Wendy

My mom and I were in Philly 2 weeks ago as she is having treatment at Fox Chase and will be returning next week again.

Last time we decided to stay close to the hospital at the Doubletree in NE Philly. They offer a free shuttle to FC. Let me just say that this was the most worn down, depressing, dingy hotel I have ever stayed at. The Au Bon Pain in the lobby was out of everything and you had to go on a search for the counter girl as well as the bartender. The front desk was absolutely no help with anything and it took 30 mins. minimum for a cab! Luckily we spent the last night at the Westin (priceline) downtown.

The Westin downtown is wonderful! Service is impressive and of course those Heavenly Beds....

We took the trolley tour and although it was raining it was still ok and gave us an idea of the area. We went to Independance Hall and the Liberty Bell (like the Mona Lisa it is much smaller than I assumed!)

Had dinner at Pasion! A great suggestion made by Henly (I think) here on Fodors. Really good food, service, atmosphere and a great neighborhood.

Cab from the airport to NE Philly was about $60. Cab from the Westin to the airport was about $20.

Next week we are staying at Loews (priceline) and the Omni. I have made us dinner reservations at Fork, Bistro St. Tropez and Davio's. We plan to go to the Rodin Musuem.

Will report back. There will be a 3rd trip so any additional restuarant recommendations are welcome!

Wendy

jjs

other restaurants:

Budakhan (sp?)
Alma de Cuba (sp?)
Brassiere Perriere (sp?)
Le bec fin (1 of 9 or 10 5* restaurants in USA; approx. $200+ for dinner of 2)
Rouge
Zocola (sp?/ mexican)
Striped Bass
Bleu
Capital Grille
Fri, Sat, Sun.(that's the name of this place)
Audrey Claire
there are many good restaurants in PHL

Wendy

Thanks jjs. Some of those are a bit expensive since we are doing so much traveling for the treatments and that is all out of pocket. I really wish we could go to Le Bec Fin I have heard how amazing it is! but I will definately look into some of your other recommendations!

travellyn

Le Bec Fin has a prix fixe meal for lunch that's about $42 per person. Very nice, and more affordable.

Judy

Interesting how the word 'affordable'can mean different things to different people. I have no doubt that the Le Bec Fin prix fixe lunch is a very good value for that restaurant, but I don't really know that the average American would consider it affordable. Especially in this instance since it's not exactly a true vacation spluging situation.

Wendy, can you tell me more about Pasion? Location, food, price, etc. I'd also be interested to hear about Fork after your next trip, as I've heard it's good.

elle

Your mom should be in good hands at Fox Chase--they offer the medical advances and advantages of the larger university hospitals in a much warmer setting. . . sending my wishes for a speedy and total recovery.

Glad to hear that you're able to enjoy the city during what could be a stressful time. Not surprised to hear about the NE Philly Doubletree--NE Philly is not a neighborhood I'd recommend to anyone. It's not dangerous, just dreary.

When you're at the Rodin Museum, you'll be close to the following restaurants (which range from pretty good to well above average):
Jack's Firehouse*--sophisticated, yet down-home American. Lots of meat.
Aspen--eclectic contemporary. Crab cakes, pasta. Good bread. Decent wine list.
Illuminare--Upscale italian--wood-over pizzas, good pasta and seafood. Gorgeous setting.
London Grill*--very decent bar food, good but pricey eclectic menu in resto
Rembrandt's* --again, pub grub in the bar, also with a decent restaurant option
Brigids--homey, inexpensive bistro-style meals. Decent wines, lots of Belgian brews.

(the ones with the * are open for lunch; not sure about the others).

Closer to your hotels, you might try Monk's (Belgian--mussels, frites)
Red Chopstix (Asian-French fusion, BYOB)
Blue Angel (French bistro, good wine list)
Jones (haven't eaten there yet--Brady-Bunch retro 70s style diner w/comfort food)
Thai restaurant (name escapes me) corner of 13th and Locust
Susanna Foo (expensive Fusion cusine, but worth every penny)
Avenue B
Varalli

A bit farther afield (near South Street/Queen Village/Bella Vista)
Tartine--bare bones French, with excellent food, extremely disorganized service (but the food makes up for it)
Beau Monde--Breton creperie with beautiful decor and a fireplace
Morning Glory--diner with the world's most awesome pancakes
Django--another BYOB; IF you can get in. Reservations essential.
Azfrahan (Latin fusion BYOB)
Pif (BYOB, reserve, bistro)

Old City/Northern Liberties:
Il Cantuccio (Italian BYOB)
Chloe (BYOB)
Palette (Bistro)
Pigalle (Bistro)
North 3rd (bistro)
Standard Tap (pub with imaginative food, some decent wines)

West Philly/University City:
Rx (BYOB, also good brunch)
Nan (BYOB, Asian fusion)
White Dog Cafe (American, veggie options, lots of local ingredients, incredible desserts)
Zocalo (upscale Mex)

Hope this helps. . .

elle

RE: Le Bec Fin--try eating at the bar in the basement. The menu is limited but the food is terrific (this is still Le Bec Fin, after all) and relatively inexpensive. A glass of wine, however, will set you back about $9 (yikes!).

When you're at the Omni, you'll be quite close to Novelty (eclectic contemporary). Also, you won't need to worry about Au Bon Pain, because you'll be just about a block and a half away from a branch of Metropolitan Bread, which has great breads, pastries, sandwiches, coffee.

Wendy

Wow you guys! Fantastic suggestions, thanks to all!

Judy - I agree that what is affordable to some is not to others. We are from seattle which also hosts a ton of great restaurants but most are spendy. So $50 a head is normal but the problem is that my mom is insisting on paying for me since I am accompying her. If it were my money we would be having dinner at Le Bec Fin! but I don't want her spending her money on that, I don't know if that makes sense but......

Anyway on to Pasion! This is a great blend of Cuban, Spanish and Latin American foods. Their specialty is ceviche which i adore. We went out on a limb and tried the red snapper with beets and pickled lamb tongue. We were both squeamish to try but I love to experience new tastes so we went for it. WE LOVED IT!!! then we each had a main entree (big portions, fantastic presentation) and shared dessert. 1 glass of wine for mom, 2 for me about $150. Our service was very good! The location was Center City I think they call it. Had to really look for the sign as the windows have those old style thick wood venetian blinds and you can't see in from the street.

http://www.pasionrestaurant.com/

I will report back on Fork as well as check into these new recommendations.

Thanks again for the ideas and well wishes!

erin

Wendy - keep your reservation at Davio's - just had dinner there a few weeks ago and loved it! Menu options for your entree are $15-35 - everthing else is extra. The service is great, and food was phenominal! It is on the 2nd floor, so its neat feeling elevated off the city street. Have a great time, and good luck to your mom.

mms

Just a thought for your third trip - Last year we stayed at the Embassy Suites near the museums and downtown. I have never stayed at a nicer Embassy Suites. Our suite was HUGE. We had a full bedroom with two queen beds, full bath with a nice dressing area. THe living area was at least 300 square feet with nearly a full kitchen, dining table, pull-out queen size couch. It also had a lovely balcony that looked out on the city, plus a full breakfast and a fun happy hour every night - we met some lovely people. All for $79 per night . Anyway just a plug for a very nice hotel.

Wendy

Back from Philly Sat. and wanted to report back since you are all so helpful with advice.

We stayed our first night at Loews Hotel thru Priceline. Had a room on the 28th floor with a great view of the State House. The service at the hotel was great but the room was just so so. Very firm beds, not very big space, bathroom was a bit dark but the towels there are super nice and fluffy. No robes.

Didn't really feel like going out for dinner so we just walked across the street to the Hardrock for soup and salad. Surprisingly good and inexpensive.

Had breakfast at Loews the next day which was really good and then moved to the Omni Hotel. I had signed up for the Select Guest program which allowed us to check in early and have complimentary beverages delivered with the paper each morning.

Our room here was much larger and brighter with a view of Independance Park. Robes in the rooms and no problems with shower pressure which I had seen mentioned before. We were on the 6th floor.

Went to the Rodin Musuem and the Museum of Art- both fantastic! Walked to Brigid's for lunch after which was a great recommendation (thanks Elle). Very small Belgian bistro. We each had lunch and a beer for $20 total!

Dinner that night at Fork. FANTASTIC! We both loved everything about this place. And the price was incredible! We each had a starter, wine (4 glasses total), entrees and shared dessert for $88. And the food was just great! Very local/seasonal ingrediants. Highly recommend!

The next night we ate at Bisto St. Tropez which we also loved. Very traditional French Bistro menu. Good service, unique location at the design center. Mom had the lamb which was really fantastic, I had cassoulet which was better than any I've had in Paris. Shared dessert and wine $66. Wow! We walked over the bridge to the train station to catch a cab back.

Stopped in Buddakan as it was just doors down from the Omni for an appetizer and drink to check it out. Very dramatic inside and great presentation on the food. Will try to eat here next time I'm in town.

Last night dinner at Davio's. This is a very elegant/power dinner type of restaurant. It was an old bank so it's huge with tall ceilings. I have to say that personally I thought the wine list wasn't very good and was really overpriced. The food was great and you get a ton of it! Service was just ok. Our waiter didn't thaw out until I started discussing wine with him, then he was finally a bit friendlier. They bring over a nice anti pasta platter to start so don't order the one on the appt. list! 1 salad, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine and a shared dessert $80.

I'm more than happy to answer any questions.

Wendy

Wendy

Back to Philly for the 3rd and hopefully final time next week. Mom is pretty fatigued from all the treatments and travel so we are only planning on going out 1 night for a yummy dinner. I'm hoping for a bit more info on Susanna Foo's for those of you who have been there. Price for dinner for 2? What about compared to Buddakan? We are staying at Loews this time. Thanks in advance!

Wendy

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jeannie

Susanna Foo is one of my favorite restaurants, although I have not been there in a while (last time was 12/31/1999). Food and service are wonderful.

If you are here on a weekday and you are being considerate of your mom's budget, try Novelty as mentioned earlier. On M-Th they have been having a 3-course fixed price for $25; you order whatever you want from the regular menu. I wasn't too keen on the crabcakes but someone ordered a steak and loved it. (watch out for the tea, though, it's $4!)

I like Audrey Clair - very minimalistic. Only drawback is that the atmosphere works much better in the warm weather.

If you want to try Italian, go to Tres Scalini (translates to '3 steps') in S Philly. Will be a short cab ride, but the food is terrific. I think it's a BYO.

Although I'm a native, my best guide is Zagat's -- my rule of thumb is no place with a food rating of less than 22.

Hope this helps; let me know if you have any more questions, and I hope your mom will be feeling better soon.

Nancy

Susanna Foo's is excellent as well as Buddakan. Susanna's is gourmet chinese and Buddakan is eclectic with a thai influence. You will have an excellent meal at either restaurant. Dinner for 2 can be $100. Susanna's will be quiet and elegant while Buddakan will be jumpin' and fun.

Hope mom's last treatment will be an easy one and on her way to recovery.

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bookhall

Don't know if you all know about chowhound.com. Great resource for foodies, and lots of info on the Phila. restaurant scene....