Restaurant Blog - Chowbaby.com

by Genevieve Wheeler

POD

3636 Sansom Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Step into a vision of the future eat at Pod! Sidle up to the hi-tech sushi bar, where a conveyor belt carries delectable, Pod-exclusive morsels such as U-Love Salmon and BBQ Eel Wrap from the kitchen. Sip great sake as Japanese animation flashes across six screens. Snuggle up with some good pals in one of the restaurant’s signature seating pods. Once inside, choose from nine switches of different colored lights to match your mood. Pod was designed by the Rockwell Group, which designed Nobu in New York. Chef Naoki Uchiyama, who once worked with the great Wolfgang Puck, thrills the taste buds with sushi creations while people lounge on a giant foam sculpture that seats around 50.

by Genevieve Wheeler
KINGDOM OF VEGETARIANS - Vegan
129 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 413-2290
Hours: (Sun-Sat) 11 am - 11 pm
Another Chinatown gem is the Kingdom of Vegetarians, a kosher vegan establishment that will thrill diners with the huge array of dishes that span its regular and dim sum menus. Let lively owner Ming usher you into a world of dizzying flavors. Mock meat versions of Chinese food favorites are available, such as sesame “chicken.”  A must-try is house specialty Jumbo Walnut Shrimp (fried “shrimp,” candied walnuts, and broccoli).

by Adam Erace

SABRINA’S CAFÉ
910 Christian St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 574-1599

It might be easier to get into Wharton than into this insanely popular Bella Vista brunch spot on a Sunday. Manage to snag a prime al fresco perch among the Bella Vista yuppies and shih-tzu puppies on the rickety patio furniture, and the friendly tattooed waitresses will bring Fluffy a bowl of water and you a steaming mug of La Colombe. The cups don’t match, the tables wobble, and the multiple rooms feel like a cruel fun house when nursing a Saturday night hangover, but it’s all part of Sabrina’s quirky charm. Stick to the inspired blackboard specials; the ever-changing stuffed French toast—dressed with amaretto-laced peaches one day and vanilla-honeysuckle syrup another—is highly addictive.

 by Genevieve Wheeler

LA FAMIGLIA RISTORANTE
8 South Front Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 922-2803
La Famiglia Ristorante’s elegant, refined atmosphere and pricey menu make it one of the more upscale Italian venues in town. The Sena family first opened the restaurant, set in a colonial tea warehouse, in 1976 and have been serving their gourmet Italian cuisine ever since. Recommended dishes include Malfati alla Sena, homemade spinach ricotta dumplings in a creamy eggplant smoked salmon sauce, and Gamberi in Salsa d’ Aragosta, fresh shrimp sautéed with brandy in creamy lobster sauce. After dinner, sample one of LaFamiglia’s wide variety of grappas, try the heavenly tiramisu, or tour their
impressive wine cellar.