Dear Theophilus:: September 2003

The DT Restaurant Review: 2003 Edition

by Dan Lee

Once again fall is upon us, and with the arrival of September comes the annual flood of newcomers to our church. For those of you new in town, we extend a hearty welcome to you! For some, first coming to Philadelphia can be a jarring experience. Maybe the first thing you noticed about Philly was the odor as you passed by the oil refinery and garbage dump on your way in from the airport. Don't worry, you eventually get sensitized to it. Well, what Philadelphia might lack in initial charm, it more than makes up for in its happening restaurant scene, which ranks among the top in the country. No, really, it does.

Also, with September we have another edition of the Philadelphia Restaurant Review for your perusing pleasure. Song Lee did a fantastic job in his 2002 and 2001 reviews, and I have made the effort to pick new places you might like, rather than repeating his recommendations. You can look up his articles in the DT archives, located on the Emmanuel website. Like Song, however, I must add the caveat that by no means is this a definitive guide to Philadelphia restaurants, but more a random sampling of some places I've been to and happen to like. For those of you new to the city, hopefully I can orient you to places you can visit. For those who've been here for a while, maybe there's a place or two I can turn you on to.

Food and fellowship are two very important parts of church life. We all know that eating together is a great way to get to know others in an informal setting. Often God can use time spent over a good meal to facilitate bonding and sharing, so that the body of Christ can be built up. All that's needed is a willingness to share openly and honestly, and a simple dinner can bless and encourage another brother or sister tremendously. In one sense, God can use any locale to do His work, whether the food there is bad or good. But if the food's good too, then hey, all the better, right?

So without further ado, this is for those awkward: "Where do you want to eat?"… "Um, I don't care, where do YOU want to eat." moments. Here are some places worth checking out:

Breakfast (Food Truck):
Bui's Lunch Truck (NW corner of 38th and Spruce): Four words: sausage, egg and cheese. When I was living in the University City area, many a Saturday morning hunger was satisfied by scarfing down one of these foot-long monster sandwiches. And how about that price? Two-twenty five! Are you out of your mind? I can't even do two loads of laundry for $2.25!

Breakfast:
If you're into flapjacks, and you'd like to expand your horizons beyond the IHOP, try Blue in Green (3rd, just N of Market), a cool breakfast place in Old City. They have the usual breakfast menu but their specialty is the fruit-filled pancakes. Seating capacity is limited, so it might not be the best place for groups bigger than a foursome, but the pancakes are off the heezy fo sheezy, which I am told means that they taste really good.

Brunch:
Song mentioned this place last year, but I wanted to talk specifically about the brunch at Cuba Libre (2nd, just S of Market), which is by far the best I've had anywhere. It's a bit pricey, but oh so worth it. It's consistently rated as one of the top places to eat in the city and when you go there you'll see why. The exotic, yet hip atmosphere inside the restaurant makes you feel like you're in the middle of Havana. There's a tender meat dish called ropa vieja, which means 'old rope' but thankfully tastes nothing like it. Another highlight is the El Benedicto - eggs benedict with a Cuban twist. And how can you not love a restaurant that has a dish called La Ultima Bomba?

Burgers:
The best burgers in the city, according to many a Philadelphian, are served at Monk's Café (16th between Locust and Spruce), one of the more popular pubs in the city. And don't even get me started on the spicy fries, which come with special dipping sauce. If you need something to wash down the food, Monk's is well-known for their wide and varied selection of imported "beverages" to quench your thirst. If you haven't been there yet, you owe it to yourself to swing by. Monk's is a fun place to grab a bite or even just to hang out although at nights and especially on weekends it can get packed.

Burritos:
If you don't mind taking a trip to the barrio in North Philly, you can enjoy humungous carne asada burritos (for $5!) at Taqueria La Raza (Allegheny, between 2nd and 3rd). It ain't posh, but it's good. This place is so authentic that Univision is on the tube, Luis Miguel is blasting from the speakers, and you need to speak Spanish to even order properly there. Or if you're like me, and you learned all your Spanish from Sesame Street, you can point and probably get by. Bonus: Though I haven't been there myself, El Azteca II Mexican (7th and Chestnut) in Old City comes highly recommended as well.

Cheesesteak:
If there's a food item Philadelphia is known for, it's the cheesesteak. And the natives sure love their cheesesteaks, as you might surmise from looking around as you walk through the city. There are a lot of good choices besides Philly institutions like Pat's and Geno's. Tony Luke's in South Philly (39 E. Oregon Ave) looks somewhat ramshackle by a highway overpass but the food is amazing. Dallesandro's (Henry Ave and Wendover St), gives you the option of getting sauce on your steak, which can make things messier but definitely tastier. Finally, Larry's Steak and Hoagies (2457 N. 54th St, right off of City Line) makes something called the Belly Filler, which is pretty much a double cheesesteak. I have yet to meet anyone brave enough to even attempt to finish one of these.

Diner:
Open until 2AM on the weekdays and all night on the weekends, Manayunk Diner (3720 Main St) is the perfect place to get in touch with your inner insomniac or satisfy those middle of the night cravings for a piece of key lime pie. The food is standard diner fare, but they do it well. Located right next to a movie theatre, and minutes away from the center of trendy Main Street in Manayunk, the Diner is a great place for a quick bite before or after a night on the town. And don't forget to ask about that pie.

Indian:
Café Spice (2nd St, just N of Chestnut) is an upscale and trendy alternative to the decidedly not-trendy (but still tasty) Indian buffets around Penn campus. It's actually part of a small chain of "vibrant and contemporary Indian bistros" (as described on their website), with 3 other locations in Manhattan and North Jersey. A lot of times, places that focus a lot on atmosphere fall short on cuisine, but here the food is top-notch. Plus their presentation is a lot better than anything you can do in the buffet line.

Italian:
A quaint and cozy BYOB in Old City, La Locanda Del Ghiottone (3rd and Arch) offers outstanding homemade Italian food with prompt and friendly service. The kitchen is open so if you want to compliment the chef, you can tell him yourself. Reservations and credit cards are not accepted, but the inconvenience is well worth an ambience so romantic even the cheesiest lines will make your date swoon.

Steakhouse:
Pastor Paul has preached recently on the concept of mercenary vs. organic reward as it applies to Christian life. (This might seem random, but you'll see where I'm going with this). As CS Lewis put it, the proper reward is the "activity itself in consummation," a reward that is organic to the experience. This contrasts with the reward of a mercenary, "which has no natural connection with the things you do to earn it." As Christians, we seek to worship and serve God, and the reward is just that - we get to worship and serve God! The reward is not in the blessings you may receive - it's in the Blessor Himself. Pastor Paul used the illustration of a nice medium-rare filet mignon. No one orders a filet mignon so they can get the baked potato that comes with it. The reward is the pleasure of enjoying a perfectly prepared, tender, juicy, steak - that is the activity itself in consummation.

Now maybe your steak experience has been limited to Denny's, TGIF, or Outback, at best. And maybe you just haven't been blown away with any steaks you've eaten in your life. Maybe you wondered how Pastor Paul could use the experience of eating a piece of meat to illustrate what it means to receive the reward of God Himself. Well, if you could just once experience your steak knife smoothly slicing through the magnificent porterhouse at The Capital Grille in Center City (Broad and Chestnut.), before picking up that one succulent morsel to sink your teeth into… let's just say that you will wonder no longer…

OK, so maybe I'm using a wee bit of hyperbole. It's a darn good steak though.

2001 review  |  2002 review  |  2003 review