Graduate Hospital

People used to use terms like "seedy" to characterize the neighborhood. Now they use it to describe artisanal hamburger buns.

by Drew Lazor

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Published: Jun 13, 2007

R. Bradley Maule coined the term "G-Ho." Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Two years ago, the Philly Skyline blogger/photographer found himself at Doobies (2201 Lombard St.), discussing the "Graduate Hospital" area's lack of a snappy name. Someone tossed out "Grad-Ho"; Maule countered with the boldly truncated "G-Ho." Shit stuck.

That's the, uh, abbreviated version. And though Maule just bought a house in Fishtown, few people are more familiar with the explosive development the area � boxed in by South to the north, Broad to the east, Washington to the south and Grays Ferry to the west � has experienced. "Every time you blinked, something was a little better. And that's just from six and a half years," says Maule, who first moved to the racially, socially and economically diverse area in 2001.

Back then, people used terms like "seedy" to characterize the neighborhood. Nowadays, you're more likely to hear it employed to describe artisanal hamburger buns. Indeed, one need only toss around a few culinary before-and-afters to grasp just how much it's all changed. Take La.VA Café (2100 South St.), where neighbors WiFi and snack on Israeli treats like burekas and shakshuka. The space was once South Street Blues, an establishment Maule members ... fondly. ("Tuesday nights were stripper nights," he recalls.) The polished Yello'bar (2425 Grays Ferry Ave.) was long known as the paint-peeling-off Pandora's Box. The corner space at 21st and South housed a string of unsuccessful bars before becoming the perpetually packed Ten Stone (2063 South St.).

While the G-Ho boom came as a surprise to many, others saw it coming a gastropub away. "This area is way too close to Center City, way too close to UPenn, way too close to the Italian Market ... the growth potential in this neighborhood was unparalleled," says Adam Ritter, who worked in sales before opening Sidecar Bar and Grille (2201 Christian St.) with wife Jennifer in 2006. Their spot thrives thanks to a loyal clientele and chef Rich Freedman's Southern specialties (try the jambalaya now) and house-cured sausage sandwiches.

Watering holes are G-Ho's most celebrated commodity. The aforementioned Doobies draws drinkers in with a formidable microbrew selection and plastic-charming outdoor seating. Locals � and a negligible assortment of Penn kids � hit up Grace Tavern (2229 Grays Ferry Ave.) for oyster po'boys and pints of Harpoon. And, of course, it'd be foolish not to recognize an institution like Bob and Barbara's (1509 South St.), which needs absolutely no introduction.

As far as fine G-Ho dining goes, it doesn't get any better than Ian Moroney and Hillary Bor's rewarding Pumpkin (1713 South St.), which recently got itself a baby brother in Pumpkin Market (1609 South St.). We're still thinking about the chilled asparagus soup we dug into on a recent visit. Divan Turkish Kitchen (918 S. 22nd St.) is equally revered by foodies, as are spots like Italiano Roberto Café (2108 South St.), sarma heaven Balkan Express (2237 Grays Ferry Ave.) and pinchos pitstop Café Apamate (1620 South St.).

Though Graduate Hospital, the institution, is now history, the conceptual G-Ho will live on. Don't let the brevity of the moniker fool you � there is no shortage of options here. No one grasps this more than someone like Ritter, who made more than just a business investment in purchasing Sidecar � he and his wife also bought a house just a few blocks away. "If you're ingrained in the neighborhood as opposed to just showing up in a big shiny car, it's a whole different thing," he says. "It really translates what we're trying to get accomplished. This is our place."

 

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