I don’t know what “so Thai” is. All I know is that I’ve had better Thai for less than what I was served. 
Peeps do love the place. I got slammed pretty hard for my review on reddit 
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One of my neighbors went recently (a couple of months ago) and was also disappointed, but she had never been when they were in Bella Vista and I thought she was just not happy with the region the cooking came from (no Pad Thai for example)
I think it was about the time of the move to Fishtown, or shortly before, that the original partner in the restaurant, another woman from the neighborhood, left (was removed?) I can’t find anything about her on the internet which is weird. Anyway, I wonder if that change impacted the restaurant (along with the new partnership with a hospitality group). Its a shame. It was truly great in its original location.
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It really was.
Southern Thai. Very spicy
It’s too bad when places don’t live up to the memories
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Good lunch at the super-popular (read: rezzies for the month are gone within min after going online) Mawn, another place the NYT and other publications have hyped to the point of no return. It’s also about the size of a shoebox — if slightly larger than Tabachoy — which makes getting in even harder. You can play the Resy refresh game and hope for cancellations… OR you can snag a table for lunch, although word’s clearly gotten out, as they were a few people lounging in front when we arrived around 1:30pm.
We waited maybe 10-15 min to put our name in, and another 10 to be seated as a couple. While people don’t tend to linger — well aware of the hungry crowds waiting for a spot, I wouldn’t go if you’re on a short lunch break.
We shared the whole fried soft-shell shrimp with fish sauce caramel, Thai basil & chili,
the beef noodle katiew with sliced wagyu, braised oxtail, pickled jalapeños, chili jam & oyster sauce, to which I added a jidori egg,
and the lunch special of the Mawn hot dog — an all-beef wiener topped with braised wild boar, Cambodian chili, kreung, cilantro, onions, and cornichons.
The shrimp were very nice, especially eaten together with a few basil leaves & a squirt of lime, the noodle soup was also very good — a light broth with just hint of heat (TBH I would’ve liked more), and the perfect amount of noodz. The egg mixed in made it all just a teeny bit richer. The hot dog was bomb.
Overall, a very nice meal, though I’m not sure why people are losing their minds over it. We may go back bc the all star seafood rice that the table next to us ordered looked absolutely incredible, but there’s so many other places to visit & foods to eat…
PS: The philly s/reddit deemed this an absolute slam of the place and damn near crucified me. Who knew my Philly peeps were so GD sensitive? 
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Lunch at Famous 4th St Delicatessen, a Philly institution. We hadn’t really planned a visit there (Sundays are busy, not surprisingly) but were in the nabe, following a FM recommendation by @Bigley9 & finding ourselves peckish around lunch time.
It’s the oldest deli in town, with many cool pics from the early 20s & an enormous menu that’ll take you a while to absorb. It’s mostly famous for absolutely insane portions, so when my PIC inquired whether we should get the ‘zaftig’ version of our choice, I just laughed and laughed and laughed.
Fries are piled high like Jenga, cake “slices” are 7" thick and cover the entire plate, and the matzoh ball I saw being carried past our table was the side of a newborn’s head.
Not surprisingly, half of the pastrami on our Reuben came home with us, as did most of the pickles plate I ordered on the side — I should’ve specified half-sours, as those are my favorites. I also did not care for the pickled tomatoes.
TBH, the Reuben wasn’t all that, but we will be back for the tower of fries, for sure. On a weekday 
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Matzoh ball soup is served in a mixing bowl 
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That doesn’t surprise me one bit!
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The sandwich looks GREAT but I’ve never seen macaroni salad served in a Jewish deli (always potato salad or cole slaw).
BTW, I also MUCH prefer half-sour pickles. There used to be a deli near where I lived in Glendale, CA called “Billy’s” that automatically served a bowl of sliced mixed half and full sour pickles when one was seated. To this day, they are the best pickles I’ve ever eaten. In fact, when I’d visit my late mother here in Las Vegas, I’d bring her a few pounds of them because at the time there weren’t any truly good pickles here.
Unfortunately Billy’s deli closed in 2015 (construction in the area killed business) and I’ll never have these pickles again! 
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They had those as well. Shoulda gone with the tater salad cuz this was weirdly sweet. Not as cloyingly sweet as Amish-style, but sweet enough for us not to like it.
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This may (will?) likely be seen as a thread drift (if not an out-and-out hijack and I’m sorry if it is) but have you or any other HO members in PA ever been here? IIRC, you’re not a fan of buffets, but this place has intrigued me for a long time.
we used to go to Shadymaple when our kids were young. The food gradually got worse as the place got bigger - think getting in line behind huge bus loads of people. We always really liked their broasted chicken. I do not recommend currently, the desserts particulary suffered, although i am sure you can put together a decent meal if you are careful.
I think there are places where you can have a well made Amish/Pennsylvania Dutch meal, with good pies, potpie (chickenwith noodles), Dutch stuffing (seasoned mashedpotatoes with bread, dried corn pudding,c 7 sweets and seven sours, etc but I havent done recent research on where its good. If I did go to shady maple I would stick close to the traditional chicken, pork, stuffing etc and stay away from the giant table of bad ice cream, etc.
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Thank you for the report. I personally doubt if I’ll ever get to Pennsylvania Dutch country (though I’d like to), but if I do, I’ll look for other places to go.
I have not. I usually live in an area surrounded by the Amish, and I am generally not a fan of them, or their food. It’s all a little too sweet for me.
While I am in the city, my focus is mostly on all the foods I can’t get in the boonz
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Thanks for your input as well. I like to try regional foods and that’s one reason I was interested. But I’m also not a fan of foods which shouldn’t be sweet but are prepared that way. I do have an interest in the Amish community, but I have so many interests that I may not be able to see every place I want to go.
If I’m doing the math right on the 99 days you are still in Philly 
Not sure if you’ve been, but I finally got to Pizzata Pizzeria on S. 22nd yesterday and it was awesome. Naturally leavened dough, crispy/chewy/tasty. Great ingredients. Looking forward to going back and trying more plus the Roman al taglio offerings. From what I gather there are only a couple options for slices a day. Whole pies if you want more variety.
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Yup, still around for almost 2 months! And so many places left to check out 
I love Roman-style pizza (and my PIC loves any kind), so thanks for the tip. It’s a bit of a haul from where we are, but should we find ourselves nearby, we will grab a slice
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An absolutely stunning view from Bok Bar last night, a rooftop beer terrace in South Philly.
The Bok Building, funded through FDR’s Public Works Administration and built in 1936 now houses various community projects, shared work spaces, and small businesses.
We’d been meaning to go forEVAH, and last night’s late summer temps made a good case for a sunset brew high above the city. The beer comes in cans,
there’s a small cocktail menu with reasonable prices, and a collab with food catering businesses that change throughout the season (Bok Bar is closed between Nov-Apr). We didn’t eat since we went on the early side & had leftovers to finish at home, but the same floor also houses Irwin’s, a Sicilian-inflected restaurant we may have to check out — after reading up on reviews.
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not much traditionally sicilian in that menu though you can point out a few items. Not to say it wont be good!
Right. The website claims to offer modern Sicilian fare. I see caponata & a swordfish antipasto on the menu. I’m drawn to experiencing the amazing view again, and I appreciate the option of half sized primi.
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