#67 - Fat Tuesday - Sandy's synopsis

My favourite thing about Fat Tuesday was the 90s music they played in the background. The upbeat tunes of the Backstreet Boys was better than the food and drink at this fine establishment.

Fat Tuesday is known for their alcoholic frozen daiquiris. You can mix and match flavours and also add an extra shot of Everclear for a dollar extra. (Neither Sam nor I took them up on that generous offer, unfortunately). I ordered a combination of the banana and pina colada flavours and it unsurprisingly tasted like cough syrup instead. It made me regret not getting the extra shot of Everclear. At least that way, I might be too drunk to care about how awful it tasted.

For food, Sam and I shared a couple of appetizers - the fried green beans and the nachos. The green beans were actually decent and tasted like fried chicken wings.

The nachos  however were probably the worst nachos I have ever had. Food rarely makes me feel nauseous, but something about the cheese wiz on these nachos made me want to hurl.

We powered through as much of the food and booze as we could before leaving, vowing to never return. 

Fat Tuesday

431 South Street

Philadephia PA 19147

215-629-5999

#67 Fat Tuesday - Sam's synopsis

We tried really hard not to go here. I was really hoping they didn't have food, because I had no interest in taking a trip down Bourbon Street in Philadelphia. But alas, we were fated to go anyways. So we went, and it was exactly what I expected. Crappy boardwalk-style food and giant alcohol slushies. The second part isn't so bad, except the slushies are more sugar-y and less alcohol-y. You can get an extra grain alcohol shot for $1, but we weren't really feeling it on a Tuesday night (but hey, at least we went on a Tuesday for comedic value). The place was pretty dead but I imagine fills up with the crowd of Jersey folks that you'd rather not know on the weekends. We ordered fried green beans and Irish nachos. The fried green beans started out okay, because they did have a nice crunch to them, but after eating 10 or more my stomach was no longer having any of it. Irish nachos are just waffle fries with toppings - in this case; cheese whiz, tomatoes, lettuce and onions. These also started out okay, but I was pretty sick of them after a few bites. This is not surprising, as I imagine this food is purely meant as drunk fare. And I'll give Fat Tuesday that - this stuff probably tastes pretty great if you're drunk. But if you're there completely sober, stick to the slushies. You can mix and match to make a drink of your liking - I went with strawberry daiquiri and margarita - and add extra booze as I mentioned. But the drinks are a bit expensive and you can certainly get more bang for your buck by buying a shot of whiskey at any other bar in the city.

Fat Tuesday

431 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 629-5999

#66 - Woolly Mammoth - Sandy's synopsis

This has been a long hiatus. Perhaps our longest so far and Sam is correct - it is mostly my fault. I've been rather busy since the last posting and so our blogging came to a bit of a standstill. However, I officially do not have anymore more major life events coming up and can dedicate more time to eating. Not that writing one's PhD thesis doesn't involve a lot of eating, it does, but now I can resume our systematic interrogation of South Street's awesome food offerings.

Next on the docket was a bar called Woolly Mammoth. It has a really cool logo and has always intrigued us. It reminded me of Tangier a little bit (sadface!) - a dive bar that had good beer and was never too crowded. As can be seen in the introductory photo, Woolly Mammoth has a nice selection of draft beer. Additionally, they subscribe to Philly's obsession with the beer+shot specials (fondly called citywide specials) and have a plethora of daily citywide-esque specials that are guaranteed to make you regret things the next morning.

They have a standard bar food menu from wings to french onion soup (very like Tangier). I ordered the wings and they were good. I don't think they were as good as Tangier, well nothing can be right? They were very enjoyable though.

There are a few things I really enjoyed about Woolly Mammoth. I loved their dive bar atmosphere. I loved that they weren't overcrowded. I enjoyed their choice of draft beers. Finally, I enjoy that they seem to have regulars that have a good rapport with the staff. If I was in the neighbourhood for a low key night, this would be a place I would consider going.

Woolly Mammoth

430 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-923-8780

#66 Woolly Mammoth - Sam's synopsis

Greetings fervid blog readers! It has been quite some time since our last post, and again I blame Sandya. Not only did she get married this past year, she also adopted a three-legged dog, successfully defended her thesis in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and received the first job she applied for - way to go Sandya!

So needless to say, there's been some lag time between our last visit and this post. But even though I am currently pursuing a similar path as Sandya (only on that thesis defense route - my cat certainly prefers to stay a one-pet only household, and check back in a few months on that whole job front), we are committed to finishing this blog! And we are so close! So here is my review for Woolly Mammoth, and we'll be getting back into gear over the next few months to complete our saunter.

local brews + Jeopardy!

We began our journey attempting to eat at Fat Tuesday's. It didn't appear that this was a food-friendly place (or a place we wanted to spend much time at in general), so we left. We've since discovered that Fat Tuesday's DOES in fact serve food, so that will be our next stop, although somewhat begrudgingly (who knows, maybe they'll surprise us). The next stop was Woolly Mammoth, a somewhat dive bar that Sandya, Erin and I spent an afternoon at during the winter. We didn't order food at that time, but had a few beers and enjoyed a pleasantly relaxed time. This time around though, we did of course order food and enjoyed several beers before Monday night quizzo. 

The beer selection is pretty good, especially considering the bar's location on the touristy part of South Street. There were a lot of local beers on tap, so I went with an IPA from PBC. Solid beer for a solid meal. For dinner, I ordered the french onion soup (because of course I did) and a caprese wrap with a side of fries.

deceptive cheese!

The french onion soup came out first. Upon first glance, I felt cheated by the seemingly lack of cheese in my soup. However, upon immediate physical inspection, it turns out the giant glob of cheese was actually just submerged in my soup - what a glorious revelation! In addition to cheesy goodness, the soup had a nice balance of salty and sweet broth, lots of onions and a sufficient supply of bread for dipping. Definitely one of the better french onion soups I've had in awhile - I would order it again.

My caprese wrap came out shortly after, and it was also great. Fresh, balanced ingredients, with balsamic dressing on the side (which I appreciated since it helped prevent the sandwich from getting too soggy), and perfectly crispy french fries. Since I ate all that soup as well, I saved half my wrap for lunch the next day and it was equally delicious. 

Our waiter was very pleasant and quite unique; he had a very distinct style and was chatting with a regular for most of the time we were there, but still attentive to our needs. The place was pretty empty, but it was obvious from the vibe and the clientele actually in attendance that it's a bar with many eccentric regulars, but is still successful at attracting a wide variety of tourists and locals alike. The prices were on the cheaper side too, and given that it's a sports bar-like establishment, the food was definitely high quality. I'd be happy to return here on a weekday night or a weekend afternoon for a bite to eat, a local brew, and some people watching.

Woolly Mammouth

430 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 923-8780

#65 - Johnny Rockets - Sandy's synopsis

This review is going to be pretty short because Johnny Rockets is basically a fast food restaurant. However, it looks like a diner and it will make you feel slightly better about yourself for not going to McDonalds. It reminds me of the diners in Archie comics where the milkshakes looked delicious and the burgers looked so small Jughead somehow managed to eat 10 of them. 

Their shakes were indeed very good. They were served in an old-timey glass with extra shake on the side. I ordered their chocolate banana milkshake and it did not disappoint. I'm a sucker for banana in liquid form. 

The burgers however were not so small that I could eat 10 at a time. The burger was delicious though (by fast food standards). A more substantial bun than the usual fast food chain. 

We also ordered some fries and onion rings to go on the side. I personally prefer McDonald's fries, they are thinner and had more salt. These are more like steak fries that I'm not a fan off.  However, Johnny Rockets does win in the onion rings department - purely because I don't know of any other fast food place that offers onion rings...

In summary, if you're hankering for some fast food and are in the area, Johnny Rockets is a solid choice. The service was very friendly and competent, they are accommodating of your gluten allergy and they have a fantastic range of milkshakes. Also, you get to pretend you are in an Archie comic. 

Johnny Rockets

443 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-829-9222

#65 Johnny Rockets - Sam's synopsis

For those of you unaware, Johnny Rockets is a chain fast food restaurant that attempts to emulate the feel of a 1950s diner. Unfortunately, I can't comment on how valid that claim is, being born in 1986 and all, but it does give off an old-timey vibe while you're in there. And it's a fun atmosphere, if you're into that kitschy stuff. The staff did some singing for someone's birthday while we were there, which apparently is a regular occurrence (singing, not birthdays, but who knows how many people go to Johnny Rocket's for their birthday? Or claim its their birthday for free dessert? Definitely pulled that stunt in high school at TGIFs before).

The first thing you should know about Johnny Rockets is that they definitely always have milkshakes available. On our saunter we have oft been disappointed by the promise of a milkshake, only to find out it was all a lie. So I was very excited to order one knowing full well that it would be available. There are several fancy options, but since I'd been deprived of a milkshake so many times, I went for a classic chocolate shake, topped with a sizable amount of whipped cream (an essential component of any milkshake). It's pretty hard to mess up a standard milkshake, and I'm happy to say that JRs did not disappoint. First off, the quantity they give you is about the equivalent of two full milkshakes, which is already pretty great. They use Hershey's syrup, which isn't always my favorite but they mix it in with vanilla at the right ratio to really hit the spot. The whipped cream on top allows for a delectable blending of smooth and creamy flavors, and there's quite a bit to last the milkshake (unless of course you're Leslie Knope). 

For food, I was really craving chicken tenders, so I got an order of that and the table split fries and onion rings. The chicken tenders hit the spot, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, greasy but not too greasy. They also reheated a lot better than I was expecting (a bold move on my behalf regardless). The BBQ dipping sauce was good too - nothing extraordinary but better than what you get at some other fast food places. I was pretty underwhelmed with the french fries, they weren't very flavorful or crispy. Not their strongest quality. The onion rings were much better, coated nicely and fried to a nice crisp. They weren't so greasy that they destroyed my stomach - but that might have come from only having a handful of them instead of an entire basket. 

Overall, I'd pick Johnny Rockets over a lot of other fast food places to satisfy a greasy food-craving or as a good place to stop by while you're currently inebriated. And it definitely wins in the fast food milkshake contest.

Johnny Rockets

443 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 829-9222

#64 - South Street Souvlaki - Sandy's synopsis

Ah, to be transported to Greece for an evening - South Street Souvlaki attempts to do this and since I haven't been to Greece, I cannot tell you if they succeeded. I can tell you, based on their website, that the owner Tom Vasiliades, is a charismatic man, who seems passionate about his restaurant. (Their old website had more direct quotes from him that made this more apparent. I was slightly disappointed to see that their newly re-vamped website removed most of his words.) 

Coming out of the virtual world and onto their doorstep you are first greeted by music, I'm assuming it is greek music? Once inside, you are greeted by the bar. 

It was a very striking sight to me and I loved the lights strung up top highlighting its presence. We somehow fought it's sirens' call and didn't order any alcohol, but I would be interested to give into it on a different day. Speaking of greek mythology, if you are seated on a table next to the wall, you will be surrounded by dramatic paintings from greek myth - something to peruse while you wait for your food.

Sam and I took sometime to look over the menu. Be warned, it is very extensive and the choice can be overwhelming. I am personally a "sucker" for octopus (see what I did there...) so I ordered the charcoal broiled octopus as an appetizer. We also got some houmus to start.

The octopus was delicious, with a few nice crispy burnt bits complemented by some very tender meat. The houmus with pita was fantastic as well and so we were off to a brilliant start, like Odysseus, assuming a pleasant and delicious journey home to Ithaca (or our main course) ahead. 

Well, turns out I had angered the food gods again, for I did not enjoy what I had ordered for the main course. I know Sam had much better luck so be sure to read her review. I tasted some of what she ordered and it was very good. 

Back to my poor choices, I decided to go with the Greek trio for my entree. The trio consists of moussaka. pastitsio and spinach pie. Now, two of those dishes are very similar and contain a lot of ground meat. From their menu, pastitsio is "ground meat with macaroni in a bechamel sauce" and moussaka is "ground meat with layers of potato and eggplant under our bechamel sauce".

I am also not a fan of ground meat, but for some reason thought this would be the dish I should order. 

There you have it, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, waiting to screw me over. My biggest complaint about the trio was that it was bland. Even the spinach pie fell flat and I was fighting to secure some taste on my tongue that wasn't just white flour sauce. I prefer my ground meat to have some other flavour than just the meat. I don't want to fault the restaurant on this. I know I have a particular taste when it comes to meat and perhaps this is exactly how most people like their pastitsio. It just wasn't for me. 

In conclusion, I might come back here to order something else. Perhaps give those kebabs a shot and definitely get some of the vegetarian dishes Sam got. For now, my main course left no taste in my mouth and I left disappointed. 

South Street Souvlaki

509 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-925-3026