The Sites and Eats of Philly

Here we go, my slightly delayed review of Philly! The food, the sites, and the hotel (all in 1,100 words!!)

The Hotel

Hilton Penn’s Landing

Right on the Delaware River in Penn’s Landing. It has a restaurant on site, pool, gym, and full conference center. 

• The Room: Was interesting –on the 18^thfloor, our room had a view of both the river and Seaport Museum. The aesthetic of the room was nice; however, we did have a few issues. The bed sat on a metal frame that was not bolted to the floor and to say it was noisy would be an understatement. Simply getting off and on the bed caused it to creak a lot. Our other issue was the bathroom. The shower head did not all work, half of it just dumped water and the other didn’t put out any water in general. 
• Overall rating: Out of 5, I would give this hotel a 3 – I don’t see us returning. 

The Food

Revolution House

The vibe of the restaurant is so cool. In a 1700s building that was converted into a multi-story restaurant with two outdoor spaces. The indoor space is full of calming dark blues, reclaimed wood, a gorgeous chandelier and more character than anyone could ask for. 

• The Food: The food was pretty good. We had a few items that were delicious and some that were so so. 
  • Appetizers:
    • Chicken Bombs: Chicken wings in a sweet and spicy sauce. Very good. 
    • Smokey Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork: The mac & cheese was great; however, it is advertised as smoky – I did not find it smoky. 
    • House made Tots: These were okay. The crispy outside was good but the inside was just a little too mushy for me. In general, it lacked flavor.
  • Main Dish:
    • Americana Pizza: As my fiancé said “it is good bar quality pizza”. 
  • Price:
    • Moderately priced; though I will say the mac & cheese felt pricey once you add in the pull pork ($17 for an app)
  • Overall:
    • Revolution House feels like a place you would go to for an after work cocktail or before you head to dinner reservations. My biggest knock is (this is something important to me) pacing. I like to have space between the different items I order, don’t fire everything at once – here, the food came out stacked and before we could finish one item, the next was there (even though we ordered staggered). So would I go back? Probably not unless it was just for a drink. For me this was a 3 out of 5 stars.

PJ Clarke’s

This sprawling restaurant has an industrial, historic feel. Situated in the Curtis (a 100 year old building), PJ Clarkes has low music and comfortable chairs. It is a place you’d be happy to hang out in for hours. 

• The Food: The food was good! I was here for brunch and both the meal.  
  • Main Dish:
    • Smoked Salmon Benedict: House smoked salmon over an English muffin. I could have used a little more hollandaise sauce but that’s okay. My biggest negative with the entree was the hash browns. It seemed as though it was simply shredded potatoes that were baked in a muffin tin…but over baked. For Dessert:
    • A little indulging was to be had so the brownie sundae was ordered. With a mix of chocolate and vanilla ice cream sandwiched in brownie chunks – this hit the spot. Definitely made for being split!Price:
    • This was fairly priced. However, a 6 oz glass of OJ was $3.50 
      (no refills), that was the only part that felt a little excessive. Overall:
    • PJ Clarke’s was really good! The food was great, the wait staff was super friendly, and my beloved pacing was just right. Unbeknownst to me, PJ Clarke’s has a few other locations (one in DC as well!) and I will definitely be back! For me, I would rate this restaurant 4.5/5

2nd Story Brewing

Dark. Historic. Cool. We loved the ambiance of the restaurant. The only part I didn’t like was all of the TVs; now I totally get they are trying to cater to sports fans but I always find TVs distracting. 

• The Food: 
  • Poutine: I love poutine so when I saw this on the menu – I knew I wanted to try it. It was everything I wanted and more! Packed with flavor, carbs and cheese – what more could a girl ask for?
  • Pork Belly Tacos: A delicious little treat and I loved them! These struck the right balance of spice, fat, and acid – each bite was just perfect. 
  • Dessert Pretzel Bites: These felt like little donuts that were dipped in cinnamon and sugar. I enjoyed them but they were not my favorite part of the meal. 
  • Price: They were very well priced – my tacos and poutine were $12 each. I thought it was very well priced considering the high quality!
    
    Overall: Would I come back? YES! This is one that I would absolutely come back to if I’m in Philly. There were a number of other items on the menu that I wanted to try including short rib sliders, baked brie, and the adult grilled cheese. I would rate this a 4.5 out of 5.

The Sites

The Liberty Bell

In a museum in Old City, the Liberty Bell does have an observation window that you can peak inside of. If you want to get up close and personal with the bell, you can pay $2 to get admission into the museum. Since we were short on time, we opted just to do the observation window. 

USS New Jersey

I lucked out and had an event here, so I was able to board this impressive ship. While not located in Philly, you can take the ferry over to Camden and walk over to the ship. Preserved beautifully this impressive ship was an excellent setting for our event. My biggest issue is the location. Camden is not the safest area (which the staff on the ship reminded me of) – I didn’t feel overly safe deboarding at the end of the evening.

There you have it – that is my quick review on Philly! I enjoyed my time there and am so thankful I had the opportunity to go. This weekend we are headed off to Harrisonburg, VA! Any guesses what for?