1201 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125
Fish Sandwich...$???
First off, I gotta say I'm falling in love, so thoughts on the recent meal I had at Johnny Brenda's may be deliriously skewed.
The plan was to eat at the M-Room, but it was swarming with faux-rockabillies who made us feel so conspicuously mainstream that we ran half a block to Johnny Brenda's. It was packed, but we found a spot next to the pool table, which is fine if you don't mind the occasional elbow/ass/pool stick in your face.
The menu is written on a chalkboard which presents a problem for vain persons who won't wear glasses in public. I ordered the fried fish sandwich and the potential-love-of-my-life (PLOML) ordered a falafel sandwich, smashed potatoes, and spinach.
I was served a meaty hunk of catfish on a hard roll with guacamole and skinny, soft, salty fries. At first I resisted the accompanying spicy mayo, but the sandwich was a tad bland, so halfway through I slathered it on. Outrageously rich but tastier. I nibbled at PLOML's food and approved. And our portions were ginormous.
I know a good dessert when I eat one, and the warm apple tart at Johnny Brenda's is top-notch. The crust was tender, flaky, and buttery, the apples were firm and slightly tart, and the brown butter sauce and fresh whipped cream were freakin' awesome. Good thing it was our third date and I'm past trying to look like a dainty lady because I scarfed that thing down like it was the last dessert of my life.
The service was friendly and prompt, but I wish our waitress would have told the guy who asked PLOML to buy some comic books so he could get a beer to beat it. (PLOML, a nice guy, bought them.) PLOML picked up the tab but I'm guessing it was about $30. Overall it was a decent meal, a bit pricey for a hipster music venue, but better than I expected.
2639 Poplar Street Philadelphia, PA 19130
Whiskey Pulled Pork...$7.50
The whiskey pulled pork sandwich at North Star Bar is like a buddy fuck - you eat it cause it's there, not cause you like it. I lived in South Carolina for four years, and while that state has many shortcomings, pulled pork is emphatically not one of them. Perhaps I am spoiled, but the soft Kaiser roll was the best part of the meal. The pork was blah and the chunks were too big. And whiskey, what whiskey? Tabasco sauce made it palatable, but not enjoyable. The menu promised a wedge of provolone cheese, which is a strange thing with which to marry a pork sandwich, but it was absent from my basket, can't tell you if it works. I can only recommend this sandwich if you just want a lot of pork for about $7.
My friends ordered cheeseburgers, chicken fingers and fries, which they dutifully let me sample. ('Cause I'm the food critic, bitches!) They've got me thinking I'm some kind of snob, because our conversation went like this:
Nooreen: "I think it's good."
Me: "Really?"
Amanda: "This meat is really flavorful."
Me: "If you insist."
The chicken fingers and fries had that freezer-esque taste, and the burger did not rock my world the way Phillybloco, the band we were there to see, did.
The service was fine, the ambience is of the red-plastic-chair variety, and the prices are affordable. If you arrive at a show and find yourself extremely hungry, eat the pork at North Star. Otherwise, eat beforehand.
117 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
Risotto Cakes...$7, Stuffed Artichokes...$9
I was starting to wonder if I really wanted this job until I ate at Triumph Brewery. Maybe it's not fair to compare Triumph, which is a restaurant first and a music venue second, to Johnny Brenda's and North Star Bar, but they serve food that you actually want to eat. I knew that things were off to a good start as soon as I picked up the elegant-looking menu, which lacked capital letters or dollar signs. Edamame! Octopus! Sopressata!
Goat-cheese-stuffed artichokes and risotto cakes, please.
If you've never been to an Italian wedding or a New Jersey construction company Christmas party, you may not be familiar with fried rice balls. Risotto cakes are Triumph's upscale version of this Italian delicacy. The melted fontina cheese at the center of each cake was a nice addition. They were served with a delicate arugula puree and balsamic vinegar, which is an effective way to make a girl feel that she is not actually eating oil-boiled starch.
Now let me tell you about the stuffed artichokes. While I insisted that my friends try some of my food, I was secretly happy they declined. Creamy goat cheese plus tangy artichoke equals 'back off.' You only get two of them, but that's fine, because if they gave me four I would have eaten four, six, I would have...okay, you get the idea.
Service was good, the prices were reasonable, and the restaurant has a clean, spacious feel. It is a testament to the tastiness of Triumph that although I had eaten dinner at home just hours before, I cleaned both plates. It could also be a testament to my gluttonous tendencies, but either way, somebody in the kitchen at Triumph Brewery knows what they are doing. And it shows.
