9 Restaurants That Should Replace L2

In February 2014 we wrote a post about eight restaurants that should replace Dmitri's on Fitler Square after it closed much nearby residents' dismay. Even though new tenant Tria Fitler Square has turned out to be a pleasant addition to the neighborhood, it was not on our original list.

With the former L2 space at 23rd and South available again after a pizza/growler concept fell through, we're revisiting our original list. It's a great location that, with some renovations, could help continue the growth in commercial vibrancy in the neighborhood and be a great corner spot to eat.

Without further adieu, here are many the original ideas we'd still like see move in, with some tweaks:

1. Koo Zee Doo. We have not been shy about claiming Koo Zee Doo to be one of our all-time favorite restaurants in Philadelphia. But it fell victim to rent hikes in Northern Liberties and slow weeknights, closing in 2013 to widespread outcry from fans all over the area. Chef David Gilberg is at William Street Common now, but maybe he and co-owner/wife Carla Goncalves will consider a resurgence. The neighborhood could use something unconventional like Portuguese food. Only question will be... is the rent still too high?

2. Manakeesh. Along the same lines, Lebanese fusion could be a nice "something different" for Fitler Square. Manakeesh Cafe at 45th & Walnut is a huge hit for its flatbread sandwiches, platters and baked goods (we are obsessed with the baklava). We'd love to see them create a casual sit-down dinner menu, while also opening for breakfast and lunch, reminiscent of the original cafe style.

3. Chimu. On a recent trip to Brooklyn, we were tipped off to try Peruvian restaurant Chimu. Holy cow was it good. Skirt steak, chimichurri, ceviche... Is there any Peruvian food in Philly? If so, please advise on where we can get this. And then bring it closer!

4. Girl and The Fig. Another transplant idea. If you've ever been to Sonoma, CA, and didn't try the fresh, locally-sourced French cooking at Girl and The Fig, you missed out. Best meal we had in wine country. Not to mention that its owner/chef was raised and launched her career in Philadelphia. Come back, Sondra Bernstein! Your East Coast outpost awaits!

5. Gayle: The Revival. Daniel Stern's byob off South Street was the first restaurant we tried after moving to Philadelphia that really made an impact. (blog post from 2009, yikes!) The creative twists he put on dishes like pork & beans, shepherd's pie and "breakfast" blew our minds at the time, and the fact that a chef came out to talk to us made a real impact on the way we looked at food.

One vote for dim sum! (photo at Bing Bing)

6. Bring back Pat! Friends had mixed experiences at 943 during its run on 9th Street in the Italian Market. Maybe it was the wrong spot? Struggled like other BYOBs to bring in enough revenue? We really liked the Argentinian/Italian blend at 943 and would love to see Chef Pascual Cancelliere (such a nice dude) give it another shot with a liquor license and new audience.

7. El Bulli. I mean, why not. Best restaurant in the world is now closed, so let's see it re-open in Philadelphia! A foodie can dream.

8. Dim Sum Anything. We cherish dumplings and would love to see an outpost outside of Chinatown. While we'd take a Dim Sum Garden or another Bing Bing, we'd be happy with anything serving up piping hot soup dumplings.

9. Anything Good AND Kid Friendly. As new parents our needs and wants have changed. No longer can we just show up and sit at the bar or count on sticking with reservations. We enjoy taking our son out but it's a lot of work at the same time, and expensive to hire babysitters. (And when we do get out, it's even harder to find time to blog about it!) So, how about a place that provides the best of both worlds. L2 is a big enough spot for families and highchairs, while still catering to the masses. Give us the chance to enjoy a great meal along with a kid friendly dining experience. We would thank you for it.

What we don't need: Brunch joint like Honey's, more Neapolitan pizza like Vetri or $27 entree bistro a la Fitler Dining Room. We're not criticizing any of those spots, just don't need another one so close.


What are your suggestions??

Sidecar Delivers Sandwich Quest Hit with Beer Can Chicken

Sidecar has been a Graduate Hospital favorite for as long as we've lived in the neighborhood. With a lengthy, rotating beer list and a simple, straightforward food menu, it's easy to understand why.

The menu was completely revamped last June to focus primarily on double-stacked burgers, a move we initially found perplexing since you can get a great burger at so many places today. We've since grown to accept the change with some help from Sidecar's neighborhood-friendly decision to keep several other go-to crowd pleasers on the menu, such as the BBQ pulled pork and the clam chowder that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2013.

An overlooked gem, though, is Sidecar's beer can chicken sandwich.

The two-hands-required sandwich is unlike most of the pulled chicken I've had over the years. Rather than being dried out, the chicken is done right, with the juices and rich flavor of chicken plus beer shining throughout. Sharp provolone is also expertly mixed with onions throughout the sandwich, while long hots on top of the Goldilocks variety (not too hot, not too bland).

The surprising kicker was the snowflake bun, which I don't recall having before. Light and airy with a hint of chewiness, it does a great job holding the sandwich together, while soaking in the juices.

The result is an instant Sandwich Quest favorite.

Sidecar's beer can chicken. Fried long hots, onions, sharp provolone, snowflake bun. Juicy, tasty and Sandwich Quest worthy.

A photo posted by 22nd&Philly (@22ndandphilly) on May 1, 2015 at 5:46pm PDT

What We're Drinking: The Derringer at Rival Bros.

Need a caffeine kick that is: 1) not a regular cup of coffee, 2) more than a simple shot of espresso and 3) comes without the overwhelming milkiness of a latte or cappuccino?

The folks at Rival Bros. have just the solution – the Derringer, a take on the ever-popular cortado. 

The cortado is typically 4 oz of equal parts espresso and steamed milk that ends up being a cross between a macchiato and a cappuccino. The Derringer twist upps the milk just a bit to a ratio of 2:2.5 (maybe 3 according to the barista).

I find it to be the perfect little drink to pack in a needed caffeine kick without giving me the shakes. A touch of milk also tames the bite of the espresso (cortado is Spanish for cut) without diminishing the flavor.

Get yourself over to Rival Bros. coffee shop at 24th & Lombard and jump on the Derringer wagon. I've probably had it the last ten Friday mornings in a row.

Rival Bros. blends can also be purchased at a number of retail stores and sipped in restaurants throughout Philadelphia region.

Choplin Puts Her Spin on SoWe

SoWe is a gastropub in the Graduate Hospital/South of South area that we have been to a few times since its opening in April 2012 but never wrote about. Good thing since SoWe recently underwent some changes, the most notable being new Executive Chef Jennifer Choplin.

We stopped by when the redesigned and expanded menu debuted in early April. SoWe remains a good place to check out for a laid-back, above average bite to eat, especially if you live in the area like us. We were glad to see a longer and well-pieced together menu. Here's our take on the few items we've had so far.

Small Plates:

Loaded Bacon Tots

The bacon tots jumped out as a new appetizer we had to try. More dense than your typical tot, these came with chili, jack cheese and jalapenos. Think of this dish as tots in a spicy red meat sauce. We also ordered the spicy chickpea fritters. Between the two, go with the tots.

The buffalo shrimp appetizer survived from the old SoWe menu and we can vouch from earlier visits that it is a good starter and/or small main dish if you aren't famished.

Honey's Sit 'n Eat Arrives to an Anxious Crowd in Graduate Hospital

After more than a year of rumors and anticipation, Philadelphia brunch mecca Honey's Sit 'n Eat opened a second location last weekend at 21st and South Streets. [The original location is in Northern Liberties. Read about our visit.]

When we came out at 11:30 a.m. - big crowd!

It was promptly packed by 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, with a crowd growing outside. There is a small waiting area just inside the door as well, in case it's raining or you want to sit down. Or you can wander next door to Doggie Style and look at the puppies in the window.

At 10:30 a.m., we actually sat right away and were reminded of an important brunch tip: tables for two come a lot quicker than anything larger. It's nice to eat with your friends, but if you're really there to try the food, just bring one date. Or do your best to go on a weekday when Honey's has a mega-cheap breakfast option. $3.95 for two eggs, a side dish and coffee from 7:00 - 9:00 a.m.

A long overdue dinner at Meritage

It's funny how really good restaurants can sit practically at your doorstep yet you take $10 cab rides to eat halfway across town instead. Meritage is the one in our Philadelphia neighborhood that we've passed 100 times but never felt compelled to go in.

On a whim one recent Friday night, we finally took the plunge. I'd been calling around to a variety of restaurants repeating, "what's the wait for two?" when finally a Meritage hostess said she had an open high top in the bar area. I responded that we would be there in just a few minutes and then arrived to a pleasant surprise that the hostess actually put a reserved sign on the table for us. Brownie points! 

The menu at Meritage is a nice mix of snacks, small plates and entrees. I think it would be fun to go back and just sit at the cozy bar with wine while picking at the snacks. This time we only got the braised kobe meatballs, which were decent, but I'd like to try the crispy calamari in Korean chili sauce; goat cheese, spinach and chicken confit strudel; or the pork and shitake dumplings next time. Each ranges from $4 - $8. 

Off the small plate menu, we shared the octopus sautéed with crispy chickpeas, tapenade, tomato confit

and preserved Meyer lemon for $12. The octopus was cooked just right though mixing each bite with a little tomato and tapenade made this the highlight for me. The chickpeas were also fun to munch on. I overheard others at the bar raving about the butternut squash and apple soup, which I assume is seasonal and sounds ideal for a cold Fall night.

Roasted Duck Breast in plum wine sauce

As entrees, Bradd got grilled hanger steak with new potato croquettes and sautéed garlic string beans. I opted for the roasted duck breast in a plum wine sauce. Both come sliced thin and easy to share. Bradd thought the steak had just the right amount of sauce to complement a quality cut of meat. My duck was not the same entree that's on Meritage's website menu right now but it was quite tasty. Even if you aren't into pink, you'll gobble up every last medium rare slice and drop of the accompanying red wine sauce. The sweet potato puree on the side was so-so. I tend to only like sweet potatoes when they are fried so just my preference. I would rather have had Bradd's yummy garlic green beans.

Novita Bistro

A few weeks ago we had our first BBQ/party at our house. It wasn't really a housewarming, but almost everyone showed up with wine. Needless to say, we now have A LOT of wine.

Aaaaaand... the season of BYOBs is now here. Thanks, friends :-)

Last weekend we grabbed to bottles of red - one identifiable and one that I had no idea what it was, but the label was pretty and "Fall-ish" and checked out Novita Bistro with another couple. Cute little spot on 16th and South, with room for only about 40 people. I'd recommend a reservation. We got there at 7:15 and had no problem, but by 8:00 it was packed.

Novita describes itself as "Mediterranean influenced" - which is kind of vague to me, but then later on the website it talked about the chef being Moroccan born. I don't know much about Moroccan food, but as a marketing/PR person I think the restaurant could be a little better defined... or maybe they like the mystique, who knows.

Anyway food was good! I figured I should go with something that sounded "authentic" so I had Merguez, homemade Moroccan lamb sausage and shrimp brochette marinated in charmoula served with couscous and vegetables. Shrimp was great, sausage was good but a little dry and spicier than I expected, but tasted good mixed in with the couscous. It came with some red sauce that was definitely too spicy for me.

Bradd's cornish game hen was tasty and friend's Moroccan Tagine (braised chicken) was really good. Came in a funky looking bowl thing too. I like when food is "fun" like that.

Scallops I had for an appetizer were ok, maybe a little overcooked. I still find myself craving the scallops at Pub & Kitchen whenever I see them on a menu... and they came with little mushroom pieces on them. P.S. Have I ever mentioned that I HATE mushrooms? Well, not remembering what the menu said, I ate half of them and didn't find out til later they were mushrooms. Shut up. I still hate mushrooms.

Think my favorite thing was our waiter. I never got his name, but he was a happy-go-lucky little guy, maybe late 30's. Really helpful and friendly, especially when helping us decide whether to open the pinot noir or the "unknown" bottle of wine. Always go for the unknown, cause if you drink it second you probably won't be able to taste it anyway! And gave me a great look of pity re: the mushrooms.

Overall cute place, good for date night or a couples night. You definitely save money by bringing your own wine, but Novita still isn't pricy anyway. Not sure I'd go back anytime soon, unless they rotate the menu, but I would recommend it to others for a cozy BYOB night out.