Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

New On The Scene
There are plenty of newcomers to Philadelphia’s ever-growing restaurant scene. Here’s a look at some of the newest spots on the block:

• This season’s most anticipated opening, Jose Garce’s Chifa promises the intriguing crossover of Peruvian and Chinese cuisines found in Peru—and now at 7^th and Chestnut Streets. Like Garces’ other local holdings Amada, Tinto and Distrito, the menu will focus on made-to share-portions. Dishes will include congee, pork belly buns with foie gras and plenty of daily changing options from a ceviche bar.
• Nola traditions continue to inspire local cooking. Restaurateur/chef John Mims, best known for his finely crafted Cajun fare, offers Mims Food and Drink in Wayne, where he will be serving up New Orleans comfort food.
• The mother/daughter team that’s opened Soul in Chestnut Hill put their own spin on Creole eats, offering baked oysters with collards and parmesan and boneless pork chop with fried apples, red beans and Spanish rice.
• Spinning off Rittenhouse Square’s pan-Asian Pearl, Akoya is a more casual dining room with Asian gastropub fare: Vietnamese short rib sliders, hamachi tacos and tempura jalapeno peppers.
• North African food gets the build-your-own treatment at Argan Moroccan Cuisine, where diners can construct sandwiches with spicy merguez sausage, cumin-dusted carrots, roasted chicken and other tempting fillings.
• Northern Liberties has long been known for its beer hangouts, but Wine-O is the neighborhood’s first official foray into vineyard territory, with three pages of by-the-glass selections and an interesting array of eats like fennel salad and shrimp kebobs.
• Mexican blanket-covered banquettes, velvet paintings and gold-painted Madonnas add to the kitschy south-of-the-border atmosphere at Northern Liberties’ El Camino Real, but the food—including Wagyu beef brisket, gorditas and chitterling burritos—is no joke.
• The local tradition of serious beer bars lives on with Local 44, the new pub from the owners of Fishtown’s wildly successful Memphis Taproom. A long list of bottles and draft beers complements the hearty pub fare like plaintain-crusted mahi-mahi tacos and Cubano sandwiches with homemade potato fruit chips.
• In Limerick, Craft Ale House has captured the hearts of beer lovers with its 16 craft selections on tap and edibles like seared tuna salad and rosemary-garlic spiced popcorn.

Bistro Fever
Philly has, of late, become a Francophile’s delight with its booming French bistro scene. Glamorous yet lively, Stephen Starr’s Parc overlooks Rittenhouse Square. Its expansive dining rooms are lined with authentic bistro detail and diners indulging in warm shrimp salad, escargot and duck confit. At bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) Cochon, the emphasis is on hearty, meaty concoctions like pan-roasted quail stuffed with foie gras and 36-hour short ribs with mushroom and Roquefort gratin. Flirty Coquette beckons with its raw bar, salad Lyonnaise and bustling bar scene. The nearby Bistrot La Minette serves up tasty renditions of country pâté on homemade brioche, lamb shanks braised in white wine sauce and a killer chocolate fondant cake, as well as carafes of inexpensive house wine. Zinc, a convincing replica of a le Marais-style restaurant, is set in a glowing Center City storefront and offers simple favorites like steak frites and apple tart.

Little Nibbles
The small plate trend has taken hold in Philadelphia, yielding all sorts of interesting variations and flavors. Malayan’s MangoMoon, a three-level bar and restaurant on Main Street, is the newest offering from the owners of Chabaa Thai restaurant, featuring delicacies like lettuce wraps stuffed with coconut and shrimp and baby octopus salad with chili-lime dressing. Nearby, Cooper’s Brick Oven Wine Bar has introduced its own eclectic mix of small plates, from local cheeses and smoked trout salad to a West African chicken with caramelized onion. For the more adventuresome eater, small-platery Ansill gets it right every time with sophisticated snacks like bone marrow, pig trotters and crispy lamb’s tongue, all prepared with simple European flair. At wine/beer bar Tria, the little bites start with simple bowls of olives and cheese plates and end with warm Nutella panini. And tapas-style eating gets a distinctly Italian spin at sunny Positano Coast, where the Amalfi-inspired plates include crudo, grilled octopus and artichoke ricotta lemon soup.

Noodling Around
Steaming bowls of Asian noodles are just the thing on a chilly night, and they happen to be bountiful in the region. In Chinatown, the art of hand-drawn noodles is handed down in the kitchens of Dim Sum Garden and Nan Zhou restaurants. Both offer a small array of Chinese noodle dishes, with meaty broth or without. Indonesian, Korean, Burmese and Thai noodles meet and mingle at Center City’s Thai Chef & Noodle Fusion, a casual eatery with lunchtime specials and an intriguing under-the-sea décor. Rittenhouse Square’s Pad Thai Shack is a quick takeaway spot with all manner of noodle and rice dishes, from the eponymous pad thai to vegan buckwheat noodle salad. For a killer bowl of soba or udon noodles with fast service, Tampopo is the place to go.

Fresh Brewed
Now in its second year, Philly Beer Week has extended into nine days of tastings, talks, dinners, and lots and lots of craft brews from around the region. The event runs March 6 through 15. For more information, visit phillybeerweek.org.

For visitors looking to drink close to the source throughout the year, a slew of high-quality brewpubs in the region offer the perfect opportunity to do so. A new, family-friendly addition to Mt. Airy, Earth Bread + Brewery produces its own beers, as well as tasty home-baked flatbreads. In West Philadelphia, Dock Street Brewery serves up brick-oven pizza pies and a perfect view of the tanks where the brewery’s Bohemian Pilsner and Rye IPA are bubbling up. The two local outposts of Triumph Brewing Company pour drafts of Oatmeal Cookie Stout, Vienna Lager and Smoked Porter and serve a full menu of beer-friendly foods like fried chicken legs, beer-braised onion and cheddar burgers and fish and chips. Its seven locations throughout the region—four in Philadelphia and The Countryside®—make Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant the local behemoth among brewpubs and the award-winning beers and fresh pastas, steaks and sandwiches continue to draw enthusiastic visitors.

Big Teas
Tea is a long-steeped tradition in the region, where the venues run the gamut from Victorian teahouses to sleek caffeine bars. At the chic, minimal Remedy Tea Bar, the loose-leafteas and tisanes encompass every variety from Darjeeling to lemon Echinacea. Ambler’s Café Tea is the area’s organic fair-trade tearoom with more than 50 teas available for sipping on the premises or purchasing for home use. A cheery nook in Northern Liberties, The Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop offers visitors 40 artisanal teas and house-blended infusions, as well as crafts and other local items for purchase. Ray’s Café and Teahouse is a Chinatown staple, the go-to place for exotic teas and individually brewed coffees, as well as small bites like dumplings and sweets. An “urban tea retreat” in the heart of Center City, the T Bar pours more than 100 tea-related drinks, from plain loose tea infusions to drinks with bubbles, foamed milk and fizz, to be enjoyed with sweet and savory snacks.

Steakout
The newest trend in the region is actually an old one: big, classic steakhouses. The recently opened Butcher & Singer, Stephen Starr’s second foray into steakhouse territory (after Barclay Prime), is styled like a 1940s supper club and set in the former home of Striped Bass. Expect, in addition to fine steaks, elaborate cocktails and inventive desserts. Then there’s Del Frisco’s, set in the Packard Grande condominium building on 15^th Street, which comes outfitted with a 40-foot glass wine tower, a vault dining room and prime-aged American beef. The newest of the Center City bunch, Union Trust Steakhouse boasts big ceilings (65 feet), big wine stocks (800 bottles) and big, big eats, including a vertical meat tasting, which allows diners to sample four pieces of steak, all aged for different lengths of time. In Downingtown, the new Firecreek Restaurant + Bar is a more moderately priced affair set in a former paper mill.

Featured Chef: Jennifer Carroll
Philadelphia native Jennifer Carroll nabbed the head chef post at one of the most visible restaurants in town, the Eric Ripert-owned 10 Arts in The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia. Trained at The Restaurant School, Carroll honed her skills at what was then called Sonoma (now Derek’s) restaurant in Manayunk and the late Avenue B before moving to San Francisco. She came back to the East Coast when she landed a coveted sous chef job at Le Bernardin, Ripert’s highly regarded New York restaurant. When it came time for Ripert to select talent for his new Philadelphia kitchen, Carroll was an obvious choice both for her skill and local pedigree. Carroll’s elegant but pared-down bistro fare (pork belly with summer ragout; wild salmon with savoy cabbage and red wine béarnaise) builds on local, seasonal ingredients and has set the stage for what is sure to be a long, hallowed culinary career.

Featured Neighborhood: Mt. Airy
Mt. Airy’s lively restaurant scene, much like the neighborhood itself, is characterized by inclusive diversity. Mexican eatery Mi Puebla’s tacos and tamales share space on the main artery with Geechee Girl Rice Café’s Carolina-style gumbo and corn and okra fritters. The second location of a Philly chain, Tiffin specializes in fresh Indian food available for delivery or on-site eating in the store’s small dining room.

Mt. Airy also offers finer-dining options. Umbria’s long-running kitchen turns out simple but well-made dishes like baked brie with caramelized apples and duck breast with black cherry and shallot sauce. The Italian fare at BYO Bacio includes freshly made pastas, grilled filet mignon and tiramisu.

Nightlife here is also jumping, with the pub grub and microbrews at McMenamin’s Tavern. At North by Northwest, southern cuisine is served up with a side of hot live music, while Earth Bread + Brewery peddles fresh-brewed beers and home-baked flatbreads (see above) in addition to live jazz.

ADDRESS BOOK

New On The Scene:

• Chifa, 707 Chestnut Street, (215) 925-5555, chifarestaurant.com
• Amada, 217 Chestnut Street, (215) 625-2450, amadarestaurant.com
• Tinto, 116 S. 20^th Street, (215) 665-9150, tintorestaurant.com
• Distrito, 3945 Chestnut Street, (215) 222-1657, distritorestaurant.com
• Mims Food and Drink, 110 N. Wayne Avenue, Wayne, (610) 688-0800, mimsfoodanddrink.com
• Soul, 8136 Germantown Avenue, (215) 248-0800, soulbyob.com
• Pearl, 1904 Chestnut Street, (215) 564-9090, mypearlphilly.com
• Akoya, 1904 Chestnut Street, (215) 564-9094, akoyaphilly.com
• Argan Moroccan Cuisine, 132 S. 17^th Street, (215) 873-6552
• Wine-O, 447 Poplar Street, (215) 925-0999, wineophilly.com
• El Camino Real, 1040 N. 2^nd Street, (215) 925-1110, bbqburritobar.com
• Local 44, 4333 Spruce Street, (215) 222-2337, local44beerbar.com
• Memphis Taproom, 2331 E. Cumberland Street, (215) 425-4460, memphistaproom.com
• Craft Ale House, 708 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick, (484) 932-8180, craftalehouse.com

Bistro Fever:

• Parc, 227 S. 18^th Street, (215) 545-2262, parc-restaurant.com
• Cochon, 801 E. Passyunk Avenue, (215) 923-7675, cochonbyob.com
• Coquette, 5^th & Bainbridge Streets, (215) 238-9000, coquettebistro.com
• Bistrot La Minette, 623 S. 6^th Street, (215) 925-8000, bistrotlaminette.com
• Zinc, 246 S. 11^th Street, (215) 351-9901, zincbarphilly.com

Little Nibbles:

• MangoMoon, 4161 Main Street, (215) 487-1230, mymangomoon.com
• Chabaa Thai, 4371 Main Street, (215) 483-1931, chabaathai.com
• Cooper’s Brick Oven Wine Bar, 4367 Main Street, (215) 483-2750, jakesrestaurant.com
• Ansill, 627 S. 3^rd Street, (215) 627-2485, ansillfoodandwine.com
• Tria, 18^th& Sansom Streets, (215) 972-TRIA; 12^th & Spruce Streets, (215) 629-9200, triacafe.com
• Positano Coast, 212 Walnut Street, (215) 238-0499, lambertis.com

Noodling Around:

• Dim Sum Garden, 59 N. 11^th Street, (215) 627-0218
• Nan Zhou, 927 Race Street, (215) 923-1550
• Thai Chef & Noodle Fusion, 2028 Chestnut Street, (215) 568-7058
• Pad Thai Shack, 127 S. 18^th Street, (215) 557-0422, padthaishack.com
• Tampopo, 104 S. 21^st Street, (215) 557-9593; 719 Sansom Street, (215) 238-9373, tampoporestaurant.com

Fresh Brewed:

• Earth Bread + Brewery, 7136 Germantown Avenue, (215) 242-6666, earthbreadbrewery.com
• Dock Street Brewery, 701 S. 50^th Street, (215) 726-2337, dockstreetbeer.com
• Triumph Brewing Company, 117 Chestnut Street, (215) 625-0855; 400 Union Square, New Hope, (215) 862-8300, triumphbrewing.com
• Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, 3 W. Gay Street, West Chester, (610) 738-9600; 30 E. State Street, Media, (610) 627-9000; 1460 Bethlehem Pike, North Wales, (267) 708-2000; 130 E. Bridge Street, Phoenixville, (610) 983-3333; ironhillbrewery.com

Big Teas:

• Remedy Tea Bar, 1628 Sansom Street, (215) 557-6688, remedytea.com
• Café Tea, 9 N. Main Street, Ambler, (267) 470-4729, cafetea.biz
• The Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop, 713 N. 4^th Street, (267) 639-2442, therandomtearoom.com
• Ray’s Café and Teahouse, 141 N. 9^th Street, (215) 922-5122, rayscafe.com
• T Bar, 117 S. 12^th Street, (215) 625-3936, tbarteas.com

Steakout:

• Butcher & Singer, 1500 Walnut Street, (215) 732-4444, butcherandsinger.com
• Barclay Prime, 237 S. 18^th Street, (215) 732-7560, barclayprime.com
• Del Frisco’s, 1426 Chestnut Street, (215) 246-0533, delfriscos.com
• Union Trust Steakhouse, 717 Chestnut Street, (215) 925-6000, uniontruststeakhouse.com
• Firecreek Restaurant + Bar, 20 E. Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown, firecreek-restaurant.com

Featured Chef:

• 10 Arts, 10 S. Broad Street, (215) 523-8273, 10arts.com
• Derek’s, 4411 Main Street, (215) 483-9400, dereksrestaurant.com

Featured Neighborhood:

• Mi Puebla, 7157 Germantown Avenue, (215) 247-1779
• Bitar’s, 7152 Germantown Avenue, (215) 242-4910, bitars.com
• Geechee Girl Rice Café, 6825 Germantown Avenue, (215) 843-8113, geecheegirl.com
• Tiffin, 7105 Emlen Street, (215) 242-3656, tiffin.com
• Umbria, 7131 Germantown Avenue, (215) 242-6470
• Cresheim Cottage Café, 7402 Germantown Avenue, (215) 248-4365, cresheimcottage.com
• Bacio, 311 W. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, (215) 248-2740
• McMenamin’s Tavern, 7170 Germantown Avenue, (215) 247-9920
• North by Northwest, 7165 Germantown Avenue, (215) 248-1000, nxnwphl.com

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Donna Schorr, (215) 599-0782
• Caroline Bean, (215) 599-7433