Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey of Phillyist recently left her routine of L2 and the Ten Stone and headed to Grace Tavern at 23rd and South Streets where she tried Grace’s blackened Cajun green beans.

At the suggestion of the L2 bartender, we got burgers. And instead of fries: the blackened cajun green beans. With a spicy remoulade sauce. They were amazing—especially considering that, by the time our food arrived, I was well on my way past tipsy, and food always tastes better with alcohol. Even if it’s crap. These green beans, however? Decidedly not crap. I highly recommend them, even if you’re sober.

There you have it, blackened Cajun green beans, decidedly not crap!

Foodsday Tuesday: Amazing Grace [Phillyist]

Philadelphia bars and restaurants continue to get kudos from national publications.

First it was The Grey Lodge and Southwark being named by Esquire as two of Best Bars in America.

Vetri and Striped Bass cracked Gourmet’s top 50 restaurants. Gayle’s veal stew was named one of the nation’s top ten restaurant dishes of the year by Food & Wine.

Then the Standard Tap and Grace Tavern were featured in Bon Appetit’s January issue on “new American pub food.”

Now McGillin’s Olde Ale House and the Walnut Room have been named in Nightclub & Bar magazine’s top 100 Nightclubs and Bars in the U.S.

Top 100 Nightclubs and Bars for 2007 [Nightclub & Bar Magazine]
McGillin’s Olde Ale House [Official Site]
Walnut Room [Official Site]

Grace Tavern, the “lovingly restored neighborhood bar” now can quench your dessert hankerings with fresh cake. Hot on the heels of being named one of the top gastro-pubs in America by Bon Appetit they have added cake to the menu. Additionally there is now soup available, seafood soup each day we’ve checked.

And Grace Tavern will be opening at noon on Christmas Eve with their second annual Rock and Roll Christmas Eve Bash. Expect cool treats, egg nog, and music from “xmas garage rock” to punk and everywhere in between.

Grace Tavern [MySpace]

Congratulations are in order for the Standard Tap which is heavily referenced in January’s Bon Appetit article on “the New American Pub Food.” Also getting a mention is Grace Tavern. Philadelphia area beers get several plugs as well, with a special nod to Sly Fox.

Sly Fox also got some publicity from Food & Wine Magazine which put Sly Fox’s Phoenix Pale Ale, craft beer in a can at number 11 in their list of “100 Tastes to Try in ‘07.”

Philadelphia received some other love in the “100 Tastes” list as Fork’s yuca and taro fries are mentioned under updated French fries, and chef Marc Vetri’s pizzas at the upcoming Osteria is a taste we are certainly looking forward to as well. [100 Tastes to Try in '07, Food & Wine Magazine]

The James Beard House in New York is getting a taste of Philadelphia this week as Jose Garces of Amada is preparing a Spanish Holiday dinner tomorrow and Michael Duplantis, executive chef of Crescent City will be cooking a Creole Holiday Celebration Dinner on the 23rd. [James Beard Foundation]

Will Delilah’s Southern really replace Bluezette? When Bluezette closed last month it was reported that Delilah Winder’s Old City restaurant and lounge would be reborn Delilah’s Southern. But it turns out the spot had been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy since last January and was recently converted to Chapter 7, which requires the liquidation of equipment and assets. [Inqlings, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Head to Grace Tavern for a Yards tasting and giveaway. There’ll even be an appearance by the Yards hermaphroditic exotic dance team. Beers T.B.A. We here at Foobooz have no idea what the Yards hermaphroditic exotic dance team is, but we’re sure we don’t want to miss it.

Aroundphilly.com lists their top beer joints in Philadelphia. And instead of going with the obvious Belgian spots Eulogy and Monks, the list is made up of a “few off-the-beaten path finds for better beers and an all-around positive imbibing experience.”

• Black Door – “a bar shines like a jewel in the crown of Queen Village.”
• South Philadelphia Tap Room – “a more uptown-type corner bar has risen to offer some of the best beers around.”
• McMenamin’s Tavern – “this bar beacons to all in this comfortably diverse quarter and serves as a meeting spot for suburbanites and locals alike.”
• The Khyber – “Few rock bars offer as discerning a beer list as Old City’s long-time place to play it loud.”
• Grey Lodge Pub – “Northeast folks continue to give thumbs up to this Bridesburg pick for up-market brews.”

Foobooz adds to the list after the jump.

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In Praise of the Gastropub
Kirsten Henri echoes a common sentiment of Foobooz in her praise of the gastropub. Whether it be the Royal Tavern, South Philly Tap Room, North 3rd, or the Standard Tap, there’s great food in them pubs.

I think the places that have the best, truest atmosphere in Philly, that succeed in feeling absolutely right, that achieve the perfection where other swankier restaurants fail, are the gastropubs. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the city’s blue-collar heart, but places like Standard Tap and Grace are pitch-perfect in ways that high-profile restaurants in the city aren’t. Instead of trying to follow somebody else’s lead, they’re focused on themselves, getting the details just right and moving forward along their own path.