But now that I'm on the other side of the fence -- living in downtown Philadelphia where restaurants are as plentiful as acne on a 16-year-old -- I can sort of see where that elitist, urban, "we've got the best of everything" attitude comes from. So it was nice to break out of the downtown rut this weekend and drive over to Geechee Girl Rice Cafe, tucked away on a pretty little piece of Mt. Airy. Now, granted, it isn't as if it was much of a trek -- maybe 20 minutes each way. But it is still a very different sort of feel than Center City.
And Geechee Girl is a different sort of restaurant. It bills itself as West African, though admittedly, the menu is a little bit all over the place. It is family owned by 2 or 3 sisters -- they told us, but I forget. The owner's family actually showed up to sit down for dinner while we were there -- talk about a good strategy to get a free meal! It was larger than I was expected and really done up nicely. There were a group of family pictures on the wall near the entrance, local artwork around the restaurants, and some attractive track lighting throughout. I liked it.
I had carefully scouted the menu prior to our arrival and I had a sense of what I wanted. But then I heard "fried chicken" among the specials and I jumped. I really like fried chicken, and yes, I know how awful it is for me. Now I'm not talking KFC fried chicken -- gross -- but fried chicken in a good restaurant that is not greasy but crispy and crunchy and moist and just yum yum yum. Anyway, about 5 minutes after I ordered it, I thought to myself how stupid I was. It wasn't that I was worried if it would be good or not, but I was there to try something different and ethnic and unique, and I settled for Thai fried chicken. Now, it was very good -- all of the food I had was very good (the wife's dinner was so-so, but otherwise, thumbs up across the board) -- but I should have gotten something more unique to the restaurant. Oh well.
On to the full rundown of Geechee Girl Rice Cafe...
THE FOOD: The fried okra and corn fritters had more okra than corn, which was fine. They were pretty much fancy latkes -- not too heavy or greasy. Very yummy. Our waiter was nice enough to give me a little taste of their black eyed peas with ham as well -- also good. Every entree comes with a choice of various kind of rice, which I thought was a cool touch. My fried chicken was good, but it was cut up into pieces instead of "pick it up, lick your fingers, and towel off" fried chicken, which I actually prefer. There was a sweet glaze on the chicken (that was the thai part) and the sauce was excellent. The Asian slaw was pretty mediocre. Still, I liked the flavors and the presentation overall.
THE DRINKS: Honestly, their South African Ginger Beer was one of the best nonalcoholic drinks I have ever had. It tasted unlike anything I had had before. It was sort of like a ginger iced tea, but way better. I only drank one, but it was excellent.
THE STAFF: I initially ordered the black eyed peas and ham instead of rice to go with my entree. A minute or so later, our waiter came over and said, "You know, that probably won't go so well with the sauce." I appreciated his input and changed my order. He was even nice enough to give me a taste of the black eyed peas. We also spoke to the owner and one of the other waitresses, both of whom were very nice.
MAD PROPS FOR: The neighborhood. I had never been in the pseudo-downtown Mt. Airy. There wasn't much to it, but it was a neat vibe. Geechee Girl is very much a neighborhood place -- we could tell most everyone else there were regulars or near-regulars.
OVERALL: You're probably to this point and thinking, "Wow, this is a great place. I should go." And I'm not saying you shouldn't. But the one thing to keep in mind is that the restaurant is overpriced by at least 25%. I don't mind paying for good food, but this was a little on the high side, especially in this economy. That was my only negative mark on Geechee Girl. Otherwise, I'd be back. If I ever leave the city to eat again.
THE CHECK: $60, with tip. Not awful, I know, but for 3 fritters, 2 middle-of-the-road entrees as far as ingredients go, and 1 nonalcoholic drink, it was a bit too much.
On to the "Hs"...
Ineligible restaurants for round 8:
- Hamifgash -- Talk about a mismanaged restaurant. I was sort of excited when this Glatt kosher place opened up near my office, but then they put up pictures of the food. It looks like various shades of throw up. Too bad too, because the chicken shwarma in a pita is quite good. I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has, to be honest.
- Hard Rock Cafe -- I know this will sound weird, but one of the best meals I had was as a 16-year-old at a Hard Rock Cafe. Watermelon ribs -- I can still taste them on my lips. One of my first great meals.
- Honey's Sit and Eat -- Ahhh, Honey's. As close to a perfect restaurant as you can get. The best brunch in the city for the price, and dinner is pretty f'in good as well. Plus, the waitstaff is incredibly cool and they laugh at my jokes. I even had a waitress who knew my birthday. That's love. I love Honey's. You know how people on death row get to choose their last meal? I would seriously consider choosing Honey's. Yes, you have to wait for a table for brunch, BUT THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT PEOPLE? You want the best, you wait. Period.
- Hooters -- Wait, they serve food here? Huh, I never noticed.
Candidates for round 8:
- Honey -- No, it's not Honey's, and no, it's not in the city. But it's gotten some good ink... for a suburban joint. http://www.honeyrestaurant.com/
- Horizons -- Philadelphia's No. 1 vegan restaurant. I'll sneak in a Slim Jim and munch on it in front of all the other customers with a dumb, "What's wrong?" look on my face. http://www.horizonsphiladelphia.com/
- Hostaria Da Elio -- Small, intimate BYOB off of South Street. http://philadelphia.menupages.com/restaurantdetails?restaurantid=39971
- Hymie's Merion Station -- There is some weird fight going on between Jewish delis on the Main Line. This is one of the pugilists. http://www.hymies.com/deli.html
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1 comment:
I say Horizons, not because I'm vegetarian, but I think it's different than your normal diet.
(Mike... as in Lori and Mike)
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