Where to Celebrate Center City Restaurant Week with Great Drinks in Hand

With a new batch of restaurants opening at a crazy pace every few months, and our current dining options being lionized left and right by national media publications, Center City District Restaurant Week gives you the chance to try some of our city’s best at an affordable rate. Make your way to one or several of the following spots from January 18–23 and then from January 25–30.

Abe Fisher and High St. on Market were just lauded as two of the best new restaurants in the WORLD by Travel + Leisure magazine, so this your chance to experience them before it becomes even more impossible to grab a reservation.

High Street is one of the few spots in the city where you can try a bottled Manhattan; drink options also include red and white wines, and a selection of beers. Eli Kulp’s menu shines with options like brussels sprouts with smoked yogurt, mint and chili; the always delicious broccoli with chow-chow, scallions and lemon, as well as hearty fare like rigatoni with pastrami, caraway and dill.

Abe Fisher’s cocktail menu will please those who have an adventurous side with offerings that highlight bitter and smoky flavor profiles. Traditionalists can enjoy a well curated wine list, as well as beers. The brussels sprout Caesar is definitely a must-try, while the pastrami hash knish or corned pork belly reuben make for solid main course options.

Another newcomer worth checking out is Aldine, the long anticipated project from George and Jennifer Sabatino. The drink menu features a concise selection of wines, cocktails, beers on draft and in bottles that compliment Sabatino’s cooking. The menu offers some great options for vegetarians with dishes like a beet appetizer, a cauliflower dish made with orange, truffle and hazelnut, and a main course of agnolotti, mushroom, lemon and truffle.

Those who, like Ron Swanson, love whiskey with their meat will be in for a treat at Bank and Bourbon, which has a selection of hams as a appetizer, and grilled flat iron steak for the main. Meat lover’s will also enjoy the dinner options at Butcher and Singer (8 oz filet with classic sides). And over at Red Owl Tavern they’re offering house-made bolognese, braised short ribs or hanger steak for the entree.

Enjoy a light and healthy lunch at Square 1682 with options like the super food salad (seared shrimp, red quinoa, avocado, blueberries, almonds, citrus vinaigrette) and the black bean quinoa burger. Tuck in for some Italian comfort food like rigatoni alla pugliese or the Italian seafood grill (grilled swordfish & broccoli spiedini, calamari, shrimp, roasted peppers, white beans), and pistachio cannoli at Little Nonna’s. Rub shoulders with some of the city’s movers and shakers while you slurp on lobster bisque and a crunchy grilled shrimp salad at Devon Seafood Grill.

Beer lovers can enjoy a selection of finely crafted local and international brews at 2nd Story Brewing Co., Brauhaus Schmitz and City Tap House. Food highlights include the seafood chowder made with fish and crab at 2nd Story Brewing Co.; beer and cheese soup,braised brisket and black forest cake at Brauhaus, and the egg dipped veal scaloppini, mushrooms, asparagus, sauce Béarnaise and mashed potatoes with seasonal vegetables at City Tap House.

Seared whole shrimp, homemade pastas and seared duck breast in blackberry sauce will inspire wine lovers at the long standing Panorama Wine Bar. Newcomer Petruce et Al is a great place to order some unusual and funky wines by the bottle, as they’re exceptionally well-priced. Ask about pairing them with the beef tartare starter, and the pork shoulder with shishito, chestnut, persimmon and charred cabbage entree.

Those looking for delightful French offerings (both in food and drink) will be thrilled at pretty much everything on Bistro La Minette’s menu, which includes classics like Burgundy snails with garlic herb butter and croutons, as well as mustard-braised rabbit, house-made taglietelle and rabbit jus. Bistro La Minette is also one of the best options for dessert lovers; offerings include red wine and black currant poached pear, chocolate mousse cake, house-made ice creams and sorbets, and a cheese plate.

If you need a spot for a romantic night out, check out the crowd pleasing menu at Fitler Dining Room, which includes kale tonnato caesar and short rib with swiss chard with parisienne gnocchi. You won’t fail to impress your date by dining at Zahav, whether they’re bold enough to try raw lamb with apples, schoug and pomegranate or umami filled options like spiced eggplant with harissa, black lentils and garlic tehina; marinated turnips with crispy lamb’s tongue and sumac or crimini mushrooms with Israeli cous cous, green tehina and celery; it’s guaranteed that you’ll both leave with stimulated palates.

Lastly, if you’ve got some great bottles of wine at home, bring them along to the beautiful BYOB, Russet. Make sure you’ve got wine options on hand to pair with hand cut pappardelle with pork liver ragu; beef brisket or wild striped bass.

Happy eating and drinking! Those New Year’s resolutions will just have to wait a few more weeks.

Photo via Zahav