phillyjules's Profile
Anyone been to Alla Spina yet?
I went last night and I was surprised to see so empty on a Thursday night. I wasn't digging the atmosphere and the space just seemed too big. Our waitress was nice but a complete knucklehead. I guess it's trying to be a nighborhood bar but it just doesn't work...
I'm glad that I went but I don't think I'll be back since there's so many other places serving great barfood and the drinks were pricey. My husband and I shared the lamb speck, a sausage dish, poutine, and the veal hoagie. I'm still thinking about that hoagie since it was delicious. The poutine hit the spot but reminded me of disco fries which I used to eat at Jersey diners.
Russet
I went to Russet last night and had a decent experience. I loved the space; high ceilings with big windows. The menu is small but everything looked pretty good. My husband and I split the gnocchi which was delicious but a bit salty. Then, we shared the beef daube and red snapper. I would have enjoyed the entrees more if they weren't so salty. No complaints about the waitstaff; they were very attentive.
When the food is too salty, do you usually complain? I don't cook with a lot of salt so I don't know if I'm just overly sensitive?
I don't think I'll go back since I wasn't crazy about the food and it seems like there's so many chi-chi American byobs out there like Bistro 7, Farm and Fisherman, and Fond. But, the place is new and deserves a visit from people.
Best sushi in South Jersey?
I'm a big fan of Oh Yoko. I went there last week and had an awesome meal. I ordered a sashimi platter that was presented on a carved piece of ice. Pretty cool...
It's husband and wife who own the restaurant and they are super friendly. I like that they make their own soy sauce and the wasabi is fresh.
Delicious chocolates for holiday gift
My friend loves her sweets, especially chocolate. Where would you recommend that I buy her a special box of chocolates? I'm only looking for recommendations based in Philly. I'm going to check out the revamped Shane's Confectionary in Old City next week. The chocolates look good at Verde but I've never bought any there.
I've bought chocolates in the past at John and Kira's so I want to try something else...
sashimi-grade fish?
I get sushi grade fish from Otolith. They have a stand at a bunch of farmer's markets, you can check their website for information - http://otolithonline.com/. It's sustainable seafood from Alaska and delicious. It comes frozen so you know that the fish is fresh. I defrost the salmon and just cut some slices. It's so good with ponzu sauce. Be careful when you buy at a fish store since it could be sitting for days... I don't trust Whole Foods or Reading Terminal.
Birthday Dinner in Two Weeks, not too expensive
I like Fond (chi-chi american) but that might be booked up already. What about Bistro 7 (chi-chi American) and Cochon (French)? These are all byob suggestions.
I also like Fork restaurant. I'm not sure if they list their prices on their website. Entrees are in the high 20's. Great place for a romantic bday dinner.
Koo Zee Doo If You Don't Eat Pork or Rabbit?
The rabbit is just a special on the weekends so no need to worry. But, there are a bunch of seafood dishes that I love - grilled sardines and a shrimp appie. There's also a delicious steak entree. The duck rice is a must eat but I'm not sure if they use pork in the dish. I went with a group of friends awhile ago and one of the people didn't eat any meat. I don't think she had as much fun as us since we were sharing all of our dishes. This is a great restaurant and I really don't think you'll have a problem but it helps if you like seafood.
Restaurant Week - what was your experience
I hate restaurant week. But, this year I broke down and went to Bistro 7 on a Thursday night. It was crowded but not too bad. I ate a great meal and I'm glad that I went there. I found out that Bistro 7 does a $35 prix menu during the week so they are used to offering this type of deal.
A Chef friend is coming to town, need recommendations!
Hi,
I recently brought my sister and her husband to Koo Zee Doo. They are from the NYC area and annoyingly snobby about their food. They were quite impressed with the restaurant. The specials can be quite good but unfortunately, they had sold out of the rabbit special the night we had dinner. It's such a fresh change from the "typical" Portuguese restaurants.
I like Amada but I wouldn't bring your friend there. I think a lot of restaurants have been doing chi-chi tapas dishes so I don't think it would be anything different for him.
I'm also a fan of Little Fish since it's a cute little restuarant. The seafood dishes are delicious and pricey but I wouldn't think that they are inventive.
Too bad about Bibou being on vacation.
Anyone b een to Fathom Seafood House on Girard Ave?
I've been there a few times since I live a few blocks away. I think they do a fine job with their sea food dishes . I recently tried their crab cake sandwich and shrimp tacos which were pretty good. The food won't blow you away but it's a fun little place. The calamari small plate is delicious though and I highly recommend it.
Wonderful dining experience for 30 wonderful clients- Suggestions?
I was at Supper a few weeks and peeked into the room upstairs. It's definitely a cool place for a small party. The food is also quite good and interesting.
Farmer's Cabinet
Hi,
I decided to check the place out yesterday. I have to say that I was impressed by the beer list but I wasn't too keen about the hokey atmosphere. My husband who is the beer drinker tried an interesting smokey beer which was pricey at $8.00. But, it's a specialty beer so I can understand the high cost. I ordered a martini, although it was made well, it was the smallest martini for $11. I almost laughed at the bartender when I saw the drink. I'm deifnitely not coming back since it's too expensive and I can get a huge martini across the street at Moriatry's for $7.
Half off at M Restaurant
I used my coupon at the M restaurant and had a fabulous meal. The restaurant is quaint and my husband and I were practically the only people. The food was much more fancier than I expected but such a great deal with the coupon. We started with spiced pecans and 3 cheeses. They did not skimp on the cheese portions and the nuts were addictive. For entrees, we shared the duck and short ribs which were awesome and the presentation of these plates was incredible. We ended the meal with the peanut butter and jelly dessert. The dessert was another complex dish but so interesting.
I was pretty much blown away by the entire meal and the entrees were reasonbly priced compared to some of the popular byobs. There was affordable wines by the glass also.
Tower Theater??
i'm going to the Neil young show also and I'll probably go to Don Memo's. I went there months ago before a show and the food is decent Mexican. I remember that it got so crowded and I think a lot of the people there were also going to the show.
Best sushi in Philadelphia?
If you're going to South Jersey, then head to Oh Yoko. A husband and wife own the restaurant and they are great. There's always such an interesting list of fish on the specials board. I feel like this restaurant gets overlooked sometimes since most people will only mention Fuji Mountain. Don't get me wrong, I've had wonderful meals at Fuji Mountain. Oh Yoko is definitely my favorite and the chef makes his own soy sauce. Eating sushi and Japanese food can be duanting and they have educated me over the years. I had the best raw scallop there. It's also affordable compared to the Center city restaurants.
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Oh Yoko
1428 State Highway 70 NE, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Best sushi in Philadelphia?
I highly recommend Zento for sushi but also Kisso. I've been going to Kisso for years and they serve high quality sushi. These places are both byob.
I went to Morimoto recently for an extremely expensive dinner and wasn't so impressed. The food was good but no better than Zento or Kisso.
943
My husband and I checked out the place for the first time last night. It was empty except for us and another couple. I was so pleased with our meal and I would definitely go back. We had a delicious grilled octopus dish to start and then shared a rib steak and ravioli. Then, we finished up with flan. Entree prices were affordable.
i heard they make the sausage in house and that homemade ravioli was divine. Hurry up and check out the place.
FRESH fish market in Philly?
I buy all of my fish through Otolith and participate in their Community Sponsored Seafood (CSS) program. All of the fish is reasonably priced and sushi grade. I'm never buying fish again at the Terminal Market or Wholefoods after I found this place. They are located in N. Philly and their website is http://www.otolithonline.com/about.html.
The Village Belle
I do not recommend this place. I was not impressed by the food and it was so loud. I had the crespelle and it was dry. The best part of the meal was leaving and having icecream at Franklin Fountain. My husband had the scallop entree and everything was over cooked.
Monsu-A report
I made reservations to go out to eat in March and I could not easily get a weekend reservation. The person on the phone already said it was booked up in early March. That seemed kind of sketchy since this place is so new... Maybe they are holding reservations spaces for people?
Sonata Groupon
There's a Groupon for Sonata restaurant. Pay $20 and get $40 worth of food. I think it's a great deal since this is an awesome restaurant.
Little Fish is back, better than ever
I going to make a reservation but their current phone number is out of service. Any one have the new phone number?
Paella at Garces Trading Company?
I love Garces Trading Company. I ordered the paella about 2 months ago with my husband. It was made with rabbit, prawns, and sausage and far too much food for 2 people. We took about 1/2 home. It didn't help that we ordered a cheese plate for the appetizer but we were were hungry since the paella does take some time to cook. After we ate the rabbit and prawns, the rice got pretty boring. Now that I remember, the prawns were super salty. But, after we opened bottle #2 of red wine, everything started to taste good...
December Rehersal Dinner
Fork has a private room that can acommodate about 15 people. I had a work dinner there and it was great.
Where To Find Great Fried Oysters
I've had delicious fried oysters in the past at Standard Tap. They were served with a homemade mayo. Order some beers and you have a perfect meal.
Paloma
Paloma on 763 S 8th Street finally opened about 2 weeks ago? Anyone ever been? I have reservations for this weekend. The menu is listed on Menupages.com and it's a bit pricey. I hope it does well in that space since there's been 4-5 restaurants in the past 5 years or so.
30th Birthday Party - Private Room at a Bar
I recommend the private room at the bar Liberties in Northern Liberties. I had a private party there with drinks and nibbles. Room is on the 2nd floor and quite attractive.
Doma
I thorughly agree with your post. The sushi was quite good and fresh and that pancake appie was outstanding. I will go back in the next few weeks. Reservations are a must since it was crowded when I went on a Thursday night.
Burgers for July 4th
I was just at Wholefoods yesterday and they were running a burger special. Also, I think the special today is buy one bag of charcoal, get one bag free. Have a great weekend!
Franklin Fountain Reviews?
I went to FF last night and the place was absolutely packed. My husband and I got 2 cones of icecream for close to $11. Definitely expensive but worth supporting a small business. I'm not going back anytime soon but it's fun once in while. I couldn't imagine having kids and them wanting to go there every week... It would break the bank.
I prefer getting reasonably priced cones of Bassett icecream from the cute candy shop in Liberties Walk in Northern Liberties.
