What to Know Before You Go: Cash only. Buy a Bottle At: 4924 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia.
If it weren't for the lunch special, I probably wouldn't run back. But at $8.95 for a bowl of soup, an appetizer and an entrée, I'd be a fool not to consider it again. It's a small space, located on a not-terribly beautiful stretch of Baltimore Avenue, but the food is a perfectly serviceable rendition of Thai cuisine with the occasional Laotian twist. The tom yum was spicy and pleasantly sour, and had a more aggressive tomato flavor than most. The vegetarian dumplings were thin-skinned and tender, and the juxtaposition of the earthiness of the ground veggies inside them and the sweet soy-based dipping sauce on the side was quite nice. The chicken pad thai, however, fell a bit short. It seemed to be missing that sweet, citric zing that the best of them have, and the chicken was overcooked and dry. It wasn't terrible by any stretch - it just wasn't great. Still, the service was friendly, the price was right and not one but two Norah Jones songs came whispering through the speakers over the course of my 45-minute meal. And if Norah can't make you happy, then overcooked chicken should be the least of your worries.
4728 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, 215.726.1095.
Cucina Forte What to Know Before You Go: Credit cards accepted. Buy a Bottle At: 724 South St., Philadelphia.
"Basic Italian" is such an unfortunate term. Most of us use it to refer to anything from a favorite, reliable neighborhood restaurant to chains that try too hard like Bucca di Beppo. Cucina Forte, however, is basic Italian in the best sense of the phrase. While it offers few surprises, it does the standards with as much assurance and panache as anywhere. The tricolore salad, a simple, pretty composition of radicchio, endive and arugula moistened with vinaigrette dressing and topped with shredded goat cheese, was delicious. The fried calamari was light and crisp. And the tacconelle ai porcini, a wide spinach noodle with asparagus and porcini mushrooms in a light-ish cream sauce, was excellent. Again, there were no surprises here, just good, well-prepared food. The highlight of the meal, though, was the homemade gnocchi. I ordered both varieties-spinach and ricotta-and they were among the softest, lightest gnocchi I've had in quite a while. The marinara sauce, while tasty, was mild enough to allow the flavors of the gnocchi to shine through. I only wish "Basic Italian" was always this good.
768 S. 8th St., Philadelphia, 215.238.0778.
Nan Modern Food What to Know Before You Go: Credit cards accepted, reservations recommended. Buy a Bottle At: 4049 Market St., Philadelphia.
Despite the name, this is not an Indian restaurant-it's Thai. This, of course, is bound to cause some confusion. Calling a non-Indian restaurant Nan is like calling a non-Jewish one Matzo. Semantic issues notwithstanding, however, it's worth a visit. Tucked into an adorable little storefront in University City, this Thai-French restaurant managed to strike the perfect balance between classic Thai dishes, slightly haute French technique, and the kind of low-key, unpretentious atmosphere that makes dining by Penn so pleasant. There's nothing fancy about Nan, and this is just fine. Thai cabbage salad was a beautiful mound of shredded cabbage, thinly sliced bell peppers and other assorted goodies in a slightly sweet, slightly sour, pleasantly spicy dressing. It was way too much to eat, though I gave it a valiant effort. Pad Thai, an easy dish to make poorly and a difficult one to make well, was just as flavorful as I had hoped. What set this one apart from most others in the city was its subtlety. Like the pasta at a good Italian restaurant, these noodles hadn't been drowned in sauce, and as a result, there was a certain elegance to the dish. The Thai iced tea was fine, but you're better off bringing a bottle of off-dry Riesling or cold beer. And go there with a friend or three: The portions are too big to finish on your own. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
4000 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, 215.382.0818.
Sitar India Restaurant
What to Know Before You Go: Credit cards accepted, buffet style. Buy a Bottle At: 4049 Market St., Philadelphia.
I have no idea why, but there seems to be a real shortage of good inexpensive Indian restaurants in Philadelphia. This has caused me no small amount of consternation. I love the cuisine of the Subcontinent, and the fact that I have a hard time finding it kills me. Fortunately, there's Sitar India Restaurant. The samosa chaat arrived at my table resembling nothing so much as the Indian version of nachos grande. It was piled high with chopped pieces of vegetable samosa, yogurt, spiced chickpeas and tamarind sauce. And it was absolutely delicious. The chicken vindaloo, always a good benchmark by which to judge an Indian restaurant, was wickedly spicy (I asked for it that way, and boy, did they oblige!) studded with tender pieces of chicken and potatoes, and accompanied by a side of fluffy basmati rice. Unfortunately, the naan I ordered with it was so good that I unthinkingly dunked piece after piece into the vindaloo, slowly working my way through the entire round of bread and most of the sauce in the process. I left Sitar overstuffed, waddled down Chestnut Street to my parked car and promptly fell asleep as soon as I got back home. But as soon as I awoke, I was ready for more. That's the sign of a good restaurant.
60 S. 38th St., Philadelphia, 215.662.0818.
Mimosa What to Know Before You Go: Credit cards accepted, outside seating available. Buy a Bottle At: 724 South St, Philadelphia.
It all began so well: I had waded my way through several blocks of South Street insanity, and then, as soon as I turned the corner onto Ninth Street, all was quiet. There, a few steps before me, was Mimosa, a small Italian BYOB that, at that moment, looked like the most inviting place I had ever seen: An oasis of civility abutting all the mayhem of South Street. But then I walked through the door, and I was immediately (and frustratingly) brought back to realty. The hostess, who was also one of two waitresses on duty that night, barely acknowledged me. Finally she mumbled something and twitched her head in the direction of a table by the window. She loosened up a bit as the evening went on, but her social graces never won me over. And neither, unfortunately, did the food. The sliced tomato, mozzarella, basil, red pepper and prosciutto appetizer was serviceable but nothing special. There was a lot of food, and the prosciutto was quite good, but the mozzarella was lackluster. The vitello Mimosa, which was a simple preparation of fontina cheese melted over a piece of veal with a few red peppers topping it all, was on the bland side. As for dessert, the ricotta cheesecake had precious little texture save that of the cheese. With so many solid Italian BYOB's in the city these days, I would hope that all of them would raise their game to the next level. I've found, however, that surprisingly few of them have. Mimosa is among this less-than-exalted group. For the money, you can do a lot better.
What to Know Before You Go: Credit cards accepted, buffet style.
