Philadelphia (December 2018)

My spouse and I visited Philadelphia for one night in December 2018 (New Year's Eve). We stayed at the Hampton Inn Convention Center, which positioned us excellently to attend the New Year's Day show of the Fancy Brigades. (We saw the show in January of 2018 as well.) We enjoyed lunch at Bud and Marilyn's, dinner at Double Knot Downstairs, and a dim-sum brunch at Ocean Harbor.

Hotel:

• Hampton Inn Convention Center Link to my review

Restaurants:

• Bud and Marilyn’s Link to my review
• Tradesman’s BBQ Link to my review
• Double Knot Downstairs Link to my review
• Ocean Harbor Link to my review

Activity:

• Mummers Fancy Brigades Family Show Link to my review

Philadelphia: Ocean Harbor (December 2018

Ocean Harbor - Fun Dim Sum Brunch

My spouse and I visited Ocean Harbor for brunch on a Tuesday morning in early January (New Year’s Day). Ocean Harbor is open daily from 10:30 am until 10:30 pm (with opening time a little earlier at 10:00 am on weekends). We don’t think that the restaurant takes reservations, but if you arrive and no tables are available, they’ll add your name to their wait list.

Ocean Harbor is located on Race Street (between North 10^th and North 11^th Streets) in Chinatown, which was initially settled in the 1870s when the first restaurants and laundries opened. Other competing dim sum restaurants occupy nearby storefronts, but we chose Ocean Harbor because it seemed to have the most activity, the largest crowds, and the best reputation based on reviews that we had read. Patrons access the large dining room by climbing a few steps. The big room has a tiny bar near the front stairs (although it is more of a service bar than somewhere you can sit to enjoy a drink; you’ll also pay your check here after you dine), but the focal point is the rear of the room with its raised platform backed by mirrors and Asian artifacts. (The platform housed three round tables for very large groups on the day that we dined, but we can envision it be used to hold a wedding or banquet party during special events so that the guests of honor are raised enough for all to see.) Most tables at Ocean Harbor are larger to accommodate groups of friends and family who like to share the many dishes offered; what is at a premium are tables for two, so we were lucky that we were seated immediately (likely because we were sure to arrive exactly when the restaurant opened). Tables are set close together, the noise level is high, and the pace is fast.

Ocean Harbor serves Chinese food, which isn’t immediately apparent from its name. Although we have access to different types of Chinese cuisine where we live, we don’t have a local restaurant that offers dim sum from rolling carts. So it’s always fun to find a restaurant that has carts when we are in a large city like Philly (or NY or Boston or San Francisco). Since we are just a party of 2, we aren’t able to try as many dishes as we would like without wasting food, but we selected a number of dumplings and buns and other tasty dishes from the steam carts as they rolled past (there are also cold carts and sweets carts). Staff is friendly and patient, even with those of us who are less experienced and only speak English! As guests accept various dishes, the servers note your selection on a tab that is totaled at the end of your meal. Ocean Harbor has a liquor license, so you can enjoy a beer, wine, or cocktail with your meal.

We enjoyed our dim sum brunch at Ocean Harbor!

 

January 2020:

Philadelphia: Hampton Inn Convention Center (December 2018)

Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City Convention Center - Loved Our 1-Bedroom Suite

My spouse and I stayed at the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center on a Monday evening in late December 2018 (New Year’s Eve). We booked our stay online using the Hilton HHonors website. We checked in online the day prior to our stay and selected Room 1118, and that was the room that we received upon arrival, along with Diamond member benefits of two bottles of water and a packaged snack of our choice (we chose Tastykake Krimpets for the local factor).

This Hampton Inn is located across the street from the Pennsylvania Convention Center; however, the hotel is located on the back side, so depending on the size of the event that you are attending, you may still need to walk around the wide block to access the correct entry doors. (We attended the New Year’s Day Mummers Fancy Brigades show, and we had to enter the Convention Center around the block from the hotel.) The hotel is within walking distance of attractions, shopping, bars, restaurants (particularly Chinatown), and the Reading Terminal Market. Both valet ($39) and self-parking ($30) are available; the surface parking lot is located across the street and down the block. A food market/sundry shop is located on the corner opposite the hotel; however, it does not sell alcoholic beverages (which we were looking for to extend our NY’s celebration).

The Hampton Inn offers 250 rooms and suites, most recently renovated in April 2018, and it was evident in our guestroom’s modernity. The hotel offers an on-site bar/restaurant/lounge (called Pub 1301) where complimentary breakfast is served each morning. Although we didn’t try the breakfast (instead, we walked two blocks to Chinatown for some dim sum), we did enjoy drinks there the evening before. (Our nearby New Year’s dinner was over before midnight, but after the normal closing hours of the Pub, so we were appreciative that it remained open past midnight on that special night so that guests could celebrate there.) Private event/meeting space, a fitness center, and a small pantry shop are also available. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there is a complimentary coffee station and cold water station in the lobby. The only difficulty we encountered was trying to use the public restrooms on the lobby level; our room keycards wouldn’t permit us entrance, nor would the first two bathroom keycards that we were given by the front desk agents.

We booked a 1-bedroom suite that faced the rear of the convention center and allowed us a view of the William Penn statue atop City Hall and other notable downtown buildings. As we entered the suite, the bathroom on the immediate left was large, with an oversized modern shower (no bathtub), toilet, and long vanity with single sink. Plenty of storage space and toiletries (Neutrogena shampoo, conditioner, lotion) were provided. A small hanging closet was next to the bathroom in the short hallway that led to the living room area. The high ceilings in our suite made the rooms feel spacious than they probably were. The living area offered a sofa, comfortable chair, and coffee table (which had two pull out stools stored beneath it for additional seating), as well as two pieces of furniture (one that held the TV, and the other that held the microwave, mini-refrigerator, and coffee maker). In the bedroom (which could be closed off with a door) was a king-size bed abutted by two nightstands, a piece of furniture that held the TV, and a small closet. Each room had its own heating/air-conditioning units. Initially, it seemed strange to have to leave the bedroom area to use the bathroom, but we quickly adjusted.

We enjoyed our stay at the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center so much that we already re-booked the same room category for next New Year’s Eve 2019 (Philly is our tradition because NYC is too crazy).

Philadelphia: Double Knot Downstairs (December 2018)

Double Knot Downstairs - Cool Space, Good Food

My spouse and I dined at Double Knot Downstairs on a Monday evening in late December 2018 (New Year’s Eve). Double Knot Downstairs is open daily for dinner only from 5:00 pm; however, the upstairs coffee bar/cafe opens at 8:00 am to serve breakfast (pastries and coffee), lunch (noodles and banh mi sandwiches), and cocktails and light dinner items (such as buns, dumplings, satay). You can book a spot at Double Knot Downstairs using the online Open Table reservation system.

Double Knot opened in February 2016. Its street-level space offers a coffee bar/café-by-day and a drinks bar/lounge in the evenings. We enjoyed drinks (the Jungle Bird Slip) upstairs at the bar while we waited for our table (even though we had a reservation and arrived at the appointed time). Because the hostess did not offer to ferry our drinks downstairs, it was difficult to manage the long dim staircase with drink in one hand, winter coat in the other, with patrons coming up from the basement at the same time. (There is a coat check downstairs, but that was too little, too late.)

Double Knot Downstairs is a hidden Japanese izakaya that offers an open kitchen with some guest seating at the L-shaped counter, a drinks bar/lounge area in the rear, and cozy tables (and a few semi-circular booths) in the main dining space. The atmosphere is dim, unaided by the brick and concrete. Wood and scrimshaw-like wall art give the restaurant a nautical/Asian feel. Note that not only is the basement accessed by a long steep staircase, the basement floor itself has different levels (some a step up from others), with a labyrinth feel to the various rooms, so this restaurant may not be the best choice for those with mobility challenges.

Double Knot Downstairs serves Japanese cuisine (including sushi), but with many non-raw, not cold selections. (We are sushi fans, and we did enjoy some crudo/sashimi on this visit, but our main goal was to try some of the many interesting hot options.) The menu is large, so in order to try lots of dishes, we participated in the 10 item/course $60 per person tasting menu. (Guests choose one dish from each category of the menu, including hot, cold, sashimi, robotayaki, sushi roll, crispy, meat, fish, and sides). We took our server’s suggestions and ordered most his favorite dishes; nearly all of them were hits (hamachi, yellowtail, shrimp tempura roll, pork jowl, hanger steak, lazy chicken buns, shrimp tacos, lobster-fried rice, sea bass served atop crisp peas and garnished with pea tendrils, plus a mochi [vanilla chocolate chip] for dessert). However, even though we were aware that the restaurant serves tapas-style as items are ready, the dishes arrived so quickly in succession and so many at the same time that our New Year’s Eve dinner was over in little more than an hour. We prefer to linger over our meals, particularly on a special night, so that was our main disappointment with Double Knot. Our secondary moment of discontent was that after our server delivered our mochi together with our bill (which we didn’t ask for), he seemed to forget about us. If the restaurant had needed our spots at the counter for new customers, we think that he would have asked us to move. Instead, our server seemed to ignore us when we wanted to order another round or two of drinks

We give our dinner a solid B – the food was good, the menu was expansive, and the atmosphere was fun, but it is hard to disregard the small service issues.

Philadelphia: Tradesman’s BBQ (December 2018)

Tradesman’s BBQ - We Only Had Drinks, But the BBQ Menu Looked Good

My spouse and I visited Tradesman’s BBQ for drinks on a Monday afternoon in late December 2018 (NY’s Eve afternoon). Tradesman’s is open daily from 11:00 am until 2:00 am. You can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system.

Tradesman’s BBQ opened in August 2018 in Midtown Village, across the street from one of the main entrances to Macy’s department store. (In fact, it offered my spouse a convenient place to watch some sports and enjoy a beer while I did some shopping.) The restaurant occupies the former (early 1900s) Tradesman’s Trust Company Bank building, hence the venue’s name. The owner of Tradesman’s (Craft Concepts Group) also operates neighbors Bru Craft and Wurst and U-Bahn, as well as Finn McCool’s, Cinder, and the (seasonal) Uptown Beer Garden.

The Tradesman’s space is open and inviting, with 23-foot ceilings and seating on both the street level and on the second-floor mezzanine. Additional al fresco sidewalk seating is available in appropriate weather; in fact, one exterior wall of the restaurant has a glass garage door that can be rolled back to join the indoor and outdoor spaces, and the bar is so long that it continues outdoors, where it offers additional stools on the sidewalk. Lots of wood, exposed brick, wire fencing, and steel complete the decor, as well as many TVs.

As its name implies, Tradesman’s serves smoked meats of different BBQ styles from around the country (Texas, Carolina, St. Louis). The restaurant also offers more than 30 beers on draft (with more by the bottle) as well as 80+ types of whiskey. Although we didn’t get to sample the food, the menu sounded appealing, and we might return someday to sample the cuisine.

Philadelphia: Bud and Marilyn’s (December 2018)

Bud & Marilyn’s - Upscale and Imaginative Comfort Food

My spouse and I dined at Bud and Marilyn’s for brunch on a Monday afternoon in late December 2018 (New Year’s Eve). The restaurant is open daily for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, dinner, and drinks. (Note that the restaurant closes daily for 2 hours between the end of lunch/brunch service and the beginning of dinner service; it does not office continuous service.) You can reserve a spot using the online Open Table reservation system; however, the bar, chef’s counter, and some tables in the dining room are saved for walk-in guests.

Bud and Marilyn’s, located in the Midtown Village neighborhood of the city, is named for the chef’s grandparents, who operated a Wisconsin restaurant called The Spot; the Philadelphia restaurant is an homage to that venue. Bud and Marilyn’s is part of the Safran Turney Hospitality Restaurant Group (the name features the last names of the chef/owners), which also operates Lolita, Barbuzzo, Grocery, Verde, Open House, Little Nonna’s, Jamonera, and Marcie Blaine Chocolates. (We dined at Barbuzzo in June of 2017; see our review titled "Mediterranean Kitchen and Bar - Farmhouse Chic Atmosphere for Delicious Rustic Food".)

The restaurant space offers several places to dine: the drinks bar, with small tables for two adjacent, a food counter, the chef’s bar (where we requested to sit), and at tables and booths. Kitschy decor harkens memories of the 70s: paneling on the walls, Formica counters, old-timey paintings. Even the uni-sex restrooms and the wall shelves opposite keep to the theme, filled with appropriate bric-a-brac (including toys and TVs).

Bud and Marilyn’s serves unique takes on comfort food. We started by sampling their Winter Sour cocktail and a beer. For our starter, we shared the “liver and onion” (chicken liver mousse topped with sautéed and raw onions and served with thick grilled brioche bread slices). For entrees, we shared the breaded chicken bucket (a half chicken plated adorably in a paper bucket atop thinly cut French fries, arranged on a small tray with a dish of coleslaw, jar of pickles, and a small bottle of hot sauce), and the chilaquiles verde (tortilla chips loaded with pulled pork, black beans, guacamole and a very spicy salsa verde). We couldn’t resist ordering the banana cream pie for dessert (an individual round pie crust filled with rich cream, topped with [seemingly canned] whipped cream, and garnished with bruleed banana slices). Our app and dessert were our favorite dishes of the meal; with the fried chicken coming in third; the chilaquiles were our least favorite item because the verde sauce was too fiery for us (and we like spicy food!), plus most of the chips were soggy rather than crisp (the top few crunchy chips that we ate initially were excellent, however).

We enjoyed our lunch at Bud and Marilyn’s; after a successful meal there and at sister restaurant Barbuzzo, we look forward to trying more of their restaurants.