New York Magazine’s Grub Street is going national, launching Sunday in five new markets including Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. It’s a heady sign of the times that Philadelphia was chosen above food cities like New Orleans, Washington DC and Portland.

Kirsten Henri, who has been lending a guiding hand at Foobooz for the last year and a half, will be writing the Philadelphia version of Grub Street.

I’m very happy for Kirsten and much like when she was writing regularly for Foobooz, I will be eagerly awaiting her posts.

Philadelphia’s tide of food blogs has risen again and we’re all the richer for it.

Arthur Etchells
Editor
Foobooz

If you read this site regularly (like I do), you’ll notice something new starting today. Or maybe you’ll notice it once you sober up. My chocolate is all up in foobooz’s peanut butter: Team foobooz has graciously invited me to guest blog for the next few weeks.

You might know me from my foodish work at Philadelphia Weekly. Or you might know me because I went to high school with you and this is Philadelphia and you can’t escape it. Don’t even try.

For those who fear change (like I do), worry not! There’ll be the same weekly features you love, plus more. Let us know what you think of our bloggy experiment.

Kirsten Henri checks out Clementine’s Bistro on East Passyunk and finds an “often lovely” bistro that could use a little more pizazz.

Clementine’s Bistro, a BYOB on Passyunk Avenue that opened last spring, could use a little help in the vibe department. While the food is solid, it’s a shrinking violet in the atmosphere department. It’s positioned itself as a bistro, with all the trappings—a plat du jour, a prix-fixe menu option, a cheese and charcuterie plate—and it’s mostly successful, but it could use a bit more atmosphere.

Oh My Darling, Clementine’s [Philadelphia Weekly]
Clementine’s Bistro [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri takes on Citygrange, a hotel restaurant that promises much more than it delivers.

Then there’s that great middle ground of mediocrity, where Citygrange—the new fresh ’n’ local, farm-forward and allegedly foodie-centric restaurant in the Westin—squats on its irritating corporate haunches, spinning twee commentary on its menu about how it feels “a little warm bread and room temperature butter can cure almost anything.”

Hotel Reservations [Philadelphia Weekly]
Citygrange [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri may be suffering from Italian BYOB overload but there’s no denying Salento’s charms.

A special of homemade ravioli stuffed with ground veal is rich enough on its own, but you’ll need superhuman willpower to push away any of the accompanying truffled cream sauce. The same goes for that highly addictive ricotta gnocchi, lightly crisped from a quick trip to the saute pan and heavily doused with garlic and wild mushrooms. Ciceri e tria—a humble Salentine specialty of ribbons of pasta smeared with crushed chickpeas and garnished with fried pasta—is hearty and workingman-homey.

Gnocchi on Heaven’s Door [Philadelphia Weekly]

Kirsten Henri reviews one of Philadelphia’s true tourist traps, the City Tavern. And surprise, surprise, the German based menu is pretty good. Just don’t let Johnny Goodtimes know she called the Martha Washington Turkey potpie “outstanding.”

Kraut Of This World [Philadelphia Weekly]
City Tavern [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri checks out bistro Coquette Bistro & Raw Bar and finds it the stuff to impress even those not from the neighborhood.

Neff has taken one of Philly’s inexplicably cursed restaurant corners (Fifth and Bainbridge) and banished the bad juju—freshening it up with lots of pressed tin, big windows and tall mirrors painted with witty culinary quotes. An enticing raw bar is piled high with sparkling ice and oysters. An interesting mix of families, old folks and young couples fills the room.

From the complimentary scoop of chicken liver pate served alongside the bread and butter to classic dishes like nicoise salad and steak frites, the food—from Neff, who’s working in the kitchen alongside chef Jeremy Nolan—tips its chapeau to France.

Sexy Bistro [Philadelphia Weekly]
Coquette Bistro & Raw Bar [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri checks out Sabrina’s Cafe & Spencer’s Too, the new sibling of the Italian Market classic.

The menu too is a riff on diner food, much of it the same as at the original. Describing in detail what we ate at Sabrina’s seems pointless. Each dish contains so many ingredients combined together in inexplicable ways (that really shouldn’t work as well as they do) served in such egregiously large portions that it seems improper to analyze.

This is food built strictly for comfort, meant for instant gratification, not for picking apart and considering its individual components. You’re not coming to Sabrina’s for delicate flavors or to challenge your oh-so-refined palate. You’re coming to shove great forkfuls of sugar, butter and cheese down your piehole until your eyes glaze over, your belly bulges and you drop off into a satisfied post-brunchial daze.

Toast of the Town [Philadelphia Weekly]
Sabrina’s Cafe [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri tries the fancy Palace at the Ben for Indian food and finds the food doesn’t match up with the decor.

Some of the food is as delicious as the atmosphere suggests. Lamb pasanda was as good as it gets with tender chunks of garlic-and-yogurt-marinated meat brilliantly flavored with chilies, tomatoes and aromatic black peppercorns. Scooped up with a glorious puff of warm naan or onion kulcha (an onion-stuffed flatbread), it was excellent.

The soft, moist chunks of chicken in a rice-based biryani were fragrant with ginger and saffron, but topped with tomatoes so mealy and wan I’m amazed the chef wasn’t ashamed to let them leave his kitchen in the middle of August.

Naan Compatible [Philadelphia Weekly]
Palace at the Ben [Official Site]

Kirsten Henri visits tiny Little Fish in Queen Village and finds a satisfying surprise.

The room is lovely, with ebony wood paneling that glistens against creamy painted brick walls, but it’s also tiny. Squishy. Cramped, even. If you have issues with personal space, close-talking or eavesdropping, be warned that you’ll likely encounter all three. There’s also an open kitchen that dominates the room. Depending on your temperament (and the girth of the party sitting at the next table) you might find the weeness charming or mildly uncomfortable. But it’s worth braving the close quarters for the food.

And on Sundays Little Fish still has a great deal, 5-course prix fix menu for $28.

Fishful Thinking [Philadelphia Weekly]
Little Fish [Official Site]