Jake’s Sandwich Board

One of the more creative sandwich shops in Philadelphia is Jake’s Sandwich Board. Jake’s is known for its pork sandwiches, considering its Twitter handle is @gotpig, but you can also find plenty of other options.

Overall, Jake’s serves up some darn good sammies, albeit with some minor slip-ups in each of my visits.

My first sandwich was the "50/50" specialty sandwich consisting of 1/2 pulled pig and 1/2 smoky grilled bacon topped with sriracha mayo and sharp provolone. How can you resist, right?

Opa! Modern Greek Hits Philadelphia's Midtown Village

Opa was one the hottest new restaurant openings of 2011. Keenly placed just off the bustling 13th Street strip near Barbuzzo, Zavino, Sampan, and El Vez, Opa hit a jackpot on location, price and food.

We spent several days in Greece on our honeymoon, where we developed not only a love for Greek food but also for the atmosphere of the restaurants. The open air, earth tones and casual-but-chic feel in Santorini, Crete and Corfu were just as memorable as the great food.

Opa stirs up those memories with very large, open front windows leading into an uber-trendy, but natural setting. The bar area and one side wall are covered with horizontal birch branches, and then the rest of the small(ish) interior is covered with a blue ceiling, natural stone columns and funky hanging lights.

Farmer's Cabinet Offers Mixed Reviews

Barrels used as tables out front

The Farmer's Cabinet is one of Philly's latest restaurants aiming to capitalize on the farm-to-table craze. It is in the former Joe Pesce location at 11th and Walnut and was started by the team behind the popular, but suddenly-closed, Fork & Barrel in East Falls.

We admire the ambition of The Farmer's Cabinet, as it definitely offers a unique atmosphere and menu. But, a decided mix of pros and cons means you're likely to find features there to both enjoy and forget.

Stephen Starr Goes Gastro: Dandelion

As stated before on this blog, we're big fans of the gastro pub. We don't mind spending a few extra dollars for interesting beers and a better burger, plus the best gastro pubs are often cozy, homely places you can always count on for a good meal.

That's why I was excited to hear that Stephen Starr was venturing into English gastro pub territory with his latest establishment, The Dandelion. It took over a prime corner spot, across the road from Tria on Sansom Street. We ventured in, sans reservation, last Friday night to a solid meal with few kinks.

First off, I would highly recommend only going when you can get a reservation. Like any new Starr hot spot, its going to be packed nonstop for the next several months. We were told the wait could be anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, which isn't terrible for a Friday night so we hit up the [extremely jam packed] bar. Did I mention the bar was packed? It's a tight space, so prepare to get bumped around.

We both were impressed with the drinks - Bradd with the large beer selection that included four cask beers, a rare find in Philly. (Standard Tap has them too). I thoroughly enjoyed the Tatanka, a cocktail with vodka, apple juice, lemon and cinnamon. Apparently, its a traditional Polish drink. At $10 a drink (even for beer), the tab adds up quickly but that's to be expected at Starr restaurants.

We ended up sitting in the bar area too (the primary dining is upstairs; I ventured up and it looked pretty cool, but suspect the non-reservationers get put in the bar. oh well.) and right next to the main door so a 23 degree breeze whipped through every time it opened. A spry, argyle-vested manager was nice enough to come acknowledge my obvious chill, saying they are installing a curtain to help block the cold air. They already have a funky-looking, round velvet curtain covering the bar area door. Regardless, trust me - if you go before, say, April, make a reservation for the main dining room. 

Ok, food. It was fantastic. The lamb shepherd's pie was perfectly hot with slightly browned mashed potatoes on top and non-mushy veggies, plus it comes in a well-sized portion that will not send you rolling home in gluttony. Bradd's fish n' chips were also great, albeit just a single piece of fish. Most places give you at least two, but people go to The Dandelion for quality (and "experience!") not quantity.

An Inquirer reporter said he loved the fish n' chips too. He also complimented the rabbit pie, which I debated getting but I really really don't care for mushrooms. Slightly regret that decision, however the shepherd's pie was pretty awesome. Oh, and the sourdough and honey oat bread you get at the table is delish too.

Bradd said it best, immediately upon scanning the menu: The Dandelion is just like 22nd & Philly favorite, Pub & Kitchen, but at Stephen Starr prices. It's true, plus Dandelion has more menu options, a longer wait and more Burberry coats and Tory Burch shoes. I'm not sure which has better tasting food, although the gastro pub menu staple, welsh rarebit, is definitely a better starter at P&K. Had it at Daniel Stern's Mid-Atlantic once too, where it was also better than Dandelion's.

We'll have to wait for Spring to see what Starr has planned for outdoor seating, a major attraction for P&K. In the end, P&K is the best everyday, go-to gastro pub west of Broad while Dandelion is better suited for a pre-planned, free-spending night out. Get their early if you can and try to score a seat on the couch near the mezzanine level fireplace while you wait. Now that looked cozy.

Barbuzzo!

They say the area around 13th and Sansom/Chestnut is the new hot spot of dining in Philly.  It's hard to disagree with El Vez, Zavino, Sampan, Vintage, etc.  Two people are largely responsible for the renaissance in the area, Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran.  Their two established places include Bindi and Lolita (sorry, we've haven't been to either).

Their latest place is Barbuzzo, Mediterranean farmhouse theme. It's a must visit.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was quite festive.

We started the meal with mediterranean olives and barbuzzo "pig popcorn" (aka pork rinds).  The olives were top-notch and the pig popcorn was a nice starter - not the best thing on the menu, but a nice novelty worth trying if only for the horseradish aioli.

The skirt steak and the gnocchi were the highlights of the meal.  The skirt steak was cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth.  The rosemary fries were the perfect complement.  We both devoured the steak.  The gnocchi was light and fluffy, while the sauce was delicious and took extra bread for dipping (always a good sign!).  Lastly we had the beet ravioli, which was different and not as good as the gnocchi and steak.  Still worth ordering.

We ended with the "salted caramel" dessert.  It is served in a small glass and consists of layered cookie crumb, vanilla custard, caramel and creme fraiche.  The perfect ending to an amazing meal.

It was crowded so we did our usual of sitting at the bar.  We recommend sitting at the bar at most places if two people since you can still enjoy good conversation and the servers are more conversational.  True with Barbuzzo!

The rest of the place looked perfect for small group (4-6).  It is not the place for a large group of people. Barbuzzo is a welcomed addition to the area and Philly! Certainly one of the better places we've visited and look forward to trying more dishes.  The menu has a seasonal flavor so you are likely to see changes on the menu.

Amis is for Friends

Marc Vetri had us at the wild boar ragu. But he continues to top himself with each new venture in Philly (err.. each new Vetri place we eat at...).

Amis was on my Best of Philly to-do list, so when friends who read the post promtly suggest we try it the following Friday night, we didn't think twice. I was glad my friend Erin asked the host how you actually pronounce the restaurant name, as my boss (another big Vetri fan) and I have debated over it for a few weeks. Truth is - its "ah-meece." Not like the french word for "friends" - "ah-mee." This one is Italian for friends.

I liked the ambiance of Amis immediately. Relatively small, wooden tables and chairs close together, and an inviting bar with a few 8-person high top tables nearby for sharing. There's also a little 4-person shelf-ish thing in front of the 13th Street window with stools that looks like it would be fun to grab a quick meal/drink at. There were a handful of tables outside, but it was a now-typical 97 degree Friday night so inside was much more desirable.

I'll start with my drink, since I got that first. Deeee-lish and super fun. I got the Granita, which is prosecco and... you guessed it... red wine granita (flavored, sugary, shaved ice). What was fun is that the waiter brings you a glass of prosecco and then a little bowl of the granita, explaining that some people like it sweeter than others, so you can put the granita in yourself. I know some people would complain that they didn't pay $11 to mix their own drink, but I thought it was fun. And of course we took and action shot.

Everyone else liked their drinks too, there was a smattering of Amis Punch, Limontello, and I don't remember what else.

The food at Amis was downright fantastic. It's Marc Vetri - what else would you expect?

Between four people we got one bruschetta (bufala ricotta, good), one salumi (salami), one antipasti di pesce (octopus, my least favorite), and two antipasti di carne (charred prosciutto wrapped figs with ricotta, great, and Sal's old school meatballs with tomato potato, also great). That was plenty to start. Then we each got one main pasta or meat dish, except hungry Bradd who ordered one extra pasta.

And thank god he did. I got a bite or two of the tonnarelli "cacio e pepe" with pecorino and black pepper, but definitely could have housed the plate myself. Erin and I both got the fettuccine with pork ragu and stone fruit, which was also great, but the tonnarelli was the star. Bradd already looked up a recipe to try and make it himself. Yesssss. He also ordered the abbacchio con patate (roasted lamb with potatoes) which was also absolutely amazing. Again, I only had a bite but it literally melted in my mouth. If I go back, I'd order the lamb for myself.

Fantastic food, great friends, good conversation, what more could top off the evening? Oh how about Marc Vetri himself chillin' at the table next to us? My uneducated assumption is that the woman and young girl at the table were the wife and daughter of one of his cooks because Vetri and a guy in a white uniform came out from the back to stand there and chat for a while, then sit down and chat some more. Can't resist playing local paparazzi when the iPhone is sitting right there...

Oh! I almost forgot dessert. A close rival to Daniel Stern's Breakfast at the now-closed Gayle, Amis' belgian style waffles with nutella, vanilla semifreddo and toasted hazelnuts was completely to-die-for. You must save room for this. One is enough to share among 3-4 people.

Amis was definitely awesome all around. If you want to have a couple drinks and eat a good-sized meal, it is going to cost you, but that's what happens at Vetri spots. However, I could also see us stopping in another time for a small meal and glass of wine, which wouldn't run up the tab too much.

The Vetri Trifecta is now complete!