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Culinary Mysteries Solved

Q: I have a daughter with a severe peanut allergy, which requires us to interrogate restaurants about the contents of menu items. Can you recommend restaurants that will accommodate us?

A. The key to dining out safely with food allergies is good communication with service staff, who can make all food sensitivities clear to cooks. We rang up a few kid-friendly restaurants in town that are pleased to accommodate peanut and other allergies. Honey's Sit 'n Eat (800 N. Fourth St., 215-925-1150) uses no peanut oil in their kitchen, and nuts for salads and pancakes are kept in lidded containers; servers are equipped with an "Allergy" button in their point-of-sale computer. At Cedar's Middle Eastern Restaurant (616 S. Second St., 215-925-4950), servers will steer you toward peanut-free falafel and hummus, among many other choices. Vic Sushi Bar (2035 Sansom St., 215-564-4339) hosts no peanuts on the premises and fries in vegetable oil. Since kids love getting messy with ribs, try Famous Dave's (1936 S. Columbus Blvd., 215-339-0339), where peanuts are confined to one dessert and deep-fried items are cooked in canola oil; or Phoebe's Bar-B-Q (2214 South St., 215-546-4811) for a totally nut-less dinner experience.