If waiting a half hour is such an issue with children on board, perhaps in the future sticking to a restaurant that accepts reservations would be advisable?

Roberto Cafe on South at 21st. BYOB serving unpretentious and very authentic Italian...I lived about 2 blocks away for years and this was pretty much my go-to place for a nice yet casual night out.

Pub & Kitchen? I liked the food but found the atmosphere crowd SO obnoxious. Never felt comfortable really just hanging out there. Honestly when I am in the neighborhood these days I tend to grab lunch or hang out at Ten Stone (not the best food but very relaxing neighborhood atmosphere, you will know all the regulars quickly) or Rex 1516 (more classy, higher end food, but still the kind of place you can just relax for a while.)

Yes! I've enjoyed these a lot in Italy, especially Venice. Very sweet tasting, as said above.

What kind of "homestyle" do you mean? Italian-American South-Philly "gravy"-style, or the kind of Italian you actually get in Italy?

LOL, I had to laugh at that too. I see (from the watermarked photos on the website) they are using Bindi desserts....decent stuff but not something that isn't mass-produced for a lot of retailers, markets and restaurants all over the place.

I had no problems with service at Osteria - for me that was pretty much the highlight of the experience - but it was all down to the food.

I was not blown away at all by the chicken liver rigatoni after everyone bragged it up here. I love chicken liver and there just wasn't enough livery flavor to the dish for my tastes...I thought it was a pretty pedestrian meat sauce. A pork pasta special was overwhelmed by too much orange rind, and an artichoke side dish was burnt and swimming in oil - absolutely nothing like the way the dish is prepared in Italy (the many many times I've savored it there.)

I really only loved their house-cured salami. Pizza ok but nothing that made me want to rush back when I do my own at home better...

Finally I am not the only one around here who has been underwhelmed by Osteria (to the point I felt no need to return again any time soon) and have really liked Amis on several visits!

I don't quite get the complaining about S52 here...yes, it's a chain but if were in an area (like a Mall) where chains are pretty much the only option I'd totally pick S52 over most of the competition. I've never found their portions "too small" or anything ... more like what would be a normal serving vs. the typical oversized portioned restaurants give us when quantity matters more than quality.

That said, I do tend to like their appetizers and entree salads more than the entrees. The flatbreads make for a good light snack with some wine, I liked the duck salad I see is on the current menu, and also the vegetarian tasting plate. My issue with the meat entrees is just, with their health-conscious theme, the cuts tend to be overly lean and not made up for it with enough seasoning.

They always have a nice and interesting wine list - again, much more so than you'll find at a typical chain. So I'd certainly say stop in some time and try a glass and a small plate at the bar...not much really to lose giving it a try.

I've been to a bunch of their seasonal tasting dinners so if you check my blog under the seasons 52 tag you can read more of what I thought of the various dishes there.

I would second Salento - very authentic food (compared to my experiences in Italy), not overly fancy but nice enough for a special night out.

Panorama had nice wine and apps, from my experience, but the main courses were pretty forgettable.

Just wanted to follow-up again...we were there again last night with a friend and it was another great meal. We were able to try a lot more of the menu and enjoyed it all - highlights were the black sea bass with walnut romesco sauce and, rosemary and pistachio panna cotta and most especially, the Berkshire Pork Roast which is a new item on the menu. The pork was both a) huge and b) addictively delicious. If you love good pork this is a dish to go out of your way to try (and I'm super-fussy with my pork since my family raises our own pastured pigs).

Had some lovely drinks from the bar as well - as a bourbon fan their Old Fashioned is top notch - and we had the chance to talk with one of the owners for quite a while after the meal as well. It was really nice going on a quiet weeknight to get to linger and chat, and the servers were all really great - very excited and knowledgeable about the food.

I definitely recommend checking out Tavro 13 and I hope they are able to succeed in the area. It's so nice to finally have a restaurant of this quality near home.

OK, just back from dinner. Overall a really excellent experience start to finish, really the only place I've been since moving to this part of South Jersey that had that Philadelphia restaurant "feeling". I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

I had the lamb belly as recommended - our server practically swooned as soon as I mentioned it so I knew I was ordering a good choice. Sweetie had the sardines which were delicious and light, and served with a gratis glass of aquavit. We both had fish for entrees: him the King Salmon, me the swordfish (my first choice was the sea bass but it was already sold out by 7:30 on a Saturday night.) I honestly can say the swordfish was the best I've ever had in a restaurant...I commented on how unbelievably tender it was and apparently it is prepared first sous vide before a final finishing grill...simply superb.

Two decadent desserts (when at most we normally only share one)...I had to have the flourless chocolate cake, he had the lemon-olive oil cake. Overall the only kinks I can see at this point is they were out of several items on the menu/from the bar (supposedly due to a couple big parties earlier that had bought them out) and slightly "green" but very friendly service.

And, apparently LaBan was just there last night so I assume a review from him should be soon in the works. Anyway, I'll have my own full write-up in my blog tomorrow...I have to sleep off this near food-coma first.

The lamb belly looked interesting to me as well, and thanks for the rec re: seafood. I never managed to make it to Fork, just happy to see some (hopefully) better dining options coming to the area.

I'll be sure to post my thoughts after the dinner...

It's all of 10 minutes from my house but finally going to try Tavro 13 in Swedesboro tonight (I guess that counts as "Jersey burbs"? I never know whether to post South Jersey stuff here or on the NJ board...) Been surprised at the lack of reviews/feedback yet given the initial buzz. Anyone been and have any recs of must-try dishes?

Crabby's in May's Landing is a fun experience if you want to dig into some AYCE crabs in a real hole-in-the-wall atmosphere.

The sweetie and I pretty much have a routine of hitting the Maplewood II on the Black Horse Pike any time we're heading to Atlantic City...it's one of the few real old school "red gravy" restaurants I really enjoy (in Jersey OR Philly).

There's Sagami in Collingswood (well worth the trip if you want classic sushi and sashimi prepared to perfection) and Fuji in Haddonfield (haven't been but I know it gets raves).

It's probably sacrilege around these parts, but I actually do like Food Network's magazine for the recipes (if nothing else). I've had a number of real winners from their pages once you get past all the fluff, and it usually doesn't involve ingredients you cant find unless you live in NYC or some other gourmand empire.

Having just come back from 2 weeks in Italy, and having a pizza stone in my oven (until I can buy an outdoor oven)? With you 100%.

> if you get chosen how will we know it's you?

I'm sure I'll be able to send out some kind of bat-signal. Although I get the feeling that mum is the word if you're at all possibly in it past the open calls.

> when does the show start production? any idea?

The written application asks you to be free for up to 9 weeks between Jan 1 2012 and April 30 2013.

Don't know if I should reveal my "secrets" before Saturday! :)

Suffice to say it involves several pork ingredients sourced from my mom's small farm in New York state.

I'm a glutton for punishment and just morbidly curious, I suppose, LOL! Joe B is supposed to be in the NYC open call on Saturday and I'm starting to prep for my dish tonight.

Anyone go yet?

Anyone planning on going to the NYC call this Saturday?

I'm preregistered just for the heck of it...curious if I might see any Chowhounders there...

Hi all,

I'm back from my vacation (which turned into 2 weeks from 10 days thanks to Hurricane Sandy...) and had some great food experiences overall (no reservations required :) I'm working my way day by day through the food reports and reviews on my food blog, but I will say that our highlights overall were:

A Beccafico - right near our apartment, we went twice and loved it for the service, food and atmosphere. The marinated raw fish antipasti was just about the best thing I've ever eaten in my life and they make an amazing zuppa di cozze that comes out in a bowl covered with fresh-baked bread...just...amazingly awesome.

Osteria Al Ponte "La Patatina" - again, went twice, including with my father who lives in Milan and declared it the best food he had in all our travels in the Venice area. Homey and fun, eating with the gondoliers and the pasta dishes were outstanding.

Osteria Al Ponte del Diavolo - on Torcello, a wonderful Autumn-themed menu that was a delight and elegantly presented from start to finish.

Vecio Fritolin - creative and beautiful food in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. I am still dreaming of the "Pumpkin Royale with Chicken Livers" I ate there and every element of the meal was perfect.

One disappointment was Trattoria Al Gatto Nero da Ruggero on Burano. Went here specifically after seeing it on Andrew Zimmern's tv show. The risotto was WAY too peppery (my father agreed, as a native Italian he didn't like it at all) and poorly presented. The mixed seafood antipasto was beautiful there but I just felt like it had a stuffy attitude that didn't match the food, especially with the disappointing risotto (we had much better elsewhere on Venice without the attitude.)

Anyway, I'm only up to day 4 of 14 in my blog, but you can find the day-by-day/restaurant-by-restaurant reviews here if you are interested:

http://www.southjerseyfoodie.com/

Sagami's is the best chirashi I've had in the area.

I'll update after I revisit (leaving in 2 days and still trying to dig up the old matchbooks and cards from the places we really wanted to revisit.) 5 years ago I wasn't exactly taking restaurant-by-restaurant notes like I plan on this time.

"Just be aware that any place in Venice that is worth going to will require a reservation"

Well, I disagree strongly with that. We were in Venice about 5 years ago for the first time and just tended to wander and wander until we were away from the picture-menu tourist traps and were eating in places where the menu was written for the night on brown paper...and had a few great meals even in "touristy" places by ordering right. I think the attitude that there's no good food in Venice unless you spend a fortune and/or reserve months in advance is pretty overstated. But, you know, we're happy with a darn fine plate of fritto misto or sarde in saor, not looking for mindblowing gourmet stuff. Just wanted to know if there were any little gems in our location to make sure not to miss.

So the sweetie and I are going next week for our second visit to Venice. We are staying in an apartment near Campo San Angelo and I'm just interested in any restaurant recs in the nearby area, for those days/nights when we've been wandering around all day and want a good evening meal close to "home". Mostly I'm interested in places that don't require reservations and aren't too fancy - I want good Venetian food without the fuss. We hate to be bound to a set schedule and have to be a place at a certain time, so looking for probably more casual, local-friendly recs that aren't too high-end and yet won't rip off the tourists with sub-par food. Nothing that would require a reservation, basically, and any Cicchetti bars to check out would absolutely be appreciated! (Sometimes we like to do a big lunch and then just graze around through the evening in Italy...)

About a month ago the SO and I had a very excellent meal at the Mussel Bar (since I'm from the Philly area I've been to the "originals" of the Garces places, so felt no need to revisit the AC incarnations.) Delicious short rib appetizer, two plates of mussels & frites and a superb dessert (I just remember it had chocolate, ice cream, and a caramel sauce I just wanted to drink up all by itself.

What was really classy was after I blogged about it, noting a couple rough spots in the service while overall enjoying the food, one of the owners emailed me thanking me for the feedback and that they were aware of these issues and working on training their (new) staff better to address them. So I give them big kudos for that.

My own 2 cents...

I wouldn't really bother with either Italian or Japanese coming from NYC, where both are done better and with more variety (at least IMHO).

For a uniquely Philly BYOB experience, consider Matyson, especially if you'll be in Philly during the week when they do their weekly themed tasting menus.

Reading Terminal is a must, if just for the roast pork sandwich at Dinic's. Around there are a lot of great cheap eats in Chinatown: Rangoon and Vietnam Palace are two of my favorites. Vietnam Palace's $15 vermicelli combo plate would probably be my request for a last meal (Charbroiled chicken, shrimp, meatballs, stuffed grape leaves, crispy spring roll over rice vermicelli.)

For fine dining, if you are in Philly over the weekend consider the over-the-top brunch at Lacroix. (It's in the Rittenhouse Hotel which is a lovely and central place to stay if your budget can afford it.) Even if you don't normally like brunch, it's an experience like no other. Also, I haven't been but I sent some out of town vegetarian friends to Vedge recently and they have raved about it for months, even though it was rather far beyond their normal dining budget.

Sightseeing: The Art Museum is wonderful of course. For things unique and different, check out the Mutter Museum or Eastern State Penitentiary for a taste of the macabre. If you enjoy quirky art spaces and like to do photography, also visit the Magic Gardens on South Street. Every friend from out of town I've taken there has been completely enchanted.

No, they may just have work situations where some meals must be eaten on-the-go and prepare-at-home options aren't readily available or feasible.

I work conventions and fairs and sometimes am on the road for a week straight - in areas where chain restaurants and strip malls dominate, and I can't afford a hotel room with a kitchenette. When I *am* at home, I cook 90% of the time for myself so I can control what I'm eating, with maybe 1 or 2 meals out a week as a treat (where I am NOT interested in counting calories or fat, I'm there for the experience). But when I'm on the road, I have to make-do with what's available. And at times like that, I really appreciate when I can go grab a breakfast, lunch or dinner at a place that has nutrition info available so I can balance my choices.

Yes, but spices generally don't add anything to calorie/fat/carb counts. There are no "secrets" being given away in providing basic nutritional info, and a restaurant should at least be forthcoming if a customer asks about the presence of a particular ingredient in a dish, if they are allergic or intolerant.