Food & Drink
Eat, drink and be mary
Nestled near Liberty Place at 17th and Chestnut sits Philadelphia's newest burger joint. More than your standard Americana Applebee's or Chili's, Hamburger Mary's comes with a big ol' rainbow flag outside along with a cartoon persona that resembles a blonde Monica Lewinsky.
Bound!
After nearly four years and a $26 million facelift, Old Original Bookbinder's reopened in Old City on February 21, 2005.
Little fish in a big pond
In some way or another, most of us know the image of a dozen gleeful clowns pouring out of a tiny little taxi at the circus.
Byo-go-fish
I'll be honest: I'm one of those people whose eyes light up when I open a menu and see adjective-laden listings like "seared macadamia-encrusted, teriyaki-marinated sea bass fillet served over sesame-jasmine rice cakes with honey-braised parsnips and ginger-garlic-scallion dipping sauce." The single-sheet menu at Dmitri's is anything but descriptive -- yet as taste proves, simplicity and freshness are all the frills that are needed here.
Pious Drunkeness
Tucked away in the brew haven known as Northern Liberties is a little piece of Belgique. Equal parts pub and restaurant, the Abbaye instantly makes you feel like a part of the neighborhood.
Tintin in philphil
Nestled on a quiet residential street just blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a small, unassuming establishment with a big drink menu that transports you straight to Brussels.
We like beer
Our favorite thing here at Food and Drink is when silly Americans masquerade around pretending to be European.
Belgian import
Do you enjoy beer? Good, then you'll enjoy Belgian-style dining. Not to suggest that every dish is drenched in the delightful brew -- although several are -- but the drinking experience does upstage the food.
South Street Bridget
Alright, people: it's time to debunk the stereotype that traditional South Street cuisine is just pizza and cheesesteaks.
Johnny B. Good
Amidst the many vintage shops that adorn South Street is one vintage eatery: Johnny Rockets. With locations in 30 states and countries like the United Arab Emirates (gotta love globalization), this successful chain brings back the '50s diner atmosphere to the corner of Fourth and South streets. For starters, options are limited to "Grease"y classics like French fries ($1.99), Chili Fries ($3.39), and onion rings ($2.99). Calorie counters beware, because traditional chocolate, vanilla and strawberry milkshakes ($3.39) are thick and thus irresistible. Rockets' one-third pound burgers are a good 10 notches above McDonald's quality, yet comparable in price to fast food.
Fillin' Grace
Moving on from "Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub" by Claire Stapleton Americans love their family values and cultural conservatism, but saying grace has gone subversive.
American Pi(cnic)
Its location under the Left Bank is approximately two blocks past convenient. The staff may not greet you with rays of sunshine.
I feel so american...
Nowhere else do bitter and festive mix quite as delightfully as they do at North Third. The two emotions permeate the air of the Northern Liberties hideaway to create the perfect atmosphere for the love-day loner.
American Splenda
Apple pie, ballpark hot dogs, the good old-fashioned diner: Americans aren't fat for nothing. Our culture borrows cuisines from all over the world (Taco Bell, the Olive Garden, Greek Lady), but there's nothing like nostalgic Americana eating, getting down as our forefathers did in the '50s.
You think you know...
The University City pizza places: Powelton Pizza, Allegro Pizza and College Pizza, have kept this girl afloat through many late-night study sessions and lazy Sundays in the dorm -- and for this I owe them.
Pizza orgy
Nothing makes you feel more welcome in a restaurant than a sign reading, "If you're grouchy, irritable or just plain mean, there will be a $10 charge for putting up with you" in huge letters.
La dolce vita I like my pizza alt.
At the risk of sounding like a snob, I'll admit it: ever since returning from my semester in Rome, I've been avoiding Italian restaurants, fearing my standards for the cuisine would never be met on this side of the Atlantic.
French ambition
I remember my first freedom kiss Those snooty French may hate us uncouth and vulgar Americans, but freedom fries sure taste sweet.
They used to like us
A lot of people talked about getting the hell out of the U.S. of A in the most recent time of political turmoil, but Ben Franklin actually did.
