I'm a foodie. I'm an ok cook and a brutal food critic. I claim to read food magazine for the articles, but it's really just an excuse to look at the pictures.

This is an informal list of restaurants in Philadelphia that I have eaten at or would like to try, carelessly thrown into buckets according to whether I would go there again. I don't claim to have tried any significant portion of the menu at any of these places, nor am I the most omnivorous eater (since I tend to shy away from ungulates unless they oink), so take these ratings with a generous pinch of grey salt. Price and pomp are also a factor, so cheap good food tends to trump pretentious expensive food. Local chains are included, national ones generally not.

Location codes (new and improved): Ritt = Rittenhouse, GHo = Graduate Hospital, Fit = Fitler Square, MW = Market West, Broad = Center City around Broad St., Ch = Chinatown, RTM = Reading Terminal Market, ME = Market East, WashW = Washington Square West, BV = Bella Vista, OC = Old City, SH = Society Hill, QV = Queen Village, NoLib = Northern Liberties, UC = University City, SP = South Philly, Fm = Fairmount/Art Museum, SG = Spring Garden, FRK = Fishtown/Port Richmond/Kensington, Myunk = Manayunk. Price codes: $ = easily under $20 including tip, $$ = possible to eat for cheaper, but expect around $30-$40, $$$ = expensive.

For another opinion, check out Lyle's Guide to Philadelphia Restaurants

Also, Non-Philadelphia food for the smattering of restaurants I've tried in various other places.

Superior (worth the hype) (10)

• Amada (OC, $$): Spanish Tapas. Outstanding showing for restaurant week. Aged Manchego with lavender honey and shrimp flatbreads were knockouts. (1/07) Upon revisit, (3/07), was not as wowed by the food, though the flatbreads were still tasty enough. An attempt to organize a largish birthday gathering there (8/07) was not a good experience.
• Capo Giro (Ritt, WashW, $): Gelato. Best I've ever eaten, though I've never been to Italy. The dark bitter chocolate is orgasmic. Sorbets are also very good. The 13th & Sansom location offers mini cones, which is the perfect amount for me. UPDATE: mini-cones are gone, but my new favorite thing is espresso poured on a scoop. The new must-have flavors are pinola and tahini.
• Dim Sum Garden (Ch, $) Chinese. Nestled in that scary area in between Wawa and the Chinatown bus stop is this no frills but oh-so-good Shanghai-style dim sum place. Shanghai soup dumplings, buns, handmade noodles, and scallion pancakes that apparently sell out by the morning. (4/08)
• Estia (Broad, $$) Greek. Went during restaurant week. Amazing marinated grilled octopus, and an ok grilled fish (lavraki). UPDATE: The fish to get is the tsipoura. Greek yogurt for dessert was the best yogurt I've ever tasted. (9/07)
• Horizons (QV, $$) Vegan. I'm quite partial to tofu and seitan to begin with. That said, the homemade versions of both at this place were outstanding -- I'm still craving my grilled pacific rim tofu on a bed of seared sushi rice. Beet salad, spinach salad, all delicious. Desserts were better than just about any non-vegan one I've had in the city. (5/08)
• Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House (Ch, $) Chinese. Handmade noodles in soup is about the extent of their menu. Simple but good.
• Royal Tavern (BV, $) Gastro Pub. Lots of tasty vegetarian items, humongous nacho platter, truffle butter popcorn. (10/08)
• Tria (Ritt, WashW, $$) Wine/Beer/Cheese/Bites. I couldn't resist ordering cheese (obviously). I got the beaufort d'alpage, which they paired with a dark chocolate spread, along with a muscatel dessert wine. Also had a tasty glass of herbal-infused Makana mead. (3/08)
• Village Whiskey (Ritt, $$) Whiskey, Newish American. Delicious whiskey drinks and assorted bites to go with. Excellent cheese puffs and soft pretzels, good duck fat fries and pickled beets. Lobster roll was ok, though probably the best I can expect not in New England. (9/09)
• Zahav (SH, $$) Israeli. Mostly worth the hype, though not for the fried cauliflower (it's good but it's identical to what you get at any falafel place). The fried haloumi cheese however was a pleasant bite of cheesy sweet. Laffa bread was addictive, good grilled items also. (12/08)

• Aqua (ME, $): Thai/Malay. Tasty noodle dishes, sinful deep fried bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer. (1/07)
• Bar Ferdinand (NoLib, $$) Spanish tapas. Though it lacks some of Amada's refinement, the tapas here are quite good. Standouts are the fried manchego skewer with apple foam (the only time I have ever liked something with foam), the stuffed squid (tiny little things but very tasty), and the Spanish tortilla, with carefully layered perfectly seasoned potatoes. Sangria was weak, but the cherry-infused Hendrick's gin "Ibiza" cocktail was delicious. (8/09)
• Branzino (Ritt, $$): Italian. Rigatone with broccoli rabe was competent (though easy to make at home), stuffed pork chop was amazing. Easily the best Italian I've tried in the city. (10/06)
• Cafe Lift (SG, $) Brunch. A quieter maybe hipsterer alternative to the Bella Vista joints. Interesting crespelles (basically Italian crepes) and an amazing cannoli french toast. (12/08)
• Chifa (ME, $$) Latin-Asian. Jose Garces' Peruvian-Cantonese fusion small plates. Complimentary fried yucca bread rolls with guava butter were delicious, as were the yucca fries and pork buns. Scallion pancakes were somewhat too chewy, bbq ribs were overpoweringly salty, chaufa fried rice could've been less mushy, and the Chifa chicken was perfect with crispy skin. Complimentary rice krispie treat for dessert (4/09)
• Distrito (UC, $$) Mexican. Tapas-style Mexican from Jose Garces. Delicious though diminutive ceviches. Also liked the masa flatbreads, particularly the mushroom corn shoot one; the esquites, which was like a warm corn milkshake; and the corn ice cream (notice a trend? wonder what will happen when corn's out of season). Tacos were so-so. (8/08)
• Fuji Mountain (Ritt, $$) Japanese. Easily the best capital-J Japanese food I've tried in the city. Instead of fancy 20-ingredient rolls, you get solid quality fish and some gems like the live hotate (scallop) sashimi. Rumor was they also occasionally have live uni. (4/08)
• Giwa (Ritt, $): Korean. Basically fast food (i.e., no table service, order at a counter) but the food rivals anything you'd get at a sitdown place. My favorite is the Bokum bop (spicy fried rice)
• Honey's (NoLib, $): Brunch, Southern. Possibly the best brunch I've had in Philly, though I have to admit that that's not saying much. Fried green tomatoes were tasty. On second visit, had the enfrijoladas special, which was a mess on a plate and not altogether pleasant; maybe next time I'll stay away from the Mexican-inspired dishes.
• Karma (OC, $$): Indian. Refined Northern Indian fare, possibly not worth the price, but definitely tastier and subtler than the standard buffet places. Saag was amazing. (11/07)
• Lacroix (Ritt, $$$): French, noveau. Sunday brunch buffet with amazing bloody marys and raw bar. Hot items suffered a bit from sitting too long in the chafing dish. Desserts were among the best I've had in the city. (7/08) UPDATE: had dinner there. Seafood panna cotta amuse bouche was bizarre. Fennel soup had peanut butter foam and coffee gels, all of which was again very odd but not necessarily bad tasting. Trout was cooked fine but underseasoned. Basil mousse dessert was like eating pesto, but actually was pretty good with the pine nuts and pineapple (the watermelon hibiscus sorbet was a pass). (9/09)
• Lemon Grass (UC, $): Thai. Quality Thai, which is rare. The barometer of a Thai restaurant for me is the pad thai, and it was executed well here.
• Mama's Vegetarian (Ritt, $). Middle Eastern. Good falafels, fried eggplant, latkes.
• Matyson (Ritt, $$$): New American BYO. I wish I could say that the dinner was perfect -- it wasn't. My friend's foie appetizer was cloyingly fruity, his halibut was over salted, and the double chocolate cake surprisingly could've used some more chocolate. However, the cornmeal encrusted soft shell crab was easily the best dish I've had this year in Philadelphia. And the pork loin with chipotle bacon and pineapple puree more than made up for the slightly odd fried grits sticks that accompanied it. (4/08)
• Morimoto (ME, $$$): Japanese, Stephen Starr. The first time I went, it was spectacular. Fresh fish, creative hot and fusion dishes. The second time was average, mostly due to the quality of the fish and the fact that I also ordered an uninspiring bowl of ramen noodles. Entrees and sushi are each priced about on par with what you get at other restaurants (not cheap, not exorbitant either), but of course the problem is you tend to want to order both.
• Paesano's (NoLib, $) Italian sandwiches. Flavorful, one of the best roast porks in the city. Bread could be a little crisper. (6/09)
• Palace at the Ben (ME, $$) Indian. Lunch buffet is actually quite a good deal. The flavors were subtle and refined, especially the spinach and the tikka masala. (3/09)
• Parc (Ritt, $$) French bistro, Stephen Starr. French omelette was not quite there, but tasty baked goods. (8/08)
• Rangoon (Ch, $) Burmese. One of my favorite stand-bys, though apparently they've raised their prices recently. The deep-fried lentil tofu triangles are the clear winner for me. Tasty entrees also, though a little heavy on the bell pepper as I recall.
• Sidecar (GHo, $) Gastro Pub. It's an indie atmosphere that fits perfectly into G Ho. Hush puppies were tasty but frozen in the middle, fries were ok, black bean burger was decent also. Good beers on tap for a dollar or two less than comparable places further north. (4/07) UPDATE: went back after rumors of a new chef, and indeed the food was very good this time. Beer-battered onion rings are some of the best in the city, served with a smokey remoulade that was odd at first but grows on you. Good nachos, though too timid with the flavors, and the cheese (something cheddarish and not overly appropriate for nachos) was greasy and not distributed well. Their take on the cuban sandwich was pretty tasty as well. (12/07)
• Tiffin (NoLib, $) Indian. Technically it's just west of Northern Liberties, in Poplar/Ludlow/Yorktown or something; they deliver. Vindaloo was wonderfully spicy, korma flavorful, saag complex. The meat was a little tough but still very edible. (12/07)
• Verde (WashW, $) Chocolates. Actually a flower shop that sells delicious Marcie Turney-created truffles, including a super sweet but not cloying Lancaster honey truffle and a surprisingly nuanced pine nut caramel one. (6/09)
• Vetri (WashW, $$$) Italian. It's almost impossible for a restaurant to live up to the expectations garnered by this one. And on my visit, it didn't. The high highs were amazing -- the almond tortellini was revelatory, and the summery garganelli with corn and scallions, though simple, truly captured the season. In fact, the majority of the pastas were quite well done, though after trying six plates of handmade pasta, I was longing for a little bit of the al dente chew you get from a dried version. Unfortunately, the main entrees were uniformly bland, and the desserts pitiful, so the lesson learned was to stop after the second course. (8/09)
• XIX Nineteen (Ritt, $$$) New American. Went for restaurant week. Excellent beet salad and extremely flavorful pork chop. Only gripe is the skid-mark sauce presentation that reared its head a few too many times. (1/09)

• Ants Pants Cafe (GHo, $) Brunch etc. Cute cafe in my neighborhood with slightly elevated brunch fare, but nothing craveable. Sweet potato fries got old fast.
• Beau Monde (QV, $) French, crepes. Savory crepes made with buckwheat. Mushroom sauce was amazing. Also serves a decent French onion soup. (7/08)
• Bistrot La Minette (BV, $$) French. Pleasant bistro fare.
• Brauhaus Schmitz(BV, $$) German. Sides -- sauerkraut, red cabbage, spaetzle -- were quite tasty though much heavier than normal (bacon in sauerkraut?). Housemade pretzel special was nice too, but everything else was just ok. (9/09)
• Brown Betty (NoLib, $) Cupcakes. Magnolia be damned, BB has more heart, better tasting cakes, and a saner cake to frosting ratio. (11/08)
• By George! (RTM, $) Pizza etc. Had a Sicilian pie with hearty sauce and a good crust.
• Cantina Dos Segundos (NoLib, $) Mexican. Much the same as big sister Cantina Los Caballitos. Good drinks, acceptable chips and salsa. Pretty good breakfast enchillada though could've used more seasoning. (11/08)
• Cantina Los Caballitos (SP, $) Mexican. Gastropubbish Mexican fare with the added bonus of brunch. Tasty nachos due entirely to the cheese. Only minuses were the stale chips and that the ranchero sauce on my eggs had an odd taste. (7/08)
• Continental Midtown (Ritt, $$): Stephen Starr. Yes, Stephen Starr is a cuisine. It's a tapas style vaguely asian fusion hipster restaurant, with elevated diner brunches. OK, it's nothing too special, but it's consistently edible, despite being a bit overpriced.
• David's Mai Lai Wah (Ch, $) Chinese. Interior is a flashback from 1980, which is reflected in the old-school menu choices -- cheap, no flash, vaguely south-central Chinese cuisine. (4/08)
• Downhome Diner (RTM, $) Brunch. Hearty scramble, though the ham was a bit gristly. Biscuit a touch on the dry side. (9/08)
• Ekta (FPK, $) Indian. Good but ever so slightly inferior to Tiffin. Tried the saag, eggplant, and korma. (4/09)
• Fitzwater Cafe (BV, $) Brunch. My preferred Bella Vista brunch destination, which means everything is competently done.
• Franklin Fountain (OC, $) Ice Cream. Tasty peanut butter and chocolate chip, ice cream didn't taste at all gummy or artificial.
• Fu Wah Mini Market (UC, $) Deli sandwiches. It's a mini market that happens to be known for Vietnamese hoagies. The tofu hoagie was in fact pretty good, though it could have used a lot more pickled vegetables, and my preference is usually for marinated tofu to be on the firmer side rather than squishy. (9/09)
• James (BV, $$$) Northern Italian. The signature dishes were disappointing -- chilled cucumber-avocado soup was underseasoned, though the salt roasted shrimp were fine; tagliatelle with duck ragu, shaved chocolate, and orange was mushy and not at all nuanced. As for the rest, the fennel pollen risotto was lovely and topped with a tasty carpaccio of Hawaiian blue prawn...too bad they didn't clean one of the shrimp properly. Butter poached lobster was fine, but the chanterelles underneath were gritty. (9/09)
• Kanella (WashW, $$) Cypriot. Delicious dips -- baba ganoush, yellow split pea, and lentil -- with fresh grilled pita. Also, an okay fried haloumi salad and a whole grilled dorade (aka tsipoura aka dorado in spanish but not the same dorado as mahi mahi) wrapped in grape leaves that tasted of lemon starbursts...a little too heavy on the thyme though. Finished with a lemon yogurt mousse that was pleasantly tart. (3/08) Cypriot breakfast is also pleasant.
• Marigold Kitchen (UC, $$) New American South. Glacial service only partially mitigated by reasonably tasty brunch fare. Fritata with collard greens was pre-prepared and thus somewhat rubbery, though flavorful. Grits were rustic and gritty, cinnamon bun was cloyingly sweet. (4/09)
• Metropolitan Bakery (Ritt, RTM, UC, $) Bakery. Excellent rustic loaves and ok croissants (good ones are not to be found in this city).
• Mix (Ritt, $) Pizza. Red pepper spinach no cheese slice on whole wheat crust was quite good. (2/09)
• Naked Chocolate Cafe (WashW, $) Chocolate. Some interesting truffles are to be found here. I like the idea of the drinking chocolates, but in practice they're always lukewarm when I get them.
• Nan (UC, $$): Thai. It's actually Thai + French, which basically means adding a stick of butter to every dish. I've only had lunch there (which was around $10-$15 both times); the pad thai ranks high among the ones I've tried in the city, and the yellow curry was tasty though buttery.
• Osteria (North Philly, $$$) Italian. Pastas were amazing, pizza was good but not orgasmic as some reviewers would have you believe. Entrees were hit or miss -- my duck was superb, though I tasted both an undercooked and an overcooked fish and an almost-too-plain rabbit with shrapnel bones. (10/07)
• Primo Hoagies (WashW, $) Sandwiches. The best thing is the bread. Sandwiches are overfull (if that's possible) (5/09)
• Sabrina's (BV, $) Brunch. Overrated. I don't particularly like their style of omelets (too thick and fluffy). Looong waits unless you get their early. Enormous portions. UPDATE: They have had some interesting brunch specials (e.g., a scramble with chorizo and spiced pork wrapped inside a black bean buttermilk pancake), and their "basic" breakfast was actually really well made (9/07 - 12/07).
• Shinju Sushi (WashW, $$) Japanese. Despite an overabundance of kitchen-sink rolls, pretty good fish and reasonably priced. Chirashi is generous, if not the most interesting combination of fish. (1/09)
• Sakura (Ch, $) Chinese & Sushi. Cheaper and better than average. Soup dumplings were almost on par with Dim Sum Garden. (6/09)
• Silk City (NoLib, $) Hipster Diner. By now, on it's umpteenth chef. Food was a little bit Southern, a little bit emo. Hits were the ribs, fried chicken, (deep) fried green tomatoes. Sides like undercooked green beans and enormous portion of sweet potato mash, not so much. (4/08)
• Slice (Ritt, SP, $) Pizza. Nice thin Neapolitan crust and fresh ingredients. (9/09)
• Supper (BV, $$) New American. Corn coconut soup was nice but somewhat boring. Duck fat potatoes were too soft.
• Sushi Planet (QV, $) Japanese. Beautiful chirashi bowl with interesting fish choices, and knock-out fatty salmon and uni. (5/09)
• Taqueria la Veracruzana (BV, $) Mexican. Slightly pricier than I would expect, but on the whole pretty good Mexican for Philly. Except the guacamole was overly oniony. The delicious though oily chips and lots of free salsa make it worth it by themselves. Repeated visits have been lackluster, sadly.
• Umai Umai (Fm, $$) Japanese. Designer rolls that are slightly less pretentious than Raw's, along with pretty good fish. (5/09)
• Uzu (OC, $$) Japanese. Tiny sushi joint with average-good fish, but a bit short of the melt-in-your-mouth goodness I crave. (12/07)
• Vic's Sushi (Ritt, $) Japanese. A tiny, frills sushi joint that is good though not amazing, but incredibly inexpensive. (1/08)
• Vietnam Cafe (UC, $) Vietnamese. Little sister of Vietnam in Chinatown, serves a reduced menu but the food is a bit better here. (4/08)
• Xochitl (SH, $$) Mexican. Haute Mexican with tasty tequila drinks. Fundido with mushrooms was good, halibut and duck were not overcooked. (11/08)
• Yogorino (Ritt, $) Frozen Yogurt. European live active culture style frozen yogurt with a mostly standard set of toppings. Unlike most other froyo places, the yogurt itself is quite good. Various sweet smelling sauces are available but I'd stick with the basics (honey, fruit, nuts) to really appreciate the dairy. (7/09)

• Alma de Cuba (Ritt, $$$) Cuban. Ceviches are mostly good. Scallop entree and vegetable empanada were both extremely salty. Yucca bread and yucca fries were far inferior to versions served at Chifa. (8/09)
• Cafe L'Aube (GHo, $) Crepes. Cute coffee shop with an extensive crepe menu. My honey and fromage blanc crepe was missing the fromage blanc, but was otherwise pretty good. Iced coffee is a little weak. (6/09)
• Couch Tomato Cafe (Myunk, $) Pizza. Nice thin crunchy dough. (6/09)
• Cuba Libre (OC, $$) Cuban. Tasting menu featured some nice appetizers including a black bean hummus and a cute little empanada, but went steadily downhill with unforgiveably cold mains and a practically inedible chocolate cake something in the dessert spread. Mojito was quite nice though. (10/07)
• Dinic's (RTM, $) Sandwiches. Probably the quintessential roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe. (4/09)
• Divan (GHo, $) Turkish. Tasty cold appetizer platter and kebabs. (12/07)
• Dmitri's (Fit, $$) Greek. Also a QV location. I was unhappy with the avocado grapefruit salad (it was boring), but they do make very nice hummus and baba ganoush, and I liked the fried smelts well enough.
• El Camino Real (NoLib, $) Tex + Mex. Half bbq half northern Mexican. Baked beans, cole slaw, and texas toast were delicious. Chile relleno, not so much -- the seitan filling was overly limey. BBQ meats were apparently too dry. (8/09)
• El Vez (WashW, $$) Mexican, Stephen Starr. It's not a place I would order an entree; all of my meals there have centered around the nachos and one or two additional appetizers. The nachos have gotten steadily worse, though they're still edible.
• Erawan (Ritt, $) Thai. Unmemorable Thai, a little more expensive than they should be, though not the worst offender in the city.
• Gia Pronto (UC, $) Sandwiches. OK paninis. I'm a big fan of toasted things, and yet these sandwiches always seem to disappoint me with their blandness. They do make excellent espresso drinks here though.
• Govinda's Gourmet to Go (GHo, $) Vegetarian. Marinated tofu wrap was tasty but kind of one-dimensional. (5/09)
• Grace Tavern (GHo, $) Gastropub. From the makers of Monk's. Addictive blackened green beans, decent fried oyster po' boy on buttery bread. (7/08)
• Greek Lady (UC, $) Greek. I'm partial to the fact that they put french fries in their sandwiches.
• Hummus (UC, $) Middle Eastern. The shawarma pita was overly oily and almost unpleasantly curried. Also, the construction of the pita, while tidier than average, had all the meat at the top and roughage at the bottom, which made it difficult to get a bite of everything at once. (8/07)
• Kibitz Room (Ritt, $) Jewish deli. Prices are a bit steep but portions are obscene, even if not amazingly tasty. All you can eat pickle bar is nice, and the hamentaschen have lots of poppy seeds. (9/09)
• Kong (NoLib, $$) Chinese-esque. An interpretation of Hong Kong street food. Dumplings weren't too impressive, buns were not much softer than hockey pucks. Other appetizers weren't bad -- soft shell crab, squid, egg with crab -- though oddly they were served over rice. (9/08)
• Koreana (aka Korean Food) (UC, $) Korean. Hidden behind the Chili's is a no-frills reasonably inexpensive Korean joint that seems to do a pretty good job of things, though my bokum bop was bland. (11/07)
• Lee How Fook (Ch, $) Chinese. Simple somewhat southern oriented Chinese that is well done. (10/07)
• Little Pete's (Ritt, $) Diner. Late night omelet and home fries with a bit of attitude. (9/08)
• Lorenzo (BV, $) Pizza. Best Sicilian slice ordered from a window that I've had.
• Maoz Vegetarian (WashW, QV, $) Falafels. A Euro chain that inexplicably has two of three American locations in Philly. Really tasty falafels and a self-serve toppings bar. Unfortunately, it won't all fit into the pita, and either way it's a mess to eat. (3/08)
• Memphis Taproom (FRK, $) Gastro Pub. Onion rings were thin cut and very vinegary, but kind of addictive. Fried green tomatoes weren't quite right. Rarebit was too salty. (6/09)
• MexiCali (UC, $) Mexican. The brick-and-mortar version of MexiCali features more menu items and higher prices, but no increase in tastiness despite not being served from a cart.
• Mi Lah Vegetarian (Ritt, $$) Pan East Asian vegetarian. Pleasant papaya and mango salad, decent Vietnamese tofu hoagie, edible but unremarkable sweet potato fries. (8/09)
• Miran (Ritt, $$) Korean. Average Bi Bim Bop in sizzling stoneware, somewhat better than average kimchi pancake.
• Misso (WashW, $$) Japanese. Took over the spot vacated by Miraku and conveniently didn't have to change the monograms on the windows. Decent sushi, reasonable prices. Not much wow. (4/08)
• Mizu (Ritt, UC, $): Take-out sushi, admirably done for a no-frills place.
• Moshi-moshi (Ritt, $$): Japanese. A suprising contender for best sushi value in the city. Easily tops the more expensive places, and while the fish quality isn't top notch, it's definitely good.
• Nam Phuong (BV, $) Vietnamese. Good, but I prefer Viet Huong next door.
• National Mechanics (OC, $) Pub. A hipster oasis in the middle of the OC -- I'd say it's about 70% Standard Tappish crowd, minus the families, the rest having stumbled in from Paradigm. Food is not pretentious enough to classify as gastro-pub (not to mention the boring beers on tap), but reasonably tasty nonetheless. They claim to have the best veggie burger in the city; I'd say they definitely have the most veggie veggie burger, since it's basically a patty of julienned zucchini, carrot, and mushrooms glued together with cheese. It was impossible to eat without it falling apart, but I'm not too offended by having to knife-and-fork my dinner. (4/08)
• Noble American Cookery (Ritt, $$) New American. Chickpea fries were super thick so they had an unpleasant mealy texture. Veggie burger itself was benign but the special sauce and buttered bun were oddly addictive. The drinks are interesting/good. (9/09)
• NYPD pizza (WashW, $): They have excellent red sauce, which is probably the only reason they're in this section.
• Ocean Harbor (Ch, $) Chinese. Dim Sum of a less refined sort than Joy Tsin Lau, not better, possibly not worse. (4/08)
• Omega Pizza (GHo, $) Pizza. It's pan pizza, though not as thick as Chicago style.
• Pad Thai (QV, $) Thai. Pretty good pad thai, but stopped being so good after the second or third time.
• Pattaya Grill (UC, $) Thai. At best, competent Thai, but usually not.
• Pico de Gallo (GHo, $) Mexican. It doesn't ever satisfy my craving for "real" Mexican, but it is much better than any of the other casual options in CC.
• Potbelly Sandwich Works (WashW, UC, $) Sandwiches. Toasted sandwiches that aren't icky (e.g., like Quizno's) and are a reasonable size and price. I don't recommend the breakfasts though. (8/07)
• Pub and Kitchen (Ritt, $) Gastro Pub. Lobster BLT was good. Onion rings weren't very oniony, fried fish was crispy and moist on the inside but lacked flavor. (9/08)
• Pumpkin Cafe (nee Pumpkin Market) (GHo, $) New American. Breakfast panini with sliced heirloom tomato was fine, but the tiny portion of chickpea salad that came with it was really tasty. (8/08)
• RX (UC, $$) New American BYO. Having heard horrible things about the food quality, I was not prepared for the level of competence I experienced. Trout was ok, but the barramundi was quite tasty. Underwhelmed by the pumpkin pecan cheesecake though. (12/08)
• Sitar (UC, $) Indian. Apparently since new owners took over a while ago, the best Indian buffet in town. My Punjabi friend basically thinks it's edible, which is high praise. Hard to beat for $7 at lunch.
• Smokin Betty's (WashW, $$) BBQ. One of the best bbq sauces I've ever tasted, though you have to ask for an additional portion to go with the lukewarm rib appetizer. Turducken burger was a cute concept but just about tasteless. (6/09)
• Society Hill Pizza (GHo, $) Pizza. Not in Society Hill! Decent Greek style crust. (7/09)
• Standard Tap (NoLib, $) Gastro Pub. The first gastro pub in the city apparently. Fried smelts were a tad fishy but fresh. Soft shell crab sandwich could have used a little more garnish. People seemed to like their burgers. (8/07)
• SOHO Pizza (OC, $) Pizza. Late night vegetable slice was good.
• Su Xing House (Ritt, $) Chinese. Vegetarian Chinese with a fair emphasis on taro, seitan/glutan, and soy, but still full of items that are vegan to start out with. Sesame "chicken" made with fried seitan was good though had an oddly indistinguishable taste and texture -- mystery meat syndrome, except not meat; seitan (wheat gluten) does in fact have a taste on its own. Eggplant with basil was not too sweet, but not salty enough. Tofu skins piled on top of boiled button mushrooms was just ok. (2/08)
• Sweet Endings (Ritt, $) Frozen Yogurt. They have Euro tart, which is the only flavor I'll touch (the pomegranate in particular tasted awful). Toppings bar is by weight. (7/09)
• Tampopo (Ritt, WashW, $) Japanese. Menu is mostly bento box type things. Tuna bi bim bop was light, and the slivered asian pear along with the more expected avocado and cucumber was a nice surprise, though the sesame ginger sauce was, not surprisingly, a bit too sweet. (2/09)
• Thai Singha (UC, $) Thai. Basically indistinguishable from Pattaya across the street.
• Varga Bar (WashW, $$) Gastro Pub. Crab cheese fries were oddly addictive, chili dog wasn't anything special. (6/08)
• Varsity Pizza (UC, $) Pizza. Occasionally dry toppings, but the crisp crust make it worth it.
• Viet Huong (SP, $) Vietnamese. Tasty noodle dishes and broken rice. UPDATE: lately a little bit lacking. Mushy rice noodles have been a trend. (5/08)
• Vietnam (Ch, $) Vietnamese. It's an ok bowl of pho.
• Vietnam Palace (Ch, $) Vietnamese. Across the street from Vietnam, ever so slightly less pretentious, but ultimately the food was about the same.
• Xe Lua Viet Thai (Ch, $) Vietnamese/Thai. Ever so slightly cheaper than Vietnam Palace, ever so slightly tastier than Viet Huong. (8/09)
• Zio (WashW, $) Pizza. Good crust, vegetable pie was not skimpy. (3/09)

• Ajia (UC, $$) Japanese. Very uninspiring hot entrees, average sushi. Have not tried their all-you-can-eat sushi and don't plan to anytime soon.
• Aki (WashW, $$) Japanese. Similar to Raw in terms of the fusiony a little too expensive rolls. Sun dried tomato appeared several times and was surprisingly not offensive. (3/09)
• Allegro (UC, $) Pizza. Cardboard pizza that isn't entirely inedible.
• Ansill (QV, $$) Noveau small plates. Good broccoli rabe bruchetta, not so good goat cheese brik, good heirloom tomato gazpacho, not too interesting shirred duck egg with truffle oil. Cheescake with saffron was overbaked and unpleasantly saffrony, chocolate "pain des genes" was an odd combination of chocolate with an identity crisis (am I bittersweet? am I semisweet? maybe I'm just bland) and lime. (8/07)
• APO (nee Apothecary) (WashW, $$) Booze. Alcoholic elixirs with ingredients such as echinacea and yohimbe. Not at all bad tasting, but I wonder what they'll do when blueberries are out of season, considering how liberally they toss them into various drinks. (5/08)
• Argan Moroccan Cuisine (Ritt, $) Moroccan. Mostly pita sandwiches. I found the corn-based bread to be unpleasantly cold and dry especially juxtaposed with warm fillings. Nothing particularly stood out. (12/08)
• Artisant Boulanger Patissier (SP, $) French Bakery. Supposedly owned by folks who used to bake baguettes for Air France. Croissant and baguette were both just ok. (2/09)
• Ashoka Palace (Ritt, $) Indian. Ordering counter looks eerily like the defunct Minar Palace (and that might not be a coincidence). Aloo saag was edible, but I wasn't really a fan of the baby-food consistency and muddy color. (5/08)
• Banana Leaf (Ch, $) Malaysian. I would gladly patronize them over chain-tastic Penang, though the food felt a little muted. Rangoon has a better version of roti, Aqua has a better version of mango chicken (a dish I'm not very fond of to begin with), and as it turns out, pad thai in the hands of Malaysian (or are they Chinese?) chefs tastes, well, Chinese. (8/07)
• Beijing (UC, $) Chinese. The Chinese restaurant near Penn that everyone goes to. Service is impatient, food mediocre, prices higher than what I would expect for that sort of food.
• Black Sheep (Ritt, $) Gastro Pub. Very tasty mac and cheese, but not very unique. Lentil burger was dry. Brunch was ho hum.
• Bonte (Everywhere, $) Waffles. Dense chewy Belgian waffles; they were so-so, could've been a little crisper. I don't really recommend the sandwiches unless you're in a pinch. (4/07)
• Buddakan (OC, $$) Stephen Starr. An Asian fusion restaurant that is much talked about but fails to live up to the hype in my opinion. The first bite of the edamame ravioli is delicious, but then you realize you couldn't possibly eat more than about three bites of it without getting nauseated -- which is about how much they serve you anyway. Calamari salad was tasty, solely due to the vinaigrette. Entrees tend toward heavy meat dishes with thick sauces; both the pork and the duck I tasted were tough, too salty, and too sweet -- granted, Chinese food of the Szechuan/Hunan variety is all about sweet-savory sauces, but it's done in moderation and is not supposed to overwhelm the dish. I will say that it's a dazzling restaurant space, complete with a giant reclining Buddha.(10/06)
• Capital Grille (Broad, $$$) Steakhouse. Not being a steak eater might make my opinion suspect...however, the one thing that steakhouses are supposed to do well in addition to steaks are lobsters, which I had, which despite being large and grilled, was not all that good -- the meat was tough and not very sweet, and I was surprised they removed the tomalley before serving. The cold seafood appetizer, however, was very tasty, as were the truffle fries. (4/08)
• Cavanaugh's (UC, $) Pub. The patrons were much worse than the food.
• Cochon (QV, $$) French bistro. If you like pig, well, the name says it all. I enjoyed the first bite or two of the pork belly and pork shoulder, but it very soon became difficult to eat much more. My companion's duck was overcooked and over thymed. (5/08)
• Chung King Garden (Ch, $) Chinese. Larger and less fancy than Tasty House. Menu is amusingly separated into American Chinese food and not American Chinese food. That said, even the non-American dishes were seasoned to the blander American palates. I did appreciate the simple but authentic pork with dried tofu as well as the sizzling rice. But where were the scallions in my scallion pancake? (8/07)
• Devil's Alley (Ritt, $) Southern/BBQ. Decidedly average. Was not a fan of their version of fried green tomatoes (tasted too much like an eggplant parmesan). BBQ was ok, sides were kind of bland. (6/08)
• Dutch Eating Place (RTM, $) Amish. They might have good apple dumplings, but their sandwiches are painfully retro school lunch -- Wonder Bread with a leaf of lettuce and scoop of tuna/chicken salad = not worth five bucks. (6/09)
• El Azteca (ME, $) Mexican. Pricier than it should be considering how much American cheese they use. (7/08)
• El Fuego (WashW, $) Mexican. Slightly better than Philadelphia average Mexican, but leaves much to be desired. Flour tortilla tacos are a no-no in my book, as is cutting guacamole with sour cream. (3/07)
• El Jarocho (SP, $) Mexican. The horchata was like Christmas. Nice chips, and the red salsa at least was tasty (the green was too sour). Tacos (chicken, chorizo) were good but not superb. (9/07)
• Five Guys (Ritt, $) Burgers. OK, so I don't eat burgers. However, their french fries are kind of icky -- tasted more like burnt oil than potatoes -- and the grilled cheese was, perhaps understandably, an afterthought on the menu.
• Fogo de Chao (WashW, $$$) Brazilian meat. As entertaining as it might be to watch faux gauchos serve you meat on a stick, most of the meat was only a step above bland. The highly touted salad bar was surprisingly limited. The two high points were the neverending plate of fried polenta and the cheesy beignet things. (11/08)
• Fork Etc. (OC, $) New American. Same kitchen as Fork but more low-key things like sandwiches and breakfast if you get there on time. Prosciutto arugala sandwich was good though could have used a little moisture (oil, aioli, remoulade, miracle whip, whatever). (9/07)
• Four Rivers (Ch, $): Chinese. Good Szechuan food. The braised crispy fish was a tilapia, executed well, though still had me longing for a nice Bay Area rock cod. (2/06) UPDATE: I was really disappointed the last time; the frying oil tasted burnt and gave everything an unappetizing under-taste. This was lost on my dining companion however, who thought everything was fine. (6/08)
• Flying Monkey (RTM, $) Desserts. Vanilla cupcake was good but the buttercream was a not a good texture or taste. Orange "brownie" got old after a couple bites. (11/08)
• Friday Saturday Sunday (Ritt, $$) American. I do get this place -- no-frills middle-america food thoughtfully prepared. It's just that it turned out so boring. I'll admit, partially that's due to something of a lack of creativity, but a lot of it was that I've had the same food better prepared elsewhere. The meats -- chicken dijon, thick-cut pork chop, duck -- were uniformly overcooked. The sauces were at best inoffensive, and the sides were all throw-aways (carrots and mashed potatoes all around). I'd say the best part of the meal was the Kennett Square mushroom soup, but even that failed to wow me. (10/08)
• Good Dog (Broad, $) Gastro Pub. They do a cute salad with cheese and dried fruit. Entrees are a little boring though.
• Gusto (Ritt, $) Pizza. Neighborhood cheap sit-down pizza joint with a deep fryer.
• Han-wool (UC, $) Korean. Not much to say.
• Home Slice (NoLib, $) Pizza. While I respect the presence of a vegan option, my pizza with almond cheese was not pleasant. The sauce was bland, though the whole wheat crust was nice. (8/09)
• Irish Pub (Ritt, $): Pub. It's pub food, and it's cheap.
• Jin House (WashW, $) Chinese. Standard Chinese take-out/sit-down, but somewhat less greasy and somewhat more bland than the average. (4/08)
• John's Bar & Grille (QV, $) Pub. Larry Fine (the Stooge with big hair) birthplace or something like that. Average pub fare.
• Jose Pistolas (Ritt, $) Mexican. Lots of beers and a compact a la carte menu. They lean toward the nouveau, with things like spicy mayonnaise on the grouper taco and quick-pickled jalapenos and red onions that didn't quite make up for the underseasoning of the proteins. They are apparently trying to have the best nachos in the city, and in fact the nachos were tasty, loaded with queso fresco and salsa and the aforementioned pickled goodies. Better than El Vez? Tough call. (9/07) UPDATE: nachos have gone way downhill -- bland and salty -- and the swordfish salad gordita wasn't too appetizing either. (11/07)
• Joy Tsin Lau (Ch, $): Chinese. Dim sum, kind of greasy, but that's usually what I expect from dim sum. UPDATE: worse than normal service, and the food was even more blah than normal. Plus our tablecloth had what looked like cigarette burn holes... (1/08)
• Koch's Deli (UC, $) Deli. Particularly messy hoagies
• La Lupe (SP, $) Mexican. I had such high hopes for this one. It's definitely on the authentic side of things, but the food was kind of bland. The refried beans were the most edible; everything else was sub par for "authentic" Mexican. That said, I'd eat here over Qdoba any day. (3/07)
• La Terrasse (UC, $$) French. Nothing special. Made the mistake of ordering gnocchi for lunch here.
• Lazaros (GHo, $) Pizza. Passable slice with crispy crust.
• Lee's Hoagie House (UC, $) Sandwiches. Smells like a deep fryer, sandwiches are ok.
• Local 44 (UC, $) Pub. Does not qualify as a gastropub because the food is pretty blah. Corn dog balls were the wrong ratio of corn to dog and the fish tacos were bland. (2/09)
• Lolita (WashW, $$) Mexican BYO. It's more like gourmet Mexican + Mediterranean. Cheese enchiladas were too heavy and impossible to finish. Salmon was fine. Red snapper was not seasoned very well, though I appreciated the hominy side.
• Lorenzo & Son (QV, $): Pizza. Fold-in-half slices, no frills.
• Los Catrines Tequila's (Ritt, $$) Mexican. Tasty chips and homemade corn tortillas were the highpoint of a relatively bland (and expensive) meal of pulled pork, plantains, and rice and beans. (9/07)
• Lucky's Mexican Spot (QV, $) Mexican. Nice sopes, chicken wasn't at all dry. Lacking somewhat in the salsa department though. (2/08)
• Mama Palma's (Fit, $) Pizza. Gourmet pizza, tasty enough, but no real desire to go back.
• Max Brenner (Ritt, $$) Chocolate. Something about the chocolate here puts me off -- chalky, cloying, almost like Nesquik powder. The peanut butter shake is good for about two sips. Belgian waffle seemed a little too soft. (7/09)
• Meju (OC, $) Korean. The pa jun pancake was better than most, though could've stood to be browned a little more. Dol sot bi bim bop was a little uninspiring, and although my rice crisped up well, my friend's did not. (12/07)
• Melograno (Ritt, $$) Italian BYO. Barely squeaks by on the strength of the pancetta penne (despite having used the lisce when rigate would've been more appropriate). Antipasto platter was fine. Monk fish entree was almost inedible -- fish was overcooked, potato puree was bland, mushrooms oversalted. (6/08)
• Mercato (WashW, $$) Medi BYO. Decent but not memorable. Has been hit-or-miss among friends.
• Midtown Diner II, III, IV (Ritt, WashW, $): Cheap brunch and late night snacks. I never figured out what became of Midtown I.
• Miga (Ritt, $$) Korean. Odd beast -- pretty standard Korean fare marketed to a Western palate, and really not as flavorful as it could be. Bibimbop had not much taste. (7/09)
• Miel (Ritt, $) French pastries. Croissant wasn't bad, wasn't good. The madeleine was a little too burnt and chewy for my tastes. (8/08)
• Monk's (Ritt, $) Brew pub. Nice selection of Belgian beers, but the food didn't really live up to the hype. It's possibe that I just got sick from eating too many mussels though.
• Moriarty's (WashW, $) Pub. Passable onion rings and nachos. (4/09)
• Morning Glory (BV, $) Brunch. Average brunch, below average potatoes, and homemade ketchup that makes me want to sneak in packets of Heinz the next time I go.
• Nara (UC, $$) Japanese. Ordinary, though probably the place I'd go for sushi west of the river if I had to choose.
• New Deck (UC, $) Pub. Good fish and chips actually, if they give you real chips. Half-price appetizers during happy hour means I've eaten many a plate of cheese fries here.
• New Delhi (UC, $) Indian. Run-of-the-mill. UPDATE: their buffet selection is smaller than Sitar's and is hit-or-miss. The rice is not basmati, but tasty. Their version of tikka masala is refreshingly low on cream. (9/07)
• New Heaven (WashW, $) Chinese. Neighborhood Chinese that manages to be not heavy. I'll ignore the fact that they have a sushi bar. (10/07)
• Nodding Head (Ritt, $): Gastro Pub. Two words: onion rings. Heavenly double fried crispy saturated fat circles. Several other good appetizers and tasty Belgian-style beers brewed in house. Entrees are generally blah though.
• New Samosa (WashW, $) Indian. Vegetarian buffet is the draw, though I wish they would not use the fake protein balls. There are also a couple of mysteriously out of place buffet items, like spaghetti.
• N. 3rd (NoLib, $) Gastropub. Had a tuna burger that was rarer than I ordered, which would have been ok except that the raw parts were overly chewy and had an odd not-quite-fresh flavor. Fries weren't too good either. (2/09)
• Patou (OC, $$) Mediterranean. Hummus, scallops, paella were all fine but nothing distinctive. The duck confit pizza was interesting but ultimately a little too greasy. (12/08)
• Pat's King of Steaks (SP, $) Cheesesteaks. OK, so I don't eat cheesesteaks. I had a roast pork with provolone, and it was fine. Could've used some accompaniment, but I guess I'm effete that way. (7/08)
• Penang (Ch, $) Malaysian. Compared to some of the other Malaysian I've had, the food here is on the heavy side.
• Phileo (BV, $) Frozen Yogurt. More flavors and toppings than the others, but the plain tart yogurt was not good. (9/09)
• Philly Diner (UC, $) Diner. About what you'd expect from a 24-hr diner.
• Pho Saigon and Cafe (UC, $) Vietnamese. No frills, reasonably tasty food.
• Phoebe's BBQ (GHo, $) BBQ. Chicken was decent, cole slaw was disappointing, and wasn't fond of the bbq sauce.
• Pietro's (Ritt, $) Italian. Coal oven pizza, a couple interesting salads, blah pasta.
• Pita Pit (Ritt, $) Nondescript. Their pitas may as well have been wraps. They forgot to put the tzatsiki on my souvlaki. But I did appreciate the colon-happy amounts of raw vegetables that got stuffed into that pita wrap. (9/07)
• Pizza Rustica (UC, $) Pizza. A step up from cardboard, but not really all that good.
• Pod (UC, $$) Japanese Fusion, Stephen Starr. I probably am harder on Pod than I should be. Still, the sushi is borderline inedible, the appetizers boring, the entrees overpriced and heavy. I admit to liking the order-by-color martini drinks though.
• Porcini (Ritt, $$) Italian. Gnocchi with good texture but light on flavor. Watery caesar with abnormally crunchy croutons (think cheetos). Had the handmade pasta with seafood and plum tomato sauce, and it was fine but nothing too special. (12/07)
• Rachael's Nosheri Deli (Ritt, $) Deli. Large sandwiches. Chicken salad was moist, even if it was a little bland for my tastes. (8/07)
• Raw (WashW, $$) Japanese. Average sushi, interesting space, fun bathrooms.
• Ray's Cafe (Ch, $) Chinese. Quasi-Taiwanese lunch items including noodle soups and dumplings. The chemistry lab coffee is probably more of the draw, though the $7 cup of Sumiyaki Japanese charcoal roasted coffee wasn't nearly as interesting as I had hoped. (1/09)
• Rick's Steaks (RTM, $) Cheesesteaks. Had a blasphemous chicken steak here. Was ok.
• Rustica (NoLib, $) Pizza. Innovative pizzas -- e.g., mustard, kielbasa, sauerkraut -- but the crusts were tough and everything seemed heavy. Fried risotto appetizer was not appetizing. (9/09)
• Sandy's Diner (Fit, $) Cute little diner at the edge of the Schuylkill that has cheap good breakfasts and other diner fare.
• Shao Lan Kung (Ch, $) Chinese. I expected a cheap and good Chinese joint, but got neither. They're not exorbitantly priced, and the food's not terrible, but really their only drawing point is that they're open late. I did object to the fact that the pot stickers were deep fried (!) and they gave us gai lan instead of choy sum. (3/07)
• Shiroi Hana (Broad, $$) Japanese. This is often touted as the best sushi place in CC, but I can't really distinguish it from several others.
• Singapore Kosher Vegetarian (Ch, $) Chinese. Classic Chinese (-American) dishes reworked with fake meat. After a few bites you realize that everything tastes the same.
• South Philly Tap Room (SP, $) Gastro Pub. Poutine made with mushroom gravy was quite tasty, though it became a coagulated mess at the bottom of the bowl; plus, I don't think they used cheese curds. Mac and cheese spring rolls were pointless. The "blue pig" was boar bacon atop gorgonzola atop boar burger atop a mayo-grilled english muffin; good in theory, but something didn't taste quite right. (7/08)
• South Street Diner (QV, $) Diner. Nothing special.
• Square on Square (Ritt, $) Chinese. Alas, the last Chinese restaurant in Rittenhouse I hadn't tried yet...it didn't knock my socks off, but it wasn't bad. Hot and sour soup was tasteless. The house tofu was pretty good though. The half Peking duck looked a little bit worn and tired, though people seemed ok with it. (3/07)
• Szechuan Hunan (Ritt, $) Chinese. Not bad
• Szechuan Tasty House (Ch, $) Chinese. Average to good hot and sour soup and Yangzhou fried rice, but everything was underseasoned and not at all characteristic of Szechuan bold flavors. The highly touted golden coins -- batter fried eggplant discs stuffed with meat -- may as well have been deep fried cardboard. (8/07)
• Table 31 (MW, $$$) New American. Unpleasantly unctuous salmon rillette (I know I know, what do you expect from a rillette) but wonderfully cooked branzino filet atop buttery mashed potatoes. Also tried some good polenta and some slightly too al dente risotto. Dessert was nothing special. (1/09)
• Tandoor (UC, $) Indian. The least memorable of the three Indian buffets in University City. UPDATE: It's still an ok buffet with basically no stand-out offerings. (9/07)
• Tavern 17 (Ritt, $$) New American. The $2 happy hour price almost made the various sliders worth it. Almost. Risotto crab cakes, not so much either. (4/09)
• Ten Stone (GHo, $) Gastro Pub. Risotto fritters were quite good, but next time I'm not eating an entire plate myself. UPDATE: Have since ordered the chef's salad (was boring), chicken chili (bland), and witnessed the abomination of the fish and chips (no more than 2 oz of fish not battered but only dredged in seasoned flour). Good beer and one of the better spots in the neighborhood, but that's about it. (9/07)
• Tenth Street Pour House (WashW, $) Brunch. Standard fare here for a good price, though not great service. Did not try the cajun anything. (11/07)
• Thai Chef and Noodle Fusion (Ritt, $) Thai. Appetizer platter consisted of barely distinguishable fried spheres. Pad Thai was fine. (2/09)
• Thai Singha House To Go (Ritt, $) Thai. Pad Thai to go just wasn't very flavorful. (5/09)
• Tinto (Ritt, $$$) Spanish. Basque tapas, but unlike at its big sister Amada, here the dishes are difficult to share and smaller portioned. There was not a single knock-out, and several things were just ordinary. The lump crab montadito was essentially a deconstructed California roll on toast, though the duck confit version was actually tasty. Various meats came in cute dwarf-sized Le Creuset pots that were heavy on filler and light on protein. And there was in general an epidemic of under-seasoning among various dishes. The bill was quite high for how unsatisfied we felt, and as a result the majority of the group subsequently trekked over to Wendy's to order off of their 99 cent menu. (4/07)
• Tony Jr's (Ritt, $) Hoagies. Tony Luke's other location. The famous roast pork with broccoli rabe and smoked provolone was indeed better than the plain version I had at Pat's, but in the end it's still a pretty bland sandwich. (7/08)
• Top Tomato (WashW, $) Pizza etc. Had an ok salad here, but the pizza was cold and kind of bland.
• Tower Pizza (Ritt, $) Pizza. Not bad in a pinch.
• Triumph (OC, $) Brewpub. I do like their beers, but the food is nothing to get excited about. Pulled pork sliders were dry and in desperate need of flavor/texture from something like a slaw. Friend's burger was clearly not cooked correctly. (11/08)
• Valanni (WashW, $$) Medi. Made a good impression on me as a relative newcomer to the restaurant scene in Philadelphia. Tasty red snapper and sangria.
• White Dog (UC, $$) Nouveau sustainable Chez Panisse-wannabe. A lot of their stuff is almost there, a lot of it is pretty bland.
• Wok (Ritt, $) Chinese. Slightly above average.
• World Cafe Live (UC, $) Noveau. Appallingly bad nachos, but the entrees didn't look so bad, so the jury's out on this one. UPDATE: addictive eggplant fries tire quickly; apart from that, wings, crab cakes, sweet potato fries -- all hovering below average. (3/08)
• Yakitori Boy (Ch, $) Japanese "Japas." Grilled meat on sticks, small sushi rolls, hipster clientelle. Nothing stood out, but it was all pretty good overall. (4/08)
• Zhi Wei Guan (Ch, $) Chinese. Their version of the soup dumpling is not quite as satisfying as Dim Sum Garden's but still reasonably tasty. Everything else was at best inoffensive, with the exception of the cold sesame noodles, which to me at least were downright disappointing, having grown up eating much better versions. (8/08)

• 10 Arts (by Eric Ripert) (Broad, $$$) New American. Even going in with reduced expectations, I was profoundly disappointed. Cod croquettes were greasy and fishy and lacking acid despite the three dollops of sauce. Trout was smothered in an unplesantly acrid and almost metallic beurre blanc, served with soggy bok choy. Also couldn't take more than one bite of the bread pudding. (2/09)
• Apamate (GHo, $$) Spanish. The tapas are comically petite. The service, glacial (they called it "organic"). (4/07)
• Blockley Pourhouse (UCity, $) Bar. Gastro pub wannabe has ok food I guess -- potato skin appetizer was deep fried and a little too restrained with the taleggio and truffle oil for my taste, but edible. Dining partner's burger and fries looked competent enough. However, it was restaurant week, and they refused to serve items off the RW menu a la carte even though they were normal menu items (strike 1). I ordered a Sam Adams summer ale due to the lack of anything interesting and local on tap, and what I got tasted like bud mixed with sugar (strike 2). There were flies buzzing all about, to the point where I started swatting them with a rolled up paper bag (strike 3). They offered a wild turkey (the bourbon) special, which my friend ordered; the server asked if he wanted it on the rocks, and he said yes; when we got the check, we were charged more than advertised, and upon asking were informed that having the drink on the rocks incurred a $2 upcharge (something that should be mentioned up front, you think?). (7/09)
• Bubble House (UC, $) Asian fusion. What a missed opportunity for lighter pan-Asian fare with bubble milk tea, if only it were better executed, cheaper, professionally served.
• Cafe de Laos (SP, $) Laotian/Thai. Mine was a surprisingly tasteless noodle dish.
• Copabanana (UC, $) Mexican. Well, sort of. The nachos were sub sub par.
• Django (QV, $$) Euro BYO. Sadly, I missed the golden era of Django when it was a groundbreaking BYO. In the iron age, there is only average gnocchi, nauseating skate AND nauseating chicken, and a promise never to return.
• Fork (OC, $$) New American. Tasteless red snapper with basically no presentation other than a quick sauteed tomato and olive mixture -- which may have been fine if the ingredients were top notch and well prepared. The bread was probably the best part of the meal.
• Indonesia (Ch, $) Indonesian. It's impressive that Philadelphia has an Indonesian restaurant; too bad it's sub-par.
• Jimmy John's (Ritt, $) Sandwiches. Their signature tuna was, as expected, bland and over mayoed. Plus the dribble factor was very high. I'm sure they're just fine for deli sandwiches. (8/07)
• JoJo (Ritt, $) Chinese. Possibly even worse than Peking (see below).
• Jones (ME, $) Southern, Stephen Starr. I'd heard that it was good at one point, but nothing I've tried was at all appetizing.
• La Viola (Ritt, $) Italian. Overpriced homemade pasta that was way past al dente and a boring salad.
• Ladder 15 (Ritt, $$) Pub. Old tough truffle fries and old minisucle portion of spring roll centers. And a boring beer list to boot. (5/09)
• Lovash (QV, $) Indian. Dry samosas, bad spinach.
• Mad 4 Mex (UC, $) "Mexican." It's a chain, it's not food I would normally choose to eat, but they have a really nice beer list, which is half price during happy hours.
• Mama Angelina (Broad, $) Pizza. Admittedly, even bad pizza is edible. This slice was particularly soggy and lukewarm, not to mention expensive and served by scary people behind the counter. (3/09)
• Mandarin Palace (Ritt, $) Chinese. Unmemorable food, very eerie wait staff.
• Manhattan Bagel (Ritt, $) Bagels. Not the worst bagels I've ever eaten, but still not worth it. Their cream cheese is particularly gummy for some reason.
• Marathon (Everywhere, $) Generic. It's always a mystery how I end up here every time. A step up from diner food, two steps up in price.
• Mixto (WashW, $$) Cuban. I had brunch here, and though it might not be fair to judge a place based on brunch...it was pretty uninspiring. Huevos rancheros had an oddly sour red sauce and were served with tortilla chips instead of a tortilla foundation. The whole chorizo sausage unceremoniously plopped on top had only the vague suggestion of every having had any sort of flavor. A friend's frittata was undercooked. Service was slooow. (9/07) UPDATE: Yup, dinner is about as bad. Most of what I had was either tasteless or off-tasting, with the possible exception of the uber-sweet plantains. (2/08)
• More than Just Ice Cream (WashW, $) Ice Cream...and more. Even if I hadn't had a date here that I'd rather forget about, I still wouldn't go back. The food was very boring. The ice cream is terrible.
• My Thai (GHo, $) Thai. One of the first restaurants I ate at in Philly, probably went three times in the space of a month, disappointed every time. Three and a half years later, I decided to give it another chance; the result was a small plate of tasteless pad thai.
• Pad Thai Shack (Ritt, WashW, $) Thai. Take-out westernized Thai. It's all a bit bland.
• Pastoral (WashW, $$) Korean. If the food were better, I could possibly overlook the poor service and highish prices. Sadly, I didn't particularly like anything I had there -- the random kimchi stir fry I had a one-note flavor profile (sour). Pancake appetizer was blah also.
• Peking (Ritt, $) Chinese. Below-average Chinese take-out, which is still edible, but not really worth the effort.
• Pho Cali (Ch, $) Vietnamese. Completely vegetarian unfriendly menu and bland bowls of bun.
• Roberto Cafe (GHo, $) Italian. I had a most uninspiring lump crab fusilli, reminiscent of dorm dining hall pasta.
• Rum Bar (Ritt, $$) Rum + food. Mojoitos were terrible. Each of the four chorizo corn dogs in an order had a comically small chip of chorizo surrounded by a golf ball of batter. (8/09)
• Santa Fe Burrito (WashW, $) Mexican. Bland burritos.
• Slate (Ritt, $$) Gastro Pub? Average pork spring rolls, panzanella was tasty insomuch as oiled toasted bread cubes are always good, sandwiches eh. (3/09)
• Snack Bar (Ritt, $$) New American. Originally formulated to be a small plates, they certainly have a lot of slightly larger plates now. Chilled corn soup was a little too understated. Fried oysters were briny and good, but boneless wings were dry and chalky. Bonus points for serving a "turkey chop," but unfortunately it was pretty dry as well on top of being too salty. The jalapeno mac and cheese side was not all that cheesy, but sometimes that's ok. (6/08)
• Squareburger (Franklin Square, $) Burger + shake shack, Stephen Starr. Their burger fixings (ketchup, mustard, onion, relish) are McDonald's to a T. The cake shake had Tasty Kake bits, which probably explains the chemical burn aftertaste. (9/09)
• South Street Philly Bagels (QV, $) Bagels. Sadly another barely edible bagel offering from this town. Hard but not chewy, not very flavorful, and only a sprinkling of poppy seeds. (9/07)
• Smile Cafe (Ritt, $) Thai. The not-very-worthy successor to Amara.
• Vintage (WashW, $$) French/wine bar. Bistro food, just not all that interestingly done. Escargots were blah, calamari was ok. Highlight of my meal was the bottle of La Fin du Monde I had. (5/08)
• Winnie's Le Bus (Myunk, $) American. It's a cute place but there wasn't a single thing I enjoyed about the experience, from the fake-nice wait staff to the kindergarten-paste-consistency of the cornbread to the gummy bland 6-grain pancakes. (6/09)
• Wrap Shack (Ritt, $) Wraps. A very large menu of what are essentiall non-Mexican burritos. Had a Thai peanut wrap that took way too long to make and tasted a little odd -- warm lettuce along with the cooked broccoli, all glued together with Skippy peanut butter. (9/07)
• Zento (OC, $$) Japanese. Considering how much it was hyped, quite a disappointment. Sushi was tiny and tasteless, and the toro roll may as well have been maguro considering how bland it was (actually, it might have been). Spring roll appetizer was partly frozen. Service was appalling -- when we finally got the sushi, we sat for five minutes staring at it because we still hadn't gotten plates or soy sauce. (3/07)
• Zocalo (UC, $$) Mexican. Had the prix fixe lunch and a nacho appetizer, thoroughly disappointed. UPDATE (5/07): yup, still bad. My entree was literally three bites. Though the chips were free, salsa was not, and $7 for a tiny bowl of pico de gallo did not amuse me.

• Akoya (Ritt, $$) Asian fusion. Boring concept but some of the food was surprisingly good. Duck spring rolls is possibly the first time I've ever enjoyed a fusion spring roll, and the XO longbeans, while bearing little resemblance to the authentic Chinese version, were tasty as well. Edamame hummus was fine but disappointingly un-edamame (it looked like chickpea spiked with just a bit of green); the pad thai was mush. (1/09)
• Amara (Ritt, $, defunct) Thai. Was an ok, cozy Thai restaurant. Replaced by Smile Cafe, also Thai.
• Azul (WashW, $$) Mexican. Cute space that was undercooled and understaffed when we went. Watery margaritas; underseasoned tortilla soup; bacon blue cheese guacamole that tasted disappointingly pedestrian; mahi mahi tacos overwhelmed by the picked cabbage and shrimp tacos lacking any sort of bite (both served with the same boring green tomatillo salsa)...and yet, I didn't dislike the experience. It's a good concept, just suffering from young-chef/new-restaurant syndrome. (6/08)
• Bootsie's (Ritt, $) American. Their schtick was good fast food, and accordingly had all kinds of interesting-sounding burgers that apparently were all cooked to death and made to taste identical. I tried an ostrich burger, and I really couldn't tell that I was eating any particular species of animal. Apparently they've changed their concept, after figuring out that people didn't want dried up kobe beef burgers.
• Brasserie Perrier (Ritt, $$) French. Went during Restaurant Week, which was a big mistake, as it was clear that they put little effort into the food.
• Butcher's Cafe (BV, $, Defunct) Brunch. When people get scared by the lines at Sabrina's, they go here. Frankly, I prefer neither of them. I had a crab omelette, which was just overpoweringly lump crabby, and I don't recall liking the potatoes particularly (though that goes for just about every brunch place I've tried).
• Dumpling House (Ch, $) Chinese. Comically cheap pot stickers and buns. Shanghai soup buns bore no resemblance to the real thing. Dumplings were fine, though could've been better fried. (12/07)
• Ecco Qui (UC, $) Italian. Reasonably good pizzas and antipasti.
• Fresco (Ritt, $, defunct) Apparently expensive casual fancy pizza doesn't work, even in Rittenhouse.
• Genji (Ritt, $$) Japanese. Overrated sushi joint. UPDATE: On revisit, was still unimpressed. One of the cuts of sashimi was clearly spoiled; I let the waiter know, but he just claimed that they get their fish every day (who gets fish delivered every day??) and didn't apologize or from what I could tell, let the sushi chef know, which is all I wanted him to do. (9/07)
• Goji (Fm, $$) Japanese. Interesting sushi roll (though the fish was slightly warmer than it should have been) but awful, overcooked sea bass and poor service.
• Goodburger (Ritt, $) Burgers. Veggie burger was ok, turkey burger was completely unseasoned, onion rings were ok, french fries were ok, friend's cheeseburger was ok. A decidedly ok place, which is not what the hype would lead you to believe. (5/08)
• Independence Brew Pub (ME, $) Brew pub. Nothing all that memorable.
• Izzy and Zoe's (UC, $) Deli, Bagels. Bad bagels.
• Jade Garden (GHo, $, defunct) Chinese. Neighborhood take-out joint, changed owners, got worse.
• Joseph Poon (Ch, $$, defunct) Chinese. Elevated Chinese, really not worth the effort.
• Kaizan (Broad, $$) Japanese. It's a modern take on things with reasonable fish. Actually ended up doing a restaurant week deal with the "Volcanic Mountain" -- a deep fried cone of fish and lobster swimming in a goo sauce -- and a chirashi, which ended up being a deconstructed nigiri platter vis-a-vis the rice portions. The kani yaki, king crab with a spicy miso sauce, was the best thing I had though. (1/08)
• Lakeside Chinese Deli (Ch, $): Chinese. Dim sum, except no carts -- you order off a menu, so there's the uneasiness of not knowing what things look like before they arrive. But the upside is that everything's fresh. UPDATE: The saddest loss yet (1/08)
• Lombardi's (Ritt, $, defunct). Pizza. Sadly closed NY pizza joint.
• Ludwig's (WashW, $) German. A good place for a beer bong.
• Mandarin Garden (Ritt, $, defunct) Of the Chinese places in the general vicinity (with the exception of Square on Square, which I haven't tried [UPDATE: tried it, see below]), the most edible. Sadly closed, with the space now being used for a pointless silver jewelry store.
• Minar Palace (Ritt, $, defunct) Indian. Admittedly, only managed to try a samosa before they shut down, and it wasn't all that good.
• Miraku (WashW, $$, Defunct) Japanese. Not bad sushi for Philadelphia. A couple of the fish selections were actually quite tasty.
• Passage to India (WashW, $) Indian. Tasteless cauliflower/potato dish; spinach wasn't tasteless, unfortunately.
• Philly Falafel (Ritt, $) Middle Eastern. Delicious falafels and hummus. Some of the sides were a bit old though. (3/07)
• Pita Pocket Falafel and Grille (Ritt, $) Middle Eastern. Unlike the other two falafel purveyors in the vicinity, they serve both meat and vegetarian, though they are handled separately. Everything was good, but the falafels were slightly mushier, the salads slightly less flavorful. Much nicer people though. (10/07)
• Porky and Porkie's (SP, $, Defunct) Korean. It's an all-you-can-eat Korean-style barbeque place. I actually liked the sides a lot more than the grilled meat. Closed to give way to yet another pho shop, a chain restaurant no less.
• Rae (UC, $$) New American. The smoked rabbit "nachos" (really more like empanadas) are well worth the hype. Deconstructed French onion soup was buttery and winey, but in a good way, and served with a beignet in lieu of a crouton. Chicken meatball sandwich was tasty, though could've used some herbage. (10/08)
• Susanna Foo (Ritt, $$) Chinese. The prototypical Chinese-French fusion, was a little disappointing during Restaurant Week.
• Sushi on the Square (Ritt, $$) Japanese. Below-average sushi.
• Tangerine (OC, $$$) Mediterranean, Stephen Starr. Huge mezze appetizer platter. Perfectly cooked halibut (though a little salty) and an amazing paella cake with shrimp and scallops. Desserts are hit or miss. (9/08)
• Trattoria Prima Donna (Broad, $) Italian. Caesar salad was average, was not really pleased with the ravioli.
• Two Red Boots (Ritt, $, defunct) Pizza. Thick slices with somewhat unique toppings, but lack of any sort of business meant the pizza tasted old and stale.
• Union Gourmet (WashW, $) Brunch. Crab-artichoke eggs benedict was good, if unsurprising. (10/08)
• Yello'bar (GHo, $) Gastro Pub. Tasty enough bacon bleu cheese salad, boring duck breast quesadilla; but altogether just a bit blah.

• $$ 20 Manning
• $$ Audrey Claire
• $$ Fish
• $$ Le Castagne (1920 Chestnut)
• $$ Meme
• $$ Meritage
• $$ Rouge
• $$ RL2
• $$ Salento
• $$ Square 1682
• $$ Valantino (267 S 19th)
• $$ Zama
• $$$ Barclay Prime
• $$$ Le Bec-Fin

• $ Camac
• $ Leila Cafe
• $ Minar Palace (revival)
• $ Zavino
• $$ Amis
• $$ Bindi
• $$ Sampan
• $$ Zinc

• $ Buttercup Cafe
• $ Resurrection Ale House
• $$ Novita
• $$ Pumpkin

• $ Abbaye
• $ Cafe Estelle
• $ Il Cantuccio (701 N 3rd)
• $ Swift Half
• $$ Modo Mio

• $$$ Union Trust

• $ Bruegger's Bagels
• $$ Chima

• $ Chew Man Chu
• $$ Sakeya

• $ Chick's Wine Bar and Cafe
• $ Lucky 13
• $$ Bibou
• $$ Little Fish
• $$ Percy Street Barbecue

• $ John's Roast Pork
• $$ Fond
• $$ FUEL
• $$ Izumi

• $$ Le Champignon de Tokio
• $$ Zot

• $ Chaleo (5th and bainbridge)
• $ Stella
• $$ Coquette
• $$ Shouk
• $$ Southwark
• $$ Las Bugambilias

• $ Plough and the Stars
• $$ Bistro 7
• $$ Bocca
• $$ Cafe Spice
• $$ Chloe
• $$ Joe's Peking Duck Original 1984
• $$ La Famiglia (8 S. Front)
• $$ Prive
• $$ Radicchio (4th and Wood)

• $ Trio (2624 Brown St)

• $$$ The Fountain

• $ The Institute
• $ Prohibition Taproom

• $ Dahlak
• $ Dock Street
• $ Sprinkles
• $ Taglio
• $ Tap House
• $ Vientiane Cafe
• $$ Penne
• $$ MidAtlantic

• $$ Chabaa Thai Bistro
• $$ Jake's

• $ Hinge
• $ Ida Mae's Bruncherie

• $ New York Bagel Bakery

• $ Baker St Bread
• $ The French Bakery
• $ Night Kitchen

• $$ Blackfish (Conshohocken)
• $$ Sagami (Collingswood)

• $$ Astral Plane (1708 Lombard)
• $ Azure
• $$ Copper (614 N 2nd)
• $ Du Jour
• $ El Rey Sol
• $$ Gayle
• $$ Gioia Mia (2025 Sansom)
• $$ M (225 S 8th)
• $$ Mantra
• $$ Pasion!
• $$ Paxia
• $$ Sonam
• $$ Sovalo (702 N 2nd)
• $$$ Striped Bass
• $ Swallow
• $$ Washington Square