Robert Drake's Blog (8)

In a recent restaurant review on Yelp.com - someone wrote: ...The last time I was here it was an agonizing wait; granted it was a Friday evening but still for arriving at 7:40 and for 3 people to not be seated until 9 is just crazy. Maybe I would have gone elsewhere if they had been honest about the wait time, but they said 20 min... My open question: In that situation, how long would YOU wait? Would you wait at all? I'm curious to read your thoughts - so please click and share your com… Continue

No - I'm not demanding that you knock Philly - heaven knows it's been knocked around enough! I finally had the time to check out Knock Restaurant for dinner a couple weeks ago - and thought I'd share my two cents. First some backgroun… Continue

My partner and I stopped into Fado last night after a day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It had been well over a year since my last visit - but we were simply craving burger-food, so we figured this was good as any. Stop The Presses! Upon settling into our table, our server hands us brand-spanking-new menus; literally 24-hours old.… Continue

Fine dining without draining your bank account - that is the XIX experience. What was once Founders at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel - which was the place where red velvet curtains and stuffy chairs went to die - XIX has been transformed into a clean, soothing dining room overlooking the Avenue of the Arts from its 19th floor location within the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue. Now, dining in t… Continue

Chloe is a hidden treasure buried within Old City! Chloe began seven years ago when Dan Grimes and Mary Ann Ferrie decided to form their own restaurant - after years of working together at The Latest Dish. The found a wonderful spot - tiny in size - but perfect in atmosphere. The place is candlelit to a warm glow and it is the interaction between the dining cu… Continue

Ahhh... The Dish. My kitchen away from home for so many years that it almost goes without saying just how much I love the food within these walls! The Latest Dish opened in 1997 and was an instant hit - the food was freshly prepared and served with a smile and a bit of sass to boot! The kitchen became famous for two things; incredi… Continue

WOW. My partner John and I have dined at Las Bugambilias several times - and not once have we been disappointed! It began upon returning from a trip - we decided to not go to the regular haunts - but instead walk around a bit and see if there was anything new to try - - one of the advantages of living in the Society Hill / South Street regi… Continue

For my first entry on Philly Grub, I wanted to talk about The Ugly American - direct from the 1958 bestseller, the bar/restaurant located just south of Washington Avenue on Front Street has become an oasis for those who might not want to stroll 5-10 minutes north to the Bella Vista / South Street district. My partner and I have dined at The Ugly Am… Continue