Food & Drink

Ingredients: 30 pizzerias, 2 French spots, 1 cantante

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Published: Sep 24, 2008

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This city's soul food doesn't begin and end with Delilah and Tootsie. Get over to Gloria Rose Kitchen (2750 Wharton St., 215-755-0856), a tiny family-run operation in Grays Ferry. Everything's stellar, but don't miss the beef short ribs, salmon balls, fried whitefish or any platter involving chicken, which is available fried, char-grilled or barbecued. Drop by on your birthday and they'll treat you to a free meal. —Drew Lazor

The tastiest thing to hear while lounging against the high-back banquettes at Distrito (3945 Chestnut St., 215-222-1657, distritorestaurant.com)? The sound of Aurelio Fernandez. Dressed in a black suit, the young Mexican strums a dark wood acoustic guitar and croons native folk songs gently and sweetly. If voices could be aromatic, his would be caramel with a hint of lime. —A.D. Amorosi

We advocate wearing your fiercest heels in the kitchen, and here's why. Fulya Ugur, the namesake of Café Fulya (727 S. Second St., 267-909-9937) has killer gams, and we're pretty sure they run the place. Whether she's striding around the café in wedges or tapping behind the counter as if she were summoning baked goods with a Turkish cake dance, color us impressed. —Kelly White

Visit Five Spice Duck (fivespiceduck.blogspot.com) for restaurant reviews, recipes (walnut roquefort and pear madeleines?) and the most gorgeous food porn photos this side of Saveur. —Drew Lazor

If there's something inherently reassuring about sweet potato, fried sweet potato is naturally even higher in hominess. The sweet potato tempura roll at Zento (138 Chestnut St., 215-925-9998, zentocontemporary.com) takes all that starchy goodness and wraps it in rice and nori for the perfect bite-size hug. —M.J. Fine

Here's a new way to blow off some steam after a terrible day that doesn't involve dollar Bud Light bottles — Chocoholic's Happy Hour at Fabio Scarpelli's Golosa (810 S. Sixth St., 215-292-1944, golosacafe.com). Visit Tuesday through Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 to take advantage of generous discounts on hot drinking chocolates (opt for the Cioccolata Calda al Peperoncino with chili pepper) and cold chocolate shakes. That's rich. —Drew Lazor

Dad doesn't like it when you mess with his cocktails. But he's willing to make an exception for Matt McHale, bar manager at Azul (941 Spruce St., 215-627-5200, azulcantina.com) and his Estilo Viejo, a south-of-the-border rendition on the Old Fashioned. McHale uses Hornitos Anejo tequila instead of bourbon and agave nectar instead of a sugar cube. It's still finished with a dash of bitters — just like dad, except not really. —Drew Lazor

Sometimes, after a long day, I just want to sit at home and have the ice cream come to me. Just Dips Ice Cream Parlor (1110 Washington Ave., 215-463-1108) understands. They offer more than 30 flavors of ice cream, ranging from Rocky Road to Ginger, as well as novelties like Choco Tacos and Klondikes. They also have bubble teas, sundaes and a variety of other beverages — and they're all deliverable to your door. —Amanda McKenna

Best Place to Pick Up Lip Gloss, a Loaf of Bread and Fancy-Pants Ice Cream on the Way Home

Cornerstone Market (19 W. Girard Ave., 215-634-4800) is Fishtown’s Room of Requirement. Need some organic canned pumpkin, a quart of milk and a Metropolitan baguette? They can handle that. Weaver’s Way produce and Chilly Philly Ice Cream with a side of cruelty-free lip balm? No problem. And, they’re all-around good people who keep it real with the check-out candy, so we’re assuming they won’t mind the Harry Potter reference. —Monica Weymouth

Realizing that there are barely any places to get quick, cheap, quality Mexican west of Broad, John McNamee plugged in an outpost of Washington Square's El Fuego at 2104 Chestnut St., tossing a sick jukebox, draught beer, liquor and new menu options (carnitas!) into the mix. Though it's been open for less than a week at this point, we've already prayed seven novenas to the patron saint of burritos. —Drew Lazor

Go gonzo for garbanzo with the deep-fried chickpeas atop the Hefeweizen Hummus at Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St., 215-425-4460, memphistaproom.com). Their tempura-like texture is a delight when paired with a brew. Even better is the ocean of creamy hummus that the chickpeas sail upon, which gets its mild sweetness from a mix of lemon juice and wheat beer (currently PBC's Walt Wit). —James Saul

Artist Zbigniew Chojnacki can't always find buyers for his jewelry and sculpture in such a soft economy. But the Polish expat's La Dominique lunch cart near 33rd and Market is the next best thing. Each $5 crêpe is a parchment-thin work of visual craftsmanship, exquisitely layered as if prepped for an exhibition. Whether you're doing sweet (raspberry crème, dark Belgian chocolate) or savory (coconut chicken), each is a delicate mystery. —A.D. Amorosi

Most Tiresome Restaurant Bragging Point

Hi, it’s great that you’re using local and seasonal ingredients. It makes your food taste better. But dammit, you’re supposed to use local and seasonal ingredients. It’s like if I used “can spell!” as a bullet point on my résumé. —Drew Lazor

How parched does your throat become when you spot Philadelphia Brewing Co.'s Kenzinger delivery truck rolling by? We've been seeing a lot of this red-and-gold beaut, and it makes us want a cold one every time. Not that we're weakened by visual seduction alone: The beer tastes pretty damn inspiring, too. —Kelly White

Fluorescent orange Kraft mac 'n' cheese no longer appeals to my guilty pleasure sensibilities. Happily, the Ugly American (1100 S. Front St., 215-336-1100, uglyamericanphilly.com) is there to fill the void with this inspired food reinvention: a Hot Pocket consisting of flaky puff pastry surrounding wine-enriched Gruyere and ham with a side of mega mustard. Oh, yeah. —Char Vandermeer

Camden's Aaron McCargo Jr. (former executive catering chef at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital) and city boy Adam Gertler (founder of the now-defunct Smoked Joint) both landed their own programs on the Food Network. We're always hungry in Philadelphia. —Drew Lazor

The Post got a major update thanks to Stacey Vey and Holly Johnson, who turned the Rittenhouse dive into Stir (1705 Chancellor St., 215-732-2700, stirphilly.com), a sleek, friendly lounge for gay guys and gals of all ages. In addition to daily happy hour, muscle boys model underpants weekly at the Stirlesque Revue while ladies enjoy third Sunday tea dances and specialty cocktails like the Pussy Galore and the Rim Job. —Natalie Hope McDonald

Remodeled Restaurant Bearing the Least Resemblance to its Prior State

The charm of New Delhi (4004 Chestnut St., 215-386-1941, newdelhiweb.com) was always found less in its dank décor and more in its delicious fare. But the UPenn lunchtime crowd's bounty must've been phenomenal, since a closure this spring yielded finished wood walls, vaulted ceilings, new tables and a giant picture window. The only trace of its former state is the scuffed tile floor leading back to the restrooms. —John Vettese

That would be RoseLena's (1623 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-755-9697), where the nostalgic appeal of the homestyle Italian cuisine is matched by the faux Victorian décor, especially in the second-floor bathroom. This unisex johnny is a shrine to the power of frou-frou lace, soap andcandles to prettify and unify a '20s radiator, '30s sink fixtures, '50s linoleum and a '60s commode. —Carolyn Wyman

It's gotta be Café Estelle (444 N. Fourth St., 215-925-5080, cafeestelle.com), which has charmed the pants off eaters despite its out-of-the-way location. Kristin Mulvenna and Marshall Green have cute on lock, from the vintage cookbook pages under the table glass to the harvest pie on the dessert menu. —Drew Lazor

We realize that the tandoor-fired, garlic-schmeared naan at Ekta (250 E. Girard Ave., 215-426-2277) is irresistible. You, however, are not so tempting. If garlic improves your cardiovascular system so much, why don't you just eat your heart out and delete our number? Or we could just split an order and neither one of us will be able detect a thing. —Kelly White

It's genius for a swanky Israeli restaurant like Zahav (237 St. James Place, 215-625-8800, zahavrestaurant.com) to offer cocktails like Dead Sea, Marble Rye and Israeli Salad Martini. But the Milk & Honey — vodka, date syrup and fresh almond milk — is more than a good idea. It's satisfying in every way. —M.J. Fine

Most Frightening Close Encounter, Coffeehouse Edition

Like most coffee shops, Red Hook Coffee and Tea (765 S. Fourth St. 215-923-0178) has an interior littered with interesting knickknacks. But what’s with the creepy alien baby on the window sill above the sidebar? Why does it stare longingly at me with its vacant black reflective eyes as I try to eat my granola and yogurt? You can’t have my breakfast, creepy alien baby. And you definitely can’t have my Americano. —AM

Grace Tavern (2229 Grays Ferry Ave., 215-893-9580, gracetavern.com) was a little bar with a great beer list, a kitchen open until 2 a.m. and plenty of open tables — until Philadelphia Weekly ruined everything. Last spring, they rated Grace the city's best bar. Now, the best kegs are kicked, you can't hear yourself talk and the seats that always awaited you are filled with noobs who don't realize they should replace the fries with the green beans. —E. James Beale

Best "Local Couple Done Good" Expansion
Ian Moroney and Hillary Bor have been winning raves for their BYO Pumpkin (1713 South St., 215-545-4448) for years. Then they expanded the brand with Pumpkin Café (1609 South St., 215-545-1173) before nailing the trifecta with the recently opened Pumpkin Market (1610 South St., 215-545-3924) produce stand. Kudos to them for growing and growing right. What’s next, Pumpkin Piemongers? Please? —DL

Tucked into a quiet pocket of Fairmount, Figs (2501 Meredith St., 215-978-8440, figsrestaurant.com) is nowhere near the scene of last night's crime. Settle yourself down in the soothing dining room, order some Moroccan tea and let the healing begin over a pile of their impossibly fluffy pancakes. —Monica Weymouth

We never know what to call it — Loft District? Spring Garden? Eraserheadville? — but the area north of Chinatown and south of Fishtown is turning into a gem for beer geeks, from The Institute (549 N. 12th St., 267-972-5016, institutebar.com), which pours draught choices from River Horse and Ballast Point, to the forthcoming Prohibition Taproom (501 N. 13th St.) from Michael Pasquarello and Jeniphur Whitleigh of Café Lift. —Drew Lazor

When you step into the men's room at Parc (227 S. 18th St., 215-545-2262, parc-restaurant.com), the dazzling array of nudie pictures above the art-deco urinals is bound to capture your attention. The eye-popping collection of vintage porn suggests that the folks behind this dirty john collage thought patrons were looking for a little release. —Gary M. Kramer

Parc is legit, feisty toilette art and all. But we've got a new Gallic giant in Bistrot La Minette (623 S. Sixth St., 215-925-8000, bistrotlaminette.com), a worthy addition to Philly's burgeoning French food hit squad. Chef Peter Woolsey's menu changes regularly, but don't miss his Pâté de Campagne. Served in terrine slices with house-baked brioche and ceramic crocks of Dijon and cornichons, it's our pick for best in the city. —Drew Lazor

We're giving this one to former cop Matt Woody, who turned South Street hang Cheers To You into the Woolly Mammoth (430 South St., 215-923-8780) this past summer. (The name stems from a long story involving DelCo cops and offroading.) The big-ass beer selection should help this relaxed tappie avoid a fate similar to its Ice Age namesake. —Drew Lazor

Spruce Street Espresso (1101 Spruce St., sprucestespresso.wordpress.com) will make coffee experts out of us all. The shop brews Counter Culture beans with a minimalist menu, so don't even ask for a Gingerbread whatever. A cup of their French press stands strong on its own. —Kelly White

A stone's throw from Di Bruno's and the Pat's/Geno's Wiz Wit' Empire, La Lupe (1201 S. Ninth St., 215-551-9920) serves up South Philly's most underappreciated cheese-centric item. Their queso taco features a slab of imported Mexican white cheese grilled to salty perfection, topped with guac and pico de gallo and wrapped in a warm corn tortilla. This little hunk of heaven will set you back only $2.50 — cheaper than "freedom fries."—Carolyn Huckabay

Least Sensical Internet Food Feud

This past February, someone on the Internet accused NoLibs’ Arbol Café (209 Poplar St., 215-284-5788) of withholding employee tips. We found out that it wasn’t true. But pesky “facts” didn’t prevent hordes of Internet trolls from blowing up citypaper.net with unfounded rabble-rousing. After all, why call or drop in to get the straight dope from the owners when you can sit in your bathrobe and harp on workers’ rights while watching reruns of House? —Drew Lazor

UArts students Gregory Pizzoli and Ansley Joe don't have doctorates in dough-tossing, but being a college student in our 'hood, pie passes as an important component of a balanced young adult diet. Smart, snobby and legitimate, the duo's 100-page The Pizza Book: An Illustrated Guide to Philadelphia's Best and Worst Slices (doctorpizzoli.com) reviews 30 pizzerias they've personally perused. —Amy Strauss

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