943, an Argentine/Italian BYO in Philly

Long-time readers of 22nd & Philly know we started the blog to share our experiences with the food culture and restaurants in Philadelphia. Our focus on the overall "experience" comes from the belief that memorable meals are defined by more than just food. If you think back to your favorite meals, you are sure to uncover fond recollections about the conversation, people and atmosphere, too.  

This defines our recent visit to 943 in a nutshell.

Several weeks ago we shared tweets with fellow food blogger, phillyfooddude, about going to 943. The exchange led to a visit that lasted more than three hours and who knows how many bottles of wine. It had all the attributes of a great experience, including good company and conversation on top of excellent food.

943 opened earlier this year and is located in the heart of the Italian Market.  Much like one of our other favorite BYOs, Portuguese-inspired Koo Zee Doo, 943 brings a unique food culture to the city with its Argentine/Italian blend.

Sunday Tasting Menu at Pumpkin

Pumpkin at 17th and South Streets has been one of those places for us that always looked good, but never quite fit our interests come decision time on where to eat. Finally this summer we teamed up with foodie blogger friends, Two Eat Philly, and gave Pumpkin's Sunday night, $35-per-person, five-course tasting menu a try.

I won't go into much detail about what we ate (see photos below and Two Eat Philly's detailed review for more) because the regular menu at Pumpkin has just a few options and changes constantly. I encourage you not to think of that as limiting, but rather a way to ensure each dish is conceived and served with extreme precision. The menu features all seasonal, local ingredients and if what we ate is any indication, as well as countless diners before us have said in reviews, the chances of your meal being excellent are high.

Given Pumpkin's average prices - $8-$13 for appetizers, $25-$26 for entrees, $8 sides, plus desserts - the Sunday tasting menu is a very good deal. It only offers two options for each course but that made going as a foursome perfect because we just ordered two of everything. As you'll see in the photos, the courses were small but creative and rich with ingredients. It was refreshing to walk away from a five-course meal and not head straight for the TUMS because I was overstuffed.

Pumpkin is a very tiny restaurant, so be sure to get a reservation, especially for Sundays. It is a good place for a date; to bring your mom if she appreciates fresh, artistic meals; or to host a casual-but-mid priced meal with friends. Not ideal for a large or loud group, or really picky eaters given the small menu. Do bring friends that will appreciate the intracacy of Pumpkin's dishes. Being able to chat about the food with our blogger friends made the experience particularly enjoyable.

Pumpkin is also good about putting new menus up on their website so you can get an idea of what you'll be offered ahead of time. And don't forget it's BYOB and cash only: critical information. And casual dress.

Below is what we ate... there were so many little details and flavors in each dish that I can't even remember half, but you'll get the idea.

Ten Things You Need to Know about Tacconelli's Pizzeria

For more than a year, our neighbors raved about some pizza place in Port Richmond and shared tales of renting cars just to drive there on Friday nights. Finally I said enough is enough. A group outing of 10 neighbors was organized, two coolers of beer packed, and our caravan hit the road for Tacconelli's Pizzeria.

Fresh pizza by John Tacconelli in his 20' x 20' brick oven

About an hour later, out of a massive, 20 ft. x 20 ft. brick oven came, hands-down, the best pizza we've ever had in Philadelphia.

Tacconelli's dates back to 1918, when Giovanni Tacconelli arrived in the U.S. and started baking brick oven bread just as he'd done in Italy. Today, the same spot is a stronghold of Port Richmond and a well-kept secret among pizza lovers in Philadelphia. Save for a mention of the giant oven in Philly Mag, we'd never heard a peep about Tacconelli's beyond our neighbors. And yet, it's packed every Wed-Sun night.

It would be a tough trek for tourists, but is a must-visit for locals. Before you go, consider these points, as Tacconelli's is far from your average pizza joint.

Ten Things You Need to Know about Tacconelli's:

1) Go with a group. More people = more pizza to try. The slices are on the smaller side so you can handle a lot.

2) You must call ahead to reserve a table and order your dough by number of pies. Tacconelli's doesn't make more dough than is ordered in advance. More on how to order on the Tacconelli's website.

3) How much should you order? We had 10 people and 7 pizzas. That was a smidge more than enough but you can always take the extra home. Or just keep stuffing yourselves until every last slice is gone like we did. 

4) Expect to wait. Even if you made a "reservation" at 7:30pm, you may not sit right then. And if you do, it might be a while before your pizza arrives. That's just how it is. You can bring your own salad or other appetizers to hold you over, but the pizza is so damn good you don't want to fill up early.

5) There is a three topping max on each pizza but the owner sometimes prefers to limit it to two. We suggest at least one regular pie with cheese, red sauce and your favorite toppings, and one white pie with toppings. The white is loaded with garlic. It's freaking amazing.

6) Order the "signature," even if it's not listed on the menu. It's white pizza with spinach, chunks of tomato and garlic. A guaranteed favorite on its own, but even better with sausage added. Some nights the owner isn't cool with adding sausage (we suspect it could be tough on the thin crust, or he just prefers it as-is) but it is worth asking.

In addition to the signature, we devoured a pepperoni, a red pizza w/ onions, a white pizza w/ onions (another favorite of Tacconelli's regulars), a sausage, and a margarita. I don't think you can go wrong with any options.


7) Ask the waitress (likely a Tacconelli family member) for other suggestions. Otherwise, we never would have had our final pizza, and a new group favorite - white pizza with onions and peppers. Ahhhh I want some right now.

8) Bring cash and beer/wine - not just because it's a cash-only BYOB but also to feed the awesome old school juke box.

9) Look up the directions and location on a map ahead of time. Tacconelli's is just minutes off the Girard Ave exit on Rt. 95 but if you aren't familiar with Port Richmond, I could see it being a little confusing to navigate. Drop off whoever is carrying the cooler and park on the street wherever you see a spot.

10) Don't expect a jolly old Italian singing "That's Amore" behind a counter. John Tacconelli is a super nice guy, but he is also the extremely focused and devoted one-man show making the dough every morning and the pizza every night, so he rarely spends time out chatting with customers. He and the waitress were nice enough to let me take one really quick shot of John at the oven, but then I raced out of the kitchen before he got annoyed. Our neighbors are regulars and have started a friendly relationship with him, but you may only see his serious side.  

If these photos of Tacconelli's pizza don't make your mouth water, you need to take a serious look at your love for pizza.

Signature pizza - spinach, tomatoes, garlic

Signature close up.

Red pizza with onions

Must toast to friends!

Margarita

Pepperoni

Sausage

White with onions and peppers

There is a second location in Maple Shade, NJ, that some will say is better and has more stuff on the menu, but our trusted neighbor regulars swear by the original. Perhaps we'll get out that way to compare, but for now the legendary Port Richmond pizzeria is tops on our list of local favorites. 

The Original Tacconelli's Pizzeria

2604 East Somerset Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
215.425.4983
http://www.tacconellispizzeria.com/ 

2nd Annual Best of Philly To-Do List

Philadelphia Magazine releases a "Best of Philly" issue each August, just in time to make its way into my beach bag and onto our to-do/eat/shop list. While we've been to - and agree with - many of this year's picks (Paesano's bolognese for best sandwich? hands down.) there still are dozens of new spots to try.

Here are the top 10 food/drink winners we picked off Philly Mag's ranking for inclusion in our second annual Best of Philly To-Do list. Reviews to come throughout the next year. What's on your list?

Sandwich Quest: DiNic's Roast Pork

Despite countless visits to Reading Terminal Market, endless recommendations from others in Philly, and all the publicity from national shows such as Man v. Food, we'd never had the legendary Italian roast pork sandwich from DiNic's. This gaping hole in sandwich eating made DiNic's a must-stop on our Sandwich Quest.

A few weeks ago my dad and I finally fulfilled this obligation and trekked down to DiNic's. The roast pork lived up to all the hype, period!

Between the two of us we had a roast pork with broccoli rabe and one with hot peppers. The pork was perfect with just the right amount of juice. We both agreed that the secret is the freshly shaved sharp provolone, a must order with any sandwich at DiNic's. You can't go wrong with any sandwich there, although in my view the hot pepper sandwich had the slight advantage over the broccoli rabe.

We debated about waiting in line for a third sandwich, likely the best testament to the awesomeness of DiNic's. In a rare family occurrence, we decided against, but only because the line was too long and we needed to get to a Phillies game. We are itching to go back to try a roast beef or brisket sandwich.

Hopefully DiNic's new expanded space in Reading Terminal cuts down on the wait, but not the quality!

Some pictures below.

Brunch Week! Last Stop: Morning Glory

For Part III of Brunch Week, let's chat about Sam's Morning Glory Diner, a South Philly staple since 1997.

QVF and I took some out-of-town friends to Morning Glory on the Fourth of July as our last meal before everyone headed home. Despite Philly having a reputation for emptying out on summer holidays/weekends, there were still plenty of locals waiting in Morning Glory's courtyard for a delicious brunch.

Morning Glory is a straight up diner, but with far better food and a more homely feel than any diner I've been to... and I'm from the diner mecca of North Jersey. Brunch offers all the regulars, some with a twist like Pecan Waffles and Challah French Toast with strawberry sauce, a few salads and a selection of irresistible frittatas. I've heard the Monkey French Toast is a highlight - challah french toast stuffed with caramelized bananas and mangoes, topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream. Hello.

I made the very excellent decision to order the Focaccia Breakfast Sandwich. A simple fried egg n' cheese with bacon added, this was still no average sammie. The focaccia is a homemade staple at Morning Glory and a key factor to making this one of the best bacon, egg and cheeses I've ever had. It must be popular, because I saw a giant pile of foccacia behind the counter ready to be sandwiched. I would eat it again, right now.

Focaccia Breakfast Sandwich

Brunch Week! Add a Little Kick to Your Eggs at Xochitl

Part II of Brunch Week... time for some Mexican food at Xochitl in Headhouse Square. 

If you want to put a little kick into your brunch, Mexican restaurants around Philly offer some great brunches. Xochitl is also right across the cobblestones from the Headhouse Square Farmer's Market, so it's an excellent spot to dine before/after you pick up the week's fresh groceries. Brunch is served Sunday 11am - 2pm.

Keep in mind that since I ate there, owners Steve Cook and recent James Beard winner Michael Solomonov (of Zahav fame) decided to sell Xochitl. The staff is supposed to remain but it looks like some additions are coming to the menu. No word on brunch changes yet.

Xochitl only launched its brunch menu in May and offered us a complimentary visit to try it out, so I took my trusty food-loving Queen Village Friend (she's made appearances before at spots like Sabrina's and Carman's and will continue to, so henceforth she will be referred to as my QVF). The very nice chef came out and chatted with us but otherwise I think our experience was similar to that of the patrons around us.