Alla Spina in Philly for Delicious Italian Bar Fare and Great Beers

It was a warm Sunday night in Philly in this past July prior to an outdoor show to see Sigur Ros, and my brother and I decided to got to Alla Spina to check out Marc Vetri's take on the Gastropub.   Alla Spina has a pretty good draft beer selection ranging from local micro brews to beers from Italy and other European beers.

That Sunday night, they were also running a happy hour special featuring .50 cent wings.  The wings here were awesome, and were very crispy and season with parmesan and lemon.  I think we had two orders of these haha.

Another standout was their changing selection of fish or meat crudo, and that night the veal crudo that we 

had was amazing.  

Another good dish is the fried pigs tails with fennel agrodolce.  Not sure what that is, but it tasted 

sweet and paired well with the crispy tails.

Marc Vetri is known for pasta, and his potato gnocchi did not disappoint!  They were super soft and pillowy, and just slightly charred on the outside to give it a nice earthy flavor.

Their fried escargot seemed interesting, and they were indeed fried well and crisp, but I think 

I prefer mine with the traditional garlic butter sauce.

Finally, I love Montreal and LOVE poutine, so we had to get the poutine with guinea hen leg bolognese.

This dish was just ok, and to be honest, just almost tasted like chili cheese fries more than poutine.  Still goes well with beer though I suppose!

If you're in Philly and looking for a place with good beer and good food, give Alla Spina a shot.  

Alla Spina

1410 Mount Vernon St

Philadelphia, PA 19130

(215) 600-0017

Philly Eats: Zahav...Great Israeli Food with the Best Lamb Dish I've Had!

Zahav is my favorite restaurant in Philly.  The restaurant focuses on modernizing Israeli food, that is served tapas style, except for the centerpiece...the phenomenal roasted whole lamb shoulder as part of the tasting menu ($45 a person).    We went as a group of four...and while you still get a lamb shoulder, with more people you get a bigger roast and even more appetizers.

As part of any tasting menu you get a selection of 8 daily salads/pickles, including cucumber salad, baba ganoush, pickled celery, pickled beets, etc.

You also get a side of pickles as well as seasonings to use with your meal...hot chilies, harissa (also spicy), and zaatar (a seasoning mix with cumin). 

We also received the laffa with hummus...the texture of the hummus was so velvety!

Next came the tomato soup...not sure what herbs were used but it tasted smoky and delicious!

Their fried cauliflower dish with a mint and dill sauce was fried and seasoned well...crisp but just melts in

your mouth.

The heirloom tomato salad was just ok...the sauce was somewhat interesting but a fairly straightforward

dish...

The grape leaves salad was delicious the grape leaves just melts in your mouth

It's stuffed with barley and served with oyster mushrooms and vegetables.  

Another winner was the grilled haloumi cheese with peaches, corn, and almonds.  One of the best 

small plates of the night.

Here is a smoked sable dish served on top of toast with an egg yolk inside.  The flavors were excellent 

but I wish the yolk was a little more runny.

We also received yet another salad...the watermelon/feta combo is now getting to be classic combo since I've seen in in more and more places but for good reason...it's good!

We also got to choose a selection of two grilled items...first was the roasted duck kebabs with

foie gras and pistachios.  This was OK, but it was hard to taste the foie and pistachios.

The grilled sea bream with beans and a spicy tomato ragout was cooked 

and seasoned well.

After that, it was time for the main even...the whole roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate, chick peas, and 

served on top of rice.  OH MY GOD!  Right from the first bite of lamb...this so far is the best thing I've eaten this year and the best lamb dish I've ever had.  The lamb is so fatty, juicy, and flavorful.  The outside of the shoulder is crispy while the inside remains succulent.  This dish alone is worth going back to Philly for!

Here's a closeup of a piece of the lamb on my plate...you can see how juicy it looks! 

We then received a selection of four desserts...first was a rugelah with a yummy apricot

sorbet on top of caramelized apricot.

Next up is the halvah mouse (on the right) with chickpea praline.  On the left is a caramel semifredo with pistachio cookie...The halvah mouse was my favorite dessert but both were good!

This is the kataifi with Valrhona chocolate, labaneh ice cream, and mango...also delicious!

For $45 a person it may seem like a lot, but the food was amazing (Oh the lamb!) and all in all it was a great dining experience from start to end.  

Zahav (reservations suggested)

237 St James Pl
Philadelphia, PA 19106

(215) 625-8800

Philly Eats: The Two Other Philly Cheesesteak Institutions...Tony Luke's vs. Jim's!

I've long wanted to try Tony Luke's, and haven't had a Jim's cheesesteak in a while, so my recent trip to Philly was a great chance to go food hopping since I was going with a group and we could all split a sandwich and compare.

Tony Luke's is also on the outskirts of the city in the downtown industrial area and is famous for both their Cheesesteak, with Whiz and onions, as well as Philly's lesser known but equally-as-good sandwich...the roast pork sandwich.

Tony Luke's Cheesesteak was delicious!  The meat itself wasn't too seasoned but came in nice big slices in the sandwich, so the natural beefy flavors really came through.  There was also a super generous serving of Cheese Whiz on the sandwich as well.

Their roast pork sandwich was just OK.  Dinic's was much better, though that was also probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had!  Tony Luke's was also pretty meaty, but lacked enough flavor and the greens were too boiled down and tasted bland.  

Jim's is located in the busy South St area and is my stop for cheesesteaks in Philly.  However, when I was able to take a few bites of Tony Luke's and then later during the day compare it to Jim's, my mind was made up.  Jim's also came with Whiz, but at least this time around, there wasn't enough in the sandwich!  The bread was a little crustier and toastier though.  I also prefers Tony's meat.  Jim's was more seasoned but was chopped up into tiny shreds and tasted more dried out.

Also, bonus points to Tony Luke's to beating Bobby Flay in Throwdown (Can't stand him and will never eat at any of his restaurants!)  There's also a clip of Tony Luke's on Man Vs Food.

Tony Luke's 
39 E Oregon Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148


Jim's 
400 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Philly Eats: Tommy Dinic's at Reading Terminal Station!

Even better than the Philly Cheesesteak (at least I think so!), the much less heralded roast pork sandwich is also a local fave.  I was introduced to the famous Dinic's last year at the Reading Terminal Market...just look for the sandwich stand with the huge line!  Dinic's sells both roast pork and roast beef sandwiches...and the usual toppings are sharp provolone and broccoli rabe, though peppers work well also.

Here's the roast pork with provolone and broccoli rabe...the sharpness of the cheese, bitterness of the broccoli rabe, and juiciness and tenderness of the roast pork = magic combination of deliciousness!  Definitely a must try if you're in Philly...

They also have a yummy roast beef sandwich.  Again, the beef here is so juicy, tender and delicious!  The peppers here are just mildly spicy and go very well with the beef.

Here's the line on a busy Saturday....

The crowd around the counter...but do note that there are other seats/tables available at Reading Terminal Market and most people get the sandwich to go.

Reading Terminal Market
1136 Arch St
Philadelphia, PA 19147