Philadelphia has a diverse food scene, but sometimes a boy just needs to stick to the basics. As much as I love variety in food (and “other things”) I had no trouble hitting pubs with lunch partners three days in a row:
Thursday: Moriarty’s Pub with Craig. Mushroom burger and fries. Boddingtons Pub Ale.
Friday: Good Dog Bar with Hazel. Duck pot pie and blueberry cornbread. Southampton Double White Ale.
Saturday: Race Street Cafe with Joe. Cubano sandwich and fries. Great Divide Chocolate Yeti Imperial Stout.
Best food goes to Good Dog. The duck pot pie is excellent by itself but not quite filling. That’s an excellent excuse for a side of crumbly butter-slathered blueberry cornbread.
Best brew goes to Chocolate Yeti. Rich, dark, and heavy but not too thick in the nose or on the tongue. I must admit, I had two and was feeling the 9.5% ABV on our stroll along the absolutely amazing Race Street Pier 11 Park (which words or pictures cannot do justice).
Honorable mention to Race Street Cafe for getting back on track with their fries. Some kitchen staff changes led to a period of fry inferiority, but they’re back in running for best fries–a competition almost as fierce as the years-running win-win Burger Wars that escalated into open conflict this year on the streets (and grills) of Philadelphia [2011 Burger Brawl].
The only sour note was Boddingtons is no longer on tap at Moriarty’s. I’d normally rate it a solid B, but the canned experience was underwhelming; I’ll have to pay more attention to the draught list next time.