Morgan's Pier

221 N. Columbus Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 279-7134
Website

Now that the weather has (slowly) come back around, Morgan's Pier opened last Thursday for its second season. The first year was undoubtedly a great success for the business, but the food left a lot to be desired.

This time they've made substantial improvements to their kitchen staff, and presumably, the menu(s). With a crew of talent that includes the ex-chef from Stateside (George Sabatino), there are a few others in there who've come by way of Barbuzzo (which will undoubtedly continue to be a feeder). With that being known, I went in with some pretty great expectations.

The menu has been broadened to include a slew of vegetarian-friendly options, but they've also stuck with a selection of outdoor-BBQ-meets-bar-food that's very reminiscent of last summer's offerings. I was a little surprised. I was expecting more. Or maybe just more of a difference in selections.

But, before I go on, I will mention that there is a raised section of seating that's essentially the "dining room." There's nothing "room" about it, as the entire establishment is open air, with the only enclosures including the kitchen and rest rooms. It's lightly fenced-in and has it's own pre-fixe menu. For $30 you get to choose one each from a selection 5 apps, 4 entrees and with an optional surcharge, you can order from the raw bar. Not sure that I'll get around to all that, but the diners seemed happy up there.

Down on the lower level, we started with the carrot & shaved snap pea salad with ginger dressing. This was actually very good. Refreshing and crisp, it was very well presented and the ginger dressing was right on the money (think sushi-spot house salad).

Here are the cheesy kale croquettes. Another good presentation, albeit a small one. I guess for $5, I expected at least 5 balls? Is that too much to ask? The more the merrier.

They were small, but pretty delicious.

The deep-fried shell gives way to an aged cheddar sauce littered with sultry wilted kale, served over dabs of romesco. I liked them, but wouldn't order them again, unless they up the ball count.

I had to try a sandwich, of course. With a fairly limited menu, my options were whitefish salad, pulled BBQ chicken, bacon (pork belly, I assume) or burger. I was feeling like some hearty beef, so I got the latter.

It's served with a house-made american cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and "thousands of islands" with a side of paper-thin mixed potato chips. The chips literally disintegrate upon hitting your tongue. Salty deliciousness.

I ordered it medium, and was pleasantly surprised when it came out closer to medium-rare. Cooking a burger to temperature at an establishment whose kitchen is serving as many as 200 people can be a tricky call - but they nailed it. The burger was well seasoned with such an amazing caramelized char on the outside, I had to remind myself that there was no bacon on there. The aforementioned dressing seemed to be lacking, but it wasn't even necessary. This burger's definitely worth recommending.

All in all, I love Morgan's Pier for the atmosphere. Not to mention the fact that PBR's are always $2.50 - that's the best deal on the menu. I wish the other items came closer to that kind of 'affordability' but I also understand that when you've cornered the market on riverside deck bar/restaurant/music venue for the younger crowd, there's a price we'll have to pay.

Dave & Buster's

325 North Columbus Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 413-1951
Website

Although it is out of my general purview of locations to serve the general purpose of this website, I am never one to turn down a free experience. Especially when there are video games, sports, beer, and bar food involved. When I was recently asked to check out the interior upgrades and new menu additions at Dave and Buster’s, I was pretty damn excited.

I had actually been there somewhat recently, but was unaware of the dramatic transformation that had recently been undertaken.

I can honestly say, if there were a sporting event worth watching in this town in the near future, I would consider this as a viable possibility. The size and amount of new TV’s is almost a joke. Certain to elicit involuntary orgasmic outcrys from dyed-in-the-wool sports fans.

Seriously, there is an awesome set of TVs about everywhere you look.

We decided to forgo the traditional dining room for a seat at the bar, with college basketball and ice hockey (damn you NHL) as far as the eye could see. As this was a Friday night, the new appetizer sampler seemed to be calling my name, especially when I'd be coupling it with a pint of Dog Fish Head 60 Minute (or 5). This platter is the size of a small desk and is flush with wings, fried shrimp, pigs in a blanket, a chicken quesadilla, and homemade potato chips. If that doesn’t equate to bar food, then a drop of fermented beverage will never again touch these lips. Our bartender, Russel, was on point and left us wanting for nothing. Even multiple requests (as are usual accompaniments to my eating habits) like a side of the sauce from this other appetizer or yet another beer, were met with a disarming smile and at times, a fantastic recommendation.

Enter The 5:15. "The 5:15 was made for you and your crew, out of the office at last and looking for a good time. You'll get 5 Buffalo Wings with your choice of Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressing; 5 Chicken Quesadilla Wedges with salsa; 5 Pretzel Dogs; and 5 Crispy Fried Shrimp with spicy habanero sauce; complete with a stack of fresh BBQ potato chips. Because work sucks. And freedom tastes good."

That said, I have to start with the bad. The pigs in a blanket were unpalatably salty. And I LOVE salt. There was a seasoning sprinkled on the blankets (atop an already sodium-rich snack) that, in turn, elevated it to salt-lick status. I also would have humbly suggested serving them with some sort of mustard dip. It would add some acidity to cut the salty, fatty flavor that makes these such a classic party food. The wings were solid, nothing spectacular, but definitely something I would order again. Especially if I were watching some type of athletic event on the aforementioned television encirclement.

The quesadilla was again, fine, all of the things one would expect. Crispy tortilla, melted cheese, tender chicken, spices.

The shrimp were delicious, but growing up with a background that forbade letting a single piece of seafood go uneaten, I could eat any kind of fried ocean goer and be content.

Perhaps the most interesting twist of the evening came in the form of the potato balls that were recommended by Russ, the bartender. The tiny fryer basket they were served in was lucky to not leave with me. Someone may have called it "cute." The potato balls were crispy, not overly salty, and creamy inside. I would have appreciated the inclusion of a dipping sauce or two, but these were like an adult(ish) version of tots, and with fresh parsley they tasted fine alone. But I will also say that the 5:15 had an abundance of dipping potential, so there was some mix-and-match happening. Highly recommended.

I also had the good fortune to receive a few gaming cards pre-loaded with enough credits to play a significant amount of video games. I had Rounders style luck on one of them, but I won’t say which.

We headed back along the winding walkway – this place is humungous – and entered the ultimate fun center.

There is another bar back here, so fear not, your drinks can continue to flow.

The games go for days.

And so do the tickets... if you're good.

I definitely had a great time at Dave & Busters, (my beer tab certainly must have reflected that), and it had more to offer than I was expecting. The food was passable, but the environment for hanging out and watching the game was quite impressive. One of the issues with watching sports in Philly is that the places with nice TV’s are filled with people who suck, and the places you want to hang at and drink for cheap have shitty TV’s. Dave and Buster’s has enough space to not be crammed in with a few thousand frat boys, and the TV’s are nice enough to make curling interesting. Not to mention, as we were informed by the bartender, they routinely have local professional athletes show up of their own accord, so who knows, you could be watching the Sixers with Jason Peters.

Johnny's Hots

1234 North Delaware Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 423-2280

Johnny's Hots stands out like a red beacon on North Delaware Ave, across from Penn Treaty Park. Famous for its greasy breakfast, hot sausages, and Philly surf and turf (a hotdog and fishcake combo), they are decidedly not a health food spot.

The menu is pretty basic, they offer the above mentioned items, plus cheesesteaks and a few other old school staples.

I was originally planning on the hot sausage-fishcake combo, but something went awry in the ordering process and I ended up with the hot dog-fishcake-fishcake combo.

This sandwich comes with split, grilled dogs, fried fishcakes, and pepper hash, a Philly tradition. It is pretty decent, but unfortunately does not stand up to my new favorite, over at Hot Diggity. It is nice to see the traditional surf and turf kept alive, but it lacked some of the finesse of my reigning favorite. A lot of bread and it was tough to include all of the components in most bites.

I also tried the bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. Served on a kaiser roll, this was a hearty breakfast.

The bacon was plentiful, crispy, and delicious. The eggs were good, and the cheese was prevalent. I added hot peppers and hot sauce, as I love the pickled, spicy flavor in conjunction with eggs and salty bacon. This was a pretty good breakfast sandwich, and will most likely hold you over for a late lunch.

I like this place because it's a tradition, but it's definitely not my favorite place to eat. I have yet to try their hot sausage and cheesesteak, which will give me a more accurate view of my overall opinion.