Around the Block: 12/13/24

12/13/2024

Relevant Commentary, all information Philly (real estate and otherwise), Open Houses, Listings, Happenings, and More — by Jeff "City" Block

The 76

Courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Hi Readers,

Earlier this fall, the Philadelphia Inquirer debuted The 76, its new annual guide to “the 76 most vital restaurants in the Philly region” right now.

Now, there would have been a time when a younger, kidless Jeff City would have been to most of these places. That was a long time ago (we now have a 14 and 9-year-old), and many meals are now at home or at neighborhood places that have solid food and are great for the kids, but that are not among the most “vital” restaurants in the City (whatever that really means). But I am not fully out of the game. I still have lunches, team dinners, meals with friends, and the occasional more trendy night out with the family. Though, let’s note that the 76 is not just the “new and trendy” restaurants. There are some old standbys here as well.

So here is where I am going with this—I simply plan to comment on The 76. Some random thoughts and such. That is it.

One thing I like about The 76 is that you can filter by neighborhood/region, genre, and price. So, the first thing I did was filter out the suburbs. I have no issue with the burbs. Many of our closest friends live there, and we even eat out there occasionally. But I had to start somewhere. I also filtered out the Northeast. No shade intended there. The NE has some high-quality ethnic restaurants and the Commonwealth’s best State Representative. I just never seem to get there, so it is out.

That leaves us with pretty much the rest of Philly—and 55 of the 76 named restaurants. Of these 55, I have eaten at 23. Not great, but not bad. Anyway, here are the comments (in no particular order, grouping, or level of importance—in fact, I think it is safe to say that none of my comments, or The 76 in general for that matter, have much importance at all. It is just fun to discuss Philly food and restaurants) —

• I am surprised by the number of restaurants that I never even heard of (let alone ate at). Or if I have “heard” of them, couldn’t tell you what kind of food they have or anything about them whatsoever. This category includes Mawn, Tabachoy, EMei, San Lucas Pizzeria, El Cantinflas, Gabriella’s, Pera, Gilda, Kingston 11, Le Mandinque, and a few more. Now, there is absolutely no slight on these restaurants or this list. If anything, as I mentioned above, I just do not have the ability to follow every place in the city. That being said, if anyone loves any of these places, let me know. Would love to try it out. By the way, Mawn is not only on The 76 list but also made Craig LeBan’s list of top 10 restaurants in Philly. There are several on Leban’s list that I am not familiar with either. Oh well.

• On the other hand, I was comforted to see that some restaurants I have been to many times have made the list. Oyster House, Reading Terminal Market (which I devoted an entire ATB to in 2022), Sang Kee, Villa di Roma, Zahav, Friday Saturday Sunday, Scannicchio’s, Angelo’s (which I have also written about), White Yak (a Block family favorite), Jansen, Vernick Fish, Vetri Cucina, Doro Bet, John’s Roast Pork (which I have written about several times, including this cheesesteak spectacular in 2022), and the Octopus Cart.

Photo of Ari Block at John's Roast Pork in 2012. Courtesy of Jeff Block.

CBT Senior Listing Coordinator Greg Zarro and Ezra Block at Reading Terminal Market in 2023. Courtesy of Jeff Block.

• A few comments on the places mentioned above—I way prefer Lau Kee at 934 Race Street to Sang Kee.  I think Lau Kee has the best Peking duck and soup dumplings in the city. And a great atmosphere (by great, I mean 100% no frills). I love to see two cheesesteak places on the list (and three if you include the quality sandwiches at RTM). I have been going to Villa di Roma since the early 1970s. As many know, it still looks exactly the same. Friday Saturday Sunday is an interesting one, because I have not been there many times recently. I have been to the current rendition once. But I ate at the previous version tons of times. Not sure if that counts. Doro Bet has some awesome teff battered fried chicken. John’s Roast Pork has the best cheesesteaks in the Universe. And the Octopus Cart—you must try it at least once. You just need to know what you are getting into. I never even knew it was called the Octopus Cart. I always referred to it as the “Quality” falafel truck. I will always think Vetri is the best restaurant in the region.

Photo of Ari Block at Lau Kee in 2019. Courtesy of Jeff Block.

• Bad Brother in Fairmount is awesome. I recently took the City Block Team there for a pre-Eastern State Penn Halloween Terror dinner. It was lively and offered superbly elevated bar food.

• Honeysuckle Provisions was a splendid West Philly staple. I say “was” because it just closed. Though it does plan to reopen in early 2025 as a more full-service restaurant. But it is leaving West Philly. Boo!

• Jansen has the finest food in the Northwest. No top 76 in Chestnut Hill? CH has some solid places for sure, but I can’t think of a contender for the Top 76. One of Philly’s premiere neighborhoods needs a couple premier eateries.

• I will give a shout-out to one “suburban” place mentioned in The 76. I put “suburban” in quotes because Lark is literally walking distance from the city. While Manayunk has nary a mention, you can park in MNYK, step over the Pencoyd Bridge, and walk to Lark for an amazing meal. In fact, Bala Cynwyd’s Lark is only walkable from Manayunk. You can’t walk there from anywhere in the suburbs. If you are not familiar with the Pencoyd Bridge, Landing Kitchen, and Lark, you should check it out. It is pretty cool.

• There are a bunch of places from The 76 I plan to try. And a bunch of places I love that did not make the 76. That is why talking Philly food is so much fun.

• And no, I will never refer to it as Philly Phood.

Please share your thoughts on The 76, recommendations, favorite places, or Philly food in general. I would love to hear. I hope you have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Jeff

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