Adam Erace likes the look of Kong. The rest of it, not so much.

In October, Philadelphia magazine tore up Kong like fresh meat at the county jail, so I waited longer than I normally would before scoping it out. But time apparently does not heal all wounds. From the jasmine iced tea so bitter it must’ve steeped for a dynasty to the gelatinous coconut rice pudding, there were so many problems with Kong I’m not even sure where to start.

Kong [Philadelphia Weekly]
Kong [Official Site]

Grub Street has the deets on Modo Mio’s new family style Sunday dinner. We’re most happy that it means another night to eat at the Girard Avenue Italian BYOB.

Sugo Sundays Coming to Modo Mio [Grub Street]
Modo Mio [Official Site]

Lari Robling has a better Northern Liberties experience than Craig LaBan did at Kong when she visits Koo Zee Doo, a Portuguese BYOB.

With its emphasis on sausage and seafood, Portuguese cuisine isn’t known for being vegetarian-friendly, but Gilberg does manage to make this soup vegetarian as well as offer a fried corn porridge with fennel, fava and green beans that is vegan.

Me, I’m going for as much of the chorizo sausages that Gilberg can get from his source in Newark, N.J. He gets many products from Portugal – such as the olive oil and sea salt – but the meats are as authentic, fresh and sustainable as he can get.

Northern Liberties Koo Zee Doo BYOB offers Portuguese cuisine [Philadelphia Daily News]
Koo Zee Doo [Official Site]

Craig LaBan has an off-kilter set of experiences at Michael O’Halloran’s Kong in Northern Liberties.

There were a handful of modest successes: a bright arugula salad tossed with crisply fried squid, some pretty dumplings filled with lamb and pickled eggplant, a mound of crispy rock shrimp in wasabi mayo with sweet-and-spicy walnuts, and a plate of deep-fried asparagus, though these also came with yet more of that gooey sesame-hoisin as a dip.

At the time, I wasn’t necessarily pondering how many bells. For Kong, I was thinking about a gong.

Some of those initially clumsy flavors had been smoothed out enough by my second visit to taste a glimmer of hope. By then, it seems, O’Halloran had taken over the nightly kitchen reins at Kong himself and sent his chef de cuisine back to Bistro 7.

One Bell – Hit or Miss

Kong [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Kong [Official Site]

Adam Erace tries out the pizzas at Tiffin Etc. hoping for a food epiphany like he had the first time he tried Tiffin’s Vindaloo. Unfortunately he finds that pizza and Indian toppings aren’t the amazing partners he had hoped.

I can respect appetite outreach programs. But I wonder if it isn’t better to charm virgins with introductory-level dishes like murg makhani, rather than recasting the recipes in an adulterated form. On one pie, the butter chicken—Tiffin does it 
extraordinarily well—mingled with mozzarella and subcontinent-spiced tomato sauce shining with ghee. On another, cilantro-mint pesto was a green lawn for gingery minced lamb interspersed with more mozzarella and peas. The ingredients worked, and the crust was fine if a bit oily, but with each slice it became more evident: Pizza just isn’t the best vehicle for these flavors.

Tiffin Etc. [Philadelphia Weekly]
Tiffin [Official Site]

On Monday nights every bottle of wine at Bar Ferdinand is half-price. Get there early, happy hour is 4:30 to 6:30 and features half-priced sangria, select drafts and Claricot.

Bar Ferdinand [Official Site]

The most expensive burger in town has been the Whiskey King at Jose Garces’ Village Whiskey but starting next Wednesday, you’ll be able to pay more for the World F*cking Champion burger at P.Y.T.

In time for game one of the World Series Tommy Up will be debuting an 8 ounce venison patty topped with foie gras and served with sweet potato chips and a sparkler for $25.

In other P.Y.T. related news, Mac & Cheese gives a run down on the veggie and boozy options at the Northern Liberties burger lounge.

PYT [Mac & Cheese]
Tommy Up [Twitter]
P.Y.T. [Official Site]

Koo Zee Doo has opened on 2nd Street between Spring Garden and Fairmount. The BYOB is named for the phonetic spelling of cozida a Portuguesa, a traditional Portuguese stew. The menu will of course be Portuguese and feature small bites, soups, salads, family style specialties and a section dedicated to grilled meats.
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The Swift Half has been steadily expanding its menu since opening this Spring. Check out the latest incarnation of the menu after the jump.

And don’t forget, on Mondays Swift Half offers half-pints for $2.
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Meal Ticket has the latest menu from Peter McAndrews’ Modo Mio.Among the items we’ll be considering the next time we hit up the Girard Avenue BYOB are:

• cannellono — crispy crab-stuffed prosciutto di Parma, asparagus & almonds
• gnoccho — crispy fried potato dumpling stuffed with foie gras and chicken liver, orange-fennel mostarda, shaved gorgonzola
• tortelloni — butternut squash-stuffed large navels, sage butter, amaretti
• anatra “all’apicio”— roasted duck leg, chestnut honey, spices, cunja
• guancia — braised beef cheek, salsa passito, crispy polenta, golden raisin gremolata

The menu turista , which features an antipasto, pasta, secondo and dolce for $33 is still available and one of the best deals in town.

Seasonal menu changes at Modo Mio [Meal Ticket]
Modo Mio [Official Site]