David Snyder finds that South Philadelphia’s Lucky 13 Pub is dishing out some good grub.

I appreciated that Johnson paired a sausage and peppers app with a minty couscous, but it was the depth of flavor in his herbed tomato broth, along with the deliciously spicy merguez from D’Angelo Bros., that made this dish special. I liked the contrast of the rich tempura batter on the Mexican wild shrimp against the bitter orange zest in the glaze. Johnson deserves props not only for putting a sustainable seafood choice like bluefish on the menu, but also for taming its oily texture with a crispy cumin and coriander rub and a tangy puttanesca-style sauce.

Luck of the Draw [City Paper]
Lucky 13 [Official Site]

Novitra Bistro brings another Italian BYOB to Philadelphia, albeit with hints of Morocco. City Paper’s David Snyder suggest that maybe that’s what they should focus on.

[Chef/co-owner Hassan] Zanzoul, a native Moroccan, cut his teeth cooking in Italy for roughly 10 years before attending the French Culinary Institute. And, much like the décor of this 36-seater — artwork featuring Italian and French street scenes alongside Moroccan pots nestled discreetly in dark corners — the menu reflects a triumvirate of influences. “My menu is very open for everybody,” Zanzoul said.

But homogeneity has its price. I understand why restaurants continue to be tempted to employ the Italian BYOB model — somehow, after all of these years, it still works. But many Philadelphians are looking for an antidote to the formula. And it’s disappointing to see something that could help to meet that need — a stand-alone Moroccan place, perhaps? — be diluted by more of the same.

Missing Morocco [City Paper]

David Snyder learns it’s the ingredients that are the special ingredient at Ekta.

“Garam masala,” Bhattarai cited when asked about the ingredients in the dishes I ate. This spice blend is very common in Indian cuisine. But what is unique about Ekta’s, I learned after some gentle prodding, is that Bhattarai makes it from scratch by blending more than 10 different components, including coriander, black and green cardamom and star anise. “It’s hard,” Bhattarai told me, “but it brings real good flavor and good taste.”

The Magic Powder [City Paper]

David Snyder has one of the most exotic meals of his life as he dines on duck tongue, jellyfish and more at Wokano in South Philadelphia.

But the most challenging dish, by far, was the fried pig intestine. Four-inch-long tubes are sliced in half and marinated in a secret sauce, deep-fried and colored to give the crispy skin a bright red hue. The flavors, at first, were deceptively pleasant — a sweet and spicy blend akin to a light barbecue sauce. Even the texture, in comparison to some of the other dishes, was relatively benign. But the unrelenting aftertaste — which can only be described politely as an unholy decay — was so profoundly haunting that the experience will never be far from my thoughts. Whether it was in spite of or because of the finish, though, a number of us still went back for seconds.

But don’t worry, there’s safer things on the “American” menu.

Wokano Wild Side [City Paper]

David Snyder dines at Joseph Poon’s newest restaurant, Joe’s Peking Duck Original 1984. And the name isn’t the only mouthful as the portions overwhelm.

But what stands out most at Joe’s is how generous Poon is with the portions — especially for lunch. The duck pizza’s soft ginger, scallion and cilantro crust comes buried beneath a mountainous nest of sweet, savory meat. A deep bowl of soup teems with heroic chunks of sweet roast pork, bok choy and shrimp-stuffed wontons.

The Lovin’ Poon-ful [City Paper]
Joseph Poon [Official Site]

David Snyder visits the bare Root on on Spring Garden Street and finds that chef Christopher Hora is doing local right.

But Hora doesn’t even need anti-décor décor to get people to focus on his food. As one would guess from his restaurant’s name, he uses fresh, local ingredients. “It makes no sense why anybody would do it any other way,” explains the California native, whose family owned a farm in that state growing up. Indeed, it’s tiresome to hear restaurants brag about going fresh and local given how ubiquitous the practice has become. But what I like about Hora’s cooking is that fresh and local is not treated as a goal or a gimmick. Rather, it’s merely a launching point from which Hora builds complex yet accessible flavors in bold, refreshing ways.

His Dark Materials [City Paper]
Root [Official Site] 

After the jump take a look at Root’s updated Fall menu.

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David Snyder goes Yugoslavian this week as he reviews Jovan’s Place in Kensington.

Sure, the wait was longer than average. But there aren’t many restaurants like this around anymore, which helped me realize that there are likely very few meals like this in my future. So settle into your chair, let Joe pour you a Kenzinger and enjoy your time at Jovan’s. Like the menu says: It’s worth it.

Love Slav [City Paper]

David Snyder dines at Kite & Key off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and finds a place where the food hasn’t caught up to the beers.

The kitchen, on the other hand, doesn’t complete the circuit. Spicy pineapple wings, served with a puzzling “nest” of pickled carrots, showed up nearly petrified. Pan-fried crab cake sliders, too, had little flavor, though the accompanying gazpacho was refreshing. I enjoyed the house seafood seasoning that flavored moist tilapia in the grilled fish tacos, but an out-of-place Asian slaw topper gave them an unpleasantly soggy texture. I was into the roast pork loin sandwich despite the broccoli rabe coming out under-sautéed.

Higher Ground [City Paper]
Kite & Key [Official Site]

David Snyder reviews Jose Garces’ colorful Distrito.

Dual themes of playfulness and sophistication are echoed in Distrito’s menu. Garces and his chef de cuisine, Tim Spinner, who formerly helmed Garces’ Amada, turn out dishes that are festive while still retaining a sense of tradition. Dig underneath it all, though, and you’ll be wowed by layers of elegant, complex flavor. It’s this harmonious juxtaposition of fun and fancy that makes the fare so inspired.

Who is that masked man? [City Paper]

David Snyder takes aim at Da Vinci on Passyunk Avenue and likes the staff but doesn’t have a lot of nice things to say about the food.

The Vitello Giovinetta, or veal rollantini, was overwhelmed by dried oregano. House-made gnocchi with pesto were heavy and bland. I could actually taste the chicken stock used in the Penne con Porcini Salsiccia e Melenzane, a pasta with porcini mushrooms and ground pork in tomato sauce. The fine grind of the dense pork sausage in the Salsiccia Grigliata reminded me of an aluminum-trayed Salisbury steak TV dinner.

Groan-a Lisa [City Paper]