Also this issue:

CP Choice Awards 2002

Food and Drink

Fishing Expedition
A Brit and a Yank seek the city’s best version of a U.K. staple.
-Juliet Fletcher and Frank Lewis

Past, Present, Future
Restauranting trends and troubles.
-Maxine Keyser

City Life

Cynic’s Choice
-Frank Lewis

ICE STORM 2002
-A.D. Amorosi

Arts & Entertainment

October 24-30, 2002

cover story

Critics' Choice

Highs and lows in the restaurant biz, as chosen by CP food writers Maxine Keyser and Elisa Ludwig.

Keyser

Quickest success story: Rx. Greg Salisbury and Ross Exner have taken an old apothecary shop in Spruce Hill and, practically overnight, turned it into a destination spot that's even made it to The New York Times. 45th and Spruce sts.

Prettiest semi-forgotten restaurant: Passerelle. This gorgeous restaurant in Radnor is not just for parties -- it has a terrific kitchen run by Allan Valesco and Yann Chupin. It's beautiful and quiet, too. 175 King of Prussia Rd., Radnor.

Biggest dazzle: Morimoto. Stephen Starr's decor, as usual, defies description. The undulating walls and bamboo ceiling and the Lucite booths lit from within, are a perfect frame for the glamorous cuisine of The Iron Chef himself. Be it a meal or a trip to the sushi bar, it excites. 723 Chestnut St.

Biggest fizzle: Trust. The bar is attracting a crowd, but the restaurant... Well, with Guillermo Pernot's departure, not even Tony Goldman can seem to put it together again. 121-127 S. 13th St.

Best view: It's a toss between the window seat at The Fountain with the view of the fountain, or Lacroix's view of Rittenhouse Square, or the banquet room at Loew’s. 1 Logan Sq.; 210 W. Rittenhouse Sq.; 1200 Market St.

Most expensive martini: $17 for the Ultimat martini at Kansas City Prime. 4417 Main St.

Most attractive bar: It's still the ceiling-high mahogany wall of bottles at Twenty21, retained from Cutters. And the seating is cozy and comfortable. 2005 Market St.

Biggest surprise: The continued popularity of The Happy Rooster. Most predicted doom for this old landmark, but Rose Parrotta and a few chefs, recently Steve Latona, have continued to deliver good food and retain that slightly louche atmosphere. 118 S. 16th St.

Best people-watching: It's still got to be the block of 18th Street that runs from Rouge, through Devon, to Bleu.

Most pretentious gimmick: Spezia, a worthy Italian BYOB on Lancaster Avenue, charges $7 per table if you want to drink your wine from Reidel goblets. 614 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr.

Ludwig

Best Pad Thai: It takes a proper alignment of the planets (not to mention fish sauce and bean sprouts) to get the perfect Pad Thai and Erawan dishes it out consistently. 123 S. 23rd St.

Best Jamaican food: Taste O’ Home, a onetime trolley station, is a haven for brown stew, curried goat and jerk that makes the lips tingle, all served in generous, inexpensive portions. 6045 Baltimore Ave.

Best neighborhood coffeehouse/ place to play Scrabble: Every neighborhood should have a coffeehouse like this. Café Bella Vista is unpretentious, unhurried and unfettered by a national chain. And the Peet's Coffee doesn't hurt either. 620 S. Ninth St.

Best addition to Chinatown: Breaking up the monolith of dumpling palaces, Indonesia brings some new and needed flavors to Race Street. 1029 Race St.

Best Dim Sum off the menu: Too often in Philly, Dim Sum is about ordering rubbery fried nuggets off of a stainless steel cart to eat on a fancy tablecloth. At Lakeside Chinese Deli you can chill in casual comfort while the kitchen makes your snacks to order. 207 N. Ninth St.

Best Korean BBQ: Short of schlepping to the Northeast, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better bulgogi than the one at Woo Rae Kwon. 7048 Terminal Sq., Upper Darby.

Best new corridor for Mexican food: What started with a humble taqueria in the Italian Market has blown up into the best destination for anything in a tortilla. With Plaza Garibaldi and La Lupa adding to the neighborhood's offerings, it may well be time to rename it International Market already.

Best place to don stilettos and eat bacon: The Beef and Drag Brunch at Bump is an idea that merges fabulousness of fashion (gaudy, bright) and food (rich, fattening), equaling brilliance. 1234 Locust St.