Update:
I'd like to thank everyone for their great suggestions.
In the end, we went with Le Virtu and were very pleased with this decision. There seemed to be a lot of Yelpers upset with the service, but overall I found the service to be excellent (maybe it has improved since those reviews). There was a very long delay between our pasta course and the single non-pasta dish (fish) which we ordered, but at that point, we were close to satiated and I'd much rather a delay than feel rushed through an enjoyable meal. The atmosphere was wonderful and the food was really terrific. Not a bad dish at all. We started with the tripe, a soup made of chick-pea, chestnut and farro which was quite memorable (delicious but also memorable for the fact that we asked the waitress what was in the soup in the hope of recreating it at home, only to find out that it's made with pork! We do not eat pork but really blame ourselves for not asking or making that clear when we sat down), rice ball, and burrata. Pasta were the single long noodle (I really enjoyed the chewiness but my wife found it too salty), spaghetti with lamb ragu, and gnocchi (interesting, small gnocchi I've never had before). We had the orata and then for dessert had the olive oil carrot cake, european style drinking/dunking chocolate, chocolate semi-freddo, and the peccorino panna cotta (mild but great for being not too sweet). My parents both found their cappuccinos to be too cold and they were promptly replaced. Needless to say, we left wonderfully stuffed and having nothing but positive things to say about the meal. I found the food to be on par with my experiences at Ami's and Osteria (in a good way!). It was also nice seeing that thriving stretch of Passayunk.

too fleeting! for a leisurely tasting menu, it later seemed to have happened in a flash, like a very pleasant dream.
OK, odd word choice, I agree.

I have been to Osteria once for a full meal with a big group and once just for pizza. I think the pizza is very good although it's not something that I find myself craving. I thought the rest of the food was great. the service seemed somewhat harried but pleasant. Ami's I've been to several times and always loved pretty much every single bite of each and every dish. Also love the atmosphere. I've been to Vetri twice. The first time I found it to be ephemeral and simply the best meal experience at every level in recent memory. Went back a few months ago and wasn't quite as blown away but in fairness we ended up with a late reservation, the group was a bit tired, we did the wine pairings which probably overdid it for us and frankly the expectations were just too high! I've been to Alla Spina twice and even though I don't eat pork, found plenty to eat all of which was fun and delicious. All in all, I'm a big fan of Vetri restaurants.

how does modo mio compare?

looking for a memorable italian meal. naturally, philly has an over-abundance of italian restaurants but we would like one for an intimate birthday dinner. Rustic food OK but family-friendly atmosphere not (babysitter night!!). Love all of Vetri's restaurants and looking to branch out.
I was excited to try Le Virtu until all the negative posts recently on Yelp and chowhound gave me pause. Considering Tre Scalini. Would have wanted Il Pittore but no reservation available.
ideas?

yum. that sounds great! thanks for the tip.

I find that many restaurants just serve raw fish over plain white or sushi rice instead of seasoned rice. What do you consider the best chirashi sushi you have had either in Philly or the surrounding burbs?

I'm dying to try Han dynasty but I'm the only one in my family who likes spicy ...
Rangoon may be a good option. I've been meaning to try it for a while.
I have had Sang Kee and thought it was good although not great pekin duck.
I've been to harmony several times and always love it at first but then feel like the dim sum disappoints overall. I had Joy Tsin Lau two years ago and my wife really didn't like it and now won't try dim sum again in philly anymore!
What would be just the best all around restaurant in chinatown?
I was curious how the other veg places in chinatown compare. I don't eat pork or shellfish so it is fun being able to order everything on the menu.
I had

Ok, I get the point -- better dim sum in NYC than philadelphia!
For argument's sake, let's say we are committed to a local meal and not driving 100 meals.
What would say is the best restaurant in chinatown (not necessarily dim sum or vegetarian)?

Do any of the vegetarian dim sum joints in philly come around with carts?
Of the 4 or so, which do chowhounds out there think is the best?

For omnivorous dim sum, are ocean harbor and joy tsin lau the only options? Is one better than the other?

thanks for advice!!

Has anyone seen, bought or heard much about the new Gaggenau Full Surface Induction Cooktop CX 480? I watched the youtube clip and it looks very cool although I wonder if in reality it really it really makes a practical/functional advantage over preset heating areas. I also don't know if it can be bought in or shipped to the states, and how much it would be.

I recently discovered that Zinc does pressed duck a few days a week! I know other restaurants have (or have had) periodic special items available (fried chicken @ mémé, korean fried chicken @ meritage).

I was curious to see what else is out there that people might know about by way of special nights to visit restaurants, or perhaps dishes that always need to be ordered a day or two in advance ... things like that.

thanks!

I wanted to check and see if anyone out there has ever tried Genaurdi's food delivery. We live in center city. Or, are there any other/better options? Obviously, it's a bit late to join a CSA ...

Also, any thoughts on where in center city to find
a really good chile relleno burrito
really good smoked salmon
gochujang and kimchi

thank you for any thoughts/ suggestions!

thank you everyone for the helpful replies. this certainly helps point me in a good direction.

We just moved to philadelphia about two months ago. After three bad experiences at whole foods on 9th (worm in tuna, rancid swordfish and rancid chicken), we were thinking about starting to get meat and fish from reading terminal since we don't live too far away. I was wondering what people recommend as the best places to buy in reading terminal. Or is there anywhere else to buy fish within walking distance of society hill?

thanks!

Has anyone ever prepared a duck by butterflying the whole thing? I've done it with chicken and read about doing it for turkey. Now I have a duck to make tomorrow and thought it might be a fun way to prepare it.

any thoughts/ recipes/ suggestions?

thanks!

I just bought a few bags of dried sardines and anchovies (whole fish) that I found at a nearby chinese market. I was wondering if anyone knows the best way to prepare these. Do they have to be soaked for any length of time? Or are you just supposed to eat them as is? Are they really just dried, or have they been cooked first??

Thanks for any help with this.

Well, we stepped in Azie and took one look at the buffet and left. It was impressively unimpressive! First of all, there was nothing really asian about it -- eggs, etc. But the food just looked pretty bad. And they said that we could not order off of the menu. So, we went to La Belle Epoque instead and had pretty good crepes.The wedding was at The Old Mill in Media which was a lovely setting.

This recipe looks great. I'll definitely give it a try when my chiles come up this summer.

Thanks!

I planted a few different hot peppers (cayenne, habanero, jalapeno) and thought I might use one or all of them to make some hot sauces this summer. I'm currently fairly addicted to sriracha. does anyone know how to make this sauce -- or sometheing comparable -- at home?

Thanks!

Ben

thank you all for all of the help. I'll let you know how it turns out!

ben

Thank you for the advice. Sovana Bistro looks wonderful but sadly is closed to lunch on sunday. We'll have to keep it in mind for the next time we are in town.

thanks,
Ben

We will be in Media from out of town and need to find a place for lunch/brunch prior to a late afternoon wedding on a Sunday. I thought that Azie sounded good. Is it a buffet or do you order? what do most people find to be the best place to eat? We're open to any cuisine at all -- just hoping for good food! I also read about a French-Tha place (La Na?)
any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks,
Ben

We will be in Media from out of town and need to find a place for lunch/brunch prior to a late afternoon wedding. I thought that Azie sounded good. Is it a buffet or do you order? Would everyone generally agree that this is the best place to eat? We're open to any cuisine at all -- just hoping for good food! I also read about a French-Tha place (La Na?)
any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks,
Ben

Does anyone know of any stores in the St. Louis are that sell FRESH anchovies and sardines?

thanks,

ben

My brother came back from Kyoto a few weeks ago and brought me a small package which he through contained tiny dried fish which he thought roughly translated to small fry. They were a little bit salty and amazing sprinkled over rice. Of course, the packaging was all in Japanese so I didn't know what I was eating. Now that I finished it, I need to find more! We have a global supermarket here in St. Louis that might carry it, or maybe I can find it on-line ... but what was it? I should have taken a picture .... Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, I'd be so appreciative!

thanks,

ben

My brother came back from Kyoto a few weeks ago and brought me a small package which he through contained tiny dried fish which he thought roughly translated to small fry. They were a little bit salty and amazing sprinkled over rice. Of course, the packaging was all in Japanese so I didn't know what I was eating. Now that I finished it, I need to find more! We have a global supermarket here in St. Louis that might carry it, or maybe I can find it on-line ... but what was it? I should have taken a picture .... Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, I'd be so appreciative!

thanks,

ben

I'd really like to thank everyone who has responded to my post. These are all very encouraging suggestions that sound great!

I was wondering if anyone knows of a good one-stop shopping international market or supermarket in the philly area. I live in St. Louis but will be moving to philly soon. Here in St. Louis we have a place called Global Markets which is amazing. It's huge and every aisle carries food from a different part of the world. There is also a huge produce department with food items you would never see anywhere else here. So, I was hoping there might be something like that in philly as well.