The National Constitution Center on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, PA; photo courtesy: PHL CVB
The Continental begat the city’s incompa- rable Buddakan,which begat a Buddakan in NYC. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto joined Starr’s tasty fray, and so did NYC’s Peter
Serpico.And so on…
No, Stephen Starr didn’t invent
Philadelphia’s culinary renaissance. He simply gave it kitsch, a cool soundtrack, and hundreds of talented chefs,managers and staffers to keep it all moving the city onward and upward.
Ice Cream inWinter? –
Always too busy doing that Point A to Point B thing while in Old City, I always found the summertime lines in front of the Franklin Fountain to be way too long to dedicate myself to a forty-five minute wait. Now, in wintertime, I wander in and it’s still packedwith customers - the sign of a great ice cream parlor!
This is not a '50s style malt shop. The Franklin Fountain is like something you’d find in the 1920s - a painted tin ceiling, slow-spinning fans, a big brass cash regis- ter with its resounding CHA-ching! Hair bonnet’d lady soda jerks dolloping out hand-crafted ice creams, house made syrups, ice creams - My two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream (served in a
68 January February 2015
Chef PeterWoolsey (he owns the intimate French boite, Bistrot La Minette in the Queen Village section of the city) took a chance by opening La Peg in 2014, a “French-ish” brasserie at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Besides being a super-cool industrial space with dramatic views of the river and serving comforting fare and a cadre of craft beers,wines and cocktails,La Peg is notable for its physical attachment to FringeArts, a performance space featuring local actors and avante garde theater.
I duck in and scope the casually-sophisti- cated scene; the industrial-chicness of the building, and see a place offering untold promise, and a venue that’s completely new to the city’s events-producing arena.
Breakfast is a Hoot –
I start my next morning at the contempo- rary-to-the-max Hotel Monaco. This Kimpton property is one of Philly’s newer lodging operations. Its situation in the
glass parfait cup and not in a paper cup) are chunked with fat flecks of real dark chocolate. This parlor is the realest of ice cream deals in the country!
On the Fringe –
heart of the Historic District - a few blocks from Center City - makes it a natural draw for travelers and corporate types; the Happy Hour crowd,and hungry breakfast- goers like me who are craving a fulfilling, if not health-conscious, start to the day within the Red Owl Tavern.
I had never set foot into this cozily-indus- trial space. I snarf down a couple cups of coffee and enjoy a light Continental breakfast as I began Day Two as a tourist in my hometown.
All throughout my sojourning along the city’s streets, I come across distinctive, teal jacketed ambassadors who represent Philadelphia’s Center City District. One able agent stops to ask me if I need help. When I inquire about The Phlash – the city’s tourist-attraction-hitting bus, he tells me how to catch it and divulges its amaz- ingly cheap cost:“Two dollars for one-way; Five dollars to ride all day.Hop on and off whenever you want to!”
Thus, I Phlash my way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“Fly Rocky, Fly!” –
Not-so-arguably, the city’s crown jewel is the Philadelphia Museum of Art.With its
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