#2 Phoebe's Bar-B-Q - Sandy's synopsis

*Spoiler - this post contains no ribs cause Sam and I do not play by the rules. Or know what good BBQ is*

My favourite part of the night - MOSTLY EATEN CHICKEN CARCASS! But I am jumping ahead. I need to admit to not really being a huge BBQ fan and this possibly comes from the fact that I've never had any mind blowing BBQ. Phoebe's Bar-B-Q was therefore never really on the list of places to try out. My first surprise was how tiny it was (which wouldn't have been a surprise if I'd done any research whatsoever). Turns out, they are a delivery and take-out place only, with absolutely no place inside to eat. There is also no bathroom. What struck me first on the inside was the lysol wipe boxes copiously distributed behind the counter. Then I noticed the copious amounts of hand sanitizer in front of the counter. These were strategically placed next to every menu rack, which as clearly considered the epicenter of germ spreadage if there was going to be any (I sense a germaphobe amongst the management).

The food that was on most prominent display was the stack of whole rotisserie chicken behind the glass. They were mesmerizing, giving you a hint as to where this blog post is going. So yes, I ordered the leg and thigh rotisserie chicken platter which comes with the obvious leg and thigh, cornbread and 2 sides. The choices for sides were your usual southern comfort options - I went with two of my favourites - mac and cheese and baked beans.

Let's zoom in for shits and giggles 

Service was quick. While waiting one can enjoy some awesome telemundo playing on a CRT TV in the corner. Cash and cards are taken. And we were off to Sam's place to enjoy our meal. Bonus event of the night, watching Sam chase a cat down a dark alley way. That description of her is very accurate. No, she did not catch/pet said cat. 

I was hungry and the food was very satisfying. Especially the CHICKEN CARCASS! that resulted from it.

Awesomely gross, I'm sure all of our 1.5 readers wanted to see my half eaten chicken thigh. You are welcome. Moving on - I actually finished everything on my plate which, my mother will attest to being a bloody miracle (except the cornbread - Im not a bread person - look to Sam's post for a "critique" on that). So the food must've been good right? Yes, but not mind blowing. I didn't really crave more. If I never visited Phoebe's again, I'd be ok with that. If I'm looking for take-out BBQ and a quick dinner and I'm in the area, I will have no qualms going there. If only to create a CHICKEN CARCASS! again.

No added Quirks. No Tummy issues.

Phoebe's Bar-B-Q
2214 South Street
Philadelphia PA 19146
215-546-4811

#2 - Phoebe's BBQ - Sam's synopsis

Before I even comment on the food, I have one major complaint about Phoebe's: the delivery people ALWAYS park in the bike lane!  As someone who bikes constantly in the city (and I bike down South to get home all the time) this is a giant pet peeve of mine.  I often yell at people if they're getting out of their cars after parking in the bike lane, but they never think much of it because, you know, being a car owner makes you superior (side note, I also own a car.  Whether or not I am actually superior is up to you, dear reader). Despite how delicious I thought the food was, I can never think 100% positively of Phoebe's because of this fact.  But enough of my ranting, onto my food musings:

Phoebe's is small inside - clearly take-out only as there are no tables for sitting.  The first thing that caught my eye were the multiple roasted chickens on display in the food case.  Unfortunately, I didn't try any chicken, but I'll at least say from sight it looked pretty tasty.  I decided to go for a pulled pork platter with mac & cheese and sneaky spicy greens.  Since it was take-out only we took our meals back to my place, so I can't comment much on the atmosphere of dining.  If you get a platter, you also get cornbread included, and since we had a gluten allergist among us, I will point out that Phoebe's does a good job of advertising and fulfilling their commitment to being (mostly) gluten free.

I'm not from the South, so I can't comment on authenticity, but overall I found the food appetizing.  I'm quite the wuss when it comes to spicy food, so I went for mild BBQ sauce - sweet and savory (in a good way!).  The mac and cheese was lacking a little in flavor, but overall was thick and creamy (that's what she said okay I got that out of the way can we all move on?).  The spicy sneaky greens weren't all that spicy (given that I could easily tolerate them), but were still up my alley.  The cornbread was a little dry (but I guess cornbread is sometimes like that), but the spices they used in the batter complemented the consistency quite well.  I bet if I had decided to add some melted butter to the bread it would have been that much better.  I had enough food for lunch the next day too, so another added bonus.  This isn't Dinosaur BBQ (Western New York represent), but it's definitely a place I will get take-out from in the future - now if only I could do something about those delivery people parking in the bike lane!

Mmm delicious pulled pork

Phoebe's BBQ

2214 South St

Philadelphia, PA 19146

215-546-4811

#1 Callahan's Grille - Sam's synopsis

A very Irish-looking sign

The adventure began at Callahan's, located at 2615 South Street.  According to the interwebs, Callahan's is a family-owned business that has been around since 1933, and the mood inside felt appropriately homey.  It was obvious that the bar has a large community of regulars, which I personally think is always a good sign.  We went here in early December, so there were Christmas decorations floor-to-wall and Christmas music playing the whole night.  Sandya is not a big fan of Christmas music, but I enjoyed it, especially when "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" came on - because seriously, how can you not like that movie?

Great decorations

I walk/bike past Callahan's pretty much every day coming to and from work, but have never actually been inside, so I had no expectations for what it was going to be like.  The beer selection was nothing special, with your typical choice of domestic (Sam Adams, Yuengling) and "foreign" (Stella) taps.  I went for Stella, which is always a nice and easy beer to drink.  

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way a food snob.  I don't know fancy words that mean "these two flavors complement each other really well" and I probably can only name 3 types of mushrooms (all of which I probably hate cause mushrooms are gross).  So don't expect some Julia Child analysis on this shit, because you won't get it - you're just going to get a normal, unbiased opinion.  Now that we have that out of the way - we started with mozzarella sticks, which were crispy brown and deliciously cheesy.  The marinara sauce for dipping was among the better ones I've had in a long time, so A+ to Callahan's for that.  For dinner, I went with the roast pork sandwich with provolone - they were out of spinach which was a bummer, because I really think it would have added to the flavor, but overall I was happy with the sandwich.  With so many slices of meat, I was expecting the sandwich to be pretty dry, but it turned out to be a nice level of juiciness.  

Stella and lager

 Overall, I was impressed with Callahan's, despite having no expectations for it coming in.  The prices were reasonable, the staff was friendly and the crowd was an interesting mix of older businessmen, students and what appeared to be a running group where someone was wearing a kilt. The one downside was that a lot of the items listed on the menu were not available, but in the end Sandya and I had a nice relaxing conversation about the trials and tribulations of life, the universe and everything while listening to Christmas music and enjoying standard pub fare.  

Roast pork sandwich

Callahan's Grille
2615 South Street
(215) 732-6332

#1 Callahans Grille - Sandy's synopsis

I wasn't sure what to expect when we entered this little place. Its always been that place I walk by when I get off the South Street bridge and think to myself “I should go there cause its means beer now instead of later”. I never did stop by and its probably because no one has really heard of this place and it never gets suggested as a place to meet. Ten Stone a couple of blocks down probably steals that show for a pub in the area. 

The tinted windows helped to add to the mystery. And now having been there I can safely say - it is safe to enter and it is awesome - if you are looking for a basic no nonsense pub. It isn’t very crowded and, despite the lack of high ceilings, feels very roomy. As soon as we entered we encountered a blast of human voices and laughter. The crowd was a mix of old men who seemed to be there for a drink (or many) after work, and young people, who, I kid you not, ALL seemed to be there after a workout/sports session of some sort. All of them. There were a couple of different groups of these young exercise enthusiasts who came by through the evening.

The vibe I got though was that this was a low key neighbourhood bar, for both young and old. The decor reminded me a little of Bonners (23rd and Sansom), very basic furniture but clean. Except not as depressing, everyone at Callahan's seemed to be in a good mood and it was contagious and welcoming. Bonners always depressed me a little. Sticking to the bare bones theme, you got your standard 4 beers on tap - Lager, Sam Adams, Stella and Coors Light. The menu was one page with appetizers, homemade soup and chilli, roast beef and pork and an assortments of sandwiches ala of the cheesesteak variety. Our waitress, who was very nice, I believe is also the bartender and cook. With her Igor-like assistant, who first handed us menu’s, she brings a nice homey feeling to the place, as she seemed to know most of the patrons. Unfortunately now, in my head, I have an image of this place turning into Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab after 2 AM, with the last person to leave donating a limb...but I digress. 

The food was very basic but very good. We started with Mozzarella sticks, which hit the spot and I went further with the fried food theme and got their buffalo tenders. A couple of things to add here 1) The price was very reasonable and I had leftover for lunch 2) With a history of some form of irritable bowel - this caused me no bowel related issues as fried food can do. This seems a good time to bring this up - the toilets were, unexpectedly, very clean. Coming back to food -  the tenders were, well, very tender and delicious. All in all, if you are looking for a no frills low key after work drink/dinner, in a happy atmosphere, this is your place. My two cribs - not having the homemade chilli and Christmas/holiday music. It is all they played. I hate holiday music but still managed to get through dinner. That is saying something.

Added quirks: Cigarette machine, one arcade game, Darts.