Philadelphia restaurants for dinner

Bevi, I have to phone Eastern State to get some wheelchair info and will ask about any food places across the street. Thanks for the tip! It would probably be better than eating at the cafe at the Barnes museum.

For any Philly area folks, if you don't already know about the Halloween fear-fest at Eastern State Penitentiary, you might want to check it out. Warning: scary.
http://www.easternstate.org/halloween

http://www.easternstate.org/halloween

Yes, ATG, Fork got very mixed reviews.

I've plowed through these great suggestions plus the other Hotline thread mentioned above. Thanks so much everyone for the input - very helpful.

I read a lot of menus and reviews, phoned a few places and the final choice is Bistrot La Minette. (When do you add a T to the end of "Bistro"?)

I would gladly have sprung for Vetri but when I spoke with the restaurant, they explained the weeknight menu would be Chef's choice which, after discussion, was not going to be too broad. That just wouldn't work with my two seniors. After all was said and done, Bistrot La Minette seemed perfect. My guests love French cuisine, not too formal or informal, and they'll have plenty of choices to accommodate their food preferences. And it's budget friendly compared to a lot of other venues.

We're doing the Barnes museum first, then maybe a short twirl around Eastern State Penitentiary (where Al Capone hung out for a while in a cell with Oriental carpets - they watch Boardwalk Empire, so I thought they'd get a kick out of that). Then on to our great dinner.

Thanks again everyone - very helpful to get your advice.

I highly disliked fork. The service was horrendous and the food, really very subpar. I would second vernick and fitter. I've also enjoyed twenty manning, but as a second option.

Here's a previous thread that might be helpful! http://food52.com/hotline/17034-philly-restaurant-recs

To my previous answer I will add: Bistro La Miniette is my favorite at the moment. Bibou is also a great, traditional French restaurant. Two places where I’ve had great meals (in Queen Village and it’s usually not hard to get a reservation) are Ela and the Mildred. I wasn’t as crazy about Amada, Amis, or Zahav, but I’ve only been to each once. Vetri will be amazing I’m sure but I haven’t made it – so expensive! If you want more inventive/experimental then Sbraga is really good. I’ve heard great things too about Fitler Dining Room and Vernick, near Rittenhouse, but haven’t been able to get a reservation yet. I love Philly restaurants, let us know what you decide!

Thanks everyone - it will be fun researching these. Fork sounds good too though the reviews of food vs service seem very mixed. I'll be taking them for this dinner late next week and will try to let you know how the meal goes. ChezHenry, yes, the Black Bass is a lovely stop during a drive in Buck's County but I haven't yet seen their renovation. And wouldn't it be wonderful if you could hire the ladies at Canal House to do a private dinner!

We wish there were better choices in Bucks! Ive owned a home in Solebury for 15 years. The best, by far, is Brian's in Lambertville. Amazingly reasonable, beautifully prepared 3 course Prix Fixe dinner, BYOB, make a stop at Philip's Mill Wine store in Stockton prior. The only other choice is the Black Bass Hotel in Lumberville, right on the Delaware River. Beautiful setting, ask for a table with River views. Brians is french in its leanings, the Black Bass more nouveau American, and they have a full bar and reasonable wine list. The Bass was recently gutted and renovated, its very nice.

LE virtu, vedge, barbuzzo, zahav, bistro la minette (for great French).. On the square, theres parc, which is your standard bistro--good food, but nothing special. Dandelion is also good and right in the middle of rittenhouse square.

ChezHenry, since you know the Bucks County area, any particular recommendations in New Hope or Lambertville? I could take them there instead of staying in Philly.

Vetri might be a tough reservation to get. Three other gret choices are Marc Vetri's Amis, Barclay Prime for Steak, and La Castagne for elegant Italian. I own a home in Bucks County PA, and have dined out alot in Philly. Be forewarned, these are expensive eats, strangely so for a town like Philadelphia, dinner for 2 can easily top $200, depending on drinks?

Vetri is a perfect choice. The space was the original Le Bec Fin, small, intimate townhouse. I celebrated my wifes 40th there, I won some serious points!

jimmyray, Vetri is exactly what I came up with in my initial search. Thank you!

Meant to say "Vetri," not vetting.

Vetting would be a great choice. Research it to make sure it fills the bill.

p.s. Or serious French menu. Italian could also work. Or as I mentioned, continental.