An online buddy of mine just asked me where to eat in Philly while he's in town. Seeing as how I've only been here for a little over a year, I was kind of shocked at just how many recommendations I was able to rattle off the top of my head. I really do love food, I guess. Which is possibly the most obvious statement I've said today, and that's including "this is a grande mug". So hey, if you guys are ever in my neck of the woods...
Fried Chicken
I've been on a serious Korean-style fried chicken kick lately. Don't really know why, but right now, batter-fried chicken tossed in a sweet, garlicky glaze is really doing it for me. To that end, Cafe Soho does it right, serving up piles of totally scarfable wings. Bring friends so you can sample a bunch of their flavors.
While I'm at it, Federal Donuts puts out some crazy K-style chicken, too. Their glazes are pretty traditional, but their dry seasonings are distinctively stateside. They only do limited batches, though, so get there early. Also, while you're there, get some goddamned donuts. The 'fancy' donuts are pretty damn tasty, but their made-to-orders are really where it's at. Their fresh donuts are better than 63.8% of the oral sex I've had in my lifetime.
If you're looking for a truly unique fried chicken experience, hit up Supper on a Tuesday for their pastrami fried chicken. It's exactly what it fucking sounds like. They brine-cure their chicken like pastrami, then fry those fuckers. The end result, for a fried chicken devotee, is what I imagine reaching Nirvana is like; I think audio cut out of my sensory array for a good two minutes after my first bite. Supper also makes a retardedly delicious brunch if you're into that sort of thing - the mushroom toast is sublime. No idea what their regular dinner menu tastes like.
Burgers
Yeah, we have a Shake Shack here. And while I clearly enjoy Shake Shack, I just can't take them seriously when Village Whiskey is right across the street. Seriously. Short rib and cheddar duck fat fries? How can you not want to just shove your face into the words on the menu until the plate arrives for you to shove your face into? Add to that a thick, perfectly-cooked burger that makes rivulets of juice and grease run over your fingers, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. I highly recommend the truffled mushrooms.
Of course, if you're ballin' on a budget, an incredible burger shouldn't be out of your reach. And at Sketch Burger, it's not. These guys are a perfect example of what happens when a place concentrates on doing one thing right - their burger and fries combo is unearthly. The phrase that'll wind up running through your head for the remainder of the day will simply be "Damn. That was a good burger." It will stick in your mind, like food herpes.
All right, that's enough for now; I can feel my brain getting squishy. No real excuse there, just a little on the tired side for today. I'll be back tomorrow; I've got a stack of recommendations still to come. Hasta manana, kids.
UPDATE: Part 2 of this post is available hya.
No comments:
Post a Comment