The only time to go to Ippudo is 11am or 3pm. Otherwise it is a hot hell.

Best items not yet mentioned

Best fried shellfish: sizzling mussels at Meme

Best slow-cooked meat pasta combo: short rib ragu gnocci at Mercato

Best under-the-radar pork belly: Happy Rooster

Best dessert: Baked Alaska at Butcher and Singer

Best unconventional pizza: Polpo at Osteria

The best non-fried chicken I've ever eaten: Jidori chicken at JG Domestic

Best take on a cheesesteak: Ansill's oxtail "cheesesteak" at Ladder 15

Best comfort food appetizer: cheese-stuffed meatballs at Barbuzzo

I disagree that restaurants in hotels are necessarily bad!
As was said Square 1682 is pretty good and is across the street in a hotel.
Lacroix is in a hotel.
Fountain is in a hotel.
At the Sofitel in Chicago I had a delicious breakfast of fresh-baked pastries and crack-like French press coffee - one of the better breakfasts I have had in my life!
Too bad the new Sofitel restaurant is awful!

Thank you New Orleans for a wonderful, gluttonous two and a half days.

Came into town late Friday night: raw and char-grilled oysters at Felix's with a couple pints of Abita. Delicious.

"Breakfast" Saturday at Mr. B's - barbequed shrimp and gumbo ya ya. Shrimp sauce was amazing.

Dinner at Louisiana Bistro - 4 course feed me: crawfish on a melon, trout, quail, and braised buffalo rib. All spectacular.

"Breakfast" Sunday - Johnny's half shrimp half oyster po boy. Perfect hangover food - savory.

Sunday dinner - Galatoire's - shrimp remoulade, oysters en brochette, sauteed red fish with Crabmeat Yvonne. All very good, but it's the atmosphere downstairs that is really special.

Monday AM - beignets at Cafe du Monde. Perfect hangover food - sweet.

This is without mentioning all of the delicious drinks - Arnaud's French 75, Sazerac Bar, Columns Hotel thank you for the Abitas, the Ramos gin fizzes, the sazeracs, the Vieux Carres, the French 75s.

In my youth (just a few years ago) I came, drank Hurricanes, ate Lucky Dogs, threw beads for breasts, and threw up all over.

I thought it couldn't get better than that, but New Orleans you proved me wrong.

-----
Columns Hotel
3811 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130

Louisiana Bistro
337 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Let me agree with the other posts.
I second James - very, very good food, and unlike many Philly storefront/row house restaurants it's intimate but not too loud and overcrowded.
I think Fish is also excellent - good decor for a date and excellent food.
Also up there is Pumpkin - small, but a lovely restaurant.
Of all the Garces places, I actually think Chifa is the best for a date. It's the most physically comfortable, and while the food isn't as good as Amada and Tinto, it is nowhere near as loud as those two places.
Tria is a good date place for drinks and small bites but not "wow" food.
Bistrot La Minette is lovely, but, as was said, is a bright-lit bistro.
Barbuzzo is jam-packed and crazy, but fun and the food is excellent.
Food at Bibou is great, and the hosts are the people there are really and friendly, but it's not really a first-date place.

It is a rare occasion that the New York Times turns its attention to food in other cities along the Eastern Seaboard.

Surprise then to see a write up of Philly restaurants:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/...

Reasonably well done piece I think. Skate wing at Fish is particularly deserving of high praise.

I saw the "rules" and it's not in Center City (just a short cab ride away), but I'm surprised no one brought up JG Domestic.

The skate wing at Fish is ridiculously good. Enjoy!

I second Southwark's Manhattan

My favorite 10 BYOB's in Philly:

Kanella
Bibou
Pumpkin
Matyson
Mercato
Fond
Koo Zee Doo
Blackfish (burbs)
Modo Mio
Marigold

I feel like the storefront BYOB is done better in Philly than anywhere else. Great food, low price point, cramped quarters.

My favorite 10 BYOB's in Philly:

Kanella
Bibou
Pumpkin
Matyson
Mercato
Fond
Koo Zee Doo
Blackfish (burbs)
Modo Mio
Marigold

Thanks so much!

Skate wing at Fish is mind blowing.

Agreed. The food is there to accompany the drinks. I wouldn't go to Chick's hungry. But given that all it needs to do for me is buffer three or four or five delicious drinks, it's much better than it needs to be.

Hi everyone,

I'm going to Osteria the weekend after next with four other people.
Last time I went was more than a year ago (too many good restaurants in Philly)
I remember cotechino sausage and budino as both being spectacular but I don't recognize anything else.

Can anyone make recs for antipasti, pizzas, and pastas?

We're going to skip the entrees.

Thanks!

Barbuzzo is very enjoyable even if it doesn't live up to hype. The price point is much lower than Amis - 5 plates (including a pizza) and 4 cocktails for two came to about $90 pre tip. Vegetable plate was outstanding, cheese stuffed meatballs were delicious, uovo pizza was excellent, and roasted bone marrow with a fruit preserve made for a nice twist. Agree that the piggy popcorn was not very good.

chick's is the perennially most underrated bar / restaurant in Philly

Taiwanese beef noodle soup at Empress Garden in Chinatown

Ekta is the best Philadelphia area Indian food I've had. Not sure if either location is located close to you.

Having dinner at the Rose Tattoo Cafe this weekend. Anyone have any recs on entrees?

Empress Garden for Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (and they are also supposed to do a very good crispy pork chop)
Szechuan Tasty House for Three Pepper Chicken

It seems like the key is finding out what the dishes are that Chinatown places do particularly well or as a specialty, because I agree they all offer up the bland, salty, soggy usual suspects as lunch and dinner specials.

I hear you but....
Matyson, Kanella, Bibou - these places are spectacular and to get out of them for a little more than $100 with tax and tip for two people is awesome.
As a former New Yorker subject to ridiculously expensive overhyped restaurants, it is hard to argue with that type of quality (and service) for the price

Agreed. It's awesome.

Was thinking of something more akin to their "Top 50"

Hi everyone,

I'll be coming through Mealhada in week. Can anyone recommend the best pick for suckling pig?

It seems like the most referenced restaurant is Restaurante Pedro Dos Leitoes.

Thanks so much!

Does anyone know: Is Philadelphia Magazine doing a top restaurants list this year?

I'd like to plug Estia for restaurant week.
For $35 you have the option of their amazing grilled octopus (usually $19) to start, their excellent grilled fish as an entree(usually $26 lb), and a run-of-the-mill dessert. Can't comment on the rest of the menu or if they do anything else well, but restaurant week makes a good but usually overpriced meal totally affordable.

@ barryg

I agree, downtown I don't think that there is anything better than Zama, besides Morimoto. Not that that is saying much (or that Zama is great): downtown Philly is just not great for sushi.

In my opinion, Zama is good but not great. A notch above most other sushi in Philadelphia. They do a good miso black cod. The sushi rolls are inventive. The fish is pretty high quality. The table top boiling tofu is a nice gimmick. The restaurant has nice decor. All in all, not bad, but also not a place that is going to blow you away.

Thanks for the info!

Love Chick's - ridiculously good drinks and very good food.

Also enjoy Rainstead - agree though that chowing down on guac in there seems a bit out of place

Planning on having drinks for dinner at the Franklin Mortgage this week, however I would like to buffer the booze with a little bit of food. Had they been serving charcuterie and cheese from DiBruno Bros? Are there any food options?

Thanks!