Washington Square

The neighborhood's now the city's newest sit-down boomtown.

by David Snyder

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Jun 13, 2007

Washington Square West has long lacked the trappings of a true restaurant scene. While areas like Old City and Rittenhouse experienced substantial culinary growth years earlier, WSW, for some reason, did not possess the verve and magnetism of a restaurant row. Then, suddenly � almost overnight � things started to change. Much like manifest destiny, restaurateurs started to see the region's potential and started buying up property. As a result, the neighborhood's now the city's newest sit-down boomtown.

Before the boom, there were a number of restaurants already in the area, bound by Broad, Chestnut, Seventh and South streets. LaScala's (formerly Apollo) and Jones (615 and 700 Chestnut St.) have long been convenient lunch spots for nearby office workers and weary Liberty Bell tourists alike. At Morimoto (723 Chestnut St.), it's not uncommon to see high-end diners parading out of their Bentleys to sample triple-digit omakase tasting menus. Across the way at the Las Vegas Lounge (704 Chestnut St.), regulars know that half-pound Elvis burgers and cheap drafts make for a solid evening. And, of course, there are standbys like the aptly named Washington Square (210 Washington Square West), which serves addictive truffled mac and cheese, and El Fuego (723 Walnut St.), where you can catch a soccer match with your California-style burrito and a Negra Modelo.

New faces started to appear in 2006. Aqua, which opened on the already-jam-packed Seventh and Chestnut corridor late last summer, delivers casual-yet-refined Thai/Malaysian fare that includes playfully delicious rice net spring rolls with a taro crusting and mouth-watering beef rendang. The strip also now boasts Center City's most refined Indian restaurant, Palace at the Ben, which recently opened on the ground floor of the historic Benjamin Franklin House (834 Chestnut St.). Their heavenly palak panir is tender, homemade cheese gently cooked with garden spinach, but the dish's spices are the real treasure � complex and seductive enough to convince even the most die-hard carnivores that they could survive without meat.

Those still hungry for sophisticated venues can visit the Oceanaire Seafood Room (700 Walnut St.), where diners can dig their way through loads of market-fresh oysters mined from both coasts. For a more intimate experience, the Morris House Hotel (231 S. Eighth St.) now features David Katz's romantic Restaurant M, where the chef serves gems like maple-glazed Griggstown quail with roasted fuji apples, pearl onions and rosemary oil.

The scope of WSW's accessible American cuisine has broadened, as well. 707 Restaurant and Bar (707 Chestnut St.) delivers a stylish take on comfort classics, including creative reuben spring rolls and a 2-inch-thick pork chop paired with a refreshing, zesty pineapple salsa. Philly's own Marathon Grill has finally opened an around-WSW location at 10th and Walnut that serves alcohol to match its famously expansive menu. And we keep hearing that Stephen Starr is hoping to strike (more) gold by converting his former Blue Angel/Angelina space into a gastropub.

By all accounts, WSW is still a young settlement, and despite its fast-paced expansion, it's still somewhat of a proving ground. Here's hoping this ever-growing scene can get its footing and stake a claim all its own.

 

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Post Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Name	please enter your name
Email (will not be published)	please enter a valid email
Comment	please enter a comment
Enter the security code on the right in the textbox below.
Security Code	please enter the code
	Join the City Paper Mailing List

Diners Without Borders
Fishtown/Port Richmond
Fairmount
Graduate Hospital
Northeast Philly
South Philly
West Philly
Chefs in Residence
West of Normal