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Philly's 50 Must-Eats
Tongue tacos, Italian milkshakes, candy-coated flapjacks and 47 other delicious foods and drinks you should be tasting right now.
Photographs by Michael Persico
Smoked Marlin
The smoked marlin at Alma de Cuba is like Jesus and Buddha got together to make the world’s best tuna salad using mayo from the fridge of Odin. The driving creative culinary force and originator of “Nuevo Latino” cuisine, chef Douglas Rodriguez, worked Godlike miracles when he conceptualized this dish. The smoky essence of the marlin balanced with the sweetness of the rum and the salty vinegar of the pickled jalapeños all stuffed into cute little crispy-nutty malanga taco shells puts our entire universe in harmony. Alma de Cuba, 1623 Walnut St. 215.988.1799. almadecubarestaurant.com
Blackened Green Beans
We kneel at the altar of the genius who invented blackening spices. And while we’re down there, let us bow our heads in honor of whoever decided to put it on green beans at Grace. Perfectly cooked, crunchy and hot, these tangy beans served with a spiced caper mayo are better than any French fry we’ve ever had. Grace Tavern, 2229 Grays Ferry Ave. 215.893.9580. gracetavern.com
Oxtail
Across the street from 30th Street Station is Denise’s Soul Food Restaurant. The ladies in the pink food truck turn what many butchers demote to the dog bowl into a falling-off-the-bone mouthwatering masterpiece. The oxtail is braised for hours in a gelatinous, beefy liquid that turns the former bovine flyswatter into the savory soul of Caribbean cooking. Denise’s Soul Food Restaurant, 30th and Market sts.
Portobello Cheesesteak
Pat’s, Geno’s, Rick’s, Jim’s, Tony Luke’s: They’ll all do. But when we’re really in the mood for a seriously gourmet steak, we’re heading over to Paolo’s and ordering the Portobello steak. The plump, rosemary-spiked mushrooms soak the fat from the chopped steak, which lends them a bit of its flavor, while gooey provolone provides the backbeat to a song your taste buds will love to sing. Paolo’s Pizzeria, 1336 Pine St. 215.545.2482. paolo-pizza.com
Smoked Mozzarella
There are very few ways to improve upon mozzarella but at Claudio’s they’ve done it with smoked mozzarella. The masters of the cheese-counter up-sell have outdone themselves with this otherworldly smoke-soaked cheese. It’s the best thing to happen to cheese since Wallace & Gromit . Claudio Specialty Foods, 924-926 S. Ninth St. 215.627.1873. claudiofood.com
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1. Rob Pugliese said... on Aug 4, 2009 at 11:29PM
“This list is fantastic...If food is your life, it's good to be alive in Philly. I have had the pleasure of serendipitously sampling some of the goods on this list in the past however this list will be my guide for where I'll be eating for the next few months. First stop is Zahav. I have been meaning to go there for some time and now I know what to order. And I may just have to reserve some of that lamb to enjoy it in the fashion of the Chef Solomonov (in the unlikely scenario that there is some left over). Cheers PW.”
2. tsarstruck said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 08:45AM
“I don't know if they serve bisuits or not, but Golosa is on 6th street, not 8th. Good list, though.”
3. Erica said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 09:19AM
“@tsarstruck
You're right! We've changed it in the online document. Thanks for catching it.”
4. cereal said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 10:49AM
“"Few things are as satisfying as a freshly made Vietnamese hoagie known as Banh Mi—that sexy mix of Vietnamese culinary know-how on warm Italian bread."
Maybe in Philly all they can get are squishy Italian rolls, but Banh Mi are normally made with French bread, i.e. small baguettes. Since it was the French, not the Italians, that colonized Viet Nam, you see.”
5. Jonathan said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 11:27AM
“Your site's Print functionality is messed up for multipage articles. When you go to the Print link, you get a printer-friendly version of just the current page - one of 10. Is the whole site like this?
”
6. Dan said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 12:32PM
“Great list. The Bahn Mi at Royal Tavern should be required eating.”
7. Jackie said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 01:33PM
“one of the best top 50 lists I've seen in a while.... awesome job!”
8. Luke said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 01:54PM
“Very lame that you cannot view or print this article as a single page and instead need to wade through ten different pages.”
9. kcbill13 said... on Aug 5, 2009 at 09:37PM
“Hey, print freak demands, BUY the damn paper if you want a printed list, ya cheap bastards...”
10. Art said... on Aug 6, 2009 at 07:46AM
“Buy the paper? It's free!”
11. kiwijen said... on Aug 6, 2009 at 12:56PM
“Great list. It'll be a pleasure to work my way through it. Shame the photos online aren't labelled or next to the item they go with. It would be nice to know where to find the item whose photo I'm drooling over.”
12. Anonymous said... on Aug 6, 2009 at 07:10PM
“Excellent list. The fact that Chickie's Italian Deli was included totally legitimized the list for me. Their tuna hoagies are a phenom. Ask for long hots on it for an extra jolt!”
13. Wayne Penglase said... on Aug 7, 2009 at 10:40AM
“In quest for a great place to eat, you neglected to mention a great place on Grant Avenue known as Theda Kauffman's. Their food is fresh and fantastic, the staff is second to none. Mike and Nate Kauffman has a diamond of a place down at 1710 Grant Avenue and I feel you shopuld check them out.”
14. rachel said... on Aug 7, 2009 at 02:48PM
“BItars falafel is so much better!”
15. Gene De Lisa said... on Aug 11, 2009 at 07:20AM
“No mention of the best sandwich in the city: Roast Pork Italian from either TL or John's?
No mention of the best dessert in the city: Capogiro?
Also as has been pointed out: Epic fail on your "print view" displaying only the current page. Poor website programming.”
16. capecodphillyfan said... on Aug 14, 2009 at 10:15AM
“BTW, none of the links work.”
17. Hungry Vandal said... on Aug 17, 2009 at 02:25PM
“TACO LOCO, is amazing. An authentic taco stand (albeit a tripped-out RVEE) that sells killer tacos at dirt cheap prices. It is between 4th and 5th on Washington Avenue, in South Phila. The burritos are ginormous and amazing too.!
”