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I'd like to echo this question. I am meeting my brother in Philly for dinner tomorrow night. We are from Boston, though I live in DC now. He is staying in Society Hill. Ideally, we'd eat close by, but I'd be willing to take a cab across town if necessary. It seems like Amada is the natural nearby choice, but I'd prefer a BYOB (I don't mind paying $12-14 for tapas, but it looks like Jose is cleaning up at $38 for a bottle of Garnacha!). We both like to eat and tend to bring a big appetite. The sweet spot is between $20 and $30 per entree. Italian, seafood, and Mexican are probably the top three cuisine types for us - not necessarily in that order.
Through research and recommendations, I've been told to try Mercato. Can anyone second that? Disagree?
›8 Replies-
re: ADemaio12
Amada is really a great choice (and a worthwhile splurge - it really is that good), however - you will spend more money than you are willing to there. For BYO, I thought Mercato was OK, nothing really to write home about. I would second the others on the board and vote for Kanella (short cab ride, or a 15 minute walk tops).
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re: ADemaio12
If you insist on a BYOB, I would say Melograno/Modo Mio for italian. You can make reservations for Modo Mio always, but only weekdays for Melograno.
IMO, you should just go to Osteria. the Pastas are world class. People say the place is expensive, but typically I go and do family style, I focus on the Pastas and just get one entree (spit roasted suckling pig special is the best) to share.
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re: bostonron
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re: bostonron
One thing I might add is that it's worth stopping into a Stephen Starr restaurant, even if for drinks only. I'm not crazy about the food at most of the ones I've been to. But at least when I lived in Boston, there was nothing comparable for sheer high concept over-the-topness. And the Starr empire has come to set the tone for some of the restaurant scene here.
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I second "pacific2atlantic" you cannot go wrong with those choices. I would strongly recommend Zahav because I doubt you will find a place like it in Boston, their cuisine is truly unique. If you want true philly fare I would definitely head to Dinic's for lunch(the line will be atleast 20 minutes for lunch). I would split three sandwiches between 2 people, try the Pork, Veal Scalopini, and Sausage sandwiches. If you're interested in going the cheese steak route, just pick a joint somewhere in the city that fits your personality. It's easy to nit pick when it comes to cheese steaks(the 'best' philly cheese steak does not exist, its all based upon personal preference)
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re: twlaz
coookie
May 15, 2011 07:50 PM
i strongly disagree. oleana in cambridge is much, much, much better than zahav. don't bother.
frankly, i don't get all the zahav love on this board. it's fine. it's not great, and it's not an excellent value ($8-12 for run-of-the-mill hummus? no thanks.)
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re: coookie
I agree oleana is great. However, I don't think it's a fair apples to apples comparison - they are both unique in their own merit and your comment about the zahav hummus being 'run-of-the mill'...is suprising. it's been repeatedly lauded as one of the best in philly...but opinions are opinions.
I love little fish and modo mio as well, buth other than the BYOB aspect, the type of food can be found in boston.
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re: pacific2atlantic
coookie
May 15, 2011 08:06 PM
sorry, this is a (probably irrational) pet peeve of mine, coming from that region of the world. good hummus isn't terribly difficult to make, so when i see it fetishized, put on a pedestal and served at double-digit prices, i get a little frustrated. several fancy places in NYC do this too and it drives me nuts.
obviously, there's no reason that middle eastern food can't be given the "haute cuisine" treatment like anything else, but if that's the case, i expect a little more creativity. hence my preference for oleana. basically, i think ana sortun is doing more interesting work with middle eastern flavors.
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re: coookie
understood. and I agree - I'm of Asian descent and lived overseas for the majority of my life and have the same peeve about some of the hype around Han Dynasty (I love the place, but some dishes are very average too).
I guess people do love zahav though - the chef just won the james beard award!
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re: coookie
When was the last time you ate at Zahav? The "expensive Israeli street food" complaint was valid in their first year, I would say, but the last few versions of the menu have had some very creative dishes that are not just precious versions of stuff you can get in the shouk. That said, I've never been to Oleana.
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re: barryg
missclaudy
May 16, 2011 11:23 AM
I have had the pleasure of eating at Oleana 3 times in the past and can't
rave enough about the spectacular food there, it is in a class by itself ! Worth a trip to Cambridge !I read that to make the ultimate hummus you have to remove the skins from the chick peas. I tried it once, the resulting h. was ultra creamy, very nice indeed BUT it's only hummus and to me, not worth the trouble.
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re: coookie
Random sidebar:
Recently heard from someone that worked at Zahav that the reason the hummus is so good is b/c there a stick of butter in each batch! I scoffed at the thought thinking that could not be the case, but then it really got me thinking and it really just sounds disgusting. I am one of those people that really did not enjoy my food experience at Zahav either. Have no interest in ever going back. I am probably one in a million though...
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re: Philly Ray
Here's a version of the recipe. Unfortunately the picture is broken.
http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/mealti...It does have a lot of butter but I don't think it's crazy for a rich restaurant dish.
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