183285 Sun Feb 20 18:40:04 -0800 2005 23 15 Pennsylvania 0 983372 My brother and his Fiancee are coming into Philly from New York in a few weeks and they are always very picky and hard to impress on the Philly food scene. The food needs to be great and ambience even better. They are quite snobbish in a nice NY kind of way. I truuly believe the harder the reservation is to acquire, the more impressed they are over the restaurant. They did not love Le Bec Fin or Fountain or Lacroix last visit. BYOBs are not favored generally. In NYC, they love Masa, Per Se, Jean-georges and Balthazaar (sp). I was thinking about Ritz Grill or Barclay Prime but have not been to either in a few months. Sun Feb 20 18:40:04 -0800 2005 0 Ken 1 983378 well, truth be told, we have no equivalents to the restaurants that you mentioned in NYC. Honestly, at the upper echelon, NYC has no rival (well, maybe in Europe or something). That being said, your brother seems to appreciate well known names and such so i would recommend Morimotto (soon to be in NYC), Pasion, and Vetri. all are chef driven, high end, food first concepts, but with good service and nice atmosphere. buddakahn, also fits, sort-of. while the food may be a step below the others (and lacroix, lbf, or the fountain, for that matter) it's atmosphere is really interesting and reservations are indeed hard to get (and celebrities often hang out there). in a whole different direction, i would recommend doing what Philly does best (instead of trying to replicate NYC), which is probably eclectic BYOBs. django is certainly a hard reservation to get, and very Philly (mismatch table settings and such ala 70's restaurant renaissance). matyson is lovely minus all the pretense. all said and done, i would say, morimotto for the omakasse at the sushi bar...very impressive...i guess Sun Feb 20 23:10:29 -0800 2005 983372 0 jess 2 983379 also, maybe, duex chemenies (sp?). impeccable service, old school atmosphere, wonderful food. Sun Feb 20 23:17:02 -0800 2005 983378 0 jess 3 983439 Or, you could tell them to stay the hell home, or jet to Beverly Hills for fresh flown in fish. Jeez, how can you eat with them without getting agida and wanting to puke? I suggest taking them into the barrio of North Philly for latino food at Tierra Colombiana. Just make sure you park a good 4-5 blocks from the restaurant and walk there. Tue Feb 22 11:06:08 -0800 2005 983379 0 DBD 4 983443 Hell, instead of Tierra Colombiana, take them to Porkies Point at 5th and Rising Sun. Its like a Puertorican Tony Lukes. The best pulled pork I have ever had. Rice and beans like my momma never made. But, studio kitchen is a good idea for a novel dining experience, even though he does do nights in nyc. Tue Feb 22 12:06:16 -0800 2005 983439 0 nat 2 983384 I agree with the Pasion, Vetri, Morimoto, Deux Cheminees line of thinking. I think they'll hate Buddakan. You already said that they don't favor BYOs, but Marigold would be a worthy exception. Mon Feb 21 09:40:15 -0800 2005 983378 0 --susan 3 983407 I agree that Buddakhan is probably not your best bet for the audience. Although we like it, and have a good time, we also know it for (and probably like it for) its shortcomings. We have taken guests there who absolutely hated it. I think Pasion was an excellent suggestion. Having been there for the first time this weekend, it is probably worth a try. If they don't like it, at least you will be having a positive food experience yourself. Mon Feb 21 17:39:16 -0800 2005 983384 0 Kramer 1 983383 I would do the exact opposite of what everyone else will suggest. Why try to impress some NYC snob? It will never work. If they didn't like Le Bec Fin nor Lacroix, they will never even admit that any resturant is satisfactory. They will probably complain about the stemware. So, I would be a true Philadelphian and take them to John's Roast Pork at Front and Snyder. The beauty of that is they get to eat the BEST cheesesteak in the city and they get to eat it in the car! Now that is true Philadelphia. The question is, do you have the courage and do you love our city enough to go through with it? Mon Feb 21 09:37:52 -0800 2005 983372 0 Carmine Capunito (Sonny to you) 2 983385 I was about to post the same thing as an "on second thought" reply. :) Mon Feb 21 09:42:00 -0800 2005 983383 0 --susan 3 983404 I saw the original post last night before all of these great replies. I was seriously considering sending their snobby asses to John's too, but I didn't want to fan another NYC/Philly flame war. But now that everyone else has suggested it, I'm with you all too!!! If you've been to John's, you know that a seat at one of those picnic tables is one of the toughest to get in town (especially on a nice day). Better yet, send them to Texas Weiners on 15th and Snyder for a hot dog/fishcake combo sandwich. That's South Philly surf-and-turf for the uninitiated. Mon Feb 21 15:43:45 -0800 2005 983385 0 Ray 4 983406 I had a moment of pause before adding my two cents, too. Ken: Please don't take all of our teasing regarding the snobbiness of your relatives the wrong way -- it's not meant to be mean, just boastful of our fan-tas-tic street food. See earlier replies for serious replies to your question. Don't rule out John's either, though. Really not kidding about the transcendent quality of those sandwiches. :) Mon Feb 21 17:27:41 -0800 2005 983404 0 --susan 5 983408 First of all- Thanks to everyone who has responded to my initial post as I am just walking in from work. I was shocked at the number of replies as well as the great suggestions. First off, Yes my brother is a food snob but he also loves Junk food so although I love the John's cheesesteak thing And Tony Lukes etc; been there and he and I will probably go there privately with him and without the girls as it is more a guys thing to do IMHO. I was actually surprised when he told me there is a Tony Lukes now in NYC I think he said near 9th avenue. I "pitched" the Morimoto idea and was told that they heard the Fish is not flown in daily from Japan like Masa or Urasawa in Bev Hills so it was not a must go. I also spoke to them about Vetri and it did not rock their food world as they conjured up past NYC Italian memories of Babbo and Feledia. Ahhhhh, I then suggested, Deux Chiminees, maybe. Then I mentioned Pasion, also a maybe. They then told me about a friend and fellow foodie mentioned Barclay Prime and the meat from Lugar etc. etc. I think we may have a winner. Thet also wanted to do the Lacroix thing one night as they heard we can book the kitchen with Jean Marie. So, I am making phone calls tonight for reservations and my wife still loves the idea of a South Philly Surf and Turf or Food truck dinner. We also thought that we would take them to Ralphs since my brother and I used to go there as kids 25 some years ago with our folks. That was fine dining. Great Chow board in PA ......Thanks Again, will report back Mon Feb 21 18:04:39 -0800 2005 983406 0 Ken 6 983429 Give Mr. Morimoto a thousand dollars cash up front, on par with a dinner from Masa, and I'm sure Morimoto could fly to Japan himself, pick out a fish for your brother, fly back and prepare a meal for him. Tue Feb 22 09:44:11 -0800 2005 983408 0 John Street 6 983442 I agree with your brother, been to Morimoto several times, sushi quality (fish and rice) truly is mediocre compared to top end NYC and they charge the same $. They don't even use fresh wasabi. Tue Feb 22 12:05:53 -0800 2005 983408 0 SG 2 983396 I second taking them to John's and sorta putting it in their faces. If they decide that they can't do the car thing and eat it standing up, be sure to show them the "South Philly Lean" when eating that steak or pork sandwich. Mon Feb 21 13:54:22 -0800 2005 983383 0 Domenic 1 983387 If it doesn't have to be a weekend (since you only have a few weeks notice), I would go with Vetri. Mon Feb 21 09:53:33 -0800 2005 983372 0 JanR 1 983389 There's no where in Philly that has the audacity to charge $300 a meal like Masa, so I wouldn't even try. Take 'em to Tony Lukes and take a picture of their horrified reactions instead. Mon Feb 21 11:37:23 -0800 2005 983372 0 John Street 2 983390 If they really have a thousand dollars burning their pockets, they can hand over 300 dollars each to Morimoto behind the counter and ask him to cook for them. Morimoto is just as good a cook as Masa, and I'm sure he could come up with something special. Mon Feb 21 11:42:00 -0800 2005 983389 0 John Street 2 983424 Mr. Street- Actually Masa is closer to $ 500/person. They offer a $ 300 and $ 500 Omakasse. The last meal we had at Masathere had something like 40 or 45 courses and was worth every penny. I know Morimoto can not and does not even compete on that level of ingredients and preparation. It is a must try Restaurant. Tue Feb 22 07:38:10 -0800 2005 983389 0 JennyL 1 983391 I'm gonna second the Tony Luke's rec. These people need a culinary slap upside the head. :D --another New Yorker Mon Feb 21 12:08:10 -0800 2005 983372 0 KB 1 983409 1.Asian. Dont take them to Buddakan, there are 5 restaurants like Buddakan in NYC. Take them to Morimoto/sushi bar/omakase. The Omakase tops out at $120 each, if you are willing to spend more, ask for Randall the GM and he can set that up for you with Prime sushi bar seats. Morimoto's sushi Is as good as any sushi in NYC except Sushi of Gari on UWS and Yasuda san's restaurant near Beekman place. Masa is a little too precious even by nyc standards...although waayyyyy better, an unrealistic comparison. Atmosphere and cost wise, Susanna Foo *might* be an alternate. 2. Steak The 4 best steaks I have tried in NYC are Pietro's, Mark Joseph, Peter Luger,BLT steak. The food I have had at Barclay PRIME is as good as all these places. Expensive, but within your guests budget. 3. New American/Eclectic/Frenchie If they have already tried and been unimpressed with Lacroix, Fountain and LBF. Take them to The STRIPED BASS. Striped Bass food is on par as far as quality and price with everything in NYC except Per Se and ADNY. Very talented Chef, Christopher Lee came from Oceana and has a similar style to Cornelius Gallaghers food. 4. Bistro Although Caribou is Ok for basic Bistro fare, It's not quite Bistro enough. Simply skip this option. Blue Angel was way better at least in the beginning when the all Starr Peter Dunmire/Shola Olunloyo/Aimee Olexy crew ran it.....but is now closed, there is simply no good french authentic bistro in this town. Good luck with your dinner and please report back. Cheers Mon Feb 21 18:25:18 -0800 2005 983372 0 Newgirlintown 1 983413 Based on my experience tonight: Vetri. VEry small--less than 40 seats, intimate, excellent service, very Italianate atmosphere. Mon Feb 21 20:27:02 -0800 2005 983372 0 Bashful3 1 983434 If you have exactly 8 people, see if you can book StudioKitchen -- certainly nothing like that in NYC. Tue Feb 22 10:43:40 -0800 2005 983372 0 Susan H 1 983440 I know you are specifically asking for something in Philly, but I thought I would throw out a rec for Birchrunville Store Cafe in Chester County. If you have a car AND can manage to get a res, this would be a very different experience for NYC-ers. The mostly french food is top-notch, the ambience is charming, the rual drive there is beautiful, and it is BYO. You can also reserve a tasting menu option. Link: http://www.birchrunvillestorecafe.com/ Tue Feb 22 11:14:03 -0800 2005 983372 0 xtian