Friday-City Tap House

This past Friday, my roommates' band was playing in Philly at the Danger! Danger! Gallery, and they had a little time to kill, so I met one for dinner with her sister, her boyfriend, another friend, and Grant. Grant and I got there early, so we had a drink at the bar. The restaurant was very well-designed. It was very sleek and sexy with a masculine vibe (old, refurbished dark wood, fire places outside on the balcony, and lots of copper elements). I got a Kira beer to start, which is very similar to Blue Moon, but with more prominent flavors. Once we sat down with our party, I ordered their pear cider, which is more like a sparkling wine than a beer. It was wonderfully refreshing, and would be perfect for a hot summer evening. (even though it was very cold in Philadelphia that night)
We ordered appetizers for the table- their calamari and their sweet potato fries. I love sweet potatoes, but their version of sweet potato fries was amazing. They tasted almost like funnel cake when you first bite into them, and then mellow into the earthy sweet potato flavor. Their secret is that they soak the cut sweet potato slices in a vanilla brine before they fry them, so they get that sweet, vanilla flavor. The chipotle ketchup that came with it was just spicy enough to balance the sweetness of the fries.
The calamari did not disappoint-very crispy and not too chewy, which squid can be if done incorrectly. The sauces that came with the calamari were a bit unexpected but accented them very well. The first was a basil pesto mayonnaise and the second was a sweet and spicy sauce. Both were delicious and lightly flavored so they didn't overpower the squid.
For dinner, I got their grouper with risotto and grilled asparagus. I go to the Bahamas fairly frequently with my best friend who has a house down there, so I know what fresh grouper should taste like (we've caught them on almost every fishing trip since I've started going there). The grouper at the City Tap House was delicious. Light, buttery, and perfectly crisped on one side. I ate inhaled all of it. The asparagus was delicious too-not too strong and perfectly crunchy from grilling. The risotto on the other hand, was a little disappointing. It was very bland and had no savory element to it. It was undercooked, and I wouldn't recommend it. However, it was the only disappointing aspect to the entire dinner, so it didn't ruin the meal.
Other than that, I had a great experience at the restaurant-great food, great company made for a wonderful evening. I definitely want to go back again and try their pizza, which is made in a oven that opens to the dining room, so you can see your pizza being made. Their sandwiches and steak frites looked delicious too, and I look forward to going back to the restaurant situated among UPenn's campus.


3925 Walnut St. Philadelphia

p.s.-I'm realizing I took fewer pictures than I thought this past weekend, I promise to do better!