Has Philly’s Restaurant Scene Topped Out?
Posted by Foobooz on July 12th, 2007
This was a question posed to Craig LaBan in his recent online chat.
With the recent closings of highly regarded restaurants like, Astral Plane, M Restaurant, Pasion, and Pif do you think we could be seeing a downturn in the Philadelphia restaurant scene?
As always, feel free to add your opinion in the comments.
Are we seeing a down trend in local restaurants?
- No (88%)
- Yes (12%)
Total Votes: 66
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July 12th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Absolutely not! Astral Plane and Pasion had gone completely downhill and were terrible places. Pif was too small to be economically viable. As for Restaurant M, it got mediocre reviews which won’t cut it in that neighborhood.
In fact, the closing of Astral and Pasion might actually reflect a higher standard in our dining scene- a standard where the bad or declining restaurants are quickly weeded out. If Astral Plane was the best this city had to offer in the 1970’s, then we have come a long way. I’ll trade these places any day for the newcomers like Osteria, Tinto, and Rae.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Joe’s right. Definitely not. Turnover is not necessarily a bad thing. Fresh blood es bien. Deux cheminees, astral plane and pasion were all stale. Unfortunately, Restaurant M simply had a tough location. And pif was dealing with extenuating circumstances where its chef/owner really wanted/had to focus on his other restaurant.
July 13th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
I ate at Ansill the other night for the first time since David Ansill stepped into the kitchen, and I think it’s better than it’s ever been. If Pif’s closing is the price to pay, that’s OK with me. Restaurant M just needed better marketing, I walked by the place several times before realizing there was even a restaurant there. From their short tenure, I probably wasn’t the only one.