The 2011 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards

Welcome everyone to the first-ever 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards!

Why the Scarpettas? On the About 22nd & Philly page, we detail why we started this blog and how we define a good food experience: "at the end of the day, if Bradd cleans his plate with a piece of bread, you know it was a good meal." Little did we know there is an Italian phrase for using bread to clean your plate, Fare La Scarpetta. We learned about the word from Anthony Bourdain's show, The Layover, when he visited Rome.

What better way to characterize our own "Best Of" awards for Philadelphia?

The Scarpettas are based on the eateries we visited in the past year, food quests, local events, readers and friends we’ve met, among other considerations. It's our way of pointing out some of our favorite - and least favorite - discoveries within local food scene during 2011. Either our plates were clean, or something was left to be desired.

And the 2011 Scarpettas go to...

943, an Argentine/Italian BYO in Philly

Update: We're bummed to report that 943 closed in early 2013. We're hoping chef Pascual lands somewhere awesome soon. We'll be first in line to try it out. 

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.