Philadelphia: Any suggestions?

[Kristine]

Hi everyone! I will be heading out to Philadelphia for few days in mid August and I'd love any suggestions regarding restaurants, must see sights, etc. Thanks in advance. :)

[chefbec]

There was recently a thread on this, but I have no idea how I show you it's name :o . I'm sure one of the computer literate people will do that for you, but in the meantime, look under search and try typing in Philadelphia. Maybe it will come up!!

[SusanL]

Try these two from Julie (K Valley) when she went there.

http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8432&highlight=Philadelphia

http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8183&highlight=Philadelphia

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!:p

[beejayw1]

What to do in Philadelphia? Hmmm... Having lived in that area for 20 years (I'm in Connecticut now) let me give you a few things to see and do:

1. Restaurants
Japanese: Hikaru West (it's on 18th street, near Chestnut). Excellent Japanese food of all sorts.
Italian: LaBucca (on Locust street, around 7th, but check) Wonderful northern Italian cuisine; waitstaff appear to be actors and opera wannabes. I've never had a bad thing there.
Indian: A Passage To India (around 13th street, but again check the address). Good Indian cuisine. Started and run by the former manager of the Hilton in Bombay (now Mumbai) in India. Recommended to me by a Parsi friend. Try their saffron ice cream.
If you want a real Philadelphia cheesesteak, go to Lee's Hoagie House (it's sort of a chain; look in the phone book). For goodness' sake, don't have swiss cheese or peppers on yours. I'm amazed at what they try to pawn off as a Philadelphia cheesesteak elsewhere.

These are the ones the locals go to. There are other restaurants that are more expensive or ritzier - Susanna Foo's (good Chinese); Le Bec Fin (French); The Striped Bass (just expensive) but the ones I've given are very good.

2. Sights
Well, I assume you'll be looking at the Liberty bell, etc. at Independence Mall. When you're at Indepencence Mall, ask the police officers where the Curtis Building is. (Actually, if you're facing Indepencence Hall, it's one of the two big brick and marble buildings on your RIGHT. I think it may still house the Rockwell museum. At any rate, if you're there on a weekday, go into the lobby and be prepared to be knocked over by a magnificent mosaic landscape mural made of Tiffany (i.e. iridescent) glass and designed by the artist Maxfield Parrish. No one knows about this gorgeous piece of art, which I consider the most beautiful piece of art in Pennsylvania, if not the entire northeast. It's worth looking for. If you're there on a Saturday, you may not be able to do more than peer through the glass on the front entrance; it is closed on Sunday.

Penn's Landing is a pretty area, on the waterfront not far from indepencence hall.

This is a bit of a drive, but if you get on Rte 1 south (check Mapquest and get a better set of directions) you can drive to Longwood Gardens, which was originally the grounds of one of the DuPont mansions. It's near the Delaware border. Rose Gardens, Italian Water Gardens, a reflecting pool, a greenhouse with all sorts of orchids - acres and acres of grounds you can wander through and a nice restaurant - double-check their hours. I had a membership there when I lived there, and it was lovely. Admission is a bit steep - around $10 per person last I checked - but worth it.

I'll post again if I think of anything else, but meanwhile this should be a start.

One caution: Philadelphia tends to roll up the sidewalks after about 8pm in most areas, so be careful where you walk.

[kwormann]

Diana, not that this has ANYTHING to do with me, but I was shocked when I saw no peppers in the sandwich in your reply? Really? Are their onions, or just meat and cheese...AND do you prefer cheese whiz or shredded cheese? (I saw that debated on Foodtv)

[beejayw1]

I was shocked when I saw no peppers in the sandwich in your reply?

Well, the traditional Philly cheesesteak is composed of:

1. thin sliced steak
2. Italian sub or hoagie roll
3. cheese

If you want, you can put onions (preferably grilled) on them, or mushrooms (ditto) or, after the fact, peppers (meaning Italian frying peppers, grilled separately, though some folks put pickled hot peppers on them) and not be a total Yahoo, but if a restaurant tries to hand you a sandwich that is, in their words,

Philly cheesesteak: thin sliced strip steak grilled to perfection with peppers and onions over mesquite chips with choice Swiss and asiago cheese, they're pawning off a phony.

Cheese: well, the traditional is made with cheez whiz, which is OK, I suppose, but I prefer provolone or American cheese. Since I'm not a native Philadelphian, they forgive my Yahooness.

Further Restaurant Suggestions
The White Dog Restaurant near the University of PA is a wonderful place to eat. I like lunch there. Desserts are to die for. It's away from the heart of town, but worth the cab drive.

[lsdesign]

Does anyone know if "The Commisary" still exists? I lived in Philly from '81 to '83 and loved having lunch there as well as all of the wonderful things they used to sell in the store.

[gabbyh]

Kristine,
You must go to The White Dog, as someone else suggested...wonderful atmosphere, and great food...also, for shopping and fun, head to Manayunk...and, if you are into art, and have some time...here's a link to the galleries:
http://philanet.com/news/art/pa13.html
There are also some GREAT summer concerts right across the bridge in NJ at The Tweeter Center, which is right on the waterfront...you could check:
www.ticketmaster.com
and last but not least...how about a baseball game or 2...GO PHILLIES!!!
We live about 50 mi. to the north...and travel to Philly alot...
Have a great time, and let us know what you ate :cool:

[beejayw1]

Isdesign -

I hate to tell you that The Commissary is indeed gone. It was a great place, wasn't it? It's gone, along with my very favorite deli-type place called The Gold Mine.

Which reminds me:

Kristine - if you go to a deli type restaurant in Philadelphia

(Such as:
Corned Beef Academy
1605 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5452
Phone: (215) 561-6222)

ask for a 'Corned Beef Special, Extra Lean'. They take two slices of seeded rye, about 1/4 lb corned beef, sliced thin, a dollop of Russian dressing, and coleslaw. You have to eat it over a bowl. Sounds disgusting, doesn't it? I tried one under protest and was hooked. (Just don't eat anything else the rest of the day...)

[AD]

I love the Philly soft pretzels. They're somewhat "squashed" in shape, but are the only thing I could recommend food-wise.

[Nancy171]

Another vote for the White Dog Cafe (either the less-expensive bar menu or the wonderful dinner or brunch menus). Billed as a blend of "award winning cuisine and social activism" it's a vibrant part of its West Philadelphia (University City) neighborhood. Check out the website: http://www.whitedog.com

I also liked a newer restaurant called Fork (on Market Street towards Old Town), but I only ate there once. Having been away from Philadelphia for five years, I was really surprised to find a place that seemed very NYC-like in atmosphere (but thankfully not in prices).

If you're not into cheese steaks (btw, I only will eat them with Cheese Whiz) try the cheese fries. I have a really hard time finding good greasy fries topped with globs of whiz here in California (anyplace that sells steaks will also have the fries).

[AdGirl]

i just spent 4 years in philly while i was at UPenn. i must say we always called it the city we loved to hate. :p

the best thing about the city, in my opinion, was the amazing restuarants! some of them are a little pricey but the equivalent would be twice as much in new york!

anyway, here is my list of favs:

nice/romantic restaurants:
-- buddakan (kinda asian fusion... yummy food, awesome atmosphere and the kamasutra cocktail is to die for!)
-- painted parrot (actually only a block from buddakan... the desserts here are so good and only $5 a piece! it's about 2 blocks from penn's landing, definitely a nice spot to just sit next to the river and talk)
-- striped bass (definitely pricey but they are known for their amazing seafood)
-- susanna foo's (french/chinese fusion. i think this is rated as one of the top 20 restaurants in the states... it's also a bit on the expensive side but worth every penny. definitely get their crabcake appetizer!)
-- the continental (it's a martini bar but if you're hungry they have great food for not the much $$)

cheaper fun restaurants:
-- tequila's (authentic mexican food with killer margaritas)
-- pat's cheesesteaks (don't let the gino's people fool you! pat's is definitely the best!!!)
-- porcini (it's a TINY italian restaurant with incredible food. definitely worth the line)
-- joy tsien lao (i think that's how you spell it... it's a really great restaurant in chinatown. i personally think philly's chinatown is better than ny's... more authentic, less commercial...)
-- penang (another restaurant in chinatown but their food is malaysian. we used to go here alot late at night because they're one of the few restaurants that don't close at 10 like the rest of the city... it's open until 1 am and their pork ribs are oh so good)

hmm those are all i can think of... happy eating!

-sunipa
:D

[SusanT]

Check out the Italian market - it's in downtown Philly - don't have exact directions but I'm sure anyone in Philly could tell you how to get there. Lots of produce stands, cheese shops (I brought back a pound of parmesan-reggianno - only $10 a pound), delis, etc. There's a great kitchen store there - La Fante's I believe is the name.

Check out City Tavern for lunch one day. They serve recipes from the Colonial period and all the servers are in period costume. I thought it would be completely cheesy and touristy but the food was delicious!

[Nancy171]

Originally posted by AdGirl
i just spent 4 years in philly while i was at UPenn. i must say we always called it the city we loved to hate. :p

Philadelphia really grew on me during my 4 years at UPenn... however poor Kristine is going there in August. Makes me think of 95 degree heat (and horrible humidity) during what seemed to be the annual August garbage collector strike. I hope labor relations have improved.

I'm also glad to hear that Tequilas is still in business. Nothing like a restaurant name that gets right to the point.

[AdGirl]

haha nancy, did you hear about the septa strike a few years ago? as if it already wasn't hard enough to get around the city without a car! taxi drivers were loving it... :)

i definitely miss philly, though. i got to know the city so well but now being in new york, i feel so lost! what year are you? i'm a newbie, class of 2000!

[Kristine]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! I really appreciate it. Just out of curiousity, are there any hotels that you would recommend?? Thanks again for all the great suggestions.

[robinf]

I'll second the recommendation on the Italian Market in South Philly - I think it is on Washington Avenue (but I don't have a good memory for street names).

I didn't see any one mention the Reading Terminal Market. It has got to be one of the best breakfast places in the world (not bad for lunch either)! Lots of little booths with all kinds of delicious foodstuffs - both ready to eat and ingredients. You have got to try some of the Pennsylvania Dutch specialties.

[judyf]

When I think of Philly, I think of soft pretzles( my breakfast every morning when I work, cheese steaks ( Pat's is usually voted number one in the city), Phillies (yes, we really do boo our teams!), the historic section (the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, Elfreth's Alley, etc.) and the Mummers (if you don't know about the Mummers, you haven't been around Philly during New Years). If you are coming with kids, go to the Franklin Institute. If you like to run, try Kelly Dr and West River Dr (let's not forget the Rocky run up the Art Museum steps). I hope you enjoy your stay in Philly.
Judy

[kwormann]

Adgirl

DO TELL! What is a kamasutra cocktail? Sounds like something I might be interested in feeding DH;)

[AdGirl]

i remember we got two cocktails when we ate at Buddakan. the first was a buddalini, which was basically a bellini but made with mango instead of peaches. yummy!

the second, though, was even better! the kamasutra was warmed apple cider with brandy (for some reason i think it had butterscotch schnapps in it too but i'm not sure...). and let me tell you, it definitely gave you that warm fuzzy feeling! it was served in a snifter with a cinnamon stick.

if you're ever in philly, you should try this place! their wasabi crusted filet mignon is awesome! :)

-sunipa

[lovemybeetle]

The only place for cheesesteaks is Pat's (not Geno's) on Passyunk and I believe 9th. I'm drooling. And for the record, I'm provolone, onions, and peppers....with just the tiniest bit of hot sauce.............mmmmmmmm.......