Best of Philly To-Do List... and Yogorino

Since moving into Philadelphia about four years ago, I have really enjoyed reading Philadelphia Magazine for its new ideas of things to do and places to eat, hearty (and somewhat snooty) gossip, and extensive local feature stories. The biggest issue each year is the annual "Best of Philly" edition, which showcases the best food, drinks, shops, activities, people and more that Philadelphia and the surrounding 'burbs have to offer.

The 2010 Best of Philly list just came out, so today I settled into a shady bench in Rittenhouse Square to carefully read every review and start my own new to-do/eat/see list. Here's what I picked off the Best of Philly for 22ndandPhilly to check out in the coming months:

Fish - It's right down the road from 22nd Street (a.k.a. us) and Best of Philly listed it as the best new restaurant. We've walked by and peaked at the menu a few times, but will have go check it out now.
Ko Zee Doo - New Portuguese spot in Northern Liberties, named best new BYOB.
Le Virtu - Italian restaurant on Passyunk that supposedly has incredible pasta (just say duck ragu and we're there).
Paesano's - Italian sandwiches at 9th & Christian.
Stogie Joe's - Philly Mag says they have the best tomato pie. And Bradd loooooves tomato pie.
Supper - Foodie friends recently named this spot on South Street their current favorite. Philly Mag says it has the best bar snacks. And I looooove bar snacks.
Kanella - Recently went to the Greek BYOB for dinner and it was alright, but I still want to go back for brunch, which Best of Philly says is #1.
Garces Trading Company - We've stopped in to see it and buy wine, but I definitely want to go back and eat sometime.
Amis - Marc Vetri's newest got a Best of Philly nod for "power snacking." I like feeling powerful, plus we loved every bite of food at Vetri a few months ago, and my Vetri-groupie boss gave Amis a great review.
Dante & Luigi's - Best old school Italian. 'Nuff said.
Fork - I pass by Fork all the time but never think to eat there. Philly Mag gives it props for the best charcuterie.
Silk City - Been there late night for dancing (super fun, good music, but it quickly heated up to about 300 degrees and everyone got all sweaty and gross). Philly Mag says it has the best outdoor dining. It looks fun from the outside on Spring Garden St. 

One more spot would have made it onto this list - Yogorino, named the best frozen yogurt - but it was hot in the park and I got inspired reading the Best of Philly issue so I dashed over to 20th Street and grabbed a cup before I continued reading. Yogorino only offers the traditional, Greek-style flavor but then you can pick a slew of toppings. Philly Mag raved that its the smoothest and richest yogurt out there. I will say that it was much better than Sweet Endings (which I thought was pretty nasty) but I still wasn't thrilled. FroYo to me should taste like ice cream but smoother. Maybe thats just the Americanized version, but oh well, thats what I like. This "mini" size at Yogorino cost me $3.00 but don't let this pic fool you. The bottom half of the blue cup is curved, so it only holds about an inch of ice cream. The fresh strawberries and chocolate shavings I added helped, but I wouldn't go back. I miss my hometown shop, Denville Dairy!

Thank you Best of Philly for all these new ideas!

Quick take on Garces Trading Company

The latest venture in the quickly expanding Jose Garces empire is the Garces Trading Company, a gourmet market/cafe at 11th and Locust in the Western Union building. Like anything new from Jose, it has received much attention and rightly so (we are huge fans of Jose Garces!). Check out this article from Michael Klein with the Inquirer for pictures and more details.

I was super-excited to check out this place out as one of my favorite things to do is go to a market and try new things and buy things for a nice Sunday meal. As I've written before, Di Bruno Brothers is one of favorite places. So I visualized the Garces Trading Company as a new alternative.

Well, I hate to this say, but I came away disappointed. Di Bruno's is light years ahead in terms of meat, cheese, prepared foods, service, space, coffee, food samples, etc. Just about everything. Honestly, my visit to Garces Trading Company only made appreciate how awesome Di Bruno's is. That is less a knock on Garces as it is a testament to how much I like Di Brunos.

Another view is that Garces Trading Company is not meant to be an alternative to Di Brunos. The first thing that stood out was how small the cheese and meat section was compared to Di Brunos. It seemed that the meats/cheese had more of a Spainish feel than Di Brunos. Second, the bulk of the space is for reserved sit-down seating, which looked to be waitress served rather than do it yourself. That section was crowded and the menu can be found here. Looks great and I did not try anything, but would definitely like to go back for lunch sometime.

There is a cool section where olives oils, balsamic vinegars, etc are in cool coffee-looking holders. You can have small samples with bread. Something I would love to see at Di Brunos.

The wine section is cool. Kudos for trying something new and it is worth checking out. I couldn't tell you if the wines are good or expensive. They are housed in a special walk-in wine case and you can drink right on the spot. I like the concept.

My takeaway. I will not be making a regular hike to Garces Trading Company for any of my weekend rituals. I would like to go back to try for lunch sometime. Also, please do not compare it to Di Brunos. It's not fair to either.