center city as it's off of a major parkway; you may be able to run out there for a quick lunch during your conference. I personally would suggest their cheesesteaks. There's actually a separate line for grilled items, you step up, order your item, wait 5 minutes while they make it from scratch and it's pretty much the platonic ideal of a cheesesteak. Oddly enough, I'm less enthusiatic about their roast pork mostly because I find the seasoning to be a little more herby and floral than I would like but that's a matter of personal preference.

FYI: Izumi in south philadelphia on the same Birra/Fond/Stateside strip often has live uni as a special. Their sushi is pretty good; I think their chef was from morimoto. The cooked dishes are meh and the live uni is amazing. I think they actually keep a fishtank of sea urchin in the back.

Also FYI: if you like hockey, there's an ongoing street hockey game Sunday mornings in one of the public rink areas in South Philly, feel free to message me if you're interestested.

I heard that there's some sort of Grand Tasting that's only available Friday or Saturday but don't see any difference in price listed on their website. I definitely want to have the best experience possible; Does anyone know if there's a difference in the tasting menus offered at Vetri on Weekends?

Also, any tips on whether or not the wine pairings are worthwhile? I love a good wine pairing but don't want to be drunk by the end of the meal and unable to appreciate the food.

Thanks!