Top restaurants open for dinner on Labor Day?

[ffranny]

My husband and I will be in Philadelphia just one night, Monday 9/5, which is Labor Day. We know lots of restaurants are closed on Mondays anyway, and some that would normally be open will be closed for the holiday. Nevertheless, we'd really like to sample some of the best the city has to offer while we're there. Websites don't always provide holiday opening/closing info, so we're hoping someone here can at least narrow down the number of places we need to call/email to confirm.

Can anyone help us?

Thanks!

[urbanfabric]

Did you try checking Open Table? I found a slew of places with lots of availability that night: Amis, Osteria, Zahav, KooZeeDoo, Lacroix, Talula's Garden, etc.

What are you looking for?

[ffranny]

Thanks, urbanfabric! In your experience, then, if a restaurant shows availability for a holiday on OpenTable, I can count on it being open? That would be very good to know.

We're open to a variety of cuisines, seafood not so much, since I have a shellfish allergy. More into small plates/tasting of a variety of things rather than huge servings of any one item. We enjoy places where we can see the kitchen and/or interact with the chef. Chocolate for dessert is essential.

We'd like something memorable, since we don't get to Philadelphia often, but would prefer not to spend more than $200 total. We're happy to eat early, so that ought to make getting reservations this close to our visit easier.

We're staying out by the airport, but plan to take the train into the city, so anything within walking distance of a train stop will work for us. (Walking distance = up to half a mile, unless it's raining.)

Hope that's helpful. Thanks in advance for any additional recommendations!

[Philly Ray]

"Thanks, urbanfabric! In your experience, then, if a restaurant shows availability for a holiday on OpenTable, I can count on it being open? That would be very good to know."

I would think it would be a pretty poor business practice to accept reservations and then NOT be open...wouldn't you?? If you are that concerned, maybe a call to the restaurant would be appropriate.

[ffranny]

Thanks, Philly Ray. I agree with you that if a restaurant shows availability on OpenTable it *should* be open -- but I'm a belt-and-suspenders sort of gal, so I figure it can't hurt to ask the experts.

Wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle of an unfamiliar city with no idea where to eat, would I?

[urbanfabric]

Generally, if a restaurant is using Open Table, then they are using an Open Table computer system for all of their reservations, whether received digitally or entered manually, (it's not that they just get a fax from OT or something), so if they aren't open on Mondays or a holiday, than they wouldn't have any reservations available.

I'd recommend either Amis or Zahav. Amis is closer to the train, Italian, small plates, you can see right into the kitchen. Zahav is a little further (a short cab ride from Market East) and modern Isreali, small plates.