Philly RW 2012: Tinto

I finally took the dude out for his first Restaurant Week experience in Philadelphia! Can you believe he's never been before? Me neither! I wanted to give Jose Garces another chance, and picked Tinto, which was superior to Amada (review here), in my opinion.

The restaurant is quite dark, like Amada, and the tables for two are all very close in proximity on the first level. In fact, it was more narrow than Amada, like a hallway with rows of tables placed on either side against the walls. When the waitress first took us to our seat, we walked past all the occupied tables (the place was packed) and towards the kitchen in the back. I held my breath as I was overcome with fear that we would have to eat next to the kitchen, especially when we dressed up fancy! What would the dude say? "This was my first time trying RW and we eat next to the kitchen!?" Luckily, we made a sharp turn and went downstairs where there were plenty of empty large tables and couches. It was more private and quieter downstairs, even when all the tables were filled with foodies. Still very romantic.

Before we get to the food, I would like to mention that Tinto had fast service. They did not keep you waiting at all after you order, so you don't have to sit awkwardly and participate in small talk when all you're thinking about is where your food is. Kidding, I don't always do that. The dude's only complaint on service was that the waiter never refilled his drink. There's always something. His other dissatisfaction was towards the food, apparently nothing REALLY stood out to him. Overall, he enjoyed his first restaurant week experience and was happy with my choice of restaurant. 

Past Philly RW: Haru, Amada, Valanni (Pic Heavy)

Since Philly's Restaurant Week is still happening (until this Sunday!), let's take a look at a few more restaurants that I've tasted in the past years (after Estia).

Fall 2010- Haru 

(update: closed)

Where are the fun rolls?

That's a whole lotta whipped cream! 

Have to be honest here, I don't remember Haru all that much. It was just another modernized Japanese restaurant. There was nothing special or memorable about it. Actually, I do remember whispering about how cute (and nice) the young waiter was... but besides that, nothing on the Restaurant Week menu stuck out to me or my friends. In fact, only a few of us participated in RW's $35 for three courses at Haru, everyone else just ordered sushi from the regular menu. That never happens! They might have good food (since Yelpers give them such high ratings), but their RW menu was just very average and not worth $35. Also, I just found out they've closed the one in Old City, so now I'll never know. 

Philly RW 2010: Estia was my first!

Continuing from the last post about Philly's Restaurant Week, here's my first RW dining experience!

 Estia's the one that started it all

You know what they say... You always remember your first! Honestly, this has to be my favorite out of all the restaurants I've been to during Restaurant Week in Philly. If you love Greek food or are in the mood for something new and different from the usual, I highly recommend Estia! I loved the beautiful decor, romantic lighting, candles & music, and awesome service. They even busted out the crumb scrapers and that's when you know it's legit! Everything about that evening was memorable. It's a great place to impress a date, celebrate a birthday, or just wine & dine with good friends! They have big booths in the back for special occasions and various table sizes to accommodate your party size. I believe you can also book the whole banquet room downstairs, which my friends and I got to see when we went to the bathroom (located downstairs). Before we left, a server (that was preparing to go home after a long shift) saw us taking pictures (my idea, of course) and gladly helped us with our photoshoot session! If you appreciate wonderful decor like I do and decide to check out Estia, don't forget to go downstairs (where the bathrooms are), because it's just lovely.  

Okay onto what you came here for: GREEK FOOD! To start, we got our first courses, Spread Pikilia, two plates of Octupus & Calamari, and a Greek salad. All the appetizers were delicious. Z's three spreads tomato, greek yogurt, mushroom (or eggplant), and pita bread was everyone's favorite. She was nice enough to share with all of us too. This is a great starter to get if you're dining with 2-3 people. Enchante and I both ordered the chargrilled octopus and stuffed calamari, and let me just say, most well cooked octopus I've ever had!  It was sliced so thin and was so crispy, I didn't even know I was eating octopus. We made Z, who does not eat any type of seafood, try it and she actually liked it too! Did it make her cross over to the fishy side? No, but at least she can say, "I don't like the taste of seafood, but I liked Estia's octopus!" On the other side of the plate was grilled calamari that was stuffed with Greek cheese. It was tasty, but didn't live up to its big brother, the Octopodi. I wonder if that's why the RW menu this year only offers the Octopodi... 

Spread Pikilia: tzatziki, htipiti, melitzano

(AMAZING! Everyone's favorite)

Octopodi & Stuffed Calamari

(New found love for chargrilled octopus because of Estia)

Philly Restaurant Week!

It's that time of the year again! Philadelphia's Center City District Restaurant Week is happening now!

(image taken from OpenTable)

If you've never participated, what in the world are you waiting for? If you don't live in the Philadelphia area, no worries, many big cities (and local towns!) have restaurants that participate in RW at least once a year. It's a week (or two) where everyone can get dressed up and dine like you've never dined before, with 3 or more courses, and without breaking the bank. It's like Fashion Week in New York, except instead of starving ourselves to wear a gorgeous size 0 dress and celebrate with artistic designers in the fashion world, we get to eat amazing food, made by talented chefs, at the best restaurants! I attend both (when I can), but I find myself a bit more excited about dressing up for an amazing dining experience and stuffing my face with things that I might never get to eat again. I also enjoy researching restaurants (Yelp!) and looking at the RW dinner menus when reserving the perfect restaurant for the snobby foodie in me! Thankfully, they make it easy for weirdos like me by posting a list of all participating restaurants (and menus!) in Philly.

Some things to keep in mind for RW noobs:

1. The RW deal does NOT apply on Saturdays! 

RW use to run all week to Saturday, but it was chaotic and they already get enough patrons on a normal Saturday. (I know, that's the only day that most people with busy schedules can venture out into the city for Restaurant Week)

2. BOOK ASAP!

OpenTable.com makes it so easy, you really have no excuses. (Don't wait until a week before because your chances of reserving a table for the restaurant on the top of your list & at a specific time quickly decrease the longer you procrastinate)

3. Not sure where to START?

Check out restaurants that are the most expensive of the bunch or have high ratings to get your money's worth! (But make sure to research because high prices on their regular menu does not mean "amazing, blow your mind" quality food)

4. Read MORE than one REVIEW!

This is exactly why I started this blog, to help those that want an incredible dining experience, but most reviews are so limited and you don't know who to listen to. (Everyone has a different palette, so it's nice to know who the person is behind the review, and food bloggers help a lot)

5. Plan with FRIENDS!

My favorite part of going out to eat, besides the food, is sharing the meal with friends and family. A party of 5 is more fun than table for 2, so find out which day everyone is free and agree on a place to eat TOGETHER! (It's more work, but worth it! Plus carpooling together lowers parking costs in Philly)

6. Have a BACKUP restaurant just in case!

You might not get your first or even second choice depending on when you decide to reserve a table. If you're planning with a big group, reserve a couple restaurants for different days and times in case people change their mind or something comes up. (There's no rule that you can't have backup reservatons, and most restaurants give you 24 hours to cancel at no charge)

7. ENJOY!

Please share your Philly RW experience with me! 

(Pictures are always welcome!)