Foodaphilia eats the fish and chips at the Aspen in Fairmount and is brought back to Friday night fish fries in Wisconsin.

The fish is white, flaky, moist and just perfect with a hit of lemon juice or some malt vinegar (I’m not into that so much). In an attempt to mimic traditional English Fish and Chips, the fries are just a bit bigger, and are crispy. At just $10, the price is better than expected.

Aspen [Foodaphilia]
Aspen Restaurant [Official Site]

It hasn’t been an easy first year for the Water Works Restaurant. Floods , chef changes and middling reviews have all haunted the restaurant behind the Art Museum at the Fairmount Water Works. But now a year later things are starting to go right.

If you sit down with owner Michael Karloutsos, you can almost feel the post-traumatic stress. But drop by on a whim for lunch, the river twinkling below, and encounter the welcoming embrace of André Darwish, his eyes dancing, his linen suit just-so dapper, and, behold: You hear, afresh, the music of the place.

Darwish (like the Water Works itself) has come out of retirement, bored by days without opportunity for florid greeting and gracious seating, his stock in trade as a former maitre d’ at haute Le Bec-Fin. So before we order, before we fully register the newer touches – white tablecloths on the cafe tables on the veranda, imported shade umbrellas that twist in the wind (the better to avoid keeling over) – he sweeps an arm across the expanse of the Schuylkill, and the curl of waterfalls, and the silent freight tracks in the distance, and offers in a French accent heavy with affection and local pride: “Look, you are in Europe here, not in Philadelphia!”

A year later, it’s the place to be [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Waterworks Restaurant [Official Site]

The intrepid Audrey and Mark take to Fairmount for a date behind bars. After visiting Eastern State Penitentiary they duo heads to Mugshots for coffee. Then it’s small plates at Rembrandt’s followed up with a chocolate banana and soft-serve icecream at Philly Flavors.

Cheap Dates Goes To Jail [UWISHUNU]
Eastern State Penitentiary [Official Site]
Mugshots Coffee House & Cafe [Official Site]
Rembrandt’s [Official Site]

Paesano burger and scampi pizza for lunch at Rembrandt’s.

Rembrandt’s In The Rain [Foodaphilia]
Rembrandt’s [Official Site]

if you’re looking to try out Fairmount’s neighborhood sushi spot you’ll do well to remember the refrain, keep it raw.

The entrees are underwhelming, especially when compared with the sushi. Best is a yellowtail cheek, the moist flesh under a teriyaki glaze a bit difficult to pick out from the cartilage, but ultimately rewarding. The mound of dry, almost powdery, mashed kabocha (Japanese squash) it’s served with less so. Sauteed scallops are gritty and drowning under a heavy champagne-saffron sauce that resembles a tired hollandaise. Pad thai is bland, and the jumbo shrimp it’s tossed with are dense and unpleasant. The difference between these dishes and the sushi bar items is vast.

Raw Power [Philadelphia Weekly]
Umai Umai [Official Site]

This Wednesday Goji Restaurant at 2001 Hamilton Street will be presenting a sake tasting and food pairing featuring noted sake brewer, Kan Yamazaki.

Goji Restaurant [Official Site]

Rich Arnold, wine maker for Robert Mondavi Winery will be hosting a wine dinner at The Museum Restaurant at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday, May 4, 2007.The five-course dinner, paired with white wines from the Robert Mondavi winery will begin at 6 PM. The cost is $85 for museum members and $95 for non-members.

Museum Restaurant [Philadelphia Museum of Art]

Kirsten Henri braves an ice storm to check out L’Oca, Fairmount’s Italian BYOB. She finds the restaurant “fair to middling.”

I’d say the neighborhood has taken to the BYOB. But for those who don’t live locally, L’Oca is less of a draw. It serves some decent fare, but nothing that elevates it beyond the middle of the Italian BYOB pack. The kitchen seems to have timing issues and the service, though friendly, makes amateur missteps.

Homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and drizzled with brown butter, toasted walnuts and sage leaves are savory and nutty—and hard not to like. As are the short ribs—fork-tender meat colored with layers of mellow sweetness. It’s a homely heap of beef that’s reaped all of the benefits of being braised with balsamic vinegar and red wine.

Port in a Storm [Philadelphia Weekly]

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is hosting a wine tasting Friday, April 6th from 6 to 8 PM. Tasting Color – An Exploration of the Wine Spectrum will feature sommelier Marnie Old guiding attendees through color’s role in wine. Learn how different grapes have distinctive color and flavor synergies. Cost is $49 per person and includes tax, gratuity and Museum admission.

Philadelphia Museum of Art [Official Site]

Discovering a gem. Sometimes we get caught up in the hunger for what’s the latest and greatest restaurant in town, but it’s good to remember there are lots of places that have been putting out quality food for years. Places like the Rose Tattoo Cafe.

Rose Tattoo is really kind of fantastic. It’s been around for years, so you don’t see much about it in local media often, and I’d never really paid much attention to it, but now I’m a convert.

The entrees are a little pricey, but are nicely sized and always creatively presented. The salads and appetizers are large enough in combination that you can get away with them for your whole meal and leave feeling full. My favorite duo is the arugula salad followed by a big bowl of steamed mussels. The desserts are also beautiful and abundant. This would be a great place to go as your final stop of the evening, to share a dessert with a friend or a date over coffee or a drink.

Rose Tattoo Cafe–good food, amazing desserts [Metroblogging]
Rose Tattoo Cafe [Official Site]