This week is Restaurant Week again here in Philly. I believe they do it bi-annually. In either case, my lady and I went out to try a couple of places. My choice wasn't too good, hers was awesome. Here's my short reviews:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday is a little spot in Center City that has been around since the 70's. I've never been there. One time, about 6 years ago I had a drink in the bar above the place (called Tank Bar) and really liked the cozy atmosphere. I figured it was time to give the place a shot. Overall it was ok. For appetizers, I had the mushroom soup (supposedly a specialty) was pretty tasty but nothing really spectacular. K had the Pate and was quite happy. For dinner, she had the Euro Chicken and wasn’t the least bit impressed and I had the Filet Mignon which was just average. The place was cozy and warm, but the service was miserable. The waiter seemed to hate us from the first moment he saw us and no matter how nice we tried to be he still treated us like shit. Eventually he just disappeared and the manager took his place. We gave it a C+ overall.
K chose Patou. Her choice was based on the menu. We'd seen the place in our travels and it looked like a tiny little joint. When we went in, we were greeted by a doorman who opened the door and then a huge curatin to reveal the entry. This place looked like it was just a bar, albeit a very cool looking one. Soon we were ushered back into the eating area. It was spacious with a high ceiling, white walls and cool lighthing. Our waitress was nice and reccomended some great stuff for us to eat. To start, the bread dish had this pesto sauce that was better than any I'd ever tasted. For apps, I had the tuna tartare which was spectacular. She had the crispy calamari which was quite good but not as great as mine. For dinner she had the skate fish and I had the lamb. Both were really really good. Dessert was just as amazing. Overall we gave it an A-. It's a bit pricey so we can't go back right away to be sure, but we will be soon.
2 comments:
I've never been to Patou (have been meaning to go), but I have been to the Chef's other restaurant, Bistro St Tropez, which I recommend.
I dined at the City Tavern (2nd and Walnut) during restaurant week. I've been trying to get there for a while. I love the theme, they mimic colonial cooking as closely as they can (George Wahington's molasis porter is delicious) using ingredients and recipes of the time. I've heard that as a result of this idea the food isnt all that good, I couldnt disagree more, everything we had was either delicious, or interesting enough (from a historical/culinary point of view) that I didnt care.
Never had any interest in trying City Tavern.. I'm adding it to my list now..
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