The 2013 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards

The Scarpettas are back!

22nd & Philly's annual food awards give us a chance to review all our food experiences from the previous year and give you a round up of our favorites.

Each year, a reader will ask us, why the "Scarpettas?" Quick background: the Italian phrase for using bread to clean your plate is "fare la scarpetta." It's perfect for our awards because one of the most telling signs of a great meal is whether Bradd cleans his plate with a piece of bread. To wit, winning a Scarpetta means you not only passed the test, but exceeded all others.

Serpico's Duck Buns

Without further ado...

Best New Restaurant: Serpico. The latest winner from Stephen Starr puts a fresh spin on modern Asian/American cuisine, with dishes like fried duck leg buns and diver scallops you'll talk about for weeks. We loved our meal from start to finish!

Best Sandwich: Border Springs Pulled Lamb Shoulder with piri piri sauce and crushed potato chips on brioche. Skip the lines for other things at Reading Terminal Market, hustle straight to Border Springs for a lamb sammie instead. Here's our first podcast with the owner, Craig Rogers.

Best Place We Never Wrote About: Han Dynasty. This place deserves all the praise it gets from everyone else and we wholeheartedly back up the popular claim that you're guaranteed to dream about Han's spicy Szechuan food within days of eating it.

Four Things to Order at The Fat Ham and One to Skip

Oyster Slider

Kevin Sbraga first gained acclaim as a Top Chef winner and then for his namesake restaurant Sbraga, a 2011 Scarpetta Award honoree for best new restaurant.

Now Chef Sbraga has expanded with a more low key space called the The Fat Ham, which is focused on southern country cooking and traditions.

We loved the concept and enjoyed the food just as much. Here are four things you should order at The Fat Ham.

1. The Fat Apple cocktail. We recognized the bartender from his days at Pub & Kitchen. He’s the really tall guy, super friendly and knows his drinks. We took his recommendation for The Fat Apple - great, simple, whiskey drink. The kind you could have five of on a nice day. The Fat Ham also serves its own twist on the Moscow Mule in those famous copper mugs. (side note: I've had Moscow Mules at two other local bars since not served in the copper mug and it just isn't the same.)

2. Southern Hummus. If there was a “hummus” to give Zahav a run for its money this would be it. Mixing boiled peanuts with the traditional chickpeas gave it just enough distinction and the grilled bread served with it was excellent. You’ll want to lick the wooden bowl clean!

3. Oyster Sliders. These giant oysters were perfectly fried into a crunchy bite, while the coleslaw and gribiche was a tasty condiment. The real kicker, though, was the yeast roll – fluffy, buttery and quite simply perfect. Order one per person and see the photos below for other good apps/sides.

4. Hot Chicken. "Hot" in this case means to the touch and more significantly to taste. You’ll get a minor forehead sweat but also just enough sweetness to keep you diving back in for more, and taking advantage of the white bread, house-made ranch and pickles underneath. Just like the oysters, the chicken is perfectly fried. This version certainly rivals Resurrection and Federal Donuts. I’d love to see Fed Nuts come up with a spicy take like this one. Loved it. At $13 it’s an above average deal.

Hot Chicken!

One disappointment was the chocolate chip cookie skillet. From the sound of it (a hot skillet full of just-baked cookie dough) we thought this was going to be another highlight. The result tasted fine but was thinner and harder than expectations. Perhaps another scoop of ice cream and softer dough would have done the trick.

The Fat Ham is located near WXPN and World Cafe Live on Walnut Street, just before the heart of UPenn's campus in University City. Keep in mind that the space is uber small so try to get a reservation or go as a pair and sneak a spot at the bar. We’d advise against a big dinner party, as we saw one group waiting a good bit to get seated. It just doesn't have the volume seats needed to turnover quickly enough for a large group.

Have you been to The Fat Ham? What would you recommend?

Grilled Trout w/ brussels sprouts, pecan butter

Baked macaroni & cheese with BBQ potato chip crust

Hummus in a wooden bowl

Chocolate chip cookie skillet

Avance + Border Springs = The Best New Burger in Philly?

Border Springs lamb, onion marmalade, harissa mayo and feta on a sesame potato bun. Those, folks, are the ingredients for the next great burger in Philly.

Avance burger with a side of chickpea fries

Readers know we’re big fans of Border Springs Farm. Their lamb sandwiches are some of the best in Philly and their founder, Craig Rogers, is passionate about making lamb more mainstream. (listen to our podcast interview with Craig)

When we heard that Avance, the new restaurant in Le Bec Fin's old space, was using Border Springs lamb in its burger to rave reviews, we knew we had to check it out. It's definitely one of the best burgers in Philly, if not the best.

We are not alone in this feeling: both Craig Laban and Adam Erace loved the Avance lamb burger, too.

The healthy-sized burger comes with the refreshing and flavorful twist to traditional toppings listed above. The bartender raved about the sesame seed potato bun and we couldn't agree more. It was soft, tasty, almost like a slightly denser brioche. The lamb meat was cooked to an absolutely perfect medium rare. There was nothing to dislike about this burger. Even the $18 price is worth it. Go. Get. It. Now!

(keep reading for more tips about drinking/dining at Avance)

Inside the Avance lamb burger

If you need another reason to go, local writer and foodie extraordinaire Joy Manning, who ate a nearby table, said the dry aged duck was one of the top five things she’s had in Philly. High praise indeed from an expert.

Even better, you don’t need a reservation to get the burger, duck or anything else off the Avance menu. Just head to the downstairs bar, which reminds us of a high-class gastropub/cocktail bar. It filled up quickly by 7:30 on a Friday night. The scene was low key and the bartenders were conversational. With this undertone and a menu that brings in local providers like Border Springs, it represents well chef Justin Bogle's goal to create a dining experience that fosters community among the local farmers, the kitchen and its guests.

Speaking of the bar, we sampled a variety of cocktails and all were quite good. Toe to Toe is a nice, lightly fruity option for the tequila drinker. Run 'n Gun really does remind you of sitting around a campfire, as the bartender described. We didn’t try the Panda at the Disco, but the glass is covered in liquid nitrogen first so we got a show every time someone else ordered it - apparently it's popular.