Philly Overnight - Dinner and Pre/Post Dinner Drink Spots

[dannan]

My partner and I will be staying in the downtown area tomorrow night and I am looking for a few recommendations for dinner, as well as drinks before and after. Perferably moderately priced with a nice atmosphere...we like a variety of cuisines, so any suggestions are appreciated.

We love our cocktails - especially good specialty martinis.

Thank you!

[sylviag]

Valanni. Good food, good drinks. Name sounds italian, but it's Mediterranean/Continental. Small plates, large plates, etc.

[dannan]

Thanks for the recommendations...my partner can be a bit selective so I do need something with a variety...and we love vodka. So, XIX looks great for drinks, then I think we may try Valanni - decor and menu looks very appealing and their reservations are wide open for this evening. We will be communiting in from NJ so we won't get into town until around 5 or 6.

[barryg]

Good drink recs from jl.

You need to narrow your dinner question--price range, location, do you want to walk or is cab/transit ok--to get quality responses. There are a lot of good restaurants downtown.

[dannan]

We will be cabbing it, and will be in the area near the convention center...willing to drive for good food.

We have been eating a lot of steaks lately, so I'm looking for something other than beef...and also no Italian. Was thinking about tapas, perhaps??? Willing to spend $150-ish including drinks and tip for dinner.

Will probably end up at Sister's over on Chancellor for some late night dancing. Thank you!

[urbanfabric]

Barbuzzo is close to the convention center. Small plates, very sharable. Mediterranean, simple preparations. Great drinks/bar. near 13th and Sansom.

[barryg]

Amada is an excellent Spanish tapas restaurant, and is also around the corner from the Continental Martini Bar (not to mention that they make some nice cocktails themselves). You can have a very nice meal, like their tasting menu plus wine pairing, for right around that price. It's just outside of normal walking range from the Conv Center and Sister's, but a cab ride would be cheap and easy, though the walk isn't bad either. The only issue would be getting a reservation last minute. If it's just the two of you, you might be able to snag table in the bar area with minimal wait.

Barbuzzo will for sure have a long wait on a Friday night, I think, but could be worth stopping by if the menu isn't too close to Italian for you. There are a number of good restaurants on or near 13th St where Barbuzzo is, which is close to both your hotel and Sisters, so maybe just wander around down there and check places out. A few are BYOB and cash only so make sure you note that before sitting down.

[urbanfabric]

Barbuzzo takes a limited number of reservations, even on the weekends, but I just looked and it's down to 5 and 5:15.

[jl0328]

Some recs for good martinis..
Valanni (great food too)
XIX (w/ a great view )
Noble
Continental

Barbuzzo has some nice cocktails on their menu and the food is delicious!

[cwdonald]

I second Noble.. they are doing great things there. Great cocktails and good food too.

I would add the Oyster House on Sansom Street, Chick's Wine Bar, and for after dinner Franklin Mortgage.

[barryg]

Franklin has great cocktails but does not serve vodka, so if you like vodka martinis you will be SOL. Oyster House and Chicks have great cocktails but don't have big lists of vodka martinis like Continental does, so it really depends what you are looking for.

[cwdonald]

If it has vodka in it, it is not a martini ;-)