Although I haven’t been in Philly long, I’ve been impressed with the food scene.  I’m a huge fan of the BYOB concept – it reduces the cost of dining out fairly significantly.  That being said, I am not out much given my renewed status as a student.

Philly restaurants I enjoy:

• Audrey Claire – lovely little corner restaurant around Rittenhouse.  Have only partaken in two meals here, but like any respectable restaurant, the menu is rarely the same whenever I pass by.  Don’t really understand the categorization under ‘Greek,’ feels more French/Cali neuvo to me…
• Pumpkin – A quaint little place (6-7 tables?) with a very dynamic menu by a chef that’s not afraid to try new pairings.  Excellent meals here, except for the fact my expensive beers were not given back to me after my meal (small quibble, but they owe me $20).
• Garces Trading – A very French bistro-feeling charcuterie with heavy Spanish and Italian influences.  Wonderful selection of important meats and cheese to choose in parings plus a respectable mix of tapas style dishes: tartare, duck salad, gnudi, and a huge cheese & meat menu including one of my favorite meats: Jamon Iberico de Bellota.
• Hann Dynasty – Hard to find decent, authentic Chinese food, and Hann Dynasty delivers some of the best Szechuan food I’ve ever had.  The Dan Dan noodles and spicy cucumbers are must haves.  Other than that, the ordering off menu is usually the way to go.  Bring a hungry group that can handle a decent amount of spice.
• Tria ­– another of the somewhat over-played wine bars…but I’ve been pretty happy with the small tapas dishes that I’ve had there.  Great little salads and flatbreads accompany the other delicious bites (don’t go too hungry though).
• Monk’s Café – Mussels.  That’s the reason to go – great broths, craft beers, not too much else to write about.

Albeit, I’ve sampled only a small portion of the restaurants in Philly (due to budget and time constraints), but please, share your favorites in comments below.

(I have had much more experience dining in NYC, Seattle, Boston, San Diego – happy to share my spreadsheets on each, but the further back I go, the less likely the accuracy)

Upon our most recent visit to Spain, we were introduced to Jamon Iberico de Bellota.  For the uninitiated – the finest aged pork in the world, sliced paper-thin.  “Prosciutto on crack.”  It’s woody, buttery flavor and smooth texture is appropriately addictive.

Apparently these unique Spanish hogs are identified by their black hooves (pata negra = black legs).  After being fed corn and barley when they are young, they are released to roam oak groves and eat a diet chiefly comprised of acorns (where they derive their nutty flavor).  The meat is then aged for 3-4 years.

At around $99/lbs or ~$2-4K per leg, it ‘ain’t cheap.  Besides bribing my flight attendant buddy to bring me a hunk as Connie’s last Christmas present (yes, you read that right), it is incredibly difficult to find due to do import restrictions (recently relaxed a bit).

The only two places I have been able to buy it (periodically) in the states:

• Di Bruno’s Brothers in Philadelphia
• Murrys’ in NYC