#89 - His & Her's - Sandy's synopsis

His and Her's seems to be a place for the community to gather, shoot some pool, guzzle some cheap drinks and eat some affordable food. They have a daily happy hour where everything on the menu is half off, which is an impressive happy hour. They don't have any beer on tap but they do have some bottles of your standard domestic fare.

We took advantage of the happy hour and ordered some appetizers - the turkish cheese rolls and the hummus.

The hummus was alright and would've been better if it came with some pita or something. Anything. The cheese rolls were quite delightful.

For dinner I just ordered the chicken fingers. They were alright as well, nothing too exciting. The honey-dijon sauce that comes with it was a little too sweet.

Everything was pretty okay with the check being super cheap for all the food we ordered. If you're looking to save some money and want to play some pool and aren't picky about the food, this could be your place to hang out.

His & Hers

216 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

267-639-3214

#89 His & Hers - Sam's synopsis

Well, second time's the charm I guess. We made it to His & Hers when it was actually open, and it was quite obvious this time around. Before, the windows were closed and it was dark inside, but it was hard to tell if the place was actually open unless we peered in. Upon arriving, the doors and windows were wide open and everything inside was bright and shiny. So yeah, kind of a big difference.

I arrived 15 minutes late because yes, I was playing Pokemon Go on my walk over. But I was using a Lucky Egg to level up faster so give me a break, okay?! In any case, Sandya and Erin were inside and had already ordered a few appetizers and some lagers, so I followed suit on the beer front. Turns out happy hour is from 7-9 pm, which is already great because what a convenient time frame, but even better, everything is 50% off. All drinks, all food, everything. Which is pretty awesome. But I was pretty underwhelmed with the place, so I'm not sure how far that'll get me in the future in returning.

There was only one woman running the bar, although the owner/maybe a manager also seemed to be there. She was a little sporadic in attending to us, but I don't really fault her for that - but it still took some time to place orders. I've been all about chicken tenders lately, especially when I'm in a sports bar atmosphere, so that's what I ordered. The aforementioned appetizers were cheese rolls and hummus. Even though Sandya and Erin ordered before me, the appetizers didn't come until after I got my chicken tenders. That's a little weird. Oh well. The chicken tenders and fries were fine. They hit the spot and they weren't overly greasy - pretty standard. The appetizers were also okay. I liked the filling in the cheese rolls, but the roll part wasn't very flavorful. The hummus was also fine, but they didn't serve anything with it - just some decorative lettuce. How are you supposed to eat hummus without any accompanying pita or veggies?

The happy hour is a great deal, so I'd take advantage of it in the future if it came up, but I wouldn't go out of my way to return to His & Hers.

His & Hers
216 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(267) 639-3214

#88 Bridget Foy's - Sandy's synopsis

Bridget Foy's, Sounds so classy. Well, I felt classy sitting outside on their veranda sipping on mimosas, watching people walk by on south street. Brunch at Bridget Foy's is definitely a good deal. The pitcher of mimosas was perfect (on my wallet and for deliciousness) and they have some very good brunch options. 

I tend to like savoury foods for breakfast so as appealing as some of the french toast options looked, I went with the shrimp and grits.

This was a VERY solid choice with good flavour and a nice, crispy egg on top. 

We also ordered some fries on the side (because what is brunch without potatoes of some kind). 

Do not let the thickness of these fries fool you. I usually hate thick fries, but these were really good. 

All in all, its a great outdoor space with some reliably good food options. 

Bridget Foy's

200 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-922-1813

#88 Bridget Foy's - Sam's synopsis

people watching at its finest

In true Sam and Sandy fashion, we arrived at our next stop - His & Hers - to find it closed. To be fair, the hours posted on their window, Yelp, and Google all claimed they were open, so this one wasn't really our fault. And I just read they were denied a permit to stay open during the DNC, so they aren't closed permanently. Alas, since many people expressed interest in Me 'N Mo's, we decided to enjoy some patio dining at Bridget Foy's.

Being the middle of summer, it was incredibly hot, so sitting on the chairs was a little uncomfortable since I tend to sweat quite a bit, and my legs were slipping and sliding all over the place. Such is life. The people watching was great though, as was the Pokemon catching. The highlight for me was watching a dude on the tiniest motorized bike I have ever seen zip by down the road.

eggs florentine

We decided to order a pitcher of mimosas for Sunday brunch (so basic, I know), which was a great deal. It was $30 and I think we each refilled our glasses at least 3 times. Definitely worth the price, as they were good quality mimosas too (in the sense that they weren't watered down or anything). They had some appetizing brunch items on the menu, like red velvet donuts and a delicious sounding chocolate-infused french toast, but I am almost never in the mood for sweet brunch any more. I'm all about the savory. So I went with the eggs florentine. It was a good choice - the eggs were perfectly poached, the sauce was creamy without being too heavy, and the salmon tasted fresh and not too fishy. There was a lack of spinach for my liking though, I would have wanted a little bit more in the dish. But I'm a big fan of spinach so I may be biased. The side of home fries were nice and crispy. But I wouldn't say there was anything that set the meal above and beyond other brunch places. It was fulfilling, but not out-of-this-world. Plus, we got a side of fries that cost $5 and there weren't that many fries in the basket. A little disappointing.

All in all, I think Bridget Foy's is a great place for a standard brunch. You'll get reliable food and the $30 mimosa pitcher is definitely worth it. Try and get a seat outside to enjoy the people watching, but maybe opt for a late spring or early fall day, unless you like sticking/sliding around your chair.

Bridget Foy's
200 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 922-1813

#85 South Garden, #86 - Tavern 222 and #87 Rita's water ice - Sandy's synopsis

South Garden is a popular Chinese place in this neck of the woods. I spoke with a good friend who lives north of Market who said he regularly orders from here. Sam and I went during lunch time so we took advantage of their lunch specials. I was craving a little grease so I ordered the general tso's chicken which came with pork fried rice. 

The chicken was crispy, the sauce was tasty and the fried rice was deliciously salty. It definitely hit the spot. The lunch special comes with a soup, so I got the wonton soup.

The soup hit the spot too with the wontons having nicely salted pork (I assume) in the filling and a soft exterior. My conclusion - this is a great take out Chinese place with generous portions.  

On another fine day we went to Tavern 222, a mysterious place that I had never stepped foot in before. The decor is fashionably low lit and and the daily specials are actually great deals. We went on a Tuesday where their domestic beers are half off and their chili-dogs are $4. No-brainer.

On the downside, the music was really loud and I found I had to speak relatively loudly to have a conversation. In summary, my bank account was extremely happy, between Sam and I our bill was $15. However, from an ambiance (I'm growing old) point of view, I don't think I'll be returning. 

I have nothing much to say about Rita's. I've always thought it was mediocre. I got the vanilla malt milkshake and it didn't change my mind. 

Its a Rita's!

South Garden

220 South street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-413-0200

Tavern 222

222 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-923-1999

Rita's Water Ice

235 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-629-3910

#85 South Garden, #86 Tavern 222, and #87 Rita's Water Ice - Sam's synopses

Well, this is our first TRIPLE THREAT post of the entire blog. No wonder it comes so close to the end, when the restaurants are piling up street after street. We are slowly but surely making our way to the end of the line, I promise...

First up is South Garden. Sandya and I decided to come here on a Saturday afternoon after a party the night before, thinking it'd be a good hangover cure. I didn't end up drinking all that much, so it was mostly just mediocre chinese food. We ordered in the restaurant but my guess is most of their business is take-out, since they forgot and put our meals in to-go containers. Which actually saved up a step, since we ended up having leftovers anyways. I ordered the lunch special, with wonton soup, chicken with cashew nuts, and pork fried rice. I liked the wonton soup, it was salty and the wontons were a good consistency. The chicken with cashew nuts and fried rice were meh. They didn't have much flavor. We did however see Atul, our friend from Lovash, as he stopped in to get something from the owners of South Garden. It's nice to know the neighboring restaurants are friendly with one another.

Next, on a separate day, we visited Tavern 222 for dinner. The interior was dark, uncrowded, and loud. I could barely hear Sandya and she was sitting right next to me. I can understand this atmosphere on a weekend evening, but it was a weekday before 7 pm so it seemed a little strange. I was really in the mood for chicken fingers and BBQ sauce, and luckily for me they had these on the menu and in stock. The chicken fingers hit the spot, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. The french fries were okay - they were pretty crisp but lacked a good baseline flavor. We ordered lagers but forgot to specify on draft, so y'know, drinking lager from a bottle. All in all I probably wouldn't come back to Tavern 222, mostly based on the loudness of the music.

Finally onto Rita's, which we combined with Tavern 222. It was a good day for it too, since it was a hot summer evening. I decided to go for the 4-flavor sampler, choosing blue raspberry, cherry, swedish fish, and lemon. When it comes to water ice, I'm all about the fruit flavors and less about the ice cream-like flavors. I almost always get gelati when I go to Rita's, but it was hot enough that water ice sounded delicious and I was pretty full from scarfing all those chicken fingers. I enjoyed the flavors, but they gave me waaay too much of each. I think I ate maybe half of the serving total, and most of it melted in the heat anyways. It made for a pretty combination of reds and blues, but for some reason I remember them serving a more reasonable amount of water ice. I have to point out that the swedish fish flavor totally tastes like swedish fish too, which is pretty great. Rita's is a great Philly staple that I'd recommend on a hot day, if you're in the mood for some water ice or a delicious custard + water ice combo (I highly recommend black cherry water ice with vanilla custard...
mmmm....)

So while this is a triple threat of reviews, the places themselves were either underwhelming or commonplace, so onto bigger and better things next time around let's hope!

South Garden
220 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 413-0200

Tavern 222
222 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 923-1999

Rita's Water Ice
239 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 629-3910

#84 Lovash Indian Restaurant and Bar - Sandy's synopsis

I have to admit that I am always skeptical about an Indian restaurant before trying it. Having grown up in India, I am a little more critical. However, I have definitely grown from being a person who used complain that a dish "doesn't taste like it would in India" to someone who can appreciate that, even if the dish doesn't taste "authentic", it still tastes good!

Lovash fits into that category for me, it doesn't taste exactly like what I would have in India, but the flavours are so good and the food so fresh, that it was a win all around.

I would be remiss if I did not start by saying the folk at Lovash are extremely nice. I run into them occasionally on the street and I always get see them in happy healthy interactions with their staff and with their customers. Suffice to say, we were greeted with what seemed like a genuine warmth.

After our party arrived, we started our meal with some beverages and appetizers. For appetizers we ordered the tandoori chicken samosas, shami kebab (lamb patties) and sheekh kebab (beef kebabs). For beverages we ordered some mango and salt lassis and chai.

Shami Kebab

Shish Kebab

The appetizers were fantastic, very flavourful and now, come highly recommended. I thin kI liked the two kebabs over the samosa. This is also the first place where I actually liked the salt lassi.

For our main course, each of us ordered an entree and some naan to share. They have a south Indian flavours section that I was curious about.  I ordered the Coondapur Chicken Curry from this section and I was not disappointed.

The curry tasted freshly made, with tender chicken and the right amount of spice. The naan was a great accompaniment. Lovash also has a great "hot sauce" if you need to add more heat to your dish. The

I also had a chance to try most of everyone's else curries and liked them all. The portions are ample with a chance for leftovers.

To  conclude, I was pleasantly surprised by Lovash. They have great food, friendly service and so a great restaurant all around.

Lovash

236 South Street

Philadelphia PA 19147

215-925-3881