I have zero reason for using that headline other than the fact I was recently in Philadelphia for a weekend visit and the Elton John song “Philadelphia Freedom” came to mind.
Moving on swiftly, I didn’t have any dinners with strangers in the City of Brotherly Love but I and two friends got to try some really nice eating establishments.
First up was Jim’s Steaks, which serves up the traditional Philly snack of cheese and steak on a sandwich roll. Jim’s has been in operation since 1939 and is still very popular, as evidenced by the line snaking round the street corner on the Saturday afternoon I paid a visit. You get hustled through the place pretty quickly, but that doesn’t diminish the simple but delicious snack served up. Tender steak, juicy onions, a slathering of Cheez Whiz all combine to make one tasty sandwich.
That night the three of us ate at Portofino, an Italian restaurant that’s been open for more than 35 years. Apparently we were in the mood for visiting long-running places that day. The menu has your traditional Italian restaurant offerings — Chicken Parmigiana, spaghetti, calamari — and a really rather limited wine list. Still, it’s a welcoming place and the food is of consistently high quality. The food also doesn’t feel heavy, so you’re not left in a food coma after dinner.
The next morning, struggling with the joyous combination of a sinus infection and a mild hangover, I sat down with my friends at Crêperie Beau Monde, which specializes in sweet and savory crêpes. My crêpe had fresh berries, Chantilly cream and ice cream, and it was really rather fantastic.
Now I’ll get to work on persuade Beau Monde to open a branch in Washington, DC.