(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Kae Lani Palmisano.
Each week, three different guests recommend their favorite restaurants, then try each other's picks, and come together to tell us what they think right here on "Check, Please!"
Hi, I am Kae Lani Palmisano, and welcome to "Check, Please!"
the show where regular people from all over the Philadelphia area recommend and review their favorite restaurants.
So, here's how it all works.
Every week we have three guests.
Each guest recommends their favorite restaurant, and then the other two go check 'em out to see what they think.
This week, legal writer Dan Willis says he's solved the case for the best neighborhood hangout, but salon owner Natalie McNeil says her favorite bar in Northern Liberties is a cut above the rest.
Up first, though, teacher, Daniel Kannengieszer knows the best place for sushi lovers and vegans to come together over a meal.
Whether you want veggie rolls or salmon rolls, he recommends Tomo Sushi & Ramen.
(upbeat music) - Tomo's a place that friends can get together, have some fun, and enjoy some authentic Japanese food.
- Tomo, we provide food for people who have a different dietrician, which is vegan, vegetarian, even gluten-free.
We try to have it all here.
- [Steven] Also, we use healthy ingredients.
(upbeat music continues) - When guests leave from here, I feel I hope they feel welcome and happy with our food.
- Tomo in Japanese, it means friendship.
So as they leave, I hope they walk in as a stranger, and when they walk out, not only enjoying the food, but we can become a friend.
- Daniel, at Tomo Sushi & Ramen, you get the best of both worlds.
You get vegan options, as well as options for those meat eaters.
Tell us why you picked it.
- Yeah, so I mean, that's one of the first reasons why I picked it.
And then I also like Tomo because Tomo offers something different.
Now they have your traditional, you know, spicy tuna, but they've also found ways to be really inventive with their menu.
- And this time around, you started with the bao buns, which was your first time giving 'em a try.
- Yes, it was.
I really loved the bao buns.
They were soft, pillowy, and there was a good contrast with the vegetables inside the bao bun.
It was wrapped in I think like a tofu skin.
So you had the crispiness of the tofu skin contrasted with the softness of the bun.
- And how about rolls?
'Cause it's not often that you come by vegan sushi rolls.
- Yes, so I tried it's called a straw veggie roll, and it is pickled veggies and a strawberry and like an eel sauce on top of that.
- Ooh.
- And I also tried, they have a cheesesteak roll, so really, you know, sushi, Philadelphia, what more do you want, right?
(Kae Lani laughs) And they do like a sliced seitan, which is like a wheat gluten.
It's like a imitation meat, if you would.
They put a vegan cheese on top with some fried onions.
- Natalie, you tried a few rolls as well.
How were the spicy scallop rolls?
- Oh, the spicy scallop rolls were delicious.
They were very fresh.
To me it starts out as sushi rolls, the rice.
If the rice is not right, then it ruins the whole roll, but the rice was done perfect.
- Dan, they get really playful with their rolls.
And you tried something called the Brian roll?
- Yes, we talked to our server, and I guess after hours, the staff will improvise sushi rolls, and if someone makes something that's good enough, they'll put it on the menu and name it after them.
So we had the Brian, and it was really interesting because it had three different kinds of pickles, preserved vegetables on the inside, eggplant, daikon, and calabash gourd, but then it was topped with hamachi yellowtail that was torched.
So the first thing that hits your tongue is that really delicate, savory fish, but then it almost has its own palate cleanser built in 'cause you kind of finish your bite with these three really strongly flavored preserved vegetables.
They're delicious.
- And you tried a few other appetizers as well.
- Yes, a few other rolls.
We had some nigiri including sea bream, which is not something you always see at a sushi restaurant.
So it was really interesting.
I'd never had that before, and it was wonderful, really like pleasantly chewy texture.
And then also some flying fish roe, which was delicious.
- And, of course, a place that is called Sushi & Ramen, they also have ramen.
I know, Daniel, you tried some ramen.
- Yeah, so I tried the vegan ramen despite it being a warm day.
The ramen itself is still very satisfying.
They use seitan, and they slice it very thinly with some sort of glaze of some sort.
So it's really sweet, and it really pops in the broth that is, you know, savory, salty.
There's some ginger in the background.
Yeah, I could just swim in that bowl of broth.
- Is that what you get often when you go there?
- That's always a staple.
Yeah, we can't go to Tomo without getting the vegan ramen.
- And, Natalie, you tried the vegan ramen as well.
- I did.
It was delicious.
First when they brought it to the table, just the beauty of it, I didn't even wanna touch it to mix it together to add all the flavors.
Everything just went together very well.
And with it being vegan, you would think that maybe some of the flavor was missing, but absolutely not.
All of the flavor was there.
- And how about you?
I know you got something with meat.
(laughs) - Yes, I'm representing the omnivores.
(laughs) I got the tonkotsu ramen, so pork broth, but specifically the one that had mayu added, which is like a burnt garlic kind of sludgy oil puree.
You smell that garlic as soon as it hits the table, and then you see it.
And I agree with you, Natalie, it's so beautiful.
You've got the red ginger, the scallions, bamboo shoots, so many different colors happening on the surface of the ramen, and it was absolutely delicious.
- How was the yellowtail collar?
- It was fantastic.
I wanted to try an entree, a hot entree that wasn't the ramen, and it was just really simple, broiled hamachi over rice.
It reminded me how good something as simple as fish and rice can really be.
- And, Natalie, you did leave room for dessert.
How was the red bean ice cream?
- The red bean ice cream was delicious, and you could see the little beans, little bits of beans in it also, but it was very good.
- [Kae Lani] And red bean's a really unique flavor.
It's like kind of subtly savory.
- Exactly, and it was nice because they packed it up.
I didn't have room for it, but I wanted it, so they packed it up in ice, so that it would hold up until I got home.
And it did hold up until I got home.
- Oh my goodness, that's like above and beyond service.
- Yes.
- They really wanted you to bring that ice cream home.
(Natalie laughs) Dan, what did you think of the service?
- I thought it was great.
I was there I think during peak hours, sort of early evening six or seven.
The service was really quick.
And also ordering, kind of splitting the meal into multiple courses, they still brought everything out perfectly fast.
- Natalie, what did you think of the decor?
- Decor was aesthetically just nice clean lines, simple contemporary, but very like warm.
It kind of had like sort of like a zen kind of a appeal to it to me, but you know, and welcoming, you know, for everyone, and I had the opportunity to sit in the front window, so it was just a beautiful picture window there, and I could people watch while I actually relaxed and had my meal.
- Daniel, Tomo is your pick.
Sum it up for us.
- Sushi restaurant that is offering familiar bites, but also with some inventive twists added to 'em.
- And, Dan, what's your big takeaway?
- It's what I think of as classic Japanese fare, but executed at a high level and very reasonably priced.
- And, Natalie, how would you sum up Tomo?
- A great place to dine and try some different things like if you're used to eating sushi, they have some other options on there, different.
So try something new and I'm sure you'll be pleased.
- Visit Tomo Sushi & Ramen located at 228 Arch Street in Philadelphia, (267) 519-0209.
Reservations are accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $30.
Natalie McNeil is a regular at her local gastro pub.
For an easygoing vibe, live music, and elevated bistro food in Northern Liberties, look no further than Jerry's Bar.
- I describe Jerry's bar as... Well, we like to say it's just a corner bar.
We have a lot of regulars who come in all the time, but then we're also a nice date night spot, you know, a place that you can bring your family.
We do a amazing brunch, so we're definitely dinner, but we're also like a big brunch spot.
It has been a bar for like 100 years.
We have photos of it in like 1920s, which looks so crazy.
And then the owner, Bill Proud, who is a certified stone mason, and he can do historical refurbishing, took the bar completely gutted it, and the marble on the bar, the tiles, every little touch in Jerry's Bar is something historical.
And then we do jazz on Sundays.
That has been around since we opened.
So the guys who play jazz here have been playing jazz here for 10 years.
So we've had a lot of items on our menu that have been here since we opened, the Jerry's Classics, but then we also switch our menu seasonally, which is exciting 'cause, you know, you come in in summer, there's gonna be one menu.
You come in in winter, there's gonna be all new items, so it keeps it fresh.
Yeah, it's a bar where you can get a beer and some chicken wings, but it's a corner bar that you leave feeling like you're connected to the people here.
- Natalie, Jerry's Bar is such a cool experience.
Tell us why you picked it.
- Part of the vibe, the food, and it's local neighborhood place where it's just fun all the time.
You can go there if you just want some brunch, lunch, dinner.
You can take the family.
You can go alone.
It's been great.
- And you like to start your meal with the hummus trio.
- Every time.
(Kae Lani laughs) And usually if you're with people, so you get to share it.
The hummus, of course, people have had hummus, but the beat hummus is amazing,, and that's not something that you usually can get at most places, and I love it.
- I am so glad that somebody at this table went for Sunday jazz brunch, which is when you went to Jerry's Bar.
- [Dan] Yeah.
- How did you kick off your meal?
- I started with a snap pea spritz, which is on their mocktail menu.
I just had to try it as it sounded so bizarre.
And the flavor of snap peas came through so wonderfully and added kind of a minerality and like a drying sensation to it.
This really had the complex structured taste of a cocktail and owe it all to the bizarre, but brilliant inclusion of snap peas.
- How did that mocktail pair with the jazz?
- The whole vibe for Sunday brunch at Jerry's is amazing.
There's a fresh rose at every table, and then they had just two people.
It was just bass and guitar, but they were doing arrangements of like Stevie Wonder and Beatles tunes.
They did "Something."
something really fun about sitting there sipping your coffee.
I was out on the patio drinking their...
They have La Colombe drip coffee, which is delicious.
Yeah, a really great atmosphere for brunch.
- Daniel.
- Yes.
- You brought your family.
- Did.
- And you tried the vegan version of the gumbo.
- Yeah.
- How was it?
- Ah, it was awesome.
So when it comes out, all of the different components of the gumbo were divided up.
So you've got, you know, your rice here with some carrots and peas.
You've got this really rich thick broth over here.
And then I think something that they do is really interesting is instead of trying to like throw in like a mock Andouille sausage, they have Brussels sprouts, something that I've never seen in a gumbo before.
And you know, I quickly mixed it up, and one of my favorite things about Jerry's was they give you free bread.
So any place that gives me free bread automatically gets like an extra star.
And so yeah, I'm slopping up the gumbo with the bread, and it was just fantastic.
- Natalie, you tried a, what was it, the grouper fish?
Was this a special?
- It was a special.
- Oh, yeah, how was it?
- Oh, it was delicious.
- It was blackened grouper?
- It was blackened grouper, but not overly blackened 'cause sometimes blackeneds can be really salty, but this wasn't too salty.
The flavor was very good, nice white fish inside, and it was served with a pureed sweet potato mash underneath.
And then it had sauteed spinach and also butternut squash, chunks of butternut squash.
And the flavors were the garlic and the oils and everything.
Everything was done perfectly.
- And did you pair that with a drink?
- I did.
I actually had the sangria, which has brandy wine.
And so sometimes the sangrias can be either too sweet, or they can be kind of dull.
This one had a nice blend of all of the different elements together.
So it was very good.
- And, Daniel, I forgot to ask about your wife's Jerry's Berries cocktail.
Was this a mocktail or a cocktail?
- Yeah, so we both got mocktails.
So my wife got the Jerry's Berries, which was ginger beer, sour cherry, and I forget, it's some type of berry as well.
- And how was your blood orange spritz?
- [Daniel] It was a very nice balance of sweet and sour.
- [Kae Lani] Oh, was it a little bit effervescent?
- Yes, it was.
- With the spritz, it's like I want the bubbles to kind of like tickle your nose.
- [Daniel] Exactly.
- Dan, what did you get for brunch?
- I got their breakfast sandwich, which comes on a kismet bagel, never fails.
And I love that one of the options for meat was pork roll.
They know where they are.
They know who's coming to eat at Jerry's.
- That's a Jersey classic.
- Yeah, sure is.
- Was like scrapple also an option because I feel like in Philly, you need to have scrapple and pork roll?
- I think it was.
(Kae Lani laughs) We'll have to check.
And then that came with home fries.
I need to talk about these home fries 'cause they're a feat of engineering and kitchen logistics.
They're really thin quartered potatoes almost like halfway between a classic home fry and a Saratoga chip.
And then they tossed them with the peppers and onions at the last second, so the potatoes stay crispy.
- Wow.
- I need to try to imitate that at home I think.
- Absolutely, so did you need ketchup at all?
Did you- - No.
- Oh goodness.
What did your wife get?
- My wife got the short rib cavatappi pasta.
She loved it.
She also really appreciated the bread.
She made a little cavatappi pasta, you know, sandwich of sorts.
- Oh, I love carb on carbs.
- Yeah, carb on... That's how she does it, yes.
(laughs) - And what did you think of the ambiance of the restaurant?
- I love the ambiance of the restaurant.
So you walk in, you've got the bar there, beautiful wood, and then you kind of go around the corner and you're in this room.
It's dark, but there's this huge window that pretty much takes up an entire wall.
So a lot of natural light still getting in.
Flora all around you from, you know, just the side of the restaurant to even in the ceilings.
They have these plants that are kind of dangling down, these tentacles of lights.
It was beautiful.
- Natalie, have you tried dessert at Jerry's Bar?
- I have.
This was the first time I had the carrot cake.
Oh, it had beautiful chunks of fruit throughout.
It had a nice thick icing, and it was nice and moist.
- Natalie, this is your pick.
What do you think of the service?
- The service was exceptional, especially this time when I went.
Our waiter, she was phenomenal.
- And, Daniel, what were your thoughts?
Because you had to talk to your server about both vegan dishes and then also dishes for a four year old.
- Yeah, I also felt like the service was top-notch.
They did a good job accommodating my dietary needs and did a good job also making sure that my son was leaving with a full belly.
- And what did you think of the neighborhood?
- Ah, so I think for me one of the things that stood out to me was that it was kind of tucked away in a more residential area, however, still within walking distance to, you know, all of like the nightlife that Northern Liberties has to offer.
- Yeah, it's kind of tucked away, and it's surprisingly quiet over there.
- Yes, yes, it is.
- Yeah.
What did you think of the Northern Liberties neighborhood?
- I have to echo that idea that it's tucked away and quiet, and I actually noticed, a few blocks up from it, they had a sign that said Jerry's is this way.
I kind of wish they would take it down, so that I could keep this secret and keep it quiet, but, no, it seems like an if you know, you know kind of place even though that neighborhood I know is popular for dining.
- Natalie, Jerry's Bar is your pick.
Sum it up for us.
- Great food, atmosphere nice.
Pricing is good.
It could be a little bit hard to find, but it's definitely worth it when you do.
- Dan, what's your big takeaway.
- As the "Check, Please!"
brunch correspondent, (all laugh) I can confirm that this is a really classy and classic place to get brunch on a Sunday.
- Daniel, what are your final thoughts?
- Yeah, it's a restaurant that's tucked away, but I feel like the food really stands out.
- Cap off your day with a cocktail at Jerry's Bar located at 129 West Laurel Street in Philadelphia, (267) 273-1632.
Reservations are accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $30.
When Dan Willis is looking for a bite, he heads to Fishtown for eclectic American fare, cold cut hoagies, and a couple of rounds of pool.
Whether you want a quick sandwich at lunch or a unique cocktail at dinner, he recommends Middle Child Clubhouse.
(upbeat music) - Middle Child Clubhouse is an all day cafe and bistro.
We do classic American dishes, just sort of like with an updated twist.
Fun, never funny, quirky, but not like silly or goofy.
So yeah, I think Clubhouse is just, you know, exactly about the feeling of a clubhouse.
It's the kind of place where like you could hang out and play pool and have a beer, but also have a really good meal.
You could sort of do whatever you want here.
So yeah, we really want people to like use this space however they see fit, you know, to be able to come here and hang out and use it as a bar or be able to bring friends from out of town to impress them, and that's sort of like how we think about this space.
So we've got two new head chefs in place this year that the whole team is very excited about having.
Sam Henze is gonna be our dinnertime head chef, and Edwin Delarosa is gonna be our AM, breakfast and lunch head chef.
You know, this year the food has just gotten exponentially better, and I'm really, really excited for people to try it.
(upbeat music continues) - Dan, Middle Child is this nostalgic, playful clubhouse as the name indicates.
Why did you pick it?
- It's a group of people who have a lot of attention to detail with food drinks all the way down to like graphic design, just like really smart branding and really creative food.
When I heard that they were starting a traditional sit down restaurant, I had to try it.
So I went there after getting a bonus (laughs) from work and splurged on the tasting menu, but it did not disappoint.
It was really fantastic food that feels familiar and strange at the same time.
- With this tasting menu, you kicked it off with the burrata.
- Mhm, yeah, so it was sort of a stewed strawberry situation with the burrata and some Calabrian chilis, and it was served with their house made focaccia.
The focaccia was nice and salty on the crust.
The strawberries were wonderfully sweet and jammy and overall gave the impression of maybe some kind of strawberry cream cheese bagel, which you'll see a recurring theme at Middle Child is that it's a unusual route to a familiar destination.
It's childhood foods, but something's off about them in the best way possible.
- Yeah, you wouldn't expect some of the ingredients to come together like the latka, which is served up like an okonomiyaki.
- Mhm, yeah, that has, what, katsuobushi, scallion, kewpie, unagi, but it's on top of like almost a potato pave like a weird deep fried potato brick.
I would not call it a latka if you served it to me, but it's so, so creative and cool.
- Natalie, how did you start your meal?
- We had the fries and we also had - Was it the Zucchini au poivre?
- The Zucchini.
- Yes.
- It was grilled, and it had the pine nuts, and it had some other garlic and everything, very intense.
Again, you thinking that there's something simple.
I was so surprised at the complex taste that they had and flavors that they had in all of the foods because I went thinking it was just a sandwich shop.
There's layering and layering and layering of flavors.
- And how was your zucchini au poivre - Yeah, a similar experience.
There's a bunch of strange ingredients I probably am gonna mispronounce during this segment.
Never seen before, but you're trying to get a little bit of everything.
I was trying to get, you know, with the zucchini, I was trying to get some of the pickled onions, the pine nuts.
You try to get everything in one bite, and it's delicious.
- Yes.
- You also got a fennel salad.
How was it?
- Yes.
So the fennel salad was great.
It was a shaved fennel with a, here we go, pear mastada, mostarda.
There you go.
See, I told you it's gonna happen.
(all laugh) And some sliced almonds.
It was light.
The fennel wasn't, you know, too overbearing.
There was a really good acidity with like the dressing.
Fantastic way to start the meal.
- Natalie, what did you get for your entree?
- Buffalo ranch tofu burger.
And if you didn't know it was tofu, you would've never known.
The crispiness on the outside was so nice, and the inside was nice and soft, but it wasn't too firm and it wasn't too soft.
And the bun was like a brioche bun on the outside.
It had caramelized onions on it.
And then I had the little mayo, the special mayo on the side, that it had the little kick to it, a little spice to it.
So it was really good.
- And how was your entree?
- Yeah, I'm thinking we're getting deja vu because, yeah, I had the same thing, and I agree with you.
I think that that texture of tofu can be jiggly at times.
It could be really soft and tender, but it had a good like meaty chew to it.
I think it would fool a lot of people.
It was also coated in, I think, like a corn flake crust, which added a good crispiness to it, a good sweetness.
- And, Dan, for the next course of your tasting menu, what did you get for your entree?
- The main for the tasting menu was a rib chop, a pork chop with vinegar peppers.
Really just classic, simple kind of Italian American preparation.
But I have to say with the tasting menu, even though it's a little prier, they don't skimp on the portions.
You're going to leave full.
I think might've even been too much food, but I think it was about an inch and a half thick bone in chop right off the grill, delicious.
- And just as the menu is very playful, the cocktails and mocktails are also very playful.
Natalie, the dreamsicle it was called.
- Yes.
- Yeah, how was it?
- Oh my, I thought I was eating a creamsicle, and it was carrot juice.
Carrot juice is the base, but it really brought back memories, and that flavor, it was on point.
It was perfectly perfect.
- It really does flash you back to your childhood.
- It does.
- It did, it certainly did.
- And, Daniel, you tried a mocktail as well.
- Cocktail.
- Oh, okay.
This time you went cocktail.
- This time went cocktail.
And actually it wasn't even me.
It was my wife.
She ordered the Mezcal jungle bird, which is a tequila drink, and there's pineapple in it.
- [Dan] Yeah, Concord grape is in there too.
- And then hibiscus.
- Yeah, hibiscus.
- [Kae Lani] There's a lot going on.
- There's a lot going on there.
Like I said, my wife ordered it, but it quickly came over to my side.
(all laugh) - Well, you have to share.
That's the rule of "Check, Please!"
is if you dine with people, then you have to try everything.
- Yes, mhm.
(Kae Lani laughs) - And how were your cocktails, Dan?
- Wonderful.
I was there with a friend, and we tried a lot of the drinks.
Menu is wonderful beer selection, wine selection, and really creative cocktails.
The two I really wanna highlight is their house red is a super Tuscan, which I believe means it's a varietal of grape that's maybe associated with new world wine making like cab sauv or something, but made in Tuscany, and that's delicious and one of the more affordable things on the drinks menu.
Highly recommend the house red.
But then the cocktail that blew my mind was a riff on a blended pina colada.
So it was like a tropical slushy drink, but it had a very minty alpine amaro in there that I thought made it taste like a Swiss herbal cough drop (laughs) in a really wonderful way.
- Natalie, what did you get for dessert?
- The key lime pie.
Oh my.
When she started walking towards us with this mile high slice of pie, and it was delicious.
It wasn't overly tart.
The cream on the top was perfect, and the actual crust was graham cracker.
You can't go wrong with the graham cracker.
- Classic.
- Classic, homemade, fresh, delicious.
- Natalie, what did you think of the decor and the ambiance of the Middle Child Clubhouse 'cause it does kind of have a clubhouse feel?
- It does, it does.
And we just kept thinking the chairs and everything were comfortable, the tables were comfortable, but it just reminded me of when you used to watch "The Brady Bunch" or something on television and like here's the pool table over here.
And someone was having a private event, and when they opened the door, you could see the crystal ball spitting around in the top.
I was like, "Oh, this is so cool.
"I have to have a private event."
Yeah, but it was really cool, really nice.
Like you said, all were old school like classic, but fun.
- And what did you think of the prices?
Were they on point?
- Yeah, I think given the fact that you are getting, I feel like, high quality ingredients, the food is executed in a way that really makes every bite memorable, yes, absolutely.
- Dan, Middle Child Clubhouse is your pick.
Sum it up for us.
- Yeah, it's the kind of place where I think if I took my mom there, she would look at the menu and say, "Can't they do anything normal?"
(all laugh) But if you're an adventurous eater and you don't mind spending a little more money, it's gonna be a very memorable eating experience for anyone, I think.
- Natalie, what's your final takeaway?
- Great neighborhood spot, fun, energetic.
If you wanna just go and be happy, have fun, I think that would be a good place to go.
- And, Daniel, sum it up for us.
- Yeah, to echo that, I feel like it's a restaurant that has found a way to pair fun with quality food.
- Head to Middle Child Clubhouse located at 1232 North Front Street in Philadelphia, (267) 858-4325.
Reservations are accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is $30.
So on this week's show, we featured Tomo Sushi & Ramen in Old City, Jerry's Bar in Northern Liberties, and Middle Child in Fishtown.
I wanna give a huge special thanks to my guests, Daniel Kannengieszer, Natalie McNeil, and Dan Willis.
Join us next time for three new guests recommending their favorite restaurants right here on "Check, Please!"
And don't forget to find us on Instagram and TikTok.
We're @CheckPleasePhilly.
I'm Kae Lani Palmisano, and I'll see you next time.
- Cheers!
- Cheers.
(upbeat music)