funky birthday dinner

[rabidog]

hey all,
looking for something weird & wonderful, totally out of the ordinary place to take the SO for her birthday. anywhere in phila. any price range. unusual is the aim here. ;)

thanks!

[rabidog]

:) we all think alike, i like that!! we did the tasting menu @ morimoto for my birthday, and we did astral plane for v-day. february turned out to be quite the expensive month! we dropped about $600 just a couple days apart for those two.

thanks for the suggestions all. creole and this morrocan feast sound verrrrry promising!!! might have to make a full day of it and try both suggestions! i'll report back sometime after aug 1 (the b-day). thanks again all!

[CPaul]

Those suggestions are good. I was going to mention Astral Plane, which has great food and is a little wierd...but not extremely weird or exotic.

[Tonyjlive]

What and where is ERA?

[gina]

E.R.A. is definitely worth checking out. The food is delicious, good spice variations and textures, though I wouldn't mind if the berbere in the wot dishes was a little more intense. What there is of the decor is extremely modest--a few small tables covered with vinyl tablecloths, Ethiopian travel posters on the walls and overhead lights. I can't remember the prices exactly, but I imagine they were pretty reasonable.

[saturninus]

ERA has always caught my eye! What's it like? Food/decor/price...

[gina]

Ethiopian is a great idea--Abyssinia in W. Philly has the very best food, IMO. However, if you want to experience something even more out of the ordinary, go to E.R.A. in Fairmount. The dining room is nothing fancy, but the food is quite good; it's almost like you're guests at someone's home. And if you order coffee after your meal, the young woman who cooks will prepare it in a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Very cool!

[pamd]

if you enjoy Lousiana style food, go to Carmine's Creole in Narberth. they only take reservations for the tasting menu- but I've never been disappointed with it- it always has a fabulous selection. There are some stools (bar type table) that look into the kitchen to watch chef John in action if you prefer that to a regular table.

[Bride of the Juggler]

Here are a few ideas:

-One of the Ethiopian places in West Philly
-Marrrakesh or Fez multi-course Morrocan feasts
-Great Pakistani food at Kabobeesh in West Philly
-Omakase at Morimoto (I bet you could request 'unusual ingredients')

Thank you.

[saturninus]

I believe that Water Works is still not open, based on this week's table talk.

[brightman]

get a reservation to the restaurant at the Fairmount Water Works. the restaurant just opened so I don't know about the food, but it is definitely one of the most beautiful locations in Philadelphia.

[puffstuff]

Last night 7/10 was the try out dinner for friends and family of the staff. My sister attended----says very expensive and small portions. Room was very cold with no way to adjust temp. Pretty view but they left hungry.